...... Let's just have some food for now, shall we?
In this situation?　Your heart is strong, Haruka.
I asked Natsuki about it. What do you do when you have no information about your opponent?

　According to her, it's better to talk about the food and drinks that are available.
　Rather, it is the safest way.

　If you're not careful, you might ask, "Are you married? or "How are your children? or "You look healthy," you may step on a minefield.

　In this world, there is no such thing as "s*xual harassment" for complimenting someone's appearance. But it is best to be safe.

What would you like to do, Master Iliad?

"Yes, I think so. I think I'll have some myself. I think I'll have some of the food that is rarely eaten in my family.

　Ilias-sama, smiling a little like a man of his age, turned his gaze to the delicious-looking sweets.

I'll get it for you then.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.

　I'm interested in the cake, but I'm a little hungry, so I'll start with the meat.
　The sliced meat looked like roast beef, so I was a little curious.

"Well, well, well!

　I couldn't help but exclaim.
　It had a nice saltiness, a citrusy acidity, and a not too hard texture.
　There was a definite bite to it, but not so much that it lingered in my mouth, and the taste of the meat was strong.
　To be honest, I was tempted to bite into it, but there was no way I could do that.
　And it's difficult to refill your order because of the etiquette.
　d*mn you for thinking of such troublesome manners!
　If this is the case, I'd like a thicker slice. ...... No, there's no way I can even order that.
　Laughing in my face and crying in my heart, I put the plate I used on the table and grab a new one.
　It's okay, there are still some good looking dishes--hmm?
　I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it.

......

　Oops, watch out.


　I almost forgot your job.
　You're saying you already forgot?
　Yeah, I can't deny it.

　But I didn't let it show on my face. I put the unused plate on the table as Master Ilias put the plate on the table.

　No matter what, it's impossible for a servant to be eating when the master is not.

　And then, as if I was waiting for it - well, I guess I was waiting for it. A young man approached me with a smile.

It's a pleasure to meet you. Viscountess Ilias Nenus. I am Zasu Tradato, third son of Viscount Tradato.

How do you do? Ilias Nenus.

　The man greeted her with a hand on his chest, and Master Ilias returned the greeting with a light hand on her skirt.

May I have a moment of your time?

Yes, of course.

Thank you, sir. But this time it was a disaster. You were attacked on your way here. Were you injured?

　This nobleman must have heard about the bandits.
　He suddenly brought it up.

　The fact that he doesn't seem worried at all, even though what he's saying seems to be worrying, may be amazing.

Thank you for your concern. Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, we were able to fight it off without anyone, including me, getting hurt.

"That's great. It was a short distance, but you were unlucky. You must be having a hard time defeating the bandits.

"No, no. It's no problem at all. The place where we were attacked was on the border between our family and Baron Diaz's territory, a sensitive place. If you are a nobleman, you know how difficult it is to send out an army.



"Yes, yes, yes. Territorial borders are quite difficult. However, I've heard that Viscount Nenus's soldiers are not very good at such work. I thought it was a bit rude, but I asked them to help me out out of old age.

　Both Ilias-sama and Zas Tradat are smiling, but they don't look friendly at all.

　It's a very aristocratic conversation that is not at all heartwarming, even though they seem to be concerned.

It's all right. We have good adventurers in our territory.
"Oh, you do?　I've heard rumors about you. ......

　I've heard rumors about you, but I've never heard of you." Zas Tradart's gaze glanced in our direction, and I gave him a slight bow, but his gaze was clearly suspicious.

　It wasn't because of his age as an elf, but probably because there had been no rumors about him at all.

"Yes, a very talented adventurer. I don't know what rumors you've heard, but I'm sure you're not wrong.

　It was a rumor that Ketola had spread.
　But Ilias-sama never said anything about it, he only smiled.

I'm a little curious about that. I'm sure you've discovered a dungeon or something.

　The two were interrupted by an elven nobleman.
　He looks to be about 30 years old, but his actual age is unknown.
　I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

"This is Mr. Arlandi Slyvya. Yes, it's true. Thanks to you, our family is very wealthy.

　I think "very rich" is an exaggeration.
　Even if it does contribute a little.
　Of course, I'm not saying anything.

"That's very enviable. What do you think?　What do you think? Are you planning to move your base to Count Slyvya's territory?　As you can see, it's ruled by our family of elves. As you can see, it is ruled by our family of elves.



"Hey, hey, hey, from what I hear, there are beastmen, too, right?　We're not bad at all. We're not bad at all. In Nenus' place, you're having a hard time finding someone to marry.　It's okay to make a decision for the sake of your friends, isn't it?

　He interrupted us again.
　This time, it was the (tentative) bear beastman we'd seen earlier.
　And again, he brought up the issue of race.
　I guess there are variations in the races of the nobles who rule.
　But please don't come too close to my face.

