Chapter 282

This time, the meal truly came to an end, and the servants of the Count’s Mansion began to clear the tableware.

“I really can’t eat anymore. Surely there isn’t another dessert coming, right?”

“Ha, hahaha… I’ve heard that adventurers eat a lot because they move around a lot, but… this is really beyond imagination…”

“No, I think Kurt is just a special case…”

“Hoo… Kurt’s cooking is always good, but the portions are always too big…”

“I agree. I can’t eat anything more.”

“But Kurt, the soup was good, but what are you going to make next with the leftover Abnormal Bird meat?”

“Eh… You’re already talking about the next meal after eating so much?”

“Oh my. Serena, aren’t you interested in deciding the next menu? Well, I’d like to have the Yurin-gi we had last time with the leftover meat!”

“No! Who said I’m not interested? And we had fried dishes last time, so it’s time for grilled dishes this time! Follow the order!”

Before they knew it, Mari and Serena, who had just finished their meal, started a serious discussion about what to eat next, and Count Astram watched them with amusement.

“Hahaha. Such lively adventurers. By the way, Rosemary, how’s life at the academy lately?”

“Life at the academy is going well without any issues. Oh, by the way, recently, Yuri got caught secretly doing stamina training during class because she said adventurers shouldn’t neglect physical training…”

“W-wait!? Rosemary! Why are you bringing that up now!?”

“Hoh? Stamina training during class…?”

“Yes. She was doing this training method called ‘air chair,’ where you sit without a chair, and the professor caught her.”

“Hahaha. The professor must have been furious.”

“No. The professor didn’t get angry. Instead, he was worried and asked Yuri if she was being bullied. So Yuri desperately tried to convince him that she was doing it voluntarily, but the professor didn’t believe her and ended up calling all the students to investigate bullying in the academy.”

“What? Hahahaha!”

Before they knew it, the atmosphere in the dining room turned into a casual one where everyone chatted about whatever they wanted.

It was a surprisingly relaxed attitude for a noble’s mansion and for someone who had invited guests.

It felt more like a village tavern than a noble’s dining table.

But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In fact, it was a good thing.

They didn’t care about social status or the fact that they had just met today. There was no pressure to treat the guests formally just because they were nobles. They genuinely treated each other comfortably, chatting freely without any reservations.

It was a truly informal and comfortable atmosphere in the best sense.

Considering the chaos that had erupted just a few hours ago due to the incident involving Rosemary, this atmosphere was almost unbelievable.

Perhaps it was the magic of the Abnormal Bird Dish that Kurt had prepared.

When people gather around a pot of warm soup, even strangers or those with grievances naturally grow closer as the warmth melts away any tension.

People who share a good experience together tend to have their impressions of each other positively influenced by that experience.

In that sense, the meal Kurt prepared was an excellent shared experience.

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As I glanced around, satisfied with the relaxed atmosphere, I felt a sense of fulfillment as a chef, seeing everyone so content after the meal.

As I looked around, I suddenly noticed that Karina was unusually quiet amidst the lively conversation.

“Karina? You’re quiet. Was the meal not enough? Should I make you some porridge?”

“Ah, no. The meal was delicious. I really ate a lot!”

“But you seem down…”

As I said, Karina looked unusually gloomy.

I had made her favorite soup, thinking she might have struggled alone against the Abnormal Bird.

Normally, she would have been smiling and sharing her thoughts on the meal, but now, even after finishing, she remained silent, her face darker than before.

“Did you get hurt fighting the Abnormal Bird?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“You just seem down.”

“Ah… I tried to act normal, but I guess I couldn’t hide it…”

“You can’t fool my eyes.”

At that, Karina forced a weak smile and spoke in a low voice.

“Your eyes are sharp, Kurt. The truth is, I came to Astram with the dream of becoming a noble lady, but today was the first time I actually visited a noble’s mansion. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve met a noble as high-ranking as a Count.”

“…I see.”

If she had experienced the life of a noble before today, she probably wouldn’t still be holding onto that dream.

I barely held back the words that rose to my throat and responded.

“But the reality of the nobility was… very different from what I imagined.”

“What did you imagine a noble lady to be like?”

“I thought she would always be kind to children… good at cooking, feeding them delicious food… good at knitting, making pretty clothes for them… The noble lady I imagined was like the beautiful, domestic woman from the fairy tales I read as a child. But the nobility I saw today… it’s not that they’re bad, but they’re far from the domestic image I had in mind.”

“I see.”

At that, I realized what her perception of a noble lady had been all along.

The woman from the fairy tales she read as a child probably wasn’t originally a noblewoman.

But in this world, where a proper publishing system hasn’t been established, the fairy tales that reach small villages are mostly hand-copied works passed down through people.

And in the process of being copied over and over, the original story inevitably gets edited and altered by the copiers.

So, the character who was originally just a regular woman in the fairy tale might have been turned into a noble lady through this process.

As a result, young Karina developed a mistaken idea of what a noble lady should be like.

