Rest was being fed bits of cake like a hatchling as he enjoyed the tea party... but just as the small gathering was drawing to a close, a man appeared.
"Hello there. You must be Rest, correct?"
The newcomer was a middle-aged man sporting a monocle.
He was impeccably dressed, clad in a high-quality suit that looked expensive without being gaudy. An air of natural refinement radiated from his entire being; one could tell at a single glance that he was a gentleman of high standing.
"Father..."
Viola addressed him as such. It seemed this man was the master of the estate, Marquis Rosemary himself.
"Ah, please excuse my intrusion! My name is Rest...!"
Rest scrambled to his feet and gave a deep, respectful bow.
"Yes, yes. You certainly know how to give a proper greeting. Quite the contrast to your elder brother."
"My brother... do you mean Cedric?"
"Indeed. I spoke with him once after an introduction from Honorary Viscount Ebern, but he was an insolent child who lacked even the basic courtesy to bow to his superiors. Since he was only a child and was being scolded by his father at the time, I had hoped he might have grown into someone more decent by now."
"...I apologize for my brother’s rudeness."
"No, there is no need for you to apologize for him. I have already heard the details of the incident in the forest from my daughters."
Marquis Rosemary took a seat in an empty chair. A maid immediately prepared tea for her master and placed it on the table. At the Marquis’s prompting, Rest also sat back down.
"I was asked to let him meet my daughters because they will be taking the entrance exam for the same Academy next year, so I reluctantly carved out some time... but I never imagined he would take them into the forest without a single guard. The man is a capable mage, but his judgment clearly falters where his son is concerned. Thanks to that, I very nearly lost my precious daughters."
"......"
"Ah, please do not look so troubled. You were the one who saved them. As their father, I offer you my sincerest thanks. Thank you."
Marquis Rosemary bowed his head. Rest hurriedly waved his hands in a flustered panic.
"Please, raise your head! This entire situation was caused by my own relative, so I have done nothing worthy of receiving thanks from a Marquis!"
In Rest's mind, Cedric was entirely to blame. Being thanked by a man of the Marquis’s stature only made him feel more guilty by association.
"No, no. My daughters are also at fault for following that fool... excuse me, for following Cedric. This is a token of my gratitude. I want you to have it."
Marquis Rosemary raised his head and placed a bag woven from fine cloth onto the table. When Rest received permission to check the contents, he found ten Large Gold Coins inside.
(Large Gold Coins... It’s my first time seeing them in person...)
Rest couldn’t help but swallow hard. He knew they existed, but they were a denomination that commoners almost never laid eyes on. A single Large Gold Coin was worth approximately one million Japanese Yen. In other words, this small bag held a staggering ten million yen.
"...I cannot accept this. It’s far too much."
Supplying every ounce of his willpower to keep his hands back, Rest pushed the bag away.
"Saving your daughters was merely me rectifying my foolish brother’s blunder. I didn't do it because I wanted a reward. I don't have the right to accept this."
To be honest, he wanted the money. Considering he would have to live independently once he reached adulthood next year, he could never have too much. However, ten Large Gold Coins was an excessive amount. There were no banks in this world. He couldn't walk around with that much gold, and he felt uneasy about leaving it in a stable. If it were stolen or confiscated by his father, it would all be for nothing.
"Hmm... You lack greed. However, it would be a problem for me if you walked away with nothing."
While his expression remained mild, the Marquis’s gaze sharpened with a hint of social pressure.
"If it were known that I failed to repay my daughters' benefactor, the reputation of the Marquis Rosemary House would suffer. If you do not want money, is there nothing else I can grant you? Please, speak freely for the sake of my honor."
"Even if you put it that way... Hmm."
Since the Marquis had brought up his reputation, Rest couldn't simply keep refusing. He racked his brain for a suitable request... and realized there was something he needed quite urgently.
"Ah..."
"Oh? Have you thought of something?"
"Um... in that case, there is one thing I would like to ask."
Rest paused for a beat before requesting the one thing he had wanted for some time.
"Could you provide me with a Recommendation Letter for the Royal Magic Academy? I intend to take the entrance exam next year—in the Commoner Category."
"Hmm? I have no objection to writing a recommendation, but... the Commoner Category?"
"Yes. My father despises me and refuses to recognize me as a member of the Honorary Viscount Ebern House."
If he had his father’s backing, he could test as a noble. Without it, his only path forward was to receive a recommendation from someone with social standing and enter through the commoner track.
"Ah... forgive me, I had your background investigated. You are the illegitimate son of a maid, correct?"
"......Yes."
"Then I understand why Honorary Viscount Ebern is so reluctant to acknowledge you as his own."
"Father! How can you say such a thing!?"
"That’s horrible! Rest-sama is not responsible for his birth!"
The sisters, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interjected.
"No, no, you misunderstand. I didn't mean to insult the boy. I was simply noting that his father is exactly the type of man to act that way."
Facing the combined wrath of his daughters, Marquis Rosemary hurriedly clarified his meaning.
"Honorary Viscount Ebern is a newly-risen noble. He is a noble in title only, with no land to his name. Social climbers of his ilk are obsessively fixated on the authority of the peerage. Even though they are barely a step above commoners themselves, they cling desperately to their status. They look down on illegitimate children and move heaven and earth to try and integrate the blood of high nobles into their lineage."
Marquis Rosemary turned back to Rest and bowed slightly once more.
"I had no intention of insulting you or your mother. Please forgive my poor choice of words."
"No, I don't mind. It’s a fact that I’m a maid’s child."
"Is that so? Well then, regarding the Recommendation Letter..."
" "Please write it!" "
"...Since my daughters are so insistent, I shall provide it."
Despite his somewhat strained expression, the Marquis agreed to write the letter.
"Thank you very much... This is a huge help!"
With this, the requirements for his enrollment were settled. He still had to pass the entrance exam, of course, but Rest’s magical abilities were far beyond Cedric’s. If it was a test that Cedric could pass, Rest knew he would have no trouble.
"However... before I write that letter, I would like to test your strength."
"Eh?"
"Father, what are you talking about!?"
"Exactly! This is supposed to be a reward for saving us, isn't it!?"
The two girls immediately protested their father’s sudden condition.
"I do want to reward him, of course. But... by providing a Recommendation Letter, the Marquis Rosemary House effectively becomes his sponsor. If I recommend someone who lacks the appropriate skill, it would damage our family's prestige."
"But..."
"I hold the position of Captain of the Court Mages. I cannot simply recommend someone for the Academy without verifying their abilities myself. Surely you understand?"
"...Yes, I understand perfectly."
Rest nodded. In fact, if the Marquis provided a recommendation unconditionally just because Rest had saved his daughters, it would be seen as a lapse in professional judgment.
"I understand. What do you need me to do?"
"Oh, it's quite simple."
Marquis Rosemary raised his right hand, and his elderly butler stepped forward.
"This man is my trusted confidant and an exceptionally talented mage. I would like you to spar with him."
"Spar... with him?"
"Yes. You do not necessarily need to win. You simply need to show me that you possess enough power to justify my recommendation."
"Understood... I'll do it!"
If this was the price for a recommendation and a step toward a glorious future, it was a bargain. This man was the butler to the Captain of the Court Mages; his strength was undoubtedly top-tier. It would be an invaluable experience in combat against another mage.
If anything, Rest accepted the Marquis’s proposal with genuine excitement.