Chapter 66

After Shion came to the store, the conversation naturally led to a dinner gathering.

The trigger was Gardi.

After Shion, who had been invited into the store, expressed his gratitude, Herian and the others were cautiously gauging the distance and engaging in conversation. It was then that Gardi, who had his eyes on the neatly lined up bottles of alcohol, joined the conversation.

As a result of the natural flow of the conversation, it was decided to hold a dinner gathering under the guise of a social event, and they decided to open a few of the bottles of alcohol that Shion had brought along.

...He really is a smooth talker.

However, thanks to him, Shion and I were able to converse naturally, so I was grateful. Although I couldn't praise him sincerely due to his ulterior motives, I thought I should learn from his social skills.

Shion, who was not a noble's daughter that could serve the lord, said, "These are not the kind of dishes that can be served to the lord's daughter," but she strongly expressed her desire to participate, saying, "I would like to join." Since Beiger and the others were also enthusiastic, it was decided to ask Reeve to prepare the food, and thus the dinner gathering was arranged.

"Delicious! What is this?"

"It's just salt, but it's incredibly tasty. It has a good texture and is easy to chew, and the meat juice is amazing. What kind of meat is this?"

"The texture seems similar to chicken... but it's a taste I've never experienced before."

Since I was not yet familiar with the local cuisine and trends of Seils, I ordered a meat dish that would highlight the flavor of the ingredients to avoid a fatal mistake, and it turned out to be more popular than expected.

I had anticipated that it would be well-received by Beiger and his partner, who were physical laborers, but surprisingly, Shion also seemed to enjoy it. She was tasting it with a serious expression.

"Hey, young master. Are you planning to run a restaurant? You're starting too big, aren't you?"

"No, I have no intention of running a restaurant. I plan to start my business with the products you saw earlier."

"Really? That's a waste. If I can't eat this, I'll come every day. --Hey, wait a minute, Leader, that's my meat. What are you trying to steal?"

"What? What are you talking about? Is your name written on this meat? Besides, this meat is closer to me than to you. So it's my meat."

"Then this meat is mine. If you give me the bigger piece, you're a good leader."

"Ah, you! That's the one I secured! Give it back!!"

"Highland Turkey...? No, but it shouldn't have such a deep flavor... Is it the difference in preparation?"

While Beiger and Jeff were having a nasty fight over the meat, Shion was trying to figure out what kind of meat it was. Their conversation was starting to have a hint of hostility, but Shion didn't seem to care at all. She truly is the daughter of that border lord.

Gardi, who was the one who set up this gathering, was alternately eating meat and drinking alcohol. He seemed to be in high spirits from the alcohol, which he hadn't had in a long time. Reeve, the only cook in the room, was busily grilling meat, and Selis was quietly eating a salad in a corner of the room.

I noticed that Selis was looking at Reeve, who was working hard, but there was nothing I could do. Selis had high-level skills in her research field, but she had not learned any skills related to serving or cooking.

When we were on the way to Seils, she had tried to cook a simple meat dish, saying, "I can do it if it's just grilling!" but it ended up as charcoal. I didn't have the courage to entrust her with cooking after seeing that. I wondered why she tried to cook it with fire magic.

By the way, I tried to invite the new members who had recently joined Seils, such as the engineers, and the candidates for store clerks and liaison officers, but they all turned pale and declined.

It was probably because of the fact that they would be sitting with the king. I had instructed them to act as 'employer and employee' in Seils, just like the three servants, but it seemed to be a high hurdle.

...But, they didn't have to shake their heads so vigorously. I understood that they didn't dislike me, but it still stung. It was like the feeling of eating alone in the school cafeteria... No, let's not think about it. It won't do anyone any good to dwell on it.

"By the way, I've been wondering for a while, but have you and Beiger known each other for a long time? You seem to be quite close."

I decided to ask a question that had been on my mind for a while, thinking it was a good opportunity.

I had felt that the distance between Shion and Beiger and his companions was unusually close since the dungeon exploration. The relationship between a noble and an adventurer was different from what I had imagined.

A border lord is a title given to a noble who is entrusted with important points near the border. It might be hard to imagine from the word 'border,' but in reality, it is a high-ranking noble. When I had briefly researched it for role-playing, it was generally considered to be a noble of a higher rank than a baron.

Shion, as the daughter of a border lord, is a high-ranking noble's daughter, and in certain times and environments, she would be called a princess. However, Beiger and his companions were talking to her naturally without any pretense. This was a mystery to Herian.

"No. I have long heard of Beiger's reputation, but this is the first time we have had a conversation like this. We only worked together for the first time during the previous dungeon exploration."

...So, does that mean Beiger and his companion are impolite?

