As night deepened, the secluded courtyard gradually fell silent.
Listening to the laughter and playful chatter of the orc girls in the distance gradually die away, Xu Yi felt a flicker of disappointment.
He had waited patiently here for a full two hours, yet not a single orc girl had come to see him of her own accord.
Of course, he was not waiting for an orc girl to offer herself to him. He wanted to see whether any of them had the necessary awareness.
Two hours earlier, Xu Yi had announced to the orc girls that he would leave for Bunta City the next day, and that any of them who wanted to return with him could come along.
He had also said that, after returning to Bunta City, he would discuss the New Moon Song and Dance Troupe's future arrangements with Stille. Any orc girl who wished to remain in the troupe was welcome to stay. If any wanted to leave and seek another path for herself, he would welcome that too and do his best to make arrangements.
To make sure the orc girls understood him, Xu Yi had even told them plainly that he hoped the New Moon Song and Dance Troupe would become a window through which orcs could show themselves to the humans of the Lampari Kingdom and change the image humans had of them. He did not want the troupe to become a mere stepping stone they could use to attain a life of luxury among humans.
"Put simply, I don't want you to become some human noble's or merchant's playthings." In the end, Xu Yi had even made this exceptionally blunt statement.
Yet after saying all this, Xu Yi had waited patiently for two hours in the room Baron Haines had arranged