CHAPTER_30: Comedian

With each serving being delightful, they each took a bite of the bread dough coated with sugar, grape jam, and caramera cream on top. A type of bread like this is rare as a four-leaf clover these days. The taste of sweetness from sugar and grape jam delighted each visitor, leaving them with a smile on their faces. This was the first meal that they would give for the night, and there will be more to come.

"The taste of this cream!" a visitor exclaimed, tasting the delicious bread.

"This bread is wonderful!" another visitor exclaimed

"What kind of cream is this?" another visitor asked.

The actual highlight of the serving was actually the caramera cream. This type of cream is found inside the northern temples; it was an ancient cream created by their ancestors thousands of years ago.

…

As Ragnar entered the gigantic room, he was swiftly served the same bread.

"Wait, what's this?" Ragnar accepted the bread, asking.

"It's magic!" the maid exclaimed, then joyfully handed the same bread to different visitors.

Ragnar was very confused as he just entered the room, completely missing the welcome speech.

Bane told me that he was going to go ahead. Where is he? When both of them were changing into their formal clothes, Bane was in a hurry to experience everything in the ceremony. But Ragnar hesitated to choose aesthetic attire before entering the ceremony. To conclude, that is why he is late.

Subsequently, he was eager to find Bane before the ceremony continued with another speech. Thus, he resumed his objective of finding Bane.

But, as he was trying to find Bane, he unexpectedly bumped into a certain noble. Next to the noble was his young wife, both drinking grape wine.

From that noble's gaze, it was none other than Alonso Mitchell, Lady Ana's childhood friend.

Obviously, Ragnar does not know who that man is, nor does his wife. But, as kind as Alonso was, he complimented Ragnar with his magnificent clothes.

"You have pleasant clothes; magnificent!" Alonso exclaimed at Ragnar. "Are you a noble, sir?" His tone changed to formal as he asked.

Who is this man? Tsk. This man is interrupting me from my objective!

"Yes, I'm a noble," Ragnar answered.

Clearly, Ragnar does not want people to know that he is currently being examined to see if he is a Grimoire or not. Telling people the truth would lead to more trouble for Ragnar.

"In what city do you live? I apologize if my questions go personal for you."

"It's alright," Ragnar reassured him before answering. "But I live in Auraria City. That city is distant from here, which is why it took me two days to get here. But the time was worth it; I managed to experience this masterpiece!"

Auraria City was the place where Ragnar and the others managed to achieve the Molten Core. The city is located in the south, near the capital; that is why Ragnar told him that it took him two days.

"People in the south really visited this ceremony? I'm quite surprised." Before Ragnar thought the questions were over, he was certainly wrong. "What political branch does your family support?" Alonso asked in curiosity.

What are political branches? Don't ask me that; I am not into politics! Ragnar knew that it was a hard question to answer; therefore, he tried to think of a political branch on the spot. As expected, he didn't remember any political branches.

But he has another choice. Ragnar said with kindness and a smile, "That would go deeper into my personal life. I wouldn't say it to you now, but I will in the future."

"Ah, that would make sense since it would expose your identity to a stranger."

"I haven't heard your name. I'm Alonso Mitchell; you may introduce yourself." Alonso bowed as he said that.

"I am Ragnar Frostpyre. It's great talking to you." Ragnar bowed too.

As both of them were to discuss in another conversation, a young lady walked up to Alonso and whispered something to him.

"Ah, this man is not vile, honey. This man is kind—kind as a pure soul."

"He is Ragnar Frostpyre from the south," Alonso whispered, although Ragnar could hear his voice.

Alonso glanced back at Ragnar and said, "This is my wife, Rose Mitchell. She is also from the south. It would be great if both of you could talk."

But, before they could continue, another group of colored rays of light showered upon the crowd as it marked the second speech—Mr. Smith's speech.

…

The mayor stood up from his silver throne as he fixed his clothes.

Heading towards the wooden podium, he rapidly thought of the matters he would include in his speech.

With unwavering confidence, he boldly raised his left hand and commenced his speech: "To all the esteemed guests gracing this momentous occasion, we extend our heartfelt welcome, echoing the sentiments of our esteemed master of ceremonies."

In an instant, all eyes turned towards him.

"To these gallant knights on the cusp of elevation, I stand here bursting with pride for each and every one of you! Some have already realized their dreams, while others are poised for greater heights. It is this journey of growth and achievement that fills me with boundless pride; this moment marks the pinnacle of your existence.

"As the incumbent mayor of this illustrious city, I pledge an unforgettable evening for all present. I may be known for my fiery temperament, a trait I embrace wholeheartedly. I am confident that this very trait will fuel my relentless pursuit to elevate our city to unparalleled greatness.

"Mark my words, I shall guide this city to a realm where it gleams with the brilliance of gold!

"My deepest gratitude extends to all who grace us with their presence."

Before the ceremony had started, Mr. Smith had already thought of the plans that he would include in his speech. Most of the matters he would include would be the recent high prices for rice, the messy environment of the Lowfire District, and the presence of Grimoire's daily appearance in the city.

I am not a mayor with no plans. He thought before resuming his speech.

…

As the two men discussed, a man with a monocle intervened. The man asked, "You are Alonso Mitchell, correct?"

"Yes." Alonso nodded with a warm smile.

"It was certainly you—the king of Bonfire City." The man swiftly wrote something on a piece of paper.

This man is a king? Ragnar didn't expect the man he would be discussing to be the king of a city.

"Thank you for your cooperation, King Mitchell." The man with a monocle bowed at Alonso and proceeded to ask other nobles in the room.

"Who was that?" Ragnar's curiosity spiked.

