Side Story 88: The Future of the Past (1)

I happened to hear that name.

I had a chance to speak with the guard captain in a provincial town, and during our small talk, he said, "Come to think of it..."

"A new traveling troupe has arrived in town."

"Oh? I wonder what they're called."

Because of a minor incident involving the Great Famine, I have a fairly good grasp of almost every traveling troupe on the continent.

So, without giving it much thought, I casually asked, and the answer I received was, "It's a troupe called Va-Vanbil."

When I heard those words, I unconsciously froze.

Seeing my reaction, the guard captain looked worried that he might have said something wrong. Lapilia immediately stepped in for me.

"Roa looks like he's thought of something again. He gets like this sometimes, so don't worry about it."

"I-I see. As expected of Military Strategist-sama, you truly are beyond the ken of ordinary folk like us."...