Category: Isekai Nonbiri Sanpo Tabi

Click.

The carriage door swung open, and two middle-aged women stepped out.

I had never seen either of them before.

But…

That hair color…

The two women preparing lunch had noticed them as well.

“Casey.”

“Telma!”

“M-Mother…? Why are you here in the Margrave’s territory?”

“What happened?”

As I’d suspected, the two women were Casey-san’s and Telma-san’s mothers.

The sudden appearance of their mothers left both Casey-san and Telma-san frozen in place, still clutching their ladles.

“Hm. I was hoping for a touching family reunion. But it seems the surprise was a little too effective.”

The Margrave spoke with a satisfied nod.

“Well, that’s natural. Their mothers were supposed to be in the Royal Capital. Anyone would freeze if they suddenly appeared right in front of them.”

Thud!

“Guh…!”

Just then, the Margrave and Emilia-sama stepped out of the carriage.

So this surprise reunion had been the Margrave’s idea all along huh.

Emilia-sama’s merciless elbow drove straight into his ribs, and the Margrave doubled over in pain.

“Shun, Sue, Toria—I’ll leave things here in your hands.”

“O-of course. Shiro, could you help serve the food?”

“““Okay!”””

I’d already planned to take care of serving lunch anyway, so Emilia-sama hardly needed to ask.

The moment I called for Shiro, Fran and Horn—who had already finished eating—hurried over as well.

Well, all they had to do was carry the prepared dishes to everyone, so even the two of them could manage that.

“Mother… thank you for coming all this way.”

“We were told someone connected to the royal capital would be visiting, but… I never imagined it would be you.”

“How could I stay away? When I heard my daughter was in trouble, my feet carried me here before I even realized it.”

“And we’ve already heard most of what happened. You two have been through so much.”

““Mother…””

The two women could no longer hold back their tears. Watching them, I couldn’t help but think just how comforting a mother’s embrace could be.

Their mothers quietly wrapped them in warm, reassuring hugs. There was no doubt they had countless things they wanted to say to one another.

Sensing that, Emilia-sama gently ushered the two families toward the carriage, giving them a private place to catch up.

“The reinforcements from the royal capital arrived a little earlier than expected. (Munch, munch). Since they were already here, we thought it would be a good opportunity for everyone to meet sooner rather than later. (Munch, munch).”

The Margrave explained between mouthfuls.

“Sir, I think I understand the situation now… so could you please stop helping yourself to my food?”

As he casually sampled the bowl of soup I’d served for myself, the Margrave explained why he’d come.

From what I could gather, the situation had grown far beyond a dispute involving a few nobles. With a criminal organization now implicated as well, it had become a major incident—serious enough that the Royal Capital had rushed additional forces to the frontier.

“In any case, we still need to discuss what comes next. But for the time being, nothing changes for you and your companions. This is a matter for the Margrave of the Western Frontier, House Naska, and House Franz to resolve. (Munch, munch).”

“Which is exactly why, Sir, you can stop looking so pleased with yourself… and stop stealing my lunch.”

Watching the Margrave proudly finish off his second bowl of my soup, I could only slump my shoulders in defeat.

Still… I sincerely hope things would turn out well for all three noble houses.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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A week had passed since the demolition of the orphanage began. The roof and walls had already been removed, and the workers were now dismantling the support pillars and flooring.

“Hey, kid. These pillars are still usable. If we cut away the rotten sections, the rest of the wood is perfectly sound. We’ll haul everything over to the woodworking shop later.”

One of the adventurers called out.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. We’re the type who hate letting good materials go to waste. If it helps the orphanage, everyone’s happy to lend a hand.”

Thanks to the cooperation of the adventurers at the demolition site, a respectable amount of usable timber had been salvaged. Some of it would be reused by combining shorter pieces together—for example, as table legs or parts of new furniture.

Even the children from the orphanage eagerly joined in, offering ideas on how the reclaimed wood could be put to good use.

“Pull the ropes tight!”

““Yes, sir!”””