"That was certainly a journalist from the south. People with monocles hardly exist in this region. Additionally, the monocles are only available in the south," Alonso answered, keeping a straight gaze at Mr. Smith.

…

With a confident smile, he continued speaking: "The recent high prices of rice are a major issue in this city. That's why I plan to expand our farmland territory. After the farmland is expanded, I will wait a few months for the rice to grow, and then I will trade it in the nearest city, as one of the problems in this region is the lack of food."

Pausing once more, journalists took notes on the key points he had made. Unexpectedly, a noble from a nearby city raised his hand.

"May I ask a question?" the noble inquired confidently.

"Would you be trading all the rice the farmland had grown or only a portion of it?"

Mr. Smith looked at the audience as he responded, "As the mayor, I expect to earn hundreds of gold coins from a single trade. I've heard that there are still hundreds of boxes of rice in each warehouse due to high prices dissuading buyers. Since there's an abundance of rice, I plan to sell all of the first batch and lower the price by ten percent to make it more accessible. Additionally, I will initiate a program for the wealthy to donate meals and other essentials to the less fortunate."

"This is my plan, and it could go either way," Mr. Smith concluded elegantly while maintaining eye contact with the visitors.

This is a speech. Why did that man raise his hand? Mr. Smith thought, moving on to the next discussion.

"I am also working on addressing the issue of the messy environment in the Lowfire District. The district resembles the slums in the north, and I want to improve its appearance. I am focused on generating income for the city, which will enable us to make the district cleaner.

"I understand that waiting for the exact funds to finance the infrastructure management is not practical. However, with the support of Mr. Lowille and Mr. Loid, we can secure the necessary funding for the rebuilding within a few weeks once we sign a contract.

"It's important to note that this is only my plan for the future," he eloquently clarified once again.

With Mr. Smith halting his speech once again, this time, people thought that it would be the end. But he once again commenced another matter.

"The Grimoire appearance rate is always high in the Lowfire District, which makes the district messy. It's known that poverty contributes to the appearances of Grimoires, and it's difficult to stop them completely.

"As someone who is financially secure, I am committed to improving income management for those living in poverty. Creating new job opportunities will also help more people find work, reducing the need for individuals to become bounty hunters solely for financial reasons.

"This is just a preliminary plan, and I hope to make a positive impact on the city."

This time, he stopped. But, as people thought another matter would be discussed, they were once again wrong, or were they?

The journalist once again prepared their book and quill, waiting for the mayor to resume his speech once again.

At last, the mayor spoke: "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening!"

It was now certain that the mayor had finished his speech. A wave of applause rained through the whole room.

He bowed at the visitors and went back to his silver throne.

Damn these people! Why did I even have a speech? He thought, his anger visible in his appearance.

…

After the speech, both Ragnar and Alonso applauded the mayor's speech. Another set of maids and butlers roamed around the area, serving another delicious meal.

This meal is now different. It was a serving of shark meat with sauce and a little bit of greenery on top. Next to the shark meat were a number of rare fruits, such as a slice of watermelon and five cherries.

As Ragnar took a bite of the shark meat, he couldn't help but finish the shark meat rapidly. Within seconds of a butler serving the meal to him, he finished it with ease.

"You're already done, Ragnar?" Alonso asked him as he started eating the meal.

"I can't believe that you managed to finish that before I even started with the meal."

Ragnar, with the same look of delight from the meal, answered Alonso, "It was just delicious! I would eat a thousand of those meals."

"Who would even say that?" Alonso was obviously flabbergasted by Ragnar's answer.

As the two men continued to discuss, the time for the third event was now going to happen. People were sure that the third event would be Mr. Lowille's speech, but they were wrong.

An "unattended" guest headed to the top of the stage. That guest was a man in his thirties with quite an ugly face. With a terrifying smile remaining in his face, the people were unsure if he was the one starting the third event.

But he really was. Ms. Seraphine stood up and alarmed the visitors. "This man is William Shepherd, a famous comedian in the South."

With a menacing grin, the man took the microphone from Ms. Seraphine.

Before he began his performance, he let out a chilling laugh that everyone could hear.

Finally, he started his joke, but the smile on his face had disappeared.

"My name is William Shepherd, and I will bring an outstanding performance!"

"The moons are quite prepared to hear this. The sun will dry once it hears this."

"Jokes about poverty!"

As Ragnar felt disgusted by his words, unexpectedly, all the nobles laughed around him, including Alonso. Even Mr. Smith laughed, as did Lady Ana. Ragnar grew uncomfortable as the seconds passed.

"What do you call a poor person who is out of a job and is having trouble making ends meet? An irresponsible person who should have planned better for retirement.

A wave of laughter can be heard from the nobles.

"Why should we care if they can't afford rent or other expenses? That's their fault; they should have worked harder to save up funds instead of wasting them on unnecessary luxuries.

Another wave of laughter

"They're poor because they deserve to be poor, and I'm tired of paying taxes to support them."

Another one

"Why did the poorest person cross the road? Because they were looking for a free meal since society is too lazy and soft to say no to welfare."

And another

"How many poor people does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None. They are too busy standing outside the store with their hands out, begging for the free meals."

And another:

"A poor person walks into a bar and sees a very expensive drink. The poor person says, 'Why did you put that really expensive drink on the menu? The bartender replies, 'We want you to look at it and dream of what you will never be able to afford."

The laughter echoed through the hall, filling the air with joy and merriment. Knights, men, women, and maids alike joined in, creating a chorus of amusement that seemed to shake the very walls.

The tension in the room grew palpable, but then, in the midst of it all, Ragnar's eyes lit up as he watched the comedian. With a sudden burst of energy, he threw his head back and let out a booming laugh that matched the others.

"His jokes seem to be funny," Ragnar laughed.