She woke up suddenly.

The light that she felt on her retinas was probably dawn s.h.i.+ning in through the gap of the curtains. However, she didn’t know how many mornings it had been since she collapsed onto the bed here. It wouldn’t be strange even if she had been sleeping for more than 24 hours, but judging from this tired feeling that was still dully dominating her whole body, she might actually have slept for a few hours only.

「……」

She lifted just her head and looked around the s.p.a.cious room interior, which was dyed in a very dim light. Just when she thought there was something reflecting the morning sun brightly and s.h.i.+ning dazzlingly, it was Bettina who was lying down stretched out on the carpet and snoring adorably.

If she remembered correctly, Karin and Petra should have been here until she lost consciousness, but the figures of the pair weren’t here now. Instead, she saw Dimitar who held his sword in the arms lying down on the sofa.

Valeria held her head down with her hand, made her neck produce a “koki koki” sound and slipped out of the bed quietly. Killing the sound of her footsteps, she crossed the front of the sofa and reached for the water jug that was placed on the table—.

—When she was about to pick it up, her throat was held back by a sword’s scabbard that had come extending suddenly.

「…Chi」

Dimitar, who had raised half his body with a face that still seemed sleepy in some respects, looked at Valeria and clicked his tongue softly, and then immediately lay down on the sofa again.

「Don’t try to kill the sound of your footsteps poorly. …I thought a thief had crept in」

「B… I, I only tried not to make footsteps’ sound as much as possible so that I wouldn’t wake you up since you were sleeping! Even though I took that into consideration, why do you use such a way of speaking!?」

「Such consideration is unnecessary」

Leaking a big yawn of “fuwaa”, Dimitar closed his eyes.

When Valeria carried the water jug and a gla.s.s and returned to the bed, she drank the water with a “goku goku” and took a deep breath greatly.

「…You still haven’t slept enough, right? Rest a bit more」

「It’s not to your extent」

「If it becomes a battle, there won’t be time to rest. …It’s better to sleep while you can now」

「…As expected, it’ll become a battle?」

「According to that flow, there’s no way that it won’t」

「We… have to fight too?」

「……」

Together with the faint sound of clothes rustling, Dimitar got up again.

「…It seems that His Highness and the Chivalric Order intend to go along with it」

「What about us?」

「In the discussion between His Highness and Sigibert-kakka, the talk of how to treat both our Eminences wasn’t brought up at all. …Perhaps it should be all right for you and Karin-sama not to fight. Though Sigibert-kakka might make a fuss, saying that this isn’t what was promised, His Highness had probably negotiated with that intention from the beginning」

「…I see」

Putting the water jug on the bedside, Valeria held her knees, which were covered with the blanket, in the arms.

「You don’t have to fight」

Dimitar repeated.

「If you wish to do so, you can also request His Highness to make arrangements so that you can return to our country before the battle starts. …What will you do?」

「“What will you do”, you say?」

「Like I said, if you want to return to our country, then get His Highness to make arrangements so that you can even go back today. —Naturally, because of this situation, we might be going back quietly with just us five people on one two-horse carriage though」

「That’s… a little lonely」

Valeria brushed her forelock up and smiled wryly.

「Besides, Lucius-sama, His Highness and others will remain here and fight, right?」

「That’s how it’s going to be」

「And yet, is it all right for only us to go back…?」

「It’s not an issue of good or bad. It’s about what you want to do」

Before she knew, Dimitar was standing right beside the bed with his arms folded.

「…In the first place, we came to this country to let Haiderota’s people know how amazing Amaddo’s Dominas are, right?」

「Certainly, that was the case at first」

「However, if only us go back in this situation, won’t shameful rumours of us returning to our country for fear of a battle, on the contrary, spread?」

「There might be people who will spread that sort of rumours. However, rumours are rumours. You don’t have to mind them. —I’m always severely gossiped about things I didn’t even do, but I’m not so bothered by it in particular, you know?」

「I wish you wouldn’t lump me together with you. …To an ordinary person and a Dominas, the importance of one’s image is completely different」

「I should be delighted that you’ve such self-awareness though… so what do you want to do? Do you want to go out to the battlefield and fight? Surely you aren’t going to say that you want to be acknowledged by me with that again, right?」

Recalling the words said by Dimitar in the forest of Krutoreto on that night, Valeria’s chest felt a throbbing pain.

「T, that’s not it though… however, isn’t running away from battle and returning to our country a little um… wrong, I wonder—」

「Ma, I fully understand that you’re feeling uneasy」

「I, I’m not feeling uneasy!」

「What are you putting on airs for?」

Placing his bottom onto the back of the sofa, Dimitar raised his lips sarcastically.

「—You’re feeling uneasy about standing on the battlefield. However, rather than feeling uneasy about being afraid of battle or being afraid of getting injured, you’re feeling uneasy about whether you can’t kill people or not. After all, you’re overwhelmingly stronger than most soldiers who appear on the battlefield」

「……」

Valeria stared at Dimitar’s face in blank amazement and ruminated on those words.

