The woman, who had parted from Aldis and stepped into her lord's mansion, was led by a maid to a room that looked like a parlor.

"Please wait here until you are ready for your audience. We'll have some drinks ready for you in a moment.

　The maid who led the way offered the woman a seat and then immediately left the room.

　The woman sat down on a rather fluffy and uncomfortable sofa and looked around the room.
　The walls were adorned with paintings with a touch of realism, and the antique tables on the four sides of the room were adorned with glittering glasswork.

　A casual observer would recognize each item as a first-class work of art.
　Of course, when they are traded, they require gold coins that the average person cannot even imagine.

　Numerous works of art and ornaments are not just decorations for the room.
　It is a symbol of wealth for those in power and the result of embodying power.
　From the moment the guest enters this room, he or she is subjected to the silent pressure of financial power from the Marquis de Trier.
　It was one of those silly, robust activities that had been going on for tens of thousands of years, long before man began to socialize, to group together, to have a status quo.

　The woman understood it, but that didn't mean she didn't sympathize with it.
　Numerous Sailors and their creator beings would be able to love and compassionate such a person. But a woman who is only Sailor's daughter doesn't have much in the way of emotions to feel.

　But that doesn't mean she ever felt sorry or pity for herself.
　She has her own mission and others have theirs.

　What she had been given was the power to fight and the ability to sense her enemies.
　Yes, I was given the power to fight and to sense the enemy. For example, at this very moment, you should be able to detect the eyes of the many people who are peering at you from the hidden room.

'So you think you're hiding.

　The woman sips the tea that has been offered to her, as if to hide a small murmur.

　From then until the maidservant brought the tea, and for the rest of the time, there were multiple eyes watching the woman's every move through the peephole created by the slightest gap in the decorations.

　I don't know what the Lords of Trier intended to do with the woman, but at least on the surface she was treated favorably.

　However, he couldn't take it at face value because of the scrutiny he was under.
　If it wasn't the Lord's order, I would have wanted to leave such an unpleasant place as soon as possible.
　However, once there was an order to "meet with the Lord," there was no way I could disobey it as a squire, so I grudgingly waited quietly like this.

　After that, we had to wait for quite a while, and when we sipped our second cup of tea, we were finally summoned.

''Thank you for your patience, sir. We are ready for your audience, and I will take you to it.''

　Accompanied by a different maid of honor from the one who had first led her, the woman stepped into the back of the mansion.
　After two minutes of walking, she reached a large double-opened door with strong guards waiting on either side.

'Come in this way, please.'

　The guards opened the doors from both sides as the maid of honor held out her palms.

　The door opened slowly, and through it, I saw a room about fifty meters long and wide.
　At the back of the room, the floor was raised a level and in the middle of the room was an ornate chair, which was currently empty.

　A red carpet stretched from the entrance where the woman was standing to the chair at the back, and about twenty armed people were lined up on either side of the room between them.

　The woman's eyes narrowed at the atmosphere.

　The room itself was made suitable for an audience.
　Even though it was the second largest city in the Kingdom of Naglas, it was spacious and quite lavishly decorated for a mansion owned by the lord of a single city.
　But for inviting guests, it would be a little too stuffy.

　Armed people lined up to surround the woman's left and right, as well as an empty seat at the front where the lord should probably be seated.
　Most importantly, despite meeting the powers that be in person, they have not been asked to disarm or even examined.
　The woman does not show her inner suspicions and walks leisurely through the center of the room.

Stop right there.

　A man emerges from the back of the room.
　Dressed in a long, loose-fitting robe and sporting a rich white beard, the old man calls out to the woman in a streetwise voice that belies his age.

　The woman follows the voice and stops walking and turns her attention to the owner of the voice.
　The old man walks over to an empty chair and stands beside it.

'I have heard that the lord wishes to see me, but are you the lord of Thoria?

　The place is colored by the woman who didn't thank him and suddenly made a rude comment.

'You!　What a rude thing to say!

　A man in the upper echelon of the crowd spat at him, which was chastised by a white-bearded man.

