6-28. The Girls' Battles
◇Lulu◇
Hello, Lulu here.
What should I do. Liza-san is acting strange since awhile ago.
"Call the village chief!"
"Who are ya. I ain't getting ordered by a beastkin."
Liza-san strikes the ground with her spear wrapped in cloth.
Even her wagon driving to this village was rough. I think she really wanted to go together with master like Arisa after all?
The villager-san with big body is trying his best to oppose Liza-san, but it seems that only his word is big without courage. His feet and voice are shaking.
Thankfully, a boy is leading a gentle-looking man here while running. That kid was the kid who ran toward the village earlier. It looks like he's called the village chief.
"Well then, what exactly is your demand? As you can see, our is a poor village, we're short in food let alone treasures."
Exactly like chief-san has said, the children, and the man earlier look famished.
"We don't need treasures or food. My great lord desires stones that look like this. Prepare 100 of it immediately."
Mou, Liza-san, it's already completely not on the level of negotiation. Nana-san too, please don't only look from the side and do something about it.
I desperately try convey it with my eyes, but it doesn't reach Nana-san. She looks over here and tilts her neck. Mou! It's unfair to be that cute on top of being a beauty.
I turn my head at the back to look at Tama-chan and Mia-san who are the remaining ray of hope, but....
Mia-san! Please don't play around with Tama-chan! Moreover, isn't the string you're using to play the matching one that master has bought! Ah, Tama-chan's nails are, aah, mou!
When I'm agonizing over that, the negotiation is over. Village chief-san is directing the children and the young people carrying baskets and the like toward the river.
To think they're doing the collecting after that, what kind of magic did Liza-san use?
◇Tama◇
Muu~n. Liza is tingling nyan.
That end-sentence Arisa's taught has became a habit. What to do, if I say it out loud, master would worry.
Seems she's worried for master who has gone to the place of that monster called noble or something.
Liza and Arisa are such worrywarts.
Even though it's alright, since master is the strongest of the strong. No matter what kind of monster appears, swoosh, he'd move, zudodon, he'd beat it.
Flop, I lie down and Mia hang a string in front of my eyes.
How rude. I'm not the same Tama who's always, always lured.
Chorochoro.
Piku.
Choro. Chorochoro.
Endure. I'm the onee-san. I must endure here.
Shururu~n.
Tou♪
Hah ah, I've been entangled in the string when I noticed.
Mia's string technique must be the secret art of fairies, no doubt.
◇Village Chief◇
Good grief, I shouldn't have have married into the village chief's house.
I've grown used with sending away thieves, brown-nosing the tax collector, and letting off the territorial army's coercion though.
The eyes of that scalekin are like fangs. I thought that I'd be eaten from the head.
Moreover, when she struck the spear on the ground earlier, the cloth came loose. My heart was grasped just looking at that. That's a magic spear for certain. Back then, the merchant that came--I knew that he was actually a thief in disguise, and he let everyone off if I just gave him offering--had said.
There's a demi-human scarier than monsters hunting thieves on the highway.
It was a scalekin wielding a magic spear glowing red accompanied by two beastkin subordinates. It seems they could tear through any kind of trap, and crush ambush no matter where it was hidden as if they could see it.
I was trembling in fear thinking that she would consider this village which was doing transaction with thieves the same as them, but it looks like that's not it.
The girls tells us to give her 100 pebbles.
"Even though you say that you want pebbles, it's not like pebbles are our local specialty products so... "
"No more dialogs. It can be gathered at the river ahead. It's the same red pebbles. I will wait until noon. Prepare them immediately."
I ask the kid who's looking here curiously, it seems that the pebbles are lying around the riverbank and the riverbed. If it's not a rare thing, let's quickly gather 100 of it and have them get out of the village.
I order the children and the serfs to collect the pebbles at the riverbank. It could probably finish in 1-2 hours if there are 20 people.
To prevent angering the quick tempered girls, I have to be here until after the pebbles are collected.
Ach, my stomach hurts.
◇Lulu◇
"Okay. No. No. Okay..."
Tama is selecting the pebbles in front of me.
The villagers have gathered more than 100 pebbles after 1 hour, but they're not only bringing the right one, there are also red stones that only look beautiful mixed in. They've only gathered around 30-40% of the intended stones.
"Achoo."
I turn toward the sneeze sounds, and see a girl with violet lips and her whole body trembling . When I look closer, her hem and feet are wet. They're probably entering the river in this wintry sky to look for the stones.
Apparently they've been going to the river 2-3 times to collect stones for Tama-chan to see. Everyone looks thin and seems to not have stamina. I'm worried that they might catch cold, suffer from pneumonia and die.
That's right! Let's treat them with risotto that master has taught me some time ago. That should be good for warming and filling them up. Master has said that we're free to use ingredients in the wagon, so there's no problem with it.
However, the pot is too small maybe.
"Na, ma'am, Liza-san. I'd like to treat everyone from the village with risottto, is it fine?"
I've almost said Nana-san like usual out of habit. I'd like to be called ma'am too someday. Of course the husband is--
"Lulu? We can't use the food without permission from master... No, we've been given permission have we. However, if the ones eating are us then it's fine, but aren't you interpreting the permission too broad by treating other people?"
"No, I think there's no problem if we treat the people cooperating in collecting the pebbles."
"I understand. Na, no, ma'am, how about it?"
"Execution is permitted."
Looks like Liza-san almost called her Nana too. It's easy to be mistaken there right.
Nana-san is the same like always.
With Liza-san's help, we make stove by lining stones, and put the pot on the fire. At first the villagers are looking at us suspiciously, but after the smell of the boiled cereal spreads in the air, they begin to surround while watching us in a distance. I put assorted cereal and vegetables, small slices of dried meat, and lastly cut the cheese in long thin shaving and melt it, it's complete.
I put the risotto in bowls that Nana-san has asked the village chief-san to prepare. I pass the bowl to the children who bring the pebbles, they look shocked.
Ara? I wonder if they don't like cheese?
"Do you dislike cheese?"
"I've never eaten one."
"It's delicious you know? Eat carefully since it's hot."
When I said that, the child repeatedly look at the bowl and my face and finally look to village chief-san to ask for the decision.
"Even if you give us such luxurious thing..."
"There is no problem."
"It's thanks for these red pebbles."
Nana-san quickly answered vilage chief-san's question. After village chief-san approves, the children begin to sip the bowl. I forgot to pass the spoons.
"Hot, delicious."
"It's warming me up."
"I don't get to eat this even during festivals."
"Un, delicious."
The children are eating vigorously as if their mouths are burning.
The adults have also gathered before I'm aware of it. There's also a person who said, "Oy, give father one too.", among them. That's no good you know? Taking the children's shares.
"Hey, jou-chan. If I gather the pebbles, are you going to give me those porridges too?"
"Yes, it'll warm you up."
The adults begin to run toward the river after hearing me. Seeing that, the children give the bowl that has been licked clean back while saying thank you, and begin to run toward the river.
Err, I wonder how many people are there.
I'm worried if we could do it, but Nana-san negotiates with the village chief to allow us to use the kitchen in his house. We have plenty of the ingredients, and it looks like the village's housewives are going to help too.
Now, let's do our best to make the meal.