CH 188

When I was planning to inspect by myself, I had thought of going to the Welzel River while confirming the excavation route from the Aster River and then coming back. However, this time it was a picnic with everyone, so I couldn’t just examine the path and leave.

We decided to have the surveyors, master craftsmen, and officials go to the Welzel River to investigate, and we decided to turn back to the Aster River on the way. We’ve been working for half of the time till noon, so if we spend the rest of the time on the return trip, we should be able to get back to the Aster River around noon.

If you think I’m slacking off work just because I want to have a picnic with the others, you’re making a big mistake. Anyway, even if I follow the Welzel River, I won’t know anything technical. As ideas and knowledge, there is knowledge of modern Japan. I can give some advice on that aspect, but I don’t know what kind of things this country can and can’t do with the technology level of this era.

Thinking about such things is the job of specialists, and all I have to do is give a little advice and opinions, make final decisions, and execute budgets. Everyone would be annoyed if a boss who didn’t know much about the work site came and gave them all sorts of instructions on how to do their jobs, right? It’s the same thing.

So I never play around. If I leave it to the professionals and receive a report later and make the final decision, my role will be properly fulfilled… let’s just say.

No, this is not fine! I want to have a little picnic with everyone! I want to play according to my age too! I’m an old man on the inside, but I want to hang out with young girls! I’m on vacation so I can’t get bogged down like this!

“Hey, Flora, what’s going on with you all of a sudden?” Mikoto asked.

“It’s her usual seizures,” Katharina said. “Please just leave her alone.”

Hey! Katharina! How cruel can you be!? Mikoto also seems to be amazed rather than worried. What heartless friends…

Well, that’s fine. Instead, let’s enjoy the picnic now.

“Well, moving on, everyone, we can now see the Aster River,” I said. “Let’s lay out some blankets here and have lunch.”

I ignore Mikoto and Katharina’s badmouthing me and find a spot that looks good for a picnic. I had a certain amount of prospective candidates as I walked earlier, so I didn’t have to rush to look for one.

Trees grow on a slightly raised piece of land next to the river. I decided to have lunch while looking at the river by spreading a leisure sheet to use the shade of the trees. I’m sure we’ve brought sunshade sheets and beach umbrellas, but it’s a bit too much work to put up a sunshade sheet. It would be good to use something like a beach umbrella for the section that exceeds the range of the shade.

Even on Earth, ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome had parasols. However, due to the decline of civilization after Rome and the shortness of daylight hours, it gradually fell out of use in Western Europe until about the 17th century. Even in the Kingdom of Ploiss, I have hardly seen a parasol being used. In Ploiss, you don’t put up a parasol to protect when it’s sunny, but protection from filth. 1 So I made myself a parasol. What I’m bringing now is a beach umbrella, one of Caanza’s products.

As for me, I have no intention of forcibly spreading the parasol, nor do I have any intention of selling it. That’s why even at Caanza, parasols and beach parasols are two of those products that hardly sell. After all, I made this because I wanted to use it myself, so I’m not disappointed if it doesn’t sell!

What am I saying? Well, if I really want to make a profit, there are many ways to sell other things, so I really don’t intend to sell that much. It’s just for my use. Besides, I don’t think it’s good to expose my skin too much because I’m very fair-skinned. That’s why I usually wear satin gloves and don’t show much bare skin. It’s not because I don’t like men looking at my skin.

“What’s for lunch today?” Mikoto asked. “I always look forward to your cooking, Floto.”

“Fufu, thank you very much for that. Then enjoy the meal,” I said.

I sat down on the blanket laid out by my House Servants and the guards and spread out my packed lunch. Everyone is concentrating on the box with the lid open. If they’re looking forward to it so much, it’s worth making it. If it’s something like this, I should have made a better dish. I’m a little sorry that they’re expecting so much because I had to suddenly prepare a lunch box this morning.

“I’m sorry if it doesn’t meet your high expectations because I just made it this morning…” I said.

“Wow! What is this? It’s amazing!” Louisa cried.

Louisa… isn’t it weird if you don’t know what it is but you say it’s amazing anyway?

“Yeah. It looks delicious. You’ll be an excellent wife, Floto,” Claudia said.

“Ah… thank you…” I said.

I should be happy, right… but for Claudia, I’m the bride…? From my point of view, I’m the husband and everyone else are the brides, but…

“What is this? How do you eat it?” Alexandra asked.

“Aah…” I said, “this is called a ‘sandwich.’ Hold it like this… and then bite into it.”

I take one egg sandwich and bite it as it is so that I can show it to Alexandra. Everyone goes “Oooh!” and shouts in delight. Are you really so surprised?

“Then I’ll have this one!” Mikoto said, taking a cutlet sandwich.

“And I’ll take this one,” Claudia said, taking a salad sandwich.

“Umm… I’m…” Louisa said, at a loss for what to do.

“It’s not like there’s one piece per person or one type… please eat as much as you like…” I said.

When I said that, everyone started reaching out to various baskets. Apparently, they thought that if they picked from one basket, that was for them. There were various ways of eating, such as those who stretched out their hands to explore all the kinds after hearing that they could take whatever they wanted from the lineup, and those who carefully selected what to eat at their own pace.

I prepared it in a hurry this morning, so I thought I’d make a simple sandwich at first. But depending on what fillings there are, it takes time and effort. It takes some time and effort to boil and smash eggs for egg sandwiches, but fried food is not that much in comparison. It was a mistake to think that I would make a cutlet sandwich anyway.

In order to fry the cutlet, it takes time and effort to prepare it, and it takes time and firewood to heat the oil. In this world, using a large amount of firewood is a luxury, and deep-fried food is not something that can be done so easily.

