My conversation with Elis-san at the cafe was, in all honesty, an eye-opening experience. I realized I had simply been pushing troublesome matters away—or rather, delegating almost everything to Lilia-san and Anima. Looking back, it wasn't surprising that my thorough avoidance of anything related to the aristocracy had made people think I harbored a genuine hatred for them.
To be clear, I had no intention of behaving like a nobleman myself, and I still felt that invitations to parties or tea ceremonies were mostly a hassle. I certainly didn't want to spend my days as Lilia-san did, buried under mountains of correspondence.
However, that didn't mean I had no desire to get to know them or interact with them at all. On the contrary, sharing a meal like this with someone as easy to talk to as Elis-san was actually quite enjoyable. Still, it was impossible to gauge whether our personalities would mesh based on a letter alone, so I had to admit that changing the current status quo would be difficult.
Whether it was the influence of my Sympathy Magic or the effect of Shiro-san’s Blessing, I could generally get a read on someone the moment we spoke. I tended to sort people into three main categories: those who were good people and easy to talk to, those who were undoubtedly good people but hard to talk to, and those who were good people but possessed a strong personality. Even among "good people," there were distinct nuances, and I found Elis-san to be the type who was both good and easy to talk to.
As for truly malicious individuals, I had never really encountered anyone who was overtly evil, so my grasp on that sensation was still a bit vague. Then again, the men in hoods I met when Alice kidnapped me did have an aura about them that felt "unpleasant." That might have been my first real taste of a "bad" person.
"Speaking with you now, Elis-san, I’ve realized that I really might have an abnormally small number of noble acquaintances. Given the breadth of my other connections, it feels rather lopsided."
"That is certainly true," she replied. "To be on familiar terms with the Kings of Various Nations, the Six Kings-sama, the Supreme God-sama, and the Creator God-sama while having almost no ties to the nobility... that is quite an extraordinary situation."
"Now that I think about it, the same applies to Demons. I know plenty of Count-class individuals or higher, but very few who are Baron-class or Viscount-class. It’s definitely skewed."
"Simply hearing that you have so many high-ranking acquaintances makes me feel quite envious. Though it would likely be a nightmare to manage in practice, such connections are an absolute treasure for a noble if they ever hope to invite such figures to a tea party."
"Do you host those kinds of tea parties or functions often, Elis-san?" I asked.
Her position was actually quite rare among my circle. Most of the nobles I knew, including Lilia-san, were already the heads of their respective houses, so talking to the heir of a house felt fresh. Princess Amalie, Princess Cattleya, and Prince Orchid were heirs as well, but since they were royalty, the vibe was different. Setting aside whether I’d ever do it myself, I was curious about the noble lifestyle.
"Yes. Not nearly as often as my father or mother, but I do host them on occasion. As the heir, one of my primary goals is to form connections early so that I have a foundation when I eventually succeed as Head of the House. Horizontal connections are vital for the nobility; if those aren't firmly established, one will face immense hardship later on."
"I see..."
I recalled Lilia-san mentioning how much she had struggled in the beginning because she lacked connections. Social circles and networking were clearly a matter of life and death for the aristocracy.
"Forgive my ignorance, as I’m still learning the ropes of noble society, but what exactly does the Hamilton Marquis House do?"
"My father—Marquis Hamilton—is the current Prime Minister. Our house is one of the Four Great Noble Houses of the Arclesia Empire, and as such, we possess considerable history and influence. While it isn’t a requirement for the head of our family to be the Prime Minister, we have traditionally held many key government posts throughout the generations."
"Wow, that’s impressive. Prime Minister is a very high-ranking position, isn't it?"
"Indeed. You can think of it as being the overall coordinator for political affairs. Additionally, when it is the Arclesia Empire's turn to host, the Prime Minister is the one who oversees matters related to the Hero Summoning."
"Does that mean you're the ones who actually perform the summoning?"
"Oh, no. Our house never serves as the executor of the Hero Summoning. There is no rule against it, per se, but because we already possess such immense power and influence, we would easily become targets of resentment. Therefore, when our country is assigned the summoning, we focus on assisting the Hero-role during their patrols instead."
I remembered Luna-san mentioning something similar. Apparently, high-ranking nobles weren't chosen as executors very often. While there were no special perks for doing it, many nobles wanted the prestige. To maintain balance within the country, the King usually assigned the task to those with fewer existing connections. Some powerful nobles forced their way into the role, but those cases were the exception.
"Thank you for teaching me all this. I've been keeping my distance from noble affairs until now, so hearing about it first-hand feels fresh. I’m actually starting to get a little curious about tea parties, so if the opportunity arises, I think I’d like to attend one hosted by you, Elis-san."
Elis-san made a sharp, hitching sound in her throat.
"Elis-san?"
"M-My apologies. It was such a sudden proposal, it felt as though my heart simply stopped... U-Um, you aren't just being polite, are you? That wasn't just a social pleasantry?"
"Eh? No, I mean it. I think I’d really like to attend if I get the chance."
"...I... I shall give the matter my deepest consideration."
As she replied, it might have been my imagination, but it looked as if all the color had completely vanished from her face.
Serious-senpai: "Ah, I see. So because Elis is classified as 'good person and easy to talk to,' Kaito is being incredibly proactive with his goodwill..."
???: "Exactly. In terms of first impressions, she received a maximum evaluation from Kaito-san, putting her on the same level as Kuro-san or Lilia-san. For comparison, Alice-chan’s initial impression when they first met was: 'I think she's a good person at heart, but she has strong quirks'... putting her in the 'good person but with a strong personality' category."
Machina: "So she's in the same bracket as me?"
???: "I find that truly unacceptable, so I’d like to request an even more detailed subdivision of his first-impression categories."