"Fufu, I can just picture the surprised look on Rei's face."
So spoke a woman with golden hair that looked as though the midsummer sun itself had taken form as her locks.
Brushing up her drill-curl hair, the woman—Elena—smiled as she gazed out the window at the view beyond it.
Noticing Elena's demeanor, the woman standing in attendance nearby spoke up with a troubled expression.
"Lady Elena, why didn't you send word to Lord Rei? If you had, you could have met with him the moment we arrived in Gilm."
"Hmm. It seems Ara is also oblivious to the subtleties between men and women."
Stated so bluntly, Ara touched a hand to the Battle Axe strapped to her back and put on a slightly sulky expression.
In truth, Ara herself understood that she was oblivious to the subtleties between men and women.
Elena had originally been the same way, but the current Elena had Rei as a partner.
By that logic, it wouldn't be unusual for Ara to have a steady partner by now—or rather, in Elgin, where many people married in their mid-teens, she was at an age where being called a late bride wouldn't raise eyebrows.
While Ara held the position of Elena's close aide, she was also the third daughter of Count Scarlet's House.
Despite that, not only was she unmarried, she didn't even have a fiancé.
However, that was by no means because Ara lacked suitors.
If anything, looking solely at popularity, there was no doubt that Ara could easily have been courted by any number of nobles.
Count Scarlet's House wielded considerable influence even within the Noble's Faction—enough that the influence held by Count Relduct's Family, whom Rei had attacked just recently, paled in comparison despite holding the same rank.
And yet, the reason Ara still had no fiancé or lover was most likely because she wished to remain by Elena's side.
For Ara, who was utterly devoted to Elena, her own romantic endeavors—or marriage, for that matter—held some interest, but ultimately no more than that.
If Ara had been the only child of Count Scarlet's House, or perhaps the eldest daughter, things might have been somewhat different.
Fortunately, Ara was the third daughter.
With an older brother to inherit the headship, she didn't need to worry about succession, and political marriages weren't a concern given Count Scarlet's House's current circumstances.
If anything, keeping Ara at Elena's side was far more beneficial to Count Scarlet's House. It was from this alignment of father's and daughter's interests that the current situation had come about.
That said, since Ara also held the heavy responsibility of commanding the Elena Escort Knight Order, she couldn't simply be married off so easily.
At any rate, while her own lack of interest in romance was the biggest factor, it was an undeniable fact that various other reasons also contributed to Ara's obliviousness toward the subtleties between men and women.
"Though from what I hear, Lady Elena, your own relationship with Lord Rei hasn't exactly made any concrete progress either, has it?"
As if making at least a token counterattack, Ara fired back.
That counterattack, while not quite fatal to Elena, was undeniably a significant blow.
In truth, though not quite every day, she spoke with Rei fairly regularly through the Paired Orbs.
But ultimately, what the Paired Orbs allowed was only conversation—it was impossible to physically touch her beloved.
What's more, from what Elena knew, women like Marina and Vihera were currently close to Rei.
They had discussed the arrangement of all three of them marrying Rei, but even so, being the only one kept at a distance made it impossible not to have feelings about it.
"…That is precisely why I've come all the way to Gilm."
Saying that, Elena reached for the tea on the table, enjoying a sip or two before eventually turning her gaze toward the door.
Ara, who understood more than well enough what that meant, flipped a switch within herself, transitioning from Ara the childhood friend to Ara the commander of the Elena Escort Knight Order.
Then, some ten-odd seconds later, there was a knock at the door. When Elena called for them to enter, Daskar appeared.
Under normal circumstances, detecting Daskar's approach this early would have been impossible.
But for Elena, who had inherited the Ancient Dragon's Magic Stone and elevated her existence to something beyond human, such a feat was hardly difficult.
"Lady Elena, I apologize for keeping you waiting. I would have come sooner, but… there was a great deal of sudden work."
Daskar did not appear to be the type suited for paperwork—someone more fittingly described as a warrior or knight—yet he had nevertheless handled such tasks competently as the lord of Gilm and a central figure of the Neutral Faction.
If anything, Elena knew that despite his appearance, he was by no means poor at that sort of work.
Even so, now that Gilm's expansion had begun in earnest, handling all of his duties had become increasingly demanding even for Daskar.
Elena understood this as well, which was why she shook her head to show she didn't mind.
"I know how busy you are, Lord Daskar. If anything, I feel apologetic for arriving at such a hectic time."
"…No, you're more than welcome here. With Lady Elena in Gilm, no one would dare do something foolish enough to shame Duke Kerebel's House."
The incident with Count Relduct's Family had led to Elena's dispatch this time.
Strictly speaking, when the Noble's Faction decided to send someone to Gilm as part of their apology for the Relduct affair and to prevent other members from interfering unnecessarily, Elena had volunteered herself.
There were, of course, several others who had wanted to visit Gilm, but every single one of them retracted their request immediately upon seeing Elena's demeanor—such was the force of her presence.
Naturally, Elena's volunteering to go to Gilm through such forceful methods was partly to prevent the deterioration of the relationship between the Noble's Faction and Neutral Faction, which had been steadily improving of late. But the greater reason was undoubtedly Rei.
The relationship between Rei and Elena was already close to an open secret within the Noble's Faction.
