Chapter 18 - Picnic Under The Sun

"What the hell is in this sandwich anyways? I thought it was going to be spicy but it's pretty sweet," Ren asked, both trying to change the subject and genuinely curious.

The red sauce riddled with what he thought was pepper of some kind actually had a sweetness that reminded him of a more sweet barbeque sauce. Although he was expecting a sting from the mysterious sauce, it was a pleasant surprise.

"I can tell you: that's "Bonevard Sauce"! A delicacy in this land," Meinhard answered him with a smile, not noticing the smudge of sauce on his cheek.

"Bonevard?"

"It's kind of a silly name, but the ingredients stem from a type of land dragon called "Ranvards" found in the mountain ranges of West Melianos. The sauce comes from grinding the special bones down of the ranvards," Mila explained, brushing specs of dirt away from her maid uniform.

"Ranvards...Bonevard, wait--isn't that name kind of childish? If I was a ranvard, I would at least find that kind of disrespectful," Ren asked with a straight face.

"Honestly, I think they named the sauce like that out of total spite. Ranvards are extremely violent creatures, so the only real way to obtain their bone dust is from commissioning adventurers. They sometimes destroy farms just out of frustration," Meinhard wiped the sauce from his cheek.

"You know, sometimes it feels like you're making all of this crap up since I can't confirm or deny it. I mean, a sauce made out of dragon bones sounds like such a badass thing, but you're casually using it in sandwiches--?"

It seemed his ignorance was a breaking point for the two as Meinhard began to laugh uncontrollably, nearly choking on the piece of bread lodged in his throat. Meanwhile, Mila laughed as subtly as she could, covering her mouth as if trying to retain her feminine charm. Although--her cute laughter was the only thing that kept Ren from slugging his friend.

"Sorry--it's just, you say the weirdest things sometimes," Meinhard quieted down, catching his breath after his fit of joyful laughter.

"Me? You're the one talking about condiments made out of dragon bones," Ren sighed.

"My, what a lovely sight, the youth of this generation getting along so beautifully!" A familiar voice called out with a playful tune carrying it through the wind.

"L...lord Althaus!" Meinhard and Mila called out in unison.

Althaus raised his hand to stop them as the two mansion workers frantically attempted to stand. He didn't even bother to greet the nobleman, continuing to chomp away at his serving of these lusciously-sauced sandwiches.

"Oh, no need. You two deserve a break, no doubt. I didn't mean to intrude, I just couldn't help but partake in this lovely gathering of young souls!"

--Do I even need to comment on how wrong that might sound? Honestly, Althaus does himself no favors.

"You can, uh, join...if you want," Ren faked a smile, gesturing for Althaus to sit.

"Oh! I'd be delighted," Althaus sat himself directly next to Ren on the grass.

He felt like the world was once again playing a cruel joke on him. He only offered for the man to join to try and sound nice, not that he actually wanted him to be there. It was justice for his own sour attitude, at least, that's the conclusion he came to.

"I...I can get a mat for you to sit on, lord...I doubt the grass is comfortable, and it may stain your attire," Mila nervously spat out her words.

"Nonsense, I am not such a prig of a noble that I can't sit upon nature," Althaus laughed, stroking his cleanly cut beard.

"If you insist, lord…" Mila nodded her head.

Compared to Meinhard, who diligently obeyed the nobleman, even Mila seemed to cave under his presence by a magnitude higher. From his limited outlook, he guessed the reason for that was the fact Meinhard seemed to be the closest thing to being an adopted child without actually being considered family to Althaus, as weird as it may seem. While Mila was just an employee of the nobleman, so she probably wasn't nearly as close with him--which was definitely needed as he was more than just "eccentric".

The entire atmosphere had changed with the overwhelmingly powerful presence of Althaus now there. He couldn't help but focus on how uncomfortable it was to watch the incredibly exuberant outfit Althaus was wearing sit upon the moist grass, slickened with morning dew.

Honestly, the type of clothing the man wore was unorthodox in itself. The base outfit resembled a plain, but luxurious black suit, finely crafted with expert hands. Though, he wore something that resembled a "wizard's robe" over the suit, designed intricately with a pattern of azure stars that resembled some sort of constellation that definitely wasn't known on Earth, like he was trying to make some sort of fashion statement in this day and age.

--Maybe he's having a mid-life crisis? I think he's around that age--I don't know, without that beard, he'd honestly look like he's in his late twenties.

"Oh, did you make these lovely sandwiches, Mila?" Althaus asked with a hint of excitement fueled by his empty stomach.

The man slid the silk glove off of his hand slowly before grabbing the delightful breaded entre. Somehow, Ren thought his palette was limited to caviar and beyond, but alas, he seemed to be excited over the prospect of the most basic of all lunches. Even the trees that loomed over them seemed intrigued at this new development as the branches wiggled about against the cool breeze.

"Yes, my lord," Mila nodded her head.

She watched him in anticipation as he slowly brought the sandwiches to his agape mouth, clearly praying that he would find the meal to be satisfactory. Even he got engrossed in the outcome of this minuscule endeavor--watching as the powerful nobleman brought the sandwich inside of his mouth, meeting his tongue before taking the monumental bite.

"Mm!" Althaus let out a joyful hum.

Mila's relief was almost tangible as she smiled at the small victory.

"The texture--not soft but not quite stiff, just enough crisp in the bread to be a delight to chew. The sauce--used just sparsely enough to not overpower the richness of the meat used! Ah, what a wonderful concoction of ingredients you've formed, Mila, bravo!" Althaus applauded her.

"Really--? Thank you, my lord!" Mila fervently bowed her head at the sudden compliments.

"Yes, my dear young maid, it is quite delicious! Honestly, Meinhard could learn a thing or two from your expert craftsmanship of breaded entrees!" Althaus laughed from his chest.

One look at Meinhard's forced smile was enough to tell that the last comment had triggered him to his core, but there was no way he was going to let an outburst out in front of the delighted lord.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to take some notes," Meinhard forced a dry chuckle as if the very act of laughing hurt him.