The Quality of a Self-Reliant Knight

Liszt had no idea what the maid was thinking.

He had never even considered engaging in the kind of irresponsible, messy affairs in other people's castles that most nobles seemed to favor. His current body was only sixteen, just barely an adult.

According to the laws of his hometown, one didn't reach adulthood until eighteen, and marriage wasn't permitted until twenty-two.

For now, he was content to focus on growing up; there was no need to waste energy on such things. His predecessor had been a good-for-nothing, but the current Liszt was quite confident in his ability to reach the rank of Sky Knight. After all, his comprehension was not lacking, and he had the help of the Smoke missions. Perhaps one day, he would even be able to ride a dragon and become a Dragon Knight.

In this world, the pinnacle of combat power was the Dragon Knight—a being capable of destroying the heavens and extinguishing the earth with a mere gesture.

"I cannot stop practicing the Fire Dragon Drill and Flame Wave. Although I can avoid the battlefield, I must always maintain the skills necessary for self-preservation."

The luncheon was a private family affair at Long-Yam Castle, with only a few people in attendance. Marquis Merlin and his wife were away overseeing tax collection, leaving only the grandfather and his grandchildren as the hosts. It was the custom of Long-Yam Castle that the captain of the knights did not dine in the castle, and Meiopal's tutor had already left to serve as an official in the city.

Therefore, seated around the dining table were only the grandfather and the three siblings.

Marquis Merlin sat in a wheelchair, his mobility limited. The food in the castle was a grade higher than that of Tulip Castle; the bread on the plates was proof enough, being the finest white bread.

Liszt picked up a piece of white bread and took a light bite. It was soft, fragrant, and melted in his mouth with a wonderful texture—it hardly felt like bread at all, but rather cake.

The wine was a vintage red from Lachi Manor, a prestigious wine even higher in quality than New Moon Red Wine.

As the dishes were uncovered one by one—pudding roast beef, salmon in golden sauce, plover eggs, mayonnaise meat jelly with rock lobster, roast goose with lettuce salad, meat pies with cheese, asparagus leaves, and trout in lobster sauce—the sheer abundance rivaled a major festival banquet at Tulip Castle.

However, despite the rich spread, the atmosphere remained rather stiff.

The Marquis was a stern man who had once held supreme command over the navy, and his presence was truly imposing. Levis and Lvera were unable to relax in his presence, speaking with extreme caution.

Liszt felt somewhat constrained as well. While he didn't think there was anything particularly remarkable about a group of "ancients" in his heart, he still couldn't act naturally when surrounded by strangers.

Therefore, focusing on eating the delicious food was the more important task.

Especially the mayonnaise meat jelly with rock lobster.

It was incredibly delicious.

He had already finished one plate and called for another.

"Rock lobster is produced in the waters of Red Crab Island. Our family fleet rarely goes out to fish for them; it's mostly adventurous fishermen who catch them, so the yield isn't high. Almost all of it is sent to the castle," Meiopal said, taking small bites of his bread. "If you like it, I'll have someone prepare a batch of live ones for you later."

"I'm afraid transport will be difficult. The distance from Long-Yam Castle to my Flower Town is too great. I would need to travel for a day and a half on Red Crab Island, take a boat for a day, and then travel for another half-day to reach Flower Town. Including lodging and other delays, it would take at least five days to return."

"Actually, rock lobsters are easy to keep. As long as you give them a little water every day, they won't die easily, as they carry the bloodline of the sea monster, the Brocade Lobster."

Sea monsters were, in essence, Magic Beasts of the sea.

Liszt naturally wouldn't refuse: "Then thank you very much."

"Don't mention it." Meiopal smiled. Among the three siblings of the Tulip Family, he felt closer to Liszt, perhaps due to a mutual appreciation of their looks, or perhaps because like attracts like—handsome people always tended to be friends with other handsome people.

Hearing their conversation, the Marquis suddenly spoke: "Liszt, tell me about Flower Town."

