65 - CHAPTER VIII "Dinner Party"

After Zion came to the store, we decided to have a dinner party as a matter of course.

It all started with Gardi.

After Zion invited them into the restaurant and thanked them for their visit, Helian and the others were conversing with each other, exploring the distance between them. Then, Gardi, who had noticed the bottles of liquor lined up in a row, joined the conversation.

The topic of conversation was naturally led to a dinner party, and we decided to open some of the bottles we had brought with us.

He is a really smart guy. ......

However, thanks to this, I could have a natural conversation with Zion, and I am grateful to him. I can't praise him because his motives are impure, but I would like to learn from his communicative ability.

I told him that it was not a dish that could be served to the daughter of a lord, but Zion strongly expressed his willingness to participate in the event. Biegel and the others were also very eager, so we hurriedly asked Liewe to prepare the food, and thus the dinner party was held.

"Yum!　What the hell is this?

"It's so good even though I only sprinkled salt on it. It's chewy but you can still bite through it, and the juices are amazing. What kind of meat is this?

"I feel like the texture is similar to chicken, but this is the first time I've tasted it ......."

Still not familiar with the local cuisine and trends of the SEALs, I ordered a meat dish that made the most of the flavors of the ingredients to avoid fatal disappointment, and it was more popular than expected.

I had expected it to be popular with Biegel and his partner, who are manual laborers, but surprisingly, Zion seemed to like it as well. He was tasting it carefully with a serious expression on his face.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's this, young master? Are you planning to open a restaurant too? Aren't you trying to do too many things at once?

No, we don't intend to make it a restaurant. For the time being, I'm thinking of starting a business focusing on the products you just saw.

"Really? What a waste. I'd go there every day if I could eat this. --Wait a minute, Leader! That's my meat! What are you trying to steal?

"Oh?　What the hell are you talking about? Is your name on this meat? First of all, this meat is closer to me than it is to you. In other words, it's mine.

"Then this one's mine. You're our clan leader!

"Oh, f*ck you!　That's the one I was holding!　Give it back!

"Highland Turkey ......?　No, but I'm sure it didn't taste this deep. ....... Maybe it's the preparation."

While Biegel and Jeff had an ugly fight on the platter, Zion was trying to figure out what kind of meat it was. Their exchange seems to have a slight hint of murder in it, but Zion doesn't seem to be bothered by it. She is indeed the daughter of the count of the frontier.

Gardi, who is the instigator of this dinner, is alternating between meat and wine. He seems pleased with his first drink in a long time. Levee, the only cook in the room, is working hard to cook the meat, while Celes is quietly eating a salad in a corner of the room.

The look in Ceres's eyes as she watches Levee working hard is disturbing, but there is nothing she can do about it. Celes has a high level of skills in the field of research, but she has not mastered any skills related to serving or cooking.

On the way to the SEALS, she said to herself, "I can cook just as well as anyone else! When he tried to cook a simple meat dish, it was not only charred but also extinguished. I would not dare to entrust him with cooking after seeing that. Why did he try to cook it directly with the magic of ignition?

Incidentally, I tried to talk to the engineers who came to the SEALs the other day as additional members, as well as to the liaison officers, but they all turned pale and declined.

Probably, the fact that they were in the same room with the king (me) must have been a problem. In the SEALs, I instructed them to treat each other as if they were as well as the three attendants, but it seems that the hurdle is still high.

I have been trying to get them to ......, but I guess they don't have to shake their heads so hard. I understand that he doesn't hate me, but it really hit me. It's like the feeling you get when you happen to eat alone in the school cafeteria. ...... No, it's not that. No one gains by remembering it.

"By the way, I've always wondered if you and Mr. Zion and Mr. Biegel are old acquaintances or something?　You seem to be very close."

I decided to take this opportunity to ask him a question that I have been wondering for a long time.

Since the labyrinth search, I have felt that Zion and Biegel and others seemed to be very close to each other. The reality is different from the picture (image) I had imagined from the relationship between a nobleman and an adventurer.

The title of "count of the frontier" refers to a nobleman who is in charge of an important base near a borderline. <

Theon, the daughter of the noble family, is a daughter of the noble family, and would be called a princess depending on the time and environment. However, Biegel and the others were conversing with each other naturally, without any particular posturing. To Helian, this was strange.

"No, no. I have heard of your fame for some time, but this is the first time we are talking to each other like this. The last time we worked together was the first time we explored the labyrinth, wasn't it?"

Does ...... mean that Biegel and his partner are not polite?

I don't care if they are novice adventurers, but I would think that a high-ranking adventurer who receives a request from a nobleman should have some sense of decorum.

"Ah, in my defense, we do change our attitude when we deal with nobles in other cities. But the Count of Seiken's family is special.

"Yes. Our family is special in many ways.

