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Volume 2 Chapter 5-3: Party

 

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「I’m happy that I’m so wanted but…am I really that liked?」
「Yes we like you tons! Cyril-sama drove away the mean elf and helped us, you brought us to this wonderful home, and gave us super delicious food!! I’ll never forget the flavor of that soup for my entire life. We’ve also heard that Cyril-sama helps prepare our food every day too.」

For good or for bad it seems that Roleau has been labeled as a bad guy. Thanks to that they all liked me much better.

「Plus Cyril-sama is super cool! Lucy told us stories about how strong you are. You used a single knife to instantly kill 5 imperial soldiers, sniped the enemy commander from beyond 500 meters, and even invaded the enemy base all by yourself against hundreds of soldiers and stole their supplies right!? She said you’re super smart and can explain anything, came up with an amazing bow that can kill the soldiers, made the house we’re living in now, took 200 amateur elves and commanded them to kill 500 imperial soldiers, and you figured out how to grow and use potatoes for food right!? It’s already too incredible! Handsome, strong, smart, and a person that both Lucy and Kuu-anesama say is reliable and kind!」

Being told all this straight up to my face made me feel bashful.

It was almost like idol adoration. It might even reach a near religious level in these girls’ case.

In their desperate circumstances they met a real reliable transcendental existence. Their unease may lead them to become religiously faithful….

「Lucy said all that stuff?」
「Yes, yesterday as we were tending to the potatoes she was speaking fondly of you the entire time. Kuu-anesama joined in as well and they said plenty of things…it made all our tails go gyuuu~to. Of course my tail also went gyuu~」

As she finished speaking Kemin’s tail straightened up and shivered.

I’m glad they got along while harvesting.

After I returned to Erucy with Kuu I had to spend all my time laying the groundwork for the even today. I had to leave command over harvesting the potatoes to Lucy.

I’m sure she continued to speak her own retelling of events.

I felt like she had raised the hurdle a bit too much for me. I had to explain things a bit or I’d end up overburdened by expectations.

「Lucy likes me so she probably exaggerated quite a bit. If you expect too much you’ll get disappointed so take things with a grain of salt.」
「Was Lucy lying?」

She asked and I thought back to what Kemin had said.

If I left out the personal opinions on how I was ‘amazing’ and ‘cool’ then there weren’t any falsehoods in those statements.

「Well, I suppose it’s true I did all that. But it wasn’t by my power alone. I was able to accomplish it through aid from others.」
「I see! This is what’s called being modest! I’ll do my best to be the third!」
「The…third?」
「Yes Lucy is the legal wife, Kuu-anesama will be the second (mistress/concubine), and I’m aiming for the third position.」
「I don’t remember taking Kuu in as my lover though?」

In fact I was only at the point where I was planning to marry Lucy in the future, but we weren’t at that point yet.

「You were able to resist the seduction of her tail!? That’s amazing! Even if I’m a girl sometimes I forget myself and want to touch it….」
「I think that’s more of a Fire Fox trait than anything else.」

Their attraction to tails was at the level of breasts and butts for humans.

Certainly I thought Kuu’s tail was cute, but that wasn’t a sexual appreciation, it was more of a love for soft and warm things.

「Elves are mysterious creatures…」

Kemin said with her head tilted. I’m sure she thought I was strange for not getting excited by tails.

However, at this moment Kuu finally arrived.

「Kemin, don’t bother Cyril-sama too much.」

It seems she was in her “Chief mode” as she was calling me Cyril-sama.

Kuu was lightly sweating. Ever since we’d returned from the Fire Fox village she had been undergoing combat training every morning. It was no different for this morning.

「I’m sorry Kuu-sama.」

Kemin said and bowed her head in apology.

「No it’s fine. It was just some light socializing. I told Kemin already, but I want to begin preparations as soon as possible. Could we?」
「Yes of course I don’t mind. It looks like Kurone and Yukino have gone to call the rest. I’ll trouble you to guide us Cyril-sama.」

The two girls behind Kemin had disappeared at some point.

Apparently they’d gone to call everyone.

Before long they had gathered and I tried my best to infuse my voice with a feeling of fun.

「Fire Foxes! I will be holding a party between us Elves and you Fire Foxes this afternoon!」

This was the event I had been preparing.

Tomorrow I would be in contact with the Empire about the matter of exchanging prisoners for ransom.

I’d be able to earn plenty of money that I could use to buy food. This trip to buy food would make it so I had to leave the village for a while. Before I departed I had to patch up the relations between elves and fire foxes.

