Ch.71Chapter 71: Company Dinner (2)

My sister had shown a welcoming expression saying I’d arrived quickly, but I actually got there a bit later than expected.

When you arrive later than planned, you should try to make up for lost time by being efficient with what remains.

I naturally made my way toward where my sister and Shizu were, continuing my observations as I walked slowly.

This time, I was observing where my sister and Shizu were seated.

The table was neither too small nor too large—just the right size for six people to gather for dinner.

All the seats were furnished with comfortable chairs designed for extended sitting without discomfort.

Soon, that table would be laden with such abundant food that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the legs might bend under the weight.

Looking at that table brought back old memories.

I knew well what this spot was—the place referred to as the “VIP section” of “The Adler.”

This was the seat where my sister—the vice-commander of the Imperial Knights and legitimate heir to a prestigious family known as a pillar of the Empire—would sit.

Despite being able to choose the peaceful imperial capital as her post without any issues, befitting her status and position,

She voluntarily chose Knight Haven as her station, sharing hardships with her soldiers.

On special occasions, she would gather her subordinates and soldiers, providing them with food and drinks,

While she sat with a few of her subordinates, sipping drinks with a satisfied expression.

The fact that she brought us to this precious spot made me think:

Since this was our first day participating in the Subjugation Festival, she was probably trying to ease our tension and worries in advance.

It made sense.

Normally, the first day of the festival should end after being guided to our lodgings, receiving brief information about what we’d experience here,

And getting comfortable with the atmosphere of this place.

But thanks to the presence of an “unexpected” visitor to this fortress, we’d gotten a small taste of just how dangerous this land could be.

While I appreciated her thoughtfulness, I doubted anyone here would be psychologically intimidated after witnessing today’s incident.

“You’ve been through a lot since your journey here, so you deserve to unwind properly.”

Just hearing her speak to us with such warmth and showing concern would be enough to put anyone at ease.

Already, Excel’s face was blooming with admiration and all sorts of warm emotions… ah, I should probably leave him out since he always gets like this around my sister.

Even without Excel, I could easily tell from Dan and Rufus’s quite moved expressions that this gathering was proceeding exactly as my sister had intended.

“Come on now, sit down so we can begin.”

Anyway, my sister was gesturing for us to sit down quickly, and there was no reason to hesitate.

I headed straight for the table, intending to take a seat.

Tap tap tap

But someone had rushed ahead of me and reached the table first.

“Sister, I apologize for keeping you waiting. I should have come sooner.”

It was Excel.

While he had maintained his composure after leaving the room and heading here,

Upon entering and seeing my sister, he shed that calmness and hurried past me with quick steps.

Watching him rush to sit directly across from my sister, I thought the expression “fired up” couldn’t be more fitting for his current state.

It was somewhat amusing, but I couldn’t just laugh it off.

The thought naturally occurred to me: ‘If Shizu treated me the way my sister treats Excel, wouldn’t I act the same way?’

Whether aware of my thoughts or not,

Excel, who had reached my sister’s table before me, smoothly sat down across from her and gestured for us to hurry and sit down too.

His demeanor now showed a completely different kind of impatience than the flustered state he’d been in since leaving the room.

I was about to wonder why he seemed so anxious, but then,

‘Hurry up and sit down so I can have time to talk with Sister.’

He silently mouthed these words to me, making sure my sister couldn’t see, and my curiosity was naturally resolved.

But regardless of my resolved curiosity, what I could do after seeing this wasn’t to sit down, but rather,

“Hmm…”

I could only suppress my laughter with a slight chuckle while giving Excel a meaningful look.

My gaze clearly conveyed: ‘Who was it that made us late in the first place?’

Dan and Rufus seemed to understand the meaning of my look, as they silently nodded in agreement.

As if supporting my sentiment.

Of course, being a Burnstein heir, he wouldn’t be intimidated by such pointed looks.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and sit down.”

Excel continued speaking as if nothing was wrong, gesturing for us to sit down quickly while turning his head at an angle my sister couldn’t see and winking with his right eye.

It was a silent signal asking us to just quietly sit down without saying anything.

The others sat down without much reaction, as they weren’t in a position to speak to my sister first.

“Hmm…”

Perhaps noticing the mischievous look on my face as I let out a light hum,

Excel’s expression grew increasingly desperate.

Part of me wanted to call out to my sister and tease him just to see his flustered face,

But as I felt the intensity of desperation in his expression growing,

I decided to save that pleasure for later, relaxed my expression, and headed to my seat.

