After two days of traveling, we finally saw the city that was our destination.
This was Alandal City, the city that was closest to our barony.
This city was ruled by a count whose territory was just right beside our own, but the difference in the amount of territory was hard to estimate. After all, this was a count and we were nothing more than a baron and baroness.
Still, this was also a place where many merchants gathered and this was where we would be able to buy the food and supplies that we needed.
But first things first, we had to find a place to stay.
When we arrived, it was already late into the afternoon.
Even though I was a baron, we still had to have our identities checked by the guards before we were allowed to enter the city. Though as a noble, things went much smoother than if I wasn't a noble.
The ones that weren't nobles and were trying to enter the city were all lining up outside the gate.
Even though it was already this late, there were still plenty of people that were trying to enter the city. It was very likely that most of them wouldn't be able to come in today.
When I asked the aide what these people would do, she told me that they would have no choice but to camp outside and try again tomorrow.
When I heard this, I couldn't help feeling relieved that I was a noble now.
I was allowed to skip the line and directly head up to the gate. Though it took some time for the guards to check everything we brought, it was still better than the treatment that commoners received.
The next thing that we had to do after entering the city was find a place to sleep.
Nobles were nobles, so they had to maintain a certain level of prestige, even when it came to their temporary residences.
Since I was a baron, I had to find a place to stay that suited my status.
This meant staying in one of the more expensive inns in this city. This was an inn that catered especially to nobles and it was quite fancy, but the price definitely was too high for what it was.
Or at least that was what I thought.
But the people who came with me thought differently when they saw this.
I guess we just had different levels of what luxury was considered since we were from different worlds in the first place.
Luckily we had the money that we had taken from the demon order. Those people were all people that had wealth since they were followers of the previous Lord Baron.
All of the money that they left behind came to us and not their families since they were known demon worshipers.
The families tried to fight back, but when there was conclusive evidence placed in front of them, they had no choice but to back down. If they didn't it would mean exposing their dead family members as demon worshipers, a crime within this kingdom.
If they didn't back down, it would mean them all being killed and then their wealth being taken by the kingdom.
So they settled for a small amount and left the barony.
The rest were taken by Baroness Rose.
This was also the money that we were using to buy the food and supplies that we needed this winter. Otherwise, we definitely wouldn't have had enough money for all of this.
After settling in at the inn, we didn't do anything else that night.
We could have gone to find a merchant or gone to scout out the prices of the market, but there was something that was restricting us.
Since I was now a noble, I had to follow the customs of the nobles.
That meant meeting with the count as soon as I entered the city.
It was customary that if any noble traveled to any place, they would greet the owner of the territory.
Though if one was a higher ranked noble, then it would be the owner of the territory that would come and greet them. However, that wasn't the case here since the other side was a count and I was nothing more than a baron.
It was naturally my responsibility to go and meet with the count.
However, that would have to wait until tomorrow since it was already night time. Even if one wasn't a noble, it would be rude to show up in the middle of the night after all.
And before we greeted the count, it would be considered rude to do anything in their territory. One might even think that they were here to spy on the count's territory, which could be considered an act of hostility.
So the first thing was naturally to meet with the count and relay their intentions in coming to the city.
After dinner and taking a bath, I sat down in my room with the aide I came with.
Her name was Nicole and she was a young commoner girl, but because her mother had raised her strictly, she was also very knowledgeable and skilled in etiquette.
Her being in my room tonight wasn't to satisfy any pleasures, but rather to help quiz me before meeting the count.
I was a commoner before becoming a baron and even in my past life, I didn't hold any important positions. I wasn't someone that knew proper etiquette since I had lived most of my life without it.
So to meet a count now and be expected to greet him with proper etiquette…that was a bit hard for me.
I could only do the best that I could do and rely on Nicole for the rest since she would be with me.
"Now, the cutlery starting from your left is…" Nicole continued to explain all of the different cutlery that was placed in front of me. There were many different forks and spoons of different sizes in front of me, almost to a dazzling extent that I couldn't even focus anymore.
But this was what was expected for nobles when they dined.
While I didn't think that I would be dining with the count, I still went along with the lesson. It was information that I could use later on, so there was no harm in learning it.
It was just that there were too many knives, spoons, forks, and such that one needed to remember…
When she finished explaining all the different cutlery, Nicole leaned in and said, "Lord Baron, did you remember everything?"
Unlike this morning, the top two buttons of her shirt were now open and I could see down into the valley there.
She wasn't as big as Cecilia, she wasn't even as big as Baroness Rose, but there were still some small mounds that were there.
If it was me from before, I might have been enticed by this very much. But the current me had experience on his side, so I was able to control myself.
I turned away and said with a cough, "I think that should be fine for now."
Nicole revealed a disappointed look when she heard this, but she gave a nod before leaving the room.
I couldn't help giving a sigh as I remembered what had happened earlier as well.
The knight that Cecilia had sent to protect me was named Jessica.
When we had arrived at the inn earlier, she had taken off her armour in front of me, revealing mounds that didn't lose out to Cecilia's. But that wasn't where the problem was…
The problem was that if I hadn't stopped her and left the room, she might have even taken off her shirt in front of me.
I couldn't help thinking to myself, "These women really are scary when they put their mind to something."
But I wouldn't be that easy to sway.