Sure enough, a blond man in a Woodpecker Cavalry Regiment uniform was waiting not far away. As they drew closer, they were surprised to realize he was the quietest member of their group. His name was… what was it again?
“Hello. I’m Pons, from the Woodpecker Regiment. We figured your mounts might lack the stamina and burst of speed you need, so I came back to guide you.”
Pons sat on his horse and gestured toward the way ahead.
“Ah, thank you so much.”
Itefeil was riding her mount too. She gave Pons a slight nod of thanks, thinking that people who were a little more mature did seem dependable. “We figured,” huh? In reality, she suspected Pons was the only one who’d figured anything out.
Still, Pons’s arrival struck Itefeil as a little strange. All it did was turn a group of running dragons ambling along at a leisurely pace into a group of running dragons ambling along at a leisurely pace with one unicorn among them…
They were still going just as slowly as before.
So, had there really been any point in him coming back?
Itefeil watched as the sky gradually darkened. It had been six or seven hours since they’d set out around noon. Behind her, the forest stretched on, its trees tall and short alike. She couldn’t see the lights of Sville City from here. All she could do was wait until nightfall and see if she could spot the brightly lit tower in the city center.
Pons glanced at Itefeil beside him. She kept looking around, seeming a little flustered. He thought for a moment, then spoke to her.
“Don’t worry. The Goddess of the Night won’t let the weak be harmed in the dark.”
Hearing the low male voice beside her, Itefeil turned and looked at Pons’s handsome face.
“But the Goddess of the Night embraces all. In the darkness, justice and evil can never be distinguished.”
Itefeil had read that line in *Evil and Judgment* while studying at the Police Academy. Along with another book, *Justice and Verdict*, it was one of two books graduates had to swear upon: they would believe in justice and order forever, and oppose evil and chaos for the rest of their lives.
Pons clearly hadn’t expected Itefeil to answer him like that.
“Are all Police Academy graduates this rigid?”
After struggling for a while, that was all Pons could come up with.
Itefeil shrugged and answered him directly.
“It’s what we all believe in. The gods look down on every one of us from the Supreme Divine Temple.”
Pons looked at Itefeil’s serious face. The last rays of sunset filtered through the trees, dappling her cheeks with light. He wanted to argue, but opened his mouth and then swallowed his words. Picking a quarrel with someone from the Police Academy wasn’t a good idea. For now, all Pons could say was:
“Night is coming.”
Then the two of them continued leading the group in silence. Behind them, the rest of the team snickered as they watched.
Meanwhile, among the Woodpecker Cavalry Regiment riding ahead, everyone had their suspicions about why Pons had left.
“Do you think he’s into the woman leading that group?”
They’d been riding in silence, but one team member finally couldn’t hold back his guess. It echoed what most of them had been thinking.
“That’s what I thought too…”
“But their statuses are way too different!”
“I don’t think Pons is the impulsive type. He must have his reasons for going back.”
“You’ve obviously never been in love. You’ve never experienced being willing to do anything for the person you love. Otherwise, you wouldn’t say that.”
His comment set the cavalrymen laughing.
“All right, all right. Keep it down. What’s with all this racket?”
Gadiel tried to rein in his men, but could only do so with a helpless look.
“Come on, Gadiel. We’re just taking it easy while Pons is away. We’re still nowhere near the target, so what’s the point of being so tense?”
Gadiel had no comeback. He could only lower his head and keep riding.
“Hey, what if those two really do get together…?”
“I don’t think that’d work. If they got together, it’d cause a huge problem.”
“Yeah, I think so too. The royal—no, his family back home definitely wouldn’t allow it.”
“Well, if Pons insists on marrying her, it’s not impossible.”
“But if he gets heavy-handed, wouldn’t that be bad for her?”
“Come on, she’s a woman. Just win her over, right?”
“Damn, what a player.”
“Sometimes I think you’re the biggest sleazebag in the whole Woodpecker Regiment.”
“That’s so you. 666.”
The group burst into laughter again. Asuka, riding at the front, didn’t pay the slightest attention to them. Gadiel, stuck between the two groups, could only hold his head as his headache grew worse.
“How about we place a bet? Let’s guess whether Pons really likes that woman.”
“I’m in! I bet he definitely doesn’t like her. If I lose, I’ll clean the toilets at headquarters for a month! But if I win, each of you owes me one divine coin!”
“Damn, those odds are way too lopsided! No thanks.”
“A month of cleaning? That’s not enough! If you lose, you should be on toilet duty for good!”
Everyone burst out laughing again.
Just then, Asuka, who was riding at the very front, suddenly ordered them to halt. The Woodpecker cavalrymen, who had been racing along, pulled up sharply.
“I can see their main camp.”
