"......?"
Piel gazed up at Theo, puzzled.
He looked different from usual, as if he was enduring something difficult, his expression tense with restraint.
Moreover, his gaze kept shifting towards her and then away.
Piel tilted her head in confusion.
"Do you have something to say? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Theo slowly responded.
"......It's nothing."
"Well, that's good. But let me know if you feel uncomfortable. My room is right there."
Piel pointed to Theo's right, her finger precisely indicating the door next to Theo's room.
Theo said,
"......Okay. But what brings you here?"
"Dinner is ready, so I came to let you know."
"Hmm...... I see."
It was a strange situation.
It was too awkward to simply ignore, leaving a lingering sense of unease.
'What's odd about this?'
After pondering for a moment, Theo finally spoke.
"Piel, why did you come yourself? Isn't this the kind of thing a servant or the assigned butler usually does?"
"......Oh."
Piel was at a loss for words.
She felt Theo's questioning gaze, full of curiosity.
'I need to say something......!'
She didn't want to give Theo the wrong impression.
In her confusion, Piel picked the 'best' excuse she could think of and replied.
"Oh, ohh. That? Kula asked me to tell you. She said she was suddenly caught up in some urgent matter. Ahahaha......"
Of course, it was a fabrication with a twisted truth.
It wasn't Kula, Theo's assigned butler, who had asked her; instead, she had requested Kula to let her deliver the message herself.
"......I see."
Theo looked at Piel intently.
It was the first time he had seen her awkwardly smiling like this.
The sense of discomfort deepened, but it wasn't something worth arguing about.
'If it still bothers me later, I might have to look into it.'
Theo nodded at Piel.
"Understood. We seem to have talked for a while. Let's go have dinner."
"Yeah, right! We talked too long. Let's go!"
As Theo followed the uncharacteristically fidgety Piel to the dining area.
Buzz, buzz──
The communication crystal in his pocket vibrated.
Someone was calling.
'Who could it be?'
He couldn't think of anyone who would contact him at this time...
Piel seemed to feel the vibration too and said to Theo.
"What's that? Looks like you have a call."
"Seems so."
Theo took out the still-vibrating communication crystal from his pocket and pressed the receive button.
"Hello. This is Theo Lyn Waldeurk."
─Ah, uh, it's... it's me!
A voice mixed with nervousness and clarity echoed in his ear.
The caller only referred to themselves as 'me,' but Theo recognized the voice.
"......Hello, Sonya."
─Yeah, that's right. Oh, hi! Sorry for contacting you on the weekend... Actually, I have a favor to ask......
Theo's eyes widened.
'Sonya has a favor to ask of me?'
It was an unexpected opportunity.
Weekends didn't hold much significance for Theo, who would train if there was nothing else to handle.
Theo replied.
"No problem. What is it about?"
Theo gestured to Piel with a hand, still holding the communication crystal to his ear, and returned to his room.
"......"
Left alone, Piel stared at the space where Theo had disappeared and muttered softly.
"That... jerk."
Piel mumbled to herself, wondering 'Who is Sonya?' and 'That was a young woman's voice...'
She waited right there for Theo to return.
Endlessly.
About 10 minutes later, after finishing the call, Theo returned and headed to the banquet hall for dinner with Piel.
'Impressive.'
As expected of a prominent family on the continent, the banquet hall of Chalon Castle deeply impressed Theo with its restrained opulence.
The other guests had already taken their seats.
"Sorry for the delay. An unexpected work matter came up."
Theo bowed respectfully to everyone.
Hearing this, the puzzled expression on Piel's face eased a bit.
'So it was a work call after all!'
That made sense.
Though the voice being a young woman was a bit concerning, if she had the same type of communication crystal as Theo, she must be someone significant.
Maximin, sitting at the head table, glanced at Piel and Theo and said,
"I hope the work wasn't related to my daughter. Anyway, take a seat. The food is getting cold."
"Thank you for understanding, Demon Hunter Maximin."
"Hahaha. Let's dig in. I'd appreciate your opinion on the food. I called in the chef from a 5-star hotel in Rubus who was on leave today, knowing that Theo would join us."
As Maximin finished speaking, the servants started serving the dishes.
The servants placed the food on each table.
From inside the banquet hall, a middle-aged man in a white chef's uniform appeared.
He approached Maximin and bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.
"Thank you for the honor of serving you, my lord."
"No need for formalities. The food's getting cold. Just introduce the dishes. I'm hungry."
"Understood, my lord."
The chef turned to the guests and continued,
"For the appetizer, we have a soup made with mushrooms grown only in small quantities on the outskirts of Rubus──"
"For the fish course, we have a dish from the southern seas──"
"For the meat course, black cattle reared in the grain-producing regions of the Eastern Empire──"
......And so, with each course, the guests listened to the chef's descriptions and enjoyed their dinner.
After the dinner was over.
Maximin sipped his hot coffee and said,
"Did everyone enjoy their meal?"
Though he said 'everyone,' his gaze was fixed solely on Theo.
Theo was the first to respond.
"I was quite satisfied. Not just the taste, but the fact that these dishes are unique to Rubus made it even more fun."
"Hahaha. Theo, you'd float even if you fell into the sea with your mouth open. I paid special attention today."
Maxim laughed happily, pleased with himself.
This seemed to signal the start of conversation for everyone else.
It naturally led to a time of small talk after the meal.
Seria, familiar with noble culture, skillfully catered to Maxim's interests.
Looking at a painting on the wall, she commented,
"Hmm, this artwork. I don't know the name, but I can strongly feel the style of Eveol, a genius designer and painter."
"Oh? That's right. A distant relative ambitiously gifted it to me, and I hung it up. At first, it was somewhat bizarre, but the more I looked at it, the more I could feel his circumstances at that time embedded in the painting."
"Eveol stated in his autobiography that he was happiest when active as a painter. He initially wanted to be a painter, but due to financial struggles, he had to enter the design industry. Judging by the style, it seems to be a work from after he retired from the design field."
"Hahaha. Indeed, as the daughter of the Black Tower Master, you have exceptional knowledge in the arts."
"That's an overstatement. I think of magic as a form of creative activity, so I just have a slight interest in art."
Regardless,
'Haaah~hm.'
Piel, who had no interest in art, looked around with a bored expression.
Instinctively, her gaze first went towards Theo.
'What are they whispering about over there?'
Theo was conversing with Alphs and Alice.
Listening in, she heard them discussing topics like 'Did the food suit your taste?' and 'Have you had any difficulties lately?'
It was extremely irritating.
The redness of the two girls' cheeks was not just her imagination.
From what she learned in class, most of a man's desires originate from their genitals.
......So, does that mean Theo is talking with these two women because of his genital-driven desires?
Boom─
Fizzle─
That was where Piel's thoughts ended, her mind in turmoil.
Lewd thoughts swirled uncontrollably.
The more she tried not to think about it, the more it came to mind.
Piel's face turned as red as her hair.
In the midst of this,
"Then, Theo, shall we go achieve the purpose of your visit to this far place? Let's take a walk to the treasure vault for digestion,"
Maximin suggested.
Theo nodded.
"Thank you."
"Hahaha. I like your straightforwardness. Let's go, everyone."
As Maximin was encouraging the others to get up,
"No."
Theo's voice stopped him.
Theo continued,
"I think it will be enough if I'm the only one to visit the treasure vault."
