Chapter 34

"What is this...?"

Upon arriving at the border village, Kena parked the golem carriage in the spacious vacant lot next to the Lux Construction Company, which was built on the site of an old carriage shed. She noticed a sign hanging in front of the Lux Construction Company and tilted her head in confusion. The sign boldly read, "Sakaiya Branch Office."

"Seriously, Keirick... You really opened a branch here... Lux and Suunya must have been pressured into it, huh?"

Kena worried that Keirick might have forced them to do something difficult. It had only been about ten days since she last met Keirick, yet his quick response and follow-through left her speechless. She decided to calm down and ask for the details later.

First, they needed to build a house. Since they arrived around noon, Kena thought they could build it and use it right away. With two excellent housekeepers, it should be manageable. The villagers, who were keen-eyed, had already informed the village chief, Kouke, of Kena's arrival, and he came to greet her with a few others.

"Good morning, Lady Kena."

"Yes, good morning. I'll be in your care from today on."

Kena bowed, and the maid and butler standing on either side of her also bowed deeply. She then introduced Roxilus, Roxine, and Luca. Ritt, who arrived with Maleer, was fascinated by the other girls his age.

"Bringing children along, huh? And you've even added two more beautiful ladies... You must have some mysterious connections, Kena."

"Well, I'm terrible at housework, so I leave it to Rox and Shi."

Kena felt a bit mocked by Maleer's impressed tone and slumped her shoulders. The butler and maid bowed their heads to their mistress.

"Leave the housework to us."

"Lady Kena, please feel free to act like a dictator."

"Who are you calling a wealthy lady...?"

At the construction site for Kena's new home, she confirmed that the space was sufficient by comparing it with her skills. According to the village chief, they could use the maximum space within the visible area. The plot was large enough to build a bustling castle like the one in Feluskeiro.

This time, Kena was building an L-sized house from the several types of "Construction: House" registered in her skills. It could accommodate about eight people. It was a type where one space could be set as a second floor or basement. The area was large enough to have a garden, but they didn't want to block the village road, so they placed it near the edge of the space. They built a large single-story house, with part of it extending underground.

Kena summoned earth and wind spirits and made large logs appear around the site. She started the construction immediately. The basement was buried first, and the single-story part was completed in just a few minutes. The villagers, who were already used to such unconventional scenes, welcomed it with applause. Afterward, the village women decorated the entrance and windows with white petals.

Kena, who was curious about the ritual, asked Chief Kouke for an explanation.

"That's a custom passed down to us to help new houses blend into the earth."

"Ah, I see. That's interesting."

"It shouldn't be a problem, so just leave them until they wither."

"Understood."

Roxine, who had already been assigned to household duties, nodded. She would handle the indoor tasks, while Roxilus would handle the outdoor tasks. Kena was relieved by this arrangement, as Roxine's prickly personality might cause friction with the villagers if she were outside all the time.

After greeting each of the gathered villagers, Kena felt relieved that her first step as a villager went smoothly. She entered the house, checked everything, and started making furniture at Roxine's request. She made beds, wardrobes, tables, and chairs, which Roxilus then placed in each room. The layout had a large dining room and living room in the center of the south side, with a kitchen and bathroom on the west side. They planned to use the village's communal bath. On the east side of the living room were two rooms, and on the north side, separated by a corridor running east to west, were six more rooms and a toilet. Each room was about four and a half tatami mats in size and had a bed and wardrobe. Roxine asked Kena to make a small table and chair for her room. Kena and Luca would use the two rooms on the south side, while Roxilus would be on the opposite side of the kitchen. Roxine chose the room opposite Luca. The unused rooms would be used as storage for now.

The basement was located directly below Roxilus's room, with an entrance in the corridor. Kena set up several shelves in the basement and embedded small lights made of magic runes. She placed a magic crystal, which could host spirits semi-permanently, at the back and summoned an ice spirit to live in it. When the cool air started to spread, she took vegetables and fruits from her item box and arranged them on the shelves with Roxilus. After finishing the preparations, she went back upstairs, where Roxine had already boiled water and was making tea. It seemed she had quickly tidied up Luca's room and asked about the wallpaper. However, it was mostly Roxine doing the talking.

"Luca."

"Y-Yes."

"If you don't want to be alone in your room, you can come to mine or Shi's anytime, okay?"

Luca, who had been staring out the window, looked up at Kena and nodded slowly. Kena patted her head, finished her tea, and stood up.

"I'll be going around the village for a bit. Take care of things here, and no fighting, okay?"

"Leave it to us."

"I'll go look for firewood."

Roxilus opened the door and waited outside, while Kena went out and was seen off with a bow. As she was about to close the door, Luca, who had been clinging to her, slipped out and closed it behind her. She bowed to Kena and the others again before heading to the house of a villager who worked in forestry to ask about the location of the logging site.

Kena calmed Luca, who had clung to her waist, and held her hand as they headed to the inn. It seemed Luca would have trouble acting alone for a while, but Kena hoped that making friends with Ritt would help her heal. After building the house and setting up the interior, it was already past noon. Kena took Luca to greet Maleer and asked for a light meal. She introduced Luca to Ritt, who brought water.

"Ritt, this is Luca, my stepdaughter. Luca, this is Ritt, the daughter of the inn. Be nice to each other, okay?"

"Hi, I'm Ritt. Let's play together, Luca."

Luca, who had been sitting close to Kena, looked at Ritt's beaming face, then at Kena's smiling face, and slowly got off her chair to bow to Ritt.

"Luca... Nice to meet you..."

They were about the same height and looked to be the same age, but Luca was actually two years older. Thanks to the family business or Maleer's policies, Ritt seemed more mature and sisterly. When Ritt tried to invite Luca to play, Luca shook her head and didn't want to leave Kena's side.

