CH 143

“So, to what do I owe your presence? And why the meal tray?”

Mayer eyed me with total puzzlement. He didn’t look in as bad a mood as I had thought… Did I do something pointless? Still, it was too late to back out now. I bobbed my meal tray in the air with an awkward laugh and replied, “I, I thought it’d be lonely eating by yourself, Captain. So why not I join…?”

I faltered off as Mayer’s forehead wrinkled. He seemed to be pondering what he had just heard. I hastily continued, “Oh, maybe you’re more comfortable being alon—”

“No. Come here,” Mayer interrupted. He then hurriedly cleared away the reports, maps, and the like lying across the table in the tent. In the blink of an eye, he made room for my meal tray. As if giving an excuse, he said, “I was a little surprised as it was unexpected. I thought you would be eating with the special unit since you are close with them.”

“In terms of closeness, though, I think I’m closer with you, Captain.”

I was only replying out of politeness, but I regretted saying it immediately. I felt I was being too obvious with my flattery, but the corners of Mayer’s lips twitched at my words. He discreetly covered his mouth with his hand, but I saw the smile that had crept over his face for a moment. Did it make him happy to hear I was closest with him…? That was my only guess, though I doubted it was the answer. I guessed there was no need to explain it was flattery.

I sat down opposite Mayer with a wide smile filled with sincerity. Then, in a sly manner, I said, “I should be saying that, though. Aren’t you close with squad Darkfall and the others? Why do you always eat alone in your tent like this?”

“…I am not exactly close with them. The relationship between us is based on reasonable trade and reward.”

Still, squad Darkfall had pledged their loyalty to him. Wasn’t he being too harsh on them…? But I didn’t know where to begin to say something about Mayer’s twisted human relations. Was I to hold his dead parents responsible? Or ask the man with low self-esteem to have more pride? This really wasn’t the topic to stay on, so I steered the conversation away from it. “Ah, Captain. Have you already eaten the pickled apricots? If you like those, then should I give you more of mine?”

The simple dessert of apricots pickled in black tea was one of my favorites. However, if it could change this atmosphere, I was more than willing to use them as an offering and bribe. Mayer shook his head in refusal, though. “I am not very fond of pickled food. I did not get it in the first place.”

“Ah… It must be hard on you during long dungeon raids.” As it was difficult to have food transported into dungeons, you had to bring pickled or dried food.

“It is not that I cannot eat them, but that I tend not to.”

He looked like he could eat anything, though. I guessed it was because of his status as a grand duke. The man seemed to have a sophisticated taste. Mayer poked through his salad with a fork as he began, disinterestedly, “When I was imprisoned in the castle tower in my childhood, food was provided every week at the earliest, every month at the latest. Which was why I mainly had much of pickled and dried things. Sometimes I went hungry. But at least, thanks to that, I managed to quickly adapt to the food issue during long dungeon raids.”

His tone was nonchalant, but cold sweat was running down my back like mad. Oh, this wasn’t the right topic either. Why the heck did I start talking about pickled apricots! Everything I touched was a landmine! For a moment, I wanted to cry at my dreadful sense of conversation topics. Meanwhile, Mayer glanced at the apricots on my meal tray and chuckled. “You are the only one who knows why I hate them.”

“Hahaha…” Was he showing his trust toward me…? But it was making my heart heavy…

After that, the meal ended in such a stressful atmosphere I didn’t know whether I was eating with my mouth or my nose. I couldn’t help but wonder if Mayer’s mood had worsened. After all, I failed to talk properly, feeling pressured from hitting two conversational strikes in a row. Mayer did ask a few questions, but all I managed were hesitant mumbles. He was sure to think that I was occupied by something else. It was such a suffocating time that I took a huge breath as soon as I left Mayer’s tent. Really, nothing went the way I wanted.

After ending my meal in that manner, I went to help put the finishing touches to setting up camp. As things were almost getting done, Axion suddenly came up to me and whispered, “What did you talk about in the tent? His Excellency looks like he’s in a much better mood, you know?”

…What?