The Strategist Knows Everything

Two days have passed since the ship left the Imperial harbour.

The harbour of the Empire is no longer visible.

"Mr. Roy. It's cold out there, isn't it?

Nicola's sister called out to me as I kept looking at the port, which had disappeared from the deck.

Maybe you cared, but now that's annoying.

"Leave me alone………"

"… no matter how much you look at the Empire, Master Yukito will not return………?

"I know! That!!

I yell, and I get annoyed.

Nicola's sister looked down sadly.

Regretful, pitiful.

I'm not the only one with feelings that don't work.

"... sorry..."

"Yeah. That's okay. Roy, you guys are more sorry than I am..."

When Yukito's brother negotiated to be taken to Albion, Nicola's sister was in another fort.

So there can be no more regrets than we do.

There is also remorse that could not be beside me. Push it to kill me, and Nicola's sister is comforting me.

It always is.

This is how I can't take care of myself. Always bothering me.

"Shiatsu, what's wrong with you both?

In a good mood, Ars's old man came up to the deck and called me and Nicola's sister like that.

What you have in your hand.

"It's booze..."

"Don't kids get it? Well, I don't have a choice!

So I started laughing out loud at Ars's old man, and I felt a little bit like killing him.

Me and Nicola's sister are depressed, but they drink and they're in a good mood.

"KANKA............ WE...... WE LOSED............!?

"Haha!! Right! That was a complete defeat! So cheers! Oh, my God!

"Hey."

I accidentally reached for the sword on my back.

I thought he was kidding.

But I never thought he was careless.

My relationship with Yukito's brother is supposed to be the second longest of our Knox captains.

I can't believe that Yukito's brother, caught by Albion, is drunk with alcohol and laughs hella.

"Whoa...... oh man. You're gonna die?"

Als' grandmother advised him so, teasing with her left hand, which was not in a liquor bottle, of the pattern of the sword on his left hip.

Sure, this guy's stronger than me. Experience, skill, everything is better with this guy.

But.

"I don't know! I don't like your attitude!!

"Mr. Roy!

When I pulled out my sword, Ars' old man pulled out his sword with one hand, too.

Between me and Ars' grandma, Nicola's sister puts her body in and stops it.

"Calm down, both of you!

"Get out of the way. Nicola's sister! Can you forgive the guy who drinks and laughs when he's deprived of his people!

"Amen!? Superior! Fucking kid! Call me!!

Ars's old man throws down a liquor bottle and pulls out another sword as well.

I can tell by the signs. I know it's probably because you're drunk, but Ars's old man is serious, too.

"Nicolas, get out of the way! I'll give him the courtesy!

"Yes, sir. All right. Put your sword away for now."

From behind Ars' old man, Erica's sister showed up and said so.

It's hard to take the back of Ars' old man.

Surprised Ars's old man jumped out big.

"Erica......"

"It's not what adults do when they teach their kids to be polite, is it? Roy. What are you thinking about pulling out your sword, too? What if they're fighting each other?

"... you're drinking and laughing, aren't you? I don't even know what's going on with Yukito's brother right now!

"Alcohol is a distraction. Anger, anxiety about a situation you can't do anything about. That's the kind of emotion that distracts me. It's an adult escape route. Understand. Ars is depressed because he couldn't stop it right in front of him."

……

I heard Erica's sister, Ars's old man, sit back and shut up on the spot.

Maybe it was because it was a star.

Ars's old man grabs a bottle of liquor that's rolling nearby and drinks it as it is to take a bath.

"... oh, I couldn't stop you..."

"It's up to him. I thought about it, and I chose what I thought was best. Just like before."

Erica's sister exhales after that.

"Mikana doesn't come out of the room, Ars and Roy have a buddy break, Nicolas is going to cry, and at all... our captain was bound to send us to Velis. You're not stupid enough not to know what that means, are you?

Erica's sister takes a glimpse of Ars' old man's face and then she looks at me.

I know.

Yukito's brother entrusted us with his destiny.

Yukito's brother is not the one who jumps into the enemy helplessly. So I guess you're thinking a lot.

But for when they didn't make it through, we were sent back to Velis.

Preparation for what if. That's us.

I know. I know.

"Before we get to Velis, Yukito's brother will be taken to the king's capital of Albion...? I'm not gonna make it to anything..."

"Albion is a principality. So it's the capital, to be exact. Well, let's hope for that well-rounded tongue. Come on, let's go inside. I'm gonna catch a cold."

