Chapter 199 I've been offered a Viscounty?
(POV: Lumiere)
The scent of the savory serpent stew wafted through the air, Fasit and Mimosa entered the room, each carrying a tray adorned with a variety of delectable dishes. The plates were filled to the brim with the sweetly-prepared stew, garnished with an array of colorful herbs and spices.
Grome?s mouth already started watering. He could barely contain his excitement.
"Ah, finally! The feast awaits," he exclaimed eagerly.
Slowly, they dished out the meal, sharing to everyone that was seated around the table. Umbra also helped in dishing out the meal.
Fasit approached my side, a hint of apology in her voice.
"I'm sorry, the portions might be on the smaller side."
I waved away her apology. "Nah, that's fine. But why though?"
"You see, Lady Eris requested a meal, so half of what we prepared went to her."
Honestly, that girl ate more food than anyone I knew. She was a walking black hole— devouring any edible thing in her path.
I chuckled and assured her, "No worries, I don't mind at all. As long as Eris is happy, that's what matters."
Mimosa chimed in, her voice soft and warm. "I'll go check if Eris is finished eating. It's time to put her to bed."
With a grateful nod, I thanked her. "Keep up the good work, Mimosa."
"Thank you, Lord Lumiere." She bowed her head.
Just as the anticipation for the meeting began to build, the wise and knowledgeable figure of Martini, the Grygan chieftain, entered the room. He gracefully bowed his head and asked, "May the meeting commence?"
"Of course," I replied with a smile.
We were way off topic. My main intent was to know what exactly Ophelia was doing back at the Silva Citadel. One thing I knew about Ophelia was that she never did something without having a good reason to. The last time she came here was for some loot and now who could imagine what she wanted.
If it was more loot— there was a lot to go around.
But she came with an adventurer and a girl dressed like nobility, she was definitely not here for that.
"Wait, what about the Minotaur guy," Stellaria asked.
"Eh?" I said.
We were in a city full of minotaurs, so it wasn't exactly the most vivid description. It was the type of description Lirien or Sangria would give.
"Are you talking about Skarz?" Serena inquired, slightly certain she was.
A hint of interest formed on Stellaria's face. "Oh yeah, him."
Fasit leaned in closer.
"Skarz couldn't join us. He's occupied with the pyroapple plantation alongside Lady Oran and Lady Reet."
"I see," I nodded calmly. "Well we do need someone to oversee that since you're not there either."
"Indeed." Fasit nodded.
I reassured her, "No problem at all. We can proceed without his presence."
Impatiently, Ophelia interjected, "Can we start this meeting already?"
Meanwhile, Grome wasted no time and began hungrily devouring his meal.
Lucilia, sensing a need to apologize for Grome's manners, addressed me humbly. "Please forgive his lack of etiquette. He has always been quite enthusiastic about his food."
"Ah, trust me... it's fine." I gestured my understanding with my hands.
With his mouth still full, Grome jokingly retorted, "What? I'm just eating! Can't a man enjoy his meal?"
Ophelia let out a weary sigh and scolded him, "At least close your mouth while you eat, humans have no manners... honestly."
Taking Ophelia's words to heart, Grome nodded earnestly and continued savoring every bite. "I have manners though," he mumbled in-between each bite he took.
Fasit and Martini took their seats, their expressions serious and stoic. Umbra, as always, stood behind me, serving as my ever-present guardian.
Lucilia expressed her thanks once more for the help I provided in the depths of the forest. I smiled warmly and assured her that it was no trouble at all.
Martini?s deep voice resonated through the room. He leaned back in his chair and began, "No offense, but humans without combat experience shouldn't venture into the Great Forest. It's a dangerous place, and not all who enter come out unscathed."
He paused, taking a moment to his serpent meat.
Grome, who was heartily devouring his meal, interrupted with a confident voice, "Well, you see, I actually have quite a bit of combat experience under my belt."
Stellaria, elegantly nibbling on her serpent meat, smirked and replied, "Apparently not enough, considering you were running like a pussy back there."
"You weren't even there," I told her.
"I don't need to be to tell he's a pussy though."
"Can you stop saying that word?" Serena asked.
Not even giving her the satisfaction of a response, Stellaria continued eating her meal.
Grome's face flushed with embarrassment, but before he could protest, Lucilia raised a hand, silencing him.
Lucilia then explained with a calm and factual voice, "Monsters in the Great Forest tend to avoid creatures with high levels of magic energy. That's one of the reasons I sought the services of Ophelia."
She wasn't wrong. Monsters sensed magic energy at a more quantifiable level than mankind. It was the main reason Serena and I had an easy journey through the Great Forest our first time here. But with the new magic suppression bracelets we had, our magic energy waves would be scrambled, making it difficult for monsters to sense.
[ Humans, Elves, Dwarves — Mankind. ]
Serena asked another question, "One of the reasons?"
Lucilia nodded. "Yes, indeed. When my father posted the job offer to venture into the Silva Citadel, Ophelia claimed to know its ruler."
Ophelia, wearing a self-assured smile, added, "And I do."
Fasit, her voice laced with curiosity, chimed in, "That explains a lot, but why exactly were you looking for him?"
That was the main question we wanted to know.
"A noble like you shouldn't really be here," I said.
"Well, it's not really me who needs your help per se," her fork gently stabbed her serpent meat several times. "It's my father, Viscount Randolph."
The room fell silent, and Fasit, Serena, Martini, and I all spoke in unison, "Lord Randolph is your father?"
The sound of my fork falling onto my plate echoed through the room.
Lucilia gently scratched her head, a sheepish smile on her face as she admitted, "Maybe I should've started with that first."
I chuckled and ask, "You called him Viscount, since when did your father become a Viscount?"
With a solemn tone, Lucilia began to explain the chain of events that led to her father's newfound noble status. She revealed that after the infamous incident at Zarbon city, her father had selflessly helped countless people, earning their gratitude and admiration. His compassionate actions caught the attention of the King's Court, who saw fit to vet him for a higher noble status. As a result, Lord Randolph was bestowed with the title of Viscount.
My father established a rule against nobility titles being hereditary. It was to avoid any rebellion in later futures.
Nodding thoughtfully, I responded, "That makes sense. Your father's wealt— I mean, his dedication and benevolence undoubtedly earned him this recognition."
Honestly, in feudalism, all they cared about was what you could offer.
"It was only a matter of time before he got it." Serena smiled gently.
Ophelia interjected, "Lucilia, let's get to the main point of the story, shall we?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Well you're in a rush."
Ophelia clarified, "No offense intended, but I'm not talking to you."
I sighed.
Lucilia took a deep breath, "My father has requested your presence to handle his Viscounty."
The room fell silent, and we all exchanged puzzled glances.
A Viscount would typically be given a larger landholding or several smaller ones, known as a viscounty or viscountcy. The land would likely encompass multiple villages, towns, or even smaller regions.
Just to be sure, I asked, "Are you absolutely certain about what you're saying?"
Lucilia nodded, she then explained, "My father's in need of someone he can trust implicitly to help him build and manage his domain. Given your experience in establishing the Silva Citadel, he believes you to be the best candidate for the task."
Martini agreed, "You've proven yourself capable and dependable in the past, my lord. It's no surprise Lor— Viscount Randolph would turn to you."
"But why didn't Viscount Randolph simply send a letter, as he usually does?" Fasit asked.
Lucilia paused for a moment before replying, "A letter would complicate the conversation and make it all the more difficult. That's why I chose to come here in place of my father."
Honestly, Lord Randolph or his wife... had good genes.
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