CH 61

When I woke up in the morning and headed to the training ground, there was…

“I’ve been waiting for you, Flora dear.”

“Geh…” I choked.

Mother was there today, too. In addition to the usual members, she’s there. It seems that she will participate in the training on days when she’s free.

I’m honestly scared. Mother’s attacks are all deadly blows that aim to kill. Just a little carelessness, a mistake, that kind of thing will make you lose your life. Even if I’m a grown-up mentally, I can’t do it easily if I’m told to recklessly plunge into a place where my life is in danger.

“Come on, Flora dear! Let’s play with Mother first, okay?!” Mother called out.

“Hiii…!” I squealed.

After this, I was extremely close to dying, but just like yesterday, Father stopped Mother’s attack mid-way, so I somehow managed to survive.

Since the life-threatening training is over, I immediately head to the kitchen. Today I have to bring a boxed lunch because of a promise I made to Mikoto. I have training every morning, so I’ve already finished the preliminary preparations that I can do yesterday. Even if I make it from now on, it will work out somehow. It’s a waste to use fire and oil only for only packing lunches.

So let’s make a little more variety for breakfast and lunch. I have lunch with Mikoto in the forest, but if I prepare lunch for my family and subordinates, someone will eat it.

I’m ready, so I’m going to make it in a jiffy. I don’t know Mikoto’s likes and dislikes, so I decide on the menu completely according to my convenience. Her features look Oriental, and she might like modern Japanese food, but I can’t reproduce it exactly.

“Flora dear, it smells good, you know,” Mother said.

“Mother……” I said.

She stares at me from outside the kitchen. Mother always eats the food I make and says it’s delicious. The cooking method and seasoning may be new in this world, but I’m teaching the recipes and processes to our Head Cook, Damian, so it should be tastier if he makes it, but I’m still happy to be complimented.

“Would you like some breakfast, Mother?” I asked.

As I do, I try to serve the French toast I made to her. But, Mother shakes her head.

“I’d like to have it with you, Flora dear,” Mother said. “Let’s eat together with Papa.”

“…… Okay.”

I appreciate Mother’s care. It’s true that she was about to kill me just now, but Mother wasn’t doing it because she wanted to kill me. Father is strict, but he always works for me. Mother always gently embraces me. I am very happy to be loved by my family.

After eating French toast with my father and mother, I immediately headed to Manor Caan. I don’t see my older brothers very often. Both of them should have returned from the royal capital now, but I wonder why we don’t see each other like this. That’s fine. This is not the time to think about my brothers.

After entering Manor Caan, I hurriedly finish my work in time for my meeting with Mikoto. Even though I wanted to leave, I can’t leave my work unfinished. I quickly finished the work that I usually finish slowly and jumped out of the office when Helmut and Isabella weren’t looking.

I’m a little behind schedule because I ate breakfast too leisurely, but it’s not like I’m going to be late. It’s enough time if I hurry up a little.

Since it’s in the forest, there are some beasts, but normal beasts don’t bother to attack me. There aren’t many monsters in this forest, so I don’t remember meeting any monsters. Monsters appear in the northeast and southwest, but for some reason, there aren’t many monsters in the northwest.

I don’t know the truth of the matter, but anecdotally, I’ve never encountered a monster while heading northwest. Conversely, when I went in the northeast direction and investigated the Dierbe River basin, I encountered a reasonable number of monsters, even though they were small, so the number of inhabitants must be quite large.

In addition to the Caanburg and Cien settlements, would it be better to extend the settlements further to the northwest? However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to extend my reach too far because of financial problems. With my current income, I can’t afford to increase the burden any further.

However, if the number of people increases and the town is developed, the tax revenue will increase as well, which will eventually lead to an overall increase in revenue. In that case, it may be better to connect even a little to future revenue growth now. But I have no income… I don’t want to borrow money and I don’t have anyone who I can borrow from.

If there is someone who would lend me money, would it be House Carruthers or the Kruck Trading Firm? But I can’t afford to owe much to either of them, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll lend me anything.

