Ron had already absorbed all the memory fragments of the original host and inherited most of his memories.
Except for the parts the original host had forgotten himself, or fragments lost due to the transmigration process, Ron had a solid understanding of his predecessor's past.
So when it came to things like a fiancée, he was fairly sure—there shouldn't be one.
Though… you could never be too certain.
Even if he didn't have one right now, considering his position in Emperor André III's eyes, if a political marriage were ever needed, his dear old dad probably wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Ron shook his head and pushed those vague, far-off concerns aside, refocusing on the card game in front of him.
Unfortunately, no matter how he played, his losses far outnumbered his wins.
Dueling with Harper was like asking for a beating…
He much preferred playing Landlord with Lyle and the others—at least they didn't come at him with all kinds of flashy tricks like Harper did.
Ron picked up a skewer from the tray of grilled meat, took a bite, and played two "7"s.
According to Harper's overly theatrical commentary, Ron had just cast a dual-element spell—water and fire combination—forming a lightning-element spell: Thundercloud Whip.
But Harper immediately countered with a "7" and a "6", a water-wind combination, forming an ice-element spell: Crystalline Ice Wall, which nullified it.
It was frustrating to play, but Ron actually learned a lot of magical theory through it.
For example, composite spells weren't always superior—sometimes, a simple single-element spell could counter them effectively.
And a spell being ranked as "high-tier" didn't necessarily mean it was more powerful—it might just have a more complex casting process.
All in all, there was a lot of nuance, and Ron, a magic newbie, still had much to learn.
"By the way, why would an elven Saintess leave the Forest of Freyst? I read that staying near the Tree of Life helps elves grow faster," Ron said casually as he ate.
Lately, he'd been reading Elven Reproduction, a book that gave him a decent amount of insight into elven culture.
"The Mother Tree only provides abundant vitality; it doesn't directly help us grow," Edith explained. "Also, 'Saintess' is more of a title—it's not as exclusive as you might think. There are actually quite a few."
"Our academy's Vice Dean is a legendary elf mage," Mason added. "So the school accepts a group of elf exchange students every year. Edith and her sister Illya are among them. They'll return to their homeland after their four-year study period ends."
Ron nodded in understanding.
They chatted idly for a while longer.
Edith complained about how annoying the underclassmen at the academy were.
Mason asked if Ron's elemental cards could be mass-produced—he wanted to share them with his office colleagues.
Harper, of course, was still grumbling about the failure of his 134th explosive potion formula.
Eventually, the topic drifted to Ron's Nether Orchid.
Mason and the others discussed rumors and trivia about the flower at the academy, while Ron shared news about a new plant at his shop—the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum.
Hearing there was a new plant species, the others perked up, but after learning its effects were more suited for boosting Battle Aura, they lost interest.
A useful plant for warriors sounded nice, but it wasn't helpful for mages.
Only Harper remained curious, asking more about it and eventually concluding that the chrysanthemum might have some research value. "Do you have any specimens in the shop? I'll pick some up later and see if they can be used in any potions."
"Sure," Ron replied casually.
Now that he had a contract with the Radiant Mercenary Corps, he didn't mind selling to the occasional individual customer. If it weren't for the system limiting pricing, he wouldn't have minded giving Harper a few plants for free.
By the time night fell, the four of them were full and content.
That was when Ron noticed several more tables had been set up in the courtyard—clearly for customers.
Lyle's BBQ place was doing better and better!
Ron recalled how, in the past, the courtyard hadn't even been open for business. The tables inside the main shop were enough to handle the dinner rush.
But now, even though it was still early evening, the inside was already full, and the overflow crowd had to be seated in the yard.
And the shop's real peak hours were typically around 7 or 8 p.m., lasting late into the night.
Dinner rush wasn't usually this intense.
It was clear the BBQ place was booming.
"If we show up any later, we might not even get a table," Mason observed as he scanned the busy courtyard. "It wasn't this crazy just a few days ago."
"Not gonna lie, the seasoning really makes the difference. BBQ with those spices hits differently," Edith said as she licked her fingers with a satisfied pop. "Didn't Lyle say those spices were made by His Highness Ron himself?"
Ron shrugged and picked up the bagged portion of BBQ meant for Nora. "Just something I came up with while messing around."
After saying a quick goodbye to the busy Lyle, the group left the BBQ shop. Edith and Mason said their goodbyes and headed off, while Harper followed Ron back to the flower shop.
It was a quiet night, and there weren't many customers.
Nora was slouched in a chair behind the counter, completely focused on stacking gold coins.
She had ten coins standing upright in a row, and had managed to stack three or four dozen more on top in neat little towers—enough to make any OCD sufferer sigh in relief.
When Ron and Harper entered, she was in the middle of counting them again.
This was her seventh time counting them today, and she was still having fun. A wide grin unconsciously spread across her face as she stacked them, even though the money wasn't hers.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Nora snapped to attention and looked up. When she saw Ron, she jumped to her feet and cheerfully called out, "Manager!"
"Grab five Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums for me," Harper said to Ron, pulling out a purchase slip. He scribbled "150" on it using a magic pen and set it on the counter.
At the mention of a sale, Nora perked up. She took the slip, confirmed the amount, and dashed over to the shelf, quickly retrieving five plants.
Harper stored the plants in his spatial bag, gave Nora a showy little wave goodbye, and left as she stood there awkwardly, instinctively stepping back.
"Here's your dinner." Ron handed over the paper-wrapped bundle. "Eat it while it's hot. We probably won't have many more customers tonight."
Nora nodded vigorously and wasted no time sitting down and unwrapping the paper, her mouth watering as the savory aroma filled the air.
Ron went upstairs to pour her a glass of water, then reminded her to toss the trash into the outside bin once she was done.
After that, he headed to his study.
From the Shop, he redeemed a Nether Orchid seed.
As it landed in his palm, he gently stroked it, then activated the mana seed formation within his mind.
He had already learned the Earth-Tilling Spell and Dewdrop Spell today, and the Seed Acceleration Spell had been maxed out by the system ages ago.
Now, what he was about to attempt was a dual-element composite spell—water and earth—used to perform a wood-element spell:
Seed Acceleration Spell!