Chapter 71
"Give me a break. Anyway, I'm not going. End of discussion!"
Roa cut off the conversation as if refusing to entertain any further opinions. Yet Wickhart and Rapilia still pressed their case.
"You rarely get a chance to see a play like this. You shouldn't let this opportunity pass you by."
"You want to see it too, don't you, Roa?"
What they were talking about was the play featuring Roa that Luluria had mentioned the other day.
It was a battle of wills: Roa's aides wanted to see it while La Belno Ale was still nearby, whereas Roa absolutely refused because of embarrassment.
"Aww, I wanna see Roa's play too."
Lufa had joined in as well, trying somehow to change Roa's mind, but Roa's resolve was firm.
"For starters, there's no way we can all take time off together under the circumstances. And we don't even know where La Belno Ale is headed, do we? Even if we managed to get time off, it would be over before we finished searching for them."
Roa was right. Roa and the aides were extremely busy, while La Belno Ale were wanderers who went wherever their whims took them.
"Boo, boo."
"Boo, boo."
As for the twins, who had decided to protest simply because it seemed fun,
"...How about I send you two on an errand to Nizhok-san's place?"
That shut them up.
"All right, this time the conversation really is over. Everyone, get back to work!"
Roa clapped both hands, and at last the conversation came to an end. Yet these were the aides who had overcome the calamity of their nation's destruction alongside Roa with wills of steel.
There was no way they would give up over something so minor.
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A few days later.
"Roa-dono, the preparations are complete."
Wickhart declared forcefully as soon as he entered the room.
"What preparations?"
Roa had no idea what he meant. Roa tilted their head, and Nelfia, who had entered behind Wickhart, explained.
"We made full use of the Eighth Knight Order's intelligence network to determine where La Belno Ale is and where they're headed. Sazaby has already gone ahead to keep watch. We've also arranged for word to reach us immediately if anything changes."
"Hmm? What did you just say? I feel like I heard something that sounded an awful lot like an abuse of power..."
Nelfia ignored Roa's question and stepped back, making way for Lufa.
"We got everyone's time off too! Zelando-kun convinced the king!"
"Lufa?! What?! What are you doing, using the prince like that?! You're really going to get scolded!"
When Lufa stepped aside, Rapilia appeared.
"Don't worry. I already asked Rerence-sama to cover for us."
"Rapilia, even you..."
Roa was speechless. But it still wasn't over. Frein appeared next.
"We've arranged for Ruzel and Sharis to handle our work for the time being. Ruzel has already seen the play, so we can leave that aside, but we'll have to buy Sharis a souvenir."
...Sigh...
By then, Roa had given up and could do nothing but sigh. Finally, the twins and Dick appeared.
"The horses are ready."
"We can leave whenever you're ready."
"I brought boxed lunches Sule made for us!"
With everything so meticulously arranged, even the great strategist Roa could only respond with a dry laugh.
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As for the play the aides had been so eager to see, some of them ended up wishing they hadn't watched it.
Specifically, Roa, of course, along with Wickhart and Rapilia.
To put it simply, these two had performed in the play just as spectacularly as Roa, displaying unmatched prowess as if they were gods of myth.
The twins had been just as spectacular, but they were simply delighted and never ended up blushing.
The three of them holed up in their inn rooms for the entire day after the performance, occasionally groaning.
Yet that too became a topic of conversation among the people, and the innkeeper, quick to spot a business opportunity, designated each room they had meditated in as a special room.
These three rooms later came to be known as the "Room of Wisdom," the "Room of Martial Arts," and the "Room of Beauty," and were booked solid years in advance by people seeking the blessings of each. But that is a story for another time.