Chapter 7 | The Assassin Throws a Party
A few days had passed since I announced my engagement and sent messages throughout the country.
A carriage arrived at the Tuatha Dé estate, and I collected the packages and letters it delivered, inspecting them on the spot. The contents were almost entirely food. I planned to host a grand celebration for the engagement party tomorrow, and I’d procured quality ingredients without much concern for the expense.
The most eye-grabbing item was the giant lobster. Lobster spoiled very quickly and was rarely seen in inland domains like Tuatha Dé. I’d hired a mage to obtain freshly caught living lobster, freeze it in seawater, stuff it into a wooden box with sawdust, and cool the container at regular intervals during transport. By employing this method, we’d be able to enjoy lobster that tasted fresh, so long as I thawed it properly.
Hiring the mage for multiple days wasn’t cheap, but lobster was one of Dia’s favorite foods, justifying the effort and cost.
All these ingredients are of the highest quality.
I took this opportunity to retrieve a letter I intended to mail to Count Frantrude.
Count Frantrude was the man who’d been going to deliver false testimony against me to support a noble plotting to ruin me with fake accusations. By disguising myself as a woman named Lulu, I’d won Count Frantrude’s cooperation during the trial. Essentially, I seduced him to get what I wanted. It was a relatively common trick among assassins.
The easiest way to deal with the count would’ve been to kill him once his usefulness ended. However, I’d decided not to murder needlessly in this life. He’d done me a great service, after all, so I elected to settle things peacefully. I was putting a lot of time and effort into ending this without a fuss.
The plan was to have Count Frantrude grow distant with Lulu by planting numerous disagreements in her letters to him so that his love would fade gradually, bringing the relationship to a natural end. Instilling the count with the idea that things wouldn’t work out, rather than giving him an outright rejection, made it far more likely that he’d get over me.
Despite that… I eyed at the letter with great disappointment. I’d exchanged many letters with Count Frantrude, but his passion for me had not subsided. He interpreted my words in ways that suited him, no matter what I wrote, and his feelings for Lulu grew stronger by the day.
I’d clearly underestimated him. Count Frantrude was an especially romantic person… No, that was wrong. He was merely a bigger idiot than I’d initially judged him to be. He only saw his ideal Lulu and remained ignorant of the disagreements I inserted into the letters. Lulu had become a perfect woman who existed only in his head.
“This is bad.” I didn’t want to dress up as a woman again, but I couldn’t rule out the need. Worst case scenario, the count might travel uninvited to the home of the noblewoman whose name and identity I’d borrowed. That would expose my lie and lead to much greater trouble. Ending things directly in person was preferable to dealing with that kind of fiasco.
“Hmm? What’s this?” One of the packages was addressed to Dia and Tarte. That was unusual. Maha had sent it.
The contents had to be quite large. From the weight, I thought they might be clothes. While wondering if I should open the parcel, I heard footsteps behind me and turned around.
Tarte, who’d been training under my father today, raced toward me. After snatching the package away and hugging it to her chest, she asked, “…Did you look inside?”
“No, I didn’t,” I answered.
“Thank goodness. That was close.”
Tarte was still in her training clothes. She must have sprinted here upon realizing that the carriage had arrived. I was interested to know the contents of the delivery, but I didn’t ask. If Tarte was willing to tell me, she wouldn’t have rushed here like that.
That my father let Tarte out of training was surprising. He was typically a very strict teacher.
“How was practice with Dad?” I inquired, changing the topic to hide my curiosity.
“I learned a lot. His assassination methods resemble yours, but they’re slightly different. It was interesting. He even taught me some new tricks!”
I normally oversaw Tarte’s instruction, but today’s session was special. My dad was conducting House Tuatha Dé’s version of marriage training. I remembered Mom complaining about it in the past. She’d received this baptism into the family immediately after her wedding, and she’d grumbled that it was so hard it made her want to die.
An assassin’s family could be their greatest weakness. To account for that, all members of the Tuatha Dé clan were taught the bare minimum of self-defense techniques. That “bare minimum” was very difficult to achieve, though.
“Really? You’ll have to teach me some of those tricks later,” I said.
“Sure thing, my lord! Are all those packages in the back of the carriage ingredients for the party? Wow, that’s amazing! That lobster’s huge! I never imagined we would eat seafood in Tuatha Dé!”
“I’m planning on making a lot of fun dishes for the party.”
“I’m not allowed to help, am I?”
“I’ll be doing it all myself. I want to surprise everyone.”
I was having a little fun with the cooking this time, going for something I’d intentionally never done before.
“I can’t wait to see the result.”
“Didn’t expect you to give up so easily.”
“Well, we have our own sur— Ahem, ahem. Uh, well, I need to return to my training. I’ll see you later!” Tarte dashed off as swiftly as she’d arrived, with her parcel in her arms. No matter how much time passed, that clumsy part of her would never change.
I returned to my room with some letters that had arrived with the other deliveries. There were four of them, all addressed to me.