Work on the church had progressed just as steadily. The old floorboards had all been removed, and the cleaning was complete. Inside the church, measurements were being taken so the new timber could be cut to size, while the master carpenter barked instructions at two young carpenters.

Meanwhile, the statue of the Goddess is also undergoing restoration. Putty had been carefully applied to its cracks, and it is now left to dry. Thanks to Ao dissolving away only the grime on its surface, the statue had regained much of its original luster and now gleamed beautifully.

At this rate, the restoration would be finished before long, and the church might even reopen sooner than expected.

Scrape… scrape… scrape…

“Oh! Ao’s already finished another one!”

“Wow! Ao’s way too fast.”

The craftsmen could only stare in disbelief as Ao continued his work at an astonishing pace.

Now that things at the construction site had settled down, Ao and I finally had time to work on what we’d originally planned. Using the leftover scraps from the woodworking shop, we began carving small wooden statues of the Goddess. It’s a excellent practice for controlling Wind Magic, but since I’d spent the past several days doing nothing but cooking, Ao had become much more skillful with the spell than I was.

There is no point rushing. If I got impatient, I’d only ruin the carving, so I carefully guided each cut.

Once we’d finished making a reasonable number of Goddess statues, I planned to move on to carving wooden plates, forks, and spoons.

Shu, shu, shu.

Meanwhile, Fran and Horn sat beside Ao and me, happily painting pictures. They’d been working hard every day until now, so I figured they deserved a chance to relax.

Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak.

“You’re all quite skilled with kitchen knives.”

“We have to. Otherwise, we’d lose to Shun as women.”

“Shun is exceptional even compared to other men. His cooking is simply on another level.”

“And Ao-chan is an excellent cook too, isn’t it?”

The conversation drifted cheerfully through the workshop as everyone continued working with their hands. 

Today’s lunch was being prepared by the women. Under Toria-san’s guidance, they busily worked through the preparations. Sue had become a much better cook than before, and both Casey-san and Telma-san handled their knives with impressive skill.

“Ooh… something smells good.”

“So today’s lunch is the young ladies’ cooking, huh?”

“Heh, there’s something special about a home-cooked meal made by women.”

Drawn in by the delicious aroma, the workers gradually gathered around.

I was just about to set my carving tools aside when a large carriage rolled into the work site. One glance was enough to recognize it. It belonged to the Margrave’s family.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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For the next several days, the work consisted almost entirely of hauling away debris and cleaning up the site. Unfortunately, none of the scrap materials uncovered so far were suitable for reuse, so there wasn’t much for me to do besides cook.

That said, feeding a crowd of craftsmen and adventurers was no small task. Preparing the ingredients alone took a tremendous amount of work.

“All right! Pull it over!”

“““One, two… heave!”””

CRAAACK!

BOOM!

The orphanage demolition continued without a hitch. The roof had been completely removed, and the workers had now moved on to tearing down the walls.

While the energetic voices of the workers, who had eaten lunch and were full of energy, were echoing, the voices suddenly stopped for some reason, and the work came to an abrupt halt.

“Hey, kid! Come over here!”

One of the adventurers supervising the demolition waved me over, so Toria-san and I headed toward the orphanage together.

“Here. We found this up in the attic.”

The adventurer held out a small wooden statue of a goddess.

It looked incredibly old, yet despite its age, the carving remained remarkably well preserved, with every feature still clearly intact.

“Maybe this little statue is what protected the orphanage all these years.”

“I believe so as well. Perhaps it’s thanks to this statue that the orphanage never collapsed.”

It seemed Toria-san had come to the same conclusion I had.

If that’s the case… I’d like to clean it up.

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than Ao raised one of his tentacles, as if proudly declaring, Leave it to me!

“Oh… that’s incredible.”

The adventurers stared in amazement. The moment Ao’s tentacle touched the wooden statue, only the grime coating its surface melted away.Without harming the wood itself in the slightest, years of accumulated dirt vanished, revealing a finish that looked  as pristine as the day it had been carved.

It was as if the statue had become brand new.

“All right. We’ll check the rest of the attic before resuming work.”

“In that case, I’ll take this statue of the Goddess to the Mother Superior.”

