Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now - Chapter 35

Drifting Ship Disturbance (1)

“A drifting ship?”

“Yeah. The navy found a drifting ship and hauled it to Gedland. When the seas were rough a few days ago, that ship most likely lost control. They were fortunate that we discovered them now. If we don’t find them within a few days, the lives of everyone on that ship will be threatened.”

Rays-sama described the matter to us with a complicated expression as soon as we entered the office.

“I’m glad the ship was saved, but what does it have to do with me and Rufa?”

“It’s not just a regular drifting ship,” Lapilia-sama explained.

“The ship has the imperial flag.”

“What!? So we now have an imperial ship in Gedland!?”

“Yeah. Even though they are from the empire, we cannot simply abandon them in the sea. But we arrested all of the people on the ship. It’s just, there’s one troublesome passenger among the group.”

“A troublesome passengger?”

“This person appears to be from the south continent. She didn’t tell us her identity, but she appears to be a high-ranking person, so we can’t treat her like the other passengers. That’s why I want you to go and talk to her, Rufa.”

“Me…?”

“Yeah. If it’s possible, I want you to find out who she is, where she came from, and why she is coming to the empire.”

“That kind of responsibility…can I fulfill it?”

“Of course, if you can’t, that’s ok. We can’t be too forceful with her because she appears to be a high-ranking person. Roa, Wickharlt, you come with Rufa as well.”

“Us?”

“Yeah, you’ll come with Rufa and act as her guard. Wickharlt, you appear gentle despite being a knight, and Roa…how to put it…you…appear to be an average person rather than a knight. You both won’t frighten her.”

What was up with that excuse, Rays-sama…I agreed with you but you didn’t have to be so direct… But I understand what he wanted us to do.

“Make your preparations, then leave right away. I’ll send Luzel’s unit as well. I’ll be counting on you.”

With that, we were driven out…ahem; I meant we were sent to Gedland.

?

Walking from the capital to Gedland would take 4-5 days, but on a horse, we could arrive in Gedland in a day if we traveled without stopping.

But it would be ridiculous for us to ride a horse without stopping when we had Rufa with us, who wasn’t used to riding a horse. So we informed Luzel that we were going to go first and stop at one of the three towns along the way to Gedland, Ruelue town, to spend the night.

Luzel and his unit will leave early the next morning. We were supposed to meet them on the road roughly a half-day after leaving Ruelue town.

Only roughly 30 members from Luzel’s unit had been dispatched for this mission. The reason for such a small number was straightforward. We didn’t need to bring too many people with us to Gedland because it already had a knight division stationed there. After all, Gedland was one of the most important places in the Rudek Kingdom.

The 3rd Division was the knight division stationed at Gedland. The valiant General Zackhart led the 3rd Division. Among the 10 Knight Commander, Zackhart-sama was the most senior. He was well regarded as a fearsome general who had fought in many battles. He was known as the General Beautiful Beard because of his gorgeous long white beard.

So the duty of Luzel’s unit was to protect us on the trip while simultaneously allowing us to communicate with the 10th Division in the palace. Because Gedland was a major trading center, road security was already excellent. That was also why we were able to proceed to Ruelue town first on our own.

We proceed at a decent speed on the road with Rufa riding with me on my horse, Aro. I’m not going to rush because Rufa might get sick if we travel too fast.

But we, or more specifically Rufa and Wickharlt, are met with many stares. These two stood out, thanks to their looks.

Rays-Sama’s comment on my looks…If I think about it too much, I could feel depressed, so let me just ignore it…Oh, the sky is so lovely…No, I wasn’t attempting to get away from reality or anything…

“Roa? Are you all right?”

Rufa asked, turning her head.

“I’m all right. But, are you all right? Do you feel sick? Is your butt hurting?”

I asked these questions based on my first horseback riding experience, thus they were important…No, it wasn’t because I was desperately attempting to change the subject of the conversation…

“I’m fine.”

Rufa responded with a very natural face. She appeared to be in excellent condition. Even though It was quite bad for me when I first rode a horse…

…Maybe Rufa has ridden a horse before. Riding a horse? This young girl? Rufa was most likely not a commoner if she had ridden a horse before. I was really curious about how did Rufa end up under Rays-sama’s care.

I wanted to know about Rufa’s past, but she seemed to find it difficult to share. That’s why I never asked. My aim was to save Rudek, so I couldn’t risk jeopardizing my valuable relationship with the 10th Division, which I had worked hard to establish just for the sake of my curiosity.

No matter how curious I was about Rufa, I had no intention of incurring Rays-sama’s displeasure by pushing my head where it didn’t belong. I wasn’t going to ask until she told me herself.

“We can see it now, Roa-sama. That’s Ruelue town.”

Wickharlt’s remarks, who was riding a horse next me, brought me back to reality.

In the distance, I could see the town wall.

?

“It’s pretty lively here.”

Ruelue town was more crowded than I had anticipated. That made sense, I suppose. After all, the town was in the midst of a festival.

The Ruelue town, which was packed with merchants on their way to Rudektrad, was beautiful. The festival appeared to be quite costly at first glance.

“I heard a famous songstress is performing tonight! I’m excited about it.” A passing merchant made a comment.

“The town is this crowded…Will we be able to find an open inn here?”

Wickharlt reassured me not to worry, as I expressed my concern.

According to Wickharlt, the Order appeared to have its own exclusive lodging facilities at the town’s lord’s mansion. As one would expect from the Knight Order.

I followed Wickharlt, who was taking familiar steps toward the lord’s mansion. When our visit was announced, the lord ran to greet us and apologized for the lack of welcoming due to the festival.

“We should be apologizing for our unexpected visit,” Wickhalrt replied to the lord. “We would merely wish to borrow the lodging. As for the meal, because it is a festival, we will dine in town.”

The lord then responded, modestly, “Of course. But please, at the very least, enjoy the songstress’s performance tonight. I’ll go and prepare the best seat for you.”

The lord then invited us in without giving us any chance to refuse.