Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 10.2: “Viscount Tysburn”

　Oldham laughed and added, “You probably won’t have to use it.”

　We were escorted directly to the guest room of the castle and treated as honored guests. This was partly because we were the family of Rosalind’s fiancée, but also, I suppose, out of concern for our safety.

　We walked through the castle again and met up with Guy and the others.

　Around 4:00 p.m., we had finished sorting out the wagons and taking care of the horses, and we could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

　With the arrival of Viscount Tysburn, a heavy atmosphere overtook us, and we hardly opened our mouths.

　Guy, Byron, and the others, concerned, asked what was going on, and my father tried to explain in the most matter-of-fact way possible.

　The squires were furious with Tysburn. And they were bracing themselves for the fact that here in Welburn was not necessarily a safe place.

　That evening, we had dinner with Hubert Roswell, the Frontier Count.

　In addition to the Lockhart family, the squires were also allowed to be present, so it was a large group dinner.

　Of course, since the dining hall doubled as the castle hall, the number of guests was small for the size of the place, but there were still 20 people from the Lockhart family alone and four from the Roswell family: the Count, Rosalind, Cordelia, the widow of his heir, and Francis, his grandson and heir–were there.

　Since it was a formal dinner with a high-ranking nobleman, it made even Guy, Enos, and even Byron, not to mention the young men of the village patrol group, stiffen stiffly, and their gazes were not fixed. My younger sibling were also nervous, and instead of frolicking as usual, they took their seats in a quiet manner.

　In such a situation, we, the Zack Sextet, were surprisingly calm.

　Mel and Sharon, in particular, were dressed to the nines, looking as calm as noble ladies.

　The older members of the group, namely Liddy and Beatrice, were wearing clothes similar to knight’s uniforms, and looked exactly like beautiful women dressed in men’s clothes. They looked like male actors in a certain opera troupe, so much so that I thought they might be coming down the stairs singing.

　I thought both of them were calm, but their cheeks were already slightly flushed, and it seemed that they had had a little bit to drink somewhere. So, they are chatting and laughing together, not drinking in the atmosphere of the place.

　Dan doesn’t look that different from usual. He was blushing like Liddy and the others, and I thought for a moment that he had been drinking, but upon closer inspection, I saw that he was only blushing when he saw Mel in her dress sitting in front of him.

(If you don’t know Mel and Sharon, they are both at a level where they could pass for noble ladies if you only look at their manners. But when did they learn it? …Liddy and Beatrice usually like men’s clothes too, but why do they look strangely sexy? …I guess Dan can’t help it…) (Zack)

　As one would expect from the residence of a man of power comparable to the king of a country, the ingredients were abundant and of the highest quality. And the food prepared by chefs with skills to match was satisfying.

　The veal, in particular, was excellent, the roasted rosé-colored meat under the saddle in the oven combined with a berry sauce that went very well with the light red wine produced in the Welburn area.

　Other than that, the Américaine sauce-style soup made from the shells of river shrimp, a specialty of the Well River that flows nearby, had no odor at all, and the rather dark white wine, like a Chardonnay, was unstoppable. Unfortunately, the temperature of the white wine was too high. I felt it was lukewarm, so it was probably around 17 or 18 degrees Celsius. I secretly chilled my own wine and drank it.

　Naturally, Liddy and Beatrice, who were sitting next to me, could clearly see me, but I couldn’t keep my cool in this seat, and they stared at me.

　The Lockhart family members, who were a bit nervous at first, became more comfortable with the Frontier Count and his family as the meal progressed.

　By the time dessert, peach compote, was served, the Count of the Frontier was in a good mood, and his face, which usually looks sixty years old due to the deep wrinkles, had a smile that was appropriate for his actual age in his late forties. His face, which usually looks sixty because of the deep wrinkles, is now smiling as if he were in his late forties.

“Tonight was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I hope we can continue to have this kind of relationship with the Lockhart family. Don’t you agree, Lord Mathias?” (Hubert)

　My father nodded in reply, “That’s right, Your Excellency,” and we nodded in agreement.

　Returning to our room, I asked Mel and Sharon about the strange calmness at the dinner table, and Sharon, unusually, took the initiative and answered.

“I thought something like this would happen if I was with Master Zack. Mel and I had asked a lot of people what to do, so we weren’t too troubled.” (Sharon)

　Furthermore, Mel laughed, “And the Frontier Count was a kind man, so I wasn’t particularly nervous.”

　It seems that they had learned the etiquette of sharing a dinner with high-ranking nobles and dignitaries from Mr. Cedric Stewart, the butler at Chairman Wagman’s place.