　Elvishly beautiful faces and faces with beast ears do not make me happy at all when the other party is a man, and they are too strangely powerful. If the opponent is a nobleman, you can't push him back.

　Haruka is completely hiding behind me.
　Keturah, how many rumors have you been spreading?

Aren't you two behaving a little badly?　They're under the protection of our family. Shouldn't you talk to my father first before asking him?

　The two adults looked at each other as Ilias insisted on interrupting the small body.

"Hmm. That's true, too.
"Shall we back off here to save face, little girl?

　The two adults nodded to each other, smiling as if they had seen something slightly amusing.

The two of you, if you have any problems...
"Master Slyvya?
That was an unnecessary comment. I'll see you soon, Miss Iliad.
See you soon, little girl.

　In the event that you have any questions concerning where and the best way to get in touch with me, please do not hesitate to contact me.

　I'm sure you'll be glad to know that I'm not the only one who's had to deal with this. ...... Speaking of which, that Zas something you were talking about in the beginning has been gone for some time, hasn't it?

　I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that.

　The beastman didn't mention his title, but I guess that's what he meant when he said he was more than an equal.

You managed to get through it.


"Thank you for your time, Master Iliad.
No, I'm sure you're both mentally exhausted.　Come on, let's get the food.
"Yes.

　Ilias-sama's cheeks relaxed in response to our efforts, and he picked up his plate.
　We can take a break now, but in a little while, we'll need a partner for the main character. .......
　Good luck, Master Iliad.
　We're just as much of an ornament as we were before.

　But while it seems to be helping enough to distract us from the raids, it seems to be causing more trouble than it's worth.

　It seems that I was not the only one who thought so, and Haruka asks Master Ilias.

"Master Ilias, isn't spreading rumors about us having the opposite effect?

"No, it's exactly what we had planned. It's much better for Haruka and the others to be recruited than for our family to be underestimated.

　To put it simply, the idea is to put forward the image of a noble family with adventurers capable enough to be recruited, rather than a noble family weak enough to be attacked.

　Even if there are strong adventurers, the noble family itself is not strong, but the brand of the territory where such adventurers are settled, and the fact that they are in a position to make requests in case of emergency, seems to be more effective than we think.

　--That is, of course, if you're a high-ranking adventurer.
　In all likelihood, we are inadequate for the job.
　To be honest, we'd be troubled if we were actually approached for the job.

Of course, we won't cause you any trouble, so don't worry. I'll take care of all the trouble myself.

　Perhaps sensing my concern, Ilias-sama smiled at me.
　He is indeed a small but noble man, and judging from the way he handled me earlier, I am no match for him.

But to be honest, it was a great help to have those two come and talk to us. It saved me a lot of trouble.

"You mean Arlandy Slyvya and the beastman, right?　Who is he?

He's the Marquis of Lambert Marmont.

...... What?　The Marquis himself?　He's the head of the family?

　I was expecting to hear, "What son of the Marquis?" but the Marquis cut me off.


　I didn't think so, so I asked him back, but he just nodded silently.
　It seems that it really is him.

"Well, Mr. Ilias. Why is the head of the Marquis family here for the Baron family's wedding?　It's not something that would normally happen, is it?

　I'm sure you're not the only one.

...... As you can see, he's a bit of an unconventional person. When I was a little girl, he picked me up when we first met.

You mean the Iliad?

Yes. That was years ago.

　It's not uncommon for an ordinary nobleman, let alone an aunt or uncle in the neighborhood, to pick up a child from another family.

　If it is a family that is related by blood and is very close, but if it is a marquis and a viscount, or a head and a legitimate son, it would be a problem.

　However, in his case, he is known to be such a character, and since he has no ill intentions at all, it seems that he did not cause any problems even with the Iliad.

I'm sure he came here again thinking that the Baron Diaz family would serve delicious food.　See?

　If you look in the direction of Ilias-sama's gaze, you will see a beastman devouring a plate of meat with gusto.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that the meat I gave up in tears was ordered and cut into thick slices.

　d*mn, I'm jealous!

I think you two are helping me out. I'm sure the two of you have given us a helping hand, since it's hard for others to do the same when the two of you have pulled out.

　The head of the marquis family approached him, and Master Ilias rejected him, asking him to go through Viscount Nenus himself, which he accepted.

　If another nobleman were to go directly to the Iliad, he would say, 'Even though the head of the Marquess family has accepted.

　If it was a noble with a higher rank, it would be a different story, but of course, there would be no noble higher than the head of the Marquis family here.

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　Judging from his withdrawal and the way he responded, it is highly likely that he did so out of consideration for the still young Ilias-sama.

　In fact, Master Ilias has been lifted up by the Marquis of Marmont, and may be a casually loved character.