Chapter 21: The Townsend Duke's Household
Anne guided me to the dining hall, and when I entered, the members of the Duke's household were already seated.
I worried that I was late and started to panic, but I managed to compose myself. I bowed respectfully and greeted them with a smile.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Leon. I am deeply honored to be invited to dinner."
I made that introduction, carefully choosing my words, desperately recalling my memories until a while ago.
The members of the Duke's household momentarily displayed a surprised expression, but quickly returned to their smiling faces. The middle-aged man sitting at the far end returned the greeting.
"You made it here, Leon. Please, sit without being too nervous."
He must be Frederick-sama's father, I suppose.
Anne guided me to the seat and pulled out the chair for me. I sat down, trying to appear as elegant as possible.
Even if told not to be nervous, it's impossible... The atmosphere is too noble, and naturally, my back straightens.
I must be extremely cautious not to make any mistakes...
"Now, before the meal, let's do a brief self-introduction. First, let me start. I am Richard Townsend, the former head of the Townsend Duke's household. And there is my wife, Catherine, over there."
As expected, this person must be Frederick-sama's father. He has an imposing presence...
"I am Catherine Townsend, Richard's wife. Nice to meet you, Leon."
"Nice to meet you."
She looks much younger than I would expect from Frederick-sama's mother. Amazing... Perhaps in this world, even among nobles, they have established beauty techniques.
"And over there are our second son, Julian, and our third son, Frederick. The eldest son is managing the territory as the head of the Duke's household, so he's not here. Also, our eldest daughter is already married, so she's not here either. I'll introduce them if we have another opportunity."
"I am Julian Townsend, the second son. Pleased to meet you."
"Yes, nice to meet you."
"As you probably already know, I am Frederick Townsend, the third son. Nice to meet you again."
"Nice to meet you."
Everyone emits an aura of nobility, making it difficult to approach them, but they kindly smile at me. I think they must be good people.
However, nobles seem skilled at maintaining a poker face, so perhaps it's best not to trust too much for now...
"Now that the self-introductions are over, let's enjoy the meal."
Richard-sama said so, and the servants brought the food.
First, soup and bread in a basket were brought over.
"Let us express our gratitude for the meal."
"Cheers."
Following Richard-sama, everyone proceeded to give a pre-meal greeting and started eating. I was late, so I quietly said, "Itadakimasu" and began eating.
Only bread and soup had been served so far, so it seemed like the noble's meals in this world were like a full-course meal. There were also numerous sets of cutlery lined up on both sides, similar to the French cuisine I had been taken to by my father in Japan.
I glanced sideways to see others using the outermost cutlery and picked up my own cutlery to take a sip of the soup.
Delicious...!! It tastes like pumpkin potage soup.
I also tried the bread... It's fluffy and incredibly delicious. I feel happy... Indeed, bread should be soft.
We enjoyed the meal while engaging in casual conversations. Every dish was incredibly delicious, and the contents confirmed the rapid development of noble's meals.
"Leon-kun, did you enjoy it?"
I was asked by Richard-sama.
"Yes! It was very delicious."
"That's good to hear. May I talk about something serious for a moment?"
Richard-sama said, his face becoming serious.
That's right, I was enjoying the meal leisurely, but I haven't asked why I was brought here today.
...Suddenly, I'm getting nervous.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Leon-kun, I have a request for you."
"A request...?"
What could a noble ask of me? Even without their request, I could probably obtain anything...
"In this country, there are many nobles, and the power is currently divided into two factions. One belongs to us, where we help each other, regardless of social status, and acknowledge capable individuals. The other believes in preserving the current noble families with their long history and stricter separation between nobles and commoners."
So, this country is going through something like that... It would be inconvenient for me if the latter faction wins...
"The system of this country was established hundreds of years ago by the Apostle-sama. Nobles gain privileges in exchange for guaranteeing the minimum livelihood and safety of the commoners. It was stipulated that nobles shouldn't rule over the commoners but live together, helping each other. However, recently, the voices claiming that we no longer need to abide by this agreement and show respect to Lady Micheline are growing louder."
Apostle-sama again... It seems they used all the attributes, so it's quite intriguing...
Nevertheless, I didn't realize there were such rules. That's why the members of this duke's household treat me, a commoner, sincerely.
"I heard from Frederick that you are a very talented commoner. I've been observing you until just now, and you seem to have good manners and etiquette. I'm curious where you learned all that, but I won't pursue it. Instead, would you consider helping our faction? The fact that there are talented individuals among the commoners is important. The lack of notable achievements by commoners in the past few decades has contributed to the waning influence of our faction. Leon, I'm counting on you."
Saying that, Lord Richard bowed his head. A noble bowing to me...! I hurriedly tried to lift his head first and called out, "Uh, um, please lift your head!"
Hmm, what should I do? There seem to be two factions among the nobles: one that wants to strictly adhere to the class system and another that believes in recruiting talented individuals among the commoners. Nowadays, there is a growing voice that we don't need to uphold the tradition of living in harmony as set by the Apostle of God in the past, especially since there is little faith left.
