Empress Brigade and Lion King Brigade would join hand to crush Battle Princess Brigade...?
Why in the world?
I was taken aback. Then Empress Stacy-san who regained her calm spoke to me.
「It's already nearly half a year since it happened but...before there was an incident called
The beginning was the drama of brigade leader's change that happened too abruptly.
It happened around half a year ago.
Sofia-san who was apparently with the predecessor organization of Battle Princess Brigade――Bloody Princes Brigade at that time suddenly rose to prominence and challenged the brigade's leader into a duel for the top position.
She took down the previous leader with overwhelming strength and won the leader position, becoming the youngest brigade leader in history.
But the leadership change that should have been carried out through official duel produced much dissatisfaction inside the brigade.
Apparently Sofia-san had disappeared to the unknown for several years before she reemerged to make the duel challenge. Her contribution to the brigade until then was practically zero. Naturally resistance appeared when such person suddenly became the brigade leader. It seemed the internal situation at that time was just a step from infighting breaking out.
But result-wise, the infighting never happened.
The reason was because Sofia-san who assumed leadership quickly eliminated many of the members.
Like that what remained of Battle Princess Brigade were only non-combatant staffs who had been managing the brigade ever since it was still known as Bloody Princess, the rookies, some information brokers, and the few members who switched side almost at the same time with Sofia-san's return.
「To be honest, even us didn't really care about that purging galore itself. Infighting breaking out during leadership change isn't that rare. And the previous Bloody Princess was a horrible woman. She involved herself with human trafficking, and she was a trash that would toy and torment kids who attracted her attention. Her underlings also were much the same. It was refreshing to learn their death, and at that time I was even rooting for the Battle Princess.」
Stacy-san said that while shelving her own NTR hobby.
「But, the Battle Princess went too far. Her purge didn't stop with just that.」
The purging that Sofia-san carried out didn't stop with just the brigade's internal.
Merchant, guild staff, members of small brigades who were related with the Bloody Princess Brigade. Even hoodlums who shouldn't have done anything to be included in her purging. The purging was carried out in an extremely wide range.
She obtained the nickname Fresh Blood Princess through that.
It was the extension of her Battle Princess title.
The girl continued her purge to a degree that earned her such nickname. Her vigor had gone beyond the territory of infighting and shook the public order of the whole dungeon city.
Therefore Empress Brigade and Lion King Brigade decided to strengthen their patrol and security. The talk of alliance was brought up amidst that.
Right now things were fine because Battle Princess Brigade's strength was weakened from the purging, but if the Battle Princess with her strength that towered above the rest made a move to expand her organization, the situation would become unmanageable.
That was why they should work together and crush them now while they still could.
But perhaps thanks to increasing the patrolling and security, the Battle Princess seemed to avoid clashing with other brigades and her reckless action calmed down rapidly in around one month. There had also been no noteworthy accident occurring in these several months and no major movement could be seen from Battle Princess Brigade, so it seemed the alliance negotiation was stopped for a moment.
「But recently the Battle Princess Brigade seems to be showing some kind of suspicious movement again. It won't be funny if we lose because we let our guard down and slack off with the negotiation. Therefore I thought that we should hurry with the alliance formation even if I have to be a bit reckless and this happened.」
The Lion King said that and concluded her explanation.
「Is that story, true...?」
I who was listening quietly to the story until then spoke my question in disbelief.
「I too have at least heard about the reputation of each brigade before coming to this city, but I never heard any rumor that Battle Princess Brigade is that scary...」
「We suppressed the information a little.」
Stacy-san said with a bit of awkwardness.
「A leader who's just 18 years old. In addition the brigade's members have been dramatically reduced due to internal strife. Our reputation will be thrown to mud if it became known that the dungeon city's two major brigades couldn't do anything except putting a check to the outrageous action of a brigade that was in such state. There was also how the purging incident itself stopped after one month, so there were only light rumors about it spreading. In the first place something like other city's information wouldn't get spread out with that much accuracy to faraway place.」
Certainly it was just like she said but....
「Well, in any case!」
I was still couldn't believe the sequence of events that they were saying. But then Lion King-san raised her voice beside me.
「As expected even I have to be careful in forming alliance with another brigade that has been in conflict with us for many years, but coming here a keyman who can clear away any worry of betrayal or the like has appeared!」
「Ue!?」
Lion King slapped my back repeatedly while speaking happily.
「The Empress and the leopard woman are crazy about young man. I myself am crazy with the young man. And from what I'm seeing the young man is a lump of virtue. As long as you young man act as our central pillar then it's possible to form the alliance without any worry. Isn't that right Empress!?」
「...Well, I guess.」
「Good good. Then if the Battle Princess Brigade make any kind of movement again, we'll use that chance to announce the alliance formation officially. Let's put a stop to the Battle Princess before she can do anything reckless. Young man, you'll also help us when that time come won't you?」
「R-right」
I was somewhat reluctant to lend my strength to the formation of alliance for opposing Sofia-san.
But if Sofia-san was being denunciated because of some kind of mistake, there was no doubt that me being the central figure of the alliance would be convenient.
Although I wasn't really satisfied with how things were, I agreed with the alliance formation.
＊
After that.
Lion King said 「The serious talk is over so」 and hugged me again, so I used the power of Local Wife to escape back to the inn.
A night passed after that and it was before noon.
I rolled on the bed while ruminating about the talk with Stacy-san and others many times inside my head.
About the violence of Sofia-san who also was called Fresh Blood Princess.
But,
「...As I thought, Sofia-san doesn't look like an adventurer who is that violent.」
No matter how many times I thought about it, what came to mind was Sofia-san when eating meal with relish.
Certainly the atmosphere when we first ran into each other was critical with her saying 「Guess I'll kill you」, but our exchange after that had overwritten my image of Sofia-san completely.
That was exactly why I couldn't picture Sofia-san as this heinous character who carried out a large scale purging.
「...If you're concerned, how about asking the person herself directly...?」
Alicia was sitting on the bed while suggesting that.
Alicia woke up almost at the same time when I returned to the inn. Then I told her about the situation for the most part.
「Well, that'll be best. But, we don't know where's Sofia-san right now...」
Our meeting and parting were both abrupt. I didn't ask her about the way to contact her.
Presently the Battle Princess Brigade consisted of only a few elites, so apparently they didn't even have any obvious base. I couldn't think of any idea to meet with Sofia-san who was like a ghost.
Although it would be pointless to just roll around on the bed like this. As I lifted up my body thinking to try going to the dungeon's low level where we met Sofia-san for the first time――it was then.
「Tsu!? Who-」
Alicia suddenly put her hand on her holy sword and turned a sharp gaze to outside the window.
I noticed that her reaction was due to her Area Detection skill and also immediately prepared to fight.
Then the window that was on the fourth floor from the ground was opened from outside――
.
「Ah...found youu♥」
.
「Tsu!? Sofia-san!?」
It was the person in question.
Battle Princess Sofia Barnard-san was staring at me with fiery eyes.