Chapter 83 – The Count’s Dinner Party III

12 minutes

In the break room of his friend’s shop, The Spider’s Web, Shuou donned a brown military uniform and asked Kumokari to check his appearance.

“Does it look odd?”

Kumokari cupped his chin, scrutinizing Shuou from head to toe.

“Well, it looks a bit wrinkled all over. There are deep creases here and there. You should take better care of it,” he said in a tone reminiscent of an older sister scolding a mischievous child, while diligently trying to smooth out the creases in the brown uniform.

“I hate this thing,” Shuou muttered.

“But you’ll be in trouble when you need it. This won’t do… Let me borrow it. I’ll have it ironed quickly at a nearby shop.”

Shuou dodged Kumokari’s hands as he tried to remove the wrinkled jacket.

“It’s fine. I don’t want to trouble you while you’re working.”

“You want to dress properly for the Count’s invitation, right? Leave it to me. Besides, I don’t mind. I can handle the shop.”

“…Alright. Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Resigned, Shuou handed over the jacket. Kumokari smiled brightly and left the room.

The morning after being suddenly attacked by Count Mordred, who was supposed to be away, during the dinner at the Mordred mansion at Aise’s invitation, Aise was nowhere to be seen at the Gemstone Academy even as the master instructor began the morning assembly.

Around noon, Shuou, who had gone to the Crystal Palace at Sa’salia’s invitation, returned to his room at the Gemstone Academy at dusk. Aise appeared casually, presenting an elaborate invitation stating that Count Mordred was inviting Shuou as a guest to a dinner party.

Even after reading the invitation, Shuou remained skeptical. However, being greeted by a formally dressed coachman and a large carriage certainly made it feel more real.

On the way to the Count’s residence, Shuou asked to stop by Kumokari’s shop. As soon as he realized the invitation was genuine, he became concerned about his own appearance.

 ──Formal wear, huh?

The only thing close to formal wear Shuou owned was the brown military uniform issued to him as a squire. Normally, Shuou wouldn’t be so concerned about his attire, regardless of who he was meeting. However, the thought of not wanting to embarrass Aise when meeting her family as her friend crossed his mind. Suddenly, he became worried about whether his clothes might offend his hosts.

 ──That’s right.

Shuou tried to think of something he could use to dress up. He remembered the medal he had recently received. Showing the medal given directly by the kingdom’s highest military commander might help assert his character, he calculated.

He felt inside the black cloak he always wore, but there was no sign of the medal that should have been there. Frantically checking his pockets, he found no trace of it.

 ──Did I drop it?

As he traced his memory, the faces of the two male students Sa’salia had nearly killed, their eyes rolled back, flashed in his mind. At that time, Sa’salia had said they were rummaging through Shuou’s belongings.

Shuou was about to rush back to the Gemstone Academy but stopped before leaving the room. He considered how much time he would waste if he went back now to confront the potential culprits. Even if they admitted to it, expecting conscience from people who would silently enter someone else’s room and rummage through their belongings seemed futile. Besides, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that he had carelessly dropped it somewhere himself.

 ──It can wait.

Shuou quickly abandoned his interest in the lost item and decided to sit in the chair, waiting for Kumokari to return.

As the coachman opened the door and Shuou stepped out of the carriage, a cool night breeze swept past him.

For reasons unknown, over twenty servants were lined up at the entrance, bowing slowly one after another.

Shuou was greatly perplexed.

An elderly butler stepped out from the line, approached Shuou, and bowed.

“Welcome. The master is waiting for you inside.”

Guided by the butler’s outstretched hand towards the mansion, Shuou walked between the still-bowing servants. It felt as if he had suddenly become someone important, but upon closer inspection, he noticed the servants secretly observing this unusual guest with raised eyes.

“This is quite different from yesterday,” Shuou remarked.

The old butler’s voice trembled awkwardly. “Please forgive our rudeness from the other day. We sincerely apologize.”

This politely apologizing butler was familiar to Shuou from when Aise had invited him as a guest. Even he, who had looked at Shuou with contempt at the back door last night, had completely changed his attitude.

