Chapter 88: Good harvest?

“It’s mealtime. Let’s go.”

Two hours after arriving at Ishud’s childhood home, time flew by while exchanging various impressions, and it was soon dinner time.

(…T-Their gazes are really piercing…)

(Hmm… I somehow understand what they might be thinking…)

(…Should I seriously consider it?)

As they made their way to the dining hall where the Regula family members gathered, everyone they passed by… directed hopeful gazes towards Michela, Christille, and Ibuki.

“Hey, you guys. Those three are guests for now. Stop giving them weird looks.”

“““Y-Yes!!!”””

They weren’t angry.

Just exasperated. The attendants, remembering that these three were daughters of dukes and marquises, quickly returned to their duties.

“Geez, what are they expecting anyway?”

It’s not a cover-up for embarrassment.

Ishud doesn’t really hold such thoughts, nor is he even conscious of them.

So… he doesn’t tell the attendants not to expect such things.

It’s their personal freedom, but he thought that if they were to receive such gazes, the three would feel deeply about it.

“Alright, this is the dining hall. We’ll be eating here pretty much every day from now on, so remember it.”

“As they entered… a large amount of food was already placed on the tables.”

“Hey, glad you could make it. Ishud’s friends. Come on, take a seat and let’s eat.”

“T-Thank you!”

For Gulf, Ishud’s friend… that was undoubtedly true.

However, the fact that his friend’s father, the lord of the territory, a celestial figure to Gulf, remained unchanged, and he felt tension rising once again.

“Gulf, you don’t have to be so tense. Come on, let’s eat while it’s still warm.”

“Y-Yeah.”

On the table were a large number of dishes… and furthermore, additional dishes were being brought one after another.

“I heard a rumor, Ishud. Instead of participating in the Fierce Fighting Festival, you fought against the winners of each grade in a special match.”

“I thought it might be better than just participating normally. If you think about the purpose of my enrollment in the academy, that seemed like the best option. Plus, even with some restraint, it was reasonably enjoyable.”

“Hahaha!!! I see, I see. If you enjoyed it even with some restraint, then one can say the future of other regions looks bright. By the way… you with the bundled blonde hair, you’re the daughter of Alvaresia, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I am Christille Alvaresia, lord of the Regula Frontier.”

“Haha, don’t address me so formally. By the way, is he doing well?”

“He’s still moving his body at the training ground.”

“I see, I see… If he still has that spirit, it might be worth challenging him.”

The condescending attitude and words were evident.

Christille had no particular thoughts about it.

(Ishud said that his great grandfather is the kind of person you can’t kill even if you tried. Could this person be the same?)

Christille had a discerning eye to some extent.

Even without actually sparring, Christille immediately understood that Alba, the current head of Regula, possessed enough strength to look down on her own father.

“But still, Ishud bringing friends along…”

“Dad, what do you think of me?”

“I do think among the kids, you’re sociable. You’re good with words and can smooth over issues. That’s why you can easily crush the pride of those who unjustly come after you. So, I thought you wouldn’t make friends at the academy.”

“That’s harsh… but well, most of them are a hassle, so it’s not wrong for Dad to think that way.”

“For me, what surprised me the most was that you brought female friends.”

To the words of Valeria, Alba’s wife and the head of the household, Ishud visibly contorted his face.

“Mom, that’s enough. I’ve been hearing similar things from knights and attendants for so long.”

“Haha, is that so? I’m sorry about that. But you lack tact, don’t you? That’s why I thought even after enrolling in the academy, you wouldn’t have any encounters like that.”

Valeria, a formidable woman who had borne many children.

She had already surpassed fifty with Alba, but her beauty appeared to be in her thirties, and she still possessed strength greater than Ishudo’s.

While she had a gaze that could make ordinary men instinctively retreat, she wished for happiness for all her children.

The standards of happiness vary from person to person, but having a family is one form of happiness that she could speak confidently about from her own experience.

“Ugh… Haaah… Is that so? But, you know, the reason we became friends wasn’t because of anything I did. It all started because that busty… Michela Maxellan picked a fight with me.”

“Wa-wait a minute!!!”

As the chefs of the Regula family’s mansion served dishes that once again left an impact, the conversation suddenly shifted to her. She was caught by Ishud’s words and involuntarily stopped eating.

“That was all your fault!!!!”

“You idiot. That was just you going berserk on your own. The reason I had a meal with President Paisen was, uh… I forgot. Anyway, those two guys are to blame. If one of them hadn’t done something stupid to Gulf, I wouldn’t have had to fight since the first day of school.”

“W-well, that’s…”

“And then, President Paisen just paid the price they couldn’t afford. After that, you got jealous and went berserk on your own, and ended up losing easily, didn’t you?”

“…I-I’m terribly sorry.”

At Flaveld Academy, Christille is, in a sense, an untouchable presence.

There are no rules where ordinary students aren’t allowed to approach her.

However, those who dine with her or invite her on a date may attract the attention of her fans.

“Hahaha!!! To think there’s a kid who’s so eager to bite back at Ishud. Seems like Ishud’s generation has a lot of lively kids compared to my grandfather’s era.”

“…Indeed.”

Among those present, as well as the Gulf who had come to Ishud’s bait, there was another student on Ishud’s mind.

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