Father isn’t the kind of person who would be sweet to you just because you’re his daughter. The first time I asked him to invest was only after submitting a proper plan and judging that profits could be expected. He is not a sweet father who will give you money just because you asked for it.

The Kruck Trading Firm is also a for-profit business, so it must be the same. They won’t make unreasonable investments with no prospect of profit. If you want to solicit investment, you will have to make a plan and sell it to them to persuade them.

Also, if you borrow money from Kruck, there is a possibility that your business will be taken away as collateral if you can’t pay the loan back. If that happens, it will be difficult for me to do something next, so I won’t be able to take the risk of failure either.

Right now I’m paying for it all out of my own pocket, so I can make some bets. If this was someone else’s money and it was taken back from me, I wouldn’t be able to make bold bets like I used to. Well, for the time being, I wonder if the income will increase after the arrival of the two new ships that are currently being procured.

Demand for regular shipping routes is higher than expected, so it is highly likely that revenue will increase if new vessels are approved and the number of vessels operating increases. In the first place, in this country, or rather in medieval Europe on Earth, the majority of ships were jointly owned, so it’s quite difficult for individuals to operate freely like this.

Ships in medieval Europe were basically managed and operated by multiple merchants who invested jointly. Also, the captain is often one of the owners of the ship, and hired captains were much later. Shipyards also had ownership of the ships they built.

For this reason, most ships were jointly managed by people who could be called part-shipowners, who held a fraction, or even a tenth, of the rights to the vessel. I can’t decide how to handle the ship by myself, so there are many troubles.

Compared to that, I currently have three ships owned by House Caan, and I have applied for two additional ships, so I can freely decide how to operate the ships by myself. Since they are hired captains and sailors, there is no conflict over policy.

I wonder how long it will take to recover the initial cost of the ship if the permit for the new ship is granted…? With the current 3-ship system, the income and expenditure per ship are… but just because it’s 5 ships doesn’t mean we’re 5/3rds of the way there. It’s just a matter of distributing the customers on the shipping schedule, which is on the verge of being broken from the overdemand, so sales won’t grow significantly right away.

So then, that would…….

“Geeze! Floto! You’re late!”

“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry?” I said.

While I was thinking about it, I arrived at the meeting place before I knew it. I got scolded by Mikoto, but please wait a minute. Besides, I’m not late. I apologized unintentionally, but it’s still before the meeting time.

“Sit over there first!” Mikoto snapped.

“Yes…” I said.

For some reason, I’m sitting on the usual stone and being lectured. I don’t know why……. but Mikoto wasn’t really angry either. This is the only way we can communicate. I think this is one of Mikoto’s conversation starters. For proof, see…….

“Hey, hear this! Remember that maid at the time…” Mikoto said.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said.

I knew it. We are gradually switching to normal conversations. Mikoto, who is not cooperative, probably has a nature that makes it difficult to start a normal conversation right away. So if you listen to her for a while like this, she will speak in a good mood.

“Shall we have lunch soon?” I asked.

After listening to Mikoto’s story for a while, it became quite a pleasant chat, so I suggested that. But I didn’t miss the fact that Mikoto’s face stiffened at that moment.

“Uh… uh… um… huh?” Mikoto mumbled.

She doesn’t speak clearly while looking down and fidgeting. She had been talking until just now, but suddenly she started to stammer.

I can think of, “I forgot the lunch box”, “I forgot to make the lunch in the first place.”, “I made the lunch but I’m not confident in it.”, “I brought the lunch but someone else made it”, is this that sort of deal?

“Fufu, did you forget your lunch? Or are you not confident in it?” I said, chuckling.

Mikoto frowned! Her cheeks are puffing up. It’s cute.

“That-That’s not it! I made sure to bring it! Here…!” Mikoto yelled.

“Wah! … Then I’ll give you mine too. Here, take it,” I said.

Mikoto handed me something wrapped in cloth, I took it and gave mine in exchange. When we unwrapped each other’s boxed lunches…

“Uwah…! Did you really really make this, Floto? … Floto?” Mikoto asked.

“…………”

Mikoto is asking me something, but it doesn’t register in my head. My gaze and all my consciousness are completely focused on Mikoto’s lunch.