'Refrain, General,' he said. "Refrain, General, you can't expect a mercenary to be polite.

Haha. ......

　The man called General reluctantly obeyed, but for all intents and purposes, he had a look on his face that was far from convinced.

'Well, the question I was asking earlier: ....... Of course, I am not the Marquis of Tria. I am not the Marquis of Tria, of course, but Costas, who is in charge of the political affairs of his domain. I will listen to your story on behalf of the prince. Shall I hear your name, mercenary?

　The woman replies to the question with a clerical answer.

'I have no name.'

You!　You've got to be kidding me!

　Again the general turns his anger on the woman.

I am not playing around. I have nothing to lose. You can call me what you like.

　The woman wanted to say that she was the one who was joking around.
　In addition, the old man, who came out on behalf of the woman, said, "Let's hear what you have to say first.
　He had no business on the woman's side to begin with. He did not understand what he was supposed to say.

　Such thoughts must have been expressed in his attitude. In addition, the woman, who did not even identify herself, also showed obvious dissatisfaction on her face.

I've been meaning to tolerate a little bit of rudeness, but you didn't even identify yourself: ...... Well, that's good. General, let's get this over with as soon as possible.

Ha. Leave it to me!

　It seemed that the two of them had decided in advance what was going to happen next.
　Once again, Costas speaks to the woman.

'Well, woman. You have heard of your repeated battles with the other mercenaries in our land. I have heard that you are a strong man without defeat. I've heard that the other day the commander of my army crossed swords with you.

　A company commander in the territorial army?　The woman tilted her head inwardly.

　That being said, I remember the human attire that surrounded the woman from both sides.
　It wasn't very memorable, so it's hard to be sure, but I had a feeling that the man who challenged me a few days ago was wearing similar equipment.

'But I can't believe that a man who is a company commander in the Tholian army would be treated lightly by a traveling mercenary, and even a woman, without hurling a single sword at him. How could such a thing happen?　No, such a thing must not happen. It can't be. Nevertheless, people's rumors have a tendency to be followed by tails and tails. Don't you think it's the duty of an administrator to clarify the facts once and tell the people correctly?

　You keep saying this and that, but in short, what Costas was saying was, 'In order to cover up the fact that the company commander of the territorial army was defeated by the flowing mercenaries, I will call in our mercenaries and beat them on home ground.
　It was probably just a way of saying that the lord wanted to meet with him.

''Hmm. Then let's get this over with.

"Yes. You may not be a complete idiot, but ......, do you really think you can win against the elite of my army?

　Costas responds as if it were the right thing to do.
　The woman said as she slipped her hand into her pocket.

And then?　Who will we be dealing with?　Are you sure that's all of them, including you?

　The man who had replaced Costas as general spoke up.

'I will not be cowardly as the proud warriors of the realm surround me with one!　Dekken!　Get out!

　A young warrior, appointed by the general, steps forward alone.

　Probably the most skilled of them all.
　Even in the eyes of the woman, he appeared to be a man of considerable ability.

　But that was only by the general standard.
　Of course, he is far from the range of women and Aldis.

"Don't worry, I won't take my life. But I'll have you prepare for a little injury.

　Dekken declared as he pulled a slender sword from its scabbard and held it at the ready.

'Are we allowed to use the seriousness here too?'

'Of course. That's why I left him armed. I'm not so proud of my work against an unarmed woman.

　So use what you're used to, Dekken said.

　She understood why they hadn't asked her to disarm, but on the other hand, the woman couldn't understand the other man's thoughts in any way.
　She called them to their own garden and said "no shame" while surrounding one person with twenty others. This is the kind of shamelessness that can be called "shamelessness".

　The woman took out a dagger from her pocket and held it in her right hand.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

''Let's go!''

　Deken steps forward with a shout and strikes the first blow.
　The woman softly leans back and dodges the thrust just in time.

'You do!

　With each mouthful, Dekken swung his second and third swords, but his blade was nowhere near reaching the woman.
　The woman dodges Dekken's attack with a wobbly, elusive movement.
　It reminded me of an ear of silver grass swaying in the wind.

