Chapter 57

A Tea Party for the Four of Us
Before I returned to Westland after the New Year, Raphael, Brigitte, Diane, and I decided to gather at Raphael's house.

Duke Clondale's estate was close to the royal castle, and its grounds seemed at least twice the size of my family's mansion in the royal capital. Even after passing through the gate, we had been walking for quite some time, yet the duke's mansion was still not in sight.

The Clondale Dukedom, though small and located adjacent to the royal capital, had two dungeons—one that dropped meat and fish and another that produced medicinal herbs and fruits. Since both were accessible to low-ranking adventurers, they were highly popular and constantly bustling, making the territory prosperous. It was even known as the food pantry of the royal capital.

The duke's household managed these dungeons while also holding positions within the royal court.

When we finally reached the mansion, it looked like a European palace from my past life. Just how many hundreds of people could live here? It was massive, and the maintenance costs must be astronomical.

A man who appeared to be the butler guided me to a glass-walled room overlooking the garden. Inside, Raphael, Brigitte, and Diane were already waiting.

"Did I keep you waiting? It's been a month, hasn't it? How have you all been?" I greeted them.

"We just got here ourselves. I went to the royal castle to pick up Diane." Brigitte replied.

"Thanks to Brigitte, I was able to come. Since I'm under the royal family's custody, I couldn't exactly say I wanted to go out for fun." Diane added.

"I'm glad we could meet before you before you return to Westland, Reinhardt. Let's enjoy today." Raphael said.

Then Diane straightened her posture and spoke.

"Once again, I want to thank you all. Truly, thank you. It turns out my father had been engaged in various corrupt activities, and I was told that if I had inherited the countship, it might have already been too late to save. But thanks to you, I was able to reclaim my family. I still can't do much on my own, but I will definitely repay the kindness you've shown me."

"Diane, all we did was create an opportunity. Restoring the county will be difficult, and there might not be much I can do to help, but at the very least, I can lend an ear. Don't keep everything bottled up." Brigitte said.

"Like Brigitte said, let us know if you ever need help. We may not have much power yet, but we'll do what we can." Raphael added.

"My cousin is involved in improving tea production in the Garuda territory. He's a good guy, so don't worry."

"Huh? You mean the second son of the current head of Northtrad? He's your cousin, Reinhardt?"

"Yeah, on my mother's side. He was originally supposed to be involved in new ventures, but he also wanted to work in a field that utilized his elemental magic. So I suggested he try working with the Garuda family. That's why, Diane, take care of him, okay?"

From there, the conversation shifted to our respective elemental attributes.

Raphael had water and lightning. Brigitte had ice and wind. Diane had fire and earth. I had water and healing.

"Everyone's attributes are different. The only overlap is Reinhardt and I both having water.” Raphael noted.

"It's more fun when we're all different! You get to see all kinds of magic. Speaking of which, have you heard the rumor about being able to measure attribute levels and mana capacity?" Brigitte asked.

"Oh, yeah. My father told me about it. Apparently, it will be officially announced at the royal family's year-end party, and all nobles are invited. But my father also said something interesting. He suspects the discovery came from the Westland family. Is that true, Reinhardt?"

Ugh. I never thought I'd be asked that. As expected of a Duke's household, their intelligence network was impressive.

"I don't know. My father hasn't told me anything about it.” I dodged the question.

"Reinhardt, I heard that every sibling in the Westland family has formed a familiar contract. Is that true?"

Brigitte's information-gathering skills were as sharp as ever. Or maybe this level of knowledge was simply normal for nobles.

"Yeah, though the timing was different for each of us. They're all still chicks and cubs, though." I admitted, and they asked how we ended up forming the contracts.

"Reinhardt's familiar is a Fenrir, and his brothers' are Vendaval and Fiamma. Even as cubs, that's incredible. I've never heard of anyone forming contracts with such beings." Raphael said.

"Exactly! I wanted to see your Fenrir, Reinhardt. You should have brought it.” Brigitte added.

"Next time we meet, bring it with you! If that's not possible, then let's hold the next tea party at your estate. That way, we can meet your other familiars, too.” Diane suggested.

"Yes! The next tea party might not be until next winter, but let's do it at Reinhardt's house." Brigitte agreed.

Raphael, who had been deep in thought, suddenly turned to me with a question.

"I heard you give mana to your familiar. But your brothers share the same elemental attributes as their familiars, while you don't. Is that okay?"

Huh? Now that I think about it, Atre's attributes are ice and wind, while mine are water and healing.

Wait... even though I can use magic now, I’ve never once transferred mana to Atre. When we first formed our contract, Atre told me he was fine because he could take it on his own, and I had completely forgotten about it.

I even asked my brothers and Captain Kyle to pass mana to Ripka, Bianca, and Alraune since their attributes matched better…

Come to think of it, Brother Chris and Atre would be a perfect match in terms of attributes. What if Atre actually wanted Brother Chris instead of me? I never even considered it…

Oh no… what do I do? Anxiety started creeping in.

After the tea party ended, we promised to keep exchanging letters and meet again next winter before I left the Clondale estate.

Raphael's question had distracted me for the rest of the gathering.

Right now, I just want to check with Atre as soon as possible.

What do you think about this chapter?