282-254 Aristocratic wedding (7)

Now all we have to do is get our act together with Baron Diaz and the others and we'll be on our way.

"Is that so?　Even though we've greeted the bride and groom, we still have a while before we're done, right?

Yes, I think it would be difficult to continue eating and not be talked to during that time.

In my opinion, it's totally okay, but in terms of manners, it's the worst.

The Marquis of Marmont is allowed to do this because he is a marquis.

If I, a mere squire, were to do it, it would surely ruin the reputation of Master Ilias.

"No, thanks to the Marquis of Marmont, we were able to push Nao and the others forward. There's no one who's going to talk to us now about our lack of military strength.

We're not the private army of Viscount Nenus, though.

Of course I understand that. Of course I understand that, but it's how you look from the outside and how you appear that matters.

I don't want to be taken in, so I whispered a few words to her, but she only smiled.

He is a nobleman.

"Well, it looks like the main course has arrived.

I followed his gaze and saw the star of the day coming towards me.

Master Ilias places the plates and glasses on the table and greets them with a smiling face.

"Congratulations, Baron Daileass and Madame. Congratulations on your marriage.

"Thank you very much for your kind words, Mr. Ilias Nenas.

"Thank you.

As Master Ilias bowed politely, Baron Daias and his bride also bowed firmly and returned the greeting.

It seems a little strange that a grown man is bowing to a little girl, but since Master Ilias is the daughter of a viscount, her rank is equivalent to that of a baron.

Iliad-sama is the daughter of a viscount, so her rank is equivalent to that of a baronet. "Equivalent" in itself makes her lower than a baronet, but since she is currently a stand-in for a viscount, she is nominally equivalent to a viscount.

In other words, he is higher than Baron Diaz in a sense.

It's quite a hassle, but these subtle differences don't seem to be a problem as long as the two parties are polite to each other.

On the other hand, if you are a little bit higher than him, it is definitely frowned upon if you are arrogant.

Well, in our case, we just have to be polite to everyone, so it's easy.

"I was wondering when you were going to get married, but you found a very nice wife.

"Haha, I've been quite busy with work. I've been very busy with my work. Fortunately, Baron Acy and I were able to find a wife for me. I am very grateful.

"Our family is also neighbors with the Barony of Dyas. I hope we can develop together.

As Baron Diaz smiled cheerfully, Master Ilias also smiled elegantly, but it was unclear whether she meant it or not.

I'm not sure if he meant it or not.

It is reassuring for our family to hear you say that. Oh, yes, the Viscountess Nenus gave us something very valuable as a gift. Please give my regards to your father.

It would be a great fortune for our family if we could be of assistance to the development of Baron Diaz.

However, it must have been very difficult for Viscount Nenus to acquire such an item.

I assume you are referring to the milk from the Red Strike Ox.

The word "precious" seems to refer more to the difficulty of obtaining it than to its price, judging from the state of Baron Diaz's domain.

The Baron's slightly probing gaze was brushed aside by the Iliad, and he turned to us.

"Thanks to them. They've been a great help.

"Oh. Are they good adventurers?

I am a little uncomfortable with the blatantly probing gaze directed at me and Haruka, but I try not to show it on my face and bow my head.

It's not that I'm not a good person, it's that I'm a cold-hearted businessman, but it's not as friendly as the looks I've gotten from Arlandi Slyvya and the Marquis of Marmont.

He seems to be an excellent ruler in a sense, but if he were to move, it would be easier to live in the Marquesses of Marmont's domain, which he hasn't actually seen.

"Hmm, I envy you. Unfortunately, there aren't many adventurers in this territory.

"It's not an easy thing to do. It's not easy. Even if the results don't come easily, we invest in the long run. That's what we do here at home.

"I see. That's an interesting story. I'll keep it in mind. So, can we expect to see such goods flowing into our territory in the future?

Was that a question for us?

But it was Master Iliad who answered immediately.

"That depends on the road between Pining and Mijara, doesn't it?　It's a matter of transporting goods bought and taken in our territory.

"...... I see. --Well, we'd better get going. Thank you very much for attending. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay.

"Yes, thank you.

The bride bows her head as Baron Diaz bows his, and they leave together.

Perhaps the bride doesn't talk much in such situations.

After the initial greeting, she just smiled next to Baron Diaz.

Of course, in that case, we were just standing there without saying a word.

Huh. ....... I hope we managed to get through this without incident.

But when Baron Diaz began to talk to the other guests, he put his hand lightly on his face and exhaled, as if to relieve his expression.

I think I was able to speak clearly, sir.

Haruka smiles as she hands Ilias-sama his drink and plate.

And I agree with you.

I'd rather not go toe to toe with that guy, to be honest.

...... Ah, as I said earlier, there's no problem with Haruka and the others selling what they get in the dungeon anywhere. Of course, we would prefer that you sell them in our territory.

As long as it's livable, we don't intend to leave the Viscount Nenus territory, so we don't plan to go out of our way to sell them elsewhere.

"As long as it's livable? I'll let your father know.

