Conflict 3

[Sophichan's point of view]

After the dragon transformed into her smaller form, we entered the castle. All of the important people went with Ester-sama to the drawing room to find out Tanaksan's location and discuss what to do. I was the only one left out.

But, thanks to this, I'm able to view much of the interior of Tricklis' castle. For such a low-class girl like me to be able to explore such a magnificent castle is a dream come true.

"This castle is gorgeous."

Compared to the castle in the capital, the size is inferior, but the design is more than comparable.

I continued looking around the castle as I walked through corridor after corridor.

This is fun.

I really enjoy this kind of thing. I'd like to visit even more castles and palaces.

I'm all alone so I can continue to explore for as long as I like.

"Uwa, the mural on the ceiling is beautiful."

It must have been so expensive to make.

I couldn't keep my mouth from hanging open as I stared at it.

As I was lost in thought staring at the mural, I could hear someone's voice coming from nearby.

After all, this is the castle of a lord, I wouldn't be surprised if there are other nobles around here. I don't want to cause any problems for Ester-sama, so I quickly regained my composure and pressed myself against the wall.

"It seems that clan that was used as the vanguard in the last battle managed to return home victorious."

"Yeah, I heard something similar. They managed to defeat an army that had more than ten times the soldiers in it."

The voices could be heard coming from around the corner ahead of me.

It sounds like two men talking to each other.

"It seems that they're returning to the front lines as well."

"That clan is aiming for the top. I wonder what they'll do if they actually manage to achieve their goal. Especially that Gonzalez. Although his family has fallen into ruin, he's still the eldest member of the Aufschnaiter family."

"I don't know what will happen, but I'm sure it will be troublesome. That's all you can find when you make it to the top."

"It really doesn't matter to soldiers like us. Stuff like that will never be within our reach."

"I actually have a friend that joined the Twilight Company."

"Really?"

"Yeah. According to him, it hasn't been that bad so far."

It seems like these two are soldiers serving in the castle.

I can't hear the sound of their footsteps, so these two are most likely standing guard or something like that. Or maybe they're slacking off. Either way, they're making me hesitant to walk past them.

I may have received permission from the lord of the castle to explore, but to a random pair of guards, I'd probably look like either a maid not doing her job or someone who snuck into the castle that doesn't belong here.

"It would definitely be worth it if he can manage to become a knight in the capital."

"That's more than just a possibility if you're a member of that clan."

"The Knight Order in the capitalah, what I wouldn't give to join their ranks."

"That's the most elite order in the country. If you make it through the training you'd be guaranteed at least a position as captain in one of the local cities. If you're lucky enough to join the imperial knights, you could even become a nobleman."

"A noblemanthat sounds nice."

"I want to be able to eat like a noble at some point in my life."

"Definitely."

Fufufu, soldiers longing to have the lives of nobles. While I've already experienced what it's like to eat like one.

I can vouch for how delicious that food was.

Even though I'm just a maid, I can feel a little superior to them.

"By the way, have you heard about how the new Lady got her position?"

"The girl from the FitzClarence family?"

"It seems she was granted her title and this territory after she helped cure the Princess' disease."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard from the people that came with her from the capital."

"That sounds more like a fairy tale than anything else."

"From what I heard, the Princess needed a special medicine to cure her. One of the ingredients in that medicine was the liver of a Red Dragon. It seems that she went to Mount Pepe with Lord Fahren to acquire it. Apparently, she's known as a dragon slayer in the capital."

"A Red Dragon? Seriously?"

"Yeah. Lord Fahren formed a party with the girl from the FitzClarence family, a knight from the Order, a guard captain, and the vice-captain from the Third Magic Corps. I also heard some ridiculous rumour that a waitress from one of the restaurants in the capital tagged along as a luggage carrier."

"Oi, oi, is that vice-captain that one girl, Cyan-chan?"

"Yep, Vice-Captain Cyan." (TN: In case anyone has forgotten, Sophie's real name is Cyan Bitch [seriously])

"Seriously? That girl is incredibly cute. I'm seriously in love with her."

"Vice-Captain Cyan is definitely cute. I can't help but violate her with my eyes whenever I'm in the same room with her."

"Right? I just love how serious and proper she looks. I want to marry her someday. Her personality can be a little cold, but I'm sure she'd feel warm between her legs."

"If I could marry Vice-Captain Cyan, I'd never ask for anything else for the rest of my life."

"I'm surprised you're not trying to go after the FitzClarence girl. If you managed to get close to her, you'd never have to go out on patrol again."

"Oi, oi, don't say things like that so lightly. You never know who could be listening."

"Even so."

It seems that they're scared of Ester-sama.

I wonder what would happen if rumours spread about how she speaks with Tanaksan.

He's probably considered to be in a position even lower than I am.

Despite what he's done, he's really received no credit for any of it. On top of that, he's also a foreigner.

It probably wouldn't reflect well on this country if it was found out that a foreigner was the one responsible for healing its princess. I remember Tanaksan said something to that effect before.

"you're really an unfortunate person, Tanaksan."

Well, he seems to know that and not even mind it.

"Now then, let's continue exploring."

I muttered quietly to nobody in particular and continued to look around the castle.