“It’s a pleasure to be in your presence once again, Princess Flora. Lady Roanna and Sir Hiroaki, too.” Rio placed his right hand over his chest and bowed his head respectfully.
“Yo, I heard about the mess you had to deal with,” Hiroaki said to Rio.
“Not at all, everything was resolved without any issues in particular,” Rio replied with a strained smile.
“Really. Well, sit down then,” Hiroaki invited Rio to sit as though it was his own house.
“Yes, please have a seat. Sir Haruto, Duke Huguenot,” Liselotte urged.
“Then I shall intrude on your table.” Duke Huguenot showed no sign of hesitation as he calmly lowered himself into a seat.
“This way, Sir Haruto.” Aria selected a seat for Rio and pulled it out quietly in invitation.
“...Then, excuse me.” Rio sat down nervously; Flora was seated right next to him.
“Umm, I know we’re all seated already, but is it okay for us to join you too?” Flora asked, peering up at Rio’s face beside her.
“I believe that, if anything, I should be the one asking if I may be here with everyone else?” Rio thought he’d be having lunch with only Liselotte and Duke Huguenot, so he was taken aback. Incidentally, Liselotte hadn’t known Flora and the others were inside the room until she entered herself, but had arranged for her attendants to prepare in advance either way, so she wasn’t particularly surprised.
“Eh, I’m sure it’s fine. This is a gathering of appreciation for you, after all. Having a meal with a hero and princess is a rare experience. Feel privileged, yeah?” Hiroaki huffed with a smug look.
Despite Rio being the main focus of the gathering, Hiroaki was acting like he was the master of the house. That being said, he was the hero on par with a servant of god, so it was endearing in a way.
“Yes, it’s an honor,” Rio agreed amicably.
“It isn’t meant to be a formal event, so please relax and enjoy yourself. The highest quality foods have been prepared for today,” Liselotte said somewhat apologetically. Even though she’d set up the event to show appreciation, Rio was being made to accommodate others even now.
Rio put on a sociable smile and thanked her cheerfully. “Thank you for your consideration.”
◇ ◇ ◇
Afterwards, Liselotte’s attendants carried the dishes in and the group promptly began their lunch party. Because it wasn’t a formal event, the meal wasn’t served in full-course style, but rather all brought out at once and laid out on the table like a feast. If anyone wanted a second serving of something they liked, they would ask the attendants to serve some for them.
The seating order was also informal. Hiroaki took up camp at the end seat, with Roanna seated beside him and Flora seated opposite. Beside Flora sat Rio, and next to Rio was Liselotte, whereas Duke Huguenot was seated opposite to Liselotte.
“The meat is top grade, as usual. I can tell it has been grilled properly as well. The chefs at Liselotte’s mansion sure know their stuff,” Hiroaki said with a satisfied expression, cheeks stuffed with steak.
“I am much obliged,” Liselotte said with a smile.
“But... eating good meat always makes me want rice too,” Hiroaki sighed quietly.
“I’ve actually used my connections with the Ricca Guild to prepare some rice...” Liselotte said, her expression somehow not looking too pleasant.
“What, really?” Hiroaki asked, showing a strong interest.
“Yes. You previously expressed your desire to eat rice, so I had some prepared exactly as the hero described. Aria—” Liselotte said, calling out to Aria, who was waiting in the room.
“Yes, my lady.” Aria nodded quietly, moving to stand before a small pot left on the waiter’s table. She served a small amount of rice onto a plate and carried it over to Hiroaki.
“This rice is supposed to be eaten as porridge, like threshed wheat. It’s only cultivated in certain parts of Strahl and not particularly favoured by royalty or nobility, so I’m sure it must be the first time some of you may be seeing it,” Liselotte said, addressing everyone seated at the table.
In Strahl, it was common for grains other than rice to be used for porridge, but porridge itself was looked down upon by the noble class as something for the lower classes to eat. It would normally be impolite to bring that ingredient to the dining table of royalty and nobility, but it was a different story if Hiroaki, the hero, desired it.
