Chapter 498: The Current Situation

After a long conversation, Amanda hugged Fran again and stroked her head.

「You’ve done your best huh―?!」

Well, the story goes that wherever she went, she got caught up in trouble and almost died over and over again.

With that being said, Amanda didn’t stop stroking Fran’s head. Fran won’t be going bald or have a Fire started on her head if she continues like this right? I didn’t stop her because Fran herself doesn’t mind it.

「It’s great that you had uncovered the conspiracy of that cheapskate Marquis, but don’t be reckless, okay?」

「Cheapskate Marquis?」

「It’s that Ashtner! I’ve had a few requests from the Marquis, but he never pays! But I can’t refuse because he has an introduction from an acquaintance」

Amanda had taken on a few jobs from him, including gathering materials. She couldn’t refuse because she was a person who had some influence on Allesa.

In Amanda’s case, she also has thick connections with the country and the nobility.

Amanda seems to know quite a bit about this whole thing. I’ve heard that a lot of information has been disclosed to deal with the Raidos Kingdom. They’ve been gathering information through their own networks after all.

Needless to say, she must have also heard about Fran’s activities in the Royal Capital.

If anything, Amanda is probably more concerned about the battle in the Beast Country, which is new to her.

When I told her about Kiara’s death, she had a pained expression on her face. I guess it was more out of concern for Fran’s loss than out of mourning for Kiara.

「…Fran-chan is a hard-working person huh. But don’t overwork yourself too hard, okay?」

「Nn?」

「I’ll be sad if something happens to Fran without my knowledge. So, don’t be too reckless, okay? Is that no good?」

「…Nn. But I have to be reckless to be strong」

「Fuh… Is that so?」

In the next few seconds, she must have realized that nothing she could say would change Fran’s decision. Amanda’s eyes were sadly downcast.

「Hey?」

「Nn?」

「Right now, Fran-chan is doing her training while waiting for Master to be repaired in this place, right?」

「Nn」

『That’s right』

「I see… All right, I’ll help you too then!」

Amanda, with a look of determination on her face, clenched her fists and made a declaration. Her face was full of motivation, and she looked like she was about to start a mock battle.

『What do you mean by saying you’ll help her?』

Amanda would have to stay in Alessa as a deterrent against Raidos Kingdom. Moreover, she would not be able to do so without permission, as she was currently in the middle of a skirmish.

「Because you want a mock battle partner, right? I’ll be your partner then」

「Oohh―」

Fran looks happy, but is it fine for her to do something like this?

『I appreciate your offer, but what about Allesa? And is the war with the Raidos Kingdom going to be okay?』

「Aah. About that matters…」

I asked her, and Amanda explained the current situation to me.

Raidos’ troops that crossed the border were scattered and kicked around by Alessa’s forces, and eventually, they all retreated. Afterward, Raidos sent a letter saying that they were sorry for the outburst of some hardliners.

They’re stating it’s not the will of the country, it’s just a few idiots messing around. The letter was followed by a messenger and the head of the alleged ringleader.

「Actually, it’s just the head of a lower-ranking nobleman who lost a political battle with a Raidos nobleman and had nothing to do with his head」

『So, it’s a scapegoat huh』

The leaders of Alessa and the negotiators sent by the Kranzel Kingdom know this. However, even though they know this, they have to accept Raidos’ reasoning.

「Why? The other side was the bad guy, right?」

「We know~ But there’s no use in continuing the war either」

At a time when the country is in turmoil, it is impossible to continue a war against a major power. If we had the luxury of doing so, it would be better to focus on the reconstruction of the Royal Capital.

There is also an issue with the face value, but that was resolved when Raidos had apologized for the time being. We can also get a good amount of benefits after all.

Raidos Kingdom must have been aware of this from the beginning.

It would be best if they could successfully cut off the border area. Even if it fails, there’s no chance for the Kranzel Kingdom to invade. Because we can’t afford that. We will have to pay compensation, but we will also gain valuable battle data.

「Jean is currently guarding the border, and is searching for any Raidos agents who may have entered the country with other adventurers」

「And Amanda?」

「I’m filling in for the other adventurers, handling requests for high-ranking adventurers and urgent requests. But I got a little carried away and ran out of requests」

If that was the case, I thought she could help find the agent, but it seems for Amanda, who is famous and stand out like a celebrity, was deemed unsuitable for such a job.

「Aren’t they rude? I can be a ninja if I want to be. They make me looks like a brute that can only fight…」

Amanda was muttering complaints about Nell and guild master for a while, but she quickly regained her composure.

「Well, thanks to that. That’s what gave me the time to come here, so I should be rather grateful!」

In other words, it seems that Amanda is not going to stay here for long, but will travel back and forth between Alessa and the Plains of the Demon Wolf every few days.

「It would be biased to only have mock battles with me, wouldn’t it? Mock battles, magic beast hunts, basic training, and exploring the plains with me. I think it’s best to repeat that」

『Well, you’re right』

「Nn」

When Fran and I agreed, Amanda hurriedly prepared her whip.

『Eh? Are you going to do it already?』

「Of course!」

「Nn. Naturally!」

Aah. I still hadn’t figured the minds of these battle junkies. They never understand the common sense to do things slowly.