Chapter 311 The Return Gifts
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A week had passed since the lingering tension with Stella-san finally dissipated. I sat in the dining hall taking my breakfast slowly—painfully, agonizingly slowly. My movements were so sluggish they didn’t make a single sound.
”…Sigh.”
”What’s the matter? Why the heavy sigh? Did today’s breakfast not suit your palate?” Lewya asked, standing by my side in attendance.
”The food is as delicious as ever… it’s just the ‘plate’ itself,” I replied.
”Ah…”
Lewya let out a knowing sound at my grumbling.
”The plate sent by Marquis Rubal¹ yesterday? Looking at it again, it truly doesn’t look much like tableware.”
Arranged on the table were new plates sent by Marquis Rubal as a return gift for the plate I had given him to replace a broken one. If it had been a simple replacement, I would have just been grateful, but the items themselves were the problem. At a single glance, they looked like high-value works of art; the kind of objects that made you wonder if it was even appropriate to use them for food.
”To model it after a living creature… it’s quite an elaborate piece. Does such a magic beast actually exist?” Lewya asked.
”Unfortunately, there’s no such living creature. It’s what you’d call a phantom beast,” I said.
”Is that so? If a snake with seven-colored scales like the one on this soup bowl existed, I would have loved to see it. It is truly masterful. Using the entire circular soup plate to depict a coiled snake, with the beast seemingly trying to drink the soup poured inside its own coils.”
”And it’s not just drawn on. The edges of the plate are textured to match the snake’s scales, creating a three-dimensional effect. Meanwhile, the center where the soup sits has no protrusions to keep it functional, intentionally suppressing the 3D effect to make the rim stand out even more. It’s a wonderful plate that balances utility and beauty,” I added.
”…If one were to buy this, how many hundreds of gold coins would it require?” Lewya asked.
”Stop it! I was trying so hard not to think about that!” I shouted.
With Lewya’s fatal remark, I lost the composure I had been barely maintaining.
”I only sent a repaired plate worth a few dozen platinum coins at most! What is the meaning of this being the return gift?! Who could imagine that saying they’d send a replacement for a broken dish would result in something like this! And they sent a specific one for every possible course! Honestly, it’s a huge turn-off!”
”Calm yourself, Neil. Regardless of the circumstances, one should not speak of someone who returned a courtesy in such a manner,” Lewya said.
”Huff… Huff… You’re right. It’s not like Marquis Rubal had any ill intent. I got a bit too worked up.”
”If you have regained your composure, then fine. Though, I do understand your feeling that such a magnificent item is difficult to use as simple tableware,” Lewya said.
”If I use a knife, it’ll definitely leave fine scratches, and even just setting down a spoon feels like it might damage the thing. It’s terrifying,” I muttered.
Though he called it a replacement, the number of plates wasn’t that high—one for each course like meat and fish—but together, the total value would likely exceed a thousand gold coins by far. Just as I was questioning Marquis Rubal’s actions for being far too excessive for a return gift, the door connecting the dining hall and the kitchen opened, and Diana entered.
”What is going on? Your voice reached all the way to the kitchen,” Diana said.
”Ah, sorry. I just hit my limit of patience,” I replied.
”I caught fragments of the conversation, so I can guess the general gist…”
Saying so, Diana came over to my side and glanced at the plate on the table.
”…I certainly won’t deny that it is too flamboyant for use as everyday tableware,” Diana said.
”Right? I wonder what Marquis Rubal was thinking, sending such an excessive item as a return gift.”
”Excessive? With all due respect, Neil-sama, your works are whispered among the Empire Noble³ circles as phantom masterpieces that cannot be obtained no matter how much gold one piles up,” Diana added.
”That… I suppose that’s true, but still.”
I knew why I was being evaluated that way, and I could understand the logic, but as a total amateur who wasn’t an artist—the actual creator—it felt like nothing but overvaluation.
”Fufu. Even though Neil has changed from before, that low self-evaluation of his remains the same,” Lewya said, laughing.
”I don’t think this is a matter of self-evaluation this time… I really think Marquis Rubal went too far.”
”Regarding that, perhaps Viscount Hedmar² is involved,” Diana suggested.
”Viscount Hedmar? …Ah, I see. That makes sense. So that’s why Marquis Rubal sent such an excessive gift.”
”What does that mean? How is Zora’s father related to the Marquis sending this plate?” Lewya asked.
”You know that Marquis Rubal loathes Viscount Hedmar, right, Lewya?”
”I know that much. Narsht used to grumble that ‘The Marquis does nothing but badmouth the Viscount whenever he drinks, so it’s hard to know how to respond’,” Lewya replied.
”Then you also know I’ve adjusted the timing so that when I send gifts to multiple nobles, they arrive in order of their rank?”
”Yes, that was the case with Arafem and this time too.”
”It’s what you’d call a silent agreement, but it actually applies to the recipients too. The return gifts must be sent starting from the one with the highest rank, and those who follow must not send an item more expensive than the person who sent theirs before them.”
”Hmm. A rule to avoid bruising the egos of high-ranking nobles? A very typical story for an Empire Noble, but how does that relate to this?” Lewya asked.
”The rule says you shouldn’t send something more expensive than someone of higher rank, but it’s not just a matter of it being cheap. Sending a return gift that is significantly lower in value compared to the previous person’s gift would be taken as saying ‘I only felt this much value in the gift I received’ or ‘The person who sent theirs before doesn’t know the value of things’. Therefore, those who follow must pick an item slightly less valuable than the previous one, as a result of ‘considering the person who sent theirs first’,” I explained.
”Truly, the Empire Nobles are a troublesome lot. It should be enough to say ‘I received a gift, so I will return the favor with this gift to show my gratitude’. They complicate everything,” Lewya muttered.
