Chapter 68

Kazura stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

Kazura, holding the cardboard box, walked down the corridor and had a passing maid open the door leading to the courtyard. After thanking her and passing through the door, he noticed something flying in the night sky.

"Kazura-sama, would you like some help?"

"Thank you, but I have enough hands... huh?"

While holding the cardboard box, Kazura walked down the corridor and had a passing maid open the door leading to the courtyard. As he thanked her and passed through the door, he noticed something flying in the night sky.

"What's that? A bird?"

As Kazura muttered, looking up at the night sky, the maid, noticing his gaze, looked up as well.

"Oh, those are bats. The mansion is brighter than the city with the light from the torches and candles, so they come to eat the insects attracted to the light."

"Wow, there are bats. There are quite a few of them."

Looking closely at the sky, he could see a considerable number of bats flying around. With so many bats flying around, the insects gathering at the mansion must be in trouble.

Kazura stood there for a moment, looking at the night sky with the maid, but then he regained his composure, picked up the cardboard box again, and started walking towards the courtyard where Isaac and the others were waiting.

---

When Kazura returned to Isaac and the others, he placed the cardboard box on the ground and took out an electric saw and an LED lantern. He also set up a board and a cart near the generator to create a simple privacy space between the building and the work area.

"Alright, I don't want to take too much time, so let's get this done quickly."

He turned on the LED lantern and placed it nearby, then adjusted the generator to its maximum output. Suddenly, the previously modest noise from the generator became much louder, filling the area with a significant amount of noise.

Ignoring the wide-eyed Root and the nervous Isaac, who was looking around, Kazura pulled out the power cord of the electric saw and connected it to the generator. The electric saw he had was a circular saw, with a circular blade that rotated at high speed to cut materials.

"Isaac, please take two pieces of the angle wood."

"Y-Yes."

After receiving the angle wood from Isaac, Kazura placed them on the ground with some space between them. This would serve as a simple base for cutting the boards.

Next, he received a board from Isaac and laid it perpendicular on the base made of angle wood. The board was about 2 cm thick, 30 cm wide, and over 2 meters long. It needed to be cut to a more manageable size.

Kazura took out a tape measure and a permanent marker from the cardboard box, measured exactly 1 meter, and marked it. He then firmly pressed the board with his knee and placed the blade of the electric saw at the edge of the board.

"Alright, let's get cutting. I'll be cutting continuously, so please have the next board ready. We need to cut about 20 boards."

Kazura declared this, started the electric saw, and began cutting the board. The high-speed rotating blade made a unique cutting sound, scattering wood chips as it cut through the board.

Kazura had experience using an electric saw with his father, Masaharu, to build a wooden compost box for fertilizer at their home. He knew how to use it and was well aware of the dangers, as Masaharu had repeatedly warned him about the risk of serious injury.

"Wh-What...?"

Isaac and Root were amazed, watching the board being easily cut. In this world, cutting wood typically involved using a bronze or copper hand saw, which took a lot of time and often resulted in a bent blade if not used properly.

However, in front of them, thick boards were being cut at an incredible speed by a mysterious small tool, completely defying the common knowledge.

"Next, please."

"A-All right!"

After cutting a board in about 10 seconds, Kazura urged Isaac and Root to bring the next board. They hurriedly handed him the next board, which he placed on top of the one he had just cut, marking it with the permanent marker along the cut line. He then cut the board again with the electric saw.

"Hmm, this is a waste of time. Isaac, please bring two pieces of the angle wood over here."

After cutting the second board, Kazura stopped and called Isaac over.

"Is this good?"

"Yeah, that's good. But it's a bit long. Let's cut it."

Kazura took the angle wood from Isaac, measured it with the tape measure, and cut it with the electric saw. In no time, he had two pieces of angle wood, each 1.5 meters long.

"While I'm cutting the boards, I want Isaac to use this tool to build the walls of the shed. I'll explain how to use it, so please watch carefully."

Kazura placed the cut angle wood on the ground at 1-meter intervals and laid the previously cut board on top. He then took out a nail gun from the cardboard box. This nail gun was spring-loaded and did not require an air hose like pneumatic models. It was battery-powered and could hold 100 nails.

"This is called a nail gun. It can drive nails into boards instantly without using a hammer. It's also called a nailer."

While explaining, Kazura kept an eye on Isaac, who was listening intently. He pressed the nail gun against the part where the board overlapped the angle wood.

"Pull this part, and the nail will be driven into the board. Be careful not to drive it in at an angle."

Kazura pointed to the trigger of the nail gun and explained. Isaac knelt down, leaned in to check, and nodded.

"I'll show you how it's done, so watch carefully."

Kazura pressed the nail gun vertically against the board and pulled the trigger. With a light thud, the nail was instantly driven into the board.

"It's like this. I want to build the walls of the shed by laying boards across the angle wood. While I'm cutting the boards, Isaac, please use this nail gun to build the walls."

"Understood. ...What an amazing tool."