The first was Maha’s report regarding Natural You. She concisely summed up last month’s financial situation and the progress of our business plans.
Given the increase in monster numbers, the stagnation of trade, and the worsening economy, many enterprises were in the red. Bucking the trend, Natural You had shown firm growth over the past year.
The catch was that cosmetics sales were experiencing negative growth for the first time since the founding of Natural You. It was inevitable that beauty products would be the first to go during hard times. Our cosmetics department was still in the black, but there was no way to put a positive spin on the number.
We made up for the decline in makeup sales with a new product aimed at the military. According to Maha’s report, the item was very well received on the field, and we were likely to strike a long-term deal to supply it in large quantities. That would give Natural You stability.
The prospects for success were good… But I didn’t expect it to be this popular.
The product Natural You produced for the army was an energy drink. Put simply, it was a beverage pumped full of sugar, caffeine, and vitamins. These were the main ingredients of energy drinks in my previous world as well, and any other additives could be easily substituted or omitted. The effect of the beverage was considerable and, while temporary, made exhaustion vanish in an instant. There was no precedent for such a beverage here, and the response to it was tremendous.
The second letter is from the Royal Knights Academy.
The message explained that repairs were complete and that the academy would reopen the week after next. That was good news, but one thing in the missive irritated me. The academy staff wished to hold a ceremony to commemorate my extermination of the earth dragon demon.
I understood their motive. The school had been destroyed by a demon, giving many the impression that it was unsafe. They needed to clear away that image. To that end, they were going to hold a lavish celebration to let students and their families know they would be safe because of my presence.
“I guess I can put up with it. I don’t have any dislike for the academy itself.” It would also be nice to see Dia and Tarte in uniform again.
Now, for the third letter…
“It’s from Nevan. That was faster than I expected.”
This message had come from Nevan Romalung, daughter of one of the four major dukedoms. As it happened, she was very interested in marrying me.
The other day, I asked Dad to spread the word of my future marriages to Dia, Tarte, and Maha. When a noble got engaged, a written form had to be submitted to the administrator of their region declaring their intention. The administrator then conveyed that information to their subservient nobles below them and to the central government, after which the news spread through aristocratic society. It was a noble’s duty to report their betrothal. Failing to do so meant the engagement couldn’t become official.
The administrator of this region was Margrave Ailrush, and the Romalung dukedom was stationed above him. It had only been a matter of time before Nevan found out.
It seemed like she didn’t intend to obstruct my engagements. Rather, she expressed her relief to learn that I was in favor of marriage and that I was indeed attracted to women. She also offered her congratulations. I was concerned about the bit where she asserted that four wives would be just as easy as three, but I didn’t need to worry about that for the moment.
On to the fourth letter.
“I don’t want to deal with this, but I knew it was going to happen.”
The final missive was from Margrave Ailrush. To summarize, the letter instructed me to hold an engagement party for all nobles of this region, including the margrave himself and the big shot aristocrats from the royal capital. He called the message a warning, but it read more like a command. Margrave Ailrush had also sent a letter to Dad, likely demanding the same thing.
By rules alone, all we had to do was report to the region administrator for the betrothal to be made official. Despite that, it was common practice among nobles to throw a party and invite other aristocrats with whom they were on cordial terms when an heir got engaged.
I wrote a reply. It was a plain refusal. I was aware of what I should’ve done in my position, but I wanted no part of a celebration with a bunch of nobles I wasn’t particularly close with. It would be exhausting, and watching the ignorant fools appraise Dia, Tarte, and Maha with their vulgar gazes would be insufferable.
I also recognized Margrave Ailrush’s ulterior motive. If the Holy Knight threw an engagement party, all of the most influential nobles in the capital would attend. This was the best chance the margrave would ever have to form connections in the capital. Undoubtedly, he was dying for a chance to complain about me rising above my station as a lowly Tuatha Dé, too.
No way in hell was I going to put up with that. I would leave the struggle for rank and power in high society to the aristocrats who lived for it.
I finished my letter and instructed a servant to send it.
“That takes care of that. I suppose I should get started on preparations for the cooking.”
I needed to pick up Maha tomorrow, so today had to be spent getting as much of the food ready as possible.
The next day, I used an aircraft to pick up Maha and bring her to Tuatha Dé. Maha fell to her knees, pale-faced, when I landed and helped her down. She put her hands over her mouth to keep from vomiting. Tarte and Dia had adapted to their first flight without any difficulty, but that was unusual; this was how most people would end up feeling.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“…That was really difficult, but yes. You’ve told me about aircraft before, but they’re even more capable than I imagined. This would cause a revolution in the world of distribution if it was mass-produced. Taking days by carriage to get to a business meeting seems absurd to me now,” Maha answered.
“Mass production would be difficult. Riding on the wind alone isn’t so hard, but flying between cities like we just did requires significant mana capacity and control.”
