“Another serving!”
“Me too!”
By lunchtime, everyone is eating with incredible enthusiasm. I suppose this enormous appetite was the source of all that strength.
“““Seconds, please!”””
“All right, all right. Just give me a moment.”
Shiro and the others, who had worked so hard all morning, were lining up for more meat sandwiches as well.
Sue and the others were helping serve the food, but Shiro and the younger kids still had plenty of growing to do, so they needed to eat their fill.
“Indeed. I’ll have another serving as well.”
“Uhm… why are you here?”
“An inspection. I’m certainly not here because of the lunch.”
The Margrave replied matter-of-factly.
The one asking for his fourth meat sandwich was none other than the Margrave himself. He had just returned from a meeting with the army that had arrived from the royal capital, so today, unlike before, he had come properly riding in a carriage.
“So far, everything’s progressing smoothly.”
“We’ve been trying not to rely on our magic as much as possible.”
“Of course, the church is one thing, but rebuilding the orphanage will take several months. You and your companions won’t be staying in my domain forever. It would be irresponsible to depend on your magic for a project that the locals will have to finish themselves.”
Oh…
Even with his mouth full of a meat sandwich, the Margrave was making a very good point.
He was right. We wouldn’t be able to remain in the western frontier indefinitely. That was exactly why we were relying on the local people instead of solving everything ourselves with magic.
Even something as simple as carrying materials had become a chance to teach the rookie adventurers the proper techniques.
Things were progressing exactly as they should.
The Margrave continued,
“The only time you and your companions should step in is if one of the workers gets injured. No matter how careful people are, accidents can still happen. Naturally, it’s best if nothing goes wrong. But knowing someone capable of treating injuries is standing by gives the workers tremendous peace of mind.”
He held out his plate.
“One more, please.”
The Margrave was saying things befitting a wise ruler… but watching him reach for his fifth meat sandwich proved that some things never changed.
“I’ve already instructed my officials to inspect the other public buildings and churches for anything in need of repair. It’ll provide work during the winter months, when jobs are scarce. Of course, we’ll also have preparations for next year’s fields to keep people busy. Well then, I’d better be off.”
With that, the Margrave climbed into his carriage, casually carrying his sixth meat sandwich with him.
Well, he had come here on official business, so there was nothing wrong with him staying for lunch. I’ll let it slide.
“Man, good food really puts some strength back into you.”
“No kidding. The meals at our last job site were terrible, so the kid’s cooking stands out even more.”
After lunch, the adventurers relaxed for a while, chatting among themselves or taking short naps.
When it is time to rest, it is important to actually rest.
“How does that feel?”
“Whoa… Miss, your healing’s incredible. My injury’s already gone!”
“Having a healer this skilled on site makes a world of difference.”
After everyone had eaten, Sue went around treating the workers who had picked up minor injuries.
Just as the Margrave had said, having a capable healer nearby completely changed the atmosphere at the work site. Everyone could work with much greater peace of mind.
““Zzz… Zzz…””
As for me, after cleaning everything up, I sat down with Shiro and the others curled up on my lap.
They had thrown themselves into the morning’s work with boundless energy, so it wasn’t surprising they had worn themselves out.
In a little while, the afternoon shift would begin.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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