Published: August 10, 2026
When we arrived at the checkpoint, both of us were made to get out of the carriage for a moment.
Towering high walls loomed overhead, and once we passed through the gate, we found ourselves hemmed in front and back by armed guards. Behind us, blocking any retreat, were Dilz guards; ahead of us were Oracle guards.
First, we were ordered to raise both hands. They lightly patted us down over our clothes to make sure we weren't carrying anything suspicious. Then the questioning began.
"You there, state your names and your purpose for entering and leaving the country!"
Ugh, those faces are scary. I was already pretty intimidated inside, but I knew that if I started trembling now, it would only make us look more suspicious, so I tried my best.
"We, uh, we're attendants of the Granado Family—ghk!"
Mio-sama stepped on my foot in the middle of my sentence.
Pushing aside me, writhing silently in agony, she stepped forward and performed a graceful noble lady's greeting.
"My name is Sophia, eldest daughter of the duke granado family of the Dirts Kingdom."
"Pff⁉"
I nearly burst out laughing, and she stomped on my foot again while still smiling sweetly.
Taking in the noble lady's introduction, the Dilz guards went wide-eyed. The eldest daughter of the Granado Family was a huge name, even if she did not inherit the family headship. The moment they understood that, both of them snapped to attention and saluted.
"S-sorry, Lady Sophia! Y-you are the eldest daughter of alfred granado, the current Duke Granado, and the older sister of Lord Cyrus Granado!"
"Yes, my father has passed away, and I do not live together with Cyrus either."
Mio-sama—fake Sophia—spoke in a cold tone while hiding her mouth behind a folding fan.
With a gesture that made it seem as though the guards in front of her were nothing more than obstacles, she tried to shoo them away with a flick of her hand. But they were there on duty. Even while saluting, they did not slack off on their inspection.
"My apologies, Lady Sophia. Please allow me to ask a few questions... and confirm a few things. Why is a noble lady entering and leaving the country?"
"Has my brother not arrived yet?"
Fake Sophia ignored the guard's question and asked her own.
The guards looked a little troubled.
"If you mean Lord Granado, he did pass through here this morning."
"He's my traveling companion. The road was bad, so I was delayed a little."
"But you only had a lady companion. We were not informed that there was anyone else traveling with you."
"I never said there wasn't, did I?"
The guards exchanged glances.
They were silently asking each other what to do.
...Ugh... this is so bad for my heart... I can't understand how Mio-sama can remain so composed without even a drop of sweat. I'm sure this person has steel scales for a heart.
Soon after, one of the guards disappeared back into the checkpoint building, and in his place, an older man came out. He seemed to be the superior officer of the earlier guards. He bowed respectfully to fake Sophia.
"I've heard the story from my men. As you say, if this is Lord Granado's official business, it would not be strange for there to be companions following behind. This was our failure to confirm properly."
"Yes, of course."
"So, only for confirmation... this is terribly rude, but do you happen to have anything that proves you are traveling with the duke?"
—This is bad.
My face twitched, but Mio-sama only narrowed her eyes.
"I have nothing of the sort. We were originally traveling as a group of four."
"Then you split up because of an accident?"
"Yes. This footman here was... rather unskilled at handling the carriage and got the wheel stuck in the mud. So we were delayed just a little."
The superior officer glanced at my face. Eek.
"...I see, I see. By the way, how long after leaving the royal capital did that happen—"
"How troublesome. We were supposed to catch up to them right away, and yet it seems we fell even further behind. Cyrus, what a very fast horse he must have used. Or perhaps our horses are incompetent as well."