Rose: “Welcome back. You’re quite late, aren’t you?”

Arata: “I had a bit of trouble.”

When I returned to the mansion, dinner was ready.

At the dining table, where I was led after freshening up, my hostess, Rose-san, greeted me.

Unlike yesterday, when she was crushed by despair, she seems to be eating dinner today.

Unused dishes are lined up on the table.

It seems she was waiting for me to return.

She could have eaten first, but she’s surprisingly conscientious.

The butler pulls out a chair for me, and I sit down.

It’s directly across from Rose-san.

Rose: “Were you able to buy the weapons?”

Arata: “Yes, I got some good ones.”

Rose: “I see.”

While the food is being served, we talk about the spoils of war.

Rose-san seems interested in what kind of weapons I bought.

But this is a dinner table.

If I start talking about weapons, I could talk for hours.

That would make the food cold, which would be rude to the person who made it.

So, I dodge the question by saying I’ll explain in detail about the weapons during training tomorrow.

Arata: “I didn’t use the money, so I’ll return it.”

Rose: “Oh, really?”

I hand the money I had been holding to a maid who was standing by.

She tries to remain calm, but Rose-san seems somewhat pleased.

Despite her title as the captain of the Second Knights, she is strict with money.

She might seem greedy, but there’s a reason for her character.

It’s largely influenced by her previous life, where she had to work multiple part-time jobs before she became famous.

So, she often received hand-me-downs from her seniors for equipment.

Her hobby, she says, is saving money.

She says she can’t rest easy unless her monthly balance is in the black.

After a while, the food is served.

Since oil is used, I wonder if today’s menu is Italian?

I take a bite of something like a marinade that was served as an appetizer.

Rose: “By the way, you said you had some trouble?”

Arata: “Yes, to be exact—”

Before I could mention the details of the trouble, one of the maids standing by whispers something to Rose-san.

But the timing was bad.

Rose-san, who was drinking an aperitif, ends up choking.

It seems impossible to have dinner with her today as well.

 

＊＊＊

 

After dinner, we set up a meeting in the guest room.

Even within the mansion, it’s not something to be heard by many people.

Among Rose-san’s servants, we decided to keep the matter of the seventh prince confidential.

Rose: “So, how did you end up picking up the prince?”

Arata: “Well—”

I explain the circumstances in detail to Rose-san.

It feels like being interrogated by the police.

Well, she is a member of the Knights, so that’s not entirely wrong.

Rose: “The prince in the slums…”

Arata: “Please ask him directly about why he was walking around outside the castle, especially the slums.”

However, it’s a big problem that the prince was walking around without a guard.

There are many soldiers and knights stationed in the castle, so it’s hard to believe that the prince slipped past their eyes.

It’s a vague idea, but there’s a high chance that something unpleasant is happening.

Arata: “Let’s put the prince’s issue aside for now.”

Rose: “No, it’s not something we can sideste…”

Arata: “In the end, it’s a local issue.”

Rose: “I’m a knight of this country, you know?”

Arata: “Let’s forget about that for now. …From here on, it’s about us, who reincarnated.”

“!”

Rose-san wants to settle the issue of the prince’s treatment, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.

I forcibly change the flow of the conversation and switch the topic.

Arata: “—The seventh prince. Don’t you find it strange?”

Rose: “? What do you mean?”

Arata: “…”

Ah, I forgot.

She didn’t progress the story.

Most of her streams were battles with monsters.

She often ignored NPC conversations, and it wasn’t unusual for her to ignore important lines and head to the next town.

Arata: “…The setting was that King 『James William Graham Promaris』 of the Promaris Kingdom has five princes.”

Rose: “Five? Not seven?”

Arata: “There’s no mistake.”

There are not five, but seven princes.

I asked the servants about the names of the princes.

Arata: “Rose-san, can you name the princes of this country?”

Rose: “I can’t.”

Arata: “…You do realize you’re a knight of this country, right?”

Rose: “Well, I can’t help it! I’ve only been the captain for half a year!”

Is that okay, Second Knights?

And Promaris Kingdom.

No matter how strong Rose-san is, isn’t it a mistake to put her in charge?

Arata: “When I asked the servants for the names of the princes, the second prince’s name was James.”

Rose: “Eh, that means—”

Arata: “This world is set in a time earlier than the game.”