For reference, the seating arrangement for those who hadn’t sat down yet was as follows:

Shizu and Dan sat on either side of my sister.

I sat next to Excel, who was across from my sister, putting me directly across from Shizu, while Rufus sat across from Dan.

Just as that guy had been desperate to sit across from my sister,

I too wanted to end the day eating while facing Shizu, so I naturally took that seat.

Fortunately—or perhaps it wasn’t even an issue—everyone seemed to have expected that I, as Shizu’s fiancé, would sit across from her.

My sister and the other dinner participants showed no reaction to my choice of seat and simply sat down quietly.

If they didn’t comment on Excel sitting across from my sister despite his openly displayed affection for her throughout the selection process and journey here,

They certainly wouldn’t feel the need to comment on the officially recognized relationship between Shizu and me.

This sentiment was palpable in the casual conversation that Dan and Rufus started as soon as they sat down.

“Now that everyone’s seated, we can bring out the prepared food.”

My sister, looking satisfied as we all took our seats, raised her right hand and,

Snap!

Lightly snapped her fingers.

Though I described it as “light,” the clear sound that rang out was powerful enough to instantly quiet the bustling voices of people all around.

It was a signal.

A signal announcing the start of the dinner gathering.

Proving this was indeed a signal, as the clear sound of my sister’s finger snap echoed through the room,

I could see the movements of the staff in the kitchen and throughout the establishment quickening as they attended to numerous guests.

“Usually on payday, I bring my subordinates here for modest gatherings, but today I asked for their understanding so we could enjoy this together, so don’t feel burdened.”

Perhaps feeling the satisfaction of ending a hard day more keenly than the rest of us who had just returned from outdoor activities,

My sister’s expression, as she slowly began speaking, showed a moderate level of both drowsiness and gentleness.

Seeing that expression brought me some relief.

It made me feel that the day had truly ended safely.

Even in a place so full of vitality that the boisterous voices could be heard outside the building,

The essence of this place was one where people had to face off against magical beasts that could take their lives at any moment.

Those people speaking with such energy must actually be afraid.

Especially after witnessing today’s invasion of the undead legion.

That’s why their voices seemed particularly loud today.

Even if a legion armed with overwhelming malice were to cross over and point spears at them,

—Today’s toast is this: Let’s protect!

Just like the toast coming from beyond, to protect the families and loved ones behind them,

They would overcome their fear and fight with swords in hand.

…And I too will protect.

I will do my best within my reach to fix a broken life and world caused by wrong choices.

And at the closest point within my reach…

“I wonder what the food here will be like.”

You will always be there, speaking with a voice full of anticipation as you watch the busy staff.

#

It didn’t take long to reach The Adler,

Nor did it take long to find where my sister and Shizu were after entering,

But the food for our gathering was brought out even faster once we sat down.

This was because the staff diligently brought out the dishes as soon as my sister confirmed we were all seated and lightly snapped her fingers.

As if they had been waiting for her signal.

So what kind of food did this fortress’s finest restaurant provide us?

It might seem ordinary at first glance,

But considering this was the northern region where not even a blade of grass grows,

These dishes were more precious than any feast one might taste elsewhere.

The first dish brought out was barbecue-style meat, cooked as a large chunk, though I wasn’t sure exactly how it was prepared.

The heat had penetrated evenly to the core, as evidenced by the steam that still hadn’t dissipated despite being on the table for some time.

Judging by its size and fatty state, it appeared to be beef, specifically brisket.

It was clearly a well-prepared dish, with appropriate spices added after cooking to maximize flavor and aroma.

If conditions were favorable, the hunters affiliated with this place could have brought deer or other game animals hunted alongside knights, but that didn’t seem to be the case today.

Well, whether it’s deer or beef, what does it matter?

As long as it tastes good.

Following the barbecue, another dish that commanded presence on the table was a platter full of fried food.

It contained potatoes with thick fritter-style batter fried at high temperature, along with leftover barbecue meat scraps that had also been fried.

This was a familiar dish.

The only difference was in the ingredients.

It was one of the signature fried dishes that The Adler’s head chef confidently served to many visitors.

These masterpiece-worthy main dishes were the first to be placed on our table.

The head chef of The Adler handed us the dishes with a warm smile, telling us to enjoy them slowly before they cooled, then quickly returned to the kitchen, showing only his back.

Just as I was about to examine the meat dishes on the table again, more food was quickly placed before us.

