Chapter 380 – The People of the Grasslands

“This man named Dahl was originally…?”

“Yes… He was a military officer belonging to Kahar’s faction.”

Princess Elham wore an expression that seemed regretful, somewhat embarrassed, and reluctant.

“I understand how you must feel. Will you be heading to the nomads’ base after this?”

“Yes.”

“Then we shall accompany you as well,” I offered to Princess Elham.

There was no guarantee that there weren’t other separate forces, and the escort squad had been reduced in numbers and exhausted. Princess Elham originally had business with us anyway, so it wouldn’t do to part ways now.

“To be saved twice, and now to have you accompany us… I have no words to express my gratitude.”

Princess Elham returned her expression to a serious one, then descended from the dragon carriage and bowed politely.

“Not at all. We were feeling somewhat nervous about heading to the Baharzard royal capital. If this can contribute to the friendship between our two nations…”

“Is that so? I too wish to assist in fostering friendship with the Kingdom of Verdugal. This will allow me to face my father with pride.”

We exchanged such words. Then… as if she had been curious about it for a while, she turned her gaze toward the sky behind me and asked, “Is this the flying ship mentioned in the letter?”

The escort squad was looking up at the Sirius, which had come to rest above the rocky area, with stunned expressions.

“Yes. It’s called the Sirius. We’ll confine the prisoners in the spare ship’s hold and hand them over to you when we reach the royal capital.”

“Thank you again and again.”

“Then first, let’s transport these villains to the ship.”

We gave the captured individuals minimal treatment—just enough to keep them alive and unable to fight—and placed them in the Sirius’s second hold.

This room was designed from the start with the purpose of confining captured individuals. The walls, floor, and even the ceiling were made of exceptionally thick armor plates. In short, unless one possessed magic or combat skills powerful enough to destroy the Sirius’s armor, breaking out was impossible. The door was locked from the outside with no keyhole on the inside, making escape through technical means difficult as well.

It was equipped with an internal monitor using crystal panels, and conversations and exchanges inside could be monitored through voice pipes. Surveillance was possible without posting a guard… one could say it was quite well-equipped.

“Wake up.”

I transformed the stones blocking the path into golems and lined them up.

Using the golems, we transported those immobilized by earth magic directly into the Sirius’s hold. To prevent anyone from struggling and trying to escape during the process, Caduceus and Balor monitored the operation. We passed them from golem to golem like a bucket relay and loaded them in.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Stephania Verdgar, the First Princess of the Kingdom of Verdugal.”

“I am Adriana Silvatoria, the First Princess of the Kingdom of Silvatria.”

While this work was going on, Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana, who had descended from the Sirius, greeted Princess Elham.

“I am Elham Baharzad. I thank you for your assistance this time,” Princess Elham responded. Her lack of surprise was likely because she had been informed that the two were coming. The others also introduced themselves to Princess Elham.

While this was happening, we finished transporting all the conspirators, ambush group, and captured cult followers into the ship. We locked the door and confirmed it wouldn’t open. Then we recalled the golems and took care of what needed to be done here.

“Corulis, is it alright to fill in the hole?”

This was another country, and such narrow passes could become important for defense. Leaving the terrain as intact as possible would leave a better impression on them. Though it seemed odd to fill in a hole we had gone to the trouble of excavating, it seemed better to close it up.

“Um, I’ll convey it for you.”

“Please do.”

“Alright then…”

When Princess Stephania used her control over her familiar to convey what I wanted to say, Corulis nodded slightly. It didn’t seem to have any particular attachment to the hole it had dug.

Immediately, we sent the golems into the tunnel Corulis had created. Consulting with Seraphina, we reinforced the structure with structural enhancement to prevent collapse, then proceeded to fill the hole. Both the entrance and exit. Additionally, we filled in parts along the way where building materials ran out, and adjusted the exterior to look natural. That should roughly restore the current situation.

“Now, let’s load the dragon carriage onto the deck as well. Escort squad members, please come aboard too.”

When I said this to Princess Elham’s escort squad, they blinked in surprise.

After securing the dragon carriage to the deck and boarding the escort squad, we slowly advanced the Sirius toward the plateau side. We had Princess Elham guide us from the bridge to the nomads’ base.