Zion nodded his head in agreement with Biegel's words as they fought over the meat.

"The Gardiner family's mission is to protect the border city of Shields. And this mission takes precedence over all others. By its very nature, the head of the family never leaves the city and has no opportunity to participate in the social life of the aristocracy in general. In the first place, there is a strong tendency in our family to train as much as possible if one has time for such things,...... and this tendency is as evident in my father as it has been in the past heads of the family."

"We belong to the state, but that's just a nominal loan. In reality, the SEALs are almost an independent nation. The last time I was in a bar and had a drink with Hakaru, he told me that he never relied on the stupid aristocrats of the empire or the kingdom from the very beginning.

The fact that the lords are frequenting the common people's bars, not to mention the content of what they say, is a story of many kinds. Moreover, from the way he talks, it sounds as if it is not an uncommon occurrence but a regular occurrence.

Zion's cheeks were slightly reddening as if he had never heard of the bar episode before, but he cleared his throat and continued his explanation.

"It is more beneficial on the battlefield to exchange frank and unadorned words than to engage in a series of formal and polite conversations. And the SEALs are a constant battlefield. --The Gardiners have always been close to their people, as my father and all the other heads of the family have stated.

"...... I see."

At any rate, I understand the distance between Zion and Biegel and others.

However, this raises a new question as to why Zion is the only one who is behaving in an aristocratic and courteous manner.

When I asked him a frank question, he opened his mouth with a distant look.

I grew up watching my father's back from an early age. And as I grew up, I naturally began to think this way. --I wanted to be at least a little bit like an aristocrat.

...... was an extremely difficult response.

Even Biegel and the others stopped fighting over the meat and looked away with an awkward expression on their faces.

The only sound in the room was the sound of Rieve cooking the meat.

"I respect my father as a daughter and as a woman of the Gardiner family, but there have been a series of events that have forced me to question whether I can emulate his appearance. I felt a sense of crisis even as a child, so I had a tutor brought in from another territory to help me.

It turned out to be a great decision," Zion said in praise of his childhood.

I'm too afraid to ask what ...... happened.

I'm afraid to ask what happened. You seem to be moving at a very fast pace, do you like it?"

"Oh. It's low in alcohol, but it's got a lot of flavor. Local sake is always good, no matter where it comes from.

When I asked him to change the subject, he raised his glass of wine and smiled. I looked over and saw that five of the liquor bottles on the table had already been opened.

He said that the sake was low in alcohol content, but from the smell, it seemed to be a reasonably strong sake.

"You're a good drinker after all, aren't you? Would you like a drink, young lady or young master?

Biegel offered, but Helian politely declined, saying, "I'm not a drinker.

Whether or not he was actually an aphrodisiac is not clear, but when he had tasted ale before--though he did not end up swallowing it--he had only felt a bitter taste on his tongue and had no idea how good it tasted. It is not something I would like to drink, at least not the way I like to drink it.

There may be a drinking society among adventurers, as we call it today, but I am not an adventurer. Let's be generous here. Leave the drinking to Gardi.

Theon, who was also not fond of alcohol, or perhaps he was just trying to accommodate himself, thanked Biegel for his offer in an elegant manner. It is hard to imagine how hard he studied to master this gesture.

Gradually, Biegel, Jeff, and the others began to drink more and more, and the party began to take on the appearance of a drinking party. The three men steadily open bottles of sake in front of Helian, who is amazed that there is room in their stomachs after stuffing so much meat into them.

"But it's a waste for you guys to be merchants, isn't it? Since you're in the SEALS, you should be adventurers. Don't you think so, young lady?

"Well, ......, since the choice of profession in the SEALS is a personal choice. < was as an exception in case of an emergency.

"Then that's it. I'm an adventurer. That way we can sell our name, and the Count and the Lady can send out requests through the guild. It's a win-win situation.

Biegel's speech is questionable. In addition, he was becoming a drunk. It might be understandable if he keeps drinking at the same pace as Gardy, who is a [heavy drinker], but he already has a red face.

Compared to his partner (Jeff), who is down on the table, Biegel is doing a good job.

"Haha ...... well I'll consider it. ...... Speaking of adventurers, I once saw an elf archer near the labyrinthine area."

"Oh?　Elfw......?　If he's carrying a bow on his back in the city, isn't he around Rauf or Letisha?"

Biegel spoke in a lisping tone, but he mentioned the names of two people. Apparently they were known to him.

"I saw a woman, but..."

"Then it's Letitia. What's wrong with her?

"No. I'm just curious, but it's rare to see elves outside the forest. I've heard that elves and humans don't get along very well because of the war a hundred years ago. I guess things are different when you are an adventurer, aren't they?

Ah," Biegel muttered in a bored tone.

"You're talking about the war in Noblewood. Many of the elves who come out of the forest are very curious, but they come from the Whitewood. They are from the Whitewood. They will be very angry if you mix them with the Noblewood or the Oldwood.