Normally, people grow up with such misconceptions without any issues…

“Isn’t it ridiculous? Chasing after something that doesn’t even exist, not even knowing what I truly admired…”

The problem was that Karina had genuinely admired the fairy tales she read as a child and made them her dream.

She had run straight toward that dream without ever doubting it, and now she was deeply hurt, muttering with a pitiful expression.

“Karina…”

“Haha. Thinking about it, it’s only natural. A grown woman like me, still believing in fairy tales… It’s a fittingly foolish ending for a foolish woman.”

Though I couldn’t see her face as she looked down, I could tell she was on the verge of tears.

She had come all the way from the north, a place not much different from the countryside, to live in a foreign land for years, all without truly understanding what a noble lady was.

If it were someone else’s story, I might have laughed it off as foolish, but having lived with Karina and seen her up close, I couldn’t take her sorrow lightly.

Her dream might have been foolish, but it was also because she was so pure and straightforward.

Even if her direction was a bit off, her passion was nothing to laugh at.

“In the end, I left my hometown to become someone who doesn’t even exist. Really… what was I even doing…”

“Karina, you’re wrong.”

That’s why I spoke to her.

“Y-you’re right. I guess I…”

“No. I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m saying that one piece of information you have is wrong. You weren’t chasing a nonexistent concept. The woman you wanted to become does exist. It’s just that the term ‘noble lady’ isn’t the right name for it.”

“You don’t have to comfort me…”

“I’m not trying to comfort you.”

What I’m saying isn’t just to make her feel better or to get out of this situation.

It’s a question I’ve had since I first heard about her dream.

But back then, I had just left the Lizardman Village, so I brushed it off, thinking, “Maybe noble ladies in this world are like that.”

“The woman you wanted to become does exist, and there’s a name for it. It’s called ‘Hyunmo Yangcheo’ (wise mother and good wife).”

“Hyunmo Yangcheo…?”

Yes.

A woman who is good at cooking, knitting, and raising children—an ideal mother and wife.

That concept is closer to ‘Hyunmo Yangcheo’ than to ‘noble lady.’

The fairy tales she read probably originally depicted a ‘Hyunmo Yangcheo,’ but as they were passed down and copied, the image of a noblewoman was added to make it more glamorous.

After hearing my explanation, Karina looked at me with wide eyes, as if asking if it was true.

“So what I’ve been dreaming of all this time is…”

“Well… the direction was a bit off, but… at least it’s not something completely nonexistent.”

“Then I…”

“Yes. You weren’t wrong. Your dream is something you can achieve with effort.”

At my words, Karina looked like she was about to burst into tears, but she wiped them away and gave a bright smile.

“…Thank you, Kurt.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Karina quickly regained her energy, and around that time, Mari and Serena noticed we were having a secret conversation and joined in with curiosity.

“Huh? Karina, your eyes are red! Did something happen?”

“Hey! Karina! What were you talking about with Kurt just now?”

“Hehe. That’s a secret between Kurt and me.”

“Come on! That’s not fair! Tell us!”

“Hahaha. No way.”

“Hey! Kurt! What were you two talking about?”

“Well… Karina was talking about becoming a noble.”

“K-Kurt!?”

As Mari, Karina, and Serena started chattering loudly, Rosemary, Yuri, and Count Astram also stopped their conversation and joined in with interest.

“Karina, you want to become a noble?”

“Ah, no… it’s not that…”

“That’s a shame. If Karina were a man, there might have been a way to become a noble…♡”

“R-Rosemary!?”

Soon, the dining room became lively again.

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Dagdak

Dagdak

After dinner, Count Astram offered to let us stay the night, but Kurt and the others politely declined and chose to return to the Adventurer Guild.

Just like when we came, we rode the Count’s carriage back to the guild.

Mari and Serena, full and drowsy, soon started dozing off to the rhythmic clatter and sway of the carriage, and the carriage fell into a comfortable silence with only the sound of light snoring.

“Um… Kurt, are you asleep?”

“No. I’m awake.”

“Earlier, during the meal, you said that what I dreamed of wasn’t a noble lady but a ‘Hyunmo Yangcheo,’ right?”

“Yes. I said that.”

“So, what should I do to become a ‘Hyunmo Yangcheo’?”

“Well… first, since it’s about being a wise mother and good wife, you’d need to get married and have children, right? But more importantly, you need to learn proper cooking from me. Honestly, your cooking skills are still at a beginner’s level.”

“Y-yeah. Hahaha…”

With that, the carriage fell silent again, with only the rhythmic clatter and sway remaining. Kurt closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasant rocking.

Dagdak

Dagdak

In the dimly lit carriage, with moonlight and starlight faintly illuminating the interior through the windows, Karina silently watched Kurt, who had closed his eyes.

‘Marriage… huh…’

As she silently watched Kurt, Karina soon gave in to the pleasant rocking of the carriage and quietly closed her eyes.

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