“Oh! Then I’ll come with you.”

After briefly letting Sue know where we were going, Toria-san and I headed back toward the mansion.

“““Yay!”””

The moment we returned, Shiro and the others spotted us and came running over with bright smiles. The children were playing energetically in the mansion’s garden as always. They had adapted to their new surroundings surprisingly quickly, which had been a tremendous relief for all of us.

Thinking that, Toria-san and I headed into the detached building that was serving as the orphanage’s temporary home.

“Oh? Shun, is that you?”

When we entered the Mother Superior’s room, we found the priest and one of the sisters there visiting her. I handed the small wooden statue to the Mother Superior and explained where it had been found.

“So… it was this statue of the Goddess that has been watching over us all this time.”

“This is a precious statue indeed. We’ll keep it safe in the church for now, and once the new orphanage is complete, we’ll return it to its rightful place.”

“I think that’s for the best. Even in a new home, the Goddess will continue watching over the children.”

With both the Mother Superior and the priest in agreement, it was quickly decided that the statue would be entrusted to the church until the orphanage was rebuilt.

I’m sure that, wherever it was placed, the little wooden statue of the Goddess would continue watching over the orphanage and its children for many years to come.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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“All right! We’ve moved all the pews out. Next, we’re tearing up the floorboards!”

A little while after lunch, the last of the pews had been delivered to the woodworking shops. Since they were about to remove the floorboards, I figured I’d ask whether those could be reused as well.

“Oh, kid. Perfect timing,” the master carpenter said as I approached. “The floorboards are all headed for the scrap pile. They’re completely rotten.”

They crumbled apart. The moment the master carpenter showed me one of the boards they had pulled up, I understood why there was no salvaging it.

After serving as the church floor for countless years, the wood had absorbed moisture until it had become soft, brittle, and riddled with decay.

“When they’re this rotten, the only thing left to do is burn them and bury the ashes.”

“I was hoping we could find some way to reuse them…”

The master carpenter shook his head.

“Think of it this way—the fact that they can’t be reused means they served their purpose until the very end. Whenever you’re building something new, there’ll always be things you have to throw away.”

If even the master carpenter had concluded they were beyond saving, then there was no point dwelling on it.

The workers cut the discarded floorboards into smaller pieces with saws before loading them onto wagons for disposal.

Swish… swish…

““Hmm-hmm-hmm~♪””

With cloth masks covering their faces, Shiro and the others swept the church floor now that the old floorboards had been removed. Casey-san and Telma-san worked alongside them, broom in hand. Since the rotten floorboards had crumbled apart during removal, the floor was covered in sawdust and wood debris. Even cleaning it up was a major task.

Fortunately, with so many people pitching in, the work progressed steadily.

Meanwhile, I left the church with the master carpenter and headed over to the orphanage demolition site.

“Careful when you pull it loose!”

“““One, two… heave!”””

Craaack!

Lively shouts echoed across the demolition site as well.

Timber after timber was pried free, and before long, half of the orphanage’s roof had already been dismantled.

“Well, just as I expected—the roof’s no good either. It’ll all have to be thrown away. Same goes for the wall boards. The real question is how many of the support pillars are still usable.”

The master carpenter said with a sigh.

I couldn’t say I was surprised. The orphanage had been in such terrible condition that I had expected a good portion of it to end up as scrap. The unusable lumber was cut down into manageable lengths before being loaded onto wagons for disposal.

“At this rate, we’ll probably be dealing with disposal work for the next several days. The church is one thing, but the orphanage will need proper groundwork and foundation work afterward. We can’t afford to cut corners.”

The master carpenter was absolutely right. Every step of the job had to be done properly.

And with that, the day’s work came to an end.

◆◆◆

“So, everything’s going smoothly so far?”

“Yes. We haven’t fallen behind schedule, and there haven’t been any problems.”

During dinner, the former lord asked me for an update on the project’s progress.

Since construction had only just begun, everything was still proceeding according to plan. If any real trouble was going to arise, it would probably be once the actual rebuilding started.

Grrrrrrr…

“I’m… starving…”

The person whose stomach is rumbling loudly is none other than the Margrave.

