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Apparently, the Weissmall Troupe had obtained permission from King Charleas to use the large theater in the Royal Capital, and they were currently renting a room there to prepare for their performance.

They arrived at the capital just right after the recent incursion from the Ironblood Chain Brigade, and so they did not suffer any damage from it. Inglis and Rafinha were made to sit in on the dinner along with the troupe members——

「Munya……dashtyy——! Awun weayyi gwadh……dhap whee medh widh kaunt Wayssmaw——(Aah, tasty——! I’m really glad……that we met with Count Weissmall——)」
「Yuuwew wayt dhan……Ah fweeh wayt Awun baph dho waifu(You’re right Rani……I feel like I’m back to life)」

Shaking with emotions, the two reached for a huge platter of fried chicken next.

Munch! munch munch! munchmunchmunchmunchmunch!

The huge platter was emptied in a matter of seconds.

「「Seconds, please!!」」

They held up the completely empty dish and requested for more, their faces full of smiles.

「S-, still the same……」
「What voracity!」
「No, they’re actually faster than two years ago?」

Many of the troupe members remembered Inglis and Rafinha from their performance in Ymir two years ago. However, they still couldn’t hide their surprise and were stunned and stopped eating their own meals to watch the two young ladies.

「Come, come, bring more food in!」
「Yaay! Thank you so much, Count 𝅘𝅥𝅮」
「You’re our lifesaver!」
「Please, don’t ever mind it~! Sleep well, eat well, smile well! That’s the secret of your beauty, isn’t it~! Both of you have grown even more beautiful in the past two years! If my stage can be painted with your beauty, then this much is nothing!」

What a truly good person.

Count Weissmall was generous, both now and back then, and he kept his smile no matter how much Inglis and Rafinha wolfed down his pantry. He was an eccentric man, with his peculiar clothing, fishy behavior, and shrill voice, but to Inglis and Rafinha, he could very well be their own angel.

「Oh right, what are we going to do this time? Are we going to sing and dance again?」

Whilst waiting for their additional food to come, Rafinha asked Count Weissmall a question.

「No, the centerpiece will be a stage play this time around! And a new play at that! We’ve been given this huge theater after all, so I want to make use of the whole space and give it a lot of action!」
「Heeh……that sounds interesting!」
「So we are going to move all around the stage——is that it?」
「Indeed! And not only that, with this much space we have to work with, I want to make a spectacular production by flying around a Flygear or two in it! I’m sure this stage will be loved by men and women of all ages!」
「Sounds awesome! I love it when things are gaudy!」
「You can leave the combat sections to us.」
「Of course, of course! I am well aware of the skills of you two, and so I’d like to start by having you instruct our members how to enact battle scenes and how to operate Flygears!」
「I see——The things right up our alley, huh.」
「Yeah, I think we can do that.」
「I have heard that you two are currently under the Knight Academy’s care. If possible, I’d like you to ask the Academy if we can borrow some Flygear! We have some units ourselves, but we don’t have enough!」
「Understood. We will try to discuss it with the Principal.」
「Even if she gave a no, I will lend you our Star Princess! It’s our private property, after all!」
「Eeh?! Using that one? I recall, the kids in town don’t like it very much……」
「But there is one that likes it! Why should we listen only to the bad views? We should just listen to the good ones.」
「Hou ho! That really fancy Flygear, yes? How splendid! I fell in love with it at first sight myself! We’d love to borrow it!」

It seemed like it was well-liked by the Count.

「O-, okay……」

This person seemed to be always accepting everything so light-heatedly, but was that really okay for him? No, perhaps this kind of open-mindedness was necessary for art. After all, this was a field Inglis wasn’t particularly familiar with.

「That means we’ll be working behind the scenes this time, then! I wanted to stand on the stage too, though!」
「I am fine with just being a stagehand.」
「What are you two talking about! Of course I will have you appear on the stage! There is no way we will miss out showcasing both of you, Inglis and Rafinha, not when you two have grown so beautiful!」
「Ehehe, beautiful he said. Now I’m getting motivated~!」
「……However, doesn’t that mean we will be overtaking the positions of the troupe members?」
「Hohou ho! Not a thing to worry about! We always have locals we meet at our destination to fill in the suitable role! The local audience will feel more familiar with the performance that way, after all! That is the policy of us, the Weissmall Troupe! Our guest’s satisfaction is our top priority! Well, not many can measure up to my criteria, though! Just don’t worry about it!」
「I see!」
「Now now, this is the script of the performance! I want you to play the heroine, Mariabelle!」
「Playing the heroine?! Wow, that’s a huge role!」
「You’re right……」

With that, Inglis and Rafinha went through the script that Count Weissmall had handed over to them. At a glance, it appeared to be a story about two men fighting over a girl named Mariabelle. It seemed like their rivalry was painted with a lot of fervent battle scenes.

A battle over Flygears was also neatly incorporated into the play. The whole stage was going to be pretty gaudy. In the end, one of the men would come out as the winner and be wedded with Mariabelle, but…

「Oooh?!! Th-, there’s a kissing scene at the last segment!」
「EEeeehh?!! N-, no way——! There really is! Umm, Count——we can’t do something about this?」
「Oh never! It is necessary as an artistic expression! No compromises!」
「Uu……?!」
「I think it’s better for Glis to play Mariabelle since the roles look better on her, but……If you don’t want to, I can do it, you know? That’s okay right, Count?」
「But of course, it is of no problem! After all, Rafinha has her own charm too!」
「Eeeh?! Sh-, she can’t——! It’s still too early for Rani, and the Marquis also asked me to take care of her too!」
「Then, you’ll take the role, Glis?」
「Uugh……?!」

I don’t want that either. This is turning into quite a pickle. I absolutely don’t want Rafinha to do it, but imagining myself doing it gives me a chill too. Even so, the Count says the kissing scene will never be omitted, which means we probably should just not take up a performing role——

「Well, if neither of you really can fill the role in, then I’m afraid I can’t take care of your foods now, can I?」
「Uuuuu……?!」

I don’t want that either! I don’t want to go through starvation again!

「P-, please give us a time to think……!」
「But of course, take your time! Just make sure you have decided it in two to three days!」
「Th-, thank you very much!」

Inglis was given time to think, but——she really was in a tight spot this time.