Chapter 82

The next noon.

Ichirou received the water turbine and well-digging tools from the delivery man at the Japanese residence, loaded them onto the agricultural transport vehicle parked in the garden, and returned to the village of Glesia. The engine's loud noise echoed as he slowly drove through the mixed forest toward Balin's residence. While driving, he greeted the villagers he saw with a wave of his hand, and they responded by waving or bowing.

The villagers did not gather around Ichirou, but only greeted him from where they were, knowing that he was busy moving around. They were considerate not to get in his way.

As he drove through the village, Valleta ran over from the direction of the residence. She seemed to have come to greet him, having heard the sound of the agricultural transport vehicle's engine. Her expression was very bright and energetic.

"Welcome back, Kazura-san. You've bought a lot... They're all tools I've never seen before."

"Thanks. They're all heavy, so I had to bring them back with the agricultural transport vehicle. Sorry for the noise."

After turning off the engine to greet Valleta, she started to look curiously at the tools loaded on the bed. She found a file of blueprints, asked Ichirou for permission, and flipped through it.

"I've prepared two copies of this file. One is for you, Valleta-san."

"Oh, thank you!"

Valleta smiled happily at Ichirou and nodded as she skimmed through the blueprints of the thresher and winnowing fan. A winnowing fan is a tool used to separate grains from chaff using the wind generated by a hand-turned paddle. It seems that most Japanese farmers in the past had one.

"Both threshing and winnowing can be done without much effort this way... With such detailed blueprints, I think I can make all of them. They don't seem that difficult to build."

"That's right. They are tools that were used in the past..."

Valleta, who had read through the blueprints, said something impressive. It was unclear how serious she was, but Ichirou had a feeling that this girl could easily make all of them on her own.

After skimming through the blueprints for a while, Valleta seemed satisfied and put the file back on the bed.

"I just finished preparing lunch. I put a lot of effort into it, so please look forward to it! And I also cooked red rice."

"Oh, that sounds great. It's been a long time since I've had red rice... By the way, I also bought some cans of adzuki beans."

Among the food supplies he had bought in bulk from the supermarket, there were not only canned side dishes but also cans of adzuki beans and whole tomatoes, which could be used in cooking. Thanks to his bulk buying, the variety of dishes made in the village had increased, and the dining tables of each household had become much richer. He had also bought some glutinous rice, so the red rice was likely to be properly cooked.

"By the way, in my country, red rice is cooked on special occasions. It feels like a small celebration."

"It is a celebration."

Ichirou tilted his head at Valleta's immediate response.

"Because Kazura-san has come back."

Valleta said this with a genuinely happy smile. It could be considered a rather embarrassing line, but she didn't seem to be embarrassed at all, so it probably didn't have any deeper meaning. Ichirou, however, blushed a little.

"O-Oh, is that so? Then let's go back and have lunch."

"Yes!"

Ichirou, wondering why she was in such a good mood, started the engine of the agricultural transport vehicle and headed toward the residence.

When the two arrived at the residence, Balin was already ladling red rice from a pot hanging over the hearth into bowls. In addition to the red rice, there were salted river fish, chicken (canned) and tomato basil stew, herb-roasted potatoes and sausages (canned), thick omelet (sweet), and stir-fried leafy vegetables and Arcadian bugs, making for more than twice the usual variety of dishes. Some of the dishes were ones Ichirou had eaten in Japan, which Valleta had tried to make for him based on the knowledge she had gained from books.

"Wow, this is a feast! I haven't had a thick omelet in a long time."

"I made it for the first time, so I'm not sure if it will suit your taste... I might have made it a bit too sweet."

Valleta smiled a little shyly, as she was a bit nervous about making a Japanese dish for the first time.

"No, it's not. It's just the right sweetness and very delicious, I think."

"Really? That's good... Hey, Dad, you're eating before us!?"

"Let's eat before it gets cold. I've also brought some cold water. Kazura, please sit down."

Balin, who was trying to avoid Valleta's angry pout, invited Ichirou to sit down. Ichirou, with a wry smile, went into the living room and sat in his usual spot, receiving a wooden cup of water and a bowl of red rice from Balin.

"Ugh... I was going to let Kazura-san try it first."

