Chapter 168: Presentation, Part 1

The bathhouse had been completed, and once the minor adjustments were finished, it was finally time for the presentation.

After consulting Grandpa, Father, and Serie, we decided to begin by inviting Count Sandra’s family, with whom we shared a close relationship.

“Grandfather, when will Count Sandra be coming?”

“I intend to have them visit from the morning on the next Dark Day.”

“Then shall the men use the bath in the morning and the women in the afternoon?”

“Yes. Please arrange it that way.”

“As for explaining how to bathe, will you and I handle the men while Marl and Mother handle the women?”

“Hmm. Marl is Elphas’s fiancée, so there is no problem there, but Rafina… It cannot be helped.”

“Then I’ll prepare everything accordingly.”

I was about to leave the office when Grandpa assigned me even more work.

“We will also provide lunch and dinner. For both meals, prepare one or two of your dishes and a dessert.”

Heeeey! Dark Day was only three days away…

Three or four dishes between lunch and dinner, plus two different desserts… Wasn’t that impossible?

When he saw the sour look on my face, Grandpa continued.

“I will warn Lord Sandra beforehand, so serve frankfurters as one of the dishes.”

“…Understood.”

That left two or three more dishes.

One of the desserts could be pudding, which meant I needed one other dessert.

If ground meat was acceptable, then hamburg steak… and perhaps something fried…

For lunch, I would make hamburg steak as the main dish with something fried on the side, followed by a refreshing sorbet.

For dinner, perhaps frankfurters and fried chicken, with pudding for dessert.

A simmered dish would have worked too, but I still didn’t properly understand what ingredients were available.

I knew I could make cutlets in the worst case, and poultry definitely existed.

Everything would be rather heavy, but I would blame Grandpa for dropping this on me without warning.

I left the office immediately and headed to the kitchen.

When I relayed Grandpa’s instructions to the head chef, the man was delighted that he would get to watch me cook… I couldn’t understand why.

I asked him to arrange the ingredients and tools I would need.

The morning of Dark Day—

Count Sandra’s family would arrive in the morning, so we were waiting outside the mansion entrance.

After a while, we heard several carriages approaching. They stopped in front of the mansion.

There were three carriages in total.

Count Sandra, his first wife, Olivia, and a boy about Clara’s age—probably Olivia’s younger brother—stepped down from the first.

A woman who was presumably the second wife emerged from the next carriage. She had dark skin like Louis and fiery red hair.

She was about one hundred fifty-five sends tall and shorter than I was, but her eyes possessed a sharpness that gave her the bearing of a first-rate warrior.

Even though the greetings had not begun, she walked straight to Mother, and the two started directing killing intent at one another…

What were these women doing?

“So you’re the Ice Witch…”

“And you must be Crimson Blood?”

“That’s right. I hear my Louisbell has been in your care…”

“Oh? It seems my Aldo has been in yours as well.”

“You taught him mana control, magic, and even physical enhancement, didn’t you?”

“He is an outside disciple. I had little time, so I taught him only the bare minimum.”

“Even so, he became unrecognizably stronger. Now I can train him personally. Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome. I hope he and my son remain good friends.”

Why were they radiating killing intent?

What part of that conversation required killing intent?

Everyone else stared at the two mysterious women in exasperation.

“Mother, please suppress your killing intent. We’re the hosts today. In the worst case, you’ll embarrass Grandfather.”

When I reprimanded the Ice Witch, Crimson Blood turned her killing intent on me instead.

The sudden attack surprised me, and I reflexively returned it…

Count Sandra’s knights drew their swords. Mother clung to me and restrained my movements.

Crimson Blood, whom I’d struck with killing intent, poured sweat like a waterfall and leaped about two medes backward.

“My apologies… You directed killing intent at me, and I reacted without thinking…”

I immediately apologized with a noble’s formal bow.

“Don’t worry about it, Aldo. This is what happens when she throws killing intent at everyone she meets. Of course that would happen if she tried it on a Dragon Slayer.”

“Louis…”

Louis had climbed out of the carriage and was criticizing his own mother, Crimson Blood.

“Louisbell. This boy is Aldo?”

“Yeah. Mother, if you don’t learn to control your killing intent, don’t blame me if Aldo gets serious one day.”

Crimson Blood looked at me, widened her eyes for an instant, then erased her killing intent.

I wanted to introduce myself, but Grandpa and Count Sandra had not exchanged greetings yet.

I promptly returned to the Blue Ring family’s line as though nothing had happened.

Grandpa and Count Sandra began greeting each other with matching wry smiles.

“Lord Sandra, I am deeply grateful that you came today.”

“Likewise, Lord Blue Ring. Forgive me for making such an unreasonable request. Olivia and Louisbell have praised the bath so highly that I very much wished to experience it.”

Despite the needless trouble, the bathhouse presentation began in a peaceful atmosphere.

The morning belonged to the men.

Grandpa, Count Sandra, Louis, and I entered together.

Olivia’s younger brother was only five, so he would bathe with his mother, the first wife.

“First, remove your clothes here and place them in the baskets. While you’re bathing, the maids will put out fresh clothes for you.”

Grandpa and Louis barely listened to my explanation before stripping off their clothes.

Only Count Sandra seemed slightly embarrassed by the unfamiliar situation.

An old man’s embarrassment… Who exactly wanted to see that?

From there, I had them experience everything.

I wanted to sell as many features as possible, so it would be helpful if they bought the entire set.

Louis enjoyed the jet bath and the open-air bath, but the sauna didn’t seem to appeal to him.