"Thank you for inviting her, Ritt. Luca just needs a bit more time to settle in."

"Okay, I understand."

Ritt nodded, and Maleer brought soup and bread. Maleer watched Luca eat in small bites and leaned in to ask Kena in a low voice.

"She's a very quiet child, isn't she?"

"Something terrible happened, and she's the only survivor."

"That's a truly harsh story..."

Maleer frowned and, after a moment, tried to lighten the mood.

"We're having a welcome party for you! Make sure to come tonight!"

"Again? Don't we have a party every time I come to this village?"

"It's fine. Everyone just wants an excuse to party. Just be the life of the party!"

"What a ridiculous reason..."

Kena chuckled and, remembering something, caught Maleer as she was about to return to the kitchen.

"Wait, Maleer. I have something I want you to taste."

"What do you want me to taste?"

"I want to sell some alcohol, but I can't really tell how it tastes."

"That's fine. So, this is on you, right?"

"Right. One barrel should be enough, right?"

Kena thought about the last party where the dining room was full of villagers and decided one barrel would be enough. Maleer patted her back and reassured her.

"I think that will be enough. If it's not, we have more alcohol here."

Kena agreed and pulled out a barrel from her item box.

After finishing their meal, Kena and Luca returned home and informed the two household members.

"Since we're going to the party, there's no need to prepare dinner."

"Understood. We'll just prepare a meal for the two of us, then?"

"..."

Roxine nodded, and Roxilus looked at her suspiciously.

"What are you thinking? Don't worry, I'll make your portion too. Leftovers are fine, right?"

"Hmm, I don't need to trouble you. I can manage with river fish."

The tension in the air between them was palpable. Luca, who had been holding the hem of Kena's robe, looked up at her stepmother, who was holding her head, and then stepped between them, waving her hands.

"No fighting... please..."

The butler and maid, who were usually suspicious of each other, looked at the determined gaze of the usually shy girl and stepped back, looking embarrassed.

"Understood," they said in unison.

Luca, relieved that the tension had passed, was hugged by Kena, who was moved to tears.

"Thank you! Luca, you're so reliable. I hereby appoint you as the Minister of Mediation!"

"Minister... of what?"

"Stop them if they start fighting. It's the perfect job for you!"

Roxine and Roxilus, who were already showing signs of being overprotective parents, were sweating. Kena's sharp gaze pierced them, and they straightened up, ready to follow her orders.

"You two are going to the party too, right?"

"Huh? We're just servants and can't join the festivities..."

"You two are going to the party, right?"

"Understood!" they said in unison, their faces stiffening at the tone of her voice.

Kena, satisfied, led Luca out again, leaving the two behind, who sighed and slumped to the ground.

"Whew... That was intense..."

"Scary..."

"Is this what we should expect from her? The future is terrifying."

"Mainly because of Roxine..."

"Shi was the one who started it..."

They faced each other again, but the feeling of two pairs of eyes watching them from the closed front door made them stiffen.

"Roxine..."

"What is it, Shi?"

"We've always had a bad relationship. I think we should try to improve it, even if it's against my will."

"Agreed. It's not what I want, but it's necessary."

They nodded seriously and returned to their tasks, making sure not to look at the front door.

Kena greeted the villagers working in the fields, talked with Rott about hunting, and by the time she finished, it was already evening. Luca, who had been clinging to Kena, had relaxed enough to hold her hand, and Kena's face was relaxed as well.

Their last stop was the Lux Construction Company, which had a sign reading "Sakaiya Branch Office." The owner, Lux, and his apprentice, Dodai, were out delivering goods, so only his wife, Suunya, and son, Latem, were there.

"Hello, Kena. We're neighbors now, so please take care of us. And you too, young lady."

"Please take care of us as well, Suunya and Latem. Luca, say hello too."

Luca, encouraged by Kena, stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry, but it seems Keirick said something unreasonable."

"Oh, no, we have no complaints. It's more like we're honored to have the Sakaiya sign here..."

Kena's presence seemed to be a good opportunity to explain Keirick's intentions. If they had something that could be sold, they could handle the material procurement, and Kena could produce as much as she wanted without hesitation.

"Produce as much as he wants... What is Keirick planning to make?"

"Still, to think you're the great-grandmother of the boss... I was surprised."

"Ah, Keirick is the one in charge, so you can treat me as you always have."

Kena chuckled and waved her hand. Suunya had also been told by Keirick that he didn't mind, and she felt good about Kena's reaction, thinking they could be friends.

"By the way, can you just check if these samples will sell?"

Kena could have used her "Transfer" skill to go there, but because of Luca, she couldn't leave the village right away, so she entrusted the product registration to Sakaiya. She took out four bags of wheat, each weighing about forty kilograms, and used her "Whiskey Making" and "Beer Making" skills. The wheat, along with the bags, disappeared in a flame and reappeared as two ninety-liter barrels, one of whiskey and one of beer. Kena, seeing the barrels, was puzzled.

"Regardless of the contents, where did the barrels come from!?"

'From the burlap and chaff, right?'

"Seeing it in real life, it's hard to accept..."

Suunya, concerned about Kena's muttering, took a small amount of whiskey from the barrel and tasted it. The beer barrel would be taken to the party for its debut.

While the adults were talking, Luca received a wooden toy from Latem and was playing with it, staying close to Kena. Latem, pleased by her reaction, brought out other wooden toys and animals he had made and showed them to Luca with explanations.

The alcohol was well-received by Suunya, who commented that it was smooth and unlike anything she had tasted before.

(I think whiskey is supposed to be mixed with water or ice, right?)

Kena faintly remembered her father drinking it in the past, but since Suunya was married to a dwarf known for his drinking, she didn't need to mix it and drank it calmly.