“Oh dear.” Bowman stepped into the room. “The lamps aren’t lit, and the door’s still open. Did something happen?”
I visibly shrank, but Marius looked as composed as usual.
“No, nothing at all,” he said. “What’s up?”
Bowman gazed at us dubiously for a moment, then smiled at us. “Dinner is served, and I came to fetch you two. The madam and everyone else are already waiting.”
“I see.” Marius turned to me.
I nodded, and we both stood up. I almost cleared away my teacup by habit, but I quickly stopped myself. No need to do that with servants in the manor. I straightened my posture.
Bowman pretended not to notice my clumsiness (at least, I think). He took the lead and guided us to the dining room. When I left the room and glanced out the window, I realized that the sun had already set completely, and the lamps in the corridor had been lit up, illuminating our surroundings. These lamps didn’t smell foul, likely because they used plant-based oils instead of animal fats.
The last time I’d been in this manor at such a late hour was when Marius had been fighting over succession to his household. Back then, I hadn’t been used to noble life at all, and I also hadn’t had time to casually stroll down the halls and observe.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the lamps’ oil dishes were placed within a metallic hoop on the stone wall. Judging from the size of this hoop, I assumed that the lamps could be taken down and used as torches during times of need. Torches tended to get soot everywhere, and the large flames could cause other objects to catch on fire. This danger made them unpopular with nobles. However, torches were used during emergencies, when those types of concerns were the least of their worries.
This manor was certainly prepared to outlast dire circumstances.
While this was befitting of a household that had earned its name due to feats of military might, I began to wonder if they were going a touch overboard with their preparations. That reminds me, the back entrance of this manor is built to deter any intruders. I guess this is normal for them. As we walked on, Bowman opened a door that I was vaguely familiar with. And the dining room should be beyond here, I think.
I followed Bowman and Marius inside. As expected, dishes already lined the table, and the ladies were already in their seats. Helen didn’t seem alert or tense, so she must’ve not realized what Marius and I had just been through. Those two assassins really are experts in their craft if they’re capable of evading the notice of a famed mercenary. It seemed like a misunderstanding in the end, but if one thing went wrong during our encounter, I don’t think I’d be able to sit here at the table and feast with everyone right now.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Marius said.
“No, we just got to our seats too,” Julie replied.
She was in more casual attire, unlike when she’d been decked out at her wedding. Which is only natural. Who doesn’t dress up for a wedding? She’s just eating with us today, so obviously, she won’t be as formal. The dishes that lined the table weren’t overly luxurious either. There was the usual soup and bread (leavened bread, so maybe they did get a bit extravagant for us), and roasted chicken with salt and pepper. I gazed at the spread, interested to try the food.
Marius flashed me an apologetic smile. “I couldn’t really get fish in time.”
“Oh no, that’s fine,” I replied. “We don’t always eat fish either. Our daily diet consists mainly of boar meat or venison.”
“Really?”
He raised a perplexed eyebrow, and I nodded back. In this world, there were apparently some parts of the Nordic region that bordered upon the ocean, so people tended to assume that those in the Nordic region only ate fish. This was similar to my experience on Earth as someone culturally Japanese.
It seemed raw fish was difficult to come by in most regions of this world. Maybe I can make some sashimi if I ever get my hands on fresh fish from the ocean. It was worth a shot, though I’d have to be practically right next to the sea to even attempt it.
“Now then, it seems the ladies are quite famished too,” I said. “Can we dig in?”
“Of course,” Marius replied.
The two of us chuckled as we got to our seats, and Bowman poured me a glass of wine. Marius remained seated as he raised his glass in the air for a toast; this wasn’t an overly formal occasion, so there was no need to stand up and give a lengthy speech. We raised our glasses in the air too.
“Cheers!” Marius exclaimed.
And so, the dinner hosted by my friend and his wife began.
“So, how are my daughters doing?” I asked.
Rike was the first to answer. “When we went to check on them, they were relaxing.”
“And they perked up immediately when they spotted us!” Samya added.
I was worried about Krul, Lucy, and Hayate, but if they were relaxed, it meant they trusted Matthias. He was a man of few words—too few, in fact, often causing misunderstandings. His unfriendly demeanor made him seem like a grumpy guy, but he was actually very considerate and kind. No doubt my daughters picked up on that and liked him very much.
“They are so adorable,” Julie gushed.
I was tempted to excitedly nod along and agree, but I managed to hold myself back—I just smiled back at her. I feared that if I got going, we’d only talk about my daughters throughout the entire dinner.
I noticed Lidy sipping her soup quickly—she must’ve found it tasty. When she put her soup down, she said, “All of us got to play with them.”
“Really?” I asked. “You played with them this whole time?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Marius and I had gotten in a long chat before the incident with the assassins, so they must’ve all been playing together for quite some time. If Lidy hadn’t told them to stop and rest, it meant that we didn’t need to worry about my daughters having enough magical energy to sustain them.
Diana gave a small sigh before she said, “Julie was the most excited today, by far.”
Julie giggled. “I want daughters like them in our house too—if at all possible.”
Marius let out a small sigh as he glanced at his smiling wife. His mannerisms closely resembled Diana’s, reminding me that the two were siblings.
Marius smiled gently at his wife. “The only animals we’ve got are horses, huh? We don’t have dogs or anything.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, the horses are adorable too! But we can’t really play with them, can we?”
“Why not ride them?”
“Hmm... I wonder if they’ll run with me.”
“They’re smart, so I’m sure they can be trained.”
My daughters were used to running alongside us when we romped in the yard and took treks through the forest. People could probably ride on Krul if she allowed it, but none of us had ever attempted that; she was much better at running next to people. As a sidenote, the Eimoor residence didn’t have thoroughbred horses created solely for speed and agility—they more closely resembled driving horses, which had muscular builds, and sturdy ban’ei steeds, draft horses bred in Japan that were used in races to pull heavy sleds up ramps. House Eimoor’s horses were like a mix of these two varieties.
I think Marius’s horses tagged along during the monster subjugation campaign. Marius had brought along some of his servants, as many nobles had, and the horses had been needed to carry supplies. These horses probably weren’t used to running alongside people for fun. They probably weren’t used to being ridden either, though they were large and strong enough to allow people on their backs. The horses seem docile enough and will probably get used to it in no time. Marius isn’t wrong to suggest some horseback riding. All of our ladies, even Lidy, are pretty strong, so they can take a few gentle hits from Krul, but I imagine that Julie is a bit frailer and daintier. I can see why Marius is concerned about the possibility of a horse bumping into her.
“Our do—I mean, wolf—was a unique case,” I said. I was about to refer to Lucy as a dog, but when Diana gave me a look, I immediately corrected myself. I guess they told Julie everything. Both Marius and Julie turned to me.
“We got our hands on a drake thanks to Camilo,” I explained. “Why not ask him if he can acquire another? Krul doesn’t eat much, but I’m told some can have voracious appetites, though.”
I told a small lie here. Krul didn’t eat much thanks to the magical energy of the Black Forest—it wasn’t because she had an incredibly small appetite. I wasn’t sure if all drakes were the same in this regard, but if Krul didn’t consume enough magical energy, she ate more to make up for it. In other words, if drakes lived in regions that didn’t have much magical energy, they ate heartily.