Chapter 28

"Wow, we had a great catch today, didn't we?"

"A bear was a big catch."

"Yeah, Vel's finishing blow was impressive."

"Hmph, I made sure not to damage the bear's gallbladder."

Before we knew it, the two beautiful girls we had rescued from the wolf pack had joined our party, and somehow I had become the leader of this new party.

I couldn't help but think that I had never even been a class representative in my previous life, but in practice, it turned out there wasn't much work to do.

After school, we moved to a distant hunting ground with fewer competitors, and I used my detection skills to find prey. I assigned simple tasks to the most suitable members and let them hunt, while for larger prey, we used the party's strengths to fight together.

At first, I felt a bit of unease about the two new members, but it seemed that the wolf pack incident was largely due to bad luck. Eina's spear skills were so good that she could kill a charging boar with one strike, and Louise had a special skill to approach enemies undetected, easily catching the elusive Holoholo bird, which even professional hunters found difficult.

With four of us moving together, we didn't panic even when attacked by a wolf pack or multiple bears, and it was efficient and profitable. Now, it had become the norm for us to go hunting together.

"Shall we have dinner at the Leafy Pavilion again today?"

"I wonder what the special menu is today?"

After selling our catch at the auction house and heading for dinner, a familiar homeroom teacher ran up to us from the nearby cram school building.

He was a mid-level staff member of the guild and had apparently been a very skilled adventurer in the past. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire due to an injury, but he still dedicated himself to guiding the next generation.

He was thirty-seven years old and had a wife and two daughters. He must have been struggling to support his family.

"Hey, you guys!"

"Mr. Zeckt, is there something you need?"

"Yes, I received this through the cram school."

The teacher held four envelopes, and when he opened the one addressed to me, it contained an invitation to a garden party.

"A garden party?"

"It's hosted by the Count of Brechleiter, so you must definitely attend."

"Understood."

Somehow, we ended up attending a garden party hosted by the Count of Brechleiter.

"But why am I invited to a garden party?"

"Maybe because Vel's family is a foster family of the Brechleiter family?"

On the morning of the third day off, the four of us were dressed up and headed to the venue of the garden party. Vel and I were in newly tailored noble attire, which cost two silver plates, or about 200,000 yen, making us half-tearful due to the sudden expense. Eina and Louise didn't need new dresses as they had them at home, but they still had to spend money on accessories and shoes, making them equally tearful.

The two were lamenting, "Our savings for new equipment..."

I couldn't help but think that since they were born as girls, they should be happy to dress up.

"Come to think of it, my family was a foster family of the Brechleiter family."

"Was...?"

"I had no connection with them at all..."

Because of that, I suffered a great misfortune, but even so, foster families are foster families, and it's hard to cut ties so easily, which is perhaps the sad reality of minor nobility.

However, when I recalled the past, I realized that my father and brothers had never participated in such garden parties or gatherings. In fact, I couldn't remember them ever leaving the territory. It made sense, as they would have to cross a mountain range to attend, but still...

"Count Brechleiter probably didn't want to burden the Baumwieser family with unnecessary expenses for such unimportant garden parties or gatherings."

I think Louise's guess was probably correct. But, I couldn't help but wonder if my father and brothers, who had the opportunity to build connections, were really fit to be nobles. Connections and networks are worth building over a lifetime.

That's what a half-senile company advisor used to say at morning meetings in my previous life.

"This time, Vel is staying in Breiburg, so I think it's a proxy attendance."

"Proxy, huh..."

I can't declare my renunciation of the Baumwieser family's inheritance rights until I come of age, so I am still technically a noble. El might be in a similar situation, and Eina and Louise are daughters of vassals.

Their excellent performance in the adventurer's preparatory school might be an opportunity for the Brechleiter family to secure them early.

Nobles are creatures who scheme behind the scenes. At least, that's my imagination.

The garden party was held in the courtyard of the Brechleiter family's mansion in the center of Breiburg. As expected of a lord's mansion, the courtyard was spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of guests comfortably for meals, drinks, and conversations. This garden party is held annually by the Brechleiter family, inviting nobles and their families, vassals and their families, merchants with whom they do business, and representatives from various guilds and churches.

In addition, the headmaster and some teachers of the adventurer's preparatory school, as well as noble students from both the general and special classes, are also invited. I recognized some familiar faces.

"At times like this, I can confirm that I am a noble."

"El, have you ever attended such a party?"

