Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 6 Page 16

  “My, that smells delicious.”

  “They’ll be ready soon, ma’am.”

  I placed fresh cream and sliced strawberries in the hot crepes. Then I cut them up quickly, put them on a plate Lulu was holding, and presented them to the waiting young woman.

  As soon as she tasted the bite-size crepe, the girl’s face melted.

  Even the makeup that she’d worked so hard to apply couldn’t disguise her innocent glee in that moment. Charmed by her reaction, a gaggle of young male nobles gathered around as soon as she finished eating and asked her to dance.

  Good luck, you crazy kids.

  “You realize you’re making a total old-man face, right?”

  Arisa munched on a crepe as she sniped at me from the floor.

  Oh, come on. What’s wrong with cheering on young love?

  With no time to answer her out loud, I simply kept making crepes at the demand of the young women.

  Interestingly, no one mistook me for a servant. Maybe it was because of my fancy clothes. Thanks to that, though, I had to exchange introductions every time I took an order for a crepe, meaning I ended up learning the names of over a hundred girls.

  I ran out of ingredients partway through, so Lulu and Arisa had to run and grab more cream and strawberries from the kitchen.

  Phew, at least I can rest for a minute now…

  “S-Sir Knight! Would you like to share a dance with me, please, maybe?”

  Perhaps I looked bored or friendly, because a girl in her early teens who was just making her societal debut came over to me almost immediately.

  Thanks to my “Dancing” and “Sociability” skills, I should be able to handle it.

  “Certainly, if you’d like.”

  Besides, the fear of rejection was written all over her face. I felt I should at least oblige her for one song.

  “Please, there’s no need to be so tense. Just pretend the people around us are trees or statues. And you can think of me as a father or older brother–like figure, if it puts you at ease,” I whispered, and the tension seemed to leave the girl’s shoulders ever so slightly. “Don’t worry, just relax. Try to go with the flow, like a princess.”

  Taking the lead, I tried to make sure she enjoyed the dance, reassuring her each time she made a misstep.

  Eventually, the song ended, and I walked my partner off the dance floor, only to find a whole line of girls waiting for their turn.

  As far as I could tell, it wasn’t so much that they liked me personally, just that they’d deemed me an ideal practice partner for a societal debut.

  Lulu and Arisa still weren’t back with the cream, so I obliged their requests.

  Before long, several of them invited me over to their homes.

  I wasn’t exactly looking to marry into money, but I did my best to politely acquiesce to these invitations.

  Sure, one or two of their parents owned workshops that I’d been hoping to tour, but more importantly, I figured it’d be best to have a lot of noble allies in case I ever made an enemy of someone powerful like the prince.

  Dealing with problems was a lot less stressful when you had people you could rely on.

  Eventually, the next round of supplies ran out as well, so we decided to head home, leaving the cleanup of the booth to the castle staff. Before we left, I naturally checked in with the duke’s butler, who was in charge of orchestrating the party.

  Because Lulu had to run back to the kitchen to get something she’d forgotten, Arisa and I waited in the courtyard, gazing up at the stars in the cool evening breeze.

  “Even out here, you can still hear the music from the ball.”

  “Yeah.”

  The lilting strains of a waltz were still faintly audible.

  “You were pretty popular with the lolis in there, huh?” Arisa was rather peeved.

  “You think so? I figured they just needed a practice partner to get used to dancing with men.”

  I stood up with a shrug.

  “…Are you mad?”

  “Of course not.” I smiled at her. “More importantly, madam, may I have this dance?”

  “Huh? Oh, umm… Yes! It’d be my pleasure!”

  Arisa was briefly puzzled by my playfully theatrical invitation, then broke into a big smile.

  We danced lightly around the courtyard. Arisa was surprisingly good; perhaps she’d had lessons back when she was a princess.

  After we’d danced to three songs, Lulu reappeared.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, master, Arisa.”

  She’d taken longer than expected because the head chef had stopped her and told her she could work there anytime she wanted. Of course the old man would try to recruit her as soon as my back was turned.

  “Even from a distance, it’s still beautiful.”

  Lulu gave a little sigh as she gazed past the hedges at the lit-up ballroom. Might as well see if she wants to dance, too.

  “Miss, would you care for a dance?”

  “O-of course! I’d love to.”

  We twirled in the faint light from the ballroom, and Lulu’s long black hair swayed gently to the rhythm.

  “Ah, it’s just like a dream…”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Lulu and I danced on and on, a faraway expression on her face.

  “H-hey, come on! Don’t I get another turn?”

  Lulu giggled. “Hee-hee. Oh, Arisa, you’re so cute.”

  I was planning to stop whenever Lulu got bored, but I started to suspect she never would. Instead, I traded places with the ever-jealous Arisa.

  With the occasional warm looks from passing maids and servants, the three of us took turns dancing the night away.

  It was nice to spend an evening like this every once in a while.

  After the ball, my days only got busier.

  It was still way easier than the weeks of nonstop work back when I was a programmer, of course. The endless tea parties hosted by nobles or their daughters were a far cry from how I’d spent my days in Japan.

