Compared to the feast spread before them, the prison's so-called nutritious meals were no different from pig slop.
The scene before them looked like a Western fantasy oil painting brought to life.
Rem stepped up to the table, cut a piece of trout, and placed it neatly before Grin.
"Please enjoy your meal, honored guest."
Seeing that, Otto hurriedly called out as well,
"Please cut me a piece too, Miss!"
Grin picked up his knife and fork, cut off a piece of fish, and put it into his mouth.
The moment his teeth sank in, the spicy first strike of dragon-breath oil swept across his tongue.
Then came the trout's own icy sweetness, cool as glacial stream water, the two temperatures tangling together in his mouth like a bonfire rising in the eye of a snowstorm.
"Five ants."
Even if this had been a condemned man's final meal, it would have been enough to die satisfied after eating it.
"This is incredible! This is real otherworld cuisine! Rem truly lives up to her reputation as an all-purpose maid. She's absolutely amazing!"
Otto nodded so hard it looked like his neck might come loose.
"So Grin-kun thinks so too? What a moving fragrance!"
Roswaal lifted one hand with obvious pride and gestured toward Rem.
"Rem's cooking is one of the prides of Mathers House~ It is so good that even a dragon would forget how to fly after eating it~"
Hearing all the praise, Rem's expression softened with a trace of joy.
She first bowed toward Roswaal in acknowledgment, then returned to Grin's side.
After all, Grin and Otto had saved her sister's life.
Letting them enjoy themselves here was both proper hospitality and repayment for that debt.
Rem gave Grin a small bow.
"Honored guest, are you of age? Would you like some Moonshadow wine?"
Ram glanced at Grin and said flatly,
"Children should stick to juice."
"Sorry, I turned eighteen not long ago."
Grin slicked back his hair and nudged his wineglass toward Rem.
"Oh, then he's an old man. Rem, give him half a cup of water. If he dies of alcohol poisoning, outsiders might think Mathers House poisoned its guest."
Hearing her sister's instruction, Rem naturally complied.
She nodded and brought over a bottle with moonstone set into its base.
She filled Grin's glass to a little over half.
The liquid shifted from silver to blue depending on the angle, and tiny ice-like flakes floated inside the cup.
In Lugunica, humans were considered adults in the legal sense at fifteen, and fully capable under civil law at seventeen.
Long-lived races were different. A pure-blooded spirit like Puck would not be considered truly mature until far later.
To account for that, the Kingdom's legal code included a racial amendment clause: adulthood would be recognized at one-eighth of a race's average lifespan, but never lower than fifteen years old.
The moment Grin realized Rem really was about to water his drink down further, he quickly snatched the glass away.
"Ram, I'm only a year older than you. If that makes me an old man, then you must already be entering menopause."
"Oh my~ It seems Grin-kun knows quite a lot about Mathers House. Hard to believe this is his first visit."
Roswaal immediately caught the inconsistency.
The question slid out softly, but its edge was knife-sharp.
Grin froze for a beat and nearly choked on the wine in his mouth.
"Ahem… well~ nothing much. Just a little bit of divination."
Otto, who had been stuffing himself beside him, hurriedly helped.
"Yes, Lord Roswaal! Grin really is a very skilled diviner. The very first time we met, he divined my name and even my past."
Roswaal paused briefly in thought, then smiled again.
"I see~ So this truly is our first meeting~?"
His Book of Wisdom had once recorded that someone with the power to "correct the world" would appear beside Emilia.
At present, there were three possible candidates.
The first was Grin, who had already displayed something close to prophetic ability and therefore seemed the most likely to possess an Authority linked to "correction."
The second was Subaru Natsuki, the boy Emilia had taken in out of her excessive compassion.
While still in the capital, Subaru and Emilia had rescued lost children together. Later, since he had nowhere else to go, he followed her back to Mathers territory.
As for the merchant named Otto, the possibility was so low that he could practically be ruled out.
And useless people were best disposed of as early as possible.
With that in mind, Roswaal turned his attention toward Otto.
"Lord Otto~ Speaking of which, Mathers House has not yet repaid you for your contribution. Tell me, what would you like in return for bringing Ram safely back to the manor?"
Otto nearly swallowed his tongue.
After forcing down the food in his mouth, he looked up in excitement.
"Really?"
Roswaal gave a small nod.
As a margrave of Lugunica, he was a man with more than enough wealth.
Otto rubbed his hands together and, after some hesitation, finally began to state his request.
"It's honestly a little embarrassing, but because of some poor decisions in business, I ended up stockpiling a huge amount of outdated magic-lamp oil. Now I'm right on the brink of bankruptcy."
"So if possible… I was hoping the Count might buy some of my goods and give me a little breathing room."
Otto explained his predicament with visible misery.
Back in the capital, the guards had let him go in advance, largely because they were afraid Grin might come after them afterward.
The guard captain had even personally intervened to help lower the interest rate his creditors were demanding.
Otherwise, Otto probably would have already lost even his dragon carriage.
"Lord Otto, that is no problem at all. Not only will I purchase all your goods, I shall also give you an additional one hundred gold coins."
Roswaal accepted the request without the slightest hesitation.
Then his tone shifted.
"But~ I do hope you will keep everything you have seen and heard in this mansion locked inside yourself, to be digested together with the food on this table. How does that sound?"
"You… you are too generous, Count! I swear by the Dragon, I will never reveal anything about the manor!"
Otto was so excited he looked close to tears.
His bankruptcy crisis had finally ended.
Not only that, he had also received a huge sum of start-up capital.
Grin-kun truly was his benefactor.
Grin glanced at Otto with some concern.
The scene felt strangely familiar.
He distinctly remembered that the last guy who swore an oath to a dragon had ended up smashed to pieces by Rem the moment he stepped outside.
"Next comes Grin-kun, the greatest contributor in this entire affair~ He not only directed Reinhard to return Emilia's Royal Selection insignia, but also helped Ram escape the White Whale."
"A debt that heavy must naturally be repaid. So now, Grin-kun, please tell me your wish."
Roswaal laced his fingers together, those inscrutable eyes fixed on Grin as he waited for an answer.
Grin frowned slightly.
This had been unexpected.
After wiping the grease from the corner of his mouth, he asked weakly,
"Wasn't I sent here for labor reform?"
"Haha~ Mr. Grin is quite funny~"
Roswaal let out two soft chuckles and answered with calm sincerity.
"Do not concern yourself with the sentence Ram brought back. Mathers House has always believed in repaying kindness."
Grin's eyes lit up.
"Seriously?"
"Of course~ Grin-kun~ Please, ask for whatever you desire~"
"So confident, huh? Then let's start with… one full cart of holy gold coins."
Grin did not care whether Roswaal was merely being polite.
When making wishes, you always aimed high.
After all, what if they actually came true?
Roswaal's pronunciation abruptly snapped back to normal.
For the first time, he looked as if he suspected he had misheard.
"A cart… of holy gold coins?"
Then he drew a breath, steadied himself, and spoke again.
"My apologies. I seem to have lost my composure for a moment. How much did you just say?"