As Lewya voiced her complaints about the Empire Nobles who couldn’t simplify things, I could only manage a wry smile, agreeing with her while knowing how difficult that was.
”I see, I’m beginning to see the picture. In other words, by the Marquis sending an extremely expensive gift, the Viscount is now forced to prepare a gift based on that standard?” Lewya asked.
”Correct. Even at a low estimate, it exceeds a thousand gold coins. Viscount Hedmar must be in a real pinch if he has to provide an item of that caliber.”
Especially now, when Viscount Hedmar is spearheading the creation of a Post Town⁴ and is surely struggling to manage his funds; asking him to prepare a gift worth a thousand gold coins at such a time is an impossible task.
”I messed up the timing of the gift…”
I should have just said from the start that no return gift was necessary, but my goal was simply to express my daily gratitude, and the existence of return gifts had completely slipped my mind. Since I had already accepted the return gift from Marquis Rubal, telling only Viscount Hedmar that a return gift wasn’t necessary would end up crushing his pride.
”The only lucky thing is that there’s no one following Viscount Hedmar, so he isn’t in a situation where he has to prepare a gift immediately. I should send a letter to the Viscount later saying ‘The return gift can wait’,” I said.
”Wouldn’t that be taken as you, Neil-sama, indirectly demanding a return gift? Do you intend to discard your own dignity just to save the face of Viscount Hedmar?” Diana asked.
”Ahaha… well, that… sorry,” I muttered.
”Haa… If you do that, it would be too blatant, and your consideration would be easily seen through. Let us think of the wording for the letter to Viscount Hedmar together later,” Diana said.
”!?”
At those words from Diana, Lewya and I were so surprised our mouths hung open.
”What’s with those looks on both your faces?” Diana asked.
”No, I mean, that means you’re condoning me doing something that would hurt my own reputation, right?”
”I thought Neil had changed, but it seems Diana is the one who has changed the most. The old Diana wouldn’t have said such a thing; in fact, she would have opposed writing such a letter in the first place,” Lewya added.
”Exactly!” I agreed.
”It’s not that I don’t feel like opposing it. It’s just that even if I oppose it, I’ll eventually be the one to give in. Therefore, I simply decided it was more constructive to support Neil-sama from the side to ensure no damage occurs,” Diana explained.
”When you put it like that, it makes me sound like a very stubborn person who doesn’t listen,” I said.
”………”
”…I’m sorry,” I whispered.
I folded easily under the silent pressure from Diana. Well, I’m aware I’ve been doing some reckless things, so it can’t be helped. Just as I was shrinking back—
”What did you say?!”
A loud voice echoed from the kitchen. We all looked toward the door leading there at once.
”That voice just now… it was Stella-san, right?”
”Did something happen? I will go and check,” Diana said.
Saying so, Diana headed toward the kitchen, leaving only Lewya and me in the dining hall.
”That’s the first time I’ve heard Stella-san raise her voice like that. I wonder what happened?”
”Who knows. It is about the time the people from Toys of Preference⁵ would arrive, so perhaps something happened there. Well, there’s no use fretting here. Why don’t you finish your meal before Diana returns?” Lewya suggested.
”Eating so slowly triggered my satiety center; I’m already full…”
Even though I was just under the illusion of being full when I hadn’t actually put much in my stomach, I resumed eating with slow, sloth-like movements to avoid damaging the plate. It took a considerable amount of time, and it was only after I had finished my meal that Diana returned.
* * *
”Neil-sama, I have returned,” Diana said.
”Welcome back. It took quite a while, but what happened?”
”That is…”
Diana seemed very perplexed, as if she were lost on how to explain. Eventually, after organizing her thoughts, she began to speak.
”It seems that a drug called ‘Pediros⁶‘ is circulating in the frontier settlement.”
—
Summary:
Neil receives an absurdly expensive set of plates as a return gift from Marquis Rubal, causing him immense stress over their value. He and Lewya discuss the complex social etiquette of noble gift-giving, where Rubal’s extravagant gift has effectively cornered Viscount Hedmar into a financial trap. Diana surprises them by agreeing to help Neil navigate this diplomatic minefield with a letter. The chapter ends on a cliffhanger as Stella shouts in the kitchen upon hearing news of a drug called Pediros spreading in the frontier.
—
Character Insight:
In this chapter, we see a shift in Diana’s management style; she moves from a rigid enforcer of etiquette to a more pragmatic supporter of Neil’s whims, recognizing that her ‘stubborn’ master will likely follow his heart anyway. Neil’s struggle highlights his persistent ‘commoner’ mindset, as he is physically unable to eat normally off a plate that costs more than a house. Meanwhile, the off-screen tension with Marquis Rubal and Viscount Hedmar showcases the cutthroat nature of noble politics, where a simple ‘thank you’ gift is weaponized to inflict financial damage on a rival.
—
Behind the Scene:
The author notes that they had finished 90% of the chapter by Saturday but struggled with the final 10% due to post-New Year’s lethargy. This chapter sets the stage for a darker turn in the plot, moving from dining hall politics to the introduction of a dangerous substance (Pediros) in the frontier.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Stella – Female. A young woman from a village in the territory of Count Cordis. Her appearance is that of a young girl with a fixed smile, reflecting her traumatic experiences. She was renamed Remia by the brothel owner in Malm. Her relationship with others is marked by survival and adaptation, as she endures sexual exploitation and bullying. Her inner thoughts reveal a deep sense of despair and disconnection from her original identity.
• Marquis Rubal – Another noble, who is famous as gourmet.
• Viscount Hedmar – Zora’s biological family
• Zora – One of the harem. Race Mire.
• Arafem – The food/vegetables grown by the spirits.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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