As I explained my point of view during the battle to the triplets, I half-expected the triplets to lose interest; it was apparent, as young men, they sought danger, action, and adventure, like most men. Though I assumed my storytelling would bore them, after all, words did a poor job at communicating exactly what it felt like to fight off a horde of monsters; however, they were surprisingly engaged.
They would ask questions nearly every time whenever I briefly paused to catch my breath, prompting me to go on a several-minute-long rant as I answered their questions before returning to the story at hand. However, halfway through our conversation, an older man, who looked oddly familiar to the triplets, interrupted me with an exasperated expression.
"Ha, there you three are! What did I tell you about intruding upon fellow nobles' dinner? It's rude!" The man, whom I could only assume was Marques Benedict, approached the Lason, Mason, and Nason, admonishing them and causing them to lower their heads before he shifted his focus to me, slightly bowing in the process.
"I apologize for their transgressions, Count Alexander; these children of mine have always been a rambunctious lot. I hope you don't take offense to them." Seeing Benedict apologize, I quickly cleared up the misunderstanding. "Oh, not at all, Marquess Benedict, no need to apologize, it was fine, truly." Standing up, I offered him a smile while lifting him up, causing him to raise an eyebrow before softly sighing in relief.
"Hah, that is relieving. These brats of mine are notorious for annoying fellow nobles; they are a poor excuse for children of nobility." As Benedict shook my head while casting a side glance at his children, I just chuckled. "Children will be children." "Haa, I suppose you're correct… Anyway, I'm Marquess Benedict, a pleasure to officially meet you, Count Alexander."
"Oh, get rid of that 'Count', it's too long, just call me Alexander." Unlike a lot of the nobles present, Benedict was one of the few genuine people, so I saw no reason to be distant; after all, is such a thing as having too many friends?
"Hah, if that's so, just address me as Benedict." With a friendly smile, I gestured Benedict to a seat while I returned to my own, introducing my wives in the process. "Five wives? Can your body handle that, Alexander?" Glancing between Michelle and Jasmine, Benedict looked at me with a raised eyebrow while smirking, causing me to chuckle.
"Six wives actually, oh, and you shouldn't be asking 'me' that question." Catching onto my innuendo, Benedict slightly widened his eyes before laughing. "Haha, Young men sure are vigorous." "Heh, I don't know if I'm still 'young' anymore, I'm nearly 31." "Hah, I'm 58 and you don't look 31." "I could say the same for you; you look like you could be mistaken for my older brother." "Bah, maybe if I were a human."
Laughing, I was about to ask what species he was, since while he and his children greatly resembled goblins, they were far too large to be a goblin; goblins were around the size of a dwarf, but Benedict was just a few inches shorter than me. However, before I could, Lason, the most outspoken among the trio, interrupted us. "Um, Father, can Count Alexander finish his story?" "Yeah, he was getting to the good part."
Snorting while mumbling under his breath, glanced at me. "Let me guess, did they ask you to relive the battle against the monster horde?" Raising my eyebrow at how he hit the nail on the head, I nodded while taking a sip of wine. "Yep. I assume this is a common thing?" "Heh, those brats would harass my soldiers and knights with questions about their past battles and whatnot. It's frustrating, really, 'cause they end up skipping their classes."
Rubbing his head in genuine frustration while mumbling, Benedict raised his head and slicked his hair back, an expression of interest gracing his face. "Well, since they want it, if you wouldn't mind continuing your story, Alexander, I, too, am interested." Nodding, I cleared my throat and continued from where I'd left off.
"Okay, so just when that mage betrayed us, the last of us were thrown in different directions, with me in the heart of the horde. They swarmed me from every angle…" As I spent the next fifteen minutes finishing the story, entrapping Benedict along with his children, I finally finished it by claiming Goddess Eywa personally helped me, which shocked them.
