Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 44

Chapter 44
  Under a clear sky, devoid of even a single cloud, Izana, with a hat pulled low over her eyes, cast curious glances in all directions as we walked through the streets of the town, both dressed in commoner’s clothing, enjoying the afternoon scenery.
  
  “Usually, I look down from the royal castle or through the small window of a carriage, but I realize there are many interesting things when I walk with my own feet.”
  
  “That being said, there are only ordinary shops and stalls.”
  “That’s what’s unusual for me, Claude.”
  
  She smiled happily and peered into stalls selling grilled skewers and other street food, but eating unfamiliar and miscellaneous things might not agree with her stomach, and in some cases, she might get sick.
  
  Sariel, concerned about that, had strictly forbidden her from buying and eating food from stalls, and since I’m currently under the watchful eye of a certain magician, I can’t afford to be careless.
  
  Plainclothes intelligence officers were stationed at key points like street corners, keeping a close eye out for any suspicious activity.
  
  ‘They’re blending into the cityscape well, but…’
  
  Even though Izana, who isn’t a soldier, didn’t notice, the gazes directed towards us bothered me.
  
  “Is something the matter?”
  “No, it’s nothing in particular.”
  
  I gave a vague answer to her as she tilted her head slightly and stared at me intently, and we continued to walk slowly towards the amphitheater in the west district of the capital.
  
  As we walked, I casually glanced at my side, and my eyes were drawn to her once again, dressed as an ordinary townsgirl, different from her usual modest Japanese-style dress.
  
  ‘She seems more approachable than usual.’
  
  It seemed that we both felt the same way… Izana, who had been occasionally glancing at me with her emerald eyes, suddenly spoke.
  
  “Your usual knight’s uniform is also gallant, but those clothes also have a friendly feel to them.”
  
  “I’m not carrying any weapons because of the clothes, so I’m a little uneasy…”
  “It’s good to have a change once in a while, isn’t it?”
  
  It’s strange, even though I haven’t worn a sword at my hip for most of my life, I’ve gotten used to the weight of it recently, so it feels somewhat unsettling not to have it.
  
  However, if I were to wear a sword while dressed as a resident of the capital, I would be nothing more than a suspicious person, and if I were in uniform, I would stand out and be suspected of having a rendezvous while on duty.
  
  Feeling that it couldn’t be helped, I matched my pace with Izana’s, and after a while of walking along the main street that stretched east to west, we reached one of the multiple entrances to the amphitheater.
  
  “Huh? This entrance is unusually empty.”
  “It’s the reception for the VIP seats that Sariel arranged for us, so there aren’t many people who line up here in the first place.”
  
  Or rather, in addition to the dozen or so people who had started lining up for admission procedures just before we arrived, all the people coming from behind were also members of the one-eyed magician’s guard.
  
  Therefore, there should be a considerable number of personnel who know her, but it seems they haven’t noticed because she’s cleverly disguised.
  
  ‘She’s doing a pretty good job.’
  
  I offered my gratitude for her work, including her daily efforts, and when our turn came at the reception, I received two pamphlets and handed one to Izana.
  
  “Hmm, if Claude had come back a little earlier, the play would have been “The Tale of the Knight King”.”
  
  I was a little troubled by her slightly sulky tone, but since I knew she was a devotee of the Third Knight King, Shugen, I apologized briefly.
  
  “I’m sorry about that.”
  “Fufu, I just wanted to be a little selfish ♪”
  
  After moving to the VIP seats with Izana, who was laughing mischievously, I sat down and recalled the play that Sariel had told me about beforehand, then looked down at the pamphlet in my hand.
  
  “”Much Ado About Nothing”… The original work is by Shakespeare, isn’t it?”
  “I hear the playwright is a Rare Human who moved to the capital last winter.”
  
  “Was it Mr. Walland from England?”
  “Yes, I believe that’s what Revia said.”
  
  That gentleman was a playwright even in the other world, and the quality of the classical works and others he had written was high. I had heard from Sariel beforehand that he had captivated the people of the capital in a short period of time.
  
  Incidentally, that person happened to hear about the series of incidents that occurred in Zephyrus Domain from soldiers who were excited about returning home at a tavern, which led him to write the script for “The Knight King War Chronicles”.
  
  In the “Imperial Rebellion Arc” of the same work, the Knight King’s partner is the peerless female lord Nina Valer, who is consumed by unrequited love, and I, who am innocent, am confined and interrogated by the one-eyed magician… but I have no way of knowing that at this point.
  
  Putting that aside, as I was talking with Izana in a low voice, the curtain rose on the stage, and as her guards, disguised as ordinary people, filled the surrounding seats, the story began with a certain country’s Archduke visiting an island in the inland sea.
  
  ‘Hmm, the beginning is faithful to the original.’
  
  Apart from the fact that place names such as Sicily Island have been replaced with those of this world, the original arrangements seem to be modest.
  
  ‘Perhaps it’s because it’s a masterpiece and there’s no need to revise it.’
  
  This “Much Ado About Nothing” revolves around two pairs: Benedick and Beatrice, unmarried aristocrats who are deceived by a well-intentioned scheme and led to believe that they are in love with each other, and Hero, the governor’s daughter, and Claudio, a nobleman from a trading city.
  
  While the former two eventually succeed in their love, the Archduke’s younger brother, who dislikes the Archduke for his matchmaking role, hatches a plot and sets a trap for the latter two…
  
  As Claudio witnesses a maidservant leaving Hero’s room and meeting with another man, he mistakenly suspects his fiancée of infidelity. In the midst of this, a familiar growl echoes from a short distance away.
  
  “Uuu~ That foolish younger brother, I will not forgive him!”
  
  “…Please be quiet, your inner voice is leaking.”
  “Huh!?”
  
  I felt a headache at the conversation between Revia and Fine, who had secretly infiltrated the guards, and let out a quiet sigh, looking down.