Chapter 79

"Anyway, 20 requests. You should really start picking which ones to accept and which ones to decline, you know?"

...I'm in a real bind right now.

The requests Fay brought me total 20.

Yeah. 20. I can't just say one or three anymore. What should I do? They've increased too much all at once.

"Well, they did increase all at once, didn't they?"

"Ah, yeah. It seems that the old lady, who is a friend of Sapphire, has quite a wide network of acquaintances..."

I see, that old lady... Yeah, no, it's a blessing and I'm very happy, but...

"It's good, isn't it? It means Togo-kun is widely recognized."

"Yeah... I don't really feel it, though."

Somehow, is this okay? I'm definitely not the best painter, and I think the reason for these requests is probably because 'watercolor is rare' or 'the motif is rare' or something like that. Maybe also because 'it's nice to have something different once in a while' or 'I want to change the decor'...

But, even so, it's nice to be appreciated and to be wanted. Probably. I feel confused and uncertain, but I'm probably happy.

"There are quite a few requests for forest paintings. It makes sense, since you're the Forest Spirit painting a forest. I can understand the feeling."

"Hehe. I already have several beautiful forest paintings by the Forest Spirit decorating my room."

"I have them too! ...Actually, the first request for Togo was a portrait of my house!"

Yeah. Yeah... Yeah. Uh, what should I do? What should I do? My head isn't working at all. It's gone completely blank, and I've given up on thinking. What should I do with this head?

"...Just calm down. If you want, go to sleep. You can review the requests tomorrow."

"But, I can't keep them waiting..."

"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. Most of the people who made these requests are rich and have the leisure to buy and display paintings. They have a long fuse, and it might even be better to keep them waiting a bit to keep the excitement going."

Is that how it works? I have a strong image that tasks should be completed as quickly as possible, so I feel a bit uneasy...

"By the way, there's a request for an angel painting, but are Rian and Anje still here?"

Ah. That's another issue!

"Please, can you stay for another three months? It would really help me a lot if you could... Is that okay? I'll pay you..."

I'll hurry and ask Rian and Anje.

Initially, it was supposed to be about two months, so we've already exceeded the deadline!

"Even if you say that..."

"Well, you can stay until you get through winter. It's tough to survive the winter, even for the two of you."

Rian seemed a bit hesitant, but he fell silent when Laocles said that.

"Mostly, you wanted to finish the requests quickly to buy Anje back, right? As long as both of you are here, there's no need to rush out of the forest, is there?"

When Celia said that, Rian seemed even more at a loss for words.

Then, Anje gently tugged on the hem of Rian's clothes and said,

"Um, Anje likes it here. There are fairies, and the birds and horses are cute. I like Togo-oniichan too..."

...Togo-oniichan. Togo-oniichan.

I see. I'm Togo-oniichan... I feel a bit happy and a bit embarrassed.

"Oniichan, do you have to move?"

And when Anje said that and looked at Rian with a sad face...

"Ah... If Anje says so, I'll stay!"

Rian said that too. Yay!

"Basically, I'm your slave! You decide when I stay here! Let me stay as long as you want!"

It feels a bit wrong, but at least it's good. This way, we can avoid the situation where there's a request for an angel painting but no model... That's good...

"Oh, there's an oil painting request in this batch."

Just as I was relieved that we could secure a model for the angel painting, Celia said that.

"Here, they want an oil painting of a forest."

What should I do? I'm not very good at oil painting! I haven't studied enough! What should I do!

"This one doesn't specify the medium, though. It's a fairy painting. This might be good since we have a model."

"This is a request for a painting of an unusual plant. Interesting. But, as the Forest Spirit, you must know many unusual plants, right?"

"Ah, there's a request for a painting of a creature. What do you think? Should I paint a unicorn?"

Eh, eh, eh... What should I do? There are so many things to think about, but my head isn't working properly...

...When I was in a bind, Laocles patted my shoulder.

"...Just go to sleep."

Yeah. Okay. I'll do that. It's no good. I'll sleep. Good night. Good night...

After that, I took a nap.

Fay came around noon, and I napped in a hammock until around evening.

When I got into the hammock, it seemed to be a signal, and many horses gathered around. They looked at me as if to say, "Is it not a lack of magic power?" and then left or stayed.

