Chapter 10:
Beneath the Mask
THE NEXT MORNING, Noela and I went to meet Lord Valgas and Elaine. Having gone through hell the night before with Griffy’s kidnapping, Noela slept like a rock, as did I. I felt great this morning.
Griffy had drunk some giant minimizer and would hold down the fort in our room.
There was no guarantee more thugs wouldn’t show up to nab Griffy, so we decided to have the griffin wait in our room.
I assured Griffy it was free to squawk, beat its wings, and flee if anything strange happened.
When Noela and I arrived at the meeting spot, Elaine and her father were there already. We greeted them and boarded their carriage.
“Did you sleep well last night, Sir Reiji?” Lord Valgas asked.
“Yes. The bed was quite comfortable. Thanks so much for booking our accommodations.”
“Think of it as a token of my gratitude, please. I don’t know where I’d be without your help!”
Elaine and Noela focused on the vista outside the window.
“That’s a nice clothing boutique,” Elaine told Noela.
“Groo.”
“And if you go that way, you’ll find the country’s best shoe store.”
“Groo.”
Noela apparently had no interest in shoes or clothes, and this morning, she wagged her tail instead of chatting.
Lord Valgas cleared his throat. “Ahem! Tonight’s the masked ball. Will you join us, Sir Reiji?”
“Hold on. Masked ball?” In other words…a party you can enjoy without knowing who anyone is?
“Indeed. Nobles who attended last night’s banquet—and those they’ve invited personally—are welcome.”
I’d do my best not to stir up trouble if I attended. If something did happen, nobody would know who I was. That would mean Lord Valgas wouldn’t be in hot water. If that was the case, then why not go? After all, I felt guilty at constantly turning down the lord’s invitations. Plus, getting a peek at the swanky atmosphere sounded interesting.
“Yeah, I guess I’d be happy to tag along,” I replied.
“Excellent. I shall acquire several masks, and you may select the one you like best. Don’t worry about a thing. I just want you to enjoy yourself!”
Suddenly, Noela’s stomach growled. Lord Valgas had told us ahead of time to skip breakfast.
Elaine giggled. “There’s a caffe we make sure to visit whenever we come to the capital. We’ll soon arrive there for breakfast.”
“Caffe”? Is that how people pronounce café in this world?
The carriage driver pulled on the reins, bringing us to a stop. Well-dressed diners were sipping tea in terrace seats beside us, and the caffe beyond them contained plenty more seating. All the guests seemed to be enjoying gourmet cuisine. This was definitely a café; it reminded me of a typical big-city coffee chain.
“We’ve arrived, Noela,” Elaine informed the werewolf.
“First time caffe,” Noela admitted.
“You can eat as much bread and drink as much juice as you wish,” Elaine explained. “This caffe’s ‘all you can eat and drink,’ so to speak.” That was basically what people would’ve called it back on Earth too.
The werewolf looked shell-shocked. “All Noela can eat and drink…?”
We disembarked the carriage and entered the caffe. Soon, we heard the lovely sound of a string quartet. There was no stereo, however, so I figured the musicians had to be performing live somewhere. I looked around and spotted four people playing in the corner. This kind of upper-class joint felt a little pricey to a commoner like me.
“My dear alchemist, what has you so on edge?” Lord Valgas patted my back, chuckling.
“Uh…I’m a pharmacist, actually.”
An employee approached to take our orders. “The usual,” Lord Valgas told him. “For four.”
The waiter seemingly understood. “Right away.” He headed into the back.
“All eat bread! All eat bread!” Noela chanted, wagging her tail behind her.
She didn’t tell the waiter how much she wanted, so in the end, he set some bread he brought on the table. The first courses after that were soup and salad, then ham and eggs.
So this caffe’s all-you-can-eat setup has them serving each table freshly made food?
“Groo!” Noela began devouring her breakfast with monstrous speed.
I could feel the stares from around us… Ones that just screamed “Look at those obnoxious country bumpkins!” Still, Lord Valgas didn’t stop Noela. He simply sat beside Elaine, watching the werewolf with a satisfied smile.
“If you eat that much, Noela, you won’t have room for sweets,” Elaine warned.
“No problem. Plenty room.” The gluttonous creature had no limits.
I was a proper adult, so I didn’t gorge on the bread, but it was hot from the oven and absolutely delicious. The fresh-squeezed juice was also delectable. As we dined, Lord Valgas told us about the caffe, capital, and surrounding region. After breakfast, we apparently were going to go see a statue of the hero who founded the nation. What is this, a field trip?
It wound up being an all-out tour—Rayne told us all kinds of historical facts as we looked at the statue. Noela was totally uninterested, though. Instead of listening, she stared at the candy shop.
Lord Valgas kept showing us around until nightfall. “See you later this evening, Sir Reiji.”
“Of course.”
I hadn’t packed formal attire because, well, I didn’t think I’d be attending any upper-crust parties. Fortunately, Valgas was taking care of that for me. I was tremendously grateful to him. Talk about a warm welcome! If Valgas and Elaine ever argued, I promised myself I’d take his side at least once, no questions asked.
“Where go tonight, Master?”
“I’m going to do a little adult socializing.”
“Noela come too.”
“You’d just be bored silly.”
“Groo.” She didn’t look convinced.
Elaine wasn’t attending either. She told me earlier that she’d drop by our inn though, so she and Noela would probably go out to play. In other words, Noela would have her own fun.
Once I rested a bit in our room, Rayne came to get me. Outside, I saw Lord Valgas sitting in his carriage, wearing a mask. He waved at me through the carriage window.
“Thanks for coming all this way to pick me up,” I said.
“Think nothing of it! Come, Sir Reiji. Rayne acquired several masks and outfits—choose whichever pleases you.”
Four separate ensembles were laid out on the carriage’s seats. I picked a dark-gray suit and matching shirt and tie, plus a mask. It was nice and simple. I changed and donned the mask on the ride over.
“Hah! Wonderful! You look fantastic, Sir Reiji,” Lord Valgas exclaimed.
I looked at myself in his mirror. Not too shabby. I wouldn’t stand out in this.
According to Valgas, the ball would take place at a duke’s villa. I had a feeling that the “villa” wasn’t the kind of spot I was picturing though. Eventually, the carriage passed through the gates of an estate and traveled a long, long path across the grounds. I spotted a number of guests during our carriage ride over, in masks and formal attire. At last, I saw a massive mansion ahead.
Lord Valgas pointed at it. “That’s the villa.”
If this property were laid out like a traditional Japanese inn, that venue would’ve been the banquet hall. The building was way too huge for that, though. Hell, that mansion is bigger than Valgas’s entire estate, isn’t it?
When the carriage came to a stop, Rayne opened the door for us. “We have arrived. Enjoy yourselves, Sir Reiji, Lord Valgas.”
“Thanks so much.”
“We’ll be on our way, then.”