In addition to three types of sandwiches, egg, salad, and cutlet, there are also other side dishes available. Since I had to heat the oil to fry the cutlet, I ended up doing even more unnecessary things.

It’s fried chicken and French fries.

I’ve made fried chicken before, but pepper was precious, and I didn’t have soy sauce, so I made it with fish sauce. But now we have soy sauce, mirin, and pepper. So since I had the ingredients, I made fried chicken and french fries… I didn’t even prepare in advance, so if I made it, it’s only natural that my departure will be delayed…

“What is this?”

“It’s fried chicken,” I said. “Please use these skewers to take some and eat it.”

I take one by pricking it with a toothpick. A toothpick or a skewer… it doesn’t matter which one, but I made it easy for you to eat it with your hands or a toothpick today. That’s what sandwiches and fries are for.

“Hey! Delicious! Is this soy sauce?” Mikoto asked.

She must have noticed. Soy sauce and mirin, along with pepper, are soaked in ginger and garlic purchased in the royal capital and then mixed in a batter using potato starch… well, it’s not potato starch, exactly, but it functions the same… and then it’s deep fried.

Yes! It is almost the same as modern fried chicken. The taste and quality of the food were the same as that of the person who cooked it, hence it’s still an amateur’s work, but in terms of raw ingredients, it’s reached a level that’s not too different from modern Japan’s ingredients.

Considering the early days, the ingredients have improved considerably. Pepper, ginger, and garlic just happened to be available this time, but it doesn’t mean that a stable supply or procurement route has been established. So this time it’s special. I don’t know when the next time I’ll have all these ingredients. That’s why it’s deep-fried and yet more deep-fried things for me.

“Then this one… is it sweet potato? This is also delicious!” Mikoto said.

As soon as I thought of reaching for the French fries, everyone started eating them. French fries were also made thanks to the availability of pepper.

I will also share a little with the escorts and House Servants. If you want to make enough to satisfy everyone, you will have to make a tremendous amount. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or the resources to spare, so it was just a sample. Even so, everyone seemed to be satisfied, and the boxed lunch was empty in no time.

I thought the amount was too much for a part of mostly girls, but everyone who ate up all the boxed lunches was taking a break while looking at the smooth-flowing Aster River. The cool breeze blows through the shade of the trees and parasols, making it comfortable.

“Now then!” Mikoto said. “Let’s play in the water!”

“Huh…?” I asked.

Mikoto is still… a really mischievous princess. Even in the Demon Country, there are aspects where is like a princess in her behavior. Supremacy through might! It’s not such a violent world…

“That sounds nice! I used to play in the stream, too!” Louisa said.

“Louisa… the size of the Aster River and that stream are different…” I said.

Certainly, Louisa would often play in the stream that ran next to the farm north of Carruzan. But that stream and the Aster River are different in scale. No matter how much you have played in that stream, it’s hard to drown, but drowning accidents can happen in the Aster River.

“Well, don’t be so strict about that,” Louisa said.

“Come on, Miss Flora, let’s go,” Katharina said.

“Huh…?” I asked.

Pushed by everyone, I went to the river bank. Christa is there, too, so I have to be careful about accidents.

“Helmut, Christa must not have an accident,” I said. “If anything happens to her, we will protect her, okay?”

“Understood,” Helmut said.

Will it be fine…? It’s even worse not to do anything just because it could be dangerous. Don’t let your child use dull scissors just because they could be dangerous. It’s a famous saying.

“Here…!” Mikoto yelled, entering the water and trying to splash at me.

“Oop!” I said as I dodged.

Of course, there’s no way I’d be exposed to such an attack. When I quickly dodged, Mikoto puffed out her cheeks.

“Why are you dodging!?” she yelled.

“Wouldn’t I get wet if you splashed me…?” I asked.

I would avoid that…. why do you have to douse yourself with water even though you know you will get wet?

“An opening!” Claudia said, scooping up water from the side and splashing it over me while I was facing Mikoto.

“It is not,” I said, quickly dodging again as I couldn’t let that happen.

Claudia was also puffing out her cheeks now.

“How about this?” Louisa said, trying to splash me.

“No good, too,” I said.

Even her now. Why are you all trying to splash water on me.”

“Miss Flora, forgive me…” Katharina said.

“Don’t tell me you’re joining in…” I said.

Katharina, too? Are they all my enemies?

“Everyone, we shouldn’t be bullying Flora so much,” Alexandra said. “Right? Now…!”

“Alexandra…”

Alexandra is my only ally. It’s no good if we think that I’m the only target. And right as she said all that, she tried to splash me, too. Are they all enemies after all?

“If you go that far, you are prepared to be counterattacked, right?” I said.

“Wait… hold… Flora.”

“He~eeey, calm down a little, okay?”

“Ahaha~…”

“I had nothing to do with this…”

“Flora, you’re misunderstanding this.”

What is the misunderstanding? It’s a big mistake to think that you can attack one-sidedly and not be open to counterattacks. I’ll show you how serious I am.

“No discussions here!”

“”””Kya~~~~!””””

I entered the shallow part of the river and splashed water on everyone. There was no way they could escape from my aim, and everyone was soaking wet.

“Wait! Flora! You’re overdoing it!”

“We’re all going to fight back.”

“Ahaha…!”

Maybe because everyone got wet, they splashed more water on each other. Ah… this is it. Isn’t this exactly what “tee-hee, haha” time is? It’s good to run on the sandy beach and chase each other, but this is also good. It’s not the sea, it’s a river, but that’s what I was looking for.

My reincarnation… I’m glad I came to the picnic with everyone. I truly enjoyed the moment.