The phoenix, as usual, perched on a branch next to the hammock, letting its long tail feathers drape beside my head to provide shade. The tanuki split into many small, palm-sized foxes that filled the gaps in the hammock and covered my body. Even when small, they still have nine tails, so they are very fluffy.

...Surrounded by everyone, I fell asleep, dozed off, and had a vague dream-like experience until evening.

By then, I was a bit calmer, and when I woke up and reconsidered, I thought, "Since thinking about it is just stressful, I'll take my time with it." Yeah. Amazing.

That night, I calmly reviewed the order list.

...An oil painting of a forest. A watercolor painting of a forest. A fairy painting with no medium specified. A water scene in the forest. An angel. An angel. A brave knight. A small fruit painting. A sky painting. A nude. A forest painting, a forest painting...

Some people ordered several paintings, and when I listed what I needed to paint, I realized I had to paint more than 20 paintings.

"This is a lot of work..."

"No, that's why you should pick the jobs. Look, this one has bad conditions? Even if you say a small forest painting is fine, 3 gold coins isn't worth it, is it?"

"No, it is worth it. Because the paint and paper are free..."

"No, no, as compensation for your labor..."

"But, if I have 3 gold coins, I can buy bread and cheese and still have change. That's enough, isn't it?"

I still don't fully understand the value of money. I've only just started to grasp prices... The people around me are the noble Fay, the former knight and current slave Laocles, the former spy and current model Celia, and the two child angels. Yeah. My sense of money is a bit off.

But, I don't think money is really the issue here. Yeah. Even if it's free, I'd be okay.

"The one who requested this painting is apparently a 13-year-old girl. If she likes my painting and is willing to spend 3 gold coins from her allowance to buy it, I'd be willing to sell it."

In the comments section of the order list, there were earnest impressions of my paintings. Seeing the forest painting at the old lady's house. Thinking it was transparent and luminous, like the forest itself. Having lived in the forest for health reasons as a child. Feeling happy as childhood memories came back...

...After reading this, I can't refuse. Yeah.

"Ah, damn, that's you, isn't it..."

Yeah. That's me.

"Then, what will you do? You're not going to paint all of them, are you?"

"...It will take half a year."

"No, if you can paint 20 in half a year, that's pretty fast..."

But, if more requests come in during that time, the backlog will keep growing. That's a bit... Hmm.

While I was thinking, Laocles suddenly said,

"...Can't you sell something you've already painted?"

"Eh?"

Something already painted... Ah, well, yeah, there are some forest paintings and angel paintings on the second floor.

...Is there anything that can be sold? If there is, how would I sell it? While I was thinking about that...

"Ah, right. Then, why don't you open a gallery?"

Fay suggested that.

"How about this place?"

"...It's a nice vacant lot."

"Right? ...No, wait. What do you mean by a nice vacant lot? Is there such a thing as an un-nice vacant lot? And nice? Is it nice?"

"Yeah, kind of... It's not too big, surrounded by grass, and it has a nice feel to it."

The place I was shown was a vacant lot behind the Redgard family's residence. It's a bit away from the main house, but it's still within the Redgard family's property. There's nothing around, and it's not popular. It's in the opposite direction of the town.

...Yeah. It feels like a place that used to be maintained but is now abandoned.

"Originally, this was an outdoor training ground? Our knights have other facilities now, so there's no reason to use this inconvenient place. Now, it's just a vacant lot."

I see. An outdoor training ground. ...That explains why there are no fallen stones and the ground is compacted in some places.

"Well, building a house is your job, but you can use this place as your gallery."

"...Eh, a place to display paintings?"

"Yeah. And a place to sell the displayed paintings."

"The second floor of your house is already like a gallery."

"Yeah."

"If there are paintings you can sell, bring them here and display them. If someone likes them, they can buy them. How about that?"

...That might be a good idea.

You see, when you paint on commission, there might be a mismatch with what the client imagined. But if they can see the actual painting, such misunderstandings won't happen. That way, the customers will be more satisfied, won't they?

"I'll do that."

"Great! Then, you can use this land however you like!"

"...Is that okay?"

"Yeah. It's unused land, and we have no plans to add anything here. I've already gotten permission from my father and brother!"

