Griffith, as a second-level squad leader who has just been promoted, has an annual salary of 1,200 silver langs, that is, he can receive 100 silver francs per month. As an Extraordinaire Sequence 9, he can also receive a monthly allowance of 10 silver francs from the government. When he was on the battlefield, most of the monthly salary he received was used to buy and maintain his personal equipment, and the rest could be used to buy expensive food and daily necessities in the war zone where supplies were scarce. The set of leather armor, which had been badly damaged, and the chain mail that had been repaired many times, was his personal property that he had saved up for a long time.

This is also the main reason why Griffith left the army with little money in his pocket.

From the day he left the legion, the kingdom no longer paid him. He was to receive his salary from La Mor until the day he completed his studies and returned to his country.

If the kingdom needed to recruit him into battle, the Lamor family still had to pay him and provide him with equipment. However, Griffith himself could receive additional mission perks and rewards from the military.

The Earl's butler was a tall, thin and very pleasant-looking man, about 50 years old. He wears a crisp black tuxedo that looks like a sculpture if he stands still. Beside him was a middle-aged man with a handsome appearance, looking at Griffith with critical eyes.

"Mr. Wood, what do you think of this young man?" the butler handed a piece of unilateral crystal glasses to the middle-aged man, "he is the new Shutoral who passed the selection as he told you earlier. ”

The moment the middle-aged man put the crystal lenses on, Griffith felt an uncomfortable force begin to stir with his own inspiration. Before he could figure out what was going on, the strange feeling vanished.

"Without undergoing reinforcement, physical strength 12, strength 14, agility 12, perception 11, spirit 10, balanced ability, heavy blood, and magic resistance level 4, which is good for a newcomer," Wood took off the crystal lenses and said to the apprentice knight, "I am the Earl's chief guard and the commander of the army of the Lamor family, the Grand Knight Wood Woods, if you continue to work hard and do not get killed early on the battlefield, you will take my place in the future." ”

Why can my abilities be described in numbers?Griffith resisted the urge to look at the crystal lens curiously, and solemnly slapped his chest to the Grand Knight, "Yes, Your Excellency, Grand Knight. ”

"Always remember your duty, Cadet Knight," said Grand Knight Wood, nodding to the butler, and walked out of the room without looking back.

"Well, then, let's get down to business, I'm Ashford, the butler of Lamor House, and the Earl has informed me, Mr. Griffith," the black-clad butler gracefully took a box from the cabinet with no trace of the Wood Guard, "one-fifth of the gold and one-fifth of the silver, and the rest are the bills of the Central Bank of the Kingdom, what do you think?"

Most of the Goblin Bounty earned by the Cadet Knight is used to make good clothes on the body or to spend on the journey. He was now desperately poor, and did not understand the butler's words: "Sorry, sir, I don't know much about this." ”

"Money made of paper is equal to gold and silver. If you're going to order shirts and go to decent restaurants and shops, the bills will save you and the shopkeeper some trouble," said the butler, smiling, "and the gentlemen of Bayeran are not accustomed to going out with a big bag of tinkling pieces of metal, it's not decent." The little green paper that you see now is very important in the life of this city, well, very much. ”

Griffith took the bag of money and happily pulled out a stack of green bills. The negotiable voucher is beautifully printed, with a fresh scent of ink, and is printed with the crown and numerals of King Bayeran.

"You can see the security mark here, an eagle flag, you should be familiar with it when you look at the sun," Ashford demonstrated to the apprentice knight, and then looked at Griffith with a happy face and said, "Mr. apprentice, I suggest you go and use this money as soon as possible, lest you reply that you have just received three months' salary when people ask you why you are so happy, which will give everyone another topic of conversation at dinner." ”

Griffith, who was carrying a bag of money, hurriedly tightened the corners of his mouth.

"Alright, follow the manservant at the door to your room, and then tidy yourself up," Ashford waved to the door, "You're a midshipman, and you're going to have dinner with the Earl's family." You still have half an hour to prepare. ”

This is the dinner party that Galadia asked me to prepare clothes for the dinner!Griffith immediately tightened his nerves, since the elves were so important, there must be a reason to pay attention.

......

Seven p.m.