After stuffing himself with far too many meat sandwiches at the work site, he hadn’t been able to finish his lunch. As punishment, he’d been served less than half of his usual dinner portion. Since he had brought it entirely upon himself, everyone simply ignored his pitiful complaint.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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“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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(Noisy Chatter.)

“Wow… there are so many people.”

““So many!””

The next morning, the area in front of the church was packed with adventurers. With work on the church finally beginning today, there were well over thirty people gathered.

“Master Carpenter, this is incredible.”

“Well, of course it is,” he replied with a grin. “Tell a bunch of adventurers they’ll get to eat the Lightning Chef’s cooking, and you’ll see a whole different level of motivation. Anyway, make breakfast for the rookies.”

“““YEAH!!”””

Master Carpenter… what are you talking about?

Before I could even protest, the adventurers were already cheering at the top of their lungs.

Letting out a defeated sigh, I resigned myself to the situation and immediately started cooking yakisoba. Meanwhile, I asked Sue, Shiro, and the others to set up the first-aid station and the rest area.

“All right! The church team will start by removing the furnishings. If you run into any problems, ask one of my lads. As for the orphanage team, today’s the real demolition—don’t go getting yourselves hurt!”

“““Right!”””

Their stomachs full and their spirits high, the adventurers answered the master carpenter’s rallying cry with booming voices.

Come to think of it, the master carpenter had quietly helped himself to a second serving of yakisoba too.

And with that, the day’s work began.

“Don’t break the pews! We’re reusing them!”

Inside the church, work began on removing the pews from the floor. Although they were long benches, they had been installed in sections. Once the fastenings securing them to the floor were removed, each section could be lifted out without much trouble.

One after another, the detached pews were carried outside and lined up in the church courtyard.

“All right, let’s get them sparkling!”

“““Yeah!”””

Shiro and the others immediately got to work, carefully wiping down each pew until it shone.

I’d already cleaned them once using my Household Magic, but that hadn’t taken care of every little nook and cranny. Casey-san and Telma-san joined in as well, diligently polishing the benches.

Once a pew was cleaned, it was loaded onto a handcart and taken to another woodworking shop. The project was simply too large for a single workshop to handle, so several woodworking shops throughout the town had divided the work among themselves.

Incidentally, even transporting the pews was being treated as paid work. Rather than using my or Ao’s Item Box to move everything instantly, they intentionally had people haul them by hand so more jobs could be created.

Even so, with so many helping out, the pews disappeared from the courtyard in no time.

“All right! Champion, let’s make this one spectacular!”

Ao is at the demolition site, spraying the orphanage with water.

The water was there to keep dust from billowing into the air, and all of the adventurers working on the demolition were wearing cloth masks over their mouths. Naturally, the others were helping as well, splashing water everywhere before the work began.

Then, one after another, they started tearing the building down.

“Ohhh… the church is finally going to be reborn.”

“It really was showing its age. This is a wonderful thing.”

The townspeople watched from a distance as the orphanage was dismantled and the church stood with its pews removed.

There was certainly something to be said for preserving old buildings. But the orphanage, in particular, had become so old and dilapidated that it was on the verge of collapsing.

Still…

Seeing them at work up close really drove home just how powerful the beastmen were. The demolition is progressing at an astonishing pace.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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During lunch, I asked the master carpenter and the adventurers what they usually did with reclaimed lumber.

“The most common use is turning it into tables and chairs. Shelves, small furniture, and other odds and ends too.”

The master carpenter replied.

“And the wooden statues the Champion makes are carved from leftover scraps,” one of the adventurers added. “Though it all depends on how much usable timber is left.”

The answers were pretty much what I had expected.

In the end, everything hinged on dismantling the orphanage first and seeing whether any of the salvaged wood could actually be reused.

“Besides that, the workshop has plenty of offcuts we never really have a use for. If you want to carve those into statues, I’ve got no objections.”

“We’ll also have to work out how the profits are divided. We’ll need to discuss that with Emilia-sama and the High Priest later.”

Before making use of the master carpenter’s suggestion, we need to get approval from the people in charge.