“If you head straight along the path, keeping that pointed mountain peak directly ahead, you’ll reach the nomads’ base for this season.”

Princess Elham’s guidance was clear and easy to understand. Simply flying along the narrow path created in the grassland, there were no elements to get lost. We proceeded with the ship according to her instructions.

“Speaking of nomads… back when I was traveling with my adventurer companions, after completing a request, we were welcomed in a settlement,” Auria said nostalgically.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Things like fermented solidified goat’s milk, lamb dishes… we were treated to various feasts. They were kind people.”

“Nomads are principled. Since they engage in trade, they value trust.”

“I see…”

Eventually, the nomads’ base came into view in the distance. Unlike urban areas, there were no impressive outer walls, and the houses were tents that could be easily moved. However, there was an altar at the center of the base, and apparently, they constructed a barrier using the Spirit King’s power.

There was even a facility for sending smoke signals from the watchtower. The barrier, watchtower, and smoke signals were primarily countermeasures against demons. In case demons appeared, they could signal those grazing livestock across the grasslands to evacuate to the base, or instruct them not to return if demons were near the base, allowing for detailed signaling.

“We mustn’t frighten the animals the nomads keep. Let’s moor the ship a little distance away.”

“Indeed. We also leave our dragon carriages outside the base.”

So, to avoid obstructing traffic on the path, we moored the Sirius in a slightly remote location.

“In that case, it might be better not to bring Lavigne along either,” Ashley said while stroking Lavigne’s head.

“That’s true… Those who might scare the sheep should stay behind…”

When I also lightly stroked Lavigne’s head, she wagged her tail quietly.

“If you’d like, why don’t you all come along? Theodore-sama and everyone are the ones who prevented the nomads from being falsely accused. I believe the chieftain would want to greet you,” Princess Elham said after we had lowered the dragon carriage containing items for the chieftain from the deck onto the grassland.

“Understood.”

Refusing would likely cause Princess Elham to lose face.

“Then, we will guard and keep watch over the ship,” Elliot said quietly. It seemed the Demon-Slaying Knight Order would remain behind with Lavigne, Lindwurm, Saphir, Corulis, Alpha, and the others. Princess Stephania and the others, Old Sigmund and his group, and Auria would accompany us.

“Thank you. I’ll leave Caduceus on monitoring duty, so contact us if anything happens. Since we have the chance to get to know the nomads, shall we rotate personnel later?”

“Yes. I look forward to it,” Elliot said with a quiet smile at my words.

I’ll have Caduceus stationed in the monitoring room for the second hold. He should be able to detect any movement inside the hold.

We moved toward the base with the escort squad. As we approached the base, we stopped the dragon carriage, and the soldiers transferred the gift items to a cart.

Then, several men approached from the base. All were nomads. Their loose clothing was quite colorful with fine embroidery. Quite tasteful.

“Oh! This is Her Highness Elham. Welcome!”

A middle-aged man broke into a broad, friendly smile as he greeted us.

“Yumit-sama. It’s been too long.”

Princess Elham also responded with a smile.

“Though modest, these are gifts of friendship. Please accept them. I bring a message from my father: these are in return for your trust in and support of the royal family during the long period of palace troubles.”

“This is… too generous. To receive such wonderful items… I must think of some return gifts.”

Yumit exclaimed in admiration as he looked at the items loaded on the cart.

“And one more thing. There’s something I must tell you, Yumit-sama.”

“What might that be?”

“On our way here, we were attacked by Kahar’s men.”

“What?!”

When Princess Elham spoke, Yumit and the others’ expressions darkened.

“Thanks to the assistance of our guests from the Kingdom of Verdugal here, we managed to avoid disaster… But it seems Kahar and his followers despicably dressed Duobelis’s followers in grassland people’s clothing, attempting to frame them as the perpetrators.”

“That is… typical of what Kahar would think. But in that case, the guests from Verdugal are greatly indebted to us.”

Then Yumit turned his gaze toward us and showed a friendly smile.

“This calls for hospitality from the entire clan, or we would bring shame to the Brult tribe’s name. Honored guests, if time permits, please do visit our settlement.”