Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 36.2: “The Banquet”

　The banquet went without a hitch.

　I only went to the table to congratulate the Frontier Count in between dishes, and there were no speeches as at the wedding banquet, so there was no need to get bored with long, boring speeches or to have trouble reacting to a subtle banquet performance.

　Although not speeches, the civil officials read out loud the names of the high-ranking nobles present, from the rank of count and above, and the gifts given. Jewelry and paintings were the most common items, but a famous horse from the central prairie region was also among the celebratory gifts.

　Some of the celebratory gifts were given to the Roswell family, so not all of them would belong to my brother. But the famous horse was a gift to my brother personally, who is making a name for himself as a knight.

　Caelum’s famous horses are highly regarded as warhorses. Because of their large size and durability, they do not lose speed or travel distance even when mounted by heavily armed knights. In addition, they are intelligent and loyal to their riders whom they recognize as their masters, so owning a Caelum horse is a very high status in the Caelum Empire.

　Because of their superiority as warhorses, they are very strictly controlled, and it is forbidden to take them outside the empire. Of course, there is no problem since the village of Rathmore is also part of the Caelum Empire, but it is apparently quite unusual for a horse to be given to a knight who is not a vassal.

　However, these famous horses are intelligent and have a high spirit, so it is said that the horse chooses the rider better than the other. Even if you have great horsemanship skills, if the horse doesn’t like you, you won’t be able to mount it, so even if you try hard, you might not be able to ride it.

　Normally, when choosing a Caelum horse, the horse is chosen from among the herd, but this time it was presented as a gift, so such a process could not be carried out.

　Well, there are four horses, so he might be able to ride at least one of them, but if he cannot tame any of them, his brother will lose his face as a knight. I don’t know if that is what the giver is aiming for, but I can’t help but think it is a sly gift.

　Along with the famous horse, there was a surprise gift from the Blacksmith’s Guild: a sword.

　The branch manager, Mr. Degenhardt, was not present at the feast, as he did not want many nobles around him, but he had had the gift delivered in the morning.

　The sword was a practical bastard sword, with a plain sheath design and not much in the way of appearance. But when my brother pulled out the sword, a loud sigh escaped the audience. That sigh included mine.

　The blade was made entirely of mithril. When my brother, dressed in formal attire, raised the sword, it shone silver in the western sunlight shining from the courtyard, like an act from a heroic tale.

　The brother, perhaps more jubilant than usual because of the alcohol he had consumed, shouted as he drew his sword,

“I have never seen such a work of art! With this one, I think I could even cut off a dragon’s head.” (Rodrick)

　He later showed me the sword, which was truly beautiful and practical. The mithril blade was polished like a mirror, and hardening magic was applied to it, making it seem as if it could cut through even steel if wielded by a first-rate swordsmith like my grandfather.

　According to what Mr. Degenhardt himself told me, the sword was based on a sword that belonged to a blacksmith who came from Lux Holy Kingdom several years ago, and if brought to Ars, where the blacksmith guild headquarters are located, it could be made into a magic sword with light attribute.

　Ironically, the Dwarves left Lux because of the Lockhart family’s alleged heresy, and the unfinished sword was brought to Welburn, where it was given to my brother, who is the heir of the Lockhart family. Mr. Degenhardt spoke of this with amusement.

“It seems that a Holy Knight ordered it, but he was a guy who didn’t have much skill with swords or magic. Well, for the sword, it would probably be happier to be used by Rod…” (Degenhardt)

　Come to think of it, it seems suitable for a Holy Knight who wears silver armor. However, from what I’ve heard, the Holy Knights’ proficiency is low, and I don’t think there is anyone worthy of having such a feat.

　I also thought that my brother, who had the title of “Giant Slayer” and was said to be a model knight, was worthy.

　As the feast progressed, many guests arrived at the Lockhart table.

　Some of them were sincere in their congratulations, but many were more were calculating their benefits to establish a friendship with the Lockhart family.

