Knights, Let’s Smash Them

52 – The majesty of the cuisine of Count Rupel, where Judge Arthur is overturned and the Duke of Hebron sheds tears. ＞

After many twists and turns, I passed the gate, but the real difficulty started now.

“Sorry, it was full… ….”

“We are also full.”

I purposely came a day earlier than the day of the competition to enjoy the festival leisurely, but I couldn’t find a proper place to stay.

Because every inn was packed with people.

I even visited the best and most expensive inn in Petalonto, which is less accessible to the common people, but the result was the same.

Even if they offered a higher price, wouldn’t the residents of Petalonto politely decline, saying that they couldn’t kick out the person who had already booked, just because they were so honest?

It’s a pity that the last lodging I found told me about the improvised tent village for the tournament.

It was only because of this that he almost had to reveal his identity or wander the streets without moving.

“District 1 is for women! Zone 2 is for men! District 3 is inevitably mixed. Families and couples, please use it!”

When we arrived at the tent village prepared in the north, there were people dressed like muscular warriors guarding the gate.

A man and a woman who seem to have just passed their adulthood.

It was only then that Lilia noticed that the muscular warrior and both of her men and women were Rupell’s knights.

‘There are quite a lot of soldiers, and they put the most effort into public order.’

No matter how young they are, they are clearly only deploying apprentice knight-level personnel to guide the tent village.

I don’t know exactly who the organizers of the festival are, but it’s clear that they really put their heart and soul into it.

“Criminal acts will be severely punished in accordance with the Law of Ruupel when discovered! Please do your best for a fun festival for everyone!!”

The knight girl shouted with a lively voice. Seeing her like that, the expressions of people who were annoyed by the long waiting time were naturally relieved.

And above all.

“Please do your best!!”

The presence of a blonde girl standing next to her, raising her hand and shouting, was great.

Even someone who doesn’t like children was once cute enough to give her affectionate glances.

Besides, she looked only seven or eight years old, and her face was as beautiful as her lively voice.

She is a girl who makes me wonder what she will look like when she grows up.

Perhaps he makes the men of the city cry all the time.

Besides, only her body shape has shrunk. Looking at the fact that she is dressed like the knights, she is probably the daughter of the leader of the knights in charge of the territory or an apprentice knight.

She once said that herself too, she recalled her childhood.

Lilia was assigned to District 1. As it’s only for women, at least you won’t have to worry about being seduced by strange guys.

After roughly packing her things, she left the tent.

I came out without saying anything in the first place, so a valuable item would be a family dagger. Even he was a replica with only an engraving, so she didn’t have to pay much attention to it, so it was comfortable.

“Let’s really enjoy it now!”

Lilia said so and she moved her steps through the tent village and into her stream.

***

“Isn’t the number of tents in the tent village insufficient?”

“Fortunately, the distribution was just right for the number of people. Even if I was a little late, I could have been in big trouble.”

At the count’s question, vice-captain Emain answered while sweating profusely.

It is not unusual to see a sudden increase in the number of tourists a week before the official start of the tournament.

If it had not been for the mobilization of all the manpower of the large corps that had been linked in advance, a catastrophe would have happened.

Even after doing that, there were still many unsatisfactory parts, and all sorts of problems were popping up everywhere.

Thanks to this, not only Count Rupel, but also most of the 7 vassals looked bewildered.

As much as the city’s public order was actually put to the test, the constable’s expression was literally on the verge of evolving into Diablo.

The only person smiling was, of course, Treasurer Edwin Carlton.

From noble mtl dot com.

I can’t help but laugh.

Looking at the result, it was right that it hit the jackpot as a festival.

“First of all, we have completed the guidance of the VIPs that were promised in advance. We apologize for the lack of response.”

“I’m sorry, it’s the first time we’ve held an event like this in our territory, so of course it’s not enough.”

However, Count Rupel did not reprimand anyone. On the contrary, he even laughed, saying that it was the first time he had seen Petaronto being so lively and noisy.

Of course, in what sense did he laugh…….

‘Let’s just think positively.’

I shook off my bitter feelings and delivered the current progress of the festival to the vassals, who looked quite confused.

“In addition, a total of 50 chefs arrived from all over the country. We decided to make a cut-off here.”

“You mean they’re going to have a cooking showdown all at once and in the same place? When I checked the site the other day, I remember that the capacity was about 20 people.”

“So we have a preliminary match tonight, and only the 20 survivors will advance to the finals and fight tomorrow.”

Qualifiers.

Since this is a part that has not been discussed in advance, retainers and bureaucrats are buzzing and agitated.

I’m sorry, but this is my mistake.

I thought at most a dozen people would come. Did you know that 50 people would gather?

Even among those 50 people, there are 50 people who can prove their careers to some extent.

Three times as many idiots who said they would participate.

It was also a job to filter that out.

Let’s give three rounds of applause to the members of the Lupell Corps who went through a lot of hard work in the direct identification process.

“How are you going to proceed with the preliminaries?”

“How do you feel about opening the night market this evening?”

“Night Market…… It’s a night market…….”

Count Rupel groaned. Then, Mayor Harmon, who was sitting quietly next to him, added a word.

“I have already told the merchants nearby. As for the location, how about turning the closed training ground that was used to train the corps three years ago into a night market?”

Actually, if Petalonto had been a decent city, it might not have been able to cope with this very urgent situation.

…… Is not it?

I wish this situation hadn’t happened.

