Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 223

223: A Second Visit to Litalside

Spring had come early to the southern region of Listrea.

On the ramparts of the southern fortress, Fort Litalside, two dark elf women were talking.

One was a female archer from the Dark Knights, and the other was the commander of the Dark Knights, Bringit Finis.

They were both on break, leaning against the rampart, holding their standard-issue metal cups. They couldn’t afford such a relaxed posture on duty. Bringit, the commander of the Dark Knights, and the archer were the ones who would be reprimanding others, but they both knew how to switch between work and leisure.

The archer’s long dark elf ears twitched.

“Excuse me, Bringit-sama.”

She crossed the short distance to the opposite side of the rampart and blinked several times. A small, faint magic circle, which served as a visual aid, appeared before her eyes. She squinted and widened her eyes, and just as she had finished adjusting, Bringit spoke.

“See anything?”

“A griffin, I think. It seems to be carrying a wooden crate, and I can see a banner, so it’s probably not a wild one.”

Then, a messenger ran up the steep rampart stairs, a small letter tube in his hand.

“Commander! A pigeon has arrived! From the Sixth Army!”

“—Emblem confirmed, it’s the Sixth Army.”

“…So, they caught up to the ghost pigeon.”

She sighed.

“Continue to monitor, just in case.”

“Understood.”

She opened the letter from the messenger.

A few seconds later, she sighed deeply.

“…What does it say?” the messenger asked tentatively.

“Just that they’ll send the details when they arrive. They’re coming by griffin, so we should make preparations… is what it says.”

She folded the letter and put it in her pocket.

“—Send word immediately. A griffin is approaching. A visitor from the Sixth Army. Treat them with respect.”

She placed a hand on the rampart and watched the approaching griffin.

“Yes!”

The messenger ran down the steep stone steps with a speed that made her worry for his safety. The archer spoke.

“What did it say?”

“‘Details when we get there! Coming by griffin, so be ready!’”

Leaf’s body was radiating a gentle heat. His body temperature was higher than usual, because today was not a simple ‘journey,’ but a ‘flight training’ for him and Aithys.

Rebecca had also joined us, so there were five of us on the griffin. Since the objective wasn’t to increase the load, Harken was in his spine form.

And there was also the ‘cargo.’ A heavily packed wooden crate, held in Leaf’s eagle talons by ropes, which also added a considerable amount of weight.

It probably wasn’t his limit, but it was different from a leisurely flight.

The welcome below didn’t seem to be for a supreme commander, probably because we were arriving so soon after the message.

Aithys and Samarkand were a little tense, perhaps because this was Fort Litalside… the southern defense.

The arrowheads of the archers glinted in the sun.

The defensive network, which had once been designed to counter even Dragon Knights, with archers, offensive mages, and even fixed ballistae, would easily turn a single griffin and its riders into a pincushion if it were to turn its fangs on them.

That said, even if we had overtaken the ghost pigeon, I trusted Bridget to have handled it.

And indeed—

Leaf stopped flapping his wings and glided into the circular plaza in Fort Litalside, where carriages were temporarily parked. The plaza, a patch of bare earth, was large enough to accommodate several carriages, and even griffins and dragons.

And in the air above the plaza, he spread his wings to slow his descent, dropping the wooden crate at the last moment. I’d packed it with extra cushioning, but I hoped the ‘contents’ weren’t damaged.

And Leaf himself, lifted by the rebound, glided a short distance and landed in the plaza. His lion’s hind legs dug into the ground, and his eagle’s front legs stabilized him.

I unbuckled my riding harness and, with Liz’s help, who had already dismounted, her maid uniform fluttering, I jumped down.

And I took off the flight goggles, which were half for practical purposes and half because I would have been lonely if everyone else had them and I was the only one in a mask, and put them in my pocket.

I took my staff from Samarkand, smoothed my rumpled robe, and walked towards the group of people waiting at the edge of the plaza.

And Bridget was there, in her navy military uniform, her sword at her hip, to greet me.

I had been able to recognize her from the sky, thanks to her silver ponytail, tied high, which she said was to make her conspicuous to both friend and foe on the battlefield.

Incidentally, according to her female subordinates, while it was fine to have a ponytail in private, as a fan, it was the mindset of the current Dark Knights not to have one on duty.

I, with Liz, Rebecca, Samarkand, Harken, who had materialized from his spine, and Aithys, who had dismounted from Leaf a little late, stood behind me, and faced Bridget, who was walking towards me alone.

When we were at a suitable distance, I spoke.

“I apologize for the sudden visit. This is a joint mission of the Sixth and Third Armies, a griffin flight training. Did the message arrive in time?”

“On behalf of the Litalside garrison, I welcome you. It arrived just in time. And… is there anything else?”

“She, Aithys, a griffin rider from the Third Army’s magical beast division, is requesting training. She would like to test her skills against the Dark Knights.” I gestured to Aithys, and she stepped forward and bowed her head.

Bridget’s expression was a little troubled.

“I’m not sure if we can accommodate the training of a griffin rider…”

“Ah, no, she wishes to train as a warrior of the Third Army, to hone her sword and hand-to-hand combat skills. Regular training will suffice.”

“In that case, there is no problem. We welcome you, Aithys.”

“Ah, um…”

I looked at Bridget and whispered to Aithys, “Thank you for your generous offer of training. I am honored to be able to train with the Dark Knights.”

“…T-thank you for your generous offer of training. I am honored to be able to train with the Dark Knights.”

Aithys repeated my words, though with a slight hesitation, and bowed her head. The others seemed a little surprised that a beastman was being so polite.

“Your polite greeting is appreciated. We, too, are honored to welcome a warrior of the Third Army. …But there is no need to be so formal.”

And she smiled kindly at Aithys. Bridget was close enough to hear me. She’s a good superior.

“…So, is that the only reason for your sudden visit?”

“May I have a word?”

I closed the distance, so close that it looked like I was hugging her—and I was, lightly—and whispered in her long ear, hidden in the shadows of her hood.

“We’ll talk properly later. I’m so happy to see you again, Bridget.”

Bridget stepped back, her hand to her ear. She nodded, her expression solemn.

“…I see.” To others, it might have looked like I was bringing some troublesome or serious news.

But my interpretation was different. Her expression was exactly like Liz’s, when she was trying to hide her embarrassment or pleasure with a serious face. They really are sisters, I thought.