　However, even the high-ranking nobles from the imperial capital, such as marquises and counts, were reserved toward the frontier counts, and none of them took an overbearing attitude toward us.

　Therefore, we were able to congratulate my brother and sister-in-law from the bottom of our hearts without any unpleasant feelings at the banquet.

　The main dish was finished, and all that was left was dessert.

　The apple brandy that was served midway through the event was more popular than expected. However, it is questionable whether people actually drink it because they think it is delicious. I had a feeling that they were drinking it just to say that they had drunk a spirit that made the dwarves change their minds.

　As for how they drank it, unlike the dwarves, they drank it on the rocks more often than they drank it straight. This was to be expected. It was the first time for people who are not accustomed to drinking to taste liquor with nearly 40% alcohol, so it was inevitable.

　Personally, I would like people to drink it straight, and take my time drinking. Since it is a young product that has been aged for three years, I am not too particular about it, but when I release a product that has been aged for a long time in the future, I will explain that I would like it to be enjoyed straight, if possible.

　But as for the glass, they seemed to admire it without any veiled thought.

　A heavy, rounded crystal on-the-rocks glass, spherical ice with no air bubbles, and amber liquid. All the high-ranking nobles were sighing at the beautiful shape of the glass.

“The wine glass earlier is also a work of art, but this one surpasses even that… It’s no exaggeration to call it a divine art piece… What is this made of? It can’t be just glass…” (Marquis)

　The marquis, who had just voiced his admiration with a glass of sparkling wine, forgot himself and said something like that. It is a little bit funny to be called a divine art piece, but I don’t feel bad about being praised for one of my prized possessions.

　The coaster, which is placed together with glasses and goblets, was also a surprise. It probably didn’t occur to them because they originally rarely use ice and glasses have no condensation, but the thoughtfulness of the coasters was admired.

　This cork-like coaster, however, bears the crest of a rising lion of the Lockhart family. I really wanted to line up the coat of arms of the Roswell family with that of the Lockhart family, but I couldn’t use the coat of arms without permission, so I left it with just our coat of arms alone.

　There is no particular deep meaning to this. Rather, it’s more like some fun piece.

　The coaster itself was intended to be used to keep the tablecloth dry, but I thought that a cork coaster would not be very interesting, so I just thought I would put some pictures on it. Then it occurred to me that whiskey and beer makers use their own brands as coasters. The Lockhart family is also a whiskey maker, so I decided to imitate them for fun.

　Unfortunately, I have no artistic ability, so I asked Sharon, who for some reason is very good at this, to make a rough sketch, and then I used it to make a branding iron with gold magic and stamped it on the coaster.

　I later heard that these coasters were quite popular, and many guests wanted to take them home. It was indeed difficult to ask for a glass, but perhaps they thought it would be a good idea if it was just this small.

　And then there’s dessert.

　After consulting with the head chef, the pound cake was generously coated with apple brandy. The aroma of apple brandy combined with the aroma of baked wheat was very well received. As for this one, unlike the spirits, they seemed genuinely satisfied with the taste.

　Even more acclaimed was the ice cream served with the pound cake.

　I had made it before with the Pseudo-Peltier spell, but this time I remembered that ice cream is made by chilling with a mixture of ice and salt to create a low temperature, and I tried to recreate the ice cream making I did as a science experiment, I think it was like sorbet when I was a kid!, and I tried to recreate it.

　Vanilla ice cream is impossible because of the lack of vanilla beans or essence, but milk and sugar – there is also white sugar here – are available. I didn’t use eggs because I wasn’t sure if these ones could be used raw.

　The result was not so great, but everyone seemed surprised to have a cold dessert in the middle of summer.

　It is said that even in the Imperial Palace in the capital, ice is not served in midsummer.

　I asked the Knight Order’s magicians, and they said they’ve never thought about using magic for cooking. When I told them that it was such a waste, they laughed for some reason.

　The feast ended without a hitch in about two hours.

　Some people were quite drunk, but thanks to the accurate instructions from the head maid, there was no major confusion.

　After this, after sunset, the ball begins in the courtyard.