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The following day, Inglis and her platoon had safely entered Alucard’s domains. By dawn, they had arrived at the town next to the national border, Zihra.

If they wanted to continue staying hidden until they arrived at the very heart of Alucard, they should march under the cover of night and hide during the light of the day. However, Alucard was not in the best of states as a kingdom, and they had to take into account the two armies that would soon meet at the border too. Depending on how the die rolls, they might or might not have to prioritize speed over caution.

In short, they couldn’t decide for themselves. Which meant they needed to have something to base their decision on. They needed to gather information.

For that reason, Inglis and her platoon decided to hide their Flygear Carrier in the forest at the outskirts of the city and headed into Zihra.

「All right, it’s a town, a town~! If I recall, the spicy foods here are delicious, right~𝅘𝅥𝅮」
「Spicy foods warm us up too, so they’re just the thing we need.」
「Aah, my belly’s so empty~ Hurry up, Glis! Isn’t it exciting being in a new town~」
「Yeah, it is, Rani. It makes us wonder what kind of delicious treats we will get to relish too.」

At the sight of the two of them flaring out their appetite, Leone could only sigh.

「We are not here for an eating tour, you two. Don’t forget to gather information and…」
「Fufu. You’re still too green, Leone.」
「?」
「If we’re snooping around sniffing for info left and right, we’d look totally suspicious, you know?」
「It’s more natural to pretend that we are tourists on our culinary tour, isn’t that right, Rani?」
「That’s right. And so, this is by no means at all me wanting to round up the city for treats or me finding the cooking duty to be troublesome, or even me getting tired of sleeping in a tent because it’s just too cold and wanting to take a nap in an inn or anything!」
「……Geez. Make sure you do your duty. We are cooking in turns, you hear me?」
「But, your cooking is way tastier than ours, Leone!」

Apparently, Leone used to cook for herself back in Arlman. When her brother, Leon, had forsaken his status as a Holy Knight and joined the Ironblood Chain Brigade, people began to leave the Olpha family behind them, as now it was seen as the household of a traitor. Inevitably, Leone was forced to take care of herself, hence the excellent cooking skill. For example, the hot pot that they had eaten as they waited for night to fall yesterday was made by Leone.

「Flattery won’t give you anything. Eating properly and staying in shape during a march is part of a Knight’s duty. That is why, we must be well-practiced in cooking too, you hear?」
「But there’s no such thing as culinary training at the Academy.」
「I am not much of a cook myself, so I’d rather eat in town too……」
「Now you’re saying it too, Liselotte.」

Leone let out another sigh.

「Ah, Liselotte surely understands~」
「Of course. If I presented my cookings to all of you and you wrecked your stomach and fell ill, wouldn’t it be quite the pickle then?」
「Eeh?! Wh-, what do mean……?」
「No, you see, there was a time I presented my home-cooked meal to my Father back at our hometown, and then he fell sick right afterward…」
「Y-, you sure it wasn’t just a coincidence? Maybe it wasn’t your cooking, maybe the former Prime Minister just happened to be sick beforehand!」
「But still, it happened not just once or twice…」
「I-, I see…」
「Sir Althea must have had it rough…」

Seeing how he put his body on the line for his daughter so many times, the man who always looked strict and straight-laced might have been much more of a doting father than he appeared. If that was the case, then perhaps he and Inglis could understand each other better. They did share the same kind of parental love, after all.

Whilst she was more of a granddaughter than a daughter, Rafinha always looked adorable in Inglis’ eyes. She was willing to put her body on the line for Rafinha. She wished for her happiness from the bottom of her heart. That being said, illicit relationship with the other sex was a whole matter altogether. It was still too early for Rafinha for that kind of thing yet.

「I-, it’s okay. I will help. I’ll tell you if you’re doing it wrong.」

Ian overheard the conversation and interrupted. He was wearing a fur cloak with its hood pulled until it covered his eyes, effectively making his face hidden. Zihra town was close to the territory which Ian’s family governed, and so he was concerned that some of the residents here might be familiar with him.

Lahti was doing the same, hiding his face under his hood. He was, after all, the Prince of this Kingdom, he should be warier than Ian. Pullum next to them, though, was not hiding her face at all.

「I appreciate it. I’m under your care.」
「Yes. Let me do anything I can to help. That’s the least I can do to atone……」
「Well, enough with the talking, let’s grab some food! After eating, we’ll sleep in the warmth of a bed! We can’t lose sleep, after all!」
「An inn with a diner should take care of both, then.」
「That’s right, Glis. Ooh, how about we go there?」
「Yeah, I think it looks good.」
「Godspeed then!」
「Ah, Rani. It’s slippery with all the snow, so don’t get too hasty.」
「Kyaah?!」
「Aah, right after I told you!」
「Ahaha. They look like happy tourists alright. They’re playing it out flawlessly.」

Seeing Inglis and Rafinha, Lahti let out a dry laugh.

Up until then, there was particularly no trouble with their mission, but…

「I’m sorry, but we’re not serving food right now. We’re having a food shortage. And not just our inn, but all the other diners in the town too.」

The innkeeper’s face clouded over as she let out a deep sigh.

「「EEEeeehhh?!」」

Growl growl groowll~!

Inglis and Rafinha’s screams roared at the same time as their stomachs rumbled.