As soon as they left the audience hall, Rafinha let out a big sigh.
「A~ah, I came here for nothing……You still have it good, Glis! Back then, you basically just refused all the bothersome stuff and asked to just fight, right? You coaxed it so that everything falls on your lap, Glis~」
「It is convenient for them too, you know? They can utilize my strength, and my strength only, without needing to face needless problems! I am your Squire, Rani, I don’t have the time to be a Knight Commander.」
「Don’t use me as an excuse! You’re just finding it bothersome, aren’t you?!」
Inglis’ cheeks were pulled.
「Oush oush oush……! Hyon hyull——!」
「……Hey, are you sure about this? Being a Knight Commander is a huge promotion, you know? It’s comparable to being a Holy Knight like Big brother Rafa. I’m sure Aunt Selena and Commander Ryuk would have been really happy about this news. My Father, Mother, and everyone in the Ymir too. Are you sure you’re turning it down that easily? If you’re worried about me, I…」
Yoink!
Unusually enough, Inglis pinched Rafinha’s cheeks this time.
「I’m okay with this. I like the way things are now. But, Mother and Father might be disappointed if they heard about it. That’s why, don’t tell them, okay?」
She let go of Rafinha’s cheeks then hugged her gently.
「……Okay. I got it. A~ah, I really came here for nothing at all.」
Rumble~!
Grumble~!
And then, their stomachs rumbled together.
「……Let’s go back.」
「Let’s——」
The two then walked towards the courtyard where the Star Princess unit was parked, but then…
「Hoo Ho Ho Ho! M-, My oh my, is that Inglis and Rafinha I am spying over theeeree~! Sure has been very a while!」
A thin, middle-aged man wearing an eccentric grab called out to them almost in a shout.
「……!」
「Y-, you’re!」
It was someone who had been a great help for both of them back then in Ymir.
「Hellow there! Your very own Count Weissmall at your serviiicee~!」
With a good-humored gait, he approached Inglis and Rafinha. To be honest, his demeanor was a bit unnerving, but they had grown accustomed to it and didn’t find it surprising.
「Goodness gracious, hasn’t it been 2 years. You two’s performance back in Ymir, it’s still shining bright in my heart as if it happened yesterday~!」
He smiled happily as he said so. Count Weissmall was a man who led a theatrical troupe that traveled around all sorts of places, performing plays, songs, and dances.
He claimed that he was originally from a noble family, but the family lost their territory during his grandfather’s generation. Count Weissmall was the third generation of their lineage to lead the traveling troupe. Which was why the title Count was something akin to an alias to him, a nickname.
As for the Weissmall Troupe, they had been doing this kind of work for decades. The name of the troupe was well known throughout the country, and the count was famous for his arts. Seeing that Inglis and Rafinha met him in the Royal Castle, would they be performing in the Royal Capital this time?
When the Weissmall Troupe came to Ymir, the hometown of the girls, Inglis and Rafinha once stood on their stage to sing and dance at a performance.
It was when both Inglis and Rafinha were only thirteen years old. They had saved the troupe that was assaulted by a pack of Magic Stone Beasts while it was on the way to Ymir, and with that as the impetus, the count scouted them in person.
Thanks to her performance, Inglis had grown somewhat accustomed to the crowd when she was dressed up. When Rafinha saw this, she commented that Inglis had started a new page as a woman. She was not pleased to hear it at all.
「You two have grown even more beautiful in the past two years, yes! Oh my, what’s the matter? You’re all in tears!」
「Uu……UWAaaaaahhhh!! Count Weissmall!!」
「Save uss——!」
There was a reason for the reaction of Inglis and Rafinha towards Count Weissmall.
When they met in Ymir, Ymir was having a bad harvest and was short of food. Both Inglis and Rafinha had restricted the amount of food they would eat to set an example for the people, and they were on a hunger strike back then just like they were now.
The Weissmall Troupe showed up with plenty of their own foodstuff, and they had offered Inglis and Rafinha all the food they wanted if the girls would attend the performance. To be honest, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that they went to the performance that day because of the food.
And so, the girls made the connection in their minds.
Count Weissmall = A full stomach.
Grrrowwll~!
Grooowll~!
「My oh minnie my. I say, you two always seem to be hungry whenever you appear in front of me. Would it do for you to grab a bite on our troupe’s cater?」
「「Yes! Please!」」
「Hou hou! Then come, be my guest. But——you will be assisting the Weissmall Troupe in our performance in the Chiral Royal Capital, how does that sound?」
「「We’ll do anything! We want to eat!」」
「Hohou Hou! What a blessing, then! You two will be perfect for the performance! It must be fate that brings us together today! A godsend, must be!」
「Yes! It has to be!!」
「We also think it’s a godsend to meet you!」
At any rate, it seemed that they finally could have a meal to their hearts’ content.
They had missed out on the banquet at the Royal Capital, but ultimately, it was good that they came here.
They wanted to thank the Gods for their reunion with the Count. Inglis couldn’t sense the signs of the Gods in this world right now, though…
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