“So this is the rice that Sir Hiroaki often spoke of...” Flora looked at the plate before gazing at Hiroaki with curiosity.
There was rice in Strahl, too? Rio’s eyes widened at that fact.
“Haha, I see. Well, I guess I could give it a try.” Hiroaki picked up his fork and scooped some rice, staring at it with a grin on his face before carrying it to his mouth.
“...Is it to your liking?” Liselotte asked quietly.
“Ah, this is definitely rice. It’s rice, but not the rice I want.” Hiroaki shook his head in disappointment.
“So, it isn’t satisfactory after all,” Liselotte said with a wry smile, as though she expected that reaction.
“...What do you mean?” Flora asked curiously, cocking her head.
“It’s dry and the rice grains don’t stick to each other at all. To put it simply... it’s bad. It’s not the type of grain that should be cooked and eaten in this way to begin with. Though it probably tastes good if you make it into porridge and season it...” Hiroaki explained in Liselotte’s place.
“I agree. That’s why I had my chefs experiment and make something delicious to eat. Would you like to give their cooking a try?” Liselotte immediately suggested to Hiroaki.
Interest piqued, Hiroaki nodded heartily. “Oh? You sure are well prepared. As expected of you. Sure, bring it out.”
“Then, Aria. Please prepare enough for everyone.”
“Yes, my lady,” Aria agreed respectfully and began serving with the other attendant girls. Before long, two plates appeared before Rio. One had regular white rice, while the other one had the risotto.
“Everyone, please feel free to try and compare the differences between two types of cooked rice,” Liselotte stated cheerfully.
“What an interesting idea... I shall give it a try. Hmm...” Duke Huguenot said, starting with the white rice.
Meanwhile, Hiroaki had already eaten the risotto. “It’s great! It’s just like cheese risotto!” he said happily.
“Thank you. I see Sir Hiroaki knows about this dish, then. As you can see, it uses cheese. Did you say it was called risotto?” Liselotte asked curiously while smiling.
“Yeah, it’s the name of a similar food in my world. It was prepared in a different way compared to porridge, right?” Hiroaki nodded, confirming with a knowing look.
“Yes, it is as you discerned. The name of the food hasn’t been decided yet, so we will take this chance to name it after your risotto,” Liselotte said with a grin.
“Sure, I don’t mind.” Hiroaki nodded contently.
...This hero, does he not realize that Liselotte could have recreated this risotto using Earth knowledge? Rio doubted in his head. However, at present, he had no reason to interrupt and ask, and was content to observe quietly without overstepping.
Flora also took a bite of the risotto and offered her thoughts with a beaming smile. “This... risotto, was it? It’s very delicious.”
“Yes, I’m surprised.” It seemed like Roanna was also pleased with the taste. Duke Huguenot was also smacking his lips in awe.
“My compliments to the chef. To think a grain food could taste this good...”
“I am pleased to see it was to your liking.” Liselotte accepted their reactions happily, before turning to ask Rio who had just taken a bite of his risotto too. “What did you think, Sir Haruto?”
“It’s wonderful. I never imagined I’d be eating rice again,” Rio said with a smile. Liselotte looked at him, surprised.
“...Is it possible that you’ve eaten rice before, Sir Haruto?”
“Yes, actually. During my travels across various lands.” Rio disclosed just enough information that was within the truth. In actuality, he ate rice on a daily basis and often made risotto to eat, too, but decided against saying that out loud.
“Umm, how old were you when you started your journey, Sir Haruto?” Flora asked nervously, interested in Rio’s travels.
“...I was eleven years old.” Rio answered with the same number he gave Aria before, staggering the year he began his journey by one year. Rio had fled from the kingdom of Beltrum when he was in his sixth year of the Royal Academy, so he was actually twelve.
“Eleven...” Flora muttered quietly, seemingly frustrated.
Hiroaki narrowed his eyes at Flora’s expression. “Come to think of it, how old are you?” he asked Rio.
“I am sixteen.”
“Oh. So, the same age as Roanna... And one year older than Flora and Liselotte. But how did you travel from such a young age? In this world, you have to walk everywhere if you’re not a noble. Well... I guess it’s possible this has something to do with your parents?”