"Goddess Eywa!?" Benedict, understanding the implications better than his sons, practically slammed his fists onto the table as he stared at me; however, his children just looked at me in awe. "Whoa, a Goddess actually helped him?" "Does that mean he has Goddess Eywa's favor?" "It must be hard gaining a goddess's favor."
"Gaining a Goddess's favor? That's not just 'hard', it's nearly impossible." As Benedict shed a little more light on the subject to his sons, I quietly heard Michelle mutter a few words before another question was directed my way. "And that's my man." "Count Alexander, have you spoken with Eywa?" "Oh, does her voice sound majestic?" "Is she beautiful?"
"Do you three want her to smite-" I interrupted Benedict's admonition to his sons, my answers freezing him stiff.
"Yep. Well, sort of. The first time, she was furious and nearly ended up killing me; the second time, she spoke to me via a proxy. Majestic? That's putting it lightly; it's like an enchanting whisper of the wind; it's hard to describe, you just have to hear it. As for whether she's beautiful, I've never seen her, but she's the Goddess of life, rebirth, and Nature, all three are incredibly beautiful, so wouldn't she, by default, be the most beautiful in existence?"
'Of course, Master is still the most beautiful.' While nodding to myself, ensuring the pecking order remained firm, the potted flower at the center of the table suddenly began moving. Shifting the flower until it was facing me, its greenish petals changed to a soft pink, shocking everyone at this table, including me, as I wasn't expecting her to be listening to me.
"So you're listening to me? We're going to need to discuss peeping, Goddess." Raising an eyebrow, I lean forward while gently poking the flower, which remains still, an unmoving flower just like any other.
"S-She really does favor him." "I think I'd lie on a God's name? Though I'm very tempted to violently curse out a certain Goddess." Flashing Benedict a faint smirk, my mind briefly flashed to Junsuina before I shook my head. "N-No, of course, not, what fool would do that? I-It's just hard to believe, she's a Goddess after all." While wiping his face, still coming to terms with what had just happened, he suddenly regains his bearings and stands up.
"A wonderful story, Alexander, but let us not take up more of your time, you're new here after all. Use this as a chance to grow your influence." Flashing a faint smile, Benedict pushed his triplets from their seats and away from the table, winking at me before walking away, leaving me confused.
'Am I missing something?' As I furrow my brows in confusion, I hear a young, melodic voice behind me, one that reminds me of when I first met Jasmine. "Excuse me, Count Alexander." Turning around, I looked behind me, glancing at an adorable lizard girl wearing a greenish dress, matching the color of her scales.
'Hmm, wasn't she one of the girls walking behind the King?' Raising my eyebrow, I briefly glanced at the royal table, which was mostly empty, save for the king and Queen; I stood up and bowed. "Iguan." Silently thanking Jasmine, I greeted the princess. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Princess Iguan?" "I hear you're proficient in space magic. Is that true?"
Although I wasn't expecting a princess of all people to ask that question, I still nodded. "Yes, I'm somewhat proficient in space magic; I had a good Master." "I see." With a soft nod, she turned around, walking away, filling me with confusion, but before I could sit down, Jasmine poked my side. "What are you doing? Go ask her for a dance?" Her expression was stern, though I felt a bit uncomfortable at doing so.
"But she's like 13. 14 at most." "I never said try and seduce her, you fool. Just ask to dance with her; being on good terms with a princess can be helpful." I couldn't refute Jasmine, as what she said made perfect sense; more friends were always a welcome sight, though I admit the thought felt awkward.
"Can I return my title of Count?" Looking at Jasmine with a hopeful expression, she just narrowed her eyes, causing me to sigh as I reluctantly sped-walk after Iguan. Reaching her, I called out to her. "Princess Iguan, if you could grant me the pleasure of a dance." Forcing a smile, I outstretched my hand towards her, which she took after a moment of thought. "I do not mind, Count Alexander."
Holding Iguan's hand, I led her to the dance floor, which was already filled with nobles, and as uncomfortably as possible, rested my hands on her body as we slowly danced.