I think that if an adventurer is a beginner, it might be understandable, but if they are a high-ranking adventurer who receives requests from nobles, they should have a certain level of etiquette.

"Ah, just to clarify, we do change our attitude when dealing with nobles in other cities. But the Gardiner family is special."

"Yes, our family is quite unique."

Shion nodded in agreement with Beiger's words as they were fighting over the meat.

"The mission of the Gardiner family is to protect the border city of Seils. This mission takes precedence over everything else. As a result, the head of the family never leaves the city, and there are no opportunities to participate in the social activities of the general noble society. In our family, it is strongly believed that if there is time to engage in such activities, it should be spent on training... My father, like the previous heads of the family, is a strong proponent of this belief."

"Technically, we belong to the state, but even that is just a formality. In reality, Seils is almost an independent country. When I had a drink with the lord at a bar, he boasted that he never relied on the foolish nobles of the empire or the kingdom."

The content of the statement was one thing, but the fact that the lord frequented a commoner's bar was a strange story. Moreover, from the way he spoke, it sounded like it was a regular occurrence.

It seemed that this was the first time Shion had heard the story about the bar, as her cheeks turned slightly red, but she cleared her throat and continued her explanation.

"Formal and polite conversation is less beneficial on the battlefield than straightforward and unadorned words. And Seils is a place of constant warfare. --The heads of the family, including my father, have publicly stated this, and the distance between the Gardiner family and the people has been close since the time of our ancestors."

"...I see."

At least, I understood the relationship between Shion and Beiger. However, a new question arose: why was Shion the only one who acted like a noble?

When I asked her directly, Shion looked into the distance and began to speak.

"I grew up watching my father's back since I was a child. As I grew older, I naturally began to think this way. --At least I should try to be a little more like a noble."

...It was a very difficult response to react to.

Even Beiger and his companions, who were fighting over the meat, stopped and looked away with awkward expressions.

The sound of Reeve grilling meat filled the room.

"I have always respected my father as a daughter and as a member of the Gardiner family, but I have had to question whether I should emulate his behavior. I felt a sense of crisis as a child and decided to hire a tutor from another territory."

It turned out to be a good decision, Shion praised her younger self.

...I was too afraid to ask what kind of events had occurred.

"By the way, Gardi. You seem to be drinking at a good pace. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's not strong, but it has a deep flavor. Local alcohol is good, no matter where it's from."

I asked to change the topic, and Gardi raised his glass with a grin. I noticed that five of the bottles on the table had already been opened.

Although he said it was not strong, it smelled like a fairly strong drink.

"You really have a good palate, don't you? How about a drink, young master and miss?"

Beiger offered, but Herian politely declined, saying, "I'm a light drinker."

I'm not sure if I'm actually a light drinker, but when I tried ale before -- I didn't end up drinking it -- I could only taste the bitterness and couldn't appreciate the flavor. It's not something I would want to drink voluntarily.

Adventurers might have a drinking culture similar to what we have in the modern world, but I am not an adventurer. I should be lenient here. I'll leave the drinking to Gardi.

Shion, who also seemed to be a light drinker or was accommodating me, politely declined Beiger's offer. I was impressed by the effort she must have put into learning such manners.

As the evening progressed, Beiger and Jeff also started drinking, and the gathering began to take on the atmosphere of a drinking party. Herian watched in amazement as the three men steadily emptied the bottles, despite having already stuffed their stomachs with meat.

"Still, it's a waste for you guys to be merchants. Since you're in Seils, you should be adventurers. Miss, don't you think so?"

"Well... the choice of profession in Seils is up to the individual. The request we received for 'Tuning' was an exceptional measure in an emergency."

"Then how about this. Be part-time adventurers. That way, you can build a reputation, and the lord and miss can send requests through the guild. It's a win-win situation."

Beiger's speech was starting to slur, and his behavior was becoming more like a drunk. It might be understandable if he was drinking at the same pace as Gardi, who had the skill [Alcohol Tolerance], but his face was already flushed.

Compared to his partner, who was already face down on the table, Beiger was doing his best.

"Ahaha... I'll consider it. ...By the way, speaking of adventurers, I once saw an elf archer near the dungeon area."

"Ah? An elf...? If they're carrying a bow in the city, it's probably Ralf or Letisha."

Beiger, despite his slurred speech, mentioned two names. It seemed they were known to him.

"I saw a woman."

"Then it's Letisha. What about her?"

"No, just out of curiosity. It's rare to see elves outside the forest. I heard that the relationship between elves and humans hasn't been good since the war a hundred years ago. Is it different for adventurers?"

Ah, Beiger muttered, sounding uninterested.

"The war was in Noblewood. Elves who come out of the forest are often curious, but they come from Whitewood. If you lump them together with Noblewood and