Chapter 271

And so, we boarded the carriage prepared by the Count’s Mansion of Astram and headed towards the Count’s mansion.

The time it took to arrive at the Count’s Mansion of Astram wasn’t long, but the fatigue was faintly visible on the faces of the party upon arrival.

It wasn’t that there was any physical discomfort, as the noble family had prepared the carriage and we traveled comfortably.

The discomfort was more psychological.

“Every time adventurers cause trouble, how much headache it gives our Count’s Mansion of Astram… So, the adventurers of Astram should be more grateful to the Count’s Mansion of Astram.”

“Indeed, that’s the duty of a noble!”

“Hmph. Being invited to the mansion of a great noble of the Kingdom of Eustia as an adventurer, shouldn’t you be more pleased?”

“Indeed! I shall be more pleased!”

“Good attitude. There really is someone among adventurers who understands!”

This was all due to Rosemary, who kept boasting and chattering non-stop inside the carriage.

Inside the carriage, she kept talking about how great a noble with the title of Count is and how much respect and reverence such a great noble deserves.

The only one reacting to her words was Karina, who genuinely admired her without any intention of flattery.

By the time the carriage arrived at the Count’s Mansion of Astram, everyone except Rosemary and Karina looked tired.

“…I will apologize on her behalf. I know this sounds very cliché, but she wasn’t always this bad…”

As soon as we got off the carriage and parted ways with Rosemary, Yuri cautiously apologized to Kurt and his party.

She felt sorry that Rosemary, whom she had introduced, was causing discomfort to Kurt’s party.

“Don’t worry about it. You were similar when you first came to the Adventurer Guild.”

“Th-that was a long time ago…!”

“Well, considering we were eventually invited like this, it seems we would have gotten involved sooner or later even without your introduction.”

Although Kurt said that, he secretly wondered if Count Astram, Rosemary’s father, might have a similar personality, making him question whether coming to the Count’s mansion was a good idea.

At that moment, a servant from the Count’s mansion approached Kurt’s party, and they moved inside the mansion.

.

.

.

And so, we moved to the dining room.

At the head of the dining room, Count Astram was waiting for us, having prepared upon hearing of our arrival.

“Welcome to the Count’s Mansion of Astram, adventurers.”

The one greeting us was a middle-aged man who looked more ordinary than expected.

Honestly, if he weren’t sitting at the head of the table, one might mistake him for a servant working at the Count’s Mansion of Astram.

Still, his daughter Rosemary was a beautiful noble lady, at least in appearance.

Count Astram, exaggerating a bit, was just a middle-aged man with a protruding belly, wearing luxurious clothes and neatly groomed, but otherwise ordinary-looking.

“Nice to meet you. I am Seamus Astram, managing the Astram County.”

“I’m Kurt. As you know, I’m an adventurer.”

“I’m Marisia! I’m an adventurer like Kurt!”

“I-I’m Karina!”

“I’m Serena…”

“Long time no see.”

Count Astram introduced himself with a smile, and we exchanged greetings.

“Hoh? So you’re Kurt, the adventurer who’s been making waves in Astram lately?”

“…That’s right.”

“Indeed!? How rude to my father…!”

“Hahaha. Rose, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Father! But…!”

“More importantly, let’s all take our seats. We can’t talk standing.”

With a gentle smile, Count Astram invited us to sit.

As we sat down, Count Astram suggested we chat while waiting for the food to be served.

He seemed quite the opposite of his daughter in many ways.

Count Astram first asked about the story of defeating the Demon’s Hand.

“What? So you defeated that fearsome monster without taking a single penny of reward!?”

“Well, I just wanted to defeat it personally. Besides, selling the corpse of a gold-grade monster would fetch a decent amount, so not taking a reward doesn’t matter.”

“Easier said than done. Few adventurers act like that. You’re truly a good person.”

Count Astram seemed genuinely curious about me, with no hidden agenda, only asking about defeating the Demon’s Hand.

“Hoh. So, is your dream to earn a noble title by achieving merits?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right!”

“Hmm. Not an easy dream. But the bigger the dream, the better. And with your skills as a silver-grade adventurer at your age… Impressive.”

“Th-thank you!”

He even positively acknowledged Karina’s dream of becoming a noble lady.

Honestly, when I first heard Karina’s dream of becoming a noble lady, even I was at a loss for words, but he acknowledged it without changing his expression.

Impressive.

“Right. Miss Yuri, is Count Blossom doing well?”

“Of course. Father is still doing well. Why don’t you come to a social gathering next time?”

“Right. It’s been a while since I last saw him due to recent busy political affairs in Astram. I’ll make time.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Count Astram, with your esteemed reputation, the nobles of Eustia will be waiting.”

Through Yuri’s words, it was clear that all this wasn’t just superficial but a reflection of his usual character.

Honestly…

Thinking of Rosemary, I had thought Count Astram might also be a vain and self-centered noble.

But Count Astram, contrary to my expectations, was kind and humble.

He’s a proper noble.

No, beyond proper, he’s quite outstanding.

In fact, when I accepted Count Astram’s invitation and came to the mansion, I was worried that an arrogant and dogmatic noble might cause some trouble…

But it seems we’ll just have a smooth conversation and leave without any issues.

And it wasn’t just me; the rest of the party, who were also invited, seemed to relax and engage in a comfortable conversation with Count Astram.

As we chatted, dishes started to appear one by one in the dining room.

Soon, the table was filled with various dishes, either because they were all finished around the same time or because the cooking was timed that way.

While Western noble meals often bring to mind course meals, it wasn’t until the 19th century that course meals became widespread. In medieval and Renaissance Europe, nobles ate similarly to Eastern dining culture, with various dishes served at once.

The Count’s meal was the same.

The main meat dish, soup, salad, and bread for the meal.

There was no particularly eye-catching dish, nor did it feel overly luxurious, but compared to a commoner’s meal, it was several times more substantial.

Is this what a noble’s meal is like?

Being my first noble meal, I was quite curious about the taste.

Though nothing looked particularly special, you never know until you taste it.

“Now that the food is served, let’s continue our conversation while eating.”

“Hmm. Thank you for the meal.”

“Let’s eat.”

We paused our ongoing conversation and picked up our forks and knives.

First, let’s try a bite of the main meat dish.

It seemed to be a roasted pork dish, with the skin still on.

A kind of roast pork, perhaps.

Half the reason I decided to visit the Count’s Mansion of Astram was for Karina, but the other half was curiosity about the noble cuisine of this world, so I was quite looking forward to it.

First, the rich aroma of spices that reached my nose even before bringing the meat to my mouth.

Was it seasoned simply with salt and pepper without any special sauce?

It’s a pity not to taste a sauce unique to this world, but judging solely by the quality of the dish, if the meat is good, seasoning it with just salt and pepper can still result in an excellent dish.

Indeed, the meat used in this roast pork seemed to be of the highest quality, befitting the Count’s mansion.

Now, let’s see how it tastes.

With that, I moved my fork and knife, cut a bite-sized piece of the roast pork, and put it in my mouth.