In a place like this, which was practically a battlefield where people would be grateful to eat even salted meat, let alone fresh meat, these dishes alone could rightfully be called a feast.

But the attention of everyone except my sister, who had lived here for a long time, was drawn to what came next.

What did they see?

It was a plate of salad made with various vegetables—which, considering the season and barren soil of this place, made one wonder how they were obtained.

I knew well the process these vegetables went through to reach this table,

But the rest of the group, who looked at the salad plate with surprise and admiration, wouldn’t know how it was prepared.

“The salad is made with vegetables harvested from experimental cultivation fields in the fortress. In a way, it’s even more precious than the main meat dishes.”

Reading the expressions of the group looking at the plate, my sister explained how the salad was made with cultivated vegetables, and,

“It must be more expensive than meat.”

“Not quite that much, but it is rare.”

After hearing Shizu’s brief exclamation, my sister corrected this simple fact, then looked around at us and slowly opened her mouth.

“What do you think of the food that’s been served?”

The answer to this simple question about our impressions came from…

“I’ve heard at home that supply conditions have improved considerably lately, but I didn’t expect them to be this good.”

It came from Rufus’s mouth.

The food supplies and various provisions entering Knight Haven are largely supplied from the Margrave’s territory.

The supplies from the Margrave’s territory are loaded onto magical trains, and when they arrive at the nearest station, the transport unit from Knight Haven receives and brings them to the fortress.

Just hearing this might make it sound like the Margrave’s side manages all the resources for this fortress,

But that’s only half true.

To be precise,

The costs needed to procure the supplies are covered by the Imperial family and noble houses,

And the Margrave’s side, receiving this economic support, prepares and supplies appropriate goods.

So the entire ruling class of the Empire is involved in supporting this fortress.

Of course, it goes without saying that the Margrave’s side pays the most attention to managing this place.

If any problems arise in Knight Haven, the next place to feel the impact is the Margrave’s territory below it,

So historically, the Empire’s Margraves have never neglected to support the northern region with supplies and troops, no matter what.

As I was lost in these thoughts while looking at the food, I heard the sound of alcoholic beverages and glasses being carefully placed on our table.

“Here we are! Your ordered drinks have arrived. I see some unfamiliar faces—did the Vice Commander bring them, by chance?”

It was quite a familiar voice.

A voice I had heard to the point of saturation during my time in the previous timeline.

“Yes, they’re all like my adorable juniors. Thanks for bringing these. You can go now.”

My sister handed an Imperial gold coin from her pocket to the waitress who had brought the glasses and drinks.

“Oh my! I should be thanking you. Enjoy your meal.”

The waitress skillfully received the gold coin, smiled brightly as she greeted my sister, then quickly walked away from our table to take other orders.

I slightly turned my head to observe the retreating figure of the waitress.

Indeed, not just her voice but her appearance was quite familiar.

I had seen her in the previous timeline, but since this was now the past, she was younger than when I had seen her then.

As I finished my observation and was about to eat,

Strangely, I felt an odd sense of discomfort from the waitress’s retreating figure.

What was it? What exactly was I seeing in that woman that gave me this feeling of discomfort?

As I tilted my head, trying to identify the source of this discomfort in my mind,

“…Cal?”

….

Before I could identify it, a quiet voice suddenly reached my ears… but it was cold enough to evoke the image of a blizzard that hits this place during bad weather.

…What?

Feeling puzzled, I turned my head toward the source of the voice.

“…”

Shizu was staring at me intently, her lips smiling but her eyes showing not the slightest hint of amusement.

“What were you looking at?”

A very simple question asking what I had been looking at.

But it was delivered with such intensity that it seemed she might pour the strong liquor on the table into my nose depending on my answer.

I was about to identify the source of my discomfort, only to find myself in danger of facing her wrath.

[You fool.]

Paphnir’s words seem right.

To be caught looking elsewhere in front of my fiancée while trying to recall memories from before my regression.

“Pfft!”

This scene must have been quite absurd, as my sister, who was about to take a drink, let out a light laugh, and,

“Where else would he look if not at you? Let’s just eat.”

Excel dismissed it as if it were nothing, despite my expression of strange discomfort.

“…”

Though her expression was less fierce than before, she was still pouting slightly with puffed cheeks.

Seeing her angry like this, I only thought that I should appease her quickly.

Otherwise, I’d be in for a tiring few days—and with this thought, my mind no longer had room to recall the distant waitress.