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When Reinhardt arrived at the Cromel mansion, he led us somewhere.

Thus, we arrived at this place, the banquet hall of the mansion, which already had food prepared as if he had intended to invite us to dinner from the very start.

“Wow…”

As we entered the banquet hall, Alphonse exclaimed in admiration.

A table laden with luxurious dishes.

They say to see the wealth of a family in this world, one should look at the food on their table, and true to the title of one of the only three ducal houses in the Empire, even I, accustomed to noble life, saw an array of exquisite delicacies.

Elena and Hailey shared the same reaction; the dishes in the banquet hall were indeed lavish.

People were bustling about, seemingly still in preparation, but even what was currently on the table seemed more than enough.

Perhaps being a knightly family was the reason? It looked as if someone had instructed the cooks to use ingredients known for enhancing physical strength and vitality in their dishes.

‘Is that the Kingstar Crab caught only in the western seas? I heard the Magic Tower is managing the population, so they don’t provide it easily, and yet it’s everywhere here.’

The Kingstar Crab is a creature that looks like a mix between king crab and lobster and contains pure mana within its body, making it incredibly expensive. Right now, there were enough dishes on the table made from crustaceans to recreate the Gundam I made as a child.

Seeing that much, I wondered if I could make something like that again.

In addition, there were dishes made from what are called elixirs that go beyond mere restorative food, which seemed excessive for just welcoming guests, even for a ducal house.

Even accounting for prices based on my experience managing the territory’s finances, the cost of the food currently on the table was enough to build a mansion.

I’d never heard of the House of Cromel indulging in excess…

After estimating roughly, I looked at Reinhardt with a puzzled expression.

Of course, if Reinhardt wanted, he could have such a spread once in a while, but I didn’t think he would care that much for a dinner gathering.

While he might be concerned about matters related to swords, the rest of him was composed of indifference and negligence—it’s hard to believe he would put this much effort into hosting guests.

‘Why isn’t he sitting at the main seat… Could it be?’

Reinhardt acted nonchalantly, but when I saw where he was going to sit, it felt like lightning struck my head.

It’s natural for there to be some empty seats in such a large banquet hall if it’s not for an event, but it’s nonsensical to leave the main seat empty. Even though we’re friends, we are invited guests, so it’s only right for Reinhardt, the host of the meal, to take the main seat.

However, the fact that Reinhardt didn’t sit there indicated that the true host of this meal was someone else.

As soon as I realized that, a faint presence was felt behind me.

When I turned my head to look back, the Sword Saint was standing there with a faint smile, his hand resting on my shoulder.

“Kids grow up so fast these days.”

“Uh… Thank you for the compliment.”

“Go ahead and take your seat.”

With that, the Sword Saint returned to the main seat.

Once he allowed it, the kids and I began to take our seats one by one.

Though the Sword Saint hadn’t done anything special, the atmosphere that had been lively with his appearance cooled down immediately. Everyone seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of the Sword Saint.

For some reason, it felt like all the food was primarily restorative dishes…

Although they were slightly surprised by the Sword Saint’s entrance, it wasn’t as if we hadn’t anticipated him coming. It was just a little more sudden—after all, it was expected that we would meet Reinhardt’s family at the mansion since he mentioned his brother was coming to Ruden.

The Sword Saint currently served as the head of the Department of Knights and was staying in Ruden, so it was natural for him to be in the Cromel mansion. I just thought that since Reinhardt took us to the banquet hall so confidently, the meeting with the Sword Saint would happen after the meal.

I hadn’t considered that he would have us eat first without introducing us to the host.

Elena looked just as taken aback, her eyes wide as she looked at me. I felt the same, so there was nothing to say.

“? Why are you looking at me like that, Damian.”

“…..”

For a moment, I wanted to kick Reinhardt in the shins, but I controlled myself since the Sword Saint was present. Even if he couldn’t see it because the table was obscuring my legs, I was sure he would sense something.

The Sword Saint sat down, glancing at our faces one by one, and soon appeared to be in a good mood, softly smiling.

“This place used to feel empty without people, but now it looks much nicer. I never expected you to bring friends.”

“I have a lot of friends.”

“Who said something?”

Seeing Reinhardt’s reaction, the Sword Saint chuckled.

