The Railer Territory exceeded my expectations.
It had a distinct countryside feel.
The surrounding mountains and fields swayed in the wind, and I could see farmers resting under the shade of trees.
It was the very essence of a peaceful, tranquil countryside.
Our carriage continued deeper into the Railer lands.
The territory itself didn't have that feel overly rural feel.
Houses were clustered closely, but there seemed to be all the essential shops.
However, this wasn’t the most noticeable aspect.
"Why is the atmosphere like this?"
Before entering the village, the fields gave off a very tranquil atmosphere.
There was hardly any noise except for the wind and the occasional chatter of a few people.
"Right? The village is a bit noisy."
Luna, also feeling something was off, looked outside.
Outside the carriage, people appeared to be tidying up.
The ground was scattered with flowers, and various ornaments adorned the village.
The villagers were busy organizing these decorations.
Luna tilted her head and remarked,
"Did someone important visit?"
"What do you mean?"
When I asked, Luna began to explain slowly.
"Whenever someone of high stature visits our territory, we have done such things a few times. Not just any high-ranking person, but someone very influential..."
However, it didn't feel like they were preparing to welcome us.
They had already used the flowers and ornaments and were now cleaning up.
"We'll understand once we go in."
The carriage moved forward, stopping in front of the largest mansion in the village.
Even though it was a countryside village, the mansion was as pristine as those in the capital.
It likely belonged to the Railer family, who governed this territory.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})True to an aristocratic mansion, there were fences and an exterior garden.
Everything seemed a downscaled version of mansions in the capital, but it still screamed 'noble mansion'.
As the carriage came to a stop, we stepped out.
Noticing the carriage's stop, a butler rushed out from the mansion towards us.
"Who might you be?"
Approaching us, his eyes widened upon seeing Luna.
"...Lady Luna?"
"Oh! Alfredo! It's been so long!!"
Luna greeted the butler, clearly delighted to see him.
"What brings you here? You came without any notice!"
"Hehe, I have some business!"
Luna and Alfredo, the butler, engaged in cheerful conversation.
Meanwhile, I turned to look at Robert.
"Professor, did you really come here without telling them?"
The courtesies between nobles.
Before arriving, it’s customary to notify the host so they can prepare.
It gives the host time to arrange a proper reception.
Regardless of how noble a family was, there was a difference in the state of cleanliness and the overall condition of the house when they were receiving guests and when they weren't.
It was a basic courtesy.
Unless they were very close friends, one shouldn't visit in such a manner.
Robert then spoke with a nonchalant expression,
"I am not a noble."
"…I am."
"Then did you come here without sending notice?"
Robert looked at me sternly, making a tsking noise.
I looked back at him in disbelief.
"…Haah."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})I walked towards the butler, who was with Luna.
Upon seeing me approach, the butler asked Luna in a low voice,
"Who is this gentleman?"
I offered the butler a polite greeting,
"I am Rudy Astria, the second son of the Astria family. I apologize for visiting unexpectedly."
"You are Rudy?"
Alfredo looked at me with wide eyes.
I felt something odd about his reaction.
Was he surprised not because of the Astria family name but because of the name 'Rudy'?
It felt strange, but I continued,
"Well, our professor didn't send any notice. I apologize for the inconvenience."
I sighed with a hint of embarrassment.
"Oh… You can come in. We are already prepared, mainly because of Princess Rie."
"What? Rie?"
I looked at Alfredo in confusion.
"Princess Rie stayed at the mansion just a moment ago. She was looking for Lady Luna and Sir Rudy."
The opulent decorations in the village, and the residents who were cleaning up, were all because of Rie?
"Wait, why did Rie come here?"
"I'm not sure... She simply stayed for a day while searching for Sir Rudy and Lady Luna."
Did Rie travel all the way to the Railer territory while we were in the Gotram territory?
I had predicted Astina might come, but I never thought Rie would reach Railer territory first.
I don't know when Rie left the academy, but if she came straight to Railer territory, she must have had a long journey.
"Do we need to go find her?"
"Yes… We probably should."
It's absurd that a princess of a nation is roaming around looking for someone.
"In that case, I'll send notifications to the neighboring territories."
"…Thank you, that would be helpful."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})The butler gave an awkward smile and then looked at Robert standing behind me.
"Are there three of you?"
