I’m the fifth son of a count’s family, but I became the head of a duke’s house.
“What the hell are these guys doing…?”
Kurt and Erich had just come out of the sauna—and immediately collapsed. Now, they were being tended to by nearby soldiers, their bodies swaying slightly in the breeze.
One of the knights, a retainer, approached and began to explain.
“It seems Lord Erich used wind magic indoors…”
“What the hell is wrong with him, seriously…”
Apparently, some people do blow hot air in saunas, so maybe that was the idea…
They were probably trying to settle things quickly.
As intended, Kurt had been taken down—but in the end, the one who used the spell collapsed too.
“…I hereby prohibit the use of magic within the hot spring facility.”
“Understood.”
I mean, if they’re setting precedents like this, there’s no choice but to ban it!
“So, what should we do?”
At the knight’s question, I looked back at the two again.
There wasn’t enough time before the banquet…
“Let’s just leave them.”
“Eh… Understood.”
The knight gave a look that said “Are we really just leaving them like this?” but hey—personal responsibility.
We can’t delay the banquet for this.
If they recover, they’ll show up at the banquet hall on their own.
With that, I turned my back on Kurt and Erich and headed to the banquet hall.
The banquet hall had long tables arranged in three parallel rows.
At the far end, opposite the entrance, one particularly luxurious table and set of chairs stood out. There, Alte and Leila were seated with one chair left open between them. They noticed me and waved—so, that’s my seat then.
I weaved my way through the tables toward the empty seat.
The banquet hadn’t started yet, but several soldiers were already gathered. When they noticed me, they bowed their heads. I responded with a light wave.
“Lord Ainzich, over here.”
“Ah.”
Well, it’s pretty obvious that the conspicuously vacant seat between Leila and Alte at the head of the table is mine… Anyone else would feel out of place sitting there.
Once I sat down, Leila immediately handed me a glass. As I took it, Alte began to pour wine into it.
…You two are more coordinated than I expected.
“Thanks.”
I gave a brief word of thanks and took a quick gulp.
Maybe because I had just come from the bath, the alcohol was hitting me faster than usual. I felt a faint warmth spreading through my body.
Alte quickly refilled my now-empty glass.
…
I couldn’t help but turn to face her.
“…Are you trying to get me drunk before the banquet starts?”
When I asked that, Alte’s ears perked up in surprise.
“Eh! That wasn’t my intention… b-but maybe I do want to see that side of you…?”
Hopeless.
I turned toward Leila to change the subject.
“By the way, how was the hot spring?”
Leila had been sipping wine, but she set her glass down and turned to me.
“It was wonderful. Being able to see the sky gave it such a nice atmosphere.”
I was a bit worried about whether she’d like the open-air bath, but it seemed she did.
It’s liberating, but whether someone enjoys that depends on the person.
Alte also chimed in:
“I-I liked it too!”
Glad to hear Alte enjoyed it as well.
But wait—aren’t dogs or wolves usually bad with water? Or was that just cats? I can’t remember.
“Alte was a little scared at first, but once she got in, she had the most blissful look on her face, you know?”
“L-Leila, dear sister!?”
Betrayed, Alte’s eyes welled up a bit.
Seeing how close they were made me smile despite myself.