That's... Yeah. I'm grateful.

"Then, I'll gratefully use it."

"Yeah! Do that! Do that! If your paintings are displayed here, not just me, but my brother and father can easily come and see them too!"

...Thanks to Fay's suggestion, I decided to have my gallery in a corner of the Redgard family's property. Wow, I'm really lucky.

"...You really have increased your magic power, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

So, I built the gallery. It just pops up when I draw it, so it feels unreal.

The gallery I drew is a single-story, small building. Considering it would be placed in a corner of the Redgard family's property, it has a slightly darker vermilion roof than the main house and ivory walls. The chocolate-brown crossbeams visible on the exterior add a bit of style, I think.

"Wow, a house can be built in just a few hours... Wow, the interior is already partially done."

"Eh? The inside is still blank... Ah, really. The walls are papered and the floor is stone, but it's empty."

For now, it's just a 'box.' Since it's going to be a gallery, I need to install panels to increase the display area... Ah, but I don't have that many paintings yet, so it's okay. Yeah. For now, I just need to make sure I can hang paintings on the walls.

That day, I finished the construction and basic interior design of the gallery and then selected the paintings to display.

...In other words, I had to select the paintings I wanted to keep from all the ones I've painted. It was a bit of a difficult task because there were some I was satisfied with just painting and some I still wanted to look at.

The next day, I brought a large number of paintings to the Redgard family's property and started the work of displaying them in the gallery.

I drew frames, put the paintings in them, and hung them on the walls. ...It sounds simple, but it was quite a bit of work. There were a fair number of paintings, and once they were framed, especially the larger ones, they were heavy.

But, the sense of accomplishment when I finished hanging them was quite something. The walls were covered with paintings I had drawn. ...It feels like a dream. To be able to paint so many and display them like this. And for people to come and see them.

"Hey, Togo. Is it done? ...Oh, it's quite green."

"Well, most of them are forest paintings..."

More than half of what I've painted are forest scenes. They might be of animals in the forest or landscapes, but the background is often a forest. I am the Forest Spirit, after all.

"For now, the gallery is done. All that's left is for people to come and look, and if they like something, they can take it."

"Wait, wait. Togo, you haven't thought about what comes next, have you!?"

...What comes next.

"You need security and salespeople!"

...Ah.

After that, I thought about it.

I thought about it a lot.

Yeah. Security and salespeople are necessary. Otherwise, the paintings will be stolen. Well, if they're stolen by someone who really likes them, I'd be okay with that... But I understand that not everyone who steals will take good care of the paintings, so security is necessary.

Also, if you're selling paintings, it might be better to have someone handle that. I guess an automatic vending machine or unmanned kiosk could work too.

...Hmm.

"Um, can we handle that part?"

"No, that wouldn't be good. I want to handle security without bothering the Redgard family."

Even though it's on the Redgard family's property, it's quite far from the main house, so it shouldn't affect their security. That's why I want to handle security without bothering them.

"Then, should we buy slaves?"

"Hmm..."

But, buying slaves to handle it feels... Hmm, I'm not sure. I don't distrust slaves, and in fact, I think it might be better to rely on them... But, buying slaves for something other than modeling feels a bit...

I thought about it for a while, and Fay helped me think too.

"Hmm... Then, how about setting up a barrier? Can you set up the same barrier as in the forest here?"

"I don't really know how to do it. I just reactivated a pre-made barrier in the forest..."

It would be very convenient to have the forest barrier here, but unfortunately, I don't know how to make barriers. I don't think I should casually try something I don't understand.

"Maybe we should have built the gallery in the forest..."

"No, that wouldn't be good. It's the horses' home, and I don't want to let too many people in."

Yeah, that's true. I feel the same way.

Even if I can manage a gallery in the forest, it might not be good for people to come close. There are horses and fairies in the forest...

"Then, security personnel. Maybe hire mercenaries? Someone who can live here and work."

"It might be hard to have someone watch it all day."

"Yeah... Then, how about summoning a creature? Something good at security. Like a dragon?"

"Yeah. I'll think about that."

So, that's decided. I'll summon something. Whether it's a dragon or not... Something that can guard the gallery, doesn't mind long hours, and is friendly. Someone who seems to get along with me. Yeah. I'll do that.