Meanwhile, the conversation continued as I kept working.

“Hey, kid! Another meat sandwich!”

“Me too!”

Woah.. the adventurers we gathered could really eat…

Still, hearing them ask for seconds was far better than hearing them complain that the food tasted bad.

“Ahh… I’m stuffed. As expected of the Lightning Chef—everything you make is incredible.”

“If possible, I’d love to take some home for dinner…”

The master carpenter had eaten his fill as well and looked thoroughly satisfied.

Just then, one of the rookie adventurers approached me with an apologetic expression.

“There are still plenty of ingredients left, so don’t worry.”

“““All right!!”””

The moment they heard my answer, the rookie adventurers erupted with renewed enthusiasm. If serving them a little extra food was all it took to keep their spirits this high, it was a bargain.

“Just be careful not to get hurt while you’re working,” I thought as I continued preparing packed meals for everyone to take home.

“All right, that’s enough for today.”

Beastmen really were incredibly strong. They managed to finish building the scaffolding for the demolition in a single day. The real work of tearing the orphanage down would begin tomorrow, so everyone planned to get a good night’s rest.

“““We’re done pulling the weeds!”””

“You all did an amazing job.”

“““Hehe!”””

It looked like Shiro and the others had finished clearing the weeds around the church as well.

Sue and I praised them for all their hard work.

That wrapped things up for the day. We’ll call it here and give it our best again tomorrow.

“By the way, the master carpenter sent word that the plans for replacing the church’s flooring are finished. Starting tomorrow, adventurers will be coming to tear up the old floor.”

Emilia-sama informed us while were having dinner.

So the church renovations were finally getting underway as well. 

Which meant tomorrow was going to be even busier than today.

As for the small wooden statues, we received the High Priest’s approval, so there were no problems there. The church would be put in charge of selling them.

“The children at the orphanage are as lively as ever. But for their future, we really need to teach them reading, writing, and arithmetic.”

“That would definitely be for the best. It’ll give them far more opportunities when it’s time for them to find work.”

Emilia-sama wasn’t just thinking about the orphanage’s immediate needs—she was already looking ahead to the children’s future. Apparently, the steward assigned to oversee the orphanage would be responsible for teaching them.

Little by little, everything is moving forward.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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Starting the very next day, we split into groups and resumed the work. Since demolishing the orphanage could affect the neighboring buildings, the first priority is to prepare the site for a safe dismantling.

As for the church, there was nothing left to clear out, and with the renovation plans still awaiting the young carpenter’s proposal, there was nothing to be done there today.

“Alright! Let’s get to it and keep things moving!”

As for the workforce, more than ten adventurers had gathered. Over half of them had experience in construction, and they would be teaching the less experienced adventurers as they worked.

The first step was to put up the scaffolding.

“Alright then, Ao and I will store the supplies in our Item Boxes—”

“Hold it, kid,” interrupted the tiger beastman who seemed to be leading the adventurers. “Leave that to the rookies. They need to learn what kind of cargo to carry and how to transport it properly.”

It seemed they were deliberately making the newcomers haul the materials instead of relying on Item Boxes. Which left me wondering what Ao and I were supposed to do. But at the moment… there really wasn’t much for us.

“Everyone knows you two are exceptional mages, but if we depend on magic for everything, we’ll never get anywhere. You two just stay ready. If something unexpected happens, that’s when we’ll need you.”

Even the master carpenter, who had come by to inspect the site, told us the exact same thing as the adventurers.

Since there wasn’t any heavy work for us, Ao and I decided to take care of preparing the rest area and getting lunch ready.

Pluck. Pluck.

Just like yesterday, Shiro and the others were busy pulling weeds. The church garden wasn’t all that large, though, so it looked like they finished clearing it before the day was over.

Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape

“Ao, what are you doing?”

While I was preparing food at the clinic makeshift into food stall, I noticed Ao using wind magic to carefully shave down a piece of wood.

Curious, I took a closer look—and discovered Ao is carving a tiny wooden statue of the Goddess.

“Wow… It’s beautifully made.”