When Griffith arrived at the dining room, he found only a thin, pale young man sitting. His short blond hair was neatly combed, and he held a cup of black tea in his hand, and when he saw the midshipman come in, he stood up happily and greeted him with a smile:

"Good evening, I'm Nolan de Lamor, and you must be the new Shotoral. Later we will talk about the East, and I am a little curious about the war reports sent from there. ”

Ah, the earl's eldest son, should I not greet him first? Griffith reacted immediately and agreed to his request very seriously.

Before Griffith could tell us much, the hosts and guests of the Earl's Court arrived. The Countess was a very beautiful and imposing blonde woman, tall and elegant, and almost as tall as a tall midshipman in high heels. The Countess greeted the guests one by one, only nodding to the new midshipman.

The guests also included several academics, parliamentarians and well-known businessmen. They were the guests of this little dinner tonight, and they sat in their seats naturally.

The long dining table was covered with white tablecloths. Fine porcelain and silver candlesticks are a sight to behold, and each guest is greeted with an enticing aperitif and many different styles of knives and forks.

Trouble...... Griffith realized that he hadn't been taught anything like that, and he didn't even know which spoon to use to drink the soup.

Several servants stood nearby like stone statues. Griffith's inspiration was slightly touched, and he could feel the subtle gaze behind him looking at him, with a bit of criticism and a smile.

What do they see me doing...... Why not go to the restaurant?

After everyone was seated, a girl hurried into the dining room and came to the seat opposite the midshipman. Her hair is as beautiful as the morning sun, and her delicate long skirt outlines her feminine and slender figure. The girl looked no more than sixteen years old, her eyes sparkling like sapphires, and she looked at the midshipman in a red-striped black coat with a slight surprise.

Black slim-fitting coat with no church markings...... Is this man going to take a random person in my house for a duel? The girl was very curious about the new young man. Griffith's tall posture and fairly well-behaved appearance further encouraged her curiosity.

"Good evening, Miss Sonia. Several of the guests present greeted the late Earl's daughter.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Sonia gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt and greeted everyone with a delicate smile.

Sony is now more concerned about the strange teenager sitting across from him than the guests he already knows well. A glance before she sat down was enough for her to grasp a lot of information.

"The clothes are new but not new, the workmanship is good, well, probably just bought for today's dinner. Why is there no family coat of arms on it?

His movements were a little stiff and restrained, and his eyes seemed to be looking at the dishes, perhaps wondering which spoon to use for the soup!

"The blue ribbon, which Daddy's guests never wore before, was some kind of low-rank medal I didn't recognize. However, unlike the medals bought by those gentlemen, it should have been exchanged for genuine merit. It's the only thing on him that shows his identity. Judging from his serious and restrained temperament and skin color, he should be a soldier, hmm~

"I see, he's the one Shultolar that Dad mentioned the other day! His little blue ribbon should be an Iron Eagle Medal. Divination about him and me...... It's subtle!" Sonia was excited by her observation, and wanted to ask Griffith now if she was right.

However, this is not the time for Miss Sonia de la Morr to satisfy her curiosity. She had another set of things to say.

"Sorry, I'm late. Miss Sonia quickly reasoned about Griffith's identity and said with both heart.

Griffith hurriedly smiled stiffly at the girl across from him, and nodded like a puppeteer in greeting. Fortunately, none of the people present noticed his stupid appearance.

The blonde girl's voice was sweet and waxy, like a warm jade. If she asked for something, Griffith felt like she couldn't refuse.

"Are you fascinated by those dangerous books again?" said the Countess of Lamour, with a slight reproach, "when you get to Homunwards...... The gods are above, and if you get into trouble again, it won't be in the newspapers. ”

"No, Mom~" Sonia whispered, bowing her head as if she wanted to hide her little secret, "I'm just doing the prep for the course." ”

"This is the second son of Knight Blanton, Cadet Knight Griffith Blanton, Second Squad Leader, Shotoral," the Count casually introduced to everyone, "Your Majesty has rewarded my territory with a variety of specialties in addition to wheat and minerals. ”

Hey, I guessed it, can you give me a little applause...... Sonia was finally able to boldly gaze at the boy opposite, who was not much older than herself, and excitedly tapped the ground twice on her toes.

Griffith hurriedly got up and gave a military salute to everyone present.

