Volume 7 Chapter 3 Gazpacho
Two days later, Al visited the Levy merchant guild as planned, but he was taken not to the usual meeting room. Instead, for some reason, he was brought to the guard station where he had been called by Barbara before. And there, instead of Ruella and Patricia, were Guildmaster Levy and Desmond.
"What's going on?"
"Sorry to bother you when you're busy, Al. I have something I'd like to ask you before you meet Lady Patricia."
Saying this, Guildmaster Levy offered Al one of the chairs in the guard station. After Al nodded, he began to speak.
"Actually, we have a magic tool for security, and this morning, when Lady Patricia arrived, one of them reacted."
The magic tool Guildmaster Levy mentioned was probably the 'Detect Invisible,' 'Detect Illusion,' and 'Detect Magic' tools that Eric had talked about before. They were said to be quite expensive, but that's just how the Levy merchant guild operates. This means that Patricia might be in some kind of danger. Desmond calmed Al, telling him not to panic.
"I sensed 'Detect Magic.' This often reacts to magic tools. I think Lady Patricia has some kind of magic tool. But the problem is that the guards we hired who can use magic are all out, so we can't investigate further. Since Lady Patricia's presence is a secret, we can't just ask anyone for help. So, when you meet Lady Patricia, could you check which magic tool she has?"
"Magic tools can react too..." Al tilted his head a bit. He also had a magic tool. The button he got recently reacted, and the crystal with Glee's essence, as well as the crystal he borrowed from Patricia, should have reacted too.
"I know you have a magic tool, and I trust you, so I don't think it's a problem. Skilled people often have light magic tools. That's why I'm not too worried this time. Still, just in case, I want to confirm."
Guildmaster Levy spoke as if it wasn't a big deal, but Al wasn't sure if that was true. For now, it seemed better to proceed carefully.
"Understood. I'll check if I can see any magic tools with the 'Magic Sense' spell and let you know."
When Al asked, Guildmaster Levy nodded.
"Ah, thank you. Lady Patricia should be in the courtyard with Ruella. I'll have someone guide you."
* * *
In the courtyard, Al saw a gazebo. Inside, Ruella, Patricia, and Patricia's bodyguard, Joanna, a female knight, were sitting at a table. Behind Patricia were two female servants who looked familiar; they likely came from the lord's mansion, probably sent by Tara. One servant appeared to be in her late 40s, while the other looked to be in her early 20s. Both had serious faces. They seemed to be working quietly, but their relationship with Patricia did not seem very friendly.
As Al approached, Patricia quickly spotted him and gracefully stood up. Her blonde hair fluttered in the wind.
"Sir Al. How have you been?"
"Yes, thank you."
Al couldn't help but smile brightly.
"I heard you did a great job helping Sir Naresh. You must have defeated a lot of Barbarians."
"Oh no, it wasn't that impressive. But Sir Naresh was amazing. The way he charged and pierced through the Goblin Slaughter with his spear was breathtaking."
Al shook his head at Patricia's words. He had used the 'Magic Tornado' to defeat many Barbarians, but it was too violent to explain to a 13-year-old. Instead, he talked about Naresh, who was more heroic for helping defeat the Goblin Slayer. Ruella smiled at Naresh's achievements. They joked about Naresh's adventures and the challenges they faced together. Al also checked Patricia's outfit for anything that might glow under the 'Detect Magic' spell. The only item that reacted was her hair accessory, a fancy braid with a beautiful ornament. She likely hadn't worn it when she escaped.
"That hair accessory looks good on you."
When Al said this, Patricia smiled brightly and replied that it was a gift from Lady Agnes, saying it suited her well. Ruella looked surprised for a moment and almost dropped her cup.
"Who is Lady Agnes?"
When Al asked, Ruella quickly composed herself and revealed that she was the second wife of Viscount Lester. This made her the biological mother of Sanjay, who is Naresh's half-brother. Since they lived in the same mansion, it was not surprising that she knew about Patricia. However, Ruella's shocked reaction surprised Al. At least he had confirmed who sent the gift, which meant he could fulfill Guildmaster Levy's request.
"How have you been, Lady Patricia, during the time we couldn't meet? It must have been tough with the heat."
At Al's question, Patricia blushed and looked down a little. Joanna whispered something in her ear. Patricia glanced at Al and then took a folded piece of cloth from Joanna.
"Um... what happened?"
Al couldn't help but ask Patricia. She fidgeted for a while, but finally, gathering her courage, she looked up and held out the folded white cloth to Al.
"Actually, I embroidered a handkerchief for you, Sir Al..."
She managed to say that much, but then she turned bright red and looked down again, unable to say more.
"Wow, thank you! Can I open it?"
Al happily accepted it. It was a pure white silk handkerchief with a detailed rose pattern embroidered in blue thread, along with Patricia's name.
"I heard that Sir Al often goes far away, so I wanted you to have this handkerchief instead of me..."
Patricia said in a barely audible voice.
"The princess is very skilled at embroidery. She put her heart into every stitch," Joanna added.
Even Al, who didn't know much about embroidery, could tell it was a carefully made item. He smiled at Patricia and replied that he would cherish it. While they were having this exchange, Ruella's servant came over with something on a wagon.
"The soup that Alfred brought has arrived. It looks like some kind of unusual dish..."
Ruella, smiling as she watched the two, said, "My servant is setting the table with plates and cutlery, and now he's serving a thick white liquid."
"This is a wet bread soup (gazpacho). It's a home-cooked dish from the Tempest Kingdom. I heard from a friend who went to Border City Parker that it was delicious, so I decided to prepare it. I hope it brings back the flavors of Lady Patricia and Lady Joanna's hometown and lifts your spirits."
"Well..." "It's nostalgic..."
Patricia and Joanna immediately reached for the soup. However, an older female servant behind them hurriedly tried to stop them.
"This dish around here is..."
Seeing her worried expression, Al smiled gently.
"This is safe. The cook at my inn, fortunately, knows about this soup. Gazpacho is made without cooking, so if it's made with bad water in Lester, it can upset your stomach. That's what you're worried about, right? So, to avoid that, I went to the town with a water source this morning to fetch some water. The water there comes from the Sipree Mountains, so it's safe."
"Oh... Is it really okay to eat... the gazpacho...?"
The servant looked a bit teary-eyed. It must be that nostalgic for her.
"Did you come here with Lady Tara?"
Ruella asked, and the older servant nodded.
"Yes, I came with Lady Tara when she married and became her attendant."
Al didn't realize it, but Tara, who came here as the wife, also left her hometown with them. Maybe her situation is surprisingly similar to Patricia's. Al glanced at Ruella, and she nodded in response.
"I would like to invite you all to join us, but if it's with Lady Patricia, everyone might hold back. Since there are many, let's take them back to the lord's mansion. It's home-cooked food, and Lady Tara might have tried it before, and there might be others in similar situations as well. Please feel free to join us. I've heard it's best chilled with well water."
The older servant nodded happily at Ruella's words. Her reaction was completely different from before the mention of gazpacho. This might be the start of a good relationship between Patricia and Tara's servants. Al and Ruella felt their hopes rise.
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