As Shuou stepped into the mansion, he was greeted by a stone statue of a bird-man dominating the central hall. It had an eagle’s head, a muscular male body, and large wings for hands. More disturbingly, the statue was depicted biting into the abdomen of a human infant, pulling out its intestines.

While it was all carved from stone, Shuou thought it went far beyond mere bad taste. The person who made this was quite something, but the one who brazenly displayed it in the most prominent place in the mansion was equally questionable.

Soon after, Count Mordred emerged confidently from a nearby room, plastering an artificial smile on his stern face as he greeted Shuou.

“Welcome, I hear you’re called Shuou. Or should I say Lord Shuou? I just learned today that you were one of the attendants who accompanied Aise on her graduation test. My daughter says you’re her lifesaver. Please forgive my actions, though I was unaware at the time. I beg your pardon,” the Count said, bowing deeply.

The old butler rushed to stop him. “My lord, you shouldn’t—”

The Count, still bowing, raised a hand to silence him.

The butler turned back, staring meaningfully at Shuou.

“Please don’t worry about it. Please raise your head,” Shuou said.

The Count nodded and straightened up. “May I interpret that as forgiveness?”

“I was never angry to begin with,” Shuou lied.

Regardless of the circumstances, Shuou couldn’t possibly have a good impression of Count Mordred, who had tried to kill him without warning. The blow the Count had directed at Shuou the night before would have undoubtedly killed an ordinary person instantly.

Shuou wondered how someone who had displayed such murderous intent and anger could change their attitude so dramatically overnight. More than the sudden invitation, the Count’s excessively humble attitude intensified Shuou’s sense of unease.

“Shuou, you came!” Aise called out, rushing down the stairs in a fluffy yellow dress. She skipped the last two steps, then shyly looked down, fidgeting.

“Aise, show him to the reception room until dinner is ready,” the Count instructed.

Aise cheerfully replied, “Yes!”

Led to a room east of the central hall on the first floor, Shuou sat in a soft, comfortable chair. Facing Aise, who sat opposite him, he asked about her father’s change in attitude.

“What’s going on with that change in him?”

“Well, he suddenly came to me saying he wanted to apologize and invite you over.”

“Didn’t you find it strange?”

“I did, a little. But I was so happy that he admitted his mistake, I didn’t care about anything else. And now I can openly welcome you to our home.”

Aise didn’t seem to want to think about it any further. Perhaps there was a part of her that wanted to believe in her blood-related father. However, Shuou still couldn’t shake his unease. He couldn’t fathom the true intentions of someone who had tried to kill him less than a day ago and was now bowing his head and trying to welcome him. It would make more sense if armed retainers were hiding behind the room’s furnishings, waiting to take his life at this very moment.

“Still… this is quite a room…” Shuou said, looking around pensively.

Aise nodded happily. “Isn’t it? Everything here is a masterpiece. It could be turned into an exhibition hall as is!”

Aise beamed with a wide smile, with a background of a monkey statue strangling itself, its eyes rolled back and drool dripping.

“Well…”

Shuou observed the numerous bizarre ornaments placed around the room with a strained expression. They were all statues or figurines of animals with terrible expressions, each in a posture that evoked thoughts of death.

“Rather than an exhibition hall—”

It’s more like a tasteless freak show, Shuou thought, but swallowed his honest opinion.

Called to the dining room and seated, Shuou stared at the first course of soup without touching it.

A deep-seated distrust made him hesitate to touch the food served. While he was confident he could stomach even putrid or moldy food without issue, poisoned food was a different matter.

Whether aware of Shuou’s concerns or not, the Count scooped up the soup and drank it smoothly.

“Is there something in it you don’t like?” the Count asked.

Shuou denied this. “No, that’s not it.”

Aise, sitting a little distance away, watched anxiously. Shuou made up his mind. It would be unreasonable not to eat in this situation.

The cold soup of coarsely ground potatoes spread a soft sweetness in his mouth, sliding down his throat like melting snow.

The food was delicious enough to blow away all his anxieties. Already feeling hungry, Shuou began to eat the soup with gusto.

Seeing Shuou’s enjoyment, the Count and Aise smiled with satisfaction.

