13

“Is it somewhat light?”

“Elias’s fish is rich with fat and delicious. Even so, it is still lighter than the fat of meat. That is why here in Elias, we use a different method of preparation from other places in order to further enhance the deliciousness of our fish dishes.”

“I did not have an image of Elias being known for grape wine, but I see. Knowing that makes it taste even better.”

Sophia enjoyed the food even more with an appropriate amount of grape wine.

However, the “delicious” Talidge spoke of regarding the grape wine was not something he said after understanding the meaning behind Arabetta’s words. To him, any alcohol he could drink was delicious.

“I heard from Valeo, Lord Ains. It seems you are on friendly terms with Kansas.”

“I don’t know if I would call it being on friendly terms, but he treated me well when I was in Kirk. When we passed through the checkpoint at Elias, I showed this and was able to get through smoothly.”

Ains showed Arabetta the medal he had received from Kansas, marked with the Brandy family crest.

“Kansas treated you well, did he? Hahaha, do you think that schemer would do such a thing without any reason? I’ve known him for a long time, but Lord Ains, you should be careful around him. He’ll use you to his advantage, you know?”

Arabetta laughed jokingly, but she did not seem to view Kansas as an enemy. After all, Arabetta also understood that a certain level of political instinct and ability was necessary to survive in the royal capital. From her long association with him, Arabetta knew that Kansas was not truly an evil man as a noble.

Whatever he did, he acted with the thought of improving the country. It was precisely because Arabetta understood that she could speak about Kansas in a joking tone.

“I’m fine with that. As long as Kansas-san does not cross the line as a sorcerer, I don’t mind anything else. I also have Kansas-san solving impossible problems for me, so it’s only natural that Kansas-san should receive that much in return.”

After that, the four of them continued to speak freely.

With delicious food and delicious wine, the atmosphere naturally grew lively. The excitement settled down around the time everyone finished eating the dishes the Elias family took such pride in.

Ains and Sophia sipped coffee, while Arabetta enjoyed the aroma of her black tea. Talidge alone continued drinking grape wine.

“Since we have become this comfortable with one another, allow me to voice a little weakness…”

Arabetta quietly murmured as she gently set down her teacup.

Valeo exchanged glances with the maids and instructed them to leave the dining room.

“…”

Ains and Sophia silently sipped their coffee. Talidge, unconcerned, gulped down his grape wine.

“…To be honest, I have no confidence. Never before has the city of Elias suffered such damage. The Elias family has continued from the previous generation and the generation before that, and this had always been a quiet, beautiful sea.”

Arabetta looked upward with eyes that seemed to gaze into the distance.

What she was remembering was the calm sea and the sound of the waves she had watched since birth.

This incident had destroyed them. The corpses and blood of magical beasts, the stench from the blood shed by the residents, and the horrific sights.

“The incident that we could not suppress on our own was kept to a minimum thanks to you, Lord Ains. But even so, many ships were destroyed, and there is no doubt that trade will slow. In addition, the residents of Elias have come to fear the sea because of this incident…”

Arabetta’s sighs did not stop.

“With only a few ships remaining under our control, and fewer people willing to go out to sea, the current situation is extremely severe. This has become a major problem that will affect not only Elias, but the entire kingdom.”

The weight of it rested heavily on Arabetta’s shoulders as the one responsible for governing Elias.

“…Can I stop this as lord? It is not only me. The good people of Elias and the people of the kingdom will also suffer pain. That heavy responsibility is too much for me to…”

But there, Arabetta closed her mouth and did not say the rest.

Sophia looked at Ains beside her with concern.

“I have never become a noble, nor do I want to become one. So I have never considered Lady Arabetta’s feelings, nor can I understand them.”

“…Lord Ains.”

“However, Lady Arabetta, does the presence or absence of that heavy responsibility change your actions?”

“Eh?”

“If you did not have that heavy responsibility, would you cut corners in rebuilding Elias? Do you work desperately because you have responsibility?”

“Cut corners? I would never!”

Arabetta stood up without thinking. The sound of her chair scraping echoed through the dining room.

“In the end, what you will do remains the same within you, Lady Arabetta. Whether the responsibility is heavy or light, you fail when you fail, and you succeed when you succeed. That is all there is to it.”

Ains continued.

“What meaning is there in worrying about and fearing something when you do not know whether it will happen or not, Lady Arabetta? You were born in Elias and have lived in Elias. What do you want to do?”

Arabetta quietly sat back down.

Ains’s question. The answer to it had already appeared within Arabetta.

“Results and evaluations are things that follow afterward. It never works the other way around, so the only thing you should turn your eyes toward now, Lady Arabetta, is the harbor city of Elias.”

Ains, who had not asked after any especially deep consideration, simply sipped his coffee quietly.

Arabetta had not expected Ains, who looked younger than her, to throw out words that pushed her forward like this.

There were people who were wise despite their youth. However, Ains’s words somehow sounded as if they came from his own real experience. If so, just how much had Ains experienced? Just how many failures had he gone through? Could Ains, who was still not even an adult, truly have lived such a dense life?

As Arabetta gazed at Ains, who appeared more mentally mature than herself, she withdrew the hand she had started to reach toward her empty teacup.