The Oldwood mentioned by Biegel is a country of elves that is located next to Noblewood. I have heard that they are not as radical as Noblewood, but they are committed to the supremacy of the elves.

It is ironic that the more easterly a country exists in the Sea of Trees - that is, closer to the sphere of life of the human nations - the stronger the feeling of disdain for humans is. Or perhaps they have come to despise humans because of their close contact with humans.

And Whitewood is the name of a country located in the middle of the great sea of trees, far to the west from Noblewood. It is said to be somewhat closed-minded, and many of the long-lived species spend their entire lives in the forest, but on rare occasions some , fed up with such a life, wanders out of the forest.

The elf that Celes and I saw the other day when we went out to investigate the market, and the other elf that Biegel mentioned just now, are probably two of these oddballs.

"Adventurers, to begin with, have an unspoken agreement not to pry into people's affairs, regardless of their origins," Biegel said. It's true that most of us are human, but that doesn't mean there aren't other races out there. There are beastmen in my clan. They're usually very strong.

"I was right. I have a strong image of an elf I have met before...was it Letisha from ......?　When I saw her, I was so surprised that I couldn't help but stare at her. I was so surprised when I saw him that I couldn't help but stare back at him.

"......Well, the young masters aren't from around here, are they? ...... Oh, no, I'm not trying to pry. But you shouldn't mix other human nations with border cities. I don't mean to say this in front of you, miss,...... but behind the scenes in the imperial and royal capitals, elves are a commodity. Border cities are quite special.

"Yes. I can't say ...... that they will reject anyone who comes to them, but at least it's impossible for the SEALS to reject them solely because of their race or origin."

Biegel and Zion say in unison. Zion smiles a somewhat satisfied smile, as if he is proud of his city with its wide doors.

Perhaps it was fortunate for me that the first city I visited outside the forest was Shields. With this thought in mind, Helian sticks his fork into the almost cold meat.

+ + +

The party ended when the food and drinks had completely disappeared from the table and the sun was beginning to set. The timing was just right, as Zion's guards waiting outside were getting fidgety.

Zion said goodbye with a graceful curtsey with one leg pulled behind him, and Biegel wandered off while lending a shoulder to his partner who was completely drunk.

They had been sitting around the table together a few minutes ago, but their departure was a complete contrast. This is another place where I was struck by their words about the SEALs being .

"I'm sorry to make this difficult for you, but I'll take care of it."

He leaves the dining room, leaving Rieve to clean up the mess.

As he was leaving, he saw Ceres approaching Lieve to help her clean up, but she turned him down with a blank expression, perhaps thinking it would be too much work.

Just before leaving the room, Helian felt a look at his back, but he did not have the right words to say, so he just left. It is rather rare for Levee to have mastered skills such as "cooking" and "serving manners" even though she is a high ranking officer, so Celes hopes that she will not worry about it and will stay strong.

"Well, and ......"

After retiring to his room, Helian looked over some of the reports that had arrived. Once he had an idea of what was going on at Latticewood, he closed the lid and began to think.

In the dark room with the lights off, he spent fifteen minutes thinking. After collecting his thoughts, Helian opened his mouth.

"Chat window: open. Mode select: voice chat. Target input: list select."

What is invoked is a "chat window" for voice chat. Originally, this function could only be used between kings (players), but experiments with Rilifa have proven that it can also be used with NPCs.

I selected the corps leader's group from the "access list" and called Camilla, the leader of the 6th corps. After a few seconds, Camilla answers the call.

>

"I'm fine. I have already recovered to an active state. That is why I contacted you.

Herrien answered succinctly and quickly cut to the chase.

"So, what's the situation on your side? How are they ...... doing in Noblewood?"

Camilla, Commander of the 6th Legion, was assigned a special mission.

It is an information war against Noblewood, an elven supremacist nation that will inevitably clash in the future.

The VI Corps, with its rare intelligence units, the maximum number of which is limited, also has this mission in focus.

<<

"So the situation remains the same. Then how much longer do you think we can hold out?"

<<>

"...... hmm."

Helian crosses his arms and ponders.

Her health, which had been a concern, has recovered to the point where she can be active for a few hours a day.

The store has been successfully converted to a base, including disguises and renovations, and preparations are steadily underway for the start of full-scale research activities in the human domain.

Although there is still some time left, we should take action while there is still some time to spare, considering the circumstances of the many unplanned events.

Then, the timing is right for us to end the fear of retrospect,

"It's time to go..."

<>

"Move the situation along, Camilla. We'll move to the next phase of planning for the Noblewood case, and depending on the outcome, we'll take action."

The virtual window closes, leaving a voice saying, "Yes, sir.

Camilla's voice was filled with a hint of joy.