Count Sandra, by contrast, liked the jet bath and sauna but seemed unable to relax in the open-air bath.

When I explained that an open-air bath was best on a winter night, he asked Louis and Grandpa what they thought of bathing outside in winter. He did appear interested.

Once my explanation was complete, I let everyone use whichever bath they preferred.

We spent about an hour in total.

Louis and Count Sandra both seemed satisfied, and we left the bathhouse.

When we returned to the changing room, fresh robes had been prepared, along with milk.

After everyone dried themselves and changed, I handed out ice-cold milk.

Milk after working up a sweat was delicious beyond words.

All four of us, myself included, returned to the mansion looking thoroughly satisfied.

It was eleven o’clock.

Straight from the bathhouse, I ran to the kitchen.

Regarding Grandpa’s unreasonable demand, I’d decided to make hamburg steak and fried shrimp for lunch.

They were classics from a children’s lunch plate.

I’d completed the preparations yesterday and already made mayonnaise, so I used boiled eggs and onions to prepare tartar sauce.

Honestly, cooking for seventeen people—eight from the Blue Ring family, six from the Sandra family, and three elven guests—left me desperately short on time.

I was truly glad I’d prepared the hamburg steaks so they only needed grilling and the shrimp so they only needed frying.

I would barely make it.

I prepared a Japanese-style sauce for the hamburg steaks because that was what I preferred.

Soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar formed the base. Once I added grated daikon, it was finished.

There was also a fruit similar to yuzu, so I used a little to add fragrance.

Wearing a white cook’s coat, I followed the maids carrying the food, with the head chef beside me.

The Blue Ring and Sandra families sat facing one another across the large table.

I felt a little bad for the elves, but their group occupied the lowest seats.

As the Blue Ring maids arranged the food, the head chef and I explained each dish.

“One of today’s dishes is called hamburg steak, and its ingredients include scraps of meat. However, these are not scraps scraped from bones. We deliberately minced the finest meat until it resembled scraps. I believe it will suit your tastes, and I hope you will enjoy it as a new cooking method.”

Count Sandra, who had been warned beforehand, nodded with a smile.

Olivia, Louis, Olivia’s younger brother, and the second wife all looked at the hamburg steak with interest.

Only the first wife appeared uneasy.

“Then let us eat.”

At Grandpa’s words, everyone began at once.

“Delicious… Al, you’ve been hiding a dish like this?”

“Delicious… Master, you should make Aldo cook more often.”

“You’re right. Perhaps we’ll have him prepare all three meals every day.”

“Yes.”

Master and disciple were saying terrifying things.

“Delicious…”

“It is. Marl, would you like my hamburg steak as well?”

“Then I’ll give you my fried shrimp, Elphas.”

Those two had started flirting everywhere lately…

Clara, Faristea, Yuri, and Instructor Anna simply ate while repeating, “Delicious, delicious.”

The second wife ate with impeccable manners, but at an astonishing pace…

At that rate, her plate would be empty immediately.

“Olivia, instead of capturing his stomach, aren’t you going to have yours captured?”

“Be quiet, Louis.”

“Yes, yes…”

“But this is something I truly need to consider…”

Olivia and Louis were the same as always.

The first wife had taken her first bite timidly, but afterward she smiled and enjoyed the meal with her son.

Finally, there were Grandpa and Count Sandra.

Count Sandra brought a fried shrimp to his mouth and thought about something. Then he ate some hamburg steak and again appeared deep in thought.

“Lord Sandra, does the food not suit you?”

“Ah, no. It is extremely delicious.”

“I am glad.”

“Something has been on my mind… Aldo made these dishes, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I also heard that Aldo made the bath.”

“Aldo contributed the ideas, certainly…”

“…I see. And recently, he even defeated an Earth Dragon…”

“…Yes.”

“Aldo is almost as if he were loved by the spirits themselves.”

“…”

“If possible, the Sandra family would also like to form a bond with him.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I had thought to raise the matter privately later, but… Would Aldo take Olivia as his wife?”

“That is… Aldo, Lord Sandra has made his proposal. What do you think?”

Grandpa threw the question at me…

Heeeey! You ran away from it, didn’t you, Grandpa?!

“I am already engaged to Ashera. Furthermore, when I turn fifteen, I intend to remove myself from the nobility. I am honored by your words, but Lady Olivia is far too good for me…”

Only Ashera, El, and Marl knew of my intention to leave the nobility at fifteen.

Grandpa, Father, and even Mother stared at me in surprise.

“Aldo intends to leave the nobility…?”

“Yes. That being the case, supporting Ashera alone will be all I can manage.”

“Then would you consider coming to the Sandra territory? Whether as a knight, a magical-tool craftsman, or an adventurer, I will provide whatever occupation and position you desire.”

“…Why do you value me so highly?”

“I may not look it, but I am the head of a noble house. If a hero stands before me, I do not hesitate to bring him into my fold.”

“…I am no hero. You overestimate me.”

“Do I? For now, let us leave it at that. However, even if you leave the nobility, my wish that you marry Olivia will not change.”

“…”

Count Sandra broke eye contact with me and faced Grandpa once more.

“Forgive me for speaking so selfishly.”

“No…”

“If Aldo agrees, would you permit his marriage to Olivia?”

“If Aldo agrees… then it is not a matter in which this old man should interfere.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

And so, lunch drew to a close.

Afterward, I watched Ashera, Olivia, and Marl talking together happily and began to wonder whether I truly had any choice in the matter.