"No, I'm sorry. It was just too delicious to resist."

"Well, it would be cruel to ask someone to resist such delicious food. Valleta, you really are a great cook."

"R-Really... hehe."

Valleta skillfully deflected the compliment, and they all said "Itadakimasu" and started eating. Ichirou first reached for the thick omelet, which was neatly cut into eight pieces. Upon closer inspection, the middle cut was slightly off, indicating that Balin had secretly eaten two pieces and then tried to cover it up.

The level of craftsmanship was that of a master.

"Let's start with the thick omelet... Delicious! This is by far the best thick omelet I've ever had!!"

Valleta's homemade thick omelet was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The outside was a beautiful golden color, and the inside was slightly runny, making it a perfect thick omelet. Despite being made in a small pot, it was beautifully square, and it was unclear how she had done it.

"That's good... Please try the other dishes too!"

"Sure, they're all delicious. This is as good as the food we had at Havel's residence."

Balin, who was eating the stir-fried Arcadian bugs, nodded in agreement, and Ichirou also nodded.

"Indeed. I think the food Valleta made is even more delicious. This chicken and tomato stew is also very good. The basil is well used."

"Really, really. Kazura, Valleta would make a great wife, wouldn't she?"

"Choke!?"

"Hey, Dad! Kazura, water! Drink some water!!"

"Haha..."

Despite the commotion, the luxurious and friendly lunch passed by.

Meanwhile, at the campsite at the entrance of the village, Isaac was standing, looking in the direction of the village. A sense of melancholy emanated from his back.

"Isaac-sama, it seems lunch is almost ready. ...Is something wrong?"

At the voice from behind, Isaac turned around to see Havel standing with a fishing rod and a bucket in his hands. Marie was also standing a step behind Havel, holding a fishing rod.

"Yes, I was just thinking that true geniuses are people like that..."

"Geniuses?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing. By the way, were you fishing in the river? I haven't seen you all morning."

"Yes, Kazura-sama said we could do as we pleased, so I took the opportunity to go to the river with my sister."

At Havel's words, Marie, who had been standing behind Havel, looked surprised and turned her eyes to Havel. Isaac also blinked, as it was the first time he had heard this.

"Wait, sister, you mean Marie? I thought she was a slave..."

"Marie's status is indeed that of a slave, but she is my sister. We have different mothers, so she is my half-sister."

Havel answered with a smile, showing no particular reaction to the word "slave." Isaac also had no thoughts about Marie being a slave and only thought, "So that's how it is."

However, this was only his opinion on the relationship between Havel and Marie. When it came to the relationship with Ichirou, the situation was different.

"I see, so that's how it is. Does Kazura-sama know that she is your sister?"

"No, I didn't think it was necessary to mention it... But Kazura-sama has always been very kind to Marie, so I plan to thank him for this free time when he returns tomorrow."

"...Have you been watching Kazura-sama's actions and timing your words carefully all this time?"

"No, I haven't. I have no ulterior motives."

Havel denied it with a composed expression, and Isaac scratched his head, sighing. He had always had a feeling that Havel was capable of such actions.

Given the past events, it seemed natural that Havel had recommended Marie to Zirconia, and it appeared that everything had gone well since then. Havel must have judged that it was fine to assign Marie to Ichirou. There was no problem with that, but if Havel had also been motivated by a desire to place Marie under Ichirou's protection, Isaac could not overlook it.

"Havel, I don't mind you planning and acting in various ways with me and Zirconia-sama. But please be honest with Kazura-sama. He is someone who responds to honest actions and intentions. You must not take advantage of that."

"Of course. I swear I will not do such a thing."

Havel looked straight into Isaac's eyes and answered. Isaac wanted to sigh at his expression but held it back.

Havel was an excellent officer who paid attention to the details, and Isaac relied on him greatly. However, the part where he changed his actions according to his superiors' personalities and moved secretly if he thought he could use them was something that Isaac, who was particularly serious, could not like. In the future, he would need to pay more attention to the situation around Ichirou and the movements of people, rather than relying entirely on Havel. It might be a heavy burden, but it was something he had to do.

"Remember those words."

Isaac emphasized the point to Havel, as if reminding himself.