* * *
I cast a quiet, contemplative gaze towards the person who would assist me with the plan I had devised just moments ago.
‘…….’
Irina, fully armed under her robe, looked at me without any change in her expression and asked, “Why are you looking at me?”
It was because she was the key figure who would stay at the lord’s mansion, so I needed to lower her guard as much as possible.
We brainstormed excuses to stay at the lord’s mansion, and eventually decided on this: “Irina, the Great Duke’s knight, is scheduled to be dispatched to the border, but it has been arranged that she will meet up with knights from other regions at Haptis. Therefore, we will stay here with her entourage until they arrive.”
This was a pretext to make it clear that our purpose wasn’t focused on them.
“Even so… I doubt there’s anyone bold enough to cause trouble while the Great Duke’s knight is staying here…”
If their mindset is so different from ordinary people that they believe this level of behavior is a natural right as a lord, they might not only disregard Irina but also continue acting arrogantly even if Hernan were here.
“Anyway, our goal is to listen to the conversations of the lower-ranking people.”
And it would be even better if we could find evidence that could be publicly declared as proof for punishment.
After double-checking the external appearance that Ryuudene had altered, we headed to the lord’s mansion with Irina leading the way.
“Oh dear~ You must have had a long journey! Please come inside!”
The lord of Haptis was Baron Lenon Haptis Ladin. Like other noble families within the empire, they used the name of their domain as their middle name.
Depending on the setting of the story, there might be slight differences, but in the context of this world, the empire was like a country, the duchy was like a province, and the noble domains governed by the lords were akin to cities.
The empire was, in essence, more like a confederation of states.
In summary, it was as if a high-ranking official working directly under the governor had come down to stay temporarily at a city hall.
If the city’s finances were under the jurisdiction of the provincial government… they’d have no choice but to wag their tails and be cautious.
It’s like how schools suddenly start cleaning unused staircases and placing pots around when an inspector visits.
“It’s fine. Just provide us with meals and a place to sleep.”
Irina responded with her usual icy, unyielding face, but the baron remained resolute.
“Oh, I see! We’ll have the meal ready right away. Please, come to the banquet hall first!”
As he hurriedly led Irina to the banquet hall, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of curiosity about what kind of meals they would serve here.
Would it be delicious?
Given that he’s a corrupt lord, he must indulge in the finest food while the villagers eat bland, watery stew.
I found myself eager to witness how well he ate while his people suffered, but…
“The attendants should come this way.”
“Pardon?”
Was it because we had said the attendants were commoners, not noble children, to lower their guard?
We didn’t even get a chance to step into the banquet hall and were instead led to a cold, drafty room.
“We’ll bring your meal here.”
The stern-faced servant soon brought what was supposed to be our meal—a piece of bread that would take ages to soften with saliva and a shriveled, half-rotten potato.
“…….”
As soon as the servant closed the door, I let go of the expression I had been carefully managing and glared at the bread on the table.
“…….”
I mean… How petty can they be with food?
I suppose it’s no wonder the villagers are struggling so much with trash like this.
While they feast at the banquet, we’re supposed to eat something that can barely be called food, something more suited to being a hammer made of gluten?
As I sat there sulking and sighing in dismay, Hernan’s shoulders began to shake with suppressed laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
I was more than ready to pick a fight as I glared at Hernan.
“No, it’s nothing. I wasn’t laughing.”
Yeah, right.
You might as well have claimed that Baron Ladin is a wise ruler.
I took out my frustration on his annoying face.
“You were laughing. And you’re still laughing.”
What’s so amusing?
You’ll have to eat this too, you know?
I started to smirk, thinking that he wouldn’t be able to avoid this, but then I remembered that Hernan had eaten just fine at the inn, and my smile faded.
“…….”
It was clear that I was the only one suffering from this poor excuse for a meal.
As much as I wanted to ignore it, this was the reality.
Ugh… The room is just as miserable as the inn.
