The Top-Tier Butler of the Marquis Family

Chapter 062

“Three tables should do it, right? There are twelve people, so if we seat four at each table, that should work.”

That was what James said as he followed behind me. He was an ordinary Butler Apprentice. I tightened my gloves a little more and kept walking.

“That is not a very good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because the main guest at tonight’s banquet is none other than His Excellency Marquis Chronos.”

I turned my eyes briefly toward the kitchen. There, not only Ramsay and Arwen, but every cook was doing their utmost.

“If they are all that fired up, do you really think only a few dishes will come out and that will be the end of it? The menu will probably come out so heavily that the table legs will start to bend.”

“Ah, then it would be better to spread the tables out wider.”

“Right. First, we should line up the tables on both sides based on this one in the middle.”

At parties, tables were arranged in a circle, but for an ordinary banquet the basic form was a straight line. I did not know how other houses did it, but at least that was how House Adeline did things. That was how I had been taught.

Fortunately, James seemed to understand what I meant and started trying to move one of the tables to the side.

“Urrgh!”

But it was not going to be easy. Dining tables were a little different from ordinary tables. They were built much sturdier and more heavily. As expected, only one side lifted slightly.

“Ugh...... This thing is too heavy. Should we call more people?”

THUMP!

James let go, stepped back, and rubbed his wrist. I shrugged.

“You have never once earned bonus points during apprentice duty, have you?”

“No. Why?”

“Do you not want to earn some this time?”

James blinked at me, as though he had no idea what I was talking about.

“If you were an ordinary apprentice, you would just think, An accident happened all of a sudden, so now there is more work to do. In fact, by now the rumor that they are short-handed has probably already spread everywhere, yet no one is coming to help. They have all gone off to eat because they are hungry, most likely. But I do not think that way. This is an opportunity.”

“Ah! I get it now!”

“So let us work hard.”

In any case, I had already filled up on bonus points, so it made no difference to me whether I earned more or not. But I wanted to help this friend, who was always kind toward me.

And if I caught the Marquis’s eye one more time while I was at it, all the better.

For show, I lifted the heavy table all by myself in one smooth motion. James’s eyes widened.

“Whoa! You can lift that by yourself?”

“Instead of standing there admiring me, go and bring tablecloths. Five should be enough. The most splendid ones you can find.”

“Got it!”

James ran off to the dining hall storeroom, and I succeeded in placing three tables in a row, tables that would normally take three men to move.

After that, I prepared chairs separately. These were chairs also used by apprentices and minor nobles. There was no way we could seat someone of such rank in those. So I set out one magnificently decorated chair that had been carefully maintained off to one side, and eleven others in a design slightly plainer than that.

“This way, even without name cards, His Excellency Marquis Chronos’s seat will naturally be obvious. Much more convenient.”

You had to show at least this much sense if you wanted to be called an ace.

And with that, I finished arranging the tables and chairs. Ordinarily, it would have been hard work for three men, but I had not lost any stamina at all.

Because I had used mana.

Lately I had been realizing just how boundless mana’s practical applications really were. It did not merely strengthen muscle or make objects more durable. It also had the effect of stabilizing specific areas.

So I decided I would use mana freely in preparing this banquet.

First, I examined the tablecloths James had brought.

They were tablecloths of snowy white fabric, embroidered richly with interwoven red and golden thread.

“For now, spread them all over the tables.”

“Yes, sir!”

James behaved as though he had become my subordinate. Soon enough, all three tables were covered.

“So what now? Should we start putting the tableware out?”

“Before that, we need to inspect whether the tablecloths are clean.”

I infused mana into my eyes and heightened my sight.

A butler who had worked in a dining hall for over ten years could glance once and instantly tell where dust remained or whether the washing had been done poorly.

But I did not yet have those ten years of experience.

In that case, I had no choice but to make use of tools.

“Tweezers.”

For a moment, I possessed the spirit of a surgeon. The instant I held out my hand, James pulled the tool from his pocket and handed it to me.

With my heightened vision, I was able to clean away the bits of dust and tiny blemishes hidden here and there.

“Hoo.”

Once I finished one table, I moved on to the next. This cloth did not have much dust, but there was a problem. Faint stains remained on it.

I drew up mana and concentrated it into my fingertips.

Hummmm!

Then I pressed those fingers firmly against the stained spots. In my heart, I wished for them to be purified.

Not only through books, but through experience, I had been confirming the endless versatility of mana. Recently, I had discovered that my thoughts and wishes influenced the power of mana.

So I wished for the tablecloth before my eyes to become clean.

And a miracle occurred.

The place where a faint stain had remained turned pure white, as though it had been bleached clean.

But then James tilted his head as he looked my way. This bastard had been standing there watching me work magic instead of doing his job?

Still, since he had not asked about it, it probably meant he had not noticed anything clearly. What a nuisance. I had better send him off to do something else.

“James. Go to Primera right now and bring back the tableware set His Excellency the Marquis uses. Bring the others’ tableware too.”

“Anything else?”

“No. That is the last thing.”

James darted off at once. I cleaned the stains from the third tablecloth as well, then gave the whole thing an overall whitening effect.

“Good. Excellent.”

When I stepped back ten paces, it almost looked as though the tablecloths were gleaming. It was as if they had just come out of the wash with shining powder sprinkled over them.

