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Chapter 337: The Forest House is Finally Finished!

We went to the forest sanctuary after a long while.

「Riche, take care not to go out of the sanctuary, alright. 」
Riche started running while tumbling down and sniffing everywhere the moment we 【Teleport】to the sanctuary.

He rarely ventures outside the mountain, so there must be a lot of novel scents around here.

「Well, you did say you need help arranging the furniture… 」
Retze also came with us to help me out.

I thought it’d be easier for two people to do that, so I asked Retze for help. We met at the Canum house then 【Teleport】 here. He paled when he saw Riche at Canum, though.

Actually, I wanted to take Hauron with me to greet the pill bugs, but he declined, requesting that we meet every other day as much as possible. But then, I was set to visit the Earthkin tomorrow, so I’ll just take Hauron to the forest at a later date.

「I’m in your care. 」
「Yeah. Oh well, I guess the task is relatively normal as long as I don’t think about where we are now — this place has come a long way, huh. 」

The trees I planted were spreading their branches and the rose bushes were in full bloom. The branches are still sparse, but it’s already way better than when we first planted them; they’ve already merged well with the scenery.

「The temperature is different from before when I came here. The climate of the environment seems different too, it feels quite strange. 」
「It’s like the season seems a bit off. 」
I kept the door open so Riche can come in anytime.

「So, what’s the first thing we need to do? 」
「I want to install a few shelves on the wall. 」
「We can add some support and it will be good to go. 」
It’s great that he’s quick on the uptake; it makes everything easier.

The thick and slightly crooked boards — oh, the side attached to the wall is ramrod straight, of course — were fitted with shelf brackets made of black iron.

「These boards look like the ordinary ones you can find anywhere, but I should probably refrain from asking where you got them, huh. 」
「They’re made by the Earthkin of the North. 」
「Hey, don’t just reveal it like that! Uuu, these must cost an arm and a leg, huh. 」
「Nah, just normal, normal. 」
I had them made by young craftsmen who weren’t part of those processing the Goddess’s colossal tree. They made it while working on the furniture I ordered.

When I gave the branches of the giant tree to the Earthkin, everyone was over the moon, and they took turns trying to cut it with their saws. The furniture they made was exactly as I ordered, and the craftsmanship won’t lose at all to the products that I saw in Nalluahdid.

「You know, just the fact that the Earthkin made it makes it expensive and the price will shoot up if one of the more famous Earthkin craftsmen put their seal on it. 」
Retze explained while helping me.

The furniture in the island castle was all coordinated. Would that be alright? I could already see someone yelling stuff like ‘Don’t scratch it!’, or shrieking if I try to use them.

…Alright, let’s keep mum about the craftsmen’s identity, then.

I put a spherical manastone on top of the shelf to check if it’s sloping.

「Hey, perfect orbs cost a pretty penny, you know? 」
「Ah, no, I can’t think of any other perfect sphere things I can use, so… 」
Making marbles would be too much of a hassle.

「You can use a bowl filled to the brim with water, or a string with weights attached on it, or you can prop a bough and mark the same height. 」
「Ohhh! Right, the water surface is straight, after all. 」
I only have to make sure the water is leveled.

Weren’t the pyramids also built using water levels as a basis? The Japanese castles were also based on the water level in the pits they dug.

We installed the shelves on different parts of the walls, then placed the rugs on the floor and carried the furniture inside the house.

「Alright, we’re done! Thank you! 」
The house in the castle is finally finished.

「Yeah, you’re welcome. 」

We then had our lunch in the newly furnished house.

Avocado roll with smoked salmon, perilla fruit with nori and sesame seeds and a bit of wasabi, asparagus salad dressed with miso and sesame, eggplants boiled in bonito-flavored soy sauce, tofu, and veggies pickled with sake were placed in bowls lined in a row. Fried octopus tentacles ー the taste of dashi might not suite his palate, so I also served chawanmushi, a savoury steamed egg custard dish with chicken and mushrooms, served in a bowl with lid.

Riche’s lunch was water and meat. When I called him, he blithely dashed towards us and rubbed his head on my shin, so I rubbed and crumpled him all over too.

Ahh, my Riche is so cute.

「It behaves like a normal puppy, huh… 」
Retze muttered under his breath as he sat down.

These table and cheers were also crafted by the Earthkin youth. It’s a bit rustic, heavy and sturdy, but they paid attention to the details to make it look rough-hewn yet without any splinters at all. The corners were also smooth.

「I also have some sandwiches here if you don’t like the taste. 」
Was the smoked salmon okay? I observed him, bent on getting him gradually used to Japanese traditional dishes.

「There’s chopsticks, so these dishes must be from the place where you lived before, Jean. 」
Retze said then he started eating.

「Hmpf… You’re already this good at using chopsticks. 」
「You gave me a practice pair, didn’t you. 」
Oh, right, I think I gave him some beans and a pair of chopsticks.
Retze is quite the fastidious guy, huh.

「I kinda like this flavor. 」
「I’m really glad to hear that. 」
Thank goodnes.

「Folks here usually eat one or two dishes then wash it all down with alcohol after, so I do think it’s nice getting to try different dishes. 」

I never enjoyed meals with other people back when I was in Japan, but it’s the opposite here; it’s fun.

「Sorry I’m asking this again, but do you wanna do something about the heroes? 」
「Nah, I don’t. The deities did say that they would flourish by keeping spirits and matter in harmony, else they’re gonna self-destruct, so I’m just letting them be, just leave them alone. 」
I popped one of the avocado rolls into my mouth.

Mm, maybe I can make some konbushime* with the avocado later and eat it with wasabi and soysauce. It’ll taste even better if chilled.

「Aren’t you disgusted with that Doll that’s your imitation? 」
「You know, I’ve never been my real self in front of Sis and the others. 」
If he was created based on Sis and the others’ impression of me, then he would probably look sullen all the time, or else smiling as fake as can be.

The character should probably be different too. Back then I had been interacting without any smudge of affection towards them for a few years, coping while waiting for the day I turn 18. One thing, though; I didn’t bother hiding how disgruntled I was, since they might become suspicious if I suddenly became affable.

「I guess it’s fine as long as you’re okay with it. Since you won’t go out of your way to get involved with them, I’ll warn Hauron too — this one tastes good, the mild flavor is nice. 」
Retze commented as he scooped the chawanmushi. Seems like that dish is also okay.

「It’s called chawanmushi. You can add chicken and shrimp too. 」
I added clams, kamaboko**, shiitake mushrooms and gingko nuts and garnished it with sakura shrimps.

If things continued as it is, Shrum’s downfall would probably come first before it could conquer the Great Continent. The kingdoms and countries around Shrum either clung to it or they kept their distance, so things probably won’t change that much even if it collapses.

Riche immediately snuggled between my feet the moment he saw I was done with my food. I grabbed his face with both hands and petted him while enjoying the softness of his fur.

「Hauron still had lots of unrevealed things to shriek his head off, but I think he’s already overwhelmed processing what he currently knows as it is. The most pressing issue he had to face must be the meeting with the pillbugs, huh…. 」
Retze stared at me.

It’s fine, he probably won’t react as much as Shiva, who froze part of the forest while we were in the midst of carrying the pillbugs on our palms.