Samuel, who had been standing quietly at my words, suddenly took on a somewhat ominous air.
As Samuel was the one who had reported Arin Thorne, he seemed to recall the scene he had witnessed then, with anger seemingly rising within him.
Karin too sensed Samuel's energy and revealed his wariness.
I looked at Karin with eyes that found him pathetic and let out a sigh as if to show my displeasure.
"I only wish to entrust my safety to someone with outstanding ability. Is this such a grave matter that you should overlook this insubordination?"
"Th-this is not insubordination...!"
"You knights already tried to secretly ambush my knight only to suffer for it instead. That alone apparently wasn't enough to gauge your level."
Karin's face had now turned so red that its original color was unrecognizable. Whether that was from shame or indignation, I couldn't say.
I looked at him with eyes full of contempt, then abruptly turned around.
"The training grounds' location hasn't changed, has it? I'll visit right now."
Toward Karin, who stood in a rigid posture, I offered a cold sneer.
"Shall we check this 'pride of Roam' you knights speak of?"
* * *
There were many knights in the training grounds.
It wasn't difficult to single out a few decent-looking ones among them and set them against Pallides.
It was only natural, as knights who viewed the knight brought in from outside with hostility were glaring fiercely all over the training grounds.
And Pallides brilliantly met my expectations.
"Utterly ridiculous."
My indifferent voice echoed through the silent training grounds. Someone looked at me with resentful eyes, but upon meeting my gaze, immediately lowered their head.
I could see someone's clenched fist trembling. Seeing that felt even more satisfying than expected.
'The name Roam doesn't hold only Roam family members.'
The retainers under them were all tightly united under the name Roam. Therefore, merely exposing the family's corruption wasn't enough to say we had toppled Roam.
That was why I had hatched this very plan. Publicly crushing the knights.
Trampling them completely, so they wouldn't feel any pride in the Roam name—grinding them down thoroughly.
This was completely different from guiding someone to realize their shortcomings and improve further. This was simply... closer to an operation of trampling on the opponent to humiliate them.
"Tch, truly pathetic and shameful."
The knight who had been pushed over by Pallides' heavy sword gasped for breath. He wasn't badly hurt, but having been beaten here and there, he looked quite a mess.
Looking down at the fallen knight, I poured out unreserved mockery.
"You said this was a knight order personally selected by the Viscount? Don't you dare go around claiming to represent Roam anywhere."
The training grounds fell silent, with only sand and dust occasionally scattering in the wind.
The other knights who had been watching the spar wore expressions of disbelief.
'But what can they do?'
From the start, these were men who couldn't succeed in a surprise attack even with the advantage of numbers in the dead of night.
I don't know what excuses they used for moral victories each time they failed their ambush, but these were men whose skills were inferior to Pallides.
There was no way they could defeat Pallides in a one-on-one spar in broad daylight like this.
"It's a good thing I secured protection beforehand. I almost granted an undeserved title to such worthless people."
I spoke in a voice quite loud for a mutter.
Honestly, their skills weren't objectively bad.
But I wanted them to despair, feel ashamed, and either leave Roam on their own or turn their backs on it.
Extreme as it was, today's clash would be enough to shatter the pride of these high-minded knights.
Moreover, Pallides' provocation was quite excellent, so the knights' pride, already fallen to the ground, was now at the point of rolling completely in the mud.
"As I said, they're all soft and weak."
At Pallides' words, spoken as if she had been waiting, several knights' faces flushed with anger.
'I did order her to get on the nerves of the surrounding knights, but I didn't know she'd be this good at it.'
Perhaps Pallides was enjoying herself right now. Or maybe she had accumulated so much stress that she was relieving it this way?
I was inwardly reflecting on whether I had been working her too hard, when the sound of a bird's flapping wings came from above.
[Zigore seems to have returned.]
Tristan, who had been clinging in my clothes' folds and hiding, quietly whispered.
After glancing at the sky to confirm, I turned around sharply.
"We've wasted unnecessary time. Let's go."
I heard someone's miserable sigh.
That was no different from the sound of cracks forming in the name Roam.
And to me, it was a very pleasant sound, like jade beads rolling along.
* * *
Zigore had originally served as the contact with Samuel, but since Samuel came to meet me on his own, he lost his assigned duty.
So what I newly assigned him was surveillance of my older sister, Frisian.
[That woman met the man from the portrait the Captain showed!]
"Right, she must be anxious."
Older sister Frisian was currently in a desperate situation. Father had been meeting with Heinley for days to negotiate terms.
She would be on edge, worrying a carriage might come to take her to the imperial palace at any moment, so she must have rushed to resolve this problem as quickly as possible.
So much so that she wouldn't even have the leisure to look after her retainers.
As long as Frisian was distracted by other matters, it was easy to stir up the internal atmosphere of this household.
"Good job, Zigore. You watched well."
[So can I stay by the Captain's side now?]