　Eventually, Dekken began to show signs of fatigue as she attacked in rapid succession.
　Dekken's voice rises in frustration when his attacks don't reach the woman, no matter how much he continues to attack her.

'How long are you going to run around like that!　You can't afford to fight back!

　He kept his distance and said to the woman, catching his breath with his shoulder.

'Ho. Have you had your fill yet?

　The woman took it as a give-away declaration.

'Then let's go this way,'

　As she says this, the woman kicks the floor.

'Nah!　Where to ......!

　Dekken lost sight of the woman.
　The next moment, she flicked off the slender sword that Dekken was holding.
　The sword drew a parabolic line and fell with an unpleasant crashing sound to the floor a few meters away.

'Are you still willing to fight?'

　A dagger held by a woman is thrust at Dekken's throat.

'Oh ......, no ......'

　For him, he wouldn't have understood what had happened.
　The woman's stepping in, her instantaneous power, and her ability to dive into a blind spot in an instant. None of this was an area that could be reached on Dekken's level.

'No way, Dekken is ......'

　The general muttered with a stunned expression on his face.

''Well, does this satisfy you?

　The woman said, with an irreverent attitude, "Or do you still refuse to comply?

Or do you still refuse to comply?　If that's the case, you can have them all come over, though?

Nuh-uh ......, if you let me tell you!

　The warriors standing in line all have expressions that are far from convinced.
　The general in particular had a reddish face, as if he was about to pounce.
　Just when the woman was ready to take over the battle, a new voice interrupted her.

'Don't do it, General. There is no need for more.'

　The general, Deken, Costas, and the warriors surrounding the perimeter, all but the woman, turned their bodies toward the sound of the voice and stood upright and immobile.

'Sir Frederick!'

　Following everyone's gaze, the woman turns to see a man advancing out of the back of the room.
　He was in his early forties at his age. His daily neglect had manifested itself in the form of excess fat around his belly.
　There was a light of intellect in his eyes, but to the woman, the light seemed to be dim and muddy.

'I've seen enough of your moves. It's a sight to behold.'

　The man called Frederick sat down in the vacant chair while uttering a compliment that was not directed at anyone.
　By doing so, he was indicating that Frederick was the master of this mansion, the Marquis of Tria.

　The Marquess of Tria, with his heavy body on the chair, announced in a hawkish tone

The woman here is as good as her reputation. I like you. You are in my service from now on.

　The woman's intentions were not important, and she began deciding on that treatment on her own.

If you have that kind of competence, you can get a company commander at once ....... I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get a good look at it, but it's a pretty sight to see. You might as well be my bodyguard.　It's a good idea. You can't take an entourage to the battlefield, but you can serve as a guard and also a companion.

　With a s*xy smile on his face, Frederick opens his mouth one way or the other.

　Of course, there is no one here to stop him from doing so. Neither Kostas nor the general, Dekken or any of the other warriors are rude enough to try to interrupt the marquis' words.
　Except for the only oddball in the room, a woman with an unpleasant expression on her face.

What are you talking about? I have no intention of serving you.

　The first person to respond to this insult was the General.

You!　What a way to talk to my lord!

　The room, which had been filled with hostility to begin with, is beginning to be filled with more disquiet.
　Naturally, Frederick can't be at peace.

'What did you say, woman?　Have I told you that you don't want to serve me?

"I already have a Lord to serve, and I will serve only my Lord Ardis. I serve only my Lord, Ardis. Unless, of course, the Lord is even more rigid than my Lord, which is unlikely.

　With that, the woman returned the kibisu and turned to leave.

'Well, wait!　What does that mean?　You did not come here to serve as an officer!

　The woman who stopped and turned around with only her head turned her sky-blue eyes to Frederick and said, "My Lord has sent me to meet you in this house.

I have received word from my Lord that I am to meet with you in this house. It is not only a matter of time before you get back to your home, it is also a matter of time before you get back to your home. There is no need for me to stay.

　Frederick nearly lifted his hips from his chair at the unexpected reaction and looked away from the woman's back with a stunned expression on his face.