Night.
　In the sleeping quarters specially set up for her, Sarya sleeps peacefully.

　She was wrapped in a soft duvet and warm blankets.
　Her sleeping form was like a child, and the blanket was covered up to her head.

''........''

　There was a figure invading the sleeping quarters without a sound.
　The figure slowly approached Sarya as if to blend in with the darkness.

　The figure slowly drew its sword.
　It pointed its blade at Sarya........
　Swing it down with a bang!

　Kink!

What...?

　The blade sliced through the blanket, but it didn't reach deep into it.
　It popped, as if it had hit something hard.
　The figure's hand seemed to go numb and the figure held it back.

'That's enough.'

　Instantly, a light ball was born in the tent.
　The light illuminated the inside of the tent, revealing the figure of a human shadow.

　That figure was ........a knight Alec.



----------



　All of a sudden, Alec seemed upset.
　Well, it was a natural reaction.
　I was about to assassinate the princess, and somehow, I showed up.

"You, why are you here...
I thought it was weird, so I staked it out.

　I found it strange to listen to Sarya.

　Traveling with only a minimal amount of bodyguards to keep a low profile on highly sensitive official business.
　That in itself is not understandable.
　What's strange is the ability of the knights in the escort.

　Since they have to protect the princess with a small number of people, they must be capable of a single rider.
　However, Alec and the others were struggling to the extent of an ogre.
　I thought they weren't strong enough........
　For that matter, he was not intimidated by the chi that Kanade and Tania emitted, and he was unfazed by it.
　There was no problem in judging them to be reasonably competent.

　If that was the case, why were they struggling against the ogre?

　What if the original goal was to dare to invite the demons to attack and target Sarya?
　We don't know Alec and his friends' motives, but it makes sense when you think about it.

　Of course, I have no proof.
　It could be that I'm thinking too much.
　It's just that after that, I asked Lady Sarya about the knights.
　They've seen the same thing happen a few times.

　The discomfort grows and turns into suspicion.
　However, there is no proof.
　Even if I questioned him, he would be deceived.
　So, I decided to set a trap.

　If I'm right, then........
　With the addition of us as companions, Alec and the others must be getting impatient.
　Then they will move quickly.
　And then they will think of something to pin the blame on us.

　That's why I decided to keep an eye on Lady Sarya's sleeping quarters.
　Of course, we would not want to put Lady Sarya in danger.

"Hmph, I have witnessed your misdeeds with my own clarity!

　Luna appeared, splashing off the blanket.
　She had asked Sarya-sama to take over her bed for her.
　The sword was protected by magic, so it was completely unharmed.

''Kut........you guys.......!
''I was going to keep trapping you all the way to King's Landing for a few days but you're lucky to catch it on the first day. No........I didn't want a knight to try to kill the princess, so should I call it unlucky?
Where is the Third Princess?
No, of course not.

　He was probably waiting for the numbness in his hands to subside.
　Alec charged in silently.

'Lane!'

　Luna exclaims impatiently, but that's called being too attentive.

'Phew!'

　Alec swung his sword down.
　He slammed a kick at the hand holding the sword.

''Gah!''

　The feeling of crushing the bones of my fingers can be felt on the soles of my feet.

　Still, as expected of a knight, I should say.
　Alec's face is twisted in pain, but he doesn't throw out his sword, but he forcefully grasps it and fires a second blow.
　His sword muscles are lightly slowed down, but his speed has not diminished as if.
　This must be Alec's true power.
　If he had this much power, he could have kicked an orc to the curb by himself.

　But.........

"Earthbound!
Geez.........what is this?

　Luna's magic burst out and blocked Alec's movements.
　It was the magic of Luna of the spirit race.
　As expected, Alec couldn't resist this and gave up on resisting.



----------



Thanks for your help.

　I captured two other knights
　We also searched the surroundings just in case, and once we were safe, we went to the carriage we would use.
　Sarya-sama appeared from the back of that cart.

　She had asked us to take refuge here while she was having an exchange with Alec.
　Of course, I wasn't alone, I had Kanade, Tania, and Nina stay with me.

　Tina captured the other two knights.
　Sola used her magic and had Alec record the attack on Lady Salya.

'How are the knights doing?'
We're throwing them in a place where they can never escape.
You can't escape, okay?

　Nina, who was listening to the conversation nearby, said proudly.

　Alec and the other knights threw them into Nina's sub-space.
　It seems that Nina has grown up in many ways lately, so storing three people in it is not a problem.

　There is no light, no sound, not even the passage of time.
　It might be terrible to be held in such a space, but.......
　You're dealing with a major criminal who tried to assassinate the princess.
　He wouldn't have to worry about his safety.

Shall we talk?
No, that won't be necessary.
Doesn't it bother you why he did that?
I kind of have an idea.

　Sarya-sama then made a sad face.
　Although she said it was predictable, but, after all, she must be in shock.

　Words of envy for me having a trusted companion........
　Maybe Sarya-sama doesn't have anyone like that.
　Maybe that's why she said that.

　When I thought of that, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pity.

''To be honest, I expected this time to happen, to a certain extent. So I asked Mr. Rayne and the others.......to protect myself in my own way.

　It made a lot of sense.
　No matter how much, you wouldn't normally ask someone you just met to be your escort...
　He won't even reveal his own identity.

　Is it because you had suspicions about Alec and the others from the beginning that's why you did what you did?
　It seems that Sarya-sama is a lot smarter than I thought.

''What do we do now?''
'I must return to King's Landing and inform the king of what has happened. I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you ask for my escort as it is?
Of course you don't mind.
Thank you.

　They bow down to us and we are afraid of them.

　This is how you can bow to your people.
　To target such a princess.......what kind of an agenda is involved?
　Maybe I shouldn't be bothered, but....
　Still, I couldn't help but think about it.