The Archmage’s Restaurant

# 31

Chapter.8 Grace City’s Dinner

“You mean the dinner…? ?”

As soon as I heard the Gray boy’s story, I frowned. The purpose of the operation is obvious at a glance.

This is a proposal to provide political funds.

Also known as kickbacks.

This is a common occurrence in powerless territories.

In fact, a good lord must also be able to use the art of living properly. The political arena is where being too rigid can actually lead to losses.

In any country, central politics is complex and entangled, opening the mouth of a predator.

It’s a scary world where if you step out, you’ll become prey, and if you get too carried away, you’ll become a victim of power.

The Count of Gray has no political power at all to prevent such a storm.

Gray City took root in seclusion. I don’t want the quiet city I’ve barely decided to become noisy.

Although all of this is something that the Gray boy must overcome on his own, it is clearly too much for him to do alone. Because Grake is just a growing sprout, not a fully-fledged talent.

In that case, there is nothing we can do but help to prevent the sprouts from being trampled. Because the peace of Gray City is also my well-being.

“Master. Is there any way? I just don’t know what to do. My father doesn’t have the spirit to give me the right advice. How should I overcome this situation? “The only person I can trust is Master!”

The Gray boy shouted with a dying look on his face. Although Gray was shaking with a helpless expression on his face, he also had something worth praising. Buying time by using his wits was the best choice he could make.

“It’s really a good thing you gained time. By the way, His Royal Highness suddenly intervened.”

“yes?”

“The Duke just wanted to press on, but I think he was able to buy some time thanks to the Crown Prince’s reaction. What kind of person is the Crown Prince?”

“You made an absurd bet. It’s a bit hard to say this, but… “He seemed like a very light-hearted person.”

Be light.

The Gray boy seemed to have seen it that way, but as I listened to the story, I had some doubts.

The Duke must have wanted to hear a definite answer right then and there.

It was the crown prince who stopped the duke from taking such actions. While placing a bet, the duke was prevented from interfering.

Is this just an act of fun? Or intentional action?

If it’s the latter, the crown prince is a very interesting man. If it is the former, it is a result of chance.

“Master!”

“Baron, would you please calm down a little? “If you are so embarrassed by a crisis of this magnitude, how can you be a good lord in the future?”

“But isn’t the situation so bad? As it is… .”

The Gray boy was in a panic, holding his head.

No matter how much advice I give, it won’t do anything if the person who is supposed to take the lead is like this.

First, I needed to come to my senses.

“that’s right. It can’t go on like this. So would you like to follow me? Good thoughts don’t come to mind when you wrap your head around it. “Let’s take our time and think about it while gathering the ingredients for the dinner.”

“But I can afford that!”

“Your Excellency Baron Gray!”

I raised my voice but quietly shouted out the name and title of the Great Boy. And I stared quietly.

Then Grake was startled by my actions and quickly nodded with a frightened look on his face.

“All right. I’m a teacher… .”

The Gray boy slumped his shoulders like an emperor who had lost his country and began to follow me.

As I left the reception room and went down to the first floor, I saw a handsome man with flowing blonde hair.

A person who looked like the crown prince at a glance spotted Grayke and approached him.

“Where are you going?”

“majesty! “I’m on my way out because I want to find ingredients for a dinner party with the chef.”

“Ingredients for dinner?”

The crown prince crossed his arms with a look of boredom on his face and asked indifferently.

“If you’re with a chef, is this person the chef?”

“He is both a chef and a teacher in my life.”

There is no need to say the word teacher. I’m still embarrassed to be called teacher.

But perhaps thanks to that, the crown prince’s face changed from a look of indifference to a slightly curious expression, and he began looking at me from top to bottom.

It is a look that evaluates people. However, he soon seemed to have lost interest and turned his attention back to the Gray boy.

“Hmm, it was already boring, but it went well. “I will follow you too.”

It’s not a question of whether I can follow you, but rather, I will follow you. An order asserting the authority of the crown prince. Of course, Grayke has neither the authority nor the power to reject the crown prince.

They just give me a troubled look. I can’t help but nod.

“All right. but… “I don’t think it would be any fun if you followed along.”

Although Graeke seemed troubled, it was actually a good thing for me.

If the crown prince had intervened in the conversation between the duke and the Grayke with careful calculation and proposed a bet, he might have been growing a snake inside.

This was the perfect place to understand the intention.

So the 1st Knights and the Crown Prince join the party.

What the 1st Knights protect is the crown prince, not the duke. The duke is protected by the knights of the dukedom.

Of course, there was also Darriant in the group.

Derivant looked surprised for a moment when he saw me, but didn’t show anything, as if he remembered that he was on official business.

Of course, Derriant doesn’t know my real identity. Just a 7th class wizard and a member of the staff of the monster conquering army. I am free because I only know that much.

At the end of the Monster War, he was at the forefront of the Northern Front. After obtaining the Dragon Heart, I played an active role in the capital of the empire, which became a battlefield for dragons.