I'll tell your father." Master Ilias nodded in response to my frank words.

But the fact is, I've already built a house, and even though I may travel to other places, I have no intention of moving completely.

I know that the food is definitely better in Crevilly than in Laffan, and I know that I can get many other things there, but Laffan is the place where I can live comfortably and safely.

If that doesn't change, Rafan is the better choice for a home.

If it weren't for Haruka and her roommates who are good cooks, I might have come to a different conclusion.

But now the rest of my life will be easier. I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

Ilias-sama says, a little self-mockingly, but somewhat relieved.

He may not be too happy about his family being called weak, but he also doesn't want to be in the crossfire of diplomacy between nobles. I guess that's about it.

Up to this point, it was within our expectations, and we had handled the situation well, including the rehearsal beforehand, but no matter how noble we were, it would be difficult for someone of Ilias's age to improvise to deal with an unexpected situation.

Well, in a nobleman's party that follows certain rules and etiquette, unexpected situations don't happen very often, unless you're someone like the Marquis of Marmont.

I'm sure you'll agree with me. It would be a shame to waste it.

"You're pretty tough, Ilias-sama, aren't you?

Ilias-sama smiled lightly at Haruka's words, which contained a slight chuckle.

"Yes. The ordeal is over. I'm sure the food will be delicious.

"It's true that the food here is definitely delicious. Since we're going out of our way, let's choose something expensive to eat, shall we?

Haruka, you are very good. You're very good. I'd like something that's hard to find in Pining.

I'm thinking of fruits. Also, I've never seen seafood before.

I joined them in looking at the food.

For Toya and the others, who were still at home and enjoying their holidays while we were undergoing our Spartan education, we should taste the food and show it off.

If it were possible, I'd like to bring back enough information to recreate the dishes here, but that's just too much for me.

I'll leave that to Haruka.

Because the sea is far away, seafood is inevitably expensive. What we can get is salted fish, so there are few tasty items that we dare to serve. Some nobles who want to boast of their wealth may offer it.

I don't know much about it, but is the sea far away?

Yes. If we were to go to the sea from our country, it would be to the south and east, but the south is the Upiclisian Empire. Of course, it's difficult to distribute goods, and the Iupiklisian Empire itself is not bordered by the sea.

It seems that you have to go further south, past another country, to finally reach the sea.

In the east is the Principality of Austianum, which is a friendly country, but this side also needs to cross another country, and the distance itself is far.

It would take months to transport them in a normal carriage.

It would take months to transport it by horse-drawn carriage, and of course it would cost a fortune to bring it from such a place.

You don't have to go to that much trouble to eat seafood. You can catch fish in the nearby rivers, and people usually eat that.

I don't care if it's a muddy fish from Sarlstad, it's good enough to eat in this town.

I don't know if it's in the cuisine here. I'm not very familiar with seafood.

You can't tell the difference between a fish dish and a seafood dish.

From behind Ilias, I surveyed the dishes on the table, but there were so many different dishes.

Some of the dishes looked like fish, but there was no way I could tell if they were sea or river fish.

Well, it looked good, so of course I took it and tried it.

By the way, when I heard the price of the clothes, I was super scared, but if you think about it, we have - or more precisely, Haruka has "purification".

We can remove stains in an instant, so as long as we don't make a mess, we don't have to worry if we make a mess.

As you can see, I can't eat as boldly as the Marquis of Marmont, but I don't have to shy away from a delicious dish for fear of the sauce flying off.

Now that the tedious dialogue with the noblemen - with the exception of the Iliad, of course - was over, he could start eating.

"Hey, Nao, there's a shellfish dish.　Isn't that something from the sea?

The shellfish Haruka showed me was a bivalve about half the size of my palm.

The bivalve shells that Haruka showed me were half the size of my palm.

I don't know.　You can find them in rivers, ponds, and even on land.　There are also snails and snails in rivers and ponds.

...... I'm losing my appetite now that I hear that.

Is that a shellfish?　That's a lake clam. They're delicious. They don't make it to our table, though.

So they're expensive?

Then you should eat it.

It looks like a clam, only the shell is left on one side and it's cooked.

The meat of the clam is placed on top of a cheese-like substance and herbs, and it is either grilled or baked in the oven.

"Oh, it's so rich. "Oh, it's so rich. "Oh, it's so rich.

Yeah, it's thick, not muddy, no sand.

It's not cooked on the spot, so it's cold, but the flavor of the shellfish is concentrated, and it's quite delicious.

Moreover, the scallops were neatly separated so that they could be easily eaten with just a fork.

Since Ilias-sama had also eaten the same dish and her cheeks were relaxed, it must have suited her palate as well.

I knew this was probably true because of what happened to Aella, but the level of this world is really high. "Three stars! I want to say, "Three stars!

It's hard to say, because some of the food is really bad, but it's also probably costly, so it's hard to say it's bad.

And now for .......

We all put down our plates and were about to choose our next dish when...

"Oh!　I never thought I'd find such a beautiful gem in a place like this!　This is a godsend!

Suddenly, I heard a voice.