Chapter 352: Completion is Fast Approaching
「The guys staying in my tower are Earthkin artisans. They’ll return to the Northern Continent once they’re done with the renovations. 」
I sipped my black tea as I answered her questions.
「Earthkin… It’s already a miracle hiring one of them to work in a territory of this scale, and yet there’s obviously many of them there… What on earth is going on in there? 」
Soleil’s brows imperceptibly scrunched as she sat down on the chair that Faramir prepared.
「We’re just get in their way if we go there now since they’re still working, so I’ll show it to you once it’s done. Do you have time 3 days from now? 」
I was told that the Earthkins would be done by tomorrow night. I have to prepare a feast, or should I say plenty of wine casks for them.
I added an allowance for time in case they don’t finish it by then, and I also want to relax the day after the feast.
「Of course I’ll make time for it! 」
「Your last appointment for that day is with Lady Roza-sama. It would be four o’clock in the afternoon, and they prefer not to have a banquet. 」
Faramir responded with Soleil’s schedule, to which the latter nodded. Anyway, what a name that was; it sounded like it’s the name of a theatrical character or something.
「Can we do it in the evening then? 」
「Yeah. 」
「Faramir, prepare a strong digestive medicine for me 3 days from now. 」
「Yes, I will do so. 」
Oy, aren’t you being too harsh with your preparations?
「I reckon it’s too late for us to discuss how on earth did you transport those people and materials, but please, can you give me a frame, or a chair…No, an office table is fine! 」
Soleil’s materialistic side is manifesting intensely!
「Should I request those furniture for you if you want? 」
「Ah, but it’s not for me, you know? It’s for you. My office is already impressive as it is with those windows. 」
「Mine…? 」
Are we going to place the table beside hers in the office?
「I thought you didn’t like the audience room that much, so I decided to make an office for you. Isn’t it weird that you, the fief lord, didn’t even have a room in the main castle, you know? I’m sure you’re not really gonna use it, but — if asking for a desk is difficult, then how about we request a throne? 」
「Yes, I will request an office table. 」
I unwittingly refuted that last part.
Soleil’s materialistic greed is mostly related to business, not necessarily related to her own personal desires. This time around, her request was made as the acting administrator of this place. Hmm, that office table… Unfortunately, I don’t have any plans on using it, so what a waste.
「So, I think we’re pretty much done here? Auro, restrain Kiel. 」
「Yes, MiLord. 」
「Ugh! What the heck!? 」
Auro, don’t you have any doubts about my orders whatsoever? He immediately restrained Kiel right then and there.
「This is your rations for the week, and this is for the times I won’t be able to come here. I leave the distribution to you. 」
I arranged the sweets and snacks in a line on the table.
I prepared apricot cupcakes as snacks that they can eat right away, one for each person. It’s not fluffy; it’s more like a tart. The orange filling perfectly blends the acidity of the apricots and the mild sweetness of the sugar.
For those who prefer savory snacks, I prepared german potato unsweetened pound cake with plenty of bacon.
I also brought two types of stollen that’s packed with dried fruits and nuts, one dusted white with powdered sugar, the other uncoated and glazed with butter and liquor. They keep well for a long time. Well, it’s not the Christmas season, so it doesn’t have to be white, right.
「Yes, I’ll keep them. 」
Kiel gritted his teeth upon hearing Soleil’s words.
Soleil probably won’t stand a chance against Kiel’s strength, but he never touched the goods that Soleil kept. That’s because if they were lost, Soleil will take the blame.
At first, Faramir would immediately take them from Soleil to put away, but now, Soleil put them inside a locker.
With the snacks and sweets locked up, Kiel would be on the defense side, at least until the responsibility falls onto Faramir and Auro, who are in charge of the key.
They also have a rule allowing those who manage to defend the sweets from someone who tried to steal a bite to eat the offender’s share. The dynamics of this ‘defense and offense’ is actually tricky, with some people changing their stance midway. Not only that, there are also some who pretend to aim for the sweets, but actually go for the veggies. Kiel seemed to be part of team sweets.
「Milord, the interior design of the alley house you wished for has been completed. Would you like to see it? 」
「Yeah, I’ll check it out. 」
And so, it’s decided that we’ll visit the town. There are more residents now, but most of them are working at this time. Since the number of tourists was being limited, the alleys weren’t congested.
Even so, the place didn’t seem deserted at all, since there were also some shoemakers here and there, and some of the folks even placed chairs between the narrow alley between their houses and the canals and did embroidery while enjoying the breeze.
We passed through the alley and finally arrived at a building — which I plan to turn into a restaurant — facing a small square. The entrance was under the shadow of the stairs leading down to the square, giving the place hidden, cozy hideaway vibes. I plan to serve the dishes that I know here, and they will be made with vegetables harvested from the island.
The restaurant will be quite small, with an open kitchen and enough seats for around five customers on the first floor. The second floor has two rooms for the employees and another one for storage. There’s actually another entrance above the slope, and they could enter the second floor directly from that entrance, so I’m not really sure if we should call it the second floor. The ingredients and other storage would be on this floor.
There’s a tiny room on the first floor exclusively for my use too, so that I could still come here and enjoy a meal even if the place is packed with guests. I also had them install a pizza oven and an island counter, so that I could make some goodies depending on my mood. There’s also a takeout counter and a window for handing the food over. The next goal now is to find a chef who isn’t averse to eating food raw. I’m looking forward to eating food prepared by other people!
Later on, I learned firsthand what happens when somebody cooks over a blazing fire inside a small, cramped restaurant. It would’ve been fine if this was Canum, but the island is sweltering hot!
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.