"Yes. Zigore, you keep watch on the surroundings from the window. Tristan, you should start heading back to Lilia now."
Tristan, who until moments ago had been flying so fast as to be invisible, upon hearing my words, slowed his flight speed drastically and moved listlessly.
"MinTe, check outside the room."
MinTe, who had been stretching his front and back legs in turn to work out his stiff body, wagged his tail and went out the door.
Having set up Dullahan guards around the perimeter, I fiddled with the ring. Soon the ring sparkled, and an excited voice came through.
—Lady Anelli!
Samuel, who had been leaning against the doorway, seemed to recognize the owner of the voice and glanced up.
Since he had removed his helmet, his rumpled expression was fully visible.
"He's a mage, isn't he? Didn't you say he was contacting the Imperial Prince?"
—This voice is... that Holy Knight fellow?
How remarkable that they could recognize each other so well just by voice alone.
'It seems the two of them have become quite close without my knowing.'
Thinking calmly, I first addressed Xenon.
"His Highness Heinley?"
—He'll be coming soon. More importantly, Lady Anelli, wasn't the Holy Knight supposed to wait at the inn?
Xenon poured out words so quickly that I couldn't even find timing to respond.
Samuel, who had been standing with arms crossed listening to Xenon, clicked his tongue and spoke.
"I don't know how someone with a head bad enough to not remember names can perform magic."
Samuel, saying that, seemed to have completely forgotten that he himself called Xenon 'mage.'
At Samuel's calm sneering, Xenon responded in an annoyed voice.
—Why are you with Lady Anelli?
"Protection."
Momentary silence fell from the ring. Then soon, Xenon's excited voice came stumbling out.
—...No, right now! That bastard! Wait a moment! Lady Anelli! You locked me up in this barren imperial palace! And now who's doing what?
Xenon rattled off words that could have been directed at Samuel or at me.
Samuel, who had been quietly listening, spoke in a cynical tone.
"Naturally, I'm here because I'm more helpful."
Helpful or whatever—the person who barged in wearing a helmet without even being invited and then settled down—who was that!
I grabbed my aching head and first gave Samuel a quiet warning.
"Sir Samuel. Don't provoke."
"I wasn't provoking, I was stating fact."
At Samuel's firm words, Xenon let out a hollow laugh.
—That guy is making light of a mage right now...!
"Xenon, you calm down too."
How can they fight so well when they're not even in the same room? Do they research ways to fight each other?
I was marveling at the two people's amazing abilities when a new voice came from the ring.
—What is it? Why is it so noisy?
At his voice interjecting curiously, I felt a welcoming feeling arise naturally. If it was Heinley, he would be able to mediate with Xenon.
"Lord Heinley."
—Ah, Anelli. Hearing your voice like this feels novel.
"Indeed it does."
Perhaps thanks to regaining my peace of mind, my expression relaxed considerably too.
—But before I begin my story, there's something I'd like to ask.
I answered with a gentle smile.
"Please speak."
—Why is the communication magic tool a ring?
"..."
My smile didn't even last a minute before fading.
Heinley, who seemed to be waiting briefly for my answer, opened his mouth again.
—Surely you're also using a ring magic tool? Did the two of you split a pair of rings?
His voice was warm and peaceful. Just from hearing it, I couldn't sense anything strange at all.
—No, I'm not trying to press charges. As I said, I decided to step back while wishing for your happiness. But one can still be curious, can't one.
But why, I wonder. I had a premonition that Heinley's expression wouldn't be quite... so peaceful.
Swallowing dry saliva as I gazed quietly at the ring, Samuel, who had been standing by the door, subtly approached the sofa where I sat.
"The communication device was a ring?"
—Why do I hear Sir Samuel's voice from over there?
As soon as Samuel asked, Heinley murmured unpleasantly.
Xenon, who had been quiet for a moment, chimed in as if he'd been waiting and poured out words to Heinley.
—Please listen, Your Highness. Would you believe it—that Holy Knight fellow, with no manners at all, went and placed himself at Lady Anelli's side to play bodyguard all on his own!
—That's quite different from our initial plan?
—That's exactly what I'm saying!
The two people beyond the ring seemed to quickly find common ground.
However, right after that, Samuel, who had been standing by the sofa's armrest looking down at me quietly, spoke in a cold voice.
"I'm curious why this communication device is a ring. Didn't you say this was something that mage fellow procured?"
Samuel's eyes darkened as he looked at the sparkling ring on my finger.
Xenon, who couldn't have known Samuel's expression, answered in quite a triumphant tone.
—I chose it because it was the best communication device!
—If it's an accessory, there are necklaces, bracelets, and earrings too. There's no reason it had to be a ring.
Xenon and Heinley's alliance was quickly broken.
And I, in this quagmire of futile conversation where one question led to another, posed a question that no one answered.
"...We can get to the main point sometime today, right?"
Somehow, I have a feeling this is going to be difficult...