CH 13

[Become a Trusted Hero]

The commotion in the cafeteria lasted for a while, but things eventually calmed down, and we got to have dinner without a problem.

The menu had two selections: meat and fish. I chose meat.

What came out was a steak with fruit sauce.

The taste was similar to pork.

I was craving white rice, but needless to say, there was no such a thing here.

There was bread, but its taste and texture were similar to rye bread.

By the way, the meal was—so good~!

Why did the original Barrett complain about this…? I couldn’t help but suspect that he did it merely out of spite.

However, while I’d taken to this world’s cuisine, I couldn’t fully enjoy it today. The reason being, I was sitting at the same table as Patrick and my other followers, but they kept on staring at me with shocked looks on their faces even as they stuffed food into their mouths.

According to Patrick, Barrett would normally have the exclusive chef he brought from his mansion cook for him. “You want me, to eat the same food eaten by those plebians? Unbelievable!” he said.

It appeared that was why he couldn’t hide his confusion at my sudden change of heart.

Thus, I told him the same thing I’d said to Tayte and Cornell, “I have turned over a new leaf,” seriously, to make my point, but… from his response, I could tell that he was hardly convinced.

I couldn’t blame him considering Barrett’s behaviors until now.

Even if I suddenly said, “I’ve reformed myself, so let’s be chummy from now on, ‘kay!” no one would honestly believe me.

So, over the course of the dinner, I talked about all sorts of things with Patrick and the others to fill in the gap that had been created between us over the years. By utilizing all information accessible to me, I mentioned everything that Patrick and the others had helped me—I mean, helped Barrett with in as much detail as possible, and thanked them for each and every one of them.

At first, Patrick and the others were stunned.

They appeared to be in a state of disbelief at the words of appreciation that had never—and would never—uttered by the original Barrett, but then their expressions gradually loosened and some even began to cry.

“I’m sorry for everything. I’m sincerely grateful to all of you. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to continue associating with you. Of course, with your parents as well.”

I fully understood just how much their parents must have contributed to the Albers House.

The original Barrett might say it was only natural for them to serve the Alberses, but in my opinion, it was no exaggeration to say that the present Albers House could exist only because there were people like them to support it.

Say I grew up and succeeded the Albers House without a hitch, at that time, they would have also taken over the role of their parents and become the merchants of the Alberses.

That was why I had to build a solid relationship of trust with them.

—Incidentally, in the original novel 【The Rise of the Weakest Holy Swordsman】, they only became freemen after Barrett had disappeared into the slums following his defeat in the final showdown with Raul, then they went on to support Raul’s party with their adventures.

However, they never again showed up in the main storyline after Barrett’s defeat; their names would only come up in the narrative from time to time.

That being said, now that I was talking to them in person, they actually turned out to be good wholesome kids. I’d even go so far as to say that they should have been given more turns in the original storyline. But to be fair, they were the kind of characters whose names readers wouldn’t bother to remember, so maybe the author didn’t feel the need to.

But anyway, through this dinner, I was able to greatly improve my relationship with my followers that were the sons of merchants of my family.

With it, I learned one lesson.

To earn trust, you must show that you deserved it through words and actions.

Putting this into practice was a matter of urgency.

Take action and win trust.

This also applied in Tayte’s case.

She might have easily accepted my change to the point it left even me surprised, but that was probably because she had had a tiny bit of favor left for me. I needed to spend more time talking with her, just like I did with Patrick and the others this time.

Well, let’s take it slow.

Graduation was still a long time away—there would be many opportunities for us to talk.

Rushing things might backfire on me, so I had to be careful.

Thus, we had a fulfilling and enjoyable dinner time.

◇◇◇

Tayte and I continued to chat even after dinner.

The location was the lounge meant for public use.

There, we chatted until the lights were turned off.

The topics were trivial.

For example, what my favorite food was.

About Tayte being a saintess, about our families.

She had servants in her mansion—but apparently, she was thinking of cooking by herself in the future, and she promised that she would cook me my favorite foods once she got proficient at it.

“I’m still training now, but… one day, I will make sure to cook delicious dishes for you, so please look forward to it.”

“Yeah, I sure am looking forward to it.”

This sort of casual conversation continued until the dormitory manager urged us to leave the lounge.

By the way, when I returned to my room, the three maids barraged me with questions about Tayte.

“We will do our best to help you to get closer with Lady Tayte!” Marina excitedly declared as their representative, but I thought we were pretty close already, considering the good mood we had between us earlier.

So, I politely declined, but it appeared that the three would still support our relationship from now on, regardless.

How should I put it? It felt like I suddenly got three older sisters who loved to look after me.