#1301 Idle Talk – A Welcome Party Without Its Guest of Honor 

I’m Ritheseus. 

The first, second, and third president of the Human Kingdom. 
“There will absolutely not be a fourth term!” is my campaign slogan. 

Today, we’re holding a grand party to welcome Junior, who’s come all the way from the Farm Kingdom. 

A banquet at the royal castle! 
That’s the highest form of hospitality we can offer in our country! 

There’s a very good reason why we’re putting so much effort into welcoming Junior. 

After all, he’s Lord Saint’s son. 

Lord Saint is an omnipotent and all-powerful man who could rule the world if he wanted to, yet chooses to devote every bit of his strength to its progress. 

I myself was under his care when I was young, and I learned countless things from him. 
Lessons that built the foundation for the man I am today. 

In fact, my success as president and the revival of the Human Kingdom after our crushing defeat are all thanks to him. 

So naturally, as a token of my gratitude, I can’t possibly treat his son, Junior, with anything less than the utmost respect. 

What’s more, Lord Saint now leads the Farm Kingdom, directly contributing to the world’s development. 

When Lord Saint does something, it moves fast. 
He’s driving progress that should take centuries and compressing it into decades. 
And these last ten years have felt exactly like that. 

If our Human Kingdom doesn’t ride this paradigm shift he made, we’ll be left behind. 

So politically speaking, staying close with Lord Saint, and by extension, the Farm Kingdom, is the only sensible move. 

Junior, his eldest son, will one day inherit that vision and lead his nation forward. 
Forming a friendship with him now is just as valuable as winning Lord Saint’s favor himself. 

So of course I’m throwing a welcome party! 

Still, knowing Lord Saint and his son, too much flattery would only backfire. 
I kept the celebration modest—just enough to express our sincere welcome. 

Otherwise, I’d be pulling out all the stops to win him over. 
I’ve been president for ten years, you know. 
I know how to play both sides when I have to. 

But that only works if the guest actually shows up. 

The party’s already started... 

But Junior isn’t here yet!!! 
How come?! 

What’s the point of a welcome party when the guest of honor doesn’t show up?! 

The banquet hall is already filled with nobles, feudal lords from nearby territories, and high-ranking officials, all gathered here to meet Junior and make a good impression. 

And yet, without him, all those efforts are going to waste. 
Where on earth did he go?! 

The plan was simple: send a carriage to pick him up from the Adventurer’s Guild where he’s staying, let him arrive in grand style with a full welcome procession. 
But the carriage came back alone with no one inside. 

That was the first shock. 

When I asked the attendants what happened, they said Junior had already left for the castle on his own. 

Why?! 
We told him to wait for his escort! 

But if that's the case, why isn’t he here yet?! 
If he left on his own, shouldn’t he have arrived by now?! 

“What on earth happened to Junior...?!” 

The party’s already begun, and I’m doing my best to hide my panic as I keep things moving. 

Did he...get lost? 
That’s the most likely explanation. Even someone like Junior is still human; he could’ve misread a map or mixed up east and west. 
Maybe he even said something like, “Wait, west is east?!” 

Or... could he have gotten into some kind of accident? 

No, no, not Junior. 
Even if a wild horse crashed into him, he’d probably catch it mid-charge and walk away unharmed. He’s Lord Saint’s son, after all. 

If anything, it’s far more likely he got involved in something. 
That family’s got a knack for it...one act of kindness and suddenly, they’re dismantling a crime ring. 
They’re the kind of people who can turn anywhere into a stage for drama. 

The more I imagine, the worse it gets. 

What am I supposed to do? 
A welcome party without the guest of honor is an outright disaster! 
It would crush my reputation as president. 

And worse, it’d hand my political rivals, those nostalgic for the old regime, the perfect ammunition! 

Why is this happening?! 
Guildmaster, former S-rank adventurer Silver Wolf! Please, explain!!! 

“Hey, don’t take it out on me...!” 

You came from the same place as Junior, didn’t you?! 
So why did you make it here, but he didn’t?! 

You could’ve just brought him along! 

“I can’t help it. I had guild work to finish, so I left later. Junior said he didn’t want to be late and went ahead.” 

That sounds exactly like something that family would do! 
Regardless, if he left early and still isn’t here, that’s a problem. 

Which means there’s a high chance he’s gotten caught up in something! 
Again, classic them! 

I want to send people to look for him, but if word gets out that the guest of honor’s missing, this whole event’s a flop. 
And if I leave the hall, everyone will notice instantly, then the rumors will start... 

But if I just sit here and wait, people will realize he’s gone soon enough anyway. 

“Mr. President, when will the Farm Kingdom’s prince be arriving? The party’s already halfway through.” 
“Ah, well… maybe he’s just taking a bit longer to get ready, hahaha...” 

I’m trapped. 
No matter what I do, this party’s doomed. 

“What’s with that face, dear? You look like you’re about to drop dead. It doesn’t suit the party atmosphere.” 

That voice is from my wife, Eryngear. 
It’s been years since our wedding; she’s now a fine, dignified First Lady. 

Easy for her to say, but with things like this, how am I supposed to stay calm...?! 

“Acting all gloomy won’t help. Anyway, can you believe it? They’re serving pancakes! I haven’t had those since our time at the farm!” 

Hmm. 
True, we often ate them at the farm. 

Eryngear studied abroad there, actually. That’s where we met. 

The farm was overflowing with dishes you couldn’t find anywhere else, each one unique and absolutely delicious. Pancakes were one of them. 

If anything, Lord Saint himself used to make them pretty often, saying, “They’re the easy kind of food.” 

Sweet, fluffy, and picture-perfect, no wonder the girls loved them. 

“I haven’t had these since we graduated! It’s twice as touching! Here, dear, say ahh.” 

Ahh- 
Wait, no! We’re the presidential couple! We can’t be doing that in public! 

But... wow. These pancakes are really good. 
I haven’t tasted them in years, and that nostalgia just makes them all the more delicious. 

Some of the farm’s recipes spread into the wider world. Others didn’t. 

Pancakes definitely fell into the latter group. 
Despite Lord Saint insisting they were “easy to make,” they somehow never caught on. 

...Hold on. 
If that’s the case, then how are pancakes being served here at my presidential banquet? 

Doesn’t that strike you as odd? 
This doesn’t add up. 

I literally just confirmed that pancakes never left the farm. 

So, who here knows the recipe well enough to serve them at the royal castle? 

Could some culinary genius have rediscovered them by chance? 
No, there’s a far more likely explanation. 

“DOOOORYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!” 
“Huh?! Where are you going, dear?! The Minister of Land and Transport is about to perform his hidden talent...!” 

Sorry, Minister! This takes priorityyyyyyyyyyyy!!! 

If my hunch is right, the most important person in the entire castle is...! 

Right hereeeeeeeeeee! 

Junior?! Why on earth are you in the kitchen, cooking?! 
Do you and your father just love cooking that much?!