The butler seemed to inquire about the number of people for accommodation purposes.
"No, there are four of us…"
As I said that, I noticed a carriage approaching from the distance.
"Ah... then who is that person?"
The butler looked at me as if he intended to report to Luna's parents.
"That's Astina Persia. You might recognize her from the Persia Viscount family."
"..."
Upon hearing the name, Alfredo frowned and stared intently at Luna.
"Young lady... causing such a fuss all of a sudden..."
"It's, it's not a fuss! They're just friends! There's no need for a grand preparation!"
After a brief moment of chaos.
"The mansion looks better than I expected, Luna. It shows that care was put into it."
"Hahaha... Thank you."
We proceeded into the mansion.
Astina glanced around with a satisfied smile.
"Many places in the capital don't maintain this level of care. Your parents must really pay attention to the details."
"Is that so? I think they might have tidied up after Rie visited…"
"This doesn't look like a rush job. It's probably the result of consistent care and effort from the staff."
Astina was right.
If a mansion isn't regularly maintained, it becomes a mess.
Right after I was reincarnated, I noticed that the Astria mansion, particularly my room, was a total mess.
Neither the servants nor Rudy Astria himself seemed to care about maintaining it.
Of course, I didn't fully realize this at first.
It's a fact I learned after seeing many other mansions.
"Luna, you should be proud. This speaks volumes about how well your parents treat their staff and how diligently they uphold the values of nobility."
Values of nobility.
Astina was refering to setting a noble example and maintaining dignity even in the rural territories.
"Th-thank you."
Seemingly flattered by Astina's compliment, Luna shyly lowered her head.
"By the way, is this the dining room?"
"Yes, it is. Shall we go in?"
Luna opened the door, and we entered.
Inside, a middle-aged man and woman sat at a dining table.
"Welcome. Luna's friends and... you said a professor, right? Pleased to meet you. I'm Luna's mother."
"I'm Luna's father."
Luna's mother bore such a striking resemblance to Luna that no introduction was needed.
Despite appearing somewhat older, her beauty hadn't faded in the slightest.
Compared to Luna, her father did not resemble her at all.
He was a somewhat muscular man with a solemn demeanor.
His aura was quite different from Luna's lively one.
He exuded a noble's dignity and had his own charisma.
Then, Robert stepped forward and greeted Luna's parents.
"I am Robert, in charge of dark magic at the academy. I apologize for visiting without notice."
Robert greeted them with a courteous demeanor.
"Pleased to meet you, Professor Robert."
Luna's father nodded sternly in response, then turned to look at us.
Astina was the first to speak.
"I am Astina Persia, the successor of the Persia Viscount family."
"I've just heard from the butler. Rest well during your stay."
Luna's father exchanged the necessary pleasantries and then turned his gaze to me.
It felt as though his attention was focused more on me than the entire group.
Just like Robert and Astina, I greeted him with formal courtesy.
"Hello, I am Rudy Astria, the second son of the Astria family."
I placed my hand over my chest and slightly bowed my head in greeting.
However, there was no response from him.
It's considered rude if one does not acknowledge a greeting, so I held my posture for a moment before slightly raising my head.
That's when I noticed Luna's father staring intently at me.
"Hmm..."
He continued to observe me with a solemn look.
Both Luna and her mother then looked at him.
"Dear?"
"Dad."
At the words of the mother and daughter, Luna's father cleared his throat.
"Ahem! My apologies! Please, take a seat."
"...Ah, okay."
I felt puzzled as I took my seat.
The meal was delightful.
The vegetables served were fresher than those at the academy, and the meat was to my taste.
Seeing Astina and Robert describe it as a home-cooked meal made me think it had a Western-style homemade touch.
After the meal, Luna provided each of us with a room.
We had an early dinner, and since it was summer, the sun had not set yet.
Despite this, I headed to my room.
Due to exams and then immediately coming to Railer's territory, I felt very tired.
Just as I was about to rest in my room,
"Rudy Astria."
A deep voice.
Luna's father called out to me.
"Did you call for me?"
I replied to Luna's father with a slightly awkward expression.
His quiet, solemn demeanor felt alright in group conversations, but it was somewhat uncomfortable when talking one-on-one.
Luna's father approached me, staring intently before speaking softly.
"Do you drink alcohol?"
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