Dream Life

January 12th at 6pm.

We arrived in Viscount Farfree territory in the eastern realm of the Empire. Then, for some reason, I was consulted by the Viscount's chef about tonight's cooking.

Now I use my time waiting for dinner to come to Viscount Ignacious Radford's room.

"I don't know, I think I almost instructed you. I think I'm one of the invitees."

Liddy laughed when I was blurry,

"Because you're going to the kitchen, right? You know that's what happens when you go."

"I agree with Lydia. I thought you'd split up."

That's what I'm laughing at, even Beatrice.

He says the same thing to his father and mother, and no one else thinks it's weird.

"This made me look forward to dinner tonight. Honestly, I didn't expect much from the chef here."

"Really? I don't think he's a bad arm."

It feels like I've seen the chef go down, but the cooks are doing better than I thought.

"No, it's hard to say what to say, but I feel like I can't. You're still stretching your back when you can serve dishes that are unbeatable to the Empire..."

Apparently the Viscount thought the same thing about me.

"If that's the case, I think you can count on it. Even so, I haven't tasted it either, so I can't be sure."

Starting with my father, everyone smiles. Soon the face of the Lockhart family seemed to have become gastronomer Gourmet. I don't care whose influence it is.

After we talked about that, I cut out what I cared about.

"I would like to ask Master Ignacious, Viscount Farfree was well acquainted with our information, is it normal in the Empire to have information like that"

The Viscount shakes his head small to the side.

"Lord Furfley is a Leopold prince. Probably information coming from Grand Duke Langton or from around Lord Kendrew with instructions. I've never heard of the importance he attaches to information."

The present empire has a fierce successor feud going on.

The lead candidate for the next emperor is naturally Gigismunt, the Crown Prince. However, this Crown Prince has absolutely no desire for what looks good.

Not only is it incompetent, but bad rumors are whispered about having a hobby of abuse or a female official going missing, enough to say that the emperor is gauging the timing of obsolescence.

It is the view of Viscount Radford that his mother, that is, the Duke of Charles Ingolslop, the Empress's home, and the Duke of Edmond Gabiston, the Crown Princess's home, are doing so without being abandoned.

The other candidate is Prince Leopold.

The prince is so bright in the military that he became head of the Third Corps with strength that he has cited many martial arts medals in the battle against Lukes. It is also highly popular among soldiers and people because of its bright character.

However, we have not yet reached the point of replacing the Crown Prince, since his mother is so low that he would not otherwise be named a successor candidate, and even the punitive march to the Holy King Luke's kingdom, which is currently taking place, has not yielded any fragrant results.

His supporters include Grand Duke Tristram Langton, brother of the former emperor, and Duke Lawrence Kendrew, head of the Fifth Corps, all of whom have strong influence over the Imperial Army.

"Regardless of the information, what do you think the instructions are?"

My brother Rodrick asks questions.

"This is for sure, but there should be talk of lifting His Highness Leopold at dinner tonight. After that, we'll be talking a lot about taking Lord Massaias with His Excellency the Grand Duke and His Excellency Kendrew in order to bring him into the crown."

My father gives me a bewildered look.

"How should I do it"

"It's hard to say from me."

Since the Viscount himself is the lead minister of the Marquis of Seawell, a neutral, he does not give a clear answer. We are wary of being told later that we have obstructed the negotiations.

"All I can say from you is, why don't you leave it to Lord Zacharias? Lord Zacharias will do the best he can."

My father nods at the words and looks at me.

"Let me hear your opinion. I don't mean to make a clear statement of intent, but I don't like negotiating like this."

My father excels as a lord and commander of the army, but he has little experience negotiating. I know what it feels like to be weak, especially since these things are difficult without stepping on the number of places.

"My father asked me if I could play the country knight."

"What exactly am I supposed to do? I have a sense of being a country knight, but I have no idea what to do."

Because my serious father is baffled, I will give a concrete example.

"Basically, just talk about the battle and the village. If they ask me about you in Imperial City, I'm a country man and I don't know what to do in Imperial City. So I was wondering if you could answer that I leave all my appointments to His Excellency the Marquis of Seawell. Still, if you persevere in listening, wave to me"

My father said, "Right. That's fine," he convinced, his expression brightened.

"My brother will be talking to me, so I was wondering if you could do the same."

You're likely overestimating me because you've got enough information. For that reason, he would target his honest brother with his simple father, not me, and he wouldn't talk to me.

