Chapter 40: The Villainous Aristocrat realizes that there is no rice even after making a rice cooker.

I’ve finished buying up slaves and preparing the territory.

Now all that’s left is to wait for summer vacation. However, there’s still something I need to do.

“Hmm. What are you making, Kuno-Kuno?”

“Teeheehee, I’m making a rice cooker… well, I’m in the middle of making it.”

“Hmm. A rice cooker?”

I was in the S-class classroom, working on making a rice cooker.

It was lunch break. Kotori was watching my work with keen interest.

In the Draussen territory, on the other side of the sea, there are several ways to enjoy seafood.

Sashimi for fish, pot grilling for shellfish, and boiling with salt for crustaceans, and so on.

However, there’s one way of eating that I absolutely must not forget.

I clenched my fist and passionately declared:

“Seafood bowl!! The ultimate dish where you can enjoy all sorts of ocean treasures on a single plate!! That’s the idea.”

“Hmm. That’s quite passionate.”

Well, it’s true.

If I were just cooking rice, the facilities in this world would be sufficient. However, there’s nothing near the coastline of the Draussen territory, where we’ll be enjoying the seafood bowl.

Even for cooking rice on the spot, a magical device like a rice cooker is absolutely necessary.

“Like this, and like this, and there!!”

In the commonly seen, major-shaped rice cookers, the inner pot and the main body can be separated.

I’ve enchanted the bottom of the main body with fire magic, and it will stop automatically after a certain amount of time.

“I need to cook rice once to adjust the heat!”

“Hmm. Rice? Where is it?”

“…Eh? Oh!”

I forgot.

The staple food in the Kingdom of Gardanakia is bread and wheat. Rice is not circulated in this country.

“I’m done.”

I collapse onto my knees, feeling a sense of despair.

That’s right.

It’s pointless to make a rice cooker when there’s no rice.

Wait a minute, though. There is wheat in the kingdom. Wheat is also a respectable grain, and perhaps it could be a substitute for rice in the seafood bowl.

But still…

“I want to eat a seafood bowl with white rice…”

Tears welled up in my eyes.

I can’t believe I forgot about the lack of ingredients.

“Huh. Is it something worth crying over?”

“…Yeah.”

“Hmm. Then, shall I have it sent from my hometown?”

Kotori said in a fluster,

“…I see. Kotori’s hometown is…”

“Hmm. It’s a country in the Far East. White rice is expensive, but it’s not unavailable.”

“…Will it arrive before summer vacation?”

“Hmm. I think it will arrive before summer vacation.”

“…Seriously?”

“Hmm. Seriously. I don’t lie—!?”

I tightly squeezed Kotori’s hand and stood up from the spot.

“Thank you!! Kotori!! I won’t forget this favor!!”

“Hmm, hmm. Kuno-kuno is exaggerating.”

“No, it’s really important to me. Thank you so much!! If there’s anything I can do for you, just tell me!!”

If it’s Kotori, I might be willing to sell magical tools with low potential for weapon conversion.

For now, my customers are only Freya and Maria, and my wallet is quite thin. 

Having more sources of income wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Huh? Why charge for a thank-you gift, you ask?

Well, you don’t know what that Kansai dialect lady might start saying if I just gave it to her for free!

She’ll definitely come saying, ‘Hey, give it to me for free too.’ I can easily imagine that.

And then, it happened.

A thud echoed from the direction of the classroom entrance, the sound of a dropped textbook.

Looking, I saw Eleanor trembling violently.

“ Kunou-kun, Lady Kotori, what…?”

“Hm? Ah, just a little promise.”

“A promise… between a man and a woman… holding hands, and then a promise on top of that!? C-could it be, is it, something like that…?”

Eleanor paused for a moment and approached Kotori, giving her shoulder a pat.

“Lady Kotori, may I have a word?”

“!? Uh, um. Noah-noah, you’re kinda scary. Did I do something?”

“No, not at all. It’s nothing, hehehe.”

Taking Kotori with her, Eleanor left the classroom.

Viola, who had been standing behind Eleanor, looked at me and let out a deep sigh.

“Really, you’re quite… Well, this time it’s more the intensity of Her Royal Highness’s assumptions at fault.”

“Huh? What?”

“It’s nothing. Anyway, it seems you’ve become a baron.”

Viola changed the topic of conversation.

“I heard you were granted a territory.”

“Ah, the Draussen Territory. It’s needlessly vast, and maintenance must be quite a challenge.”

“I see. If you encounter any troubles, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“What?”

“…What’s with that look?”

Well, I mean, come on? Even if Viola suddenly tells you to rely on her, you’d be surprised, right?

“…Thanks to you, I survived during the outdoor class. So, it’s a token of gratitude and, um, an apology for hitting you.”

“Ah, about when I asked if you were a woman…”

“H-hey, never mention that story again!! If anyone hears about it, you won’t get away with it for free!!”

Leaving behind these parting words, Viola chased after Eleanor.”

Why is she hiding the fact that she’s a girl, I wonder? Family circumstances, perhaps? Well, it’s none of my business. I won’t worry about it.

“…It’s peaceful”

I murmured, swaying with the pleasant breeze flowing in through the window.

In this world, chaos was supposed to ensue a few years later due to the existence of the Demon King. 

However, now, the soul of that Demon King was sealed within the reincarnated person, Ayano.

It’s almost like an ending.

But there were still many things I didn’t understand. 

Why was Ayano, who became the Demon King, enslaved? What was the true identity of the person Mevius mentioned? 

I had no idea what was happening within the Demon King’s army, or what would happen in the future. 

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder, what was the cause of this drastic change in the scenario?

Undoubtedly, it’s not me. I mean, I haven’t done anything.

Sure, I might have told Aslan about the Goblin King, and I accidentally killed Kerbek who was trying to abduct Eleanor.

But changing such small events shouldn’t make any difference.

“…Could it be, like the butterfly effect?”

I wonder if the small things I did have drastically changed the scenario of this world’s game.

Taking a moment to reflect, I nodded.

“No, that’s not it. Yeah. I’m not at fault.”

Even if something happened because of me, I didn’t need to know.

I just wanted a peaceful and comfortable life.

I’ll remove whatever becomes an obstacle, but I won’t do more than that.

I’ll always remain a background character.

The protagonist in this world is the hero. Let the reincarnated person who became her handle it.

“Oh, right, I haven’t had lunch.”

I hurriedly made my way to the cafeteria.

And finally, the long-awaited summer vacation has arrived!!

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