Dinner

It was mid-October. The month had just begun, and Allen had turned eight.

Today was the day the lord was coming. A few days earlier, a messenger had informed the village chief of the lord's arrival date. The next day, the chief sent someone to tell Rodan and Gerda.

Allen was going to act as the lord's guide. He would have to explain the boar hunt to him. He was also supposed to serve dinner the night before. If the lord asked him anything about the hunt, he would apparently have to answer.

He got ready early in the morning and headed to the village chief's house before noon. Rodan and Gerda weren't going. Serfs couldn't just meet with the lord.

He arrived before nine in the morning and waited (napped) at the village chief's house.

Just before noon, one of the commoners who worked at the chief's house woke him. He was told to take a bath and get ready.

(Oh? This might be my first time taking a bath. I've had cold baths, though.)

On hot midsummer days, he sometimes filled a large tub with water and climbed in naked. As a serf, all he usually did was wipe himself down with a wet hemp cloth, without even soap.

He soaked in a wooden tub full of thoroughly heated water, staying in until it cooled and washing himself clean. The clothes he was given were quite fine, the sort even commoners rarely wore.

After that, he was kept waiting for about three hours. He was told to stay awake while he waited.

(Seriously, they're making me wait way too long.)

The three o'clock bell rang, and after he waited another hour, it seemed the lord had arrived. There was quite a bustle inside the house.

Before long, the lord entered the village chief's house. Dinner would be served in the chief's hall. Though they called it a banquet, it was just an ordinary evening meal, with the lord and his retainers dining. Only the village chief would join them as the village's representative.

The village chief had told him about the lord beforehand.

The lord's city was called Granvelle. It was about five days away. The man Allen would be serving was Baron Granvelle. He'd traveled for five days to reach the village, so he must be quite tired.

As he was thinking about that, it was time for him to go on duty. The fairly spacious kitchen in the chief's house was bustling. Five or six women, gathered from who knew where, were cooking. Beautifully arranged dishes were being set out.

The village chief was standing in front of the hall entrance. The lord was already inside, but Allen was apparently going in with the chief. The village chief seemed quite nervous.

The village chief entered first. Just inside the door, he welcomed the lord and said that the meal was ready.

"Bring in the food."

From the other side of the door, the village chief instructed Allen to bring in the food.

Allen began carrying in the dishes, starting with the appetizers. There was one table in the center of the room.

(The one at the far end must be the lord.)

The lord sat at the head of the table, in the seat farthest back. He was a man with pale purple hair and hawk-like eyes. His gaze was stern. He looked to be in his mid-forties.

Trying not to stare at his face, Allen silently carried the plated dishes to the lord at the far end.

He kept bringing out dish after dish. They were set on a board just outside the hall entrance, so he didn't need to go back to the kitchen. He just went back and forth between the entrance and the table. He wondered why everyone else wasn't helping carry the food, but he was the only one assigned to serve.

(Starting with the lord and including the village chief, there are six people. Hmm? There's even a child. Is she the lord's daughter?)

He carried the food to them one by one. There was the man who seemed to be the lord, a white-haired, bearded man beside him who looked like a butler, and the commander and deputy commander of the knights who had come to Krena.

And beside the lord sat a girl with the same pale purple hair as him. She looked about Allen's age.

"In any case, thank you for your hard work developing the village."

"Th-Thank you very much."

The lord offered the village chief words of appreciation.

"It has been fifteen years since the order to develop the territory was issued. No other territory has succeeded at development as ours has. Deboji, you have done well to bring the villagers together and help the village prosper this much."

(An order to develop the territory? What's that?)

As the lord praised the village chief, Allen listened carefully to their conversation. Something useful for tomorrow's boar hunt might come up.

"We have all done our best for the sake of Your Lordship."

The village chief bowed again and again. He'd barely touched his appetizer. He seemed far too nervous to eat.

"I truly am sorry about the boar meat. This is the king's command, after all."

(Huh? The king is telling us to hunt boars? This is getting to be a much bigger deal.)

The conversation had turned to the boar hunt, so Allen listened even more closely. He was busy serving at the same time.

"S-So it was His Majesty the King's command?"

"Well, yes. Strictly speaking, though, it's that Lord Carnel's fault. That Lord Carnel had to bring up the boar hunt in the throne room, and because of that..."

The lord grew angry as if he had just remembered. His eyes narrowed even further. His sudden change in attitude frightened the village chief. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead and cheeks.

"My lord, the village chief is frightened. Besides, if we reach the target of twenty, your standing will improve once again."

Without looking at the lord, a man who seemed to be the butler and was nearly sixty years old interjected.