“And since it’s so small, it’d be easy to carry around.”

“It doesn’t take up much space either. Even ordinary households could display one.”

Ao proudly showed the finished carving to Sue and the others. Its charm lay in the fact that it wasn’t overly elaborate. The simple craftsmanship gave it a warm, inviting feel. And, as if that weren’t enough, Ao had even carved a little slime emblem onto the back of the statue.

“Ao… don’t tell me you’re planning to make these statues from the lumber salvaged when the orphanage is demolished?”

In response to my question, Ao simply curled one of its tentacles into a perfect circle—a clear sign that I’d guessed correctly.

“Ao, you’re forgetting something. You’re the only other person besides me who can use wind magic. Don’t tell me you’re expecting the two of us to make all of them?”

Once again, Ao formed a neat little circle with a tentacle.

The statues might help raise funds for rebuilding the orphanage… but producing them would be an enormous undertaking. Especially for me.

“Then we’ll think of other ways to make use of the reclaimed wood—something the rest of us can help with as well.”

Inspired by Ao’s idea, Sue and the others began brainstorming ways to put the salvaged timber to good use. And so, until it was time for the morning tea break, we sat together tossing around one idea after another, discussing every possibility we could think of.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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After lunch, everyone involved gathered in the manor’s reception room to discuss what should be done next. By now, everything that could be moved had already been brought out of the orphanage, so there was no longer any need to rush.

Shiro, Fran and Horn were outside playing with the orphanage children in the estate’s garden, with Kent-chan happily joining in. Ao, meanwhile, attended the meeting on the orphanage’s reconstruction.

“As for the church, we can handle the flooring and the restoration of the Goddess’s statue according to a proper schedule. There’s nothing especially urgent there.”

 The master carpenter began.

“The real issue is rebuilding the orphanage.”

He is right. It would be better to treat the church repairs and the orphanage reconstruction as two separate projects. The young carpenter would take the lead on planning and overseeing the church restoration.

“I imagine there are parts of the building that hold precious memories. If there’s anything that can be salvaged, I’d appreciate it if we could make use of it.”

“I agree. They may no longer be suitable as construction materials, but perhaps they could be repurposed into decorative pieces or memorials instead.”

It was a thoughtful suggestion.

Even if the orphanage itself had to be torn down, there was no reason its memories had to disappear with it. Some of its old timbers and beams could be given a new purpose, allowing a part of the old orphanage to live on in the new one.

The parish priest and Emilia-sama had both expressed the same wish. If there was anything that could be salvaged, they wanted to preserve it. This was where the carpenters’ craftsmanship would truly be put to the test.

“We’ll start by dismantling the orphanage. Then we’ll sort everything into what can be reused and what can’t.”

“The foundation has to be rebuilt from scratch. But that doesn’t mean we should rush the construction.”

Everyone agreed with the former Margrave’s proposal.

Carefully dismantling the orphanage before rebuilding it was the right approach.

“Let’s begin the demolition tomorrow. With both Ao’s Item Box and mine, we should be able to speed up the work considerably.”

“We should also put in a request with the Adventurers’ Guild. Demolition work is best handled by strong adventurers. It will also give them work after the Harvest Festival.”

The Margrave immediately acted on my suggestion.

He turned to his butler and began issuing instructions. At this rate, the request would probably reach the Adventurers’ Guild before the day was over.

“As for the new foundation, we’ll decide on that once the demolition is complete.”

The master carpenter folded his arms, his expression thoughtful.

“If we’re rebuilding this place, then we need to build an orphanage that’s comfortable to live in—one that will serve its children well for many years to come.”

We nodded in agreement. An orphanage that will last as long as possible is better.

The discussion is over, and the master carpenter and the priest will inform the Mother Superior in the annex of the decision before leaving.

“In any case, we have to go to the church and work tomorrow.”

“That’s right. There’s a lot to do, and it looks like we’ll be busy for a while.”

Sue, and of course Casey-san and Telma-san, are all very enthusiastic. There will probably be injuries during the construction work, so we’ll need medical assistance.

Just then, the butler brought over a draft of the request form.

