Chapter 82

The party, which begins on the second day of the new year, lasts for three days.

The first party is for children who are making their debut, with them as the main guests.

The second day is a party centered around high-ranking nobles.

The third day is a party for selected low-ranking nobles and major merchants.

Few parents accompany their children, who are still tense and tired from their debut, and the amount and variety of alcohol increase from the second day.

What I'm trying to say is that the adults, who had restrained themselves during the New Year to set an example for the debutante children, were quite unruly once they were free from that restraint.

Especially on the third day, the party is for low-ranking nobles, who, despite being nobles, are ultimately just that.

Many of them can only enter the castle once a year for this party.

There are even low-ranking nobles who live far from the capital and, due to distance and budget, only attend the party for the first time after being a noble for many years.

They dress up excessively, looking like clowns.

To hide the darkness and roughness of their skin, which they never cared about in their daily lives, they apply thicker makeup.

Tension and excitement in the castle lead to an increase in alcohol consumption.

As a result, the drunkenness and the subsequent misbehavior are quite severe.

Some high-ranking nobles secretly attending the party discard their wigs and try to flirt with young nobles they fancy, only to have the young men escape naked.

Low-ranking nobles who are enemies get along and loudly complain about their high-ranking superiors.

The gossip among the ladies is no longer hidden.

The merchants allowed to attend the party for the major merchants collect information without missing a beat.

For Arschtein, who is forced to attend as the host, there are many drunk young ladies who try to approach him.

Occasionally, someone tries to capture me, bounces off my barrier, and gets angry a few times.

Finally, this chaotic party is ending today.

Good morning.

I'm feeling quite drained after the intense three days.

The nobles who attended the party will have a two-day break before hosting or being invited to parties at their own homes.

The reason for the two-day break is to send letters and gifts to make up for their misbehavior at the castle party, and to gather information on who did what before making the final preparations for their own parties.

A considerable amount of apology letters and gifts have been delivered to the castle.

I also received gifts from the nobles who failed to capture me.

They were all sweets, and I couldn't eat any of them!

When I shared them with the maids, they were very grateful.

At Arschtein's place, I received embroidered handkerchiefs and letters from debutantes, which seemed more about getting closer than apologizing.

The tired Arschtein and his assistant went to the knight training that resumed today.

It's a good way to release stress!

I went to the head chef to discuss something with Shell.

"Chef, I have something to discuss!"

"Hey, Lord Kaito, what is it this time? Another new dish?"

The muscular chef approaches with a smile.

If I were a real child, I might cry, I thought.

"I got some new seasonings, and I want you to taste them."

"Hmm, new seasonings, do you know how to use them, Lord Kaito?"

"I do, I've been looking for them for a long time!"

"Since you've been looking for them for a long time, I expect great things!"

He invites me into the kitchen.

"What should we do first?"

I requested something I've been wanting to eat for a long time.

"Grill some fish, and make some grated daikon!"

"Fish? Just grill it? Any kind of fish?"

"Any fish is fine, but grill it on a wire rack! And make some grated daikon!"

"Wire rack, got it. And grated daikon."

I laughed at the memory of the daikon being called "daikon" in this world. It was indeed huge.

The chef's thigh is thicker than a two-meter-tall person's leg!

The cooking progressed smoothly, and Shell and the other chefs were very interested.

The chef, while working, kept glancing over, and occasionally cut his finger.

Soon, the grilled fish with grated daikon was ready.

Fish is rarely served in the castle, as the meals are mostly bread and meat.

Fish is considered a food for commoners.

The capital is about three days from the sea, and without refrigeration, only river fish are available.

Still, the fish here is purely the chef's hobby.

"Here, Lord Kaito. Are you going to eat it as is? It's not seasoned."

"Ta-da! Soy sauce!"

I took out the soy sauce from my backpack and proudly showed it to the chef.

I poured it over the grated daikon and took a bite of the fish with the grated daikon.

"Delicious!"

As I savored the long-missed flavor, Shell was sniffing the air nearby.

I fed her some grated daikon and fish, and then did the same for the chef.

"Delicious!"

They both exclaimed at the same time.

"What is this, Lord Kaito? I'm not very good with fish, but this fish has no fishy smell, a fragrant and not too salty taste, and the grated daikon makes the fish even more refreshing! It's very delicious!"

"Wow, Lord Kaito! You've brought something amazing again! This seasoning can be used in any dish! Hahaha, this is interesting!"

They were both very excited.

I'm glad the soy sauce suits their taste!

"So, Lord Kaito, where did you get this?"

"From the prince of Amate."

"Amate? The island country?"

"Yes, the seasoning was given to me by the prince of Amate."

"Ah, I've heard that the main food in that country is fish and potatoes."

"Right, and when I meet the prince Susana next time, I want to make some fried chicken with soy sauce. I'll also get some rice, so would you like to come with me, Chef?"

"......I don't know what rice is, but this soy sauce does sound good with fried chicken. Alright, I'll go with you!"

"Great! I'll use the soy sauce for the fried chicken, so that's all for today!"

I poured a small amount of soy sauce into a small dish and left the kitchen.

Back in my room, I told Shell,

"Shell, let's write a letter."

She immediately brought out the letter set and asked,

"To whom are you writing a letter?"

"To Diggy."

"Ah, I see. To secure the sales route for the soy sauce! Impressive, Lord Kaito."

I was praised.

I'm planning to use connections to make it happen!

To the king and others, I'll say the chef is working hard!

After finishing the letter, Arschtein returned from training, and it was a good time for lunch.

From today, we will have breakfast and lunch separately.

Everyone is busy.

In the living room of Arschtein's room, Shell served me lunch, and we talked about the afternoon plans.

Arschtein, who has not much work to do right after the New Year, will do magic training. He's serious.

I'll join him since I'm free.

At the magic department's training ground, a few magic department staff were training, and we exchanged greetings and started our training.

The suspicious man Jandis, whom we often encounter here, was not present today.

He's a suspicious man in appearance, actions, and words, but he's the deputy director of the magic department, so he must be busy.

Arschtein and his assistant were practicing firing magic from magic swords, and I was defending with a barrier.

While dodging the counterattacks and firing more magic, I adjusted the strength of the double barrier.

I probably won't run out of magic power, but using the appropriate amount of magic is also part of the control training.

As I get used to it, the training becomes boring, so I do some side work inside the barrier.

I make the inner barrier semi-transparent so that it's blurry inside.

I'm mass-producing magic bags.

The magic bag is the most popular item in the country right now, and it's not for sale yet.

It's used as a reward for those who have made significant contributions.

A few staff members have learned to make them after Tailsmia, the director, successfully analyzed them, but there are still many failures, and stable mass production is not possible, so I'm helping.

The reward amount is quite high!

The capacity is not that large.

It can hold about five people like Ingrid.

Still, if sold in other countries, it would generate millions of dollars, which is quite significant.

So far, no one has sold the king's gift, showing their patriotism.

The bags are made by skilled craftsmen, and the royal crest is magically engraved inside, along with the date, recipient, and reason for the reward, making it difficult to sell.

Some nobles even show off the engraving by opening and closing the bag at parties.

Since I'm the only one who can stably mass-produce these magic bags, it's perfect for side work. It kills time and saves money!

They apparently want to use them as military equipment in the future, but I won't help with that.

After Arschtein sweated from the training, I was allowed to take a bath as well.

For dinner, everyone except Princess Cremone and Ingrid, who were at a party, ate together.

Without Princess Cremone, Anne-Lise tried to add more bread and meat before eating, but Queen Leotria reduced it by half.