CH 31

「「A Highlander!?」」

This news took both Inglis and Rafinha by complete surprise.

「Ah, I might have gotten it wrong? We’re under the direct jurisdiction of the King and the Highlanders are given the right to lord us by his majesty, I think that was it? I’m sorry, I’m not very well versed in this kind of thing.」 「…Well, that must be for the best.」

The background story didn’t really matter because on paper, the King had lent the territory rather than giving it away. This would make sure that he would not appear as incompetent and unable to protect his own territory. Plus, when it was under the pretense of the king’s decisive judgement to retire an unreputable lord from its land, the lord was the one at fault while the king received no retribution from it. In actuality though, the king must’ve been incapable to oppose the Highlander’s demands and had to surrender a piece of his territory.

But… What benefits do they gain from this? Do the Highlanders want to colonize this area? Do they really think that living on Midland is a good idea? From what she had seen thus far of the Highlanders, they had the mindset that living on their floating island was a privilege only their own. Did they wish to have a plot of land so that they could plant their own crops and such? That would certainly end up being cheaper than getting the kingdom to repeatedly offer up so much payment in exchange for bestowing them Artifacts.

Stationing an administrative official on Midland to directly govern it also had its own dangers. It could stir up opposition from the Midlanders, which would, in turn, encourage the anti-highlanders movements such as the Ironblood Chain Brigade.

Did the Highland really possess that much of an overwhelming strength that such a risk didn’t even bother them? Since they even gave out Hyrule Menaces, the alleged Ultimate Artifacts, they must also have the means to defend themselves when threatened.

If so — perhaps, after defeating a Prisma class magic stone beast and having a duel with a Holy Knight brandishing a weaponized Hyrule Menace, Inglis should set her goal on the Highland next. They might show her some of the secret weapons in their possession.

That actually sounds fun. Maybe it’s time for me to plan out my next move for when that happens.

「Y-, you aren’t treated badly, right?」

When it came to Highlanders, the only one Inglis and Rafinha knew was Rahal. It was understandable for Rafinha to be concerned. After all, the impression he left wasn’t exactly a good one.

「Not at all. As I said before, our life has become easier now because the lord has expelled the thugs and such. While our sales have dropped, at least we can rest assured at night now.」 「Is that so… 」 「But, you see, the lord takes in children who have no relatives and the sick who can’t move into the castle and personally look after them. Knowing that makes me feel relieved since I know that I’ll be treated the same if it happened to me. We’re happy that we have such a good lord.」

Said the woman with a smile.

「So there are good Highlanders too… right, Glis?」

Looking at how surprised she was, it was clear to see how Rafinha thought of the Highlanders.

「You’re right. Perhaps visiting her would be a good idea. Should we?」

Perhaps, this was a good chance for them. This applied to Inglis herself too, but this opportunity might help Rafinha to widen her perspective.

「Let’s! After I’m done with the raspberry pie!」 「Okay.」

After devouring the incoming three portions of raspberry pies, the two headed to the feudal lord’s castle that was located in the center of the town.

After expressing their will to apply as mercenaries, Rafinha was soon hired after a few short conversations. After all, the combination of a High Grade Rune and a High Grade Artifact made a very desirable mercenary. Moreover, with Inglis as Rafinha’s squire, there was fundamentally no problem for her to be recruited as well but she had to undergo a few tests for formality’s sake.

In the castle’s courtyard, Inglis was facing a heavily built knight who was said to be the knights’ organizer. He was rather young, perhaps somewhere in the early twenties. Even with his large build, he wasn’t stern at all, he was more like a calm and gentlemanly person.

「I’m Nacht. Sorry to say, but I gotta test your skills here. We can’t have you getting mortally wounded after being deployed onto the front line, y’see.」 「Of course, I don’t mind. You do it out of concern, after all.」

They each held a wooden sword, facing each other in the form of a match.

「Hoawa~ Even though such a thing is useless for Glis…」

While the knights and the mercenaries were all watching, Rafinha was busy trying to stifle her yawn. Inglis decided that if she were to prove her combat skills in front of them, they wouldn’t need to worry about her nor would they dare to get in her way. So, this was a golden opportunity for her to show how big of a difference in ability was between her and the knights, here and now.

「Yosh, come on and hit me!」 「Well then.」

Inglis plunged right in and swatted away Nacht’s sword without even giving him time to react at all. The wooden sword easily flew away from Nacht’s grip.

「Wha…!?」

The small opening allowed Inglis to strike his belly with a palm strike.

「Gowaakh!?」

Nacht’s body was bent in the shape of V, and thrown off a few meters back.

「「「OOOooooooh!?」」」

The astonishment of the crowd could be heard. Nacht landed on the ground rear first and further rolled back another three times.

「Y-, you… passed.」

Having his breath knocked out of him, he barely wheezed out those words with his eyes still spinning.

「Ah. Shoot. I put too much strength into it! I’m sorry, please get up.」

Without realizing her own strength, she might have just done something inexcusable. She quickly ran up to Nacht and slapped his cheeks a few times.

When suddenly…

「Emergency! Magic Stone Beast—! Captain Nacht! Uwaaah captain!? What happened to you!?」

A man shrieked, out of breath, when he saw the state Nacht was in, whose eyes now only showed their whites. This was bad — very bad timing.

「Ah… A-, at any rate, everyone, we should intercept them!」 「O— ou!」 「Th-, that’s right, we have to!」 「Let’s go! Make haste!」

After Inglis called out to the taken aback group, knights and mercenaries alike, they finally began to move.