“No, both my parents died before I started my journey. I mostly traveled alone, but I did travel with others for part of the way.”
“Ah, I see. So your parents have passed already. Sorry for asking about that.” Even Hiroaki was able to sense the mood and scratched his head awkwardly.
“No, don’t let it bother you.” Rio shook his head with a smile.
However, Flora pushed further in questioning Rio. “Umm, then why did you choose to travel alone, Sir Haruto? Didn’t you have somewhere you were living before?”
At that, Liselotte, Roanna, and Duke Huguenot all widened their eyes in curiosity, finding it to be an assertive stance for Flora.
With a pensive look, Rio searched for the right words. “Actually, I was searching for a person connected to my deceased parents. My parents were nomads to begin with, so they barely had any acquaintances in the area, and weren’t very attached to the land, either.”
“...Then where did you live originally?” Flora asked further. Her posture had completely turned to face Rio beside her, staring at his face closely.
“Hey, now. Flora. Aren’t you prying into his past a little bit too much now?” Unable to continue to simply watch, Hiroaki admonished Flora.
Flora gasped as she came to her senses. “Ah, no... umm. That’s not what I intended... Please forgive me!” she apologized to Rio in a panic.
In order to avoid making Flora feel bad, Rio shook his head with a friendly smile. “No, don’t worry about it. If anything, I’m sorry for not having anything more interesting to say.”
“No, no — your story was of great interest to me. But setting the past aside, do you plan on ever settling somewhere eventually?” Duke Huguenot shifted the focus of the questions from Rio’s past to his future.
“That’s a good point. I’m still in the middle of my journey, so I’m not sure yet.” Rio dodged the question with a forced smile on his face.
“Hahaha. In that case, feel free to place the Kingdom of Beltrum in your sights as a place of permanent residency. With your sword skills, I’d hire you on good terms.” Duke Huguenot tried to scout Rio with determination, all while wearing a bright smile.
“Oh, my. If we’re talking about a swordsman of Sir Haruto’s level, I’d like to put my name out there, too.” Liselotte kept Duke Huguenot in check immediately.
“My my, it seems a rival has appeared already.”
“Fufu, but of course. I won’t let you get the lead right in front of my eyes.”
“Hahaha. We cannot remain in Amande forever, after all. We’re always in need of talented people, so being able to meet someone like this is a valuable opportunity. I must make the most of it,” Duke Huguenot said pleasantly, looking at Rio.
“...I am grateful for the offer. If fate ever leads me there, I will rely on you at that time,” Rio said, giving a diplomatic and safe reply.
“Hmm. Seriously speaking, we would be able to provide somewhere for you to use your sword skills as much as you want. And a career path upwards, too. Feel free to consider it as one of your options in life.” Duke Huguenot didn’t seem to have any intentions of allowing the conversation to end with lip service, appealing rather enthusiastically. However, he didn’t try to step forward too forcefully, wary of the trouble that Stewart and Alphonse had caused earlier.
“I will also be willing to welcome you at any time,” Liselotte reminded Rio casually.
“Wow, look who’s the talk of the town. Is this the birth of a new hero?” Hiroaki said, putting a damper on things.
“No, that would be out of the question. I would be no match for a real hero like you. The legend speaks of the ability to wipe out armies of monsters in a single blow, after all. If that were true, taking out a mere handful of minotaurs would be laughable in comparison,” Rio denied rather exaggeratedly, while also flattering Hiroaki for being a hero in the process.
“Ah, well. No matter how much effort you put in, real heroes have a status and power limited to only them. The wall that a fake could never surpass, or so they say. But if you’re aware of that, then maybe you might make it somewhere too.” Hiroaki smiled, now in a good mood.
“That’s very kind of you to say.” Rio bowed his head respectfully.
Meanwhile, Liselotte was watching Hiroaki with a worried face. “Oh, speaking of heroes. How much have you heard about the heroes being summoned all over the land, Sir Haruto?”
