There’s always a lower floor on the ground.
For Paladin Nune and Tine, this saying perfectly encapsulated their lives over the past few years.
It all began with Santana’s escape, which could be considered the start of their misfortune.
From that point on, their lives seemed to plunge deeper the harder they struggled.
After Santana’s breakout, the financial state of the Paladins deteriorated rapidly.
Nune and Tine, fearing they would starve to death if things continued as they were, attempted to flee, but of all places, they chose Bohemia, which had unfortunately become the stronghold of the Heretic Forces.
Ultimately, as Paladins, they had no choice but to return to Milano after narrowly escaping death.
Thus, amidst their thwarted attempt at escape and unresolved financial issues, Nune and Tine found themselves withering away.
For them, the Emperor’s decree proclaiming a crusade against the Heretics felt like a lifeline.
Barely scraping by, they were conscripted into the Paladin Order’s military, receiving decent treatment as somewhat higher-ups, allowing them to live without major issues.
Moreover, after defeating the most notorious of the Heretics’ forces led by Mansfeld, they were treated even better as war victors.
However… their good fortune didn’t last long.
Just as they felt they had barely made it, an unexpected severe famine struck.
The fallout became a severe misfortune for them.
The rations, which had always been plentiful, turned even grimmer than during past financial struggles, and with supplies dwindling, they found themselves in a dire situation, barely surviving day by day.
If them, as the higher-ups, faced such hardships, the situation of the regular soldiers was even worse; yet, they didn’t find it necessary to concern themselves with others’ misfortunes.
With their lives hitting rock bottom again, they naturally began to curse Santana, who had been the catalyst and extension of their misfortunes.
If not for Santana stabbing them in the back, their circumstances in Milano wouldn’t have turned dire.
As they later discovered, had it not been for Santana, who had become a key figure in the Heretic Forces, the war would have ended in the Emperor’s… and their, complete victory, and they wouldn’t be suffering like this on the battlefield.
Of course, the whole mess started due to the absurd actions of her and their superior, Archbishop Maxim, but such facts were lost on them.
As long as they believed their misfortunes lay with others, they rationalized cursing those individuals as perfectly acceptable.
They had lived this way up till now, as it brought mental and physical comfort.
So today too, while spending their meager salaries on drinks and cursing Santana, the two of them unwittingly drew upon an unforeseen turn of events.
A result that would plunge their already low lives even lower.
*
“Ugh… my head…”
“Damn… did I drink too much? My body…”
Nune and Tine opened their eyes, plagued by a horrific hangover and throbbing headaches.
For a moment, they thought their inability to move was solely due to their drunkenness.
But soon…
After regaining some consciousness, they realized their heavy limbs weren’t just a result of a hangover.
{!… What… what is this?}
{What the…}
Only then did they become aware that their bodies were tightly bound.
And right then… before them appeared a woman who seemed to be the cause of their predicament along with her subordinates.
“Are you awake? I was thinking of knocking you awake since you were sleeping so soundly.”
A muscular woman with the fierce impression of a wild beast.
She seemed furious, cracking her knuckles with threatening sounds.
“W-wait a minute, what on earth is going on here?”
“W-who are you? Why have you dragged us here like this?”
The two asked frantically.
To this, the muscular woman, Vicer Andreas, daughter of the Lord of Bohemia, responded with a fierce grin.
“Who am I? I’m the sister of the person you two were cursing yesterday.”
{S-sister?}
{Wait, you can’t mean…?}
Automatically, Nune and Tine began envisioning the person they had so happily cursed: Santana.
Seeing their bewildered faces, Vicer Andreas proclaimed with confidence,
“Yeah, this body is none other than Vicer Andreas. I happened to be on a reconnaissance mission when I spotted you two bashing my sister and brought you over. You two look like you have some rank as Paladins, so how about you provide some intel for us?”
With an air of arrogance, Vicer Andreas spoke.
Having been particularly sensitive regarding her sister’s situation, she was relishing the thought of beating up the two who had insulted her family.
After all, a bit of torture was necessary to make them spill useful information.
With that in mind, Vicer Andreas began gathering her magical power, preparing to lay hands on the two Paladins in front of her.
But then…
“…Kuh…huhuhuhuh…”
“Aha…ahh…”
“…Huh?”
In the next moment, Nune and Tine unexpectedly started laughing quietly.
Seeing them, Vicer Andreas briefly felt puzzled and asked,
“What the hell is wrong with you two? You can’t be losing it already. You should wait until after you spill everything…”
“Haha, I didn’t expect luck to come around again like this!”
{…What?}
The two of them continued to chuckle while saying things that made no sense.
Vicer Andreas’s face began to show signs of bewilderment…
Against this unexpected reaction, Nune and Tine spoke in crisp tones.
“You’re a Mage, right? You must be, since the Lord of Bohemia’s family is famous for Mages.”
“What does that have to do with anything? You’re tied up right now, after all…”
-Thud!
“!”
In the next moment, before Vicer Andreas’s sentence could finish, Nune and Tine snapped the ropes binding them with sheer strength.
Witnessing their actions, Vicer Andreas started to recognize that the situation was unfolding quite differently than she had imagined.
‘W-what the hell are these two…?’
Though they appeared intoxicated and slightly unkempt; at this moment, the sight of them effortlessly breaking free from their bindings and rising effortlessly bewildered Vicer Andreas.
“Recently, many have forgotten a key fact. The Mages have been so prominent lately that this truth has been overshadowed.”
“You must have heard it once or twice: Mages’ natural enemies are Paladins.”
With that proclamation, Nune and Tine began to radiate an aura from their bodies.
Surprised, Vicer Andreas and her soldiers quickly raised their magical energy to defend themselves.
“What kind of little frog can bounce merrily before a snake…”
“How lucky for us. I’ve been struggling since I’ve had no recent captures. If I take you in, General Tilly will surely be pleased, considering you’re the daughter of the Lord of Bohemia.”
“You two…”
Vicer Andreas, now tangled in a web of unexpected tension, could feel her belief in her advantage beginning to slip.
With that, she infused magical energy into her gauntlets and braced herself for battle.
Fortunately, the distance to the enemy camp was a night’s journey away.
Even if she did engage in battle, there was little worry of getting discovered, but the real problem was the overwhelming aura emitting from the two Paladins before her.
Currently, the two were channeling their auras to conjure something in front of them.
The mist-like aura began to coalesce, taking on the form of spectral beasts.
Realization dawned on Vicer Andreas, and her brow furrowed.
‘Damn… this is getting irritating.’
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