novel bin Chapter 490 The Defeat of Visiting the Grellat House
Chapter 490 The Defeat of Visiting the Grellat House
Chapter 490 The Defeat of Visiting the Grellat House
Having been staying in Buena village for over a month, Gilead occasionally visits Paul and Senis after learning they are also in the village.
Senis was taught cooking by Keith, and occasionally going over for a meal would remind her of her time with the Black Wolves.
Of course, Gilead has no complaints about his current life; it's just that it's nice to occasionally reminisce about the past.
That day, she went to Paul's house again and knocked on the door. Paul answered, and upon seeing her, he asked somewhat helplessly, "What do you want to eat now?"
"If I could, I'd like to eat the fried fish dish from the Demon Continent that Keith makes."
Gilead answered.
"This is the Central Continent. Seasonings from the Demon Continent are hard to come by and expensive. Senis and I are no longer adventurers. We also have a child to support. We can't afford to supply them."
Paul started complaining.
"Then just pan-fried fish will do. This is a letter for you."
Gilead handed Paul a letter from his pocket, and Paul, somewhat surprised, asked, "Did you write this letter?"
"Do I look like someone who can read?"
"Whose is this?"
"Written for you by Lord Philip."
"Oh, why is he writing to me?"
"I don't know about that. I've already given you the letter. I'm leaving now. If you have any fried fish, please send it to where I am now."
"Hey, Kyrie Irvine..."
Paul called after her, but Big Dog Girl waved and left; she had to go back and instruct Alice and Sylphie on swordsmanship.
Has Gilead arrived?
Senis came out when she heard the sound.
"They've already left."
Why didn't you try to stop her?
She wants to eat fried fish.
"Miss Lilia, do you have any fish at home?"
"Yes, madam, we keep a few in the water tank."
"Let's get ready to kill it; we'll make fried fish for lunch."
Paul sighed, ignoring his wife's request for Lilia to kill the fish, and opened the envelope in his hand.
"ha?"
After reading the contents of the letter, the man made that sound.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
Senis, who was tapping the fish, couldn't help but look over.
"Philip wants us to help him improve his daughter's social skills."
"Hey, is there a problem with this?"
"It is based on the standards of aristocratic families."
"Uh, how could that be?"
"God knows what's wrong with that Philippe guy, that he would ask someone like me to train his daughter's aristocratic social skills."
Although Paul was once the young master of the Grellatt family, he was never interested in the cumbersome etiquette of the nobility.
"Senedes, do you know anything about these things?"
Paul looked to his wife for help.
"I understand, but that's all about the social interactions of nobles in the Holy Kingdom of Milis. It shouldn't apply to the social interactions of nobles in the Kingdom of Asra, right?"
Senis was also of noble birth. Before meeting Paul, she was an extremely outstanding noblewoman, but not a noblewoman from the Kingdom of Asura.
However, the etiquette of aristocratic social interactions across continents and different countries can vary drastically, and to do something impolite would be a shameful thing.
Of course, it doesn't matter if the whole family loses face, since they've already partially left the aristocratic circle. But if they teach the Bereas family children the wrong aristocratic social skills while training them, causing others to lose face later, then it will be the Bereas family that loses face, which would be a problem.
"Can I refuse?"
Senis thought for a moment and then asked the question.
"That guy Philip used our help in settling in Buena village as an excuse to tell us to repay his kindness."
When Paul was looking for a place to settle down with his pregnant wife, he encountered many difficulties. Even though he went against his conscience and took the team's last adventure commission, it was not so easy to ensure that Senis could live a stable and good life in the future.
Ultimately, it was Philip who helped him, allowing him to settle in the village of Bouyenne and obtain the easy job of captain of the guard, while still retaining the status of a lower-ranking nobleman.
Given the internal strife within the Grerat family, this approach is undoubtedly risky. If the Grerat main family, which is aligned with Ars, discovers this, Philip himself will be held accountable and may even be accused of harboring ill intentions towards the main family.
Now that the other party has mentioned repaying a debt of gratitude in the letter, it's a difficult situation to refuse, and Paul doesn't want to be seen as an ungrateful wretch.
"Well, if there's no other way, we'll just have to go to the city and hire a noble etiquette teacher to give us a crash course in aristocratic social etiquette."
Paul sighed, and Lilia, who had already gutted the fish, raised her hand: "If it's just general aristocratic social etiquette, I think I should know."
"Huh?!"
Paul and his wife looked at her with some surprise.
"Lilia, you're not a noble, are you?"
"I am indeed not a nobleman, but my previous job was as an inner court guard in the Asura Kingdom's palace. I learned some etiquette from the palace's etiquette instructors and witnessed many interactions between nobles. Of course, if Madam and Master are worried..."
"Don't worry, how could I not? Then I'll leave everything to you, Lilia. Here's an extra silver coin in your salary."
"No, that's not necessary."
"Yes, yes, after all, the cost of hiring a teacher to instruct nobles in etiquette is much higher than a single Asura silver coin."
While Alice was receiving etiquette training, Paul's maid received a raise because of this, and Paul explained this to his son at the dinner table that same day.
