257-Cheers for friendship!




 
 Largo led me into the dining room, where the Eric family was all seated together.

 Aegal-san, the host of the party, is seated at the party table in the back, and in order from the top seat, Natasha-san, Luna-san and Eric are seated in order.

 There are five members of the Rowlett family and four members of the Eric family, but since Aegal-san is sitting at the party table, there are only three members of the Eric family.

 That would make it lonely here with no more than two people to meet, but the Eric family sat with a wide gap between them, perhaps taking that into account.

'Call it what you will.

Yeah, I'll do that.

 Mr. Aegal said, and Nord's father took a seat at the top.

 They seem to get along quite well with each other, perhaps because they were chatting with only adults during the day.

 Well, the Silford family is the same baronial family as the Sowlett family. It's probably because we have the same family structure, so we can talk without hesitation.

 And if anything, our family is also more of a martial artist.

 When I tried to follow his example and take a seat at the bottom of the pew, Nordic father took a seat, and I followed his example.

"Excuse me.

 Mother Erna sat gracefully as she grabbed the hem of her dress, and Sister Elinora sat neatly with a crisp movement. She didn't even make a rough noise as she pulled the chair or made a rattling noise when she sat down.

 They were both moving so beautifully that it was a sight to behold.

 I mean, if it was Mother Erna, I'd still want to ask who it was about Sister Elinora.

 Normally, she'd pull her chair back with a clatter and put her butt on the chair with great vigor.

 I even straightened my spine and made a clear expression.

 However, when it comes to this kind of flow, me and brother Silvio have no choice but to be polite.

''Excuse me.''

 Me and brother Silvio also sit on the chairs neatly and without making a sound, as per the manners we learned in the mansion.

''Haha, we're the same baronial family. There's no need to worry about it.''

'Yes. 'Let's take it easy like it's lunchtime, shall we? We're here to promote friendship today.

'Mr. Eggal and Natasha say so, so let's take it easy.

 At Aegal's and Natasha's suggestion, Dad Nord told her to take it easy.

 Then Mother Erna, who had been sitting gracefully, relaxed a little.

'Good. Actually, I'm not very good at eating while worrying about manners and etiquette.'

'But I don't think it's very likely, Erna, that you are so elegant in your movements? And Mr. Elinora was a knightly beauty, too.

 Our ladies are very good at mending.

 I looked next to her and saw that Sister Elinora was sitting in the same natural way.

 Oh come on, Sister Elinora. No matter how much you say it's okay to make things easier, I think you should put your legs together a little more or be a little more ladylike.

''Hah, that's good. I'm not very good at worrying about manners or anything like that.'

''I understand. You can't even taste good food if you're uptight.

 Luna is equally natural.

 But neither of them are elbows on the table or sloppy. They do seem to be properly following the minimum line of not being offended.

Therefore, I hope you two are at ease.

If that's the case.

 Me and my brother Silvio and my brother Silvio's uptightness here is also an airless action.

 Let's do as we are advised and be natural here.

 I relax and sit down to switch my mind off.

''Whoa! Alfried, are you all right? Now, all at once, the light is gone from your eyes!

'What are you talking about? You're overreacting.

 What do you mean the light is gone from my eyes? I don't know what that means.

'It's like ... it's like I just saw life disappear from a living thing.

 No, no, no, Mr. Luna. Isn't that expression a bit harsh?

All right, Largo. Everyone is at their seats. Bring me the food.

I'm sorry, sir.

 After bowing to Aegal's words, Largo opened the door at the back.

 Then there were three maids waiting there with a wagon in their hands.

 One of them is our maid, Meena. Her expression is harder than usual, if not mindlessly.

 That's because it is. This is the Silford family. It's a different workplace than usual, a nobleman's house.

 ........I'm worried.

 Even while I'm thinking that, the maids start pushing the wagon forward.

 For a moment, Meena came towards us without hesitation, although she was late. The other maids push their wagons with familiarity.

 I suppose they have a meeting beforehand to discuss who is going to distribute to whom, etc.