"Grandfather, life in Flower Town is actually quite unremarkable."

"Tell me about the local customs and the living environment."

"Well, it's a small town of less than two thousand people. At first, new tulips were discovered there, so Father relocated the serfs to build Flower Town. Now, it mainly relies on wheat farming; the land is relatively barren, and tax revenue is low. Fortunately, a new variety of tulip magic herb has grown in the town, which could bring new development."

"A new variety of magic herb—that is a good thing." The Marquis inquired, "Did Tulip Castle pay a significant amount of gold coins for this herb?"

"It's a profit-sharing arrangement. The town cannot grow too much, so I reached an agreement with my brother and sister to grow it together, though they have to give me thirty percent of the proceeds."

"Hmm, a very interesting partnership, far more valuable than a lump sum of gold coins. Liszt, you have inherited not only Melissa's beauty but also the shrewdness of the Long-Yam Family."

The shrewdness of the Long-Yam Family was well-known throughout the Grand Duchy.

The reason lay with the Marquis's father, the previous Marquis, who was only a Count at the time. Because the Grand Duchy was preparing to head to the continent to fight for mineral resources, they were in urgent need of funds to arm the knight order. The Count had exhausted his family fortune to support the actions of Grand Duke Sapphire, eventually earning the Red Crab Island and the title of Marquis in return.

Now, the annual revenue from Red Crab Island was likely far greater than the fortune the Count had spent back then.

It was a deal of immense value.

"Flower Town is just a small town; I need to make money to maintain the castle's expenses."

"Self-reliance—that is the quality of a qualified noble."

Courage, courtesy, loyalty, self-reliance... nobles had a long list of qualities they liked to talk about, but the one that lived up to its name the least was self-reliance. They were essentially a group of vampires who squeezed the common people, and from childhood to adulthood, they probably didn't even know what a hoe looked like.

Of course, the "self-reliance" the Marquis spoke of likely meant "relying on oneself to do the squeezing" instead of asking for handouts from the family.

After the luncheon came the dinner.

After dinner, they rested, and the next day began with another luncheon. Once the luncheon concluded, Meiopal became busy, for according to the Marquis's instructions, he intended to host a grand ball that evening, gathering the young noble men and women from the surrounding towns.

A noble ball could simply be viewed as a matchmaking event.

The second and third sons of noble families were particularly keen on participating in such balls. The eldest son would inherit his father's title and had no trouble finding a marriage partner, but the second and third sons had to strive for themselves, hoping to marry a wealthy and beautiful woman so they could continue to enjoy a noble lifestyle.

Otherwise, generation after generation, they would eventually be reduced to common knights and fall out of the noble class.

Female nobles were also keen on balls. Not every young lady could marry the eldest son of a noble house; they, too, needed to set their sights on those promising noble descendants and showcase their own charm.

"Liszt, you need to prepare!" Meiopal brought his personal valet, who carried a pile of formal wear. "These are all outfits I haven't worn yet. You and I are about the same build, so they will surely fit you."

"Cousin, there's no need to try them on one by one. I think the one I'm wearing is just fine."

"No, you must strive for perfection. Think about it: the notices I had the knights dispatch by fast horse yesterday have reached the nobles of at least thirteen small towns, and they will be able to make it to the ball. Just imagine how many beautiful young ladies will be waiting there to forge a happy union with you and create a wonderful encounter."

"I am still young; I am in no rush to marry." Liszt was a bit speechless. How had he never noticed before that this cousin of his was so keen on playing matchmaker? "You should be dressing up my sister; she is at the prime age for marriage. And my brother, too—he also needs to find a suitable candidate for the mistress of Tulip Castle."

"They don't need me to remind them. Levis borrowed a stack of formal wear ages ago, and Lvera has been primping herself since this morning. Haven't you noticed?"

"Is that so?"

Liszt truly hadn't noticed. During his leisure time, he was busy perusing the library of Long-Yam Castle, and during banquets, he was only concerned with doing battle against the food.