“Good morning… Well, I’m not really sure if it can be called morning yet.”
Jake waved his hand slightly at us, then yawned widely without covering his mouth. Alice frowned a bit at that sight but didn’t really scold him.
“Good morning!”
Alice responded like that and sat next to Charlotte. I took my seat beside Alice. Claire, who was sitting next to Leo, looked a bit disappointed, but I pretended not to notice her expression.
It wasn’t intentional, but because of that, Jake and Mia Crowfield ended up sitting a bit apart from us. I don’t mean they were sitting together—there was just a little more space at the table than in the dining room.
So, I, Alice, Charlotte, Leo, and Claire were sitting a bit closer, while Mia Crowfield and Jake were sitting further away. Of course, Mia Crowfield and Jake’s spot was also slightly apart.
Fortunately, it seemed like no one was overly concerned about the gap. Jake wasn’t the type to care about such things, and Mia Crowfield was still asleep with her face buried on the table.
Seeing her breathe softly with her shoulders rising and falling a bit, I didn’t feel inclined to wake her up. Apparently, everyone else thought the same, so it seemed Mia Crowfield could enjoy a few more minutes of precious sleep.
“…I have to ask, is breakfast coming out at this hour?”
Alice finally opened her eyes and asked that while sitting with her eyes closed, trying to gather her thoughts.
Indeed, there was no one else in the dining room but us. I mean, seeing even the embodiment of diligence like Alice and Charlotte struggling to wake up at this early hour meant other students wouldn’t be coming out early to sit here.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I chatted with the staff while coming down here. Apparently, meals at Winterfield Castle can be served at any time.”
“…Is that so?”
Alice tilted her head at Leo’s words.
We were in Winterfield Castle. In other words, it was the residence of the Lord of Winterfield.
Of course, the lord, Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield, was at the Empire as the headmaster of the Hawkrilondarium Academy, and his only child, Jennifer Winterfield, had only recently been in the Imperial Capital.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any other grandchildren of Lord Winterfield. But since they all actively engaged in politics, effectively, the lord’s position at Winterfield Castle was almost vacant.
Of course, thanks to loyal vassals, the castle wasn’t handed over to someone else. There were even a few people near the border who carried the blood of Winterfield.
“One of Winterfield’s specialties is reindeer leather, right? They’re pretty ferocious beasts that are almost impossible to raise separately.”
Of course, it’s not like that specialty is produced in large quantities.
While it appears as a crafting material for armor in the game, it wasn’t a game that required excessive farming for materials. But since it described ‘precious’ in the item’s details, it would probably be treated as a very rare item in this game.
Then again, when I think about it, even on Earth, items made from genuine leather were quite pricey. Even in modern society where cows are raised on a large scale.
So, the reindeer leather that can only be obtained through hunting would certainly be way more precious, especially if you want to get it without any injuries.
“They said they can prepare meals at any time since they never know when the hunters will come back to eat.”
“…That’s a relief. But if they’re dispatched to another region, the story could change, so be careful. You never know how they’ll regard us there.”
Claire added to Leo’s explanation, and Alice responded.
“Mm….”
Claire, hearing Alice’s words, seemed a bit embarrassed, her cheeks turning slightly red.
“……”
And watching those two, Charlotte showed a slightly worried expression. It seemed like the impression left by the haggis we had yesterday was bad. After all, Charlotte hardly touched her meal.
Are animal innards really that hard to eat? Honestly, I can eat liver without thinking twice.
…Of course, that’s because in a developed modern society, I trust what I eat, but there’s no way I’m eating unprocessed innards in this world.
Then again, at this time, some people might regard sushi or sashimi as daring food, so it’s probably very difficult for Charlotte to enjoy a dish that is basically innards mixed with oats and thoroughly stuffed before being cooked. Honestly, it smelled a bit too.
“No need to worry too much. We are in Winterfield Castle, after all.”
“Huh?”
When I talked to Charlotte, she flinched a little and asked back.
“I mean, since it’s a noble castle, meals are served like nobles eat. Haggis aside, ham and sausages are also quite famous in the region.”
Winterfield maintains a cool temperature year-round, and in the colder times, it actually gets painfully cold to the point where going outside becomes difficult. Naturally, they prepare a lot of winter preservation food, among which ham and sausage are famous.
The fact that haggis and sausage are both stuffed with meat inside the intestines but sausage is regarded as delicious while haggis is considered a delicacy is a bit strange, but anyway, the impression of sausage is very good.
At my words, Charlotte’s face turned slightly red.
The concept of ethnicity is gradually establishing itself, and although people do sometimes diss each other’s food, rejecting food served to you as a guest is generally considered shameful. Although haggis is food we paid for, the food we are served here is thoroughly provided by Winterfield.
If she happened to leave some behind, it wouldn’t be a good look as a princess of a foreign country, let alone from another region.
Leaving food simply because you’re full might be seen with pride by the host, but if you eat only a few bites and leave it, it’d leave a bad impression on the host too.
Moreover, the granddaughter of the local lord of Winterfield was the one leading us, Jennifer Winterfield, and circulating rumors about refusing food in a place with a professor from the Academy would be devastating.
“…I-I wasn’t worried about that.”
When Alice, sitting next to me, looked at Charlotte with a smile, Charlotte quickly replied like that.
She really didn’t need to protect her pride that much.
…Well, looking at me, who was going to great lengths to protect my pride, it’s not like I have the right to say anything.
While we were engaged in such a conversation, the sound of footsteps entered my ears.
When I turned to look, the dining room door opened, and well-dressed servants entered carrying a plate in each hand.
Just as I expected, the food they were carrying was something that you would immediately visualize as ‘European breakfast.’
It’s probably what we’d refer to as Azernar breakfast here?
“Let’s eat first, then talk. Mia needs to wake up too.”
As the dishes were being placed on the table, Claire smirked while looking at Mia, who was still dead to the world.
I glanced up at the servants carrying the food on the table.
All of them had very calm faces. No one looked sleepy.
…Inside, I was honestly impressed and grabbed a knife and fork in both hands.
*
After shoveling food into my stomach like crazy and getting energized, I felt much more awake than when I had just gotten up.
“……”
Mia Crowfield was somewhat sitting up too. She couldn’t finish half her meal due to sleepiness, but considering her size, it looked like she wouldn’t have been able to eat that much anyway.
“Phew.”
Claire sighed with satisfaction.
Charlotte also wore a somewhat satisfied expression. She’d left a bit of black pudding, but she had almost finished the other dishes.
To be honest, we had a grand meal last night as a welcome feast, with whole roasted reindeer and well-prepared beef steaks. But those kinds of dishes are special after all. It’s understandable to worry about everyday food looking like haggis.
“Okay, then… Let’s think about which request to tackle first.”
Claire said as she took out a piece of paper from her pocket.
It seemed she hastily scribbled down the requests written on the bulletin board.
…The fact that we’re not thinking about which request ‘to’ handle, but rather which request ‘to tackle first’ felt a bit terrifying.
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