Chapter 487: Jurisdiction
As I waited for Soleil to wake up, the sun began to set.
“Nii-sama,” Grandfather called out, arriving with Orlando and the gardener, Charles.
It seemed they had been checking the damaged magic circles together. The overall defense of the plaza and town fell under Kiel’s jurisdiction, but within that, the disruption of enemies using magic circles and garden trees was under the control of Grandfather and Charles.
Initially, there was a layout for the buildings, but it appeared they had even gone so far as to modify the structures to use the magic circles more efficiently.
“Good evening, sorry for the commotion. Is the plaza alright?”
“We lost a few, but this area is thriving, so we managed…” Charles replied with a troubled smile.
“We need to replace the magic circles immediately. However, if we keep carving into the stones, they might break again, and that would be the same issue. I’m pondering what to do,” Grandfather responded.
“I don’t think the Dragon will come again…”
Normally, the large stones used for construction don’t break easily. Maybe one spot could crack, but they shouldn’t shatter like that.
“Is that so?”
Grandfather, please don’t furrow your brows! It’s troubling to see you look so sad!
“Master…”
Orlando, looking equally troubled, represented the voice of common sense. Thank you for confirming that my instincts were right.
“If they do come, it would be a problem. But we must prepare a defense in case they do…”
What kind of defenses is Kiel planning?
“What are we fighting against…?”
“Anything that might come,” Auro replied with a smile to my murmured question.
At those words, Kiel knelt beside Auro with an unusually serious expression, while Faramia nodded with a friendly smile at Charles. —Is the world, in a changeling-like way, our enemy!?
“Ah. Let’s not be too aggressive, okay? We don’t want to trouble the ordinary residents, right?”
At this point, feel free to deal with any enemies that come onto the island.
Changeling treatment by humans has been poor since ancient times, and it seems my dislike for people runs much deeper than I thought.
“Of course. For those who treat us normally, we will respond in kind,” Auro said with a smile.
“Well then, shall we eat?”
Soleil still hasn’t woken up.
“Absolutely!”
“Yeah! Bring on the snacks!”
The twins looked delighted, while Faramia offered a faint smile and bowed her head.
“May I join as well?”
“Of course. Do we have enough chairs for everyone here? If not, we can manage standing. I’ll whip something up.”
Grandfather Paorul and Orlando are welcome too. Charles as well. However, the kitchen in the tower is too cramped for this many people.
If we eat there, it seems like Soleil’s time of unconsciousness will only extend.
“I’ll help,” Auro said, following me.
The [Storage]—ah, I must have been found out when I made the rooftop bath. Since we have a contract, I’ll just ignore it if I mess around in front of Auro.
“For now, how about grilled meat? Can you chop the vegetables?”
If we go for barbecue, it’ll take too long to cook… I have this image that the difference between grilled meat and barbecue is the thickness of the meat.
“How finely should I prepare them?”
“Ah, just like this, please.”
I demonstrated by slicing onions into rings, chopping cabbage haphazardly, and cutting eggplant and corn. The shishito peppers and shiitake mushrooms can stay whole.
“Understood.”
Auro began working with a smile.
He doesn’t seem like he cooks much, but he’s a capable guy, so if he has a model to follow, he’ll replicate it perfectly. Probably?
Everyone seems skilled with knives, but I wonder why… I’ve only seen Soleil use a paper knife.
The Spirits fluttered around, watching with keen interest, while I also got to work.
I should bring out some Dragon Meat. If I don’t break down the red one, it’ll be gone soon. I’ve already donated most of it to the Earth Folk.
Next, cold noodles—since it’s made from wheat starch, it’ll be Morioka Cold Noodles. While the water boils, I take out some boiled eggs from [Storage] and peel them. Smoothly done.
I’ll make the soup and chill it, and once the noodles are boiled, I’ll cool them down in ice water. Of course, the ice will come from [Storage], but should I create a magic circle for an ice maker?
I’ve made bowls and boxes for cooling, but I’d like ice on hand too. Even if I ask the Spirits for help, the ones good at making ice tend to be in cold places. If I’m going to go to a cold place, it’d be less of a hassle to just cut out natural ice.
I’ve already got Rishu helping me with ice-making, so I feel bad asking for more.
I piled the unusually uniform cucumbers and green onions that Auro had cut onto the cold noodles, adding boiled eggs, char siu, and kimchi. A sprinkle of white sesame seeds.
“Done. Can you carry this?”
I prepared the serving tray and the essentials for grilling.
I have a feeling that everyone close to me on this island has already figured it out, but I still took out charcoal, a grill, and a fire stand from [Storage] inside the tower.
“Yes, my lord.”
Auro, happily munching on a leftover piece of char siu, beamed at me with a radiant smile. What a waste of good looks!