"Well, yes. My family also has a foster family, and they regularly host parties."

El, being the fifth son, had a low priority, but he had attended such parties a few times.

"But, this is the party of the leading noble family in the south, the Brechleiter family. The food and drinks are lavish. My foster family is a viscount, so the content is a bit lower."

El said this while eagerly helping himself to the food. I couldn't blame him.

Suddenly, the faint happiness of recent good earnings was taken away by the painful expense of the formal attire for the party.

So, he must have been trying to recover at least a copper coin's worth by eating as much as possible. He seemed to be focusing on the more expensive meat dishes.

"Vel, aren't you eating?"

Similarly, Eina and Louise, being girls, seemed to prioritize eating over looking good. Their plates were piled high with meat dishes.

"Of course, I'm eating. I'll try to recover some of the cost of this formal attire. But..."

Vel, El, Eina, and Louise, all spoke bluntly, but this was the reality for children of minor nobility and vassals. Glancing around, I saw that other preparatory school students were the same. They must have already felt somewhat outside the noble circle by the time they entered the adventurer's preparatory school.

It was a reality that they couldn't live without being so bold.

"But?"

"Well, since I came to Breiburg... I can't help but think about the meals at the Baumwieser family's main house."

Every meal there consisted of hard black bread and a thin, almost tasteless soup with a few scraps of meat, which felt like a stroke of luck. Even after I started hunting, the menu didn't change much, and the hard black bread and thin soup remained.

The first time I secretly came to Breiburg, I ate a stew at a bazaar with the money from selling my catch, and it was incredibly delicious. I had become so accustomed to the thin, tasteless soup that I couldn't believe it, despite being a Japanese person who was particular about food in my previous life.

"Oh, you mean the Baumwieser family?"

"Do you know something, Eina?"

"I heard from my father when I was a child."

In short, the Baumwieser family's finances were in a critical state after the military expedition. The territory was isolated, so it was difficult to sell local products to the outside. The merchant caravans that came over the mountains a few times a year didn't bring back anything worth the effort of crossing the mountains.

Indeed, transporting surplus food over mountain paths without magic bags was both labor-intensive and costly. So, the Brechleiter family decided to accept wheat, which has a relatively high demand and a long shelf life, on a non-profit basis.

With the ability to sell wheat, my father expanded the farmland to sell as much as possible, and I was completely ignored. That was the image of my father and brothers when I was a child.

I couldn't help but think, "Since you had time to earn, why didn't you think of other local products?"

Moreover, my father bound the vassals with wheat production, reducing their time for hunting and gathering, which led to a significant decline in the food supply for everyone, including us. Even with less bread, the Baumwieser territory had abundant natural resources, such as game from hunting, fruits, mountain vegetables, river fish, yams, and honey.

However, these items were also produced in the Brechleiter territory across the mountains, so they couldn't be exported. My father must have urged them to focus on wheat production instead of wasting time on these items.

I see, that's why the headman Claus pleaded with me to become the head of the family, regardless of his personal desires.

"..."

"Is something wrong, Vel?"

"No, I just can't imagine a future for my family except for decline."

"Sorry to hear that."

Eina said this bluntly, but to be honest, she and I had no interest in the future of the Baumwieser territory. I was the eighth son with no chance of inheriting, and for Eina, it was a neighboring territory with no relation to her. If I were to inherit, it would be a different story, as the territory is governed by the foster family of the main house.

Additionally, Eina and Louise's families might have harbored resentment due to the casualties in the expedition to the Demon Forest, but they seemed to think, "What can you say about something that happened when we were infants?"

"It's only three more years until the ties are severed, so I don't care."

"No, I think that's a bit too optimistic, Wendelin von Bennau Baumwieser."

Suddenly, a young man's voice, not Eina's, caught my attention, and I turned to the source of the voice. There stood a young man in his early thirties, with a refined appearance, brown hair, and gray eyes. He was just barely young enough to be considered a youth.

"Um, who are you?"

"Vel, you idiot!"

When I asked the young man his name, Eina, who was standing next to me, pulled on my arm in a panic.

"That's..."

"Oh, I apologize. My name is Amadeus Freitak von Brechleiter. You are the mage born into the Baumwieser family, correct? It's an honor to meet you."

To my surprise, the young man who greeted me was the young head of the Brechleiter family, the foster family of the Baumwieser family.

"I apologize for my rudeness. Please forgive me."

"I've heard that you've never attended such gatherings before. Moreover, you are not the heir to the Baumwieser family, so it's only natural that you don't recognize me."