"If you do speak to Lord Zacharias, it will be difficult for Lord Farfree to negotiate too. The famous Sorcerer Guild leader, Mr. Worgman, affirms that he doesn't want to negotiate with Lord Zacharias. He's not going to want to do anything bad, too, and be stared at by the Grand Duke."

The Viscount knew exactly what I meant.

My name is quite well known thanks to Speaker Worgman. I want to use whatever I can use now, even if that's a fictitious name.

"Is there really no chance I'm going to talk to you?

Liddy whines to herself.

"What do you mean?," he said.

"I have a delicious drink, so I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Grand Duke or the Duke."

"You certainly didn't think about that possibility. If you're after Lord Zacharias, you can't deny the possibility of talking about booze."

When the Viscount says so with a serious face, the Lockhart family faces also nod loudly with a serious face.

"No, there isn't, Master Ignacious. Whatever..."

That's all I said. Liddy squirted.

"Just kidding. There's no way Ignacious doesn't know what delicious alcohol you want to drink."

When she says so, the Viscount also breaks his serious face and laughs.

"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. I got on Lord Lydiane's joke."

Liddy is also able to speak with the Viscount without being forced to do so. It's rare outside of the residents of the village of Rasmore and the Dwarves, because they don't have a back table and don't turn their sexual gaze on her.

At 6 p.m., the butler picked him up.

The hall of Viscount Furfley's Hall was large enough for about fifty people to eat at a time, and large enough for us Rockhart family and Viscount Radford attendees to match.

Viscount Farfree and his wife, who are the hosts, are lined up, and boys and girls my age are sitting beside them. Furthermore, there are about ten dressed men in the seats, whether they are representatives of the civil servants or the martial arts officers.

Viscount Furfley took the head of the toast and dinner began.

The first dish to come out is millefeuille tailored with light grilled turnip slices and layered with raw ham. Shake more lemon juice, and the acidity and turnip sweetness go well with the salt air of the raw ham.

Alcohol to go with this is still a young white wine. It is fermented in the autumn and has only begun to age around December, leaving a hint of grape fruit juice, slightly sparkling like German white wine.

"This is delicious. Is this raw ham Kendrew's? I didn't expect the turnip to combine the aroma and acidity of lemon...... this wine is also young but goes really well with it. It smells like little wood and is really fresh."

Viscount Furfree nods loudly at Viscount Radford's words.

"That's Lord Radford. Indeed, raw ham is Kendriw's finest. Most importantly, this combination was suggested by Lord Zacharias."

That's what he said. He'll give me a mild interview.

"Because Chef Shepherd has a good arm. Balance is the life of this dish. Too many turnips or too much raw ham doesn't make it tasty. Never before has it tasted so wonderful."

In fact, turnips have a bad texture when they pass the fire. It should be quite difficult to sweeten through the fire while leaving a texture called shari.

It has been well received since the second item.

It is a cold soup made from local cresson, and the mint is added to the stock taken from the beef bone as a hidden flavor.

This was combined with white wine from the previous year.

"Well, what vegetables are these...... Cresson? It smells subtly different..."

"They say it's a local Cresson. I only eat with it, but I hear you've been taught this by Lord Zacharias."

That's how I look at you. I guess that means giving a commentary ahead.

"I found the cresson on this land to be wonderful in flavor and aroma. Probably good water. I only add a little mint to the accent, but I think you can enjoy the gentle fragrance and slight bitterness inherent in Cresson"

"I see. Seawell also has a lot of creeks, and Cresson is relatively pickable, but this Cresson is no better than Seawell's. And this wine. The smell of wood is too strong when drunk alone, but when paired with this soup it turns into an exquisite scent"

With that said, put the white wine on the magic prop of the lights.

Slightly cloudy, but also golden, dark white wine with a firm body.

"As far as I'm concerned, I thought the seafood soup would suit me better, but the flavor was so intense that I tried to match this soup thoroughly"

And then came out the oven grill of Ivana, a third item.

It was baked in the oven with three slices of Ivana, with polo onions, garlic and plenty of butter.

I dare serve red wine for this.

"What is red wine in Ivana...... no, this is certainly a good combination. As a wine, the flavour is too thin, but it is exquisite when paired with this onion... I see this dish means the onion is the star..."

That's the best gastronomer in the empire, and I'm totally going to mention my prospects.