However, much of the city in Petalonto was neglected than I thought.

That meant there was plenty of space available at any time.

No, city facilities are only expandable when there are a lot of people who settle in the city.

A space without demand is nothing more than a vacant lot.

A place that had the status of a semi-urban area in the golden age of Rupel Manor, but now it has become a horrifying spot to wander around at night.

There’s nothing good about leaving those places alone.

Right now, the tent village and the venue for the cooking competition were like redecorating an undeveloped area.

The vassals and the count seemed to agree strongly on that point, so they just accepted it and moved on.

“Good. Not a bad idea. I think the gathered travelers will be able to fully enjoy it.”

“Also, the Balgroud Tavern decided to release a large amount of stored beer. Even just charging a commission for selling to street vendors is expected to have a significant positive impact on the city’s economy.”

“I agree. It is a very sound and creative idea.”

The treasurer clapped his hands and praised him.

“Really…… How long have you been waiting for this day? If we can keep going like this, we will be able to pay off all the debts that have held back the Count.”

“Then let’s proceed with opening the night market today. Are there enough ingredients?”

“Currently, we are working closely with large merchant corporations including the Blue Dragon Transcontinental Convoy and Carlos Merchant to supply fresh ingredients.”

Not only that, but they were doing their best to make this cooking contest a success by mobilizing all of their personal connections with the gypsophila merchant company and the Hameln Company.

Also, there are some members of the upper ranks who have heard rumors and flocked to it, so we are actively contacting them.

“…… Whoa, it’s so difficult. Anyway, so far everything seems to be going well under control. Let the Luverne magistrate and the Mayor of Harmon continue to take control of the festival.”

“Leave it to me!”

I bowed my head towards the count and answered with a booming voice.

The money I brought is a bit more broken than I thought…….

Well, let’s think of it as an investment.

You don’t know. Will SSR-class connections come out from somewhere who secretly came to enjoy the festival?

***

‘There’s not much to see with all that hype.’

Lilia Hebron honestly couldn’t hide her disappointment.

It’s the first time I’ve visited Rupel’s manor, but if it’s the capital of a manor, it should be distinctive…….

No matter how much she wandered around Peta Ronto, she couldn’t find anything special about her.

On the contrary, the farther away we went to the outskirts of the city, the more uninhabited areas there were that were not managed.

If it was unusual that there were no homeless people or criminal organizations in such a no-man’s-land, it could be considered unusual.

That can’t be the hallmark of a city.

In addition to the poor tent accommodation, the memory of waiting at the gate for over an hour in the morning is added.

Suddenly, Lilia began to regret that she had come for nothing.

“I hear you opened a night market in the northeast of the city? It’s the preliminary round of the cooking contest!”

At the moment she was contemplating whether to just go back, the conversations of passers-by pass by her ears.

A night market?

I think so. It is a festival whose original purpose was a cooking contest. Then, it is only natural to focus on what you eat rather than what you see.

At the same time, I was feeling hungry.

Lilia Hebron immediately turned her body and entered the direction of the night market.

As expected of a night market, as soon as you get close to her, all sorts of appetizing smells begin to numb Lilia’s sense of smell.

‘Yes…… This is it, this was it…… !’

The corners of her eyes were alive again.

The only thing I ate during the two months of campaign was hard bread made for military use and dried beef jerky.

Because I could enjoy plain meat dishes dripping with oil only when I happened to visit the city once.

“The night market is the preliminaries for the cooking contest!! Enjoy the fifty stalls listed here!”

In addition, the purpose is also different.

Doesn’t that mean that we should open stalls and compete with food? The resolution itself is different from the general catering competition, which was held in a rigid atmosphere every time.

It’s literally like a festival.

Sizzling, bubbling.

Lilia’s expectations, which were on the verge of falling to the floor in the waves of all kinds of dishes that are boiled, baked, and boiled everywhere, rise vertically.

Among them, the first place she lined up was at a skewered restaurant.

Anyway, it was a snack food, so it was the least crowded, and there was an abundance of ‘seafood’ on skewers.

It was difficult to find fish and shellfish in the northern Duchy of Hebron, where the sea and the ice sea beyond the borderline were all.

Although she is a northerner, there was no dish that seemed more appetizing to Lilia, who was unusually fond of fish.

Knock.

It was then that she was standing in front of her stall, swallowing the saliva that gathered in her temple.

“…… ?”

Something poked her ass. At first, since there were so many people, I thought it was an unavoidable mistake and passed it on.

Something like a stick kept tapping her butt.

Finally impatient, Lilia turned her head and scolded a group of men standing behind her.

“Hey, could you please leave that stick alone? Stop stabbing me.”

“This is not a stick.”

“?”

The men chuckle.

At first, Lilia didn’t know what she meant, but as soon as she noticed another man reaching her hand toward his thigh, she drew her dagger from her bosom.

The men backed away in awe at the blade of the sword that flashed in front of their eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Whoa, whoa whoa! What, why are you holding a sword?”

“I asked what you were trying to do.”

Lilia’s red eyes flashed.

If you give a crap answer, she will immediately shove her fist into her mouth and think of true education.

“Guards! Guards!!!”

“There!! What a fuss!”

A black-haired man who was watching the night market from a platform-like place shouted and ran.

It seemed like he was the supervisor overseeing the festival.

“This, these bastards…… !!”

Lilia bit her lip at the gaze that was instantly directed at her, and she had to run away immediately.

For her, a day that could have been good at best turned into a bad day again.