“Are you ready, Nier…?”
“Sorry, Your Majesty, umm… I did my best… but… because I’m in my breastfeeding phase… this… is the best I can do…”
Nier took a lot longer than usual to pack up. I waited at the door for a long time. I was puzzled. Nier usually didn’t care too much about her make-up, which was why I never had to wait for long. In addition, the guards in the North’s uniforms weren’t hard to wear on. I started to suspect Nier was doing something. Worth mentioning was that only male versions of the uniform in the North was available.
Nier walked up to me. She kept on rubbing her chest. She smiled apologetically: “I am sorry, Your Majesty, but the chest region is uncomfortable no matter what I do. It’s honestly too tight… All of my previous chest binds feel a little weird. It seems my breasts have grown another size thanks to Daisy…”
“I concur.”
“I will do my best to become the same as Her Majesty!”
I shook my head with a smile: “Give up while you’re ahead…”
Nier grumpily frowned. She vigorously shook her sword hanging from her waist as though she wanted to draw her sword and hack me… I nearly jumped. She adjusted her cloak then scrutinised her clothing. She pouted: “This is so thick for the weather… Your Majesty, should we adjust our uniforms or not?”
“I don’t think there’s a need to. In the North, it’d still be frosty even in this season. The guards are only active in the North, so it’s pointless to adjust the uniforms.”
The temperature in the North had changed. That said, due to the snowy mountains around still standing, it was far from being as warm as it was in the South. Summers in the North were the equivalent of springs in the South. That was why the best sellers in the North were always firewood and fur.
Nier nodded: “True.”
Nier followed behind me. I awkwardly extended out my arm to gesture for her to wrap her arm around mine. She giggled: “I am your bodyguard now, Your Majesty. Have you ever seen a bodyguard and her master behaving affectionately? I will always be behind you just as when we first went out. Your Majesty, you must be going somewhere that’s somewhat dangerous this time, right? I will protect you. I won’t leave you behind alone.”
Nier was talking about the first time I came to humanity. I had her return to the palace by herself that time. As a consequence, I was dragged down into the sewers and given a beating. Back then, she didn’t feel guilty about it. However, she probably felt scared when she thought back on it nowadays. I was sure history wouldn’t repeat itself. I didn’t think I’d get beat up, not that it would hurt even if they did hit me. I did have dragon scales, after all.
The two of us went onto the streets. Despite me seldom appearing in public in Hilles City, I met many nobles and high-ranking officials at Troy City, which was why they recognised me. Those who served the officials also understood me. Nevertheless, it was better for nobody to know my destination. The location was best kept secret, after all. I wanted to get deep into that area, the street that separated the two church factions.
All I could see from the watchtower was the street’s appearance. There was no way I could get a hand on its pulse unless I, personally, went there. Needless to say, it was dangerous to personally go to their area when their relationship was a mess. I specifically brought Nier for that reason. Nier had her own agenda, too. She never learnt to use the firearms that I invented, as she viewed using guns to kill as a disgraceful action for a warrior. Her dignity as a Valkyrie wouldn’t allow her to accept it.
I pulled my hood over to cover my face. Nier looked left and right. From the visual information and some deduction, she was able to figure out my plan: “Your Majesty, you want to investigate the two churches, don’t you? Although I have always remained at the outer court, I managed to learn a lot from the Valkyries. All of the Valkyries are my eyes and ears. That’s why I believed you when you said you went to Her Majesty last night.”
“… Women really are terrifying, particularly women with power.”
“Hehe.”
Though Nier giggled, she soon wiped any emotions off her face. She was cognizant that the street was far from safe, which was why she was particularly serious. Both of the churches were located on the street and an assassination took place before. Therefore, the atmosphere on the street was tense – supposed to be.
I didn’t sense the tension surprisingly. All I could sense was that the people were divided. Also, the stores on both sides of the street hung flags representing the two churches. One was a hoary flower, while the other was a water droplet. That signified that, though there was no risk of violence, the stores on both sides had actually chosen sides. As for why they’d lined up in teams, it was self-explanatory. To be explicit, it meant that both camps’ confrontation had begun, except that they had yet to escalate into direct conflict.
The people didn’t wear anything on them to indicate who they aligned with. Hence, people could still walk on the street without concern. Wearing something specific or your beliefs wasn’t enough to warrant beating you up.
Nier stopped in her tracks and then quietly informed, “The surrounding atmosphere isn’t tense nor can I detect any additional hostility; therefore, this place is still safe.”
“You can detect that now?”
“When people are about to fight, they’ll emit killing intent. Only very professional assassins are able to suppress that intent. There is no way ordinary people are able to hide it. I can detect a fight when it’s about to happen. At the moment, I don’t sense any. Plus, judging from the stable business here, this place is still safe.”
Nier was a competent bodyguard. If she said the street was safe, it really was safe. In saying that, the street, alone, couldn’t prove anything. I needed to interact with the people from both factions on the street to form a conclusion.
I asked, “So, Nier, is there anything that you want to buy?”
Nier stopped to think before answering, “To be honest, I want to make a trip to the orphanage… I haven’t been there in a long time. I kind of miss the children… How about we buy something for them?”
I nodded. I looked around: “Sure. Let’s buy some stuff from the stores on both sides of the street. While we’re at it, I want to get a grasp on some things.”
“Uhm!”
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