「Even if 100 or 200 soldiers come charging, everyone will easily be blown off if you make them eat a huge magic at that moment. There might be people who will be burnt pitch black and be killed instantly too. —However, that’s natural. Those guys are ordinary people, and you’re a Dominas, after all」

Dominas possessed that sort of overwhelming power—that was why they could protect people at the critical moment. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to seal the “DemonMaroudo” in the place of the “Lord of RedemptionReduntra” in the worst case. After all, the “Demon” was millions and millions times as strong as a human—.

「Ah…」

As if she had remembered the meaning of the power that Dominas possessed now, Valeria raised a stupid voice.

「—Ah!」

Valeria tore her hair off with a “kusha kusha” and breathed out angrily.

「What’s the matter, all of a sudden? Did you finally become insane?」

「That’s not it!」

Grabbing a pillow instantly and throwing it at Dimitar, Valeria stood up on the bed suddenly. Putting her hands onto her waist and throwing out her chest, she looked down at Dimitar.

「Uh… in short… wait just a minute, I’m collecting my thoughts!」

「Do as you like. I’m going to sleep already」

「Hey, l, listen to me properly!」

「…What a troublesome girl, good grief」

Putting his hand onto his neck and sighing as if he was fed up with her, Dimitar jerked his chin.

「—And?」

「In, in short…! I came here as the Dominas of Amaddo to show that my qualifications are enough to the people of Haiderota, right?」

「So?」

「However, we can’t say that we were able to achieve that objective yet! After all, there’s this state of emergency!」

「Ma, that is so」

「And Lucius-sama said that he’ll remain here and fight!」

「It has nothing to do with Lucius in this case, I think. Even if that were true, if you’re going to say it, then it’s His Highness」

「A, anyway, what I’m saying is that our country’s brave soldiers are going to remain here and fight together with Haiderota’s soldiers!」

「Right」

「If that’s the case, I too, should—remain here and do what I can do…?」

「…Why did it become half a question there?」

Dimitar pointed at Valeria with a wry smile mixed in.

「Though you exhibit an unnecessary independence and run wild when I tell you to stop, is you hesitating only when you ought to make a decision like this that, your hara.s.sment towards me?」

「I, it’s not like that!」

「Then you just have to say “I’ll do it” these few words」

「I, I’ll do it! Even if you don’t tell me, I’ll do it and show you!」

When Valeria jumped off the bed and brushed Dimitar’s hand that was pointing at her away, she conversely thrust her index finger at the tip of Dimitar’s nose.

「—Maa? There’s an arrogant guard officer with me, after all? I don’t think I’ll be exposed to danger so much though?」

「Is that so? Good for you then」

The sarcastic remarks she had made with all her might easily warded off by Dimitar, Valeria locked eyes with Dimitar silently, unable to find any words to follow up instantly.

「…Ah…」

At that moment when she didn’t know what to do with the somewhat uncomfortable silence, a loud metallic sound of “gashaan!” sounded in the corner of the room suddenly.

「Awawa, wa, wawa…!」

「B, Bettina…?」

「Wa, wa, waaaaaaaan!」

Exactly how long had she been awake? When Bettina who had hit the floor with a “domu domu” came to Valeria and Dimitar nearly on all fours, she clasped both hands together as though offering a prayer and began to cry hard in a loud voice.

「I, I, I! Am extremely touched now! That my pee seems to be leaking out!」

「Don’t say dirty things. Exactly what kind of dream are you having to be still half asleep?」

Kicking Bettina lightly with a “gasu”, Dimitar tried to push her far away. However, Bettina sidled up to Valeria and Dimitar with her knees and clung onto their waists.

「I’m touched by the awkward master-servant love between Valerisama and Dimi-san! I’ll follow the two of you for life!」

「…What’s the matter with her?」

「W, who knows…?」

「Anyway, you’re annoying, so go away. You might have incontinence because of too much strong emotion, after all」

「Bueeeeee!」

Bettina, who was forcibly torn off by Dimitar, rolled on the floor for a little while as she continued to cry, but before long, like a thread cut with a “putsu”, she stopped moving, let out a quiet sleeper’s breathing simultaneously and began to sleep again.

「…Dimitar」

「What?」

「This…」

Valeria, who was about to put a blanket on Bettina at least, discovered several empty bottles of wine lying around beneath the bed and showed them to Dimitar.

「…Just a drunk, huh」

Dimitar kicked Bettina’s helmet once more with a “gatsun” and lay down on the sofa.

Valeria also returned to her bed, drank a sip of water and pulled the blanket over her head.

Although there was no basis for it in particular, she had a feeling that all her fatigue would disappeared and there wouldn’t be a single fragment of uneasiness remaining the next time she woke up.

There was no basis for it in particular.