(Mr. Stewart thought Quentin owed us a favor. But still, I didn’t notice that…) (Zack)

　Sharon had been acquainted with Mr. Stewart since the Quentin Wagman chaos, and she and Mel sometimes went to the Wagman’s house to study with him.

(I see since he knows that Quentin has feelings for Sharon, Mr. Stuart also wishes to support him… and Sharon is surprisingly strong. No, I think she’s naturally that way. …But then again, what kind of scenario are they planning for? These two…) (Zack)

　The following day, July 11th.

　We stayed at the castle of the Frontier Count Roswell in Welburn and had breakfast in the dining room attached to our guest room.

　When we finished breakfast and got up to go back to our room, Baron Oldham entered the room. He said something to my father.

　My father looked surprised, and after a few moments of speechlessness, he explained to us that he had heard that Boyette had died.

　A horse came from the town of Rawcliffe to inform us that Armand Boyette, a deputy, had died. Boyette had not been seen since the day before yesterday, and his men had been searching for him, and yesterday evening his body was found in the basement of the mansion. Boyette had prevented the door from being opened from the inside and had committed suicide by piercing his own neck with a sword.

(The coward Boyette committed suicide? Was it really suicide? Wasn’t he erased by the mastermind…) (Zack)

　I couldn’t help but utter, “Is it really suicide?”

　Oldham gave a small nod and ritually answered my words.

“The garrison commander who checked the scene reported that the door was held from the inside and that nothing but suicide was possible.” (Oldham)

　Whether it was another murder or suicide, the death of Boyette, an important witness, was a considerable blow. However, Oldham is unconcerned without any speck of impatience.

(Boyette was a more important witness than Maddock. What is that calmness after losing him? Or is he just making it look like he has the luxury?) (Zack)

　Since there is no point in worrying here, I go back to my room and check today’s schedule.

　My parents and brother will be at the castle all day for wedding meetings, etc. My siblings, Theophilus, Seraphine, and Sophia, are going to observe the training of the knight order with Guy and the others.

　And as for my plans, today I’m going to show the craftsmen some of the weapons I confiscated from the bandits. First, I’m going to the Welburn branch of the Blacksmith’s Guild, and I went to talk to my father about it.

“May I give a barrel of liquor to the blacksmiths?” (Zack)

　The liquor prepared this time were two barrels of scotch, three barrels of apple brandy, and one barrel of marl, a type of brandy distilled from grape pomace, all of which were said to be gifts to Count Roswell.

　I didn’t originally plan to give it to the blacksmiths, mainly the dwarves, so I only had about ten jars filled with scotch.

　In response to my question, my father said, “You can take whatever you like,” and generously gave it to me.

“Are you sure?” (Zack)

“I thought a barrel or two would break on the journey from the village to here. If you think a barrel is broken, I have no problem giving you a barrel or so.” (Matt)

　After saying this, he began to whisper, “To tell you the truth, Bertram scared me.”

“He said that the dwarves in Welburn would surely be attracted by the smell and flock to it. So, I was told to prepare at least one barrel.” (Matt)

　He had not anticipated this situation from the beginning, but he had prepared an extra barrel as a precaution.

　I took over a barrel of scotch and headed for the town of Welburn with Liddy and the others.

　The town of Welburn can be roughly divided into two areas: the government district with government offices and noble residences on the east side, and the commercial district with stores and other businesses on the west side.

　The blacksmith guild was located near the center of the commercial district where all the guilds were lined up.

　We left the castle with the wagon driven by Dan and headed straight to the west.

　Since the wagons were loaded with barrels of scotch and weapons stored with storage magic, the departure time was around 10:00 a.m., and the main street was full of people.

　Crossing the main street through the crowd, we entered the area where the guilds gathered. I noticed something there.

　At first, many of them looked like merchants, but gradually more and more of them were small but sturdy. And they were walking in the same direction as us.

(So many dwarves. Is there a gathering or something? Don’t tell me they were lured by the smell of scotch… That can’t be…) (Zack)

　With a touch of apprehension, I arrived at the Blacksmith’s Guild building.

　The guild building was a massive two-story building of gray stone in the style of the Caelum Empire. We parked the wagons to the side and entered the building, where we found many dwarves.

(I guess it’s a gathering, after all. How many dozens are there, anyway?) (Zack)

　I made my way through the dwarves to the reception desk. There was a male employee in his mid-twenties who smiled and said, “How can I help you?”

　I started by saying my name, “My name is Zacharias Lockhart.”

　At that moment, all the people in the lobby–dozens of dwarves–turned around at once.

A/N: Next chapter preview:

More victims of the dwarves?