"Haha, this old man? A pure battle mage, through and through. Thunder Magic is my specialty. At my peak, I was quite renowned in the surrounding region—nowadays I mostly use my mana to keep my joints from creaking."
Orion chuckled at his joke, "And Grandma?"
Eldric's eyes twitched, "Ah, that old hag? She's a Runesmith. Quite a covetous path, I would say. She is popular among the Nobles."
Selene came inside, smashing the door open, and looked at Eldric and Orion chatting. "You two still haven't finished talking? It's time for dinner."
"You damn old hag! Can't you open the door normally for once? How many more doors will you break?" Eldric nearly pulled out his beard in frustration.
"Hmph! Should have just let me enhance your door with runes, but you wouldn't listen." She hmphed.
"It's a goddamn door! Why the fuck would it need enhancements?!" Eldric nearly lost his mind.
"Cough, Grandpa, Grandma, let's go eat dinner," Orion quickly mediated. After living with them for the past few days, he had realized how much these two liked to bicker.
The maids and butlers didn't dare to stop them before, but they were now grateful that Orion was here; at least someone could stop these two.
"Ah yeah, come, Orion, I made the food today, you will definitely like it." Selene's face quickly changed as she grabbed Orion's hand and dragged him out of the room.
As Eldric saw the two of them leaving, his face changed, replaced by a gentle smile. He shook his head and followed after them.
They walked through the corridor before entering a grand dining hall, where the maids were arranging dishes onto the long, polished wooden table.
The delicious aroma of freshly prepared food wafted throughout the hall, immediately catching Orion's attention. One thing he liked about his reincarnation was the good food of this world.
Since everything was infused with Mana, it enhanced the taste of meat a lot.
Eldric walked to the head of the table, comfortably settling into the carved chair as usual. Orion sat beside Selene on one side, with her promptly scooting her chair closer to him, making sure to fuss over him affectionately.
"Here you go, Orion dear," Selene smiled warmly, placing a generous portion onto his plate. "Taste it quickly—Grandma made this herself."
Orion obediently took a bite, his eyes lighting up in surprise at the deliciousness of the food. "It's amazing, Grandma."
Selene's expression brightened considerably, looking pleased at his praise. "Haha! I knew you'd love it."
Eldric shook his head slightly, chuckling at her proud expression. "Careful, lad. Compliment her too much and she might just take over the entire kitchen."
Selene shot him a glare, "Hmph! You're just jealous because you can't even boil water without setting the kitchen on fire."
Orion suppressed a chuckle, enjoying their lively bickering, and took another bite. As he ate, Selene gently continued feeding him small portions of various dishes, pampering him with her undivided attention.
"Oh, Orion, you won't believe what I heard from the maids today," she began in a hushed but enthusiastic tone, leaning closer as if sharing a valuable secret.
Eldric rolled his eyes playfully but made no attempt to stop her. Clearly, he was accustomed to Selene's gossip sessions at dinner.
Curious, Orion asked, "What did you hear, Grandma?"
Selene's eyes sparkled as she began sharing the latest news, "Apparently, Duke Harrington's eldest daughter recently awakened a rare ice affinity. Everyone is making quite a fuss, calling her the Ice Flower of Thunderpeak. Even the royal family sent gifts personally."
Eldric raised an eyebrow in mild interest. "Harrington's brat awakened Ice? That is indeed rare in this kingdom."
Selene nodded eagerly, feeding Orion another morsel. "And that's not all. The young heir of House Blackwell was caught sneaking into the Thunderhall Academy's restricted archives. The headmaster personally scolded him in front of all the students. It became quite the scandal."
Orion swallowed his food, intrigued by the story. "Why was he sneaking into the restricted archives?"
Selene shrugged, an amused smile forming on her lips. "Who knows? Maybe he was looking for some rare spell. Regardless, he ended up being grounded by his family for a month—quite the embarrassment, considering how proud House Blackwell is."
Eldric snorted softly, clearly entertained. "Typical Blackwell arrogance. I'm surprised they haven't stormed into the academy to protest yet."
Selene continued with enthusiasm, clearly enjoying the gossip session. "Oh! And one more thing—rumor has it the royal princess might be looking for a fiancé. A lot of young masters and nobles have started sending invitations and expensive gifts, hoping for a chance."
Orion's brows furrowed slightly. "They're all trying to win her favor just like that?"
Selene chuckled lightly. "Of course, dear. Marriage alliances are common among nobles, especially with royalty. Though I doubt it will be easy to impress her. She's said to be quite strong-minded, having awakened at a young age with dual affinities—Wind and Lightning."
Eldric stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Indeed, she's known to be quite talented. The kingdom's future looks promising with her and a few other talented youngsters emerging."
His gaze then shifted to Orion, smiling playfully, he asked, "What do you think? Should we send a few gifts to the princess as well? Who knows she might take a fancy to you."
Orion's brow twitched; he didn't want to deal with a princess so soon.
Selene, on the other hand, acted as if Orion had been insulted, "Hmph! It will be the good fortune of this kingdom if Orion takes a fancy to that princess. Much less him chasing her. If we ask the king for her hand in marriage, he would marry all of his daughters to my dear Orion."