When Freyja climbed down from the Griffin, she was already utterly exhausted.
"Phew... Seriously, why did I have to do this..."
After bidding farewell to the Griffin's operator with a smile as saintly as a Saintess's, Freyja grumbled under her breath indignantly. As a princess, she should have been gracefully enjoying a comfortable life in the Royal Palace, not patrolling this frozen wasteland while having to maintain her image by doing something so boring...
"Thank you for your hard work, elder sister."
Hearing the adorable voice behind her, like that of a young beast, Freyja's body stiffened involuntarily. Then she still turned around and looked at Princess Norn, who stood behind her with a smile.
"...Is there something you want?"
"Oh my? Is that how you speak to a younger sister who specially came to welcome you because she was worried about her elder sister?"
Although Freyja's voice was somewhat deep, Norn did not mind in the slightest and merely watched her with a smile.
"You went on patrol, elder sister, right? How was the situation?"
"If that's what you're asking about, I can only say that nothing has changed."
Freyja breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and left the rooftop with Norn, entering the corridor. The thick corridor blocked the freezing wind outside, allowing Freyja to relax considerably.
"The Demonic Army is still gathering. Although I didn't approach them, a rough estimate puts their numbers at over a hundred thousand, and they've arranged themselves in a complete defensive formation. I don't know what kind of monsters are among them, but I sensed several powerful magical energies..."
As she said this, Freyja frowned.
"But it doesn't matter, right? As long as we have this iron monstrosity, there's no chance for me to take the field anyway, is there?"