Many harbored bitter feelings about this, but Elena was, after all, a woman who had rejected suitors by the hundreds—perhaps even over a thousand—up to this point.
Among the nobles, there was already a prevailing sentiment that trying to bring themselves, their brothers, or their sons closer to Elena would be an exercise in futility.
Of course, that didn't mean everyone accepted Elena and Rei's relationship.
If anything, those within the Noble's Faction who did accept it were probably the minority.
"I'm glad to hear you say that. This is… a letter from my father."
Elena handed Daskar a letter sealed with Duke Kerebel's House's wax seal.
Daskar took it, opened the envelope, and read through the letter.
Several minutes passed. When he finally finished, Daskar turned to Elena with an expression that, rare for him, couldn't fully conceal his surprise.
"I've, uh, read the letter, but… are you quite certain? No, of course, as the lord of Gilm, this is something I should be delighted about, but…"
"Of course. I came here of my own volition wishing for this, so I have no complaints whatsoever."
Elena nodded to show there was no issue at all.
"In the first place, the reason this situation arose is that the Noble Faction Nobles in Gilm weren't properly doing their jobs. If that's the case, isn't it only natural that I take on the responsibility of setting things right?"
"…As I said, we have no complaints. If anyone is foolish enough to try something under the watch of the Princess General, I'd almost want to commend them for their audacity."
Currently, there were a fair number of agents belonging to Noble Faction Nobles in Gilm.
However, most of them were relatives or subordinates of their family heads.
Given that, while gathering intelligence posed no problem, actually preventing the actions of those who went rogue was considerably more difficult.
Viewed in that light, having Elena—who bore the alias of Princess General—here was an unparalleled deterrent.
"Then that settles it."
"…Understood. I'll leave it to you. So, where will you be staying? I'd like to arrange a room for you at the Wheat Inn if possible, but given the current situation, that's difficult as well. If you're willing, would you stay here? Fortunately, we have no shortage of rooms."
That he mentioned getting a room at the Wheat Inn would be impossible first showed that Daskar clearly understood Elena's primary reason for coming to Gilm.
"Hmm… I see. Staying here rather than at a Noble Faction noble's residence would also convey a clearer impression of cooperating with the Neutral Faction. Ara, what do you think?"
"I don't see any problem. However, if it becomes known that Lady Elena is staying here, it may cause various troubles for Lord Daskar."
Daskar understood perfectly well what Ara was worried about.
But he shook his head and told her it was no concern.
"Even now, Merchants and their ilk are already gathering in droves. A few nobles joining the mix won't make much difference. If anything, dealing with nobles might actually be easier than dealing with Merchants."
Daskar said it half-jokingly, but the words were half-serious.
In the first place, he had already spoken with the absolutely essential Merchants. Those currently arriving were ones who had been rejected by Gilm's upper leadership, including Daskar himself.
They weren't strictly necessary, then, but Daskar continued meeting with them out of hope that he might discover capable Merchants he and the others didn't yet know about, or receive some unexpected proposal.
Compared to dealing with such people, dealing with nobles was genuinely easier.
That was Daskar's honest assessment.
"Now then, Lady Elena. Pardon the abruptness, but… unfortunately, I have no business for you today. So, what do you say? Since you've come all the way to Gilm at this time, why not take a look around town? Especially… let's see, the area where the wall is currently under construction is quite a sight."
"…The wall construction site?"
Not understanding why that location in particular was being recommended, Elena tilted her head.
Beside her, Ara tilted hers with a similarly puzzled expression.
"Why the wall, specifically?"
At Ara's bewildered question, Daskar merely smiled without any indication of answering.
"Hmm, it seems I'll understand once I see it. Ara, let's go. Lord Daskar, I don't know what you're scheming, but I'll gladly accept the entertainment."
"By all means, take your time and enjoy."
After exchanging those words, Elena rose from the sofa.
Perhaps because she fundamentally considered herself more a knight or warrior who stood on the battlefield than a noble, Elena and Daskar got along well.
(If only they were all men like him, things would be so much easier.)
Recalling the faces of those who approached her and those who tried to curry favor, Elena let out a small sigh.
But she was in Gilm now. Shifting her mood, she bid Daskar farewell and left the room with Ara.
"Shall we take the carriage?"
"No, our carriage stands out too much. Besides, it's been a while since I was last in Gilm—I'd like to walk."
The carriage Elena used, whatever its interior, looked at a glance no different from an ordinary one.
But anyone with even a moderately discerning eye would immediately recognize it as no ordinary carriage, and the horses pulling it were specially bred.
And gathered in front of the Lord's Manor were Merchants.
That would invariably lead to trouble.
Perhaps understanding this from Elena's words, Ara raised no objection and asked a Maid to guide them out through the back entrance rather than the front.
Without a carriage, slipping out through the back entrance away from prying eyes was simple enough.
Of course, with her golden hair that looked as though the sun itself had taken form, beauty that the word "peerless" could only begin to describe, and a figure with alluring curves befitting a woman, Elena drew attention simply by walking.
Nevertheless, perhaps due to the presence of Marina, Vihera, and many other beautiful women in Gilm, the relative scarcity of gazes directed her way brought a smile to Elena's lips as she set off toward the site where the new wall was being built.