Chapter 113: The Mattress Again
“You’re in a good mood, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Retze is sipping coffee at my house.
He’s the only one who liked the tea I served; the others prefer it with sugar and milk, as they seem to dislike the bitterness. Dean and Dinoss are more into alcohol, while the rest stick to tea.
Just a while ago, I had them help me make a mattress. We managed to weave the steel wire into springs, but aligning the felt and putting on the cotton cover is a bit too much for me to handle alone.
I had them push the springs down to compress them, and it was quite a ruckus. Even with two of us, it felt insufficient. They’re just too big and unwieldy.
I want to experiment a bit more with the weaving technique to adjust the spring hardness, but overall, it’s turning out pretty well. I feel relieved knowing I can replace the mattress in my house if it wears out; it’s a worry off my mind.
“As a thank you for your help, pick one of these.”
“What is it?”
“A lamp.”
I finally got the smithy up and running, so I’ve been hammering away at brass. It’s more about shaping it than actual smithing, to be honest. I ended up using the furnace for glassblowing instead.
I start lining up the lamps I made on the table.
There’s a portable lantern and a table lamp meant for use in a room, both with a wick design. Since rapeseed oil is dimmer than fuel alcohol, I added a shiny polished brass reflector to brighten them up.
“Glasses.”
I’ve got wine glasses, champagne flutes, and beer mugs lined up. Some are transparent, while others have colored overlays with cut designs. I got a bit carried away since I was already blowing glass.
“This one scratches easily, so I recommend using this for everyday use. Don’t put hot things in it.”
Lead glass—what you’d call crystal glass. It sparkles with a high refractive index and clarity. Supposedly, there’s no significant leaching of lead components.
Soda glass, in my understanding, is regular glass. It’s made by mixing silica sand with soda ash and lime. It’s lightweight and durable, making it suitable for everyday use.
The blue is cobalt, the sky blue is copper oxide, the deep red is copper, and the bright red is gold. I haven’t gotten the materials for purple and green yet.
Retze is frozen in a strange position, half-raising his leg and leaning back awkwardly.
“Which one will you choose?”
“Okay, I got it. I’ll call Note.”
“Why!?”
How terrible! And he probably hasn’t returned yet!
“I’ve never seen glass in colors like this!”
“No, you have. I bought the red glass. Plus, Note and Dinoss both agreed that things inside the house don’t count.”
I meet Retze’s doubtful gaze head-on. It’s true, you know?
Retze looks away and glances at the red glass I bought from Naruadeid displayed on the shelf.
“—After seeing that, the glass looks murky.”
Retze lets out a deep sigh as if he’s exhaling his frustration.
“You should probably make the living room on the second floor, right? The third floor would work too.”
Retze’s gaze shifts from the door and firewood to the items lined up on the table.
I regularly order firewood delivery, but I have them stack it outside, and I carry it down the stairs myself. However, I can’t say there won’t be sudden visitors, so it might be a good idea to turn the first floor into a workshop and move the living area upstairs.
But the second floor is already set up with furniture as a guest room, even if I don’t have any guests planned. I made the mattress on the third floor, and it was quite a hassle.
“Yeah, I’ll think about it. But wouldn’t it be inconvenient to go upstairs?”
“Many houses with stores have the living area on the first floor; it’s normal.”
I see. It’s becoming more common in Japan for living rooms to be on the second floor too. But considering the kitchen and storage, climbing the stairs might be a hassle. Alright, I’ll put a door on part of the shelf to hide it. Then I’ll place a partition right inside the door so it’s not visible immediately.
“The remaining guys from Balmoa are settling down soon; how about going together? If we open up too much, Amedeo and the others might come back.”
When Retze mentions the remaining guys, he’s, of course, talking about Rosa’s entourage.
The ones left have been sticking to the Guild lately, trying to recruit Dinoss and the others. Even though Rosa and her group managed to lure them north, it seems like Dinoss—drawn by Balmoa’s name—might be tempted to return.
“Do Dinoss and the others have plans to go into the Deep Forest?”
It could be good to go rabbit hunting with Tina, En, and Baku.
“If you say you’re going, they’ll probably join, right? What about you, Retze?”
“It depends on how far we go, but I’d just be a burden, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to tag along.”
Retze seems unenthusiastic.
“My model, my model.”
“It feels like I’m the only one risking my life; it’s unsettling.”
“Let’s babysit together, babysit.”
“Are you planning to take the kids with you?”
Retze looks exasperated, but that couple is planning a Spartan training regimen to bring the kids into the Labyrinth in two or three years, you know? They’re crossing snow-capped mountains just to come to Kanum.
They apparently didn’t pass over the summit, but they were pushing through a place where horses couldn’t cross due to lack of food, using [Storage] and Dinoss’s fire spirit for warmth.
I’d like to see a legendary adventurer’s march, but more than that, Retze’s actions are incredibly educational.
“If things go poorly, the kids might be tougher than me, strength aside.”
“You’re surprisingly childish; it’s shocking. Being around you makes things worse. Soon, Dinoss will probably be asking for stomach medicine!”
How terrible!