Dragon, Imperial Palace and Dragon Slayer.

Only the empire’s high-ranking nobles and important figures, including the emperor, know its true identity.

Gray’s soldiers. And the crown prince. order. The place where we led the large group was near the halfway point of Gray Mountain.

This is an area where wild Uva often appears.

Wild uva has a different taste from domesticated uva. The foot of the mountain is also a perfect place to get some fresh air.

“What are you doing here?”

In response to Grayke’s question, I pointed to a wild Uva that was angry because its territory had been invaded.

“I’m here to catch that guy. It’s a food ingredient. Would you like us to move our soldiers to attack?”

The Gray boy nodded at the word food ingredients.

Following the order of the next lord, the soldiers jumped into the wild Uva.

Wild Uva was soon surrounded. However, the wild Uva began to struggle even more, breathing heavily. A wild Uva is cut by a sword. Still, the guy rushed at me. Even though he was bleeding, his strength did not seem to diminish.

The angry wild Uva has the characteristic of fiercely resisting until it runs out of breath or becomes paralyzed.

The guy was resisting right in front of us, just like his temperament. It may not be as strong as a monster, but it has a tenacity that goes beyond that.

Even if you pierce a spear, it hits the soldier. I asked Gray while watching that scene.

“How is it?”

“… yes?”

The Gray boy tilted his head as if wondering what he was talking about.

“What do you think when you see that guy? He is very weak compared to the soldiers surrounding him. But he resists until the end. “Even though he’s dying, he doesn’t lose his momentum at all.”

“that… .”

The Gray boy turned his gaze towards the wild Uva.

Even when dying, it does not retreat backwards. Only forward. A wild Uva that rushes towards the enemy in front and finally falls.

“Even tiny creatures like that are running wild trying to survive, but I’m just holding my head… “Is that what you mean?”

If you know what I want to say, it means you have insight.

Grayk continued to look at the writhing wild Uva. I added one thing in case there was any misunderstanding.

“Of course, anyone can struggle. But it shouldn’t be an ingredient like wild uva. Be the person who struggles but overcomes it. “It’s about not becoming food for peacocks.”

If the boy is eaten by the Duke, Great’s people will only become material for his suffering.

Grayk finally walked slowly towards the wild Uba. Little by little closer. Even after the wild Uba fell, it wriggled its body.

“Are you having fun?”

Then, the crown prince who was watching from behind tapped my shoulder, then walked up to Gray and opened his mouth.

“It doesn’t matter whether the small creatures struggle or struggle, but is this delicious?”

“I think it’s delicious. No, it’s delicious!”

“Haha really? Well, that’s good. If you’ve come to your senses, I’ll reward you! “I will change the content of the bet a little.”

“yes?”

Graeke looked like he was wondering what he was talking about again. Sometimes you need to know how to hide your facial expressions. The boy has a long way to go.

“If I win, take off all your clothes and go around Grace City. It’s the same up to here. I will change the betting conditions when you win. If you beat me, I’ll tell you the conditions. It’s very fun. So, make sure to win. Hahaha!”

The crown prince began to laugh cheerfully.

Grayk just stared at the prince’s back as he went down the mountain with a chewed-up face. The way he continued to smile while going down the mountain made him look like he had lost his mind. At least that’s how Gray feels.

But is that really the case?

I was just convinced by the Prince’s attitude.

After all, that guy is a smart snake.

“Master, do you understand what His Highness is saying? I never… .”

“Well, if I can help you with this matter, how about you go to the center? To become a bigger vessel. A vessel large enough to understand the intentions of His Majesty the Crown Prince. Go to the center and strengthen your political power. Of course, this does not mean that you should go under the duke. “There are many other ways.”

“So then, is there a way to overcome this crisis?”

The Gray boy blinked at me, probably reacting to the offer of help.

Eyes like a baby bird looking for food.

A method has emerged. I guess it could be said that it just occurred to me while looking at the crown prince.

How to overcome the crisis.

You can do that by using the crown prince.

That is, if the crown prince is really a sly snake.

As far as I know, the current emperor was into luxury and pleasure. Therefore, the central imperial authority was weakened by being caught up in the power struggles of several dukes.

If the crown prince is moving for the purpose of correcting the checks on the dukes in the future and increasing the imperial power, that is, if the purpose is to check the duke’s power from growing, knowingly or unknowingly, then an interesting fact can be inferred.

The crown prince probably thinks he is the main character of this game.

If you plan to help Grayk under the pretense of a bet at the end and protect the duke’s power from growing even a little.

In this world, there are those who fly above those who run.

In the current situation, the win or loss of the bet between the crown prince and Grayke is determined by whether Grayke can move the prince’s heart or not.

In other words, the duke is rather a bridesmaid.

If we take advantage of the power struggle between the duke and the prince, we will be able to escape the crisis in Gray City.

But it’s no fun just being dragged around by the crown prince.

If my prediction is correct, it is the crown prince who is currently in charge.

That initiative.

What kind of expression would they make if I took it away from them?