“Abel, do you know what your weakness is?” Ryo asked. “You’re too big of a softie.”
“Where the heck is this coming from?”
“He asked to spar again tomorrow, and you just couldn’t refuse.”
“Okay, fine, you got me there. But...” Abel paused, considering something. “I think I benefited more from our last session than he did.”
“Really?” Ryo asked, surprised.
“Ceferino’s technique is interesting. I learn all sorts of things when fighting him. Helps me grow, y’know?” Abel said with a laugh.
After parting ways with Five Mountains, Ryo and Abel had returned to the guesthouse on the castle grounds, where, just like yesterday, they took a bath and chatted over dinner.
“Well, it’s nice that you get to learn something too.”
“Yup.”
“You can fight him again tomorrow, but don’t forget that you’re booked the day after.”
“Ohhh, yeah. The banquet’s that evening, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. If we don’t let Five Mountains know, they might wait until late, in the dark and cold, resenting you for not showing up.”
“I seriously doubt that.” Abel shook his head dismissively.
“And then, at night, the ducal garrison would drive away any adventurers loitering in the plaza, sparking a faction war that’d eventually escalate into a full-on civil war between the nobles.”
Abel stared.
“Which would be entirely your fault, Abel...”
“You wanna know what I’ve always wondered? Why can’t you find a more productive use of your powers of delus—er, imagination?”
“I have! I bring joy and laughter to the sad and depressed hearts of people across the entire world.”
“If you say so. I’ve never seen it, but sure.”
The water magician’s grandiose endeavors were lost on the pragmatic swordsman. What a cruel, cruel world.
The next evening, Abel and Ceferino sparred again. At the end, Abel told him he wouldn’t be available the next evening due to the banquet. Ceferino’s downtrodden expression must’ve made Abel feel guilty, however, because the swordsman rushed to add that he could certainly spar the day after the banquet. Ceferino brightened instantly, and the other members of Five Mountains smiled in response. They gave Abel their contact information, then left.
✦ ✦ ✦
The banquet was held to welcome the Kingdom’s delegation. That evening, many of Twilightland’s high-ranking government officials and nobles were in attendance, including plenty who had never deigned to appear in front of adventurers before.
Even a commoner like Ryo could distinguish a noble from a bureaucrat simply by their attire.
“Abel, all I need is a single glance to tell who’s a true-blue noble!” he murmured to the swordsman.
“Yup. Well, it’s less the aristos’ clothes and more the government officials’. Their style’s so plain—it’s a dead giveaway.”
The bureaucrats wore fairly unadorned, monochromatic garments, which stood in stark contrast to the nobles’ colorful outfits. The women wore dresses, and the men wore trousers and some sort of old-fashioned top—doublet, maybe?—that Ryo didn’t know the name of. Under the light, their vibrant fabrics and jewelry—which both men and women wore—gleamed.
“Does the Kingdom’s nobility dress the same way at these kinds of banquets?” Ryo asked.
“The women, yes. The men...” Abel smiled wryly. “Well, it varies.”
Ryo had a hunch that his friend wasn’t used to these kinds of parties, even though he was supposed to be the second prince. That said, Abel was adroit at adapting to any situation and resolving problems tactfully. After a while, a few high-ranking government officials approached Abel and struck up a conversation with him. This dinner was a buffet-style affair, meaning people didn’t have assigned seats and were free to interact with whomever they wished.
Aside from Abel, Ignis’s civil servants were also chatting with people from Twilight all over the hall. They saw this banquet as another part of their jobs. Abel, seemingly of the same mind, smiled and conversed with others.
“Best of luck to you, my friend!” Ryo muttered before slinking away to secure himself a position in front of his new target: a table full of food. He’d decided to throw Abel to the wolves and enjoy his meal.
Ryo wasn’t normally a big eater. When he was busy with magic or alchemy, he’d get by on just jerky. However, in a situation like this, where he was surrounded by guests engrossed in conversation and a delectable array of food waiting to be eaten...well, who could resist? Certainly not him. So, he devoured it.
This was by no means an act of gluttony! No, he was merely heeding a righteous call to arms to save the food lying there, sad and forlorn! This was a banquet, so Ryo still had to stand there and wolf down each dish in a dignified manner. He was the very picture of “refined gluttony.”
To eat without making a vulgar spectacle of yourself, all you have to do is open your mouth wide and ensure the food doesn’t touch your lips. As long as you keep your back straight and maintain a serious expression, you’ll be fine!
Thus, our scene was set—and Twilight’s officials and nobles kept a wide berth from the buffet table while Ryo ate...
“My, my,” someone said as they approached Ryo, “you Knightley adventurers have quite the appetite, hm?”
When Ryo turned to greet her, he saw a “peerless beauty.” Even in his brief time here, Ryo thought Twilight’s aristocracy was full of attractive men and women—but the lady in front of him eclipsed all of them. “Peerless beauty” was the only phrase he could muster, as he wasn’t confident in his vocabulary. Until now, Ryo had encountered only two people he’d categorized as such: Sera and Elizabeth. Both, coincidentally, were elves.
This woman was a human, however. He would’ve described Sera’s beauty as dignified and Elizabeth’s as delicate, but the only way he could’ve characterized this woman’s beauty was as seductive.
Ryo was about to reply when he remembered his mouth was full.
“Oh, please, don’t rush.” She smiled. “I just couldn’t help but remark on how you eat with such enthusiasm.”
Ryo finally managed to swallow his food. “I’m honored you think so.”
The woman, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, cupped her chin in thoughtful silence. “You must be Master Ryo, the magician I’ve heard so much about. I’m Agnes.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Agnes. You’re well-informed.”
His gut told him she was a high-ranking aristocrat. With a plate in his left hand and a fork in his right, he wasn’t exactly prepared to kneel—so he simply bowed his head instead.
“Do you like pasta, Master Ryo?” Agnes asked, eyeing the plate in his hand as well as the others, heaped with food, on the table in front of him.
“Um...it’s one of the dishes I like, yes.”
He’d eaten far more than just pasta, but she’d caught him with a plate full of it. That turned out to be a lucky coincidence for Ryo.
“In that case, I’d love to invite you to my estate and hear your thoughts on ramen.”
Ryo blinked. “What did you just say?”