Now that I looked closely, he resembled a playful grandfather rather than a formidable figure.

It seemed he wanted to lighten the atmosphere, as it felt stiff due to his presence.

Despite his appearance, I had expected the Sword Saint to be a bit clueless about social cues, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. Although he had a history of abruptly appearing, like on entry day, or wandering around the continent without informing anyone, it appeared he had an awareness of the dynamics.

Just like Reinhardt, people who feel hard to approach tend to be more accommodating once you break down their walls. Maybe there’s an unexpected charm in the gap between how they look and what they actually are.

After the Sword Saint exchanged a few words with Reinhardt, Alphonse and Hailey seemed to relax a bit.

“I see some faces I haven’t seen before… Is that child your younger sister?”

Interestingly, the Sword Saint accurately identified the relationship between Alphonse and me. Despite being brothers, there was hardly any resemblance between us.

When Alphonse introduced himself, the Sword Saint nodded as if he had expected it.

“Indeed. Those kind eyes resemble the Countess very much. Such eyes could never come from Arthur.”

“Oh, do you know our mother?”

“How could I not? Arthur’s rejection of my daughter’s confession was all due to the Countess.”

Oh.

“That day, she cried so much. I never knew my daughter could shed so many tears. Your father must be the first to make the flower of the East weep.”

Truly, that father of mine. No matter where he goes, his name pops up.

Well, in this case, it was for slightly different reasons…

Everyone froze at the unexpected tale of my father’s romantic history that emerged from such an unlikely source.

I mean, of all people, hearing about my father’s love life from the Sword Saint? Reinhardt looked equally surprised, blinking his eyes in disbelief. It wasn’t just him; everyone except the Sword Saint was stunned.

The Sword Saint seemed to find it amusing, raising the corners of his mouth as he addressed the now blank-faced Alphonse.

“That just goes to show what a wonderful lady she was, the boy’s mother. You look like you’ll bring tears to many eyes, yourself.”

“Ah, yes…”

Well, even if you say that now…

It seemed somewhat complimentary, but due to the story I had just heard, it struck me as oddly bittersweet.

While it felt like he simply recounted an old story, there was no emotional weight from the Sword Saint, just an anecdote shared around the common topic of our fathers.

“Speaking of which, Arthur once consumed a castle in our territory long ago…”

Father…

*

The Sword Saint had more stories about my father than I expected.

Perhaps it was because, being among the finest martial families in the Empire, there were numerous intertwining events.

Many of the tales regarding my father’s exploits came to light.

Of course, there were also things unrelated to that.

At times, the Sword Saint’s emotions were plainly evident, making Alphonse and Reinhardt a bit uneasy, but I had already heard enough stories about my father from others to brush it off.

Some time passed, but we still hadn’t begun our meal. Though we spent some time listening to the Sword Saint’s tales, two seats remained unfilled.

Noticing the empty seats, Reinhardt seemed restless as the Sword Saint addressed him.

“Your father and sister have gone out for a moment to handle something. They said they’d return before the meal begins, so it shouldn’t take long.”

“?! Is something going on with Rize?”

Rize… is that the nickname for his sister?

As soon as his sister was mentioned, Reinhardt’s emotions were apparent. The Sword Saint calmed him down, stating it was nothing serious, urging him not to fret.

Though I was curious about the exact details, that curiosity quickly dissipated when the banquet hall doors swung open, and the two protagonists of the empty seats made their entrance.

“Looks like we have guests.”

A gentle-looking man and a small girl with a haughty expression entered. Reinhardt’s expression brightened as he recognized them as the owners of the vacant seats.

The man, appearing to be the head of House Cromel, looked just like a melting-faced version of Reinhardt. Just as I resembled my father, he seemed to take after his dad in looks as well.

The little girl likewise resembled a miniature version of Reinhardt. The three of them shared so many similarities that anyone could easily recognize them as family.

“Oh.”

The girl surveyed the banquet hall and let out a small gasp.

Initially, it seemed she didn’t recognize many faces, but upon a second glance, I noticed her gaze was fixed on Alphonse. Once Alphonse met her eyes, he wore an expression that mirrored hers—surprised as if he hadn’t expected to see her here.

What a strange feeling it was that the Sword Saint’s earlier tales of my father hung heavy in my mind. Truly an enigma.

 

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