"Huh? Y-Yes, that's right. Chief Deboji, forgive me. The boar hunt reached the king's ears, and he told us to increase the number."

"I see. So that's what happened."

The lord briefly explained why they had increased the number of boars to be hunted.

Allen carried in the meat for the main course. He set down the plates, starting with the lord.

"Hm! What is this delicious meat?!"

"Oh, it's truly delicious!"

The lord and his daughter widened their eyes in amazement at how good it tasted.

"What is this, Village Chief?"

The lord asked the village chief, apparently finding it exceptionally delicious.

"Huh? Ah? Um, this is..."

The village chief was at a loss for words after being asked so suddenly.

"This is Alba Heron meat. We happened to catch some yesterday, so we offered it to Your Lordship. The cuts are breast, thigh, and liver, seasoned with herbs."

"Hm? Oh, I see..."

Allen answered in the village chief's place.

Everyone's attention immediately shifted to Allen. The lord and his party had noticed the boy serving them, with his jet-black hair and eyes.

Realizing they were looking at him, Allen gave a slight bow and cleared away the plates they had finished. There were only six people at the table, but serving them all by himself kept him very busy. He hurried back and forth between the hall and the entrance.

"As expected of you, Village Chief. You have such a fine son. You never mentioned him to me."

"Huh? Er, this boy is the son of a man named Rodan..."

The lord remarked that the village chief had a well-mannered boy, and the chief clarified that Allen wasn't his son.

"Rodan?"

"Oh, now I remember, my lord. That boy is the son of Rodan, the man who organizes the boar hunts."

The commander of the knights seemed to remember him. Two years ago, he and Allen had sat at the same table during a feast.

"The son of Rodan, who leads the boar hunts?"

"Yes. My name is Allen, son of Rodan. I'll be guiding you on tomorrow's boar hunt."

The lord had spoken to him, so Allen introduced himself.

"Was Rodan a failed knight or something? He certainly has a fine son."

"N-No, I believe his family has been serfs since his father's time."

Since his son had such good manners, the lord wondered whether Rodan had once been a knight or something. The village chief knew Rodan's father, too, and said that wasn't the case. Then, at that moment—

"What?! There's a serf in this hall?!"

The girl who seemed to be the lord's daughter showed her disgust upon learning that a serf was in the hall. She looked at Allen, her pretty face twisted in revulsion.

"Wha—! Cecil, serfs are respectable subjects of my domain, too! You mustn't say such things!"

The lord couldn't help raising his voice.

"I-I'm sorry, Father."

The lord's daughter, Cecil, apologized with tears in her eyes. And then—

Glare!

(Whoa, why is she glaring daggers at me?)

She glared at Allen as if to say, "You got me scolded by Father!" Her eyes, slightly slanted and fierce like her father's, were fixed on him. Her crimson irises seemed to reflect her current feelings. Allen looked away to avoid meeting her gaze.

"Now then, Allen."

"Yes, my lord?"

The lord spoke to Allen again.

"You'll be guiding us on the boar hunt tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes."

"Be sure to explain the hunting method thoroughly as well."

"I will, my lord."

"Xenof, you listen carefully, too."

"Yes, sir!"

The commander of the knights answered. His name was Xenof.

(Huh? Why does the commander of the knights need to listen carefully? What does he mean?)

A question mark appeared on Allen's face.

"Son of Rodan. We absolutely must meet the target of twenty kills this time. It's a royal command."

The commander of the knights addressed Allen. It seemed he would answer Allen's question. Allen turned to face him.

"Yes."

"If, after observing, we think it will be difficult to reach the target, our knights will join the hunt."

(Huh? They didn't just come here to watch?)

Allen finally understood why the lord had come. They had to kill twenty boars this year, no matter what. They had reached last year's target of fifteen, but there was no guarantee they would be able to hunt twenty this year.

The lord was worried they might not reach the target.

He had come to hunt boars with the knights under his command in order to fulfill the king's order.

"I see. So that's why."

The village chief understood the situation as well and nodded in agreement.

"My lord."

Allen spoke up.

"What is it? Don't worry. If you explain everything properly, the knights will handle the rest. There's nothing to worry about."

The lord said all they needed was for Allen to explain how the hunt worked.

"No, my lord. It's only twenty boars."

"Pfft!"

The village chief choked at Allen's words. The lord and the commander of the knights widened their eyes.

"At tomorrow's boar hunt, I'll show you that Krena Village can meet the target of twenty for certain if we all work together."

With all six people watching him, Allen bowed and declared it firmly. There was no fear or hesitation in his voice.

His words were so emphatic that everyone held their breath and could not respond.