 The food and dishes are laid out in order from Aegal-san and Nord Dad's side.

 Since there are more people on this side of the table, Meena is working with the Silford family's maids.

 As expected, I do this kind of work all the time with Saara and Mel, and they don't falter.

 There's a beautifully arranged carpaccio on the table.

 And unlike onboard, there's a gorgeously decorated, colorful sashimi.

 Anyway, the chef's thoughtfulness and delicate work to please the eye was evident here, as if he was conscious of the appearance of the dish.

Is this the raw fish...sashimi?

 As I'm admiring the sashimi, Mother Erna says with a curious look on her face.

Ah, raw fish meat. From what I've heard, Kagura also has a culture of eating raw fish. It's very tasty, so if you want to try it, I hope you'll give it a try.

I ate on the boat and it was delicious.

'Yes. Mother Erna and Father Nord should try it too.

 The sashimi we ate on the boat was a delight. I would love for you to know how good it is.

'I see. Well, I'll try it later.

I've never had raw fish before, so I'm a little nervous.

 While we were chatting and laughing like that, there was a seafood salad on the table with shrimp, seaweed and small fish. Salted sea fish and shellfish, grilled white meat in olive oil, shrimp and mushroom ahijos. Bread as an accompaniment.

 These are just some of the delicacies that rival the barbecues in the port city of Esports.

 Elinora's sister and brother Silvio, who hadn't seen many seafood dishes before, had sparkling eyes, and Erna's mother and father's faces were relaxed with happiness.

 Seeing our expressions, Eric crossed his arms and nodded proudly.

 Eric didn't cook and make it, but I can sympathize with him because it's nice to know that there are so many amazing ingredients in my territory.

 As I smiled at Eric, who looked happy, Meena pushed the wagon and laid the plates in front of me.

 The look on her face is one of relief after a difficult task. I haven't finished serving mine yet, so I don't want you to be overtly relieved. I want you to keep your concentration until the end.

 First on the tableware and plates were laid out, and then the seafood salad. Then the seafood salad.

Don't overflow the ahijos, okay?

Oh, Alfried. No way in hell am I going to make a rudimentary error like that.

 A voice snatched from Meena's mouth when she was caught off guard.

 I can see in slow motion that the ahijillo presented in front of me slips from my hand and goes at an angle.
You see that?

 Have you seen that, you d*mn maid? 

 I instantly activated my non-magical psychic while screaming that in my mind.

 With a natural motion, I brought the plate of ahijos falling diagonally from Meena's hand back to her hand.

'Hare?'

Just put your plate down.

 I blurt out to Meena, who is frozen in place, not really understanding what happened, and Meena comes to herself and reboots. She puts my plate of ahijos in front of me.

 After that, Meena's liver may have cooled, but she regains her concentration and finishes serving me without a hitch.

 When that happens, Meena's work of serving food is over for now, so she returned to the back room while pushing the wagon.

''...........''

 I'm not sure if they sensed that I used a faint magic, or if they sensed my keen senses, but I got a suspicious look from Nord Dad and Erna Mom.

 Looking at their faces, I'm guessing they're saying, "What kind of magic did you use in this place?".

 I just followed up with Meena, I didn't do anything wrong. So please don't look at me with such a skeptical gaze.

 As if sensing such a delicate atmosphere, Egal-san asks with a scowling expression.

''Hm? Did you two find anything strange?

'....No, it's nothing. Don't worry about it.

Yeah, it's not a problem.

 The two of them said with a smile on their faces, but I got the hint that they were going to ask me later if I had done anything.

 I think Father Nord and Mother Erna are too sensitive to magic. If they didn't notice it like everyone else, they could be a little more relaxed about the transition.

I see. Well, now that we're all ready, let's have a quick meal. This time I've gathered a variety of specialties from our territory. Everyone, enjoy the seafood to your heart's content!

 When Mr. Aegal said that, we all held wine glasses and other things in our hands, as we had all guessed. Naturally, Eric and I are not very old, so the contents are fruit water.

So, here's to the friendship between the Silford and Throwett families!

Cheers!