Sure, Erica's sister is right.

If I give up here, I won't be born anything.

And I won't be able to face Yukito's brother, who deliberately sent me back to Velis.

"Right. Mr. Ars, let's go inside."

"... I'm a little more here..."

"I don't have a choice. Come you two. I'm going to Micah's room."

Erica's sister felt unspoken and said so, so me and Nicola's sister nodded silently and returned to the ship.

■ ■ ■

New Demonic Ship Narvis.

That's the name of the ship we're on right now.

Well, the only one on board is Knox's executive class.

There are two reasons.

The empire is proud of its state-of-the-art ship, and because new technologies are being incorporated everywhere, it doesn't want to be exposed to too many eyes.

Because the royal family is the captain, it's tempting to put the lower end on board. That's why Knox said.

Originally a ship capable of accommodating more than a hundred people, but now there are only fewer than fifty people on board.

The others are heading for Velis on the other ship.

According to the story, the ship speeds too differently, so the arrival date seems pretty uneven.

Erica's sister heard the story and looked at her face, so I guess it's not a very good thing.

That's why I have room for this Narvis now. So, Knox's unit leader is assigned one room at a time.

There's a Micana guy locked in one of those rooms. Long after boarding.

"So? Why am I the persuader?

I was told to convince Erica's sister to come out when she gave me the basin with the meal on it.

I'm not proud of you, but I'm not that close to Mikana. I mean, we're just fighting.

Though I find it counterproductive that I'm persuasive.

"Just go. If we don't go soon, we're gonna burn Roy's dinner, okay?

"Why not!? Irrational!"

"Roy, I think you should go quickly, me. Absolutely"

"Seriously….."

Nicola's sister's advice, from experience, is for her own good.

Sure, if Erica's sister, she could burn about dinner.

"Okay..."

Admittedly, I will take your basin to Micana's room.

The keys to Mikana's room have already been loaned to me by the great princess, the captain of this ship.

So it's easy to open it.

"If you open it on your own, the arrows will fly..."

I can imagine myself eating without defense.

Why do I have to do this?

Let's get this over with.

I knock gently on the door with one hand and the other.

"Mikana. Roy, though. I brought you some rice, eat."

Say it as appropriately as possible. Well, as usual.

It was two days before the ship left the empire and Micana hasn't eaten anything in two days.

Whoever takes the rice, I won't take it.

That won't be the same this time.

You couldn't have opened the door to Nicola's sister.

For a little while, I've been waiting, but I'm not getting a response back.

Actually, he's dead, isn't he? What an idea.

No, she's not going to die for killing that woman, are you okay?

The door suddenly opened as I clasped my shoulders and tried to get away from the front of the room.

"Wow!?

"... what...?

"What is it? I don't know... you..."

I was also surprised that the door suddenly opened, but more than that, I was surprised at how Mikana came out of the room.

Mikana wore clothes and armor at all times, wherever and whenever she wanted, and she was well acquainted.

But right now, Mikana in front of me, her hair, which is usually tied behind her, is, by the way, bouncing and blurry. Plus, your skin is rough, your eyes are bright red because you were crying, your clothes are swollen, and your clothes are all wrinkled and sneezed.

There is no shadow at all.

Micana was beautiful enough to attract attention when she was well-acquainted, but now no one would look to her.

"… Something?

"It looks terrible. At least wear your clothes tightly…………………."

Micah tells me that for the first time, she realizes the cruelty of her appearance, and she stares at me.

"It won't be my fault………………………."

"……… wait a moment"

Micana closes the door at the same time.

Across the room, I hear something called Gasha Gasha.

Earlier, in the room I saw just a little bit, it was so dirty that I wondered if there was a foot trail, so I guess it was because of that.

Well, for now, if you still have reason enough to feel ashamed of yourself, you'll be fine.

I mean, I could afford enough shame.

Erica's sister, looking at me from far away, is smiling.

I know you're glad the operation was a success, but even if it wasn't me, I think Mikana came out of her room.

When he came out of his room, Micah's gaze was nailed to the rice he was riding in the basin. I'm definitely hungry, so I came out.

Well, if you've been on a hunger strike for two days, will you be hungry?

If I was so convinced, the door opened.

Micah comes out a little out of breath, looking good enough to be seen somehow.

"You don't have to be in such a hurry, you're not running away from rice, are you?