“I’m glad it suits your taste. The chef will be pleased.”

As the finished soup was cleared away, a dish of steamed poultry with a sauce of stewed fruits was brought out. The sweet, savory aroma made Shuou’s mouth water.

“By the way, I hear you’re quite a capable squire. I understand you were recently assigned to the southern Ode army. I’ve heard that Coral Territory’s fortress fell there. Were you part of that battle?” the Count asked.

Shuou nodded while chewing on the poultry. “Yes, I captured Uzumi Castle myself.”

Hearing this, the Count blinked, his gaze wandering before forcing a laugh.

“Come now, you must be joking. In my younger days, I too would jest with my comrades-in-arms. You mean you participated in the army that attacked Uzumi Castle, right?”

“No, I infiltrated Uzumi alone during the rabidaemon invasion. After freeing my captured comrades, I caught the Uzumi leader, dealt with the remaining rabidaemon, and took control of the base.”

Though it was a greatly simplified account, the Count burst into laughter at Shuou’s matter-of-fact statement.

“You have the makings of a playwright. Not a bad hero’s tale—I could almost see it happening before my eyes.”

Aise stopped eating and snapped at her father. “Father! It’s not a lie. He’s capable of doing that much!”

The Count restrained his agitated daughter with a gesture.

“Stop this nonsense. I can understand a joke too. But let’s leave it at that. Thank you, it was an amusing story.”

Aise caught Shuou’s eye, silently apologizing with her gaze. Shuou decided to say nothing more and focused on silently chewing his poultry.

As the second course was cleared away, the next dish, a pie, was brought out.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” the Count inquired.

Shuou nodded firmly. “Everything is delicious—”

He decided to ask the question that had been bothering him.

“—but why did you invite me?”

“As I mentioned earlier, partly to apologize, and also to properly thank my daughter’s savior by inviting you to our family table. Though I worried that just a father and daughter might be impolite to you. I have three wives, but two live on our estate, and the other is busy traveling to various resorts, rarely returning home.”

“Isn’t it difficult having three wives?” Shuou asked innocently.

The Count laughed off Shuou’s simple question.

“It’s nothing special. Being criticized for loving multiple people is a commoner’s concern. For a noble man of status, being a lover of many is rather respected. The more talented one is, the more one must leave behind their seed.”

Aise, blushing, admonished her father. “Father! This isn’t an appropriate topic for the dinner table!”

“You’re right. I seem to have gotten carried away. My apologies. Oh, speaking of apologies—”

The Count raised his hand, signaling the old butler. What was brought in was something on a tray, covered with a purple cloth.

“I’d like you to accept this as a gift,” the Count said, slowly removing the cloth to reveal the object beneath. Upon seeing it, Shuou choked violently.

“It’s a wooden statue of an animal called an elephant, which lives in the mountains far to the southwest. This is my design, but since I’ve never actually seen one, I had it made based on book descriptions and imagination.”

Beside him, Aise was watching the wooden statue with inexplicably sparkling eyes as her father explained.

Shuou received it, inhaling sharply with a serious expression. A trunk writhing like an earthworm, protruding eyeballs, and two sharp teeth growing from the jutting lower jaw to the top of the head. From the emaciated body with visible ribs sprouted, for some reason, six legs like those of insects such as grasshoppers.

Shuou had a vague idea of what an elephant looked like from books. This thing the Count presented as an elephant must surely be some monster from a nightmare. Even among the rabidaemons lurking in the Abyss, Shuou had never seen a creature with such an grotesque appearance.

“This is…”

Just as Shuou opened his mouth, trying to find a way to politely refuse, the Count’s voice overlapped with an unbelievable statement.

“We have a whole box full of these, conveniently placed in the garden. I’ll present them all to you.”

A chill ran down Shuou’s spine.

“Father…” Aise gazed at her father dreamily, admiring his generosity in offering gifts to her friend.

Something is off, Shuou thought.

Surely, this father and daughter were seeing a different world than he was. Which side was strange? Judging from the old butler’s uncomfortable glance away after catching Shuou’s eye, there was no need to consider who was in the right.


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