Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now - Chapter 16

The Two Court Officials (1)

It was two days after the meeting, or rather, the interrogation with the King disguised as a tea party.

Rays-sama called me to his office and introduced me to the two court officials that would help me in the research.

“I am Nelfia.”

“I am Sazabi.”

One was a beautiful woman, while the other was a handsome man. The King…didn’t pick them based on look, did he? Plus, the woman named Nelfia…wasn’t she the attendant that was with the King at the tea party!?

“Nelfia-san, you are…His Majesty’s attendant, right?”

I asked her just in case.

“I’m actually His Majesty’s secretary, not an attendant,” Nelifia-san answered with a smile.

Why is the King’s secretary here….Ah, I see. The King needed someone he trusted to supervise me, so he sent his secretary, I guess?

“Roa-sama will become our superior in this project, so please, kindly drop the honorific.”

“But Nelfia-san is His Majesty’s secretary, right? So your position is above me. You should be the one that drops the honorific.”

I’ve been a court official for years, so I was used to calling others with honorifics, but the other way round…was a bit uncomfortable.

I signaled Rays-sama to help me with my eyes, but Rays-sama said, “Since you’re going to be my assistant, you should try to get used to it soon,” with a shrug.

In the end, I have no choice but to accept the fact that Nelfia and Sazabi were both my subordinates.

**

“So this is the laboratory?” (Sazabi)

“No, this is just the 10th Division’s pantry.” (Roa)

“Oh, I see. Then this place must be really secure, right? Like locked with a military grade padlock?”

“I don’t think so? To be honest, I’ve never even seen the key to the door, let alone a padlock.”

“…The research project was supposed to be top secret.”

…Right.

“Should I ask Rays-sama for a separate place for the research?” 

I thought of a solution, but then,

“I don’t think that will be needed,” Nelfia interjected.

“Sazabi was right, though.”

“The more we try to hide it, the more we will attract attention, and that will increase the risk of the project being leaked. On the other hand, no one will suspect some top secret project is being done openly in the pantry.”

“Really?” I said with an impressed expression.

“Yes. It’s better if we do it openly.”

“Hm…You have a point. My apologies. I was not thoughtful enough.”

Sazabi was convinced with Nelfia’s explanation.

“Ah, it’s fine. I’m not really familiar with that kind of stuff, so please ?tell me if I made any mistakes.” (Roa)

“I will do so.” (Nelfia)

Good. But since this was a top secret project, I still felt nervous.

Rufa and Derik were watching our conversation from a distance, with an uncomfortable expression. Judging from their expressions, I think they just feel confused about how to handle the two new additions to the team, rather than disliking the two.

But if the entire team was awkward like this, it wouldn’t do any good for the project. What should I do…Ah, I’ve got an idea!

“Are you all free tonight?”

“Why the sudden question?”

“The five of us will work together from now on, so how about we go to the town for dinner, just to get to know each other?”

***

Thanks to the profit from the bustling trade, Rudektrad was one of the most prosperous towns on the continent. The town was very lively at dinner time.

Employees of various restaurants went to the street to attract customers. I like this kind of lively atmosphere.

“Rufa, you rarely went out to eat?”

I asked Rufa, who was curiously looking around the town.

“Mm. They forbid me to go out at night,” she answered.

Was inviting her to dinner a bad idea?

Noticing my anxiety, Rufa shook her head.

“They said the town at night is dangerous,” she added. Ah, just a normal reason. 

When I asked everyone for a restaurant recommendation, Sazabi said he knew a good place, so we were all following him to get there.

We arrived after a few minutes’ walks. The sign board said Tranza Inn

“Here it is.”

Sazabi pointed at a small but beautiful inn and we went inside. The inn’s first floor seemed to be a restaurant open to the public. The restaurant was already brimming with activity and a delicious aroma was wafting in the air.

“Good evening.” The waitress’s eyes lit up when she saw Sazabi entering the inn. Was this the power of a handsome face?

“Welcome, Sazabi-san! Oh, you brought your friends today?”

“Yup. Suru-chan, do you have any tables open?” Sazabi asked in a more relaxed tone. I’d like it if he acted more like this with us.

“Of course! Please go to the table over there!”

As soon as we sat at the table, the waitress served us tea. Ah, I could feel the tea’s flowery fragrance melting my fatigue.

“So, what do you all like to drink?” The waitress, Suru, asked us.

“I’d like some alcohol. Not too strong, please.” I answered.

“I’d have the usual,” Sazabi answered. I wonder if Sazabi drinks strong alcohol? He looked like a heavy drinker.

“Juice for me. I want to concentrate on eating.” 

I’ve got to say, I wasn’t surprised by Diku’s choice.

“I’d like some alcohol. Just one glass, please,” this time, it was Nelfia that answered.

“Are you fine with juice too, Rufa?” I asked Rufa, and she nodded.

“Bring us some food too, Suru-chan, a lot of them! Don’t worry about the price!” (Sazabi)

The 10th Division would cover today’s dinner! When I reported to Rays-sama that we were going to have dinner together, he unexpectedly told me the 10th Division would cover the cost! Of course, he also told me to be careful, so we didn’t accidentally reveal anything about the canning method.

?

T/N: I’m a bit busy this week so there are only going to be 2 chapters. Here’s the first one