  It felt strange by modern standards to bring a gift to a tea party, but the custom among nobles here was to give something to the hosts when you were invited over for tea for the first time.

  If the butler hadn’t told me about it beforehand, I could’ve been in big trouble.

  The token couldn’t be just any old gift, either. If you gave something too expensive, the host would assume that you were trying to curry favor for marriage, civil service, or something of the sort. But of course, something cheap would be an insult to the recipient.

  And the ideal gift differed depending on the faction and influence of the family, too.

  I wasn’t thrilled about tackling such an impossibly difficult game without a reset button, but an unexpected savior came to my rescue.

  Tolma, of all people.

  “Good evening, Sir Satou. I heard you were invited to the homes of some young ladies for tea, so I thought I’d come over to give you the rundown on the families and their preferences and such.”

  Showing up on my doorstep with a bottle of high-class wine in hand, Tolma gave me unusually detailed information on all the noble families in the old capital.

  He inhaled the mountain of snacks I had prepared as he listed the likes, dislikes, and personalities of each and every member of the aristocracy. He even warned me about which topics never to mention around certain people.

  I filled a thick notebook with information until he was finally too drunk to continue.

  I decided to call this treasured new object the “Tolma Memo.”

  Which was great and all, but…

  “Well, you might not need that much info anyway, since you managed to mediate between Sir Lloyd and Count Hohen. Those two fight like cats and dogs.”

  …I wasn’t expecting that comment.

  “Those two, like cats and dogs? But they seem like such good friends.”

  And I didn’t remember doing any mediating.

  All I’d done was have some nice chats wi
th them about cooking and spell books.

  “Good friends, eh? You’re a pretty weird kid, Sir Satou.”

  Maybe my “Negotiation” and “Mediation” skills just acted of their own accord.

  The tea parties were going smoothly, thanks in no small part to Tolma’s help.

  I brought cheese soufflés and other baked goods, and for hosts who didn’t have a sweet tooth, I took soufflés baked with brandy and raisins.

  At Arisa’s suggestion, I also brought some plainer baked snacks for the maids of each home.

  For the gifts, I tried making jewelry like earrings and necklaces on thin silver chains.

  With my own personal twist, of course.

  “Mother, do look at this.”

  “Why, isn’t that lovely!”

  A rune appeared in the center of the small pendant as it glowed in the young lady’s hands. I had carved the symbol into a light stone scarcely bigger than a grain of rice, a simple design that would glow if charged with magical power.

  I’d used information from the Carving Magic book I bought at Mr. Kikinu’s magic shop.

  A single rune wouldn’t have any special effects, but there were some with meanings similar to Japanese omamori charms, like “peace and prosperity” or “luck in love,” so I used one of those.

  “How wonderful. It’s a good-luck rune.”

  “This one is a rune for bravery! Let’s have Father carry it when he goes out to lead the highway patrol.”

  I smiled at the host family, glad to see them so enamored with my gift.

  When I was first asked who made the glowing pendant, I randomly made up a name, so now a fictional magic tool engineer called Trismegistus was gaining fame throughout the city. Of course, I didn’t inscribe any name on the pendants.

  It was technically a magic tool, but such an insubstantial effect shouldn’t pose any problems.

  However, the pendants ended up going over a little too well…

  “S-Sir Satou, would you like to come for tea at my home, too?”

  “No, no, you should come to my house! My father is a baron, not a baronet like Ferna’s.”

  …So all the other girls wanted one, too.

  Before I knew it, I went from having tea parties every other day to every day, and in the end, I wound up with three per day.

  Making new friends was good and all, but I was having a hard time keeping track of all these different faces. Luckily, thanks to my high INT stat, I was able to memorize names and faces right away as long as I made a conscious effort to do so.

  Incidentally, since I made the light stone pendants myself, they cost me less than one gold coin each. However, as demand grew, the price displayed by my “Appraisal” skill rose until its value reached twenty gold coins.

  Because of my high “Metalworking” skill, the slender chains I made had a delicacy rarely seen in accessories in this world. Making them was a very finicky process. If I hadn’t been able to practice Magic Hand at the same time, I probably would’ve switched to a different gift right away.

  All that training paid off big-time, though. By the end, I was able to use one hundred and twenty Magic Hands at once to create the chains assembly line–style.

  Not that this was my aim, but befriending all these nobles did get me permission to tour the workshops they owned.

  I was too busy at present, but once the tea party marathon was over, I figured I could take everyone along.

  As an added bonus, I was able to convince several of the nobles who had old or inferior stocks of rice, preserved food, and so on to contribute them to the Muno Barony for little to no money.

  The retired Count Worgoch helped organize transportation for these supplies to the barony. Hopefully, by the time I came back, I’d be able to buy plenty of sasakama there.

  However, making new friends among the upper crust wasn’t always a good thing.

  “Master, you’ve received letters and photographs for marriage interviews.”

  “Again…?”

  When I came home from the latest tea party, a disgruntled Arisa greeted me.

  I’d been receiving these with increasing frequency over the past few days.

  “Karina, you okaaay?”