“Young master, what do you think of this?”

“What’s this? It says that construction experience is a plus. Hmm, it’s not very impactful.”

Uhm… Your Lordship?  Why are you trying to make the job posting sound so… eye-catching?

Sue and I could only exchange awkward smiles, but every member of the Margrave’s family was discussing it with complete seriousness.

“You’re right. It’s still missing something that’ll really grab people’s attention.”

Emilia-sama said thoughtfully.

“We need something with more impact.”

The former margrave agreed.

“In that case, how about including meals prepared by Shun-sama?”

“““That’s it!”””

“Let’s add **Meals provided by the Lightning Chef!”

And just like that…

Without the slightest regard for my opinion, it was officially decided that I’d be cooking for everyone on the project.

Even Toria-san had jumped on board with the idea.

The people of the Western Margravate really did love getting swept up in the moment….

Though somehow, I had the distinct feeling I am going to be the one paying the price for all their enthusiasm.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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Even with a group of children, it only took about ten minutes on foot to reach the Margrave’s estate.

“““Wow! It’s huge!”””

The orphanage children stared up at the enormous mansion with sparkling eyes, bursting with excitement. It was clearly the first time any of them had seen such a grand residence.

Just then, Emilia-sama, who had returned ahead of us, came out to greet everyone.

“I’m sorry, you’ll all be staying in one of the guest houses on our estate for now.”

“““Whoa!”””

Within the margrave family’s grounds stood a separate house that had once been used to accommodate servants but now sat empty. Even so, it was far larger than an ordinary home.

“We’ve kept it clean so it’s ready to be lived in at any time. I’ll also assign one of our attendants who grew up in the orphanage to look after you.”

“Thank you very much.”

“““Please take care of us!”””

Emilia-sama had even arranged for an attendant who had once lived in the orphanage to care for the children.

Knowing they would have someone who understood them put my mind at ease. We soon entered the guest house, and Ao began taking out everyone’s belongings.

“The room assignments have already been decided. Please carry your things to your own rooms.”

“““Okay!”””

Emilia-sama instructed her attendants to lead the children to their rooms. Sue, Shiro, and Toria all helped the children unpack. Ao also seemed to want to help unpack, so she went along with Shiro and the others.

Meanwhile, Emilia-sama whispered something to me.

“Since we’re here, why don’t you and the head chef prepare lunch together? It would be great if you could serve something easily digestible for the Mother Superior.”

Emilia-sama seemed to feel sorry for the children, so I decided to do my best and show off my cooking skills.

I went to the mansion and headed to the kitchen. I found that lunch preparations were already underway in the kitchen.

“Oh, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“More than a lavish meal, it will be more of a hearty meal, isn’t it?”

“They usually eat simple meals. If we suddenly served them aristocratic cuisine, the children would be too nervous to eat.”

Perhaps out of consideration for the orphanage children, even the head chef had adjusted the evening’s menu. A lavish feast would probably only make them feel awkward and out of place.

“Besides, this town has always believed that children are raised by the whole community. So you don’t need to worry so much about the kids from the orphanage, lad.”

The head chef added.

Oh.

The head chef flashed a confident grin as he said something unexpectedly cool. 

He was right. This town really did have a spirit of everyone helping one another. Emilia-sama, the parish priest, and the master carpenter had all sprung into action the moment they learned what had happened.

Maybe it was part of the easygoing nature of the beastmen who lived here. But seeing everyone work together like this made me want to do my part as well.

“All right. Time to give it everything I’ve got.”

I poured my heart into preparing the meal. Once it was finished, I stored the dishes in my Item Box and carried them over to the dining hall of the guest house.

“““It’s delicious!”””

The children dug into the food with beaming smiles, their faces lighting up with pure delight.

There was no need to worry about table manners or proper etiquette. They could simply eat to their hearts’ content.

“Mm, delicious!”

“Yeah!”

Before we knew it, Kent-chan was eating lunch with the other children, but since Emilia-sama is there too, it is fine. Incidentally, the Mother Superior has also recovered enough to eat.

Now the orphanage is safe for the time being.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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