Recently I've been too busy because of Reversi and egg rolls.
As for Reversi, everyone, men or women, old or young got addicted to it so they even started placing bets on matches. Of course, one or two boards are not enough at all, so the village carpenter Elman-san was glared at by all the villagers with bloodshot eyes, that he ended up having to mass produce Reversi sets.
Elman-san left aside other orders and was focusing on making making Reversi sets. Since he's a carpenter, I thought of asking him to make Shogi[1], but the moment I told him about it he turned pale.
"I'll make it! But please spread it after I have a few copies!" He begged and cried with a desperate expression.
Sorry, Elman-san.
Already, I gave rough explanations to Logan-san, Bartholo and other people at the mansion, so they might come to urge you.
Looks like Elman-san's sleepless nights will continue.
Thanks to Elman-san, a Reversi competition was held. The place was Celia-san's restaurant. "Food and drinks are selling well, so I'm happy, and my daughter's participating in the competition too," or so she said.
For every match, people bet on who will win, first betting promises of small errands, then onto side dishes and then finally to money. There were some people who couldn't be helped, people who betted too much that their life would be impacted.
It was that oji-san (real name Roland).
He really is impossible. That's why you're getting henpecked by Natalie-san.
The villagers too seemed to think that it's pitiful for his family to suffer from him, so they made him promise that he'll run small errands and buy some food, in return for giving his money back to him. This is a good village.
By the way, the winner was Celia-san's daughter, Karla-san. She was boist... bright like Celia-san, a twelve-year-old girl with her mature-feeling hair tied back.
Because of a mysterious system that said that the winner could challenge the inventor, me, I was called to the restaurant at lunchtime the next day for a match.
I felt hesitant about beating down a confident twelve-year-old girl, but since I was the one who spread it, and also because I had to show a good image as the lord's son, I went with a complete win like with Eleanora-neesan.
Excited at my technique and potential, there was quite a commotion at the restaurant that day.
As for Karla-san, even though she lost, she said, "You're good, but I won't lose next time." She's Celia-san's daughter indeed.
The egg rolls were booming too. I asked them to let me go in return for teaching Bartholo and sending him here. A four-year-old child's stamina is not enough to deal with the ladies. However, I was resented by Bartholo.
.
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Because I had been busy recently, I'm relaxing in the house from noon today. Even though I said relax, I shouldn't forget my mana training so I made a house using earth magic in the morning.
Unlike the city, there's a lot of land around in the country side. I can build my dream home. Even 10LDK[2] is nothing. The garden's wide too. The forest is an extra afterthought.
At first, it was a humble place, something like a prison cell made out of stone, but when I got used to it I could start making complex things like rooms.
Later, I'll build a mansion at a place I like.
I'm planning about the future now because my mana ran out, a feebleness washing over me, making me so tired that I couldn't move.
"Ah—..."
My eyes might be dead now.
"...*Stare*—"
"Hup!"
When I looked at the door from feeling a gaze, Sarah-san was peeking inside with the upper half of her body in.
In panic, I stood up and headed for the bed.
After confirming that, Sarah-san nodded and closed the door without making a sound.
Wait Sarah-san what about my privacy?
.
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After I had a nap, I had free time so I headed to Bartholo's kitchen to watch.
From the maids' resting area near the kitchen, I heard voices. Maybe they're on break now.
"…I wonder? Alfried-sama….."
If it was unimportant, I would have headed to straight to Bartholo, but the mention of my name piqued my interest.
"Yeah— Yeah— Sometimes he has dead eyes— those aren't eyes of a four-year-old—"
"I get you—. Those feel like a tired adult's—"
This voice is that of the sweets-lover, the disappointing maid Mina.
The other one is a friend of Mina, the dependable brown-haired maid Mel.
"Is he alright—? I sometimes think, but he can use magic and the spaghetti, Reversi and the egg rolls were all thought up by Alfried-sama!"
"Right right. It's doubtful if he's really four years old, but I'd like him make more good things. The village became lively too."
"Aha, really! Speaking of egg rolls, I heard that using sugar creates another kind of delicious flavour!"
"As usual, you go blind for sweet food—. Where did you hear that from?"
"Bartholo-san and Alfried-sama were cooking in the kitchen, so I heard then."
Mel looked exasperated, but Mina did not mind and laughed, "Ehehe," her expression devolving into a sloppy one.
Just when did she hear.
Afterwards, they were absorbed in chatting about how Eleanora-neesan got a blow in to the militia captain, or how Silvio-niisan is strong other than Alfried-sama, among many other things.
.
.
When I arrived at the kitchen, Bartholo was experimenting, putting something into the egg roll.
"Nn? Oh— it's you, kiddo."
I prefer having nothing inside after all, but spring onions, red ginger or eels are pretty good to add inside.
"What are putting in?"
"Ah—, I can roughly control the spices now. So this time I'm thinking of mixing something into the egg."
"I see I see."
"Any good ideas?"
When I quickly glanced around the kitchen, there were tomatoes and spring onions.
It'd be different depending on the house, but the best would be spring onions. In my old friend's house, they put in tomato.
"How about putting in spring onions?"
"Oh—, spring onions! I was also thinking that they might be nice. Why don't we try some then."
After rolling up his sleeves, Bartholo swiftly washed the spring onions and deftly chopped them up.
"Ah, right. Looks like Mina was listening to the information about egg rolls becoming tastier with that thing, you know?"
"What! Really!"
Oi oi don't point the knife over here. It's scary.
"Really. She might pester you, so be careful."
"I'll divide the up the content of the jars and hide them!"
Bartholo took out a jar from under the floorboards with great vigour. He looks like a criminal about to face a house search.
.
"Bartholo-sa~n, is it true that it's tastier to have eggs with sugar—? But, there's not enough sugar recently so it might be tough..."
Ah, it's Mina.
As for Bartholo, he was in the process of desperately putting back the jar he took out.
"Ah... that's sugar, right?"
"N, N-N-No, this is salt!"
"The salt and sugar used usually are in the small jars though?"
Ah, she's sounding like a good maid. She's ready to push Bartholo into a corner.
"Eh? No, that's,"
"Please excuse me."
Mina took a little from the jar Bartholo was holding and licked it. For a moment, her expression loosened, but it quickly became stern again.
"...It's sugar."
"Yes."
"Looks like there may be more elsewhere. I'll look for them."
"Eh, oi! There's no more! There's no more here!"
"No more here... then your room, maybe."
"Ah, ah—!"
A~ah, Bartholo that idiot, saying something unnecessary.
Well, I'm fine since I've got my sugar stored away in a different dimension. Space magic is the best.
The mansion was peaceful again today.