We were sitting in a tavern. After I had peeled Lord Tibult off the floor, he had given his troops orders to meet him on the outskirts of town. His previous display should have lost all of their respect, but I realized that they never had it in the first place. These troops were clearly sent to babysit him, not to be served by him. They only followed his orders while rolling their eyes. As for Lord Tibult, he could only wear a tight smile as he sent them away.
Immediately after, he pulled me into a nearby tavern while promising to pay for a meal. I was more curious now than worried, so I let him take me. He assured me that this place had the best food in town. I realized as a former fatty like myself, he probably knew what he was talking about. We all ordered, and as soon as a took I bite, I realized that my guess was correct. It wasn’t at the level of Faeyna or myself, but it was a pretty good meal compared to the slop this world’s commoners often ate.
“Geh… Otto, um… since when did we become friends?”
Otto’s face turned red. “Th-that… well… weren’t we opponents? And then you defeated me. Now… we’re equals.”
“Actually… aren’t you a Baron while I’m a Viscount? I outrank you quite a bit…”
“Isn’t that why you need subordinates? A low level noble with ties to higher nobles?”
“Now, I’m your master?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m of the Tibult family!” He cried out and then lowered his head. “Although… it would be best if we buried the hatchet.”
I scratched my head as a cute waitress came out and brought our dessert. Despite this being a border city, I was very impressed with the quality. You’d think a front line would have bad food. When noticing me enjoying the food, he grinned.
“The Ost Republic… they value Cooks a lot more. The School of Cooking exists in its capital. The one good thing about being sent to fight alongside my brother and father at Fort Detrimix is that the food is very good.”
I crossed my arms and sighed. “Fine, say we’re friends, then what is it that you want. I’m actually busy on a request from the Prince.”
He winced at that and then nodded. “Yes, you’re good friends with the Prince and Princess. I’m envious.”
“You’re about the same age as him…”
“Yeah! But he appreciates a man’s man!” Otto snorted. “How do you think he’d respond to someone… ah… well…”
“Ah… that’s right, you lean towards men… um… then don’t you like being around a bunch of strong men on the border?”
“You’d think…” He sighed. “But my reputation spread quickly, and most of the army look down on me with disdain. Plus, my father put a ban on it. He thinks he can force women on me. Sends a woman to my bedchamber every night. Says if I can’t do anything else of use, I can at least spread the family line.”
“Yes!” He perked up like he just remembered something. “That’s right! I need your help! My life is in your hands!”