They must have picked the shabbiest room used by the servants.
The only person they need to impress is Irina because she’s a noble. It’s inevitable, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.
‘Complaining any more would just be a waste of time.’
I clicked my tongue lightly, ending my complaints, and reached into my bag to take out some jerky.
At that moment, Hernan grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
“……? What is it?”
I looked at Hernan, my face full of confusion, wondering why he was stopping me. With a slight smile, he asked,
“Are you that dissatisfied with the meal?”
Of course, I am.
Do you think I’d eat this willingly?
My snarky tone slipped out, but fortunately, I managed to refrain from picking a fight this time.
“Yes. I don’t think I can eat it, so I’m going to make do with what I brought.”
I answered curtly, and when I pulled my wrist to signal that I wanted him to let go, Hernan tightened his grip and replied,
“Do you really think that’s a proper meal? You’ll still be hungry.”
Why does he keep stating the obvious and getting on my nerves? I shot back, eyes wide with irritation,
“In a situation like this, who cares about hunger? I have to eat something….”
As I grumbled and trailed off, Hernan stood up and smiled.
“Get up. There’s somewhere we need to go, so let’s move quickly.”
“……? Somewhere to go…?”
I still didn’t understand what was going on, but when he looked so confident and smug, it usually meant he had a reason.
Does he have something up his sleeve?
Or maybe Irina planned to smuggle out some food from the banquet?
I didn’t know, but for now, all I could do was follow him.
“Aren’t you going to tell me where we’re going?”
What are we going to do in someone else’s mansion…?
I asked as I hurried after Hernan, who was striding down the corridor.
Without turning around, he replied,
“We’re going somewhere we can both get some help and give some in return.”
So where is that exactly? The place we finally arrived at, full of pent-up frustration, was…
“Oh my, aren’t you the attendants who came with the knight earlier? What brings you here?”
Isn’t it a bit much to call me an ‘oppa’?
Given your age… Aren’t you much older than me?
Even though I’m 23, which makes me about 10 years old in this world, I’ve lived over 30 years, but she’s clearly much older.
A middle-aged maid, who looked like she had at least 30 years of experience like Elise, looked up at Hernan, asking curiously.
The place Hernan had brought me was none other than the kitchen.
The kitchen was bustling with activity as the maids worked hard to prepare the food for the banquet, and they clearly needed more hands.
“We thought you might be busy, so we came to see if there was anything we could help with.”
I had no idea what he was thinking.
But Hernan’s innocent and friendly response elicited a chorus of laughter from the maids.
“Oh, how could we ask a guest to help? It’s fine, just go and rest~.”
Although she said that, the maid who seemed to be in charge, sitting in the innermost spot, had eyes that were shining brightly like a predator eyeing its prey.
“No, it’s fine. I’m restless even when doing nothing, so if there’s any labor to be done, just let me handle it.”
Since I was also standing there silently, I naturally added from the side, “Yes, please feel free to assign any task.”
Even if it were Hernan, I was confident I could handle anything in the kitchen, whether it involved using the fire, handling knives, or prepping ingredients—almost as well as a seasoned chef.
Then, all the kitchen maids suddenly brightened up and approached.
“Alright, so you’re saying any task is fine!”
What exactly are you planning to make me do?
With a hint of fear, I was led to a place far worse than I had imagined.
“We happened to need some strong young men, and you’ve volunteered to help, so I’m really grateful.”
I had expected that the chores would be limited to things like trimming ingredients or carrying them.
But as I looked at the piles of feed and the rotten stench from the livestock pen, I muttered with a vacant stare.
“You didn’t say we’d be doing this.”
At that moment, Hernan, holding a cleaning sack given by one of the maids, replied awkwardly, “I didn’t expect this either. I’m sorry.”
Perhaps we looked too robust and dependable.
I shut my eyes tightly as I gazed at the livestock pen that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in at least ten years.
* * *
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