Isaac took the nail gun from Kazura, looking impressed as he examined its form. He looked quite natural holding it.

"By the way, the nail gun won't fire unless it's pressed against the board, but be careful not to point it at anyone. Accidents can happen."

"Understood. I'll be very careful."

After being warned by Kazura, Isaac removed his finger from the trigger and nodded. Electric tools were convenient but could cause serious injuries if mishandled. Proper caution was necessary.

"Alright, let's get started. If we divide the work, it should be done quickly."

Thus, Kazura and Root took on the task of cutting the wood, while Isaac built the walls of the shed.

---

An hour later.

Thanks to the electric tools, the work progressed smoothly, and a 1-meter square shed, or rather, a generator house, was built in front of them. The shed had bronze hinges on the door, which opened on one side. The hinges were found and brought by Root from inside the mansion. The lock was also from the mansion, a bronze padlock.

The shed's four pillars were buried in the ground, with a 10-centimeter gap between the ground and the walls to allow for ventilation, as carbon monoxide is produced when the generator is running.

The pillars were buried 40 centimeters into the ground and firmly tamped down, making it difficult to dig them up. The ceiling was also covered with boards and securely nailed in place.

"Ah, I'm tired. It took longer than I thought..."

"That's true. But without these tools, we wouldn't have finished tonight. The tools from the land of the gods are truly amazing."

While Kazura looked at the shed with a tired expression, Isaac seemed energetic. Root also looked a bit tired but still more energetic than Kazura.

"By the way, I thought someone might come to check out the noise, but no one did. The electric saw was pretty loud, though."

"That's true. It was quite loud, so it should have been noticeable... huh?"

As they talked and looked around, someone walked out from the shadow of the mansion.

"Kazura-sama, have you finished the work?"

"Ah, Havel. We just finished... Did I tell you we were working here?"

After returning from the granary area to the Nelson residence, Kazura had asked Havel to help with the cleanup of the cart and other items, but he hadn't mentioned building the shed. Havel must have been watching them from somewhere.

"No, I didn't hear about the work, but I heard a loud noise coming from the direction of Kazura-sama's room... I was stopping people from gathering to check it out."

It turned out that Havel had been keeping people away for the past hour to make it easier for Kazura and the others to work. Despite the noise, no one had disturbed them because Havel had been working behind the scenes.

"By the way, I'm very sorry, but if you plan to do such work in the future, please let us know in advance... The mansion is under Mr. Nelson's instructions, so if we inform everyone beforehand, no one will come near."

"...Yeah... I'm sorry..."

"Oh, no! Don't apologize! It was just a few maids and guards who came to check it out because it was late at night!"

Seeing Kazura looking dejected, Havel quickly tried to reassure him. Isaac and Root, standing next to Kazura, also looked dejected.

---

Meanwhile.

After returning to the Nelson residence from the Russo residence, Zirconia had ordered her servants to prepare a storage room for Marie. The room was about 8 tatami mats in size and had a few unused tables and shelves inside.

As Zirconia watched the items being moved out, Marie ran down the corridor, looking flustered.

"I'm very sorry for being late! Did you call for me?"

Marie, catching her breath, bowed nervously to Zirconia.

"It's okay, you don't need to be so flustered. Please look up."

Zirconia, trying to reassure Marie, spoke in a gentle tone. Marie, still a bit frightened, slowly raised her head. She was worried that she might have done something wrong.

"From today, this will be your room. Also, I'm appointing you as Kazura's servant. From now on, please take care of his daily needs. Of course, you will also continue as the dedicated cook."

"Y-Yes, I understand!"

Marie, surprised by the sudden assignment of a personal room and a new role, nodded vigorously and bowed deeply. She was overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events but understood that something significant had happened. As a servant, she had no choice but to say "yes" to whatever Zirconia said.

"I'm not sure how long it will be, but your service will be temporarily under the Istele family. I've already talked to Noor, so you can rest assured."

"Yes! I understand!"

"Also, all your personal belongings have been collected, so you don't need to go back to the Russo residence. We're preparing clothes and furniture for you, so you can use them from now on. Your salary will be 1,000 al at the end of each month."

"...What!?"

Marie was stunned by the mention of a salary. She had been receiving a nominal salary from the Russo family, but it was so meager that she hardly noticed it. Now, she was being offered a high salary of 1,000 al per month.

Moreover, she was being given her own room in the mansion. She was completely overwhelmed.

Incidentally, the 1,000 al monthly salary offered to Marie was the same as what new recruits in the Istele security forces received.

"If you save properly, you can eventually buy your freedom and become a freed slave. I'll consider a raise based on your performance, so please work hard."

"Y-Yes..."

Marie nodded, still in a daze, unable to fully grasp her new situation.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Zirconia, who had almost forgotten an important point in the midst of discussing the salary and benefits, remembered it just in time. It was something she needed to mention to avoid problems later.

"Be sure to keep your body clean in case Kazura asks you to join him at night. If you need to, you can use the bath, so please let me know."

Marie's face contorted in surprise at this unexpected instruction.