The following day, Paul and Malron, accompanied by Bryce and Victor, headed to Duke Ferdinand’s mansion for the banquet.
The duke’s mansion was splendidly decorated, with the welcoming official from the previous day busily attending to the gathered guests at the entrance.
In addition to the lords from distant lands, many prestigious figures from Center City were present, including major businessmen, heads of various guilds, and even individuals clad in church attire.
Paul stopped a man dressed as a priest and asked, “Excuse me, are you a priest from the city?”
Recognizing Paul’s attire as that of a guest for the duke’s banquet, likely a lord from afar, the priest responded courteously, “Yes, I am a priest from the Center Cathedral.”
“Do you know Dean Leonard… oh, I mean, do you know Bishop Leonard?” Paul suddenly remembered an old acquaintance in the city, recalling that the bishop of Northwest Bay Diocese was based in Center City.
“What might your name be, sir?” asked the priest.
Bryce stepped forward and introduced, “These gentlemen are Count Paul Grayman of Alda and Count Malron Ganard of Baylding!”
The priest immediately showed deep respect, “Ah, the esteemed counts! I know Bishop Leonard well. I attend his teachings daily at the cathedral.”
“Is Bishop Leonard attending today?”
The priest seemed slightly uneasy as he responded, “The bishop couldn’t make it; he has been unwell lately… wait, Alda? Isn’t that where the bishop served as the abbot? Are you the lord of that place?”
Paul nodded affirmatively.
The priest looked around cautiously and then whispered to Paul, “Count Grayman, since you and the bishop hail from the same place, I’ll speak frankly. Bishop Leonard isn’t much interested in these kinds of gatherings, so he made an excuse not to attend.”
“Oh! That’s very much in line with his character,” Paul and Bryce agreed. More than just disinterest, the old and stern abbot was known for his aversion to lavish events. It was no surprise he wouldn’t attend such an extravagant affair at the duke’s mansion.
“Please, Father,” gestured Paul.
“After you, Count,” replied the priest.
Paul, Malron, and their group entered the duke’s mansion, walking through a courtyard as large as a plaza before reaching the main building.
Once inside, they walked down a spacious corridor directly to the main hall. The master of ceremonies took the business cards handed over by Bryce and announced loudly:
“Count Paul Grayman—arrived!”
“Count Malron Ganard—arrived!”
The hall was bustling and noisy, and their arrival didn’t attract much attention.
However, Viscount Henry, the duke’s brother and the host of the birthday banquet, was keenly observing the arrival of each guest.
“Welcome, welcome!” Henry approached them briskly, arms wide open for an embrace.
“I visited you last night but missed you as you were out. What a coincidence! Allow me to make it up to you today and properly host you, making up for last night’s regret.”
Paul and Malron exchanged courteous pleasantries with him.
Henry led them to their assigned seats, where Paul and Malron noticed several ‘neighbors’—lords from neighboring territories—already seated.
These were the lords who had refused to aid him during last year’s pirate invasion.
Count Price Parker, around fifty years old with graying hair and a kindly face, had written in his letter at the time, “In the midst of rebellion, it is my duty to guard my lands. I regret not being able to offer condolences in person…”
He had skillfully avoided mentioning any assistance.
Count Morley Malkan, in his thirties, appeared calm and composed, eyes closed as if in meditation. In his letter, he had advised Paul to simply defend his castle, suggesting that the pirates would leave after looting enough from the civilians. His stance was akin to “Let the strong be strong, let the aggressive be aggressive.”
Count Winifred Heller, in his forties, wore glasses and had an academic demeanor. He had proposed a bizarre concept of “non-violent non-cooperation” in his letter, suggesting telling the pirates, “Come with your means of destruction; we will let you kill half of us, but the other half will not surrender.”
Besides these three, there were several other minor lords, such as viscounts and barons, from their territories. Paul didn’t bother to get acquainted with each one.
“Dear nephew Paul! Dear nephew Malron!”
“Good to see you, Counts!”
As Paul and Malron arrived, the lords stood up to greet them. Even if they weren’t close with the Grayman family, public appearances mattered, especially with Count Malron Ganard in Paul’s company.
Paul and Malron responded to each greeting with slight awkwardness. They had inherited their titles due to family misfortunes and had previously interacted little with these lords, mostly dealing with their fathers.
The situation might have been more comfortable had their sons been present, but the main hall was reserved for lords and their attendants.
“Count Paul, a true young hero, wiping out the pirates and bringing peace to the entire Northwestern Bay!” Count Parker suddenly praised Paul and Malron. His territory also bordered the sea and had benefited greatly from the Aldan Navy’s victory over the pirates.
Malron responded modestly, “It was all thanks to Paul’s help in quelling the rebellion.”
Paul, with a hint of irony, added, “Yes, thanks to everyone’s encouragement and guidance, I was able to defeat the pirates.”
It was unclear if the others grasped the subtlety of his words, as none showed any embarrassment.
Count Morley Malkan then said with a smile, “You two have been doing quite the business at home lately…”
The others perked up at Malkan’s words, turning their attention to Paul.
In the past six months, several new products that had become extremely popular in the market, such as porcelain, paper, and canned goods, were all produced in Alda and Baylding, with the Grayman family as the source.
Paul, adhering to the principle of not flaunting wealth from his past life, quickly dismissed, “Oh, it’s just a small venture.”
“A small venture? Count Grayman, you can’t say that. You must be counting money until your hands ache!”
They were well aware of the popularity of these products, not just in Northwest Bay but also evident from the frequent caravans passing through their territories to and from Alda and Baylding. Despite high tariffs imposed by them, the trade volume had significantly increased in the latter half of the year, indicating the high profitability of these goods even after paying substantial tariffs.
Their envy was palpable.
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