It was unprecedented for a foster child not to know their foster family, but the Count of Brechleiter didn't seem to mind.

"However, I'm relieved that you're attending the adventurer's preparatory school. I felt it was unfair to invite the Baumwieser family to such gatherings..."

To attend the party, one had to cross a mountain range. Moreover, the Baumwieser family's current financial situation was not good. Since the cause was their own, I couldn't blame my father and brothers for not attending, but it was also impossible not to invite them. The vassals would criticize them irresponsibly, and my father and brothers would always decline.

"They say, 'How rude to refuse an invitation from the foster family!' That's the kind of thing they say. So, I'm relieved that you're here."

I hadn't learned the etiquette and formalities for such occasions, and the only thing I could think about was how much expensive food I could eat, but apparently, the mere presence of a member of the Baumwieser family was significant.

Nobles are indeed complicated creatures.

"Now that the introductions are over, this is the main matter. Could I have a moment of your time?"

"Sure, but do you need something from me?"

"No, it's not a big matter."

I was led to the mansion by the Count of Brechleiter, but it didn't take long to realize that his words were a blatant lie.

"I'm sorry to trouble you."

"No, it's fine..."

I was led to the Count's private room, and we were alone. A maid had prepared tea for us, but she bowed and left the room immediately.

"So, what is it you need?"

"Can't you guess?"

"Um... What is it?"

"You are talented, but still lack experience, don't you? Blantark."

After saying this, the Count called out a name, and a man entered the room. He was in his late forties, with black hair streaked with white, a sharp gaze, and the appearance of a seasoned adventurer. Moreover, he was wearing a robe, indicating he was a mage.

"He is our chief mage."

"Blantark Ringstadt. As you can see, he used to be an adventurer."

"Furthermore, he was the master of our former chief mage, Alfred Reinford."

"Really?"

I must have shown a clear look of surprise on my face when my master's name was suddenly mentioned. My master, who had become a lich and spent over five years maintaining his form to pass on his magic to a promising successor, finally met me and fulfilled his wish.

I had planned to keep this story to myself and take it to my grave, including the fact that my master had become a lich and taught me magic, and that I had received his inheritance and license to teach.

Especially the last part, which actually contained a significant issue. The devastated Brechleiter army in the Demon Forest, which had to travel hundreds of kilometers, relied on my master for their supply lines. He had stored all the food and supplies needed to sustain a force of two thousand people in a magic bag.

Moreover, the supplies of the Brechleiter army were hardly used, and the army was annihilated. The magic bag still contained an enormous amount of supplies, all of which were now in my possession.

"I said earlier that you are still inexperienced, didn't I?"

"I'm still a child and a student."

"Yes, you can use quite a bit of magic, but you are still insensitive to the presence of other mages. Didn't Al teach you that?"

"Um? I don't understand what Mr. Ringstadt is saying."

Indeed, my master's master seemed to have noticed that I had received magic training from my master. However, it felt dangerous to admit this fact here. I decided to play dumb and see how things would unfold.

"Did I make you feel threatened?"

"That's not good, Blantark."

"Hey, kid. I'm not trying to punish you. The lord isn't either."

"I want to negotiate with you. And Blantark wants to know the last moments of his disciple. Can you trust us?"

Convinced by the two, I finally shared the secret that only my master and I knew.

"So, you even performed the ritual to harmonize with him. You must have been quite favored by Al."

I spent some time telling them a longer story. I discovered my magical talent and practiced quietly in the forest, where my master, who had become a lich, appeared and took me as his disciple. Although the time I spent under his tutelage was short, it shaped who I am today.

Finally, as a graduation test, I used holy magic to help my master achieve peace before he became a zombie. As a thank you and graduation gift, he passed on his magic bag and its contents to me as his inheritance.

During my story, the two listened solemnly.

"So, he achieved peace and moved on."

"But, you don't doubt it?"

"No, there's no room for doubt."

My master's master, Blantark, had a special ability that other mages couldn't use. He could memorize a person's magical energy and sense their location, even if they were thousands of kilometers away.

Honestly, this ability was incredible. Even the most powerful mages usually emit only a small amount of magical energy. While skilled mages can sense the presence of other skilled mages, it's more of an intuition, and the range is at best a few hundred kilometers. My master, who had become a lich in the Demon Forest, had sensed my presence at the edge of his range.

Blantark, however, could sense magical energy up to thousands of