"Who wished you were hungry?

"So you don't want it?

"I'm not willing to make food crude. If it's a meal for me, it's rude if you eat it and you make it."

"No, I'm sure the cook wants the hungry guy to eat it, right? So I'll eat this meal."

At that moment, Micana reaches out to your basin.

But such behavior is unexpected.

"Come on, give it to me!

"If you bless me, I'll think about it."

Now that there's a trump card called Meals, clear up Micana's daily grudges.

I'm a fool, I'm a fool, but I'll remind you that bad wisdom works a lot.

"……… I understand."

"All right! Now say it!

"I'll eat in the dining room."

Is that it?

That's how Micana moves to the ship's dining room.

The only ones left behind are me.

"Roy? What are you doing?

"... No, I got out of the room, and I don't know, it turned out to be because of me......?

Erica's sister grabs my shoulder from behind.

I'm too scared to turn around.

"Does Roy want that much burnt rice?

"Erica, calm down! Roy, you're right, Mikana came out as a result, and let's just say it's a good idea!

Nicola's sister said so, and Erica's sister and I are going in.

"If that's what Nicola says, I can't help it."

Danger. Danger.

Dinner was about to become a black object.

If I exhale, I can suddenly call.

"I was as depressed as I was earlier, but now I'm not talking like an idiot... they're healthy."

There's only one person on this ship who talks this way.

"Oh, you great princess."

I called out normally without thinking.

Shit, when I tried to correct it, my hand with the basin was getting cold.

The meal that was on top of the basin is icing.

"Be careful how you listen to your mouth. Concubines don't look great, they're great."

"……… Copy that."

"And food is precious at sea. Even ice pickles eat well, don't they?

The greatest guy on this ship started saying outrageous things.

In the way it is now, it's like.

"My dinner, this!?

"I'm not good at freezing it, but I'm not good at melting it. Ask the Red Lotus Witch there, too. Rude Fifth Squad Leader"

"I don't like subtle fire conditioning."

You walking irrationals.

You can use magic, but it doesn't help you at times like this.

"Leave it in a warm place, it'll probably melt. I'll give mine a little too."

"The only person on my side is Nicola's sister………"

"Well, I guess I'll leave the farce like this."

"What do you mean by frozen people's supper and farce......"

"If you want an ice meal that bad, you can ice your own concubine's meal, right?

It's a cowardly threat.

I can't believe you're taking a meal hostage.

"Hi, I'm sorry."

"I don't have a heart, but that would be nice. Gather Knox's squad leader. Operation meeting."

"Operation? What is it?

The princess looked at me with a wretched eye.

Shit, hear what you don't know, what's wrong with you?

"Ha, you know that, don't you? It's an operation to land in Velis."

"…… Is landing such a big deal?

Not only the princess, but even Erica's sister and Nicola's sister, sighed.

That's crazy. I don't remember saying anything weird like that.

"You're an idiot. Right now, Velis is being held by the Empire, isn't he?

"No, but the Imperial fleet is fighting for me, right?

"The First Fleet has already begun to withdraw. In the present relationship between the Empire and Velis, we are in the territorial waters of Velis because we can create useless strife."

"Huh!? So what about the harbor or something!?

"It's occupied. So, think of an operation to break through it. Well, I'd ask the First Fleet to do something positive, but full support would be difficult. If we do it pretty well, it's gonna be hard to break through the harbor."

"Dude... what are you gonna do... on the ocean, we're useless?

To my words, the princess caught an eyebrow.

And then he went off his chest without it and declared.

"Don't lick it! My concubine is not Liasia Dooneheil! On the sea, I won't bother you lords! The question is, can the lords successfully break through the harbor? Just one thing!

I wonder. It's a very reliable word, but I don't feel reliable at all.

Maybe, that is.

"Because I'm a princess who was made to cry by Yukito's brother..."

"Hey, don't cry! You're being rude!?

"No, you can't. Roy, you were desperate."

"The Red Lotus Witch…… The concubine has learned to be frustrated……?

"I apologize for this. Dear Leasia."

Watching a princess stare at Erica's sister is increasingly unreliable.

That's what Nicola's sister thought, too, and she squeaked a word.

"... I wonder if you're okay..."

I really agree.

Ma, but we have to do something here, we can't help Yukito's brother, and we have to do something about it, even if it's mean.

So determined, I started by staring at warm places for now.