「The best way to get along with each other is to eat good food, drink alcohol, and laugh together. I’ll be using our village’s left over alcohol.」

It was the leftover goods from when we had defeated the 500 soldiers who attacked.

Today I would use it without holding back.

「For the delicious food I would like you girls to make it. Originally it should be us Elves welcoming you in with food. However, this is a special situation. Sorry to say but I need you to compromise with the elves. Do your best to make delicious food. I think that the elves will get along much better with you if you feed them something especially delicious.」

After I finished speaking the Fire Foxes started fidgeting around.

I’m sure they were worried about their cooking skill along with the ingredient they had to use.

「You don’t have to worry. Today I’ll be directing you in how to do everything. I’ll also give you the ingredients. You’ll be making boar steak, deer soup, the most delicious potato dish I know, and a deer side dish. You can look forward to it. They’re all high quality dishes. The potato dish will be much more delicious than your usual steamed potatoes and the soup will be even better than usual. The steak will be in a different league when compared with one that is just normally grilled. The side dish will be amazing enough that I don’t think you’ll forget it.」

I said and pointed out the prey I had hunted earlier this morning.

There were two 100kg boars and a single 70kg deer.

Even conservatively it was 150kg of meat.

There would be 250 people eating so I suspected we would half near half of it left over. I’d turn it into preserved food.

The other things we’d use are some mushrooms I found and some other produce I had secretly raised.

「Amazing! These look like they’ve been hunted just today.」
「It certainly does…Cyril-sama you weren’t in town this morning right? Did you do all this yourself!?」
「It was true when Lucy said he could easily hunt a deer by himself.」
「Cyril-sama’s soup and potatoes were delicious yeah? I’m looking forward to the things he says are even more delicious!!」

The Fire Foxes got excited as they looked at the ingredients.

I’m sure they were full of expectations now.

However, Kuu spoke up with a serious look on her face.

「That’s no good! I don’t want to use the potatoes. Until the shopping is over and done with we need to depend on them for food. If we use them up what are we supposed to eat?」

Indeed it was as she said.

If we used too many potatoes for the party we’d lose an important part of their diet. If everyone in the village ate as they pleased the Fire Foxes would lose enough potatoes for a week of food.

After the event there would be plenty of meat leftover but just surviving on that for a long time would be hard.

「I’ve properly thought of that. In exchange for getting treated to such a feast today the Elves will each give up two meals worth of wheat. That will become your food. They should be able to agree since you’re providing the ingredients and labor.」

If I had simply reclaimed the food I had distributed to them it would leave a bad impression.

However, if it was in exchange for a feast then the Elves should accept it.

I had tempted them all by saying that it would be a delicious feast they’d never experienced before. That they would regret it if they never got to taste it.

「Understood Cyril-sama. In that case we’ll assist you fully. Please allow us to set up this party.」

Kuu said with a relieved look.

「Potatoes are delicious but sometimes you want bread right? So just think of this as a lucky chance to get some wheat. Just focus on making the food delicious. If it’s bad the elves who paid wheat for it will get angry. Do your best.」

I said lightly as if joking.

Since I would be supervising there wasn’t much chance of that happening.

The Fire Foxes looked at each other and nodded.

It seems they were eager.

The Fire Foxes had some worries about how the Elves would react, but I’m sure they were also extremely looking forward to a feast.

I felt it was important for the elves to accept he Fire Foxes, but I also wanted the Fire Foxes to enjoy themselves. I wanted to improve their moods and let them have a good time.

「Also Kuu I have something else for you to help with. We’ll be meeting up with Lucy in a bit. Remember what we did at the festival 5 years ago?」
「That thing?」

Kuu blinked in surprise.

Elves were excellent at dancing and music. I was quite skilled at an ocarina-like instrument and Lucy was incredible at dancing to the point it was beyond an art.

Fire Foxes had their own specialty fields which Kuu showed great talent in from a young age.

In truth such things were usually displayed for guests. When guests came to the elf village I would play music and Lucy would dance.

I had heard good reviews of Kuu’s performance in such a fashion.

「That’s right…that. You haven’t gotten rusty right?」
「Of course not. In fact I’m more worried about Cyril-kun and Lucy-chan. I’ll show you the pride of the Fire Fox’s tradition unlike when we were children.」
「How reassuring. We’ll show you our Elven skills as well.」

I said with a smile.

The surrounding Fire Foxes’ eyes glittered. They must have truly been looking forward to this.

Judging by their reactions Kuu’s skills shouldn’t have regressed. I needed to do my best not to hold them back.

「Alright that finishes our meeting. Let’s get to work. Everyone do your best!」
「「「Okay」」」

They replied energetically as we began our preparations.

Chapter 5 End

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