"That's how it is. Since your distant cousin might visit us at any time, Rudy, you'll have to come with your parents and learn some aristocratic etiquette from Miss Lilia."
Rudyus: "..."
Having been in this world for over three years, he only just learned that his family was actually related to nobility.
"Father, Mother, is it really necessary for us to make such a big fuss if it's just a relative visiting?"
Rudius asked the question innocently, not wanting to learn knowledge that he knew might be useless in the future.
"It's different, Rudy. This is something your cousin's father personally wrote to ask for, to help her hone her aristocratic social skills, and he has done our family a favor."
Paul did not go into detail about the favor, but Rudius still managed to deduce some things from the fragmented information.
It seems that the distant cousin I've never met is socially awkward, and my family owes her a favor, especially since we live in a remote village.
Even if the other party does something impolite in their own home, their family would never laugh at them for it, much less spread these things to other nobles.
Therefore, one's own home becomes an excellent place to hone one's social skills.
"I understand, Father. I will learn etiquette from Miss Lilia. However, I have some questions, and I wonder if you and Mother could answer them for me."
Rudius thought this was a good opportunity to learn about his family situation in this world, so he blinked and looked at his father.
"Ask whatever you want."
Paul waved his hand, telling his son to ask whatever he wanted.
"Then, Father, I want to know, just how powerful is the Boreas family?"
This is Rudius's first question: figuring out the extent of his family's connections might be helpful for his future.
"The Boreas family, they are the ruling family of the Fituia territory, and the land beneath our feet is actually part of their family..."
Paul gave a general account of the Bereas family's situation, and Rudius listened with astonishment. He had seen the map of his home and knew the size of the Fituia territory, but he never expected that his country family could be associated with such a powerful noble family.
"How did we end up with relatives like that in our family?"
Rudius then asked how deep the relationship was between his family and the other family.
"Because I, your father, was once a child of a great noble family..."
Paul looked at his son and took the opportunity to explain the Greirat family's situation to him.
"Oh, so if that's the case, Dad, if you hadn't run away from home back then, I'd be a young master from a great noble family now?"
Rudius suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. This feeling was the same as when you buy a lottery ticket and find that the numbers you bought were just one position off from the jackpot, and you miss out on the grand prize. He could have been born in Rome, but because of his father's lack of ambition, he became a countryman.
*Smack!*
Paul flicked Rudius's head.
"What are you saying, brat? If I hadn't left home, how would I have met your mother and had you?"
Rudius rubbed his forehead, which was still sore from the flick, and apologized, managing to compose himself after missing out on the grand prize.
He had no complaints about his current family; his mother was beautiful, and there was a pretty maid in the house.
Ah, it's still a bit of a pity. If one were a high-ranking noble, one would have had many beautiful maids to accompany them during their childhood.
Even if he were to do something inappropriate to the beautiful maids, such as crawling under their skirts, given his status as a young master from a noble family, the maids probably wouldn't resist him.
"Rudy, do you have any other questions?"
"One last question: I'd like to know what kind of person my cousin is, so I can better receive her when she visits."
As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." Understanding a stranger is essential to better cater to their preferences.
Who knows, the heights you reach in life might depend on the benefits that slip through the fingers of the other person.
"Well……"
Paul hesitated about this.
"Father, what's wrong? Don't you recognize him either?"
This is not impossible.
"No, I do know him, but how should I put it..."
Paul was somewhat conflicted, but he still explained Alice's situation.
"Ah, is that the guy who broke someone's front tooth the other day?"
Rudius felt as if the sky was about to fall. When he first heard about this, he thought that there were always people who bullied others in every world, and he thought that he would definitely stay away from such rude people in the future. He never expected that he would have to face them directly so soon.
"That wasn't her fault. She only acted to protect another bullied child; at most, she just went too far."
Paul quickly explained.
"Rudy, you're a good boy. As long as you don't upset her, your cousin definitely won't want to hit you."
Senis comforted her from the side.
"Um."
Rudius nodded. He had heard what Paul said, but even so, he didn't want to get close to any dangerous guys.
Another half month passed, and just as Rudius was thinking about his cousin, who might be a somewhat boisterous chubby girl, Alice, dressed in an adorable dress, finally came to visit.
"I am Alice Boreas. A letter of inquiry was sent to your residence a few days ago. Today I have come as promised, but on behalf of my father, Philip Boreas, to visit you, Uncle Paul."
A polite and dignified, yet petite and adorable red-haired girl, her beautiful posture as she lifted the hem of her skirt to curtsy, unexpectedly caught Rudeus's eye, shattering his original image of her as a chubby little girl.
Rudius felt his heart racing and his mouth going dry. This feeling was most likely the result of falling in love at first sight or lust at first sight.
His cousin, who was visiting their home, perfectly matched his fantasy world, the ideal medieval noblewoman.
While Rudius was still in a daze, Paul and Senis formally introduced themselves and welcomed Alice's visit as a noble family.
"Rudy..."
Suddenly, the boy, who was in a daze, felt a tap on the back.
"What is it, Father?"
Rudius asked instinctively.
"Introduce yourself."
