Chapter 197: Laundry
“Didn’t you come back late last night?”
“Yeah. I arrived at midnight and really wanted to take a bath, so I made Note push himself.”
After eating, I placed a cream puff in front of Ash, who looked a bit sleepy.
Az was happily splashing around in the water, Ryokuen was floating lazily, and Aoshizuku was half-dissolved in the water, which was a bit startling. I checked on the three of them and poured myself a refill.
“By the way, Note mentioned we had a guest. We can’t stay too long, can we? Was it alright to have breakfast together?”
I couldn’t leave a guest unattended for too long.
“The guest is Lilith—a woman you met at the tailor, Jean. We’re on friendly terms, and more importantly, she’s still asleep, so there’s no need to worry.”
Lilith was the one with the red-haired knight’s outfit, who had given me a ring and told me to come to her if I ever needed help.
“Did your friend come along out of concern?”
“Yeah. She was a friend, but she’s about to become my mother-in-law.”
“Huh?”
“She’s going to marry my father.”
“Uh, wasn’t she a bit older than you?”
“Yeah, she’s two years older.”
I almost wanted to comment on the prevalence of age-gap marriages here. Not to mention, nobles sometimes marry off their children before they’re even born, skipping the engagement stage altogether… They grow up under their parents’ roof but can’t marry anyone else because they’re already promised to someone.
In this world, stability in life and the household takes precedence over love or romance. To put it bluntly, just staying alive is the top priority. In places like Naruadeid, where the Hero resides, or areas far from demon beasts, things have loosened up a bit, but still…
“What about your brother-in-law?”
“He doesn’t have Adelheid’s blood and was found to be from a neighboring country with ties to an enemy nation, so he was punished. He seemed to have done thorough research on our country and had meticulously prepared, and it turns out there were more than just one or two infiltrators. There were quite a few among the populace inciting trouble.”
From what I gathered about Ash’s family, the current head of the Adelheid family is supposedly incredibly strong in battle. It seems they plotted to eliminate him before a war broke out, and since Ash was already showing promise with the Spirit at his side, he was also driven away.
The current head must be far stronger than Ash. Apparently, there’s a very capable deputy who assists him during work.
Is it like, when a battle breaks out, they just let the head loose on a leash? Only for the places they want to wipe out, of course?
“Mmm, strawberries…”
Ash started eating happily, so I stopped my questions and poured him more tea.
We’ll talk more later. I sent the sleepy Ash outside. It seems he woke up early just to see me. Seeing his face eased my mind, and he said he would sleep a bit more.
Reed is staying at the rented house where Chris is. They probably drank last night, so it should be quiet here today.
“Jean.”
“Hmm?”
As I placed my hand on the door to leave after promising to meet again tonight, Ash turned back. He hesitated for a moment before opening his arms. At this distance, we could each take a step forward.
“Welcome back.”
“I’m home.”
He patted my back—well, I think he kind of ruffled the back of my head instead—but we exchanged a brief, affectionate hug before parting ways.
Ash seemed to have lost a bit of weight again, and he felt a bit softer. I didn’t expect a sweet, comic-like atmosphere, but it was enough for me. I returned home to clean up the dishes and decided to tidy up a bit while I was at it.
I peeled off the cushion covers for the daifuku and tossed them into a laundry bag, then took it downstairs, running water in the bath and kitchen to finish up. If left unused, the plumbing water evaporates, causing unpleasant odors to rise, so I needed to prevent that.
Afterward, I headed to the third floor to start making furniture, beginning with a large but simple shelf. I should probably go buy some wood soon—maybe I could gather it myself? I can’t use it right away since it needs to be dried, but it seems I’ll be making various things in the future.
Later, I should research the types of wood and where to find good timber. I’ve appraised various stones, but I’ve only looked at a few types of wood so far. If I could check out the desks of the important figures in Naruadeid, I could probably cover the high-quality furniture woods.
According to Soleil, there’s a bit of competition in various areas like furniture and clothing. It’s not just about appearances; it’s also a way to showcase that their trading company can procure excellent items.
The island’s buildings, which use a lot of glass, are said to be a great advertisement. Once I start making blue cloth, I plan to create flags and banners to decorate various parts of the buildings.
Soleil said I could do whatever I wanted with my trading company, but for national transactions, stability comes first. I’ve asked that, except for short-term irregularities, no single trading partner exceeds ten percent of our dealings.
It seems the island has become quite famous in Naruadeid, but I haven’t. Even if Soleil denies being my representative, it seems she’s been swapped out as the lord without anyone noticing. The term “lord” comes up, but they don’t delve into it much.
It’s strange that while people ask about the buildings and products, they show little interest in their owners or origins. Soleil and Kingin found it puzzling. It seems that even with all this flashiness, my ability to remain inconspicuous surpasses it. What a relief.
In addition, I diligently worked on naming the spirits of the sea and wind, the high waves, whirlpools, storms, and thunderstorms. If the Hero were to sail south, I asked for storms during the rainy season and calm weather during the sunny season.
I made sure to do this from afar, from the vast sky, the deep sea, and places unseen by the Hero. Not every day, just enough to avoid being too unnatural.
Even without asking, due to the effects of Severance, spirits can’t come to where I am, and my information shouldn’t reach them either, but just in case. There might be pirates or others, so I thought I could ask them to stir up waves or create mist in emergencies.
When I asked about sea travel, stories about bug-infested biscuits and familiar lice came up, and it became clear that my sister absolutely would not board a ship. I didn’t want to either.
For now, as long as I don’t have someone with [Storage] by my side, it seems unlikely that the three of us Japanese will embark on a long journey by land or sea.
The local hygiene standards are on my side.
Commoners don’t have multiple outfits and wear what they have until it’s worn out, while the wealthy wear expensive silk and such. However, since washing them in hard water ruins them, they generally don’t wash their clothes, which is a troublesome choice.
Ah, no good. Just thinking about it makes me itch. For now, I should gather Dean and the others and get them washed.