"This onion was really sweet, so I suggested it to the chef"

Making vegetables the main thing is a common story in Japan, but it's not very common in this world. In fact, the vegetable season is short and not as varietally improved as in the original world, making it generally significant and difficult to be the lead "main". This time, I happened to hit a quality polo onion, so I made it the lead "Main".

"But the chef would have had trouble, too. I can't think of anything like this."

That's what Viscount Radford laughs at, and Viscount Furfree is nodding too.

"The chef's face before cooking was truly gloomy. I'm so anxious. Hahaha!"

Dinner goes on as we talk about it.

The Viscount's wife sometimes joins the conversation, but the children were either nervous or barely joined the conversation. Rather than being nervous, the reality may be that alcohol and cooking topics do not become a common topic and do not add up.

In the time leading up to the main coming out, Viscount Furfree has cut to the point.

"I heard Sir Lockhart is going to the Imperial City for the first time, but what are your plans?"

"As I said, the Imperial City is guided, so I leave it to His Excellency the Marquis of Seawell. It's going to be a nuisance for the countrymen if I do something on my own."

"That would be good," Viscount Furfley nodded to his father's answer, but he immediately begins to talk himself out of it.

"Actually, Grand Duke Langton would love to meet Lord Lockhart. How about that?

Viscount Furfley has told him straight.

"I don't know what a man like me would expect from His Excellency the Grand Duke... I don't even know how the court works, so how can I answer you... Zacharias, I wonder what to do in this case"

My father spoke to me instantly. I certainly didn't expect the Viscount to cut the story out so straightforward, but my father also wonders if I could stick with it a little more.

"I don't know any more etiquette than I learned in college either. Plus, there will be changes in plans as of now. If there is any trouble and there is a summons from the Senate, the Grand Duke may be bothered. Therefore, after consulting with the Marquis of Seawell, I believe that answering is the best way to avoid any inconvenience to the Grand Duke and Viscount Farfree."

Viscount Furfree thinks into my words.

As I say, the current appointment was at the time Viscount Radford left the Imperial City, and there was ample possibility that it had been changed.

In addition to the admiration of the Emperor, we must also keep in view the summons from the Senate.

The summons to the House of Lords should concern the attribution of Kilnarek, a grace award, and personal contact with the Grand Duke before the House of Lords may prove troublesome, even if it does not appear to be pre-negotiated about the grace award.

"That's true. I will now tell His Excellency the Grand Duke to create a meeting place through His Excellency the Marquis of Seawell"

Viscount Furfley gave a slightly relieved look when he put it that way. He seemed worried about how to accomplish his instructions from the Grand Duke. For once, the Lockhart family didn't explicitly refuse, so I guess I'll even tell the Grand Duke that the Lockhart family is willing to make the visit.

Later, we talked about the war in Lukes, and Viscount Furfree was definitely lifting Prince Leopold.

"... Your Highness is exactly what you should call a military god. They have attacked the enemy Luke deeply and have defeated tens of thousands of enemy troops. Now it's time to rest and retreat to Lark Hill, but in the spring they must be able to advance the army again and put up a great deal of handles..."

Viscount Furfree's information showed that the punitive march to Luke would continue beyond spring.

(Assuming there is no retreat, the Northern Governor's Office forces also remain nailed to Lukes... is the normalization of Aurelia Street after the summer... I hope Aulera doesn't set something up...)

Prince Leopold's Third Army and the Northern Governor's Office Army dominate this Luke march. As a result, the military forces in the northern part of the empire have fallen and security has deteriorated significantly.

The problem has not become apparent as the imperial territory is appropriately handed down by the Governor, the Raswell Border Uncle, but the streets are essentially completely paralysed by the deterioration of security on Aurelia streets that hit outside the imperial territory.

It is the commercial city of Aurelia that is most affected by this.

Aurella carries goods from the south of the continent by sea to Aurella, from where they are sold by land to landlocked countries such as Periclitle and the Kingdom of Lax. He had also gained enormous wealth by transporting the rare products of those countries to the Empire and Lukes. The continued paralysis on its Aurelia streets indicates that Aulera itself will decline.

As things stand, we are trying to do something with our political tactics, but we cannot deny the possibility that a cornered Aurelia will carry out some sort of ploy against the Empire.

The main dish came out while we were talking about Teito and such.

A large plate is placed on the wagon, on which a whole piglet is seated. And beside it, the chef stood nervous.

