Chapter 57: Failure

“Someone wants to meet me?”

“Yes.
However, they requested to meet you… in confidence.”

“I see.
You are knights of the Duke of Pharmason’s house, aren’t you?”

“Eh— ah, no, that is—”

“Are you trying to hide it?
You even removed your armbands.
For this tournament, I have records of every participating knight, who they are and where they come from.
Unfortunately, you were eliminated in the first round, but you were still participants without question.
If knights of House Pharmason are being used to summon me, then the one who ordered this must be your superior, or perhaps one of the ducal couple, or their son.
Or maybe the chief steward or another person in charge?”

“Th-that’s…”

From their reactions, it was clear they hadn’t wanted their affiliation with House Pharmason to be discovered.
They had approached me before I reached the operations waiting room.

“Let me say this first.
If I am late, search procedures will begin immediately.
For this tournament, such situations are already accounted for.”

“…Huh?
What are you—”

I smiled gently at them.

“I already knew that someone might move against me.
That is why, if there is even the slightest suspicion that I have gone missing, knights of House Ryuswell will act at once.
Of course, I am not saying that you intend such a thing.
However, regrettably, the moment you are connected to House Pharmason, I must treat you with caution.
The duke himself should be aware of the details.
That is, if he still remembers how he has behaved.”

In the past, people he set in motion had tried to spread malicious rumors about me.
Aside from Lady Albright, there had even been someone impersonating me.

“…That is a rather bold way to speak about the duke.”

“Hehe.
There are various circumstances.
So then?
Who is the one who wishes to meet me in confidence?
Depending on who it is, I may be willing to respond calmly.”

“And you think you are in a position to choose?”

One of the men snarled, clearly irritated.

“Someone who won’t give their name and tries to hide their affiliation thinks they’re in a position to choose?
Even while we are speaking like this, the time until the Ryuswell knights move is drawing closer.
Is that acceptable to you?”

I faced them squarely.
It wasn’t that I felt no fear.
But the women of House Vent were, frankly speaking, more gutsy than the daughters of many other houses.

The men looked troubled.
They were probably considering taking me by force.
But if Ryuswell’s knights truly would move immediately, the situation changed completely.

I sighed deeply once more and spoke to them again.

“If the one who summoned me is the duke, then I have no reason to meet him.
At present, I am under the sponsorship and protection of House Ryuswell.
If you try to resolve this by force, it will escalate into a conflict between ducal houses.
Because of you.
Let me repeat myself.
The possibility of my abduction is already anticipated.
The knights will move at once.
The plot of the one who summoned me will be exposed immediately and will fail.”

My confident attitude made them visibly shrink back.

“And if the one who ordered you to summon me was your superior, the captain of House Pharmason’s knight order, Sir Godwin, then you would do well to reconsider.
You would be accomplices to a crime and become criminals yourselves.
Naturally, I have no intention of going quietly either.
Do you know what people call me?
The ‘Goddess of the Battlefield.’
That is not a title given to a woman who cannot fight.
Do you understand?
I will resist with everything I have.
In that time, the knights will arrive.”

Compared to other noblewomen, I could probably move better, but in truth I had no real combat power.
This, too, was a bluff.
If two grown men attacked me together, I would stand no chance.
I really do rely on bluffs far too often.

“If the one giving you orders is someone other than the duke or the knight captain, someone with authority within House Pharmason, then I will respond with proper courtesy.
Naturally, even if the meeting is confidential, I will not go alone.
I will bring guards and attendants and prepare my appearance before attending.
If the person is anyone else, they should have no objection to that.”

If the other party was unwilling to wait for me to prepare, then I had no intention of complying and would resist instead.
While maintaining maximum vigilance, I never let the polite smile of a lady leave my face.

“So?
If you stay silent, I cannot know.
In the end, who is it that wants to see me?”

“……”

They hesitated.
Now then, what would they do?

“J-just come with us already.
We won’t do anything bad, I swear.”

No, no.
That was the worst possible move.
After all that hesitation, that was the best they could come up with?
I judged them poor thinkers.
This meant the one who summoned me was likely not the duchess.
It was probably either the duke or Sir Godwin.

To be honest, the duke had little reason to approach me directly.
Given that Sir Godwin had a match with Richard today, and considering the personnel he had moved, he was the most likely.

“…Sigh.
It was Sir Godwin who ordered you, wasn’t it?”

I let out a deep sigh as I said it.
Their expressions changed, confirming my suspicion.
In that case, my response naturally shifted as well.

“Hehehe.
You were unlucky.”

“W-what are you talking about…?”

“Time limit.
You took too long.
Especially today, which we predicted would see some kind of movement.”

“Huh?
Ah—”

Yes.
Behind them, knights of House Ryuswell were already closing in.
They must have noticed too.
They tried to flee in a panic, only to have their shoulders firmly grabbed.

“Whoa there.
Don’t struggle, okay?
Where were you planning to take Lady Vent?
Come along with us.
Alright?”

“N-no, we were just—”

“Captain or not, you should meet our Captain Fanbulg sometime.
Might change your values, you know?”

For some reason, the Ryuswell knights, who were supposed to be our allies, spoke more like thugs.
Surrounded, the men even tried to look to me for help.
No, no.
Why would I help you?

“Lady Vent, we will escort you.”

“Thank you.
I appreciate your efforts.”

Escorted by the Ryuswell knights, I headed to the operations committee’s waiting room.
After that, I deliberately stayed out of sight and waited without showing myself.
I hoped there would be some news before Richard’s match began.

Before long, a report came from the knights who had forcibly taken away the Pharmason knights.

Apparently, they had only been ordered to guide me somewhere.
Just that, yet they had behaved so suspiciously.
Well, the Ryuswell side probably hadn’t conducted any excessive interrogation either.
It would be difficult to uncover all the details.

However, the place I was supposed to be guided to was deserted.
When the area was investigated, an unoccupied shack was discovered nearby.
Lurking around that shack were more low-ranking knights of House Pharmason.

Was that knight order even being properly managed?
Perhaps obeying the knight captain’s orders was simply what it meant to be a knight.

At least it didn’t seem like such a despicable scheme as arranging ruffians to violate me.
House arrest or detention instead, perhaps, while threatening Richard during that time?
Making suggestive remarks, intimidating him, and then claiming, “We didn’t actually do anything, did we?”

That might have been the plan.
If Sir Godwin could defeat Richard, that alone would have been enough.
It truly did seem that the plot belonged to the captain of House Pharmason’s knight order, Sir Greg Godwin.

“…Hehe.”

When Richard’s match with him began, I would go out and show myself, letting him know I was safe.
A match where Richard might have gone easy on him if things had gone according to plan.
But what if he suddenly realized he was facing “Richard Claudius, fighting at full strength”?

That would be quite the spectacle.
I would call out to him from a position where I could clearly see his expression.

And so.
The time came for the match between Richard and Sir Godwin to begin.