“Hey, this… is…, ri-… ri-… rice balls~~~~…!!!”

Yes. In Mikoto’s boxed lunch, or rather, wrapped up in the cloth, there were rice balls in a bamboo sheath. Yes! Rice balls! White rice! Cooked white rice!

“Hawah…!” I cried. “This-Thi-This! Is it okay if I eat it?!” I said.

“I-It’s fine, but what’s wrong, Floto?” Mikoto said.

Mikoto seems to be looking at me with strange eyes, but I can’t afford to worry about it. 13 years, and it’s rice for the first time in 13 years. Don’t rush. You have to take it slow, slow, and enjoy it from corner to corner!

Take a closer look first! It’s a rice ball held in a triangular shape!

And sniff! It’s cold, so it doesn’t smell like much! No wonder! It still smells faintly of rice!

And finally… finally in my mouth…

“Aahn… hah! No! I forgot about it…. itadakimasu!”

A ritual is required before eating. Once placed on your knees, put your hands together to complete the ritual. Now then! Now you are all set! Come on!

“Aahn… howah! Hawawawawaaa~! The more you bit into the salt flavor, the more the hint of sweetness spreads through with every bite… delicious!” I cried.

“Hold up…? Floto?”

Mikoto is saying something, but I can’t afford to listen. Slowly, gently chew it up. And then bring it to your mouth again. Again, I bit into the piece and my hand, chewed until it disappeared from my mouth, and finally, put the next bite in my mouth. And the rice balls that I slowly enjoyed were gone in a blink of an eye.

“Ah… I’ve already finished eating…” I said.

“…Is it okay if I talk now?” Mikoto asked.

Halfway through, Mikoto seemed to have been silently watching what I was doing and started talking to me again, so I answered her in turn.

“Thank you for the meal. Huh, what?” I asked.

“Uhm… I have a lot to ask… Floto, how do you know about rice and rice balls?” Mikoto asked.

Say what now? Of course, I’ll know that, right? It’s a staple food in Japan, isn’t it?

……No, wait, wait. I am a 13-year-old native Ploissian who lives in the Kingdom of Ploiss. Not Japanese. And there is no rice in the Kingdom of Ploiss.

I looked for it, too. If there was, I’d already have it. I even asked Victoria to look for it in other neighboring countries. But she couldn’t find it. Why is it coming from Mikoto?

First of all, it’s strange that I know rice, and it’s strange that Mikoto has rice. If you give the wrong answer here, I’ll be in trouble, right?

“Stare~…”

“………”

“Stare~~~~~…”

“………………”

Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-What should I do? I’m completely suspicious. At-At a time like this!

“Mikoto, would you like to eat my lunch too?” I asked.

“Huh?” Mikoto went.

“I’ve already received your lunch, Mikoto! So, hurry up!” I said.

“Uh, yeah…” Mikoto said.

All right! I pushed through! I’ve already eaten Mikoto’s lunch, so now I’m waiting for Mikoto to eat mine. If girls say this to each other, they should feel like they have to eat too! No, there’s no basis for just being girls! I’m just saying it in the heat of the moment!

“What is this?” Mikoto asked.

“It’s French toast,” I said.

Since I’m a girl, I think I like sweet things, so I mainly eat sweet French toast. Chicken eggs are also rare in the Kingdom of Ploiss, so they are precious.

“Ah, it’s sweet…!? Then, what is this?” Mikoto asked.

“Rolled omelets?”

Rolled omelets are also sweetened with sugar. Rolled omelets can be a side dish! Some people may say that, but girls surely like sweets.

“This is sweet too!? Then this one?”

“Croquette sandwich. It’s not sweet…” I said.

It’s a croquette sandwich, the croquette freshly fried this morning then paired with lettuce, tomato, and bread. However, it is not as soft and delicious as Japanese bread, probably because the yeast used for fermentation is different. 1 Even so, it has been improved to be softer and tastier than the standard bread of the Kingdom of Ploiss.

“So-So good~! What is this!? What is this?! This is not fair!”

While muttering something strange, Mikoto happily ate my lunch.