Chapter 490: That Meat
Since Soleil collapsed, we decided to disperse. It seemed like Orlando-kun was also secretly out of sorts.
Soleil lay on the ground, and Kiel… no, four guards carrying a stretcher appeared, with Faramia skillfully placing him onto it.
“Excuse me,” she said, bowing before the stretcher and accompanying it back to the residence.
“Wait!” Kiel exclaimed, hurriedly stacking the plates in front of him and gathering the tongs and forks. He then chased after Faramia.
Kiel, come on, you can do better! But I have to admit, cleaning up like that is pretty commendable. By the way, Faramia isn’t keeping a stretcher on hand just for Soleil, right? Should we make a proper litter instead?
“It seems we don’t need to call for security,” Auro began to say but then stopped.
Before calling for security, I had already summoned a zabuton to come and pick up Orlando-kun. I transferred a bit of magic power to the zabuton and the Wind Spirit.
The zabuton lifted Orlando-kun slightly and spun around in a greeting. With Orlando-kun face down and the zabuton underneath him, his limbs dangled, making him look like a rag doll when it spun.
It felt like his stomach was the pivot point, and I thought he might get sick, but well, it’s just a spin… Lying on his back wouldn’t be stable, so I hoped he wouldn’t give up.
“Ugh…” Orlando-kun groaned, and the zabuton slowed down, as if startled.
It’s fine, he won’t get dizzy from just one spin—at least, I think so. Probably just waking up a bit from the swaying.
“Could it be that there’s a spirit here…?” The old man stared intently at the floating Orlando-kun.
“Oh, right!” I remembered I was going to show him the magic circle.
“What is it?” he asked.
“A magic circle that temporarily allows you to see spirits.”
“Oh!?” The old man was surprised.
I had created it based on a magic circle from the temple where the old man used to be, which allowed him to see the spirit that was attached to him. I researched and made it in the Spirit Library.
“It’s designed to channel magic power from here. Use it when you’re settled down.” I hoped he could enjoy a concert with Haniwa and the spirits.
“Indeed, since it’s a special occasion, I shall use it with the ‘Spirit’s Branch,'” he said, bowing with the magic circle cradled in one hand, then turned to leave with the zabuton carrying Orlando-kun.
“I’ll wash this and return it to the storage shelves. Leave the cleanup to me, and have a good rest,” Auro said, looking at the table.
The meat and vegetables had all been cleaned up, leaving behind the dishes Kiel had gathered and the smoldering fire stand, along with the napkins Faramia had provided. Even during our conversation, there had been a quiet struggle over the meat and vegetables.
“I’ll help too,” Charles said with a bright smile as he began to carry away the plates.
“Ah, thanks.” I wondered just how much a Changeling’s stomach could hold as I used Teleportation.
When I arrived at the House, Rishu came running toward me with a smile, the kind you’d expect from a dog. But as he reached my feet, his smile vanished, and he began sniffing the ground with a serious expression. We had grilled meat, so there must be a mix of various scents.
Satisfied, Rishu looked up at me. That was my cue to start petting him, and we began to play. We tugged at each other and chased around, finishing off with some brushing.
I brewed some coffee and, for the first time in a while, resumed the Spirit Naming I had entrusted to the Spirit Note. Tomorrow, I planned to name the Black Spirit deep in the Demon Forest, but since Kokuzan-chan had such a big heart and had even made the Black Spirit her retainer, the balance was tricky.
Kokuzan was the main body, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the treetops were like Kokuzan-chan’s womb. Everything within belonged to her. She contained it all. Though it seemed that anything particularly unpleasant got tossed out.
Maybe I should do a few more normal spirit namings before resuming that. Alright, tomorrow I’ll head east of the Land of Mail. Hm, Mail?
Oh. I forgot to tell Soleil about the wheat. The area that became my territory managed to survive this year’s lack of rain thanks to the tomatoes, but the rest was still heavily affected by the drought.
The large amount of wheat I received from Mail should ensure that there won’t be a poor harvest on my island, so it’s best to send it out now. I’ll keep a little for myself, of course.
So, it’s been a series of days on the island.
“The finest Mail wheat…” Soleil, looking a bit tired but still glossy and moist thanks to the Dragon Meat, was examining the sample of wheat on the desk in the office.
A sheet of glass was placed on the desk to prevent scratches. After shouting not to touch the Earth Folk’s desk, it seemed he had ended up with his cheek pressed against the tabletop and couldn’t pull away. He was also cautious about opening the drawers, and at the end of the day, he would wipe it down with a soft cloth.
The residence also had my office, where a desk made by the Earth Folk sat proudly. It was a magnificent piece with drawers on both sides. But I had no plans to use it.
Since I wouldn’t be using it anyway, I had it turned into a semi-basement room. It was directly beneath Soleil’s office, with a small room in between. Somehow, a staircase had appeared connecting it to the materials room next to Soleil’s office, which also served as Faramia’s waiting room. I guess it’s on the first floor? The small room in between was quite cramped, with a low ceiling, but it seemed to be a hidden room where I could listen to conversations from Soleil’s office.
My room has a long, narrow window at the top, but it faces north, making it a bit dark. The hidden room doesn’t have a low ceiling, so it feels more spacious. I should get a lampshade made by the Earth Folk to put in the office. It would give the room a villainous vibe—
“I’ll sell this Mail wheat at a high price and use the proceeds to procure regular wheat to distribute to areas suffering from food shortages. Can we have the Mail wheat loaded onto the ship docked at Naruadeid?” Soleil said, as if she had come up with a plan while I was lost in thought.
“Got it.” There’s too much to fit in the tower’s storage anyway.
“And…”
“Yeah?” I waited for Soleil’s next words.
“My body feels so light! Including me, my weight has dropped to an unbelievable extent!?” Soleil shouted.
“Oh. It seems that Dragons are inseparable from the Wind Spirit.” The black one didn’t seem to fly, so the effect might be negligible.
“Rather than my weight dropping, maybe I feel like I’m floating? And I feel sturdier, like I’ve gained stamina? I think the effect will wear off eventually, though.” I wasn’t sure, but that seemed likely.
“Ugh. Just how many ships could that meat have bought…?” Soleil lamented.
I think it’s already been digested, so just give it up.