The main thing is not Viscount Furfree, which the chef seems to explain.

"It's a roast of the finest little piglets I've got in Ezarrington. The sauce is made with chestnuts and apples."

That's what I say. Show you a small pot with sauce.

"Chestnuts are pasted with butter after boiling. The apples were taken from a village near here and finished in puree form."

That said, the servants distribute the wine, and the chef cuts the piglets apart.

"The wine was served by Zacharias, the precious rotten wine of the Rosingrave family of the Kingdom of Kaum"

This time I tried the adventure of matching precious rotten wines with the main dishes.

White wines with dark eyes are a classic for pigs, but piglets may taste pale and lose to precious rotten wines. Chestnut and apple sauce on the skins and fats that are slowly roasted, so I added playfulness to this challenge "Challenge". Well, sometimes if you think you've failed, you're breaking it off that you should serve another wine.

Viscount Radford starts eating by saying "I want that precious rotten wine...... interesting".

The food came around to me too, so I tried it, but it's not worse than I thought.

"This is pretty good, Lord Radford," Viscount Furfley nodded satisfactorily as well.

"Sure. You never thought of this combination. That's Lord Zacharias."

That's what Viscount Radford raises the glass.

"It was unexpected. I never thought sweet wine and pork would go hand in hand. Mr. Zach, I wonder if there's any reason for this," my sister-in-law Rosalie asked.

"There's no particular reason. If you dare say so, it means this was the only wine with a strong white grape flavour. If there was anything else, it wouldn't have fit."

"Mm-hmm. I do feel like a solid white wine would fit. It would be whiter than red, especially for this chestnut sauce. But don't bother when they say which white wine will fit. Seawell wine white is often light. If it's white in Ezarrington, it might fit..."

We enjoyed the meal while we talked about it.

■ ■ ■

After dinner, Viscount Simon Farfrey had approved the report to the Grand Duke of Langton.

'... Sir Masaias Lockhart was very fond of His Highness Leopold, the same samurai. However, he lacked knowledge of the customs of the Imperial capital and did not obtain a clear answer to his interview with the Grand Duke. For this reason, I presume Viscount Radford suggested that Lord Radford would never join the topic and there is no evidence that the Chancellors interfered......'

Zacharias will also be included in the report.

'... Sir Zacharias has knowledge and detention to an unusual extent when it comes to booze and cooking, but I don't have the impression that the elementary profession is as familiar with politics as the rumors. On a personal note, it seems unlikely that it will become a political threat. I would be foolish to think that the story of the Sorcerer's Guild is a rumor deliberately circulated by Speaker Worgman......'

Furfree stops the pen there and remembers Zacharias.

(Restraint and confidence in food and alcohol until abnormal. I thought not when I heard that Lord Radford had a glance, but he showed that much confidence, and yet showed the perfect combination of cooking and booze commensurate with that confidence. Dwarves can also snort “the son of the god of alcohol"...)

That made me laugh zero. But squeeze your expression right away.

(But the story of Speaker Worgman being on guard is frowning. Certainly knowledgeable and insightful at that age. But that's all. If it's someone we really should be afraid of, we'll think about selling ourselves in high. For example, negotiating with Lord Ingolslop with that information after installing an appointment with His Excellency the Grand Duke… not so much to be afraid of if you can't even think of that extent…)

He was simulating how the Lockhart family would move in terms of what he would do. And if I were you, I wouldn't miss this opportunity, I'd hang up on the elders and sell them to the people who would buy them the most. That way, because even the Countess might be able to reach it.

But this was the limit of fur free. He assumed that an imperial nobleman would aspire to be born just like himself. The prejudice clouded his observational eyes.

If I had seen the Lockhart family with neutral (neutral) eyes, I would have changed my view.

Especially if Zacharias focused on the cloudy part of the word, you must have noticed he was skilfully guiding himself and keeping clear promises from being attached.

'... you need to pull away from the Marquis of Seawell to bring in the Lockhart family. However, Sir Lockhart, who was a civilian, is extremely concerned about the customs of the Imperial capital and I presume that he will never leave the Marquis, the senior nobleman and only acquaintance in the Imperial capital…'

When he put this report in the seal, he sent it to Grand Duke Langton the following morning using an early horse.

(But dinner was the best meal of my life today. Wouldn't it be better for the world not to aspire to emerge as a magician or something, but to be a cook...)

If the voice of this heart sounded Zacharias, he might have snorted bitterly.