The Marquis would definitely be pleased with this.

With a satisfied smile, I tidied up the area and waited for James to return.

“The tableware has arrived!”

James came back pushing a cart. This brat had decent instincts. He had brought back a huge load of tableware. Since he could not know which would match the tablecloths best, he had chosen to bring everything.

“This should be enough, right?”

“Good. Next are the wineglasses. Wipe them down once more with a clean cloth. I will set the rest of the tableware.”

Since polishing glass was not especially difficult, I handled the work requiring higher skill first. I infused mana into all the tableware as well, cleaned it, and brought out a fine luster on the surfaces.

Clean napkins and forks and knives. Then ornate white plates. With the polish I had drawn out through mana on top of that, it felt almost as though I had walked into a restaurant at a luxury hotel.

Finally, after I had added polish even to the glasses James had wiped, all the preparations were finished.

At that moment, Ramsay came out of the kitchen.

I straightened my shoulders and met him boldly, gesturing with one hand toward the finished tables.

As expected, Ramsay clapped his hands in delight.

“Well now! You two truly did all this? I thought Head Butler Yanrof himself had stepped in.”

“That is the highest praise. Thank you, Chef.”

“It is excellent. The tableware shines beautifully, and the tablecloths have been cared for splendidly as well! His Excellency the Marquis will be highly pleased.”

“Since this is the place where Chef Ramsay’s dishes will be served, it was only natural that we should take care with it.”

“Hahahat! Truly, Dilen, you are a first-rate butler.”

Smiling, I bowed my head. This time Ramsay gave James a nod as well. He offered no particular praise, but James looked overjoyed all the same.

Meanwhile, it seemed the preparations in the kitchen were entering their final stage as well. The smell of delicious food drifted over in waves.

Looking toward the kitchen, I asked,

“Is everything all right on that side?”

“So far, no particular problem. They are all aiming to earn points from this. So long as no one makes a mistake, I think the outcome will be a good one.”

“I hope it goes well.”

“Thank you for helping. Though come to think of it, I have not even seen to your dinner.”

“Ah, please do not trouble yourself. I will eat once His Excellency has finished dining.”

“Make sure you wait. I will prepare a truly splendid dinner for you tonight.”

Chef Ramsay went back into the kitchen and continued with the preparations.

Then the door opened, and a butler with an extraordinary presence entered.

But he was not alone. Two more butlers entered behind him, and judging from the atmosphere, they seemed lower in rank than the one in front.

I felt as though I had seen that face somewhere before, but who was it again?

“We must hurry, now that we are late. Since this banquet is one where the Marchioness and the Young Master will be dining together with His Excellency after a long time, we must prepare it perfectly...... Hm? What is this?”

The butler in front stopped short in surprise. With astonished eyes, he looked over the fully set tables.

“How is it already prepared? What is going on here?”

Since they had come as a group of three, it seemed these men had come to handle the banquet preparations themselves. James and I stepped forward before them.

James looked hesitant, so I gave his back a light shove forward.

“Welcome, sir. I am James, currently assigned to support duties at Rosetta.”

“......James.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

That single word carried such force that James shrank on the spot. Anyone watching would have thought he had committed a crime.

“Did other butlers come before us? Who finished preparing the banquet?”

His tone was faintly interrogative.

James hesitated and looked at me. You frustrating fool. If the meal has already been set, then one ought simply to enjoy it. What exactly is going to appear just because you stare at me?

I stepped in.

“James and I prepared it together. No one else came.”

“You two prepared all of this by yourselves?”

“That is correct.”

The butler looked unable to believe it. I lowered my head slightly and kept my posture polite.

His tailcoat was somewhat different from those of the other butlers. There was a more elaborate accent worked into the tie, and the badge decoration was slightly different as well.

“What is your name?”

“I am Dilen.”

But the butler paid more attention to me than to James.

“Dilen? I have heard that name often somewhere...... Ah, are you that Dilen? The apprentice everyone has been talking about? The one who knocked the arrogance out of those fools in the Knight Order not long ago?”

“Knocked the arrogance out of them is rather exaggerated. It is only an inflated rumor.”

“Hahahaha!”

Only then did the butler laugh. The younger butlers behind him laughed as well, which made it quite clear what sort of image I had now. I was being remembered in a very favorable way.

“The preparations are excellent. It could not have been easy to make everything so spotless, not a speck of dust anywhere.”

“I only did what I was taught.”

“Doing what one is taught is the hardest thing of all.”

Once he had finished inspecting the tables, the senior butler came to stand before us again. Then he clasped his hands behind his back gravely.

“Dilen, and James. I personally commend you both. You have worked hard.”

“It is an honor.”

“I shall make special mention of this to the Training Officer myself. Now then, you may withdraw. We will take over from here.”

For him to speak of Training Officer Vesper so casually meant he must be a senior butler. But who was he? There was no harm in becoming acquainted with him. Just as I was about to turn away, I gathered my courage and asked,

“If it would not be rude, might I ask your name, sir?”

“My name is Weiss.”

If this Weiss was the very man I thought he was, then today was a lucky day for me. Smiling, I bowed to him politely.

“Butler Weiss. It is an honor to greet you today. If you would allow it, we could assist with the banquet......”

“Did I not tell you to withdraw?”

In an instant, the air inside turned cold.