  “Pull it together, ma’am! It’s only a flesh wound, ma’am!”

  “Tama, Pochi…”

  Tama and Pochi comforted Miss Karina on the couch where she’d collapsed as soon as she entered the living room.

  I’d been taking her along to some of the tea parties to help her expand her circle of friends, but so far it wasn’t going very well.

  “Sorry, Lulu, but could you bring my blue-green tea to the study?”

  “Of course, master!”

  I took the letters along to the study, leaving the photos behind.

  “You’re going to turn them down without even looking at the pictures?”

  “It’d be more insulting to reject them after seeing them, wouldn’t it?”

  I shrugged at Arisa and headed into the study.

  As I wrote my letters of polite refusal, I noted the names of the girls and their families who had proposed in my memo tab.

  They were all lower-class nobles, and a handful even included requests for loans at the same time.

  Some of them must have seen me as a member of the nouveau riche who bought expensive magic items as tea party gifts.

  I asked Lulu to deliver the finished letters to the butler to be sent.

  “Satou?”

  “Master, are you going out again? I inquire.”

  The sharp eyes of Mia and Nana noticed right away that my coat was in my hand.

  “Yes, sorry. I’ve been invited to Marquis Lloyd’s dinner party.”

  “C’mooon, another one? Weren’t you just at Count Hohen’s yesterday?”

  In addition to the tea parties, Marquis Lloyd and Count Hohen had been inviting me over for dinner almost every day.

  I’d given both of their head chefs the recipe for tempura, so this time I was being invited as a proper guest, not a chef. By the way, I gave the tempura recipe to the chefs of Count Worgoch and the duke, too.

  Then, at the dinner parties…

  “Sir Knight, what did you think of that dish?”

  “Delicious. The duck was cooked perfectly.”

  “I appreciate that, but what needed to be improved?”

  …the chefs kept accosting me for advice. Still, I got to eat some exquisite fare and learn new cooking techniques. It was a win-win.

  “Sir Satou, will you be working again tonight?”

  “Certainly, if you’ll allow me the honor.”

  “I admire your passion. But be careful not to neglect your health. Your body is not yours alone, after all.”

  Out of context, Marquis Lloyd’s choice of words could easily be misinterpreted.

  “Many of us often find ourselves eagerly anticipating your next dish,” he added.

  With that, I gained permission to head back into Marquis Lloyd’s library.

  I took a chained spell book down from the shelf and started reading. Because of all the valuable texts, there was a librarian on duty to guard them, but I didn’t mind.

  I gained permission to peruse this collection in exchange for sharing the original Water Magic spell I used to make consommé soup.

  Since the permission was granted on the condition that I couldn’t write anything down, I didn’t copy any of the books into my memo tab, either.

  However, thanks to my extremely high INT skill, I was able to memorize the pages with amazing accuracy, and our contract said nothing about writing things down from memory once I got back to the mansion.

  Besides, each house seemed to have several libraries, which meant they would probably keep anything truly secret in a different room.

  I made similar contracts with other important nobles like Count Hohen and Duke Ougoch, so I was able to read a great deal of valuable books. This included the former Count Worgoch, too, of course.

  Thanks to that, my
knowledge of greater magic increased exponentially. I still couldn’t use the spells myself, though.

  And so, I spent my time blissfully grappling with esoteric texts and acquiring new knowledge.

  > Title Acquired: Library Master

  > Title Acquired: Scholar of the Written Word

  It was six days after the evening party, our tenth morning in the old capital.

  I had a little time to spare before I headed out, so I decided to watch my kids train for a bit.

  “Masterrr?”

  “Master! Sir! Come see how hard we’ve been practicing, sir!”

  Once I was prepared for my outing, I went into the courtyard and was promptly greeted by Tama and Pochi.

  “Tama, Pochi, you mustn’t touch master’s clothes with dirty hands.”

  “Master, I would like you to praise the results of my training, I entreat.”

  Liza and Nana were there, too. As usual, Nana couldn’t hide her true motives.

  They’d all been working hard, though. I had no trouble giving them generous commendations.

  “Why, the young master is here! Why don’t you spar two-on-two and show him the fruits of your training?”

  Mr. Kajiro, the Saga Kingdom samurai who was drilling the vanguard team, gave the signal for the mock battle to begin.

  “Remember, Ayaume will ambush you if you let your guard down! Watch yourselves!”

  Miss Ayaume, the female samurai, was hiding behind a nearby bush with a short bow in hand. Instead of arrowheads, the tips of the arrows were wrapped in cloth to prevent any injury.

  This training must be to prepare them in case of bandit attacks.

  I stood next to Mr. Kajiro and watched the battle play out. They certainly seemed to have fewer openings than before. Pochi, in particular, who was normally focused solely on attacking, was paying closer attention to her surroundings.

  Whenever one of them let their guard down for a moment, Ayaume would shoot an arrow at them or surprise attack them from a tree with a twig.

  Mr. Kajiro explained that they had to do extra training for each time they fell victim to one of these surprise attacks.

  Liza and Tama ended up winning the sparring match, but Nana and Pochi performed well, too.