"When Sonia enters school in September, Mr. Cadet Knight will enroll with him," the Count continued, "a good friend of mine hopes that he will be able to make a mark in command, law, and administration in the future, and bring something new to the family, which he has been exposed to in the non-commissioned officer school and in the Eastern battlefields, or will learn in his future courses." After all, as you know, it's amazing that my territory in the Odessa region can experience floods and droughts on a good day. ”

The guests laughed together, and one of them smiled and asked Griffith, "Tell me, Mr. Knight, when you fought in the Eastern Battlefield, did you think about what it would be like to return to a peaceful life in the future?"

"This is Lord Arthur Raton of the Supreme Court," the earl's eldest son, the kind and handsome Nolan, introduced Griffith.

Shhh

The tables were filled with famous people, and the time left for me to answer questions was measured in seconds. If I don't answer well, people will think I'm a big fool, and if I think about it too long, everyone will think I'm a fool...... Griffith felt a cold sweat drip down his neck.

It would be foolish for me to compliment this magnificent dinner party as our hope for peace.

"Your Excellency, many of our legion's auxiliaries come from the Eastern Province, which imposes heavy taxes on the peasants when the war is severe," Griffith said after a moment's deliberation, as briefly as possible within everyone's patience, "In order to obtain the blessing and protection of the Church, the auxiliaries of the Eastern Province tried to give their land to the Church. The laws of the kingdom do not allow such actions. The auxiliaries then gave the land to their friends and asked them to give most of the land to the church. ”

"Well, ecclesiastical land is exempt from taxation, and the royal government has expressly decreed that no transfer or gift of property to the church," said Judge Arthuraton, with a slight astonishment, "and the citizens of the Eastern provinces are trying to circumvent the king's statute law." ”

"I note that there is a slight difference between what the probationary knight says and the transfer, Your Excellency," said the Count of Lamour, intrigued by the subject, "the citizens of the East, after giving their land to their friends, well, the proceeds to the Church. In this case, it is still considered an assignment and a concession is required?"

"This is a question worth studying," the Chancellor nodded approvingly to Griffith, instead of asking a more in-depth question for the Midshipman, "I think the Supreme Court will soon receive an appeal from the case." ”

Several of the guests looked surprised. This newcomer is at least a very sensitive earthen bun. It seemed that the Count was also interested in the subject, and Judge Arthurraton asked more questions, and the dinner party was lively.

Was this an interesting topic a coincidence, or did the midshipman from the border prepare in advance to make a good impression in front of everyone?

Sonia raised her eyes to look at Griffith's face, and then at the ribbon of the Iron Eagle Medal on his chest. She thought that after entering Holmonwards, the family would never be able to control her again. But the conversation just now made the blonde girl suddenly realize that her father probably deliberately installed such a powerful character by her side.

She tried to control herself from puffing out her cheeks, "When my friends and I let ourselves go in Holmonwards, will this wise soldier follow Dad's instructions to monitor and report the invitation? Divination shows that our physiognomy should be okay~ Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen, ah! What is he doing!?"

This fried veal is so delicious!

Griffith didn't notice the girl's gaze at all, and ate the dish in front of him intently. Before he could finish eating, the waiters had already brought the next meal, and removed the food that had only moved two bites in front of the other guests.

Griffith hurriedly picked up the remaining slices of meat, stuffed them into his mouth, and watched happily as the waiter brought him a plate of salmon. Across the long table, Sonia looked at his plate with wide eyes.

The dinner at the Earl's Court lasted a full hour and a half. The guests at the dinner were as if they had endless to say, from visits by diplomatic missions to newly discovered plants in the southern provinces, and the Count would comment on each topic before the end of the conversation.

I can't eat anymore......

At first, Griffith counted how many dishes he had served and commented on which one was the best, and he ate every dish cleanly, and it didn't take long for him to burst. The midshipman, who was full of food, tilted his body to see if he could move a little more out of his stomach. He had nothing to talk to about with the noble guests, and he was so uncomfortable that he couldn't do it.

Miss Sonia, who sat in front of Griffith, smiled and raised her crystal clear wine glass and took a sip of the fragrant fruit wine.

"Everyone, I'm missing," said the Count of Lamour, nodding to the guests who were still eating dessert, and turned to leave the restaurant. The guests, who had been sitting for more than an hour, chatted for a while before bidding farewell to the Countess.

Griffith, who had been pushed to his throat by the food, stiffened to his feet, tried not to hold on to the edge of the table and the wall, and walked slowly out of the back of the crowd as Sonia smiled in her eyes.