Imperial Disturbance (9): And Then, at That Usual Restaurant

Four days into our wait in Rudectrad, Lururia, who hated sitting around doing nothing, finally reached her limit.

Although King Zeurasia had given us permission to ask for anything we wanted during our stay, strictly speaking, Tsetsii and the others weren't guests.

As envoys from an enemy nation, their movements within the royal palace were naturally restricted. Getting anywhere near the knight orders was out of the question. There was hardly a place less suited to wandering around.

Tsetsii and the others understood their position too. Even Lururia, who had boldly confronted King Zeurasia, refrained from making unreasonable demands.

"Even so, I can't stand being cooped up like this! If only I could at least cook with everyone!"

As we made a point of showing up as often as possible, Lururia vented her frustration. Actually, I'd sounded out the possibility of cooking, but hadn't received an enthusiastic response.

If there were any problem with the ingredients and Tsetsii happened to fall ill, it would be a disaster for Rudek. They could be accused of attempting to poison Tsetsii. Apparently, they had gently refused, saying, "We can prepare anything you would like to eat."

"I'm sorry our country hasn't been considerate enough...."

Prince Zelando looked crestfallen at Lururia's complaint.

"Oh, I didn't really mean it! I'm grateful to Rudek for trying to welcome envoys from an enemy nation as much as possible."

Lururia hurriedly tried to smooth things over. Having grown close to Tsetsii, Zelando had come to occupy a place like a younger brother in Lururia's eyes, and she was soft on him.

It was a little amusing to see her so flustered around Prince Zelando after she'd been so bold with King Zeurasia.

"Oh? Roa, you look like you're having fun. Do you have some wonderful idea?"

Damn, she'd turned her attention toward me. Still, I didn't have any good ideas... Ah.

"Ah."

The sound escaped me before I could stop it.

"What? Did you think of something? Come on, tell us already." Pressured by Lururia, I voiced the idea that had just occurred to me.

"I was thinking that if Rudek is worried about letting Lururia and Tsetsii see military facilities, maybe we should just go out into the city instead."

"Into the city? Wouldn't we be denied permission for that?" Tsetsii asked, but Prince Zelando replied, "That might be a surprisingly good idea."

The presence of Tsetsii and the others in the royal capital was an extremely closely guarded secret. No one outside Rudek's leadership knew about it.

At least no one among the general populace should be lying in wait for Tsetsii and the others. And among the leadership, if they attacked now and relations with the Empire turned hostile, they'd have to take full responsibility and offer up their heads. I couldn't see enough benefit to justify taking that risk.

"That's why I thought going into the city wouldn't be much of a problem. What do you think?"

"Roa, do you always think about things like that? Doesn't it wear you out?" Lururia looked at me with a mixture of admiration and exasperation, but honestly, she was the last person I wanted to hear that from.

Meanwhile, Tsetsii and Prince Zelando were looking at me with identical expressions of envy. You two really aren't siblings, are you?

"In any case, I'll go ask for confirmation! You all take it easy!"

Prince Zelando briskly ran off.

He returned almost immediately and happily announced, "I've gotten permission!"

"Then, Roa! I want something delicious! You'll handle arranging the restaurant, right?"

"But we always eat delicious food."

"You don't understand at all. I want to share the kind of moving experience I had with Porge with my husband! I'm counting on you!"

Even so, the only place I could take them was "that restaurant."

---

And so, we ended up at the usual inn in Tranza.

The group this time consisted of Tsetsii and Lururia, Wickhart and me, Dick and Lufa, Ryuzel and Frein, Nerphia and Sazaby, who were there to keep watch, Lapiria-sama, whom Lururia had invited, and, unbelievably, Prince Zelando.

To an unfamiliar observer, it would probably look like a gathering that prompted nothing more than, "Young people have such energy—good for them." But any historian of later generations would probably keel over upon seeing the assembled group.

I did wonder whether bringing Prince Zelando was wise, but there was actually a reason for it.

Prince Zelando could act as Tsetsii and the others' host only as far as the royal capital.

Apparently, Prince Zelando had only just learned this, but it had been decided from the start. From here on, even though we'd be traveling by sea, we'd be entering Gorbel territory. The situation would become more unpredictable, and there'd be no way to escape from a ship. The fewer people we had to protect, the better.

It was unfortunate for Prince Zelando, but to put it bluntly, from here on he would only be a liability.

After hearing this, Prince Zelando apparently proposed waiting at Gadeland, our point of departure, but that would inevitably impose on the Third Knight Order. In the end, anything beyond this would simply have been Prince Zelando indulging his own wishes.

Prince Zelando understood that intellectually. His heart, however, was not convinced.

So the compromise they settled on was that whenever Tsetsii and the others went out into town, he would be allowed to accompany them.

King Zeurasia presumably didn't want to disregard the feelings of a prince who had worked so hard to this point. And that was why he was here with us now.

"This has a different atmosphere from the restaurant in Gadeland." Lururia looked delighted.

"Ah! What kind of dish is this?" Prince Zelando peppered Dick with questions.

While those two were having fun, Tsetsii was remarkably composed.

"Is this unusual for you, too, Tsetsii?" I asked.

"Of course it is unusual, but more than that, I feel relieved," Tsetsii replied.

Apparently, Tsetsii made a point, as a lord, of showing up at even small gatherings whenever possible. So Tsetsii was accustomed to places like this in town.

As a lord, Tsetsii seemed to have built a genuinely good relationship with the people of the domain.

Nearby, Lufa and Lapiria-sama, along with Sazaby—who was inexplicably sipping wine despite being there to keep watch—had also been drawn into the merrymaking, while Lururia and Prince Zelando carried on noisily.

"...It's peaceful."

Tsetsii murmured.

"Yeah."

"I like peace."

"Me too."

Feeling somehow at peace, I quietly enjoyed the noisy evening.