So, to summarize, it's like this. Huh...? But isn't it normal for nobles to want to dominate the commoners and strengthen their own power?
Why is there a division of power among the nobles...?
"Um... may I ask something? Why does Lord Richard belong to a faction that protects the commoners? Isn't it common for nobles to want to strengthen their own power?"
"I believe that suppressing others with strong force is not good for the future of the country. Ultimately, it is the people who build the nation, including the many commoners. If the power of the nobles becomes stronger than it is now and the commoners are oppressed, the country will eventually deteriorate. Most members of our faction share the same belief as I do."
That's wonderful... instead of thinking about strengthening their own power, they're thinking about the future of the country.
It seems that not all the nobles in this country are bad people. I'd be willing to lend my help for this person's sake.
Besides, if the Duke of Townsend is willing to lend me his power, it's reassuring for me.
"Well, I'm not sure if I can be of great help, but please let me assist you."
"Really!? Leon, thank you."
Lord Richard bowed his head again.
I had this unfounded impression that all nobles were scheming and looked down on commoners, but it seems that's not the case.
Well, there might be some aspects like that in the Duke of Townsend's family, but they don't seem to unjustly look down on commoners.
Perhaps I can trust these people...
Shall I reveal my attribute? It feels uneasy to be lying when you're relying on me, and there's also the calculation that I want you to protect me after knowing this.
"First, I want Leon to enter the Royal School and excel there. It would be good if he commutes from this mansion to the Royal School. With the Duke's patronage, others will quickly understand. And after graduation, I want him to work for the country at the royal palace."
Commuting from the Duke's mansion? Does that mean I have to live here!? I feel like I'll collapse from nervousness every day... Is there any way I can refuse somehow...
"It's not a problem for me to live in the mansion! However, I'm fine with renting a room in the city center..."
"You don't have to hold back. To clearly show your backing and for your safety, it's better to commute from this mansion."
If they put it that way, I can't refuse, can I...
"Yes... Thank you very much."
"Don't worry about it. By the way, has Leon already measured his magical power and magic attribute?"
"Yes, I've measured it. My magical power is five, and my magic attribute is..."
What should I do? Can I say that I have all attributes? It would be easy to hide it here, but then I'd have to keep hiding it for the rest of my life if I do.
If it gets revealed at some point, I might lose trust...
I guess I should tell them now after all...
"Leon? What's wrong?"
"Um... My magic attribute is... all attributes."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"All attributes... I can use magic of all attributes."
When I said that, everyone opened their mouths wide and froze. Even nobles can have this kind of expression.
After waiting for a while, everyone gradually returned from their frozen state.
"So, the fact that you can use all attributes, is that true...?"
"Yes. Shall I demonstrate? Would you like to see?"
"Ah, yes. I would like to see you use it. I can't believe it just by hearing."
I demonstrated the use of all attribute magic.
"You are really capable of doing it... Could it be, Lord Apostolos!?"
Here we go again, Lord Apostolos. I'm not Lord Apostolos.
I've never met any god.
I'm not Lord Apostolos, right...? It must be different... probably.
"I'm not Lord Apostolos! Although I have many similarities with Lord Apostolos, I haven't met any god."
Upon hearing that, Lord Richard seemed lost in thought again.
After a while, it seemed like he had come to a conclusion.
"Leon, could you keep the fact that you possess all attributes a secret from others? It's better if it's not widely known. What attribute did you become during the magic power measurement?"
"I became the Healing attribute."
"Then, let's say you're the Healing attribute for now, Leon. It's okay to announce it when you gain a position. For now, keep it a secret until you graduate from the Royal Academy."
"Understood. I'll be careful not to let it slip."
With that, the conversation ended for now, and it felt like the meeting was adjourned.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for today. Leon, I'll be counting on you from now on."
"Yes! I look forward to working with you."
With that, Lord Richard, Lady Catherine, and Lord Julian left the dining hall.
Lord Frederick stayed behind and came over to me.
"Leon, thank you for lending your strength to the Duke's family."
"No, it's a grateful opportunity for me as well."
"But I was truly surprised to learn that Leon possessed all attributes."
"I'm sorry for hiding it... I thought it would be better not to tell too many people."
"Ah, it was a wise judgment. It's probably best to keep it hidden until you graduate from the Royal Academy."
"Understood."
I'm glad Lord Frederick doesn't seem angry...
"I want to give you some teaching materials now. Is that alright?"
"Yes! Thank you very much."
"Then, let's go to the reception room."
Yes! Finally, I'll receive the teaching materials! It's been quite a struggle to acquire information in this world, so I'm happy to be able to learn.
I used to hate studying so much when I was in Japan...
After walking for a while, we arrived at the reception room, and Lord Frederick, myself, Anne-san, who is serving as my maid, and the attendant from Lord Frederick's side, entered the reception room, totaling four people.