Paul offered a reminder, then smiled somewhat awkwardly at the red-haired girl opposite him.
Alice raised an eyebrow and curled her lips into a disdainful smile.
She was there to avenge her father; the worse the other man's son behaved, the better she would be.
"My name is Rudius Grerat. It's a pleasure to meet you, my cousin."
Rudeus quickly stepped forward and performed the greetings common among nobles of the Kingdom of Asura. He said that he had thought this was a rehearsal of aristocratic etiquette, but after Alice entered their house, she began to find fault with their family in a seemingly polite but actually sharp manner.
"I apologize, perhaps my words were a bit harsh, but I truly never imagined that you, Uncle, would live such a poor life, without even a single piece of art in your home, unlike my father, who had a room full of art treasures..."
It was a classic example of aristocratic sarcasm. Paul looked embarrassed, while Senis frowned, somewhat displeased, but couldn't refute it.
The big dog could only turn its gaze to the Gilead following behind the girl. It shrugged silently; today, it was destined that Alice would have to do things her own way.
Rudeus realized that the other party was just looking for trouble. Although his values were somewhat influenced by his cute cousin's appearance, he also had a characteristic as a NEET in his previous life: he had a special attack mentality when facing cute loli-like girls and was not afraid at all.
"Cousin Alice, please forgive my bluntness, but what truly determines a person's refinement is not how many tasteful works of art they possess, but rather their inner knowledge and abilities. My father was an exceptionally skilled swordsman, but I wonder what your father possessed?"
Alice opened her mouth to speak, but found herself at a loss for words. What was her father's skill? Swordsmanship? She had never seen it. Magic? He didn't know that either. As for his ability to manage the territory, that was still a blind spot in Alice's knowledge.
"My father is the future heir to the fitoa territory!"
"Is it just a noble birth? Then my father probably can't compare."
Rudius shrugged, his manner of saying this was incredibly irritating.
"My father, and he still has me, his wonderful daughter!"
"Oh dear, so you're starting to compete? Too bad I'm a reincarnated person from another world, an adult over 34 years old in my previous life. Although I'm a NEET, I'm still not someone a native girl from another world can compare to."
"My father also has an excellent son like me!"
Rudius stood up straight and said.
"Rudy~"
Beside him, his parents looked at him as if he were their savior.
"Do you mean you're better than me?"
Alice looked at him sharply, at a little kid who was younger than her but seemed a bit pretentious.
"Whether I'm better than you, my cousin, I don't know, but at least I don't think I'll lose."
"I know basic swordsmanship. What else can you do?"
"Well……"
Rudius then remembered that the other person was a guy who could knock out a person's front teeth.
"I know a lot of words."
People should know how to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and should not compete in things they are not good at, Rudius said.
To prove this point, he even went upstairs to get a storybook and read aloud the stories in it.
Alice peeked at the book in Rudius's hand and was speechless.
Because she is still semi-illiterate, and her literacy is incomplete.
Alice actually wanted to play to her strengths and avoid her weaknesses, but she couldn't just pick up the boy in front of her and beat him up, could she?
"I... I can also use magic!"
The etiquette lessons prevented her from hitting anyone; Alice could only list the other skills she possessed.
"Magic? I can do that too."
Alice's words made Rudeus realize that having magic might not be a taboo in this world, and he only hesitated for a moment before revealing this fact.
"Huh?!"
This time it was Paul and Senis's turn to be surprised. They didn't even know much about their son being able to read, let alone that he could do magic.
"Hmph, you're not just bragging!"
As Alice spoke, she began chanting a spell, conjuring a water ball in her hand.
"I'm not bragging, I don't even need to chant any spells."
Rudius spread his hands, and a water sphere was formed.
"Uncle Paul, I'm not feeling well today, so I'll head back now. I'll come visit again next time!"
Alice didn't forget to say goodbye. After gritting her teeth and finishing her farewell, she left in a huff.
Gilead quickly followed.
After Alice left, Paul's house became lively.
"Rudy, when did you learn to read?"
"Uh, Mom, you often read stories to me, that's when I memorized them."
"What about magic?"
"I found that book upstairs, and after reading the words aloud, I suddenly learned it..."
Just as Rudeus was caught up in the joy and distress of being bombarded with questions and praises from his parents after his true abilities were revealed, Rudeus found himself in a state of mixed emotions.
Alice ran back to her home in Buena Village, burst into the newly built magic research institute, and shouted, "Teacher Lokishi, I want to learn more characters!"
"Huh?!"
Luo Qixi was startled by the sudden shout, and her hand trembled, causing the enchanting magic circle she was drawing to go astray.
Meanwhile, the smaller water elemental, which was waiting on the enchanted magic circle for the modification experiment, was affected by the chaotic magic and exploded with a bang.
Lokishi and the Saiyan boy who was controlling the water element and making an instant connection with the enchantment circle were drenched with water.
"Well……"
Alice, who had burst into the room, stopped in her tracks and suddenly realized that she seemed to have made a mistake.
"What's wrong? What's going on?"
Luo Qixi wiped the water off her face, not caring that the girl had interfered with and caused the small experiment on modifying the familiar to fail.
(End of this chapter)