<strong>Wisdom Strategist Mia</strong>


    <em>Oho, ho, it all worked out great.</em>


    Before this trip, Mia had actually done some nning and put together a prettyplicated schedule that would put Dion in the right ce at the right time to solve her “don’t let Sion die” problem. To her joy, everything was going pretty much as nned, with the broken carriage wheel being the only small problem. Because the carriage waste, she had to cancel her buying trip along the way, but the apanying merchant caravan made up for it.


    Now, she was getting close to the end of her n.


    <em>So, let’s go… There’s one more thing I need to figure out, and that’s how to get Dion to where Sion is. I’ll have to make up a reason to send him in… Maybe I could have him leave first and say he’s checking out the area…</em>


    Mia wanted Sion to be under Dion ia’s care. It wasn’t to protect the prince herself, that’s for sure. No, she didn’t want to put herself in danger, which would be the opposite of what she wanted to do. Even if she did go, she probably wouldn’t be very helpful.


    Mia, on the other hand, thought of herself as more of a nner.


    <em>Yes… I am, after all, the Great Wisdom. What do wise people do? They make ns. They run things from behind the scenes and make things happen… Ohoh ho…</em>


    Mia felt like she was on top of the world when everything went her way. Unfortunately, being on top of the world made it hard for her to pay attention to problems on Earth, and she missed a very important one: what goes up muste down.


    Mia was already really high up at the moment. The only thing left was the fall.


    It was very dramatic, as screaming could be heard right away up ahead.


    “Bandits! Bandits are attacking!”


    Mia’s Great-Wisdom nning was over after that.


    “…Huh?”


    The feeling she had of being in charge of the situation didn’tst long at all.


    “Bandits, huh?” Dion calmly stood still and watched as the peopleing toward him split up to surround Mia’s group. “I think they’re a little too well-trained to be thieves…”


    The bandits on horses rode as well as cavalrymen—no, better than cavalrymen. Many trained troops would have been embarrassed by how well they kept formation.


    “First surround, then ask questions. A good n used well. Way to go, crooks!” Dion apuded.


    “Captain Dion!”


    “Hey, that’s not Captain for you,” he joked to the guard who was yelling. He had worked with him in the past. “We’re no longer in a squad.”


    The guard gave him a salute as a sign of respect.


    “Anyway, what’s up with the guard situation?” Dion spoke up.


    “The guards of the wagon are… Well, they are just like you’d think. It’s not much better at Greenmoon. But the men who work for Count Lampron look like they might be worth their salt. should at least be able to keep up with us.”


    “Huh. Got it. That should be enough to stop most thieves… It’s too bad that—”


    Before he could say “not dealing with regr ones,” the bandits got off their horses and encircled them blocking their way of escape.


    “Should we go out and try to soften them first?”


    “Hmm, maybe if Vanos was here… But on the other hand, there might be too many deaths… Tough choice.”


    “Huh. Not often. I kind of thought you’d already be out there killing people on your own, Captain.”


    Dion gave his surprised subordinate a pointed look. The subordinate just shrugged and saluted again. He tapped his head and said, “Look, even I have to use this sometimes. Consider it. Why would the princess want me to be here?”


    “Dealing with situations like this one” might seem like a good reason to someone who doesn’t know you well. “In case the wolfmaster shows up” could also be a good answer. But…


    <em>Our princess doesn’t like it when people die. If that’s why she wants me toe along…</em>


    He talked about how she handled the change in Remno so well that not a single drop of blood was shed.


    “Let’s say she expects the same thing from me this time. And let’s say there’s some link between old Wolfie and these bandits…” The decision he came to made him shake his head. “Holy crap…”


    “Orders, Captain? We’re all set for action.”


    “Oh, action… Whoa, what was that again? Something about how the best way to win is without drawing your sword? Let’s see if that proverb is true. Hurry up!” Dion took off. He called out to the rest of the Princess Guard before they could follow. “The rest of you have to look after the princess! If a man with dogs shows up, give me a shout right away and guardthe girl. I want you to protect her with your lives, even if you have to die trying. Then keep an eye on her again!”


    The guards whistled and cheered.


    “Yeah, right! That’s the captain we know!”


    “Ruthless to his own. Love to see it!”


    With the force of an arrow, Dion shot toward the thieves as his men cheered like a bowstring being pulled back. He pulled out his sword while sitting high on his horse.


    “Put down your weapons!” one of the bandits yelled. “Give us your stuff, and you can go home alive!”


    Right away, the same thief shot an arrow. It made a loud shriek that cut through the air. Dion’s eyes were fixed on the arrow, and he smiled at the thought of fighting.


    “Oh, what the hell, I love a good fight. I can’t get enough of it!”


    His sword moved back and forth. Two halves of a shaft fell to the ground at his sides with a sharp shiiick.


    “And you, my good bandit friends, should not put down your weapons at all! If you keep shooting those arrows, you might be able to get away alive. You’d better hurry up until I’m close enough to chop off your head!”


    His provocation was met with silence.


    And a deadly volley of arrows.