“Let me think... I’ve heard that the areas where pillars of light appeared were where the heroes were summoned. The rumors said that a hero appeared in the kingdom of Galarc too...” Rio took the opportunity to ask about the Galarc Kingdom hero. Finding more information about the Galarc Kingdom hero was one of his goals for getting close to Liselotte, so he was quite grateful for the topic at hand being brought up.
“The castle technically hasn’t released any information to the townspeople yet, but it’s hard to hide pillars that rose up so conspicuously,” Liselotte said with a strained smile.
“Ah, they said they would introduce her officially at the evening party, didn’t they? The female hero of Galarc.” Hiroaki said, sighing tiredly.
“An evening party... and a lady?” Rio asked hesitantly, stifling his overeager emotions.
“Yes, Lady Satsuki Sumeragi. That’s the name of the hero summoned in our kingdom.”
Sure enough, the woman was of the same name and gender as the person Rio was searching for.
“Lady Satsuki Sumeragi...” It couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. Rio was certain that the hero summoned in the Galarc Kingdom was Miharu’s upperclassman. Obtaining this information alone had made getting so close to Liselotte worth it.
“Actually, Sir Hiroaki is also set to attend that party. We also plan on unveiling him there,” Duke Huguenot said while looking at Hiroaki.
“Well, I’m not a big fan of being put on stage, but I guess this is another part of being a hero.” Contrary to his words, Hiroaki shrugged with a smile that didn’t seem all that displeased.
“...It sounds like quite the high-class event.” Rio said, eyes wide.
“Actually, there are rumors the hero summoned in the Kingdom of Centostella will also be in attendance. It’s not confirmed, though, and the hero’s name is also hidden still,” Duke Huguenot said.
“Oh my...” Rio uttered in interest.
Finally, a big leap in progress. I can tell Miharu and the others the good news too.
He sighed in relief at the situation finally taking a turn for the better.
Interlude: A Day in the Life of Miharu
Meanwhile, in the spirit folk village, Miharu was working hard at spirit art drills with Aki, under the guidance of Orphia.
“Hmph...” Aki groaned as she held her hand out in the empty space before her. Miharu also had her hand out before her, a water bubble several centimeters in diameter floating on her palm.
“That�
�s amazing, Miharu. Both your spirit art activation time and the size of the bubble has visibly developed in these last few days!” Orphia said, her eyes widening when she saw Miharu’s improvement.
“Thank you. I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. It’s all thanks to you, Orphia,” Miharu replied bashfully. She concentrated once again, turning her focus back to the use of spirit arts.
Aki stared at Miharu closely. “...I wonder what the difference is between Miharu and me. Is it really talent after all?” she murmured, frowning in disappointment. The more days went by, the greater the gap between her and Miharu grew, which probably made her feel impatient. While Aki’s murmurs didn’t reach Miharu in her concentration, they definitely reached Orphia’s ears.
Miharu’s talent is wonderful, of course, but... Orphia looked at Aki’s face before staring at Miharu’s serious side profile. While Orphia had no experience teaching spirit arts to a human outside of her experience with Rio, it was obvious that Miharu’s talent in spirit arts was clearly at an abnormal level.
That being said, Rio was a particularly unique exception for a human, and there was still the question of whether to group Miharu and the others as humans of this world when they had come from Earth. The only thing that was certain was that not only Miharu, but Aki and Masato too, were acquiring spirit arts at an incredible speed compared to the humans of this world. It was why Orphia repeatedly reminded Aki that there was no need for her to feel dejected. Unfortunately, it seemed there was no way to stop Miharu’s overwhelmingly rapid progress from making her feel inferior. Aki found herself feeling hopeless on occasion.
I wonder what the difference is between Miharu and Aki? Is it really just talent in the end? I don’t want to brush it off with that one excuse. The one who’s been working the hardest with her more mature age has been Miharu, after all. She’s concentrating really hard right now, too...
Miharu’s expression was the portrait of determination. Orphia also knew that Miharu had been tirelessly working away outside of their practice hours, too.
Daybreak Rondo Page 10