Chapter 85.1 - First Year at the Academy - A Multitude Of Colors (1)
Upon opening the entrance, Lambert, Felix, Elphimia, and Rora were standing there.
"We all coordinated our outfits."
"We met up along the way."
As soon as the four entered, they suddenly stopped.
When they turned around, they saw Ted and the others standing still in a straight line.
"Welcome, Elphimia-sama, Lambert-sama, Felix-sama. And our-"
Sensing danger, Lola quickly turned around and tried to escape.
"Lola-sama! Chase after her, don't let her escape!"
Ted and the others chased after her at full speed.
Is it another training exercise?
How quickly can they switch gears?
Lambert and the others were still taken aback. I explained the situation to them.
While Elphimia seemed uninterested, Lambert and Felix seemed impressed. Well, they did clash with me.
After a while, Lola, who had been captured, returned surrounded by the four of them.
"Lola-sama has arrived!"
Along with Ted's announcement, Lola entered with a bright red face.
Elphimia tilted her head at her appearance.
"I understand it's a training exercise, but what do you mean by ‘our'?"
"Because she's our client."
I summarized the situation and explained it concisely. Elphimia muttered, "I see.", seemingly becoming interested this time.
She started talking to Lola about something.
It seems she will accompany us.
Meanwhile, Ted and the others asked,
"What do we do next?"
"Lead them to their seats. Pull out chairs to make it more comfortable."
"But where do we lead them?"
"In front of Alterr-sama is the fireplace, and in front of Elphimia-sama is…"
Elliott provided guidance, and as instructed, they tried to guide me to my seat.
"No, I'm not ready yet."
When I refused, Ted looked shocked.
"Hey, he refused! What should we do?"
"Leave it for later! Focus on Elphimia-sama."
"But you're already engrossed in conversation over there!"
"Next!"
Perhaps feeling sorry for the flustered Ted and the others, Lambert and Felix obediently followed the guidance.
Training is good and all, but this is unnecessary knowledge…
Leaving Ted and the others who were restless around the 2 girls, I returned to the kitchen.
Before long, the preparations were complete, and I introduced Dana to everyone.
Dana, who was slightly nervous even with just me, grimaced when faced with a court mage's daughter and viscount's son of the viscount.
To prevent her from fainting, I promptly seated her. Nails and the others flanked her on both sides, serving as good breakwaters.
Just as we were about to begin, Lambert stood up.
"Oh no, I completely forgot. Take these."
He handed me a basket and several bottles.
The contents of the basket appeared to be meat.
"If I had known, I would have prepared something different. It's smoked wild boar."
"No, I appreciate it. I asked Lola for goat meat. With this, we can compare the flavors."
"Plus, the smoking methods are different."
Lola interjected.
"Lambert-sama's smoked meat is ‘Nekkun.' It doesn't have a long shelf life, but it retains the true flavor of the meat. The one I requested is ‘Onkun,' which is a bit tougher. There's also ‘Reikun' available."
"Cold-smoked… Is it like dried meat?"
"That's just dried, right? Well, from me, it's sweets."
"Ah, sorry."
Elphimia handed me small candies coated in honey, while Lola gave me smoked Holber seeds.
Ted and the others tried to take a peek at them, but since the event hadn't started yet, I instructed them to return to their seats.
As it was also a celebration for the year-end and New Year, it fell upon me, the host, to give a speech.
This isn't really my thing, though.
I stood up, surveyed everyone from my seat, and began, "Well…"
"I'm not good with formal speeches, so I'll just speak as usual. Thank you all for coming to this festive occasion. The people gathered here have various backgrounds, positions, and ways of life. We met at different times. Some have been here before enrollment, while others met today. It's a mysterious connection that brought us together like this. I won't say it's a free-for-all, but I want everyone to enjoy themselves without being too nervous. So let's give thanks for the safe year that has passed and pray for the safety of the coming year… Cheers!"
Everyone echoed my words and raised their glasses in unison.
Understanding my message, Ted and Gemma returned to their usual selves and eagerly flocked to the smoked Holber seeds.
"It's completely different from grilling it. It has this smoky flavor!"
"It's because it's smoked."
"But it's delicious!"
The two of them also reached for the boar meat, exclaiming incoherently.
Curious, Lambert and Felix also reached for the goat's meat.
They seemed to have no particular thoughts and silently enjoyed their portion.
Ted, seemingly dissatisfied, began enthusiastically emphasizing how formidable his enemies were.
However, no matter how he put it, a goat is still a goat.
"But still…"
"Even so, it's not just an ordinary goat!"
"Ted."
"Yes, sir!"
Being reprimanded by Nails, he corrected himself with odd word choices.
Lambert looked perplexed and turned his gaze toward me.
Oh well, I guess I'll lend a hand for their sake.
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