“I realize that, but I still want it. Making the telecommunications network public would be even better, but that isn’t an option…”
If we made the telecommunications network available to the general public, there would be no need to travel to other towns at all. That was highly classified information, however. The value of instant long-distance communication was immeasurable in this world, and more countries than could be counted on two hands would start a war to obtain that technology.
The lack of long-distance communication was why merchants needed to purchase an expensive escort to protect them on long, sluggish journeys by carriage that could take days or even a month.
“I understand why you want an aircraft. If you had one, you’d be able to make trips in hours that used to take you days. That would give you room in your schedule,” I said.
“Yes, exactly. Travel time is such a waste and greatly limits what I can do in business,” Maha responded.
Time was more precious than anything to a busy manager. That was especially true for Maha, who bustled all about the country year-round for work.
The problem was that Maha’s mana capacity was lower than average. Her mana control was superior to Tarte’s, and she was one of the most talented people I knew, but… This request was very like her.
“I’ll think about it. I could make a chargeable version with Fahr Stones attached. If I engraved a formula into the aircraft to automatically cast a spell that calls wind, you would be able to pilot it. I’ll make one as a test.”
I’d worked out the technique of engraving formulas into material by analyzing a divine treasure, but this one would require minute control. It was going to be quite difficult to make. However, I’d gladly put in the effort for Maha. It was nothing compared to the work she had put in for me.
“I’m happy to hear it. I can’t wait!” Maha beamed. That smile alone would make all the effort worth it.
With all the cooking finished, I carried the food to the party venue before the festivities began. Although we barely used it, we did have a room for this purpose. I told everyone that not a single person could enter until the designated time. Maha went to Tarte’s room to wait for the start of the celebration after she arrived.
“Phew, I managed to finish everything in time.” I surveyed the room, satisfied with my work. The decorations were to my liking, and I had arranged the cuisine as a buffet.
I placed the entrées on large plates and used hot water to heat the dishes and prevent any warm foods from going cold, a method employed at hotels. Because flame wasn’t applied to anything directly, nothing was burned or boiled down. The heat was coming from Fahr Stones submerged in the water. I was keeping cold food chilled with ice.
Half of the meal I’d prepared was home cooking that represented the tastes of our domain. This included cream stew, pheasant roast, Dia’s favorite gratin, salt-grilled runamass, salad with vegetables picked in Tuatha Dé, soybean bread, and more.
The other half of the menu consisted of luxurious and unusual dishes. One example was unagi kabayaki, or grilled eel. There were no eels in Tuatha Dé, but they were quite popular in towns to the south.
I’d obtained live eels, then used fish sauce in place of soy sauce, instilled sweetness with honey and wine, lathered them with sauce with added richness from butter, and grilled them over charcoal. It was essentially Western-style kabayaki, which I knew would fit my family’s tastes better. Stewing eel was a common practice in this world, so grilled eel was going to surprise them.
For the meat, I’d obtained popular beef from cows raised in the capital only for eating, and I’d created two separate dishes. The first was splendid roast beef prepared using low-temperature cooking. The second was a pulpy beef stew made using gelatin-rich cheek and tail meat stewed in special demi-glacé. I was proud of both.
The lobster that I took great pains to have delivered filled the seafood role. Just like the meat, there were two seafood dishes. The first was lobster carpaccio, and the second was fried lobster that I cooked rare to bring out the sweetness as much as possible.
Desert was my favorite cake, one hailed as the greatest chocolate cake ever devised.
I’d cooked all these dishes using my knowledge from my previous life, and none of them had ever been tasted in this world. My parents and I rarely indulged ourselves like this. That didn’t mean I disliked doing so, however. It was good to cut loose at times like this, and there were familiar foods to choose from in case anyone grew tired of the luxurious options.
I’d always believed food to be one of the most critical elements of a party. Eating a good meal was enough to lift the spirits of the attendees, which in turn made everything else more enjoyable. That was why I went all out with the cooking.
“It’s about time.” I looked at my watch and saw that the festivities would begin at any moment.
Mom and Dad arrived first. They were wearing their finest clothes, and Mom had the alexandrite necklace I gave her around her neck. It looked great on her. I complimented her, and she gave an embarrassed reaction.
My three fiancées entered next.
“You all look beautiful,” I said, bewitched by their appearances. They were all wearing dresses I’d never seen before.
These dresses must be what Maha sent to Dia and Tarte. It explained why Tarte was so desperate to hide them from me.
“Hee-hee, you’re always surprising us, Lugh, so this time, we thought we’d get back at you a little,” said Dia.
“Um, does this look good on me?” Tarte asked shyly.
“You’re so blessed, dear brother, getting engaged to three lovely young women,” Maha remarked.
I smiled. Maha was right. Each of them was enchanting. Maha must have chosen the outfits; each one suited its wearer exquisitely. I couldn’t wait to see the girls wearing my engagement rings.
“…You got me. Now, if you three would move to the center of the room. Let’s get this party underway. It’s time to celebrate our engagements.”
Three beautiful fiancées, my loving parents, and an extravagant feast. This would be a truly great day.
I opened a bottle of wine. It was time to start the party.
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