Refrigerator

With the immediate crises handled, we returned to our territory.

The moment we arrived, I noticed Emilina clutching Melty’s hand with an unsettlingly joyful expression.

“Now then, it's time for the clothes—”

“It’s for the reward,” Melty interrupted, her voice trembling. “I’ve steeled myself!”

“Before that, how about a trip to the Bath? We’ve finished our work, after all.”

“Nyah!?”

Without another word, Emilina hauled Melty off toward the Dressing Room.

“I-I can’t get away! W-Why? I’m using Reinforcement Magic! How can you have such Superhuman Strength when you look like that!?”

“Who exactly are you calling a Strongwoman?” Emilina asked, her eyes glowing with a faint, predatory Light.

Melty turned toward me, her eyes brimming with tears as she cast a desperate look for salvation.

“H-Help me...”

“Sorry, I can't really help you when it comes to clothes. Best to just leave it to Emilina.”

“T-Traitor...”

I watched Melty being dragged away, her heels furrowing the ground. Once they were out of sight, I took Marina and headed for the Muller Company.

---

The Muller Company building was the second-largest structure in the territory, surpassed only by my own mansion.

The first floor operated as a sprawling marketplace for a vast array of goods, with an integrated warehouse and state-of-the-art facilities for both refrigeration and freezing. It even featured advanced plumbing—so advanced, in fact, that Alan had developed a problematic reluctance to ever leave the building for business negotiations.

It had become a common sight to see him being scolded by his wife, Elie, and his daughter, Asha, while his subordinates physically dragged him toward his meetings as he sobbed.

That was exactly the scene unfolding before my eyes when we arrived.

“Ah, Lord Yuri! What brings you here today?”

As if by magic, the teary-eyed Alan vanished, replaced instantly by a man wearing a professional, polished smile.

“It’s nothing urgent. If you were on your way to a negotiation, I can come back later.”

“No, no, nothing takes priority over you, Lord Yuri. I was just about to send my subordinates off on their own. It’s high time they learned to handle negotiations without me.”

“T-This is the first we’ve heard of that?!” his subordinates cried out, their eyes wide with shock.

Alan ignored them entirely.

“Come, please, step inside. I’m sure my wife will be delighted to see you.”

“If you’re sure...”

I followed him into the building, though a seed of doubt remained. Fee and Marina trailed closely behind me. As we walked, Asha appeared from the far end of the hallway and lunged at Fee.

“Fee-chan! You’re back!”

“It’s been a while nano.”

Being close in age, the two of them always seemed to hit it off.

“Fee, why don't you go play for a bit?” I suggested.

“B-But Fee must provide protection for Lord Yuri—”

“This is my own territory. Do you really think there's any danger here?”

“It’s nothing but danger! Emilina (Thief), Lucille (Magical Beast), Melty (Pervert), and Marina (Bad Person)—there are all kinds of threats here!”

“Is that so? Well, Marina is with me and Alan is here, so it should be fine.”

“...Fee-chan? You can't play?” Asha asked, her voice dropping into a lonely tone.

Fee looked back and forth between us, her head swinging like a pendulum as she struggled with the dilemma.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “If anything happens, I’ll call for you immediately.”

“That’s a promise nano. I’ll come running nano.”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Only after that solemn vow did Fee finally disappear to play with Asha. Alan then led the rest of us into the reception room.

“They’re as close as ever, I see.”

“They’ve spent a lot of time together.”

“By the way,” Alan said, his gaze shifting to the girl beside me. “Who might this young lady be?”

“Ah, she’s a troublem—I mean, she’s apparently a Noble from the Holy Principality of Ames.”

“It is an honor to meet you. I am Marina Ames, Daughter of Duke Ames. My father governs the Holy Principality.”

I’d written her off as a mere nuisance, but she was apparently a noble of significantly higher standing than I’d realized. If I recalled correctly, Duke Ames held a position equivalent to a king. He only used the title of 'Duke' because their state doctrine dictated that God was the only true sovereign.

Alan’s professional smile froze on his face. He moved with the stiffness of a rusted machine, pulling me away from her to whisper in my ear.

“Why would you bring someone that important here without warning?! If I’d known, I would have dressed properly! I would have prepared appropriate hospitality!”

“Relax. You don't need to do any of that for her. Actually... if you show her the Refrigerator in this building, she’ll probably cry with joy.”

“A warehouse? You want me to show a Duke's Daughter a storage room?!”

“Is something the matter?” Marina asked, stepping closer to investigate our whispering.

“N-Nothing at all! Right, Lord Yuri?”

“Marina, this place has a Refrigerator. Do you want to see it?”

“Wait! What are you saying, Lord Yuri?!” Alan hissed, trying desperately to stop me.

But my intuition was right. Marina’s interest was instantly piqued.

“A Re-fri-ger-ator? You don't mean a ‘Mock Refrigerator’?”

“No. A real Refrigerator.”

“I would very much like to see that.”

“There you have it,” I said to Alan.

“Haa... it’s hardly something meant for public viewing,” Alan sighed, but he began leading us toward the back of the building.

---

He opened a massive, heavy door at the edge of the mansion, revealing the Giant Refrigerator Room. Inside, rows of food supplies intended for the Muller Company were kept in chilled perfection.

“It’s a bit cluttered, so please mind your step,” Alan cautioned.

Marina didn't hear him. She stood frozen. Since we were inside the cold storage, the temperature was plummeting, and I worried she might start shivering. The reaction I got was the exact opposite.

“Incredible... this is incredible! What is this?! A Tool of God? A Divine Tool?! I cannot believe it. This is no mock—this is a True Refrigerator!”

Despite her thin clothing, she didn't seem to feel the cold at all. She was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Tell me... did Lord God (Yuri) create this as well?”

The way she said it felt… off, but I gave her a nod. “I did.”

“Can these be made anywhere? For instance... in my private chambers back in the Holy Principality of Ames?”

“The construction is simple enough, but this isn't really something meant for a living space. Besides, it constantly drains Magic Power. If I’m not nearby to maintain the source, it would stop working almost immediately.”

“We have to employ specialized staff just to infuse it with Magic Power every single day,” Alan added.

Even that didn't dampen her spirits. Marina began groaning to herself, clearly unwilling to let the dream go.

“Why do you want one in your room so badly anyway?” I asked.

“The truth is...”

She explained that due to the nature of the land, the Holy Principality of Ames was saturated with Fire Magic Power, making it a stiflingly hot country. It was humid and muggy year-round, which was why people there used Mock Refrigerators just to stay cool.

“I see. If that's the case, a Cooler would probably be a better fit. Now that Melty is here, maybe we should start working on one.”

“A C-Cooler? What in the world is that?!”

“A device that sends a blast of cold air into a room at the push of a button. I couldn't get the switching mechanism to work right on my own, but with a Sage like Melty helping, we can probably figure it out.”

She was a Sage, after all. When it came to the logic of magic, she was second to none in this world.

“Please... I beg of you. A Divine Tool Cooler... I can’t even imagine it...”

Marina looked like she was drifting into a state of religious ecstasy. Seeing her reaction, I had a sinking suspicion that this device would be a massive hit in the Holy Principality. I glanced at Alan; he clearly felt the same, as he gave me a sharp, business-minded nod.

At the time, however, I failed to realize one crucial thing.

In the Holy Principality of Ames, the word “God” carried a weight that was far more literal—and far more dangerous—than I could have ever imagined.