Chapter 107

Arriving at the dining hall, the dishes were already prepared.

Gervas sat at the head of the long table, while the Gail and Violet families sat on either side.

Once everyone was seated, the maids swiftly served the guests their meals.

“Father, Viscount Catherine, the Storm Domain has limited resources, so I couldn’t offer anything lavish—please don’t mind.”

“Lord Gervas, you’re too modest—we’re deeply grateful for your hospitality!” Catherine responded politely upon hearing Gervas’s courtesy.

Andrew nodded, naturally not disdainful of his second son’s humble fare.

Besides, back at Baron Gail’s castle, the meals were always the same: chunks of meat, meat broth, and white bread.

Still, he sniffed and noticed the meat and broth on Gervas’s table were especially fragrant.

Perhaps because the ingredients were fresh enough!

Andrew didn’t dwell on it, assuming the Storm Domain’s vast lands and sparse population meant more and fresher game.

He glanced at Laniel, who still wore a distracted expression.

Andrew frowned inwardly.

But Ernst, the eldest son, performed well—not only was his demeanor normal, but he now said, “Gervas, this smells wonderful—I won’t be polite then!”

Saying this, Ernst picked up his knife and fork and elegantly cut a piece of meat from his plate, popping it into his mouth.

Andrew nodded, knowing his eldest was pretending.

At home, he’d never seen him eat meat so eagerly.

After all, even the tastiest meat, eaten day after day for years, grows tiresome.

“Ah!”

Yet just as Andrew thought this, Ernst suddenly cried out.

This startled Andrew.

Not just him—even the viscountess across the table and the vassals turned to look.

Andrew’s heart skipped.

Could Ernst be trying to make Gervas look foolish?

Andrew had seen noble tricks before—how they humiliated others.

Would the next words be that the meat was disgusting or that there was something strange in his mouth?

“Ernst, that’s extremely rude!” Andrew scolded quickly, trying to stop him.

But Ernst looked utterly innocent. “Father, I didn’t mean to—it’s just that this meat… it’s incredibly delicious! This is monster meat!”

“Huh? Monster meat?” Ernst’s reply took Andrew by surprise.

Meanwhile, Mein and the others across the table also looked down in shock at their grilled meat.

Each person’s plate held four or five catties of stewed meat chunks.

For a titled knight, such portions weren’t unusual.

After all, titled knights possessed great strength and thus high consumption.

But if those four or five catties were monster meat, the quantity was excessive.

Even the lowest-grade monster meat contained the energy equivalent of four or five catties of ordinary game.

And the price difference was astronomical.

Four or five catties of monster meat would be worth at least forty to fifty silver coins.

For six people to consume this much, it amounted to over two gold coins!

Gervas was far too generous!

They’d seen monster meat served to guests before, but usually only as broth.

That way, it looked impressive while saving money.

“A second-rank monster wolf recently intruded into the Storm Domain.”

“To secure our territory, I led my knights to exterminate it!”

“So, please, don’t be formal—my castle has plenty of monster meat in storage!”

Gervas offered a brief explanation, then continued inviting everyone to eat.

Upon learning it was monster meat, no one hesitated further.

After all, for minor nobles, monster meat was a rare delicacy.

Among them, only Viscount Catherine continued eating slowly and elegantly.

Watching his father and elder brother devour the meat with such relish, Laniel kept swallowing saliva.

But the words he’d spoken upon arrival still echoed in his ears—he couldn’t bring himself to eat the meat now, and he regretted it down to his gut.

In the Gail Domain’s heartland, monster meat was even more expensive than on the frontier, eaten only once or twice a year.

Thinking of this, Laniel’s eyes darted, and he immediately reached for the egg custard.

He planned to eat just two spoonfuls of custard first, then begin eating the meat—so it wouldn’t seem abrupt.

Thus, the elegant silver bowl of egg custard was placed before him.

With a spoon, he scooped up a soft, tender bite and shoved it into his mouth.

“Just two bites—I’ll start eating the monster meat right after!”

Laniel had his plan ready—yet the next instant…

“Ah!”

Another sudden cry rang out, startling Ernst mid-cut—he flinched, nearly slicing his own finger with the silver knife.

“Laniel, are you alright?”

Ernst glared angrily at his younger brother.

Andrew also turned, his eyes filled with the same fury.

Across the table, Catherine and Mein said nothing, but watched with thoughtful expressions.

“Father, I… I didn’t mean to!” Laniel was terrified.

He’d never seen his father look so stern.

“You didn’t mean to? Are you saying, like me, you found the egg custard delicious?” Ernst snapped.

He believed Laniel was deliberately imitating him to disrupt Gervas’s banquet.

And such behavior would drag him down too.

After all, he himself had just cried out in surprise.

“Father, the egg custard really is that delicious—I cried out instinctively, I swear I didn’t mean to cause trouble!”

Laniel looked utterly wronged, feeling more wronged than the monster wolf on the table.

Who knew the egg custard would taste so good?

And Ernst laughed.

This fellow actually dared to use such an excuse.

Seeing Andrew’s fury about to erupt, Laniel’s survival instinct kicked in: “Father, I swear it’s true—and Viscount Catherine, if you don’t believe me, taste it yourself—this egg custard is even more fragrant than the monster meat!”

“After eating it, I felt warm all over, as if my body had grown lighter.”

“Huh?”

Now everyone hesitated.

Because Laniel’s reaction didn’t seem fake.

Gervas had been eager to see the younger brother get scolded by his father.

But to prevent his banquet from being ruined,

he finally spoke.

“Gentlemen, Laniel likely didn’t mean to cause trouble—this egg custard is indeed exceptionally delicious, because it’s made from Rainbow-winged Swan eggs!”

“Rainbow-winged Swan eggs? The eggs of the third-rank monster, the Rainbow-winged Swan?”

Ernst’s eyes widened—he wondered if he’d misheard.

“Correct!” Gervas smiled in confirmation.

“Gervas, aren’t Rainbow-winged Swan eggs extremely rare? How do you have so many? This must require at least several eggs!”

Ernst’s shock hadn’t faded—he’d heard a count’s second son brag about them long ago in noble academy.

He’d claimed the eggs were incredibly delicious, incredibly rare, worth one gold coin each.

And even if you had the money, you couldn’t always buy them—they were a luxury reserved for high nobility.

Given the size of the silver bowls before them, each bowl likely required one Rainbow-winged Swan egg.

And where on earth had Gervas gotten them?

Could it be he found them again?