The Strategist Knows Everything - Side Story of Volume 4
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- Side Story of Volume 4 - A Quiet Story: Roy's Chapter 1
Part 4: The Albion Chapter
A Quiet Story: Roy’s Chapter 1
Translated by: Hiro02
Edited by: SevenTails
Two days have passed since the ship left the port of the Imperial State.
The Imperial port was no longer in sight.
“Roy-kun, isn’t it cold outside?”
Nicola-onee-chan called out to me as I continued to stare towards the harbour that was no longer visible from the deck.
She was probably trying to be caring, but it bothered me at the time.
”Just leave me alone…”
“… No matter how much you look back at the Empire, Yukito-sama isn’t coming back…”
“I know that! That’s not it!!” I shouted and huffed.
Nicola-onee-chan got sad, and her eyes were downcast.
I feel so frustrated and ashamed.
And I’m not the only one who was feeling helpless.
“Sorry…”
“Uh-uh. It’s okay. I’m sure you are more frustrated than I am, Roy…”
When Yukito-onii-chan was negotiating being taken to Albion, Nicola-onee-chan was in a different fort.
That didn’t mean she was any less frustrated than we were, however.
There was also the regret that I couldn’t be there for her. Nicola-onee-chan was comforting me even though I pushed her away.
It always happens.
I’m incapable of caring for the people around me like this. I’m always causing trouble.
“What’s the matter with you two, looking all shabby?”
The old man Ars came up on the deck in a good mood and called out to Nicola-onee-chan and me.
What was that in his hand?
“—Booze…?”
“Kids don’t get this, do they? Well, it can’t be helped!”
I felt a little bit like killing the old man Ars, who started laughing out loud.
He was in a good position to drink and stay in a good mood while Nicola-onee-chan and I were depressed.
“F*ck you… We… lost, huh!?”
“Ah-hahaha! That’s right! We lost! So cheers! Oh, man!”
“Hey!”
I couldn’t help but reach for the sword on my back.
I thought he was a jokester.
But I didn’t think he was unscrupulous.
I’ve known Yukito-onii-chan for the second-longest time out of all of us Nox captains.
That Yukito-onii-chan got caught by Albion, and here was this guy, drinking and laughing…
“Hey, hey… you. You will lose!”
The old man Ars warned me while fiddling with the hilt of the sword on his left hip with his left hand, which was not holding the bottle of alcohol.
This guy is indeed stronger than me. He has more experience, more skill, more of everything.
But.
“I don’t give a sh*t! I don’t like your attitude!”
“Roy-kun!”
I pulled out my sword, while old man Ars also pulled out his with one hand.
Nicola-onee-chan put herself in between me and old man Ars to stop us.
“Calm down, both of you!”
“Get out of the way. Nicola-onee-chan! You can’t allow a guy who just lost his friends, is drinking and laughing to get away with it!”
“What? All right! You little sh*t! Come at me!!”
The old man threw away the bottle of alcohol and pulled out his other sword as well.
I could tell by his appearance. Maybe it was because he was drunk, but old man Ars was getting serious as well.
“Nicola, move! I’ll show him some manners!”
“Yes, yes. I understand. Put your sword away for now.”
Erica-onee-chan said after coming up from behind old man Ars.
Getting behind the old man’s back is a difficult task.
Surprised, old man Ars leaped away.
“Erica…”
“It’s not a grown-up thing to bring out a sword to teach a young man some manners, isn’t it? And Roy, what were you even thinking, pulling out your sword too? Why are we fighting amongst ourselves?”
“… He is drinking and laughing, you know? And we don’t even know what’s going on with Yukito-onii-chan right now!”
“Drinking is a distraction. Drinking is a way to divert yourself from the emotions of resentment and anxiety over a situation you have no control over. It’s a way to get rid of those feelings, an escape route for adults. You have to understand. Ars is depressed because I couldn’t stop him in front of his eyes.”
“…”
Hearing Erica-onee-chan’s words, old man Ars sat there and fell silent.
Probably because she hit right on the spot.
Old man Ars grabbed a bottle of liquor lying nearby and drank straight from it.
“… Yeah, I couldn’t stop him…”
“It was his decision. He thought about it a lot and chose what he thought was best for him. Just like before.”
Erica-onee-chan let out a sigh after saying that.
“Mikana isn’t coming out of her room, Ars and Roy, both of you are falling out with each other, I’m about to cry, and our captain was utterly… obsessed with sending us to Veris. Aren’t you too dumb to realize what that means?”
Erica-onee-chan cast a glance at old Ars’ face and then at mine.
I know.
Yukito-onii-chan entrusted us with his fate.
Yukito onii-chan is not the kind of person to jump into the enemy’s arms without a plan. So I’m sure he’s thinking things through.
But, we were sailing back to Veris, just in case those ideas didn’t work.
Preparation for the what-ifs. That’s what we were here for.
I understand. I do understand that…
“Before we even get to Veris, Yukito-onii-chan is going to be taken to the Albion’s capital, right? No matter how hard we try, we’ll never make it…”
“Albion is a principality. So, technically, it’s a duchy. Well, let’s just hope that the tongue that spins so well can handle that situation. Come on, let’s go inside. You’ll catch a cold.”
Indeed, Erica onee-chan is right.
If we give up here, nothing will come out of it.
And by then, I wouldn’t be able to face Yukito-onii-chan, who took the trouble to send us back to Veris.
“Yeah, that’s right. Let’s go inside, Ars.”
“… I’ll stay here a little longer…”
“It’s no use. You two, come on. We’re going to Mikana’s room.”
Erica-onee-chan said to us just as if she didn’t have to say anything else about it, so Nicola-onee-chan and I nodded silently and went back inside the ship.
■■■
The new magical ship, Navis.
That’s the name of the ship we’re on right now.
Well, it’s only Nox’s executive class that’s on it.
There are two reasons.
The Empire’s reason was that they don’t want to expose the ship to too many people since it is the state-of-the-art ship that the Empire is proud of, and it has new technology incorporated in every part of it.
Nox’s reason was that since the ship’s captain was a member of the royal family, it would be awkward to put low-ranking members of the crew on board.
Originally, the ship could hold over a hundred people, but now there are less than fifty on board.
The rest of the group is on their way to Veris via other ships.
According to the report, the ship’s speed is so different the arrival date will differ by a lot.
Erica-onee-chan frowned when she learnt about it, so it must not be a good thing.
Well, that’s why we had more than enough room here in Navis right now, and one room had been assigned to each of Nox’s troop commanders.
Mikana had been holed up in one of those rooms ever since she came aboard.
“So? Why am I the one who has to convince her?”
Erica-onee-chan handed me a tray with food on it and told me to go convince her to come out.
I’m not bragging, but Mikana and I don’t get along that well. In fact, we fight a lot.
It would be extremely counterproductive for me to talk her out of it.
“Just go. If you don’t go quickly, I’m going to burn your dinner.”
“Why are you doing this?! That’s unreasonable!”
“Roy, I think you’d better go now. Immediately.”
“Seriously…”
Nicola-onee-chan’s comment, from experience, was better to heed.
I’m sure Erica-onee-chan would burn down my dinner.
“All right…”
I reluctantly agreed and headed to Mikana’s room with the tray.