Completed Crops

“Rule the country? Does Duke Ames even know about this…?”

“I intend to persuade him, of course. Once I show Father the Divine Tool you’re calling a ‘Cooler,’ he’ll grant his consent in a heartbeat.”

“Wait a second! Could you tell me more about this Divine Tool? In detail!?”

Melty, who had been an utterly helpless plaything until a moment ago, suddenly snapped to attention. She practically lunged at Marina.

“Come to think of it, Yuri-sama did mention it,” Emilina added. “He said he would need Melty-sama’s cooperation for Divine Tool Crafting—”

“Y-You should have told me that sooner! I’ll be right back!”

Despite being in the middle of a wardrobe change—she was still only wearing clothes on her upper half—Melty dashed out of the room in a frantic blur.

Emilina scrambled to stop her, but even with her Superhuman Strength, she couldn't hold back the Sage’s desperate momentum.

“To think a Divine Tool could actually be created by human hands… and that I get to play a part in it! Moving here might be the first good thing that’s ever happened to me!”

◇　◆　◇

Whether she had finally finished dressing or had simply made a break for it, she eventually came flying out of the room.

However, despite the supposed wardrobe change, she was still only dressed from the waist up.

Then again, she dressed like this back at the Sage’s Tower, too.

In other words, this was simply her natural style.

“Um, I have something I need to ask.”

“What is it? If it’s money, I’m tapped out.”

“It’s not that! Is it true? Do you really want to make a Divine Tool called a Cooler with me?”

Melty pressed in, her proximity aggressive.

Honestly, it was a lot to take in, but having Fee standing right beside me helped me maintain a pragmatic distance.

I suppose, in a literal sense, it counts as ‘bedding,’ doesn’t it?

Since it would be used during the night, the label wasn't entirely wrong, but for some reason, Melty seemed to have a particularly strong fixation on the term.

“I’ve hit a dead end working on my own,” I admitted. “I could use the help, if you're willing.”

“Let’s go! Right now! The Divine Tool is waiting for me!”

Melty grabbed my hand, trying to drag me off.

“Hold on. Do you even know where the workshop is?”

“Oh…”

Melty finally snapped back to reality and sheepishly let go of my hand. She seemed to finally notice her own state of undress and beat a hasty retreat back into the room.

◇　◇　◇

When Melty finally reappeared, she was clad in her robes.

It was the quintessential outfit of a Mage. I suppose that was only natural, given that she was a Sage.

“So, where is it? Where is the treasure!?”

“…Just try not to make a mess.”

Honestly, I was starting to wonder if I’d made a mistake in my choice of partner.

Still, looking toward the future, the reality was that I needed a dedicated craftsman for Magic Tool production. I was gradually becoming too busy to handle the manual labor myself; I needed someone who could produce the existing items, like the Refrigerator, without my direct supervision.

With those thoughts weighing on me, I led them to the workroom in my mansion.

As usual, the floor was littered with Magic Stones I’d infused with Magic Power. Boxes for ‘Mock Refrigerators’ were stacked haphazardly in the corner, and the desk was a graveyard of cluttered notes.

“Messy again,” Fee remarked.

“Ugh… I-I’m trying to keep it organized, in my own way.”

“Which is why Fee said she would clean it for you.”

“If you move things without asking, it takes me forever to find them again—”

“Then at least throw the crumpled-up paper in the trash can.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

Fee’s face settled into a deep scowl, leaving me no choice but to bow my head in apology.

However, the others had a completely different reaction to the state of the room.

“W-W-What is this place!?”

“If there are this many ‘Mock Refrigerators,’ my country’s future is secure…”

Melty stood with her arms spread wide, her eyes sparkling with a joy so intense she looked ready to burst into dance. Marina, meanwhile, stared at the rows of boxes while muttering to herself in a low, ominous tone.

“The pile has grown again,” Marina noted. “Isn't this room getting a bit cramped?”

“Not for long. I’m having a Dedicated Factory built for the Mock Refrigerators. Once that’s finished, I plan to move everything out of here at once.”

“And by then, you’ll just have filled the space with something else,” Fee countered.

“Give me some credit. I can’t just increase production that quickly.”

“N-No… does that mean you won't be making the Divine Tool called a Cooler!?”

This time, it was Marina who cornered me.

Why does everyone’s temperament change the moment Magic Tools are involved?

It wasn't that complicated. You just took a Magic Stone and infused it with a bit of Magic Power. Anyone should have been able to do it.

“Ah, Meat Big Brother! You’re finally back. We got a bunch of vegetables to grow—want to take a look?”

Al walked into the room, hauling a load of produce.

Once we discovered that we could force rapid growth using Magic Stone Fertilizer, I’d had him running various experiments in the fields.

“Right… I forgot about the farm. Everyone, can you give me a minute?”

“Absolutely not! I cannot wait!” Melty declared flatly.

Left with no choice, I grabbed a nearby ‘Mock Refrigerator’ and shoved it into her hands.

“Fine. Here, this is a Magic Tool I made. You’re free to take it apart and study it.”

“A-Are you sure!?”

“Yeah. Just give me some time to talk to Al, alright?”

“Of course!”

“Ah… my precious ‘Mock Refrigerator’ is being dismantled…” Marina lamented, but I chose to ignore her.

“So, Al, what did we get?”

“Here, look.”

Al began lining up the harvest: cabbages, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers… and raw meat.

“They grew quite well,” I remarked, inspecting the produce.

“The flavor is solid, too. If we try to grow them any faster than this, the taste starts to get thin.”

Taking Al’s word for it, I took a bite of a tomato.

“Yeah, this works. The flavor is perfectly fine. Good job, Al.”

“Ehehe! Oh, Toilet Emina-sama is here too!”

Al noticed Emilina and gave her a bright, cheerful wave.

“It seems you’re working hard in your new home,” Emilina replied, her voice strained. “Also, I am Saint Emilina.”

“Yep! Because Meat Big Brother asked me to. I’m giving it my all!”

Al flashed a proud V-sign.

“By the way, who are the new people?” He looked toward Marina.

“I am Marina Ames, the eldest daughter of the Duke of the Holy Principality of Ames. And who is this cute Agriculture Manager?”

“The Cultivation Strong-point Marina of Se-Ames, huh! I’m Al. Big Brother put me in charge of the meat field!”

“My, my. A meat field? How wonderful.”

“Right!?”

Al beamed, clearly pleased by the praise.

“And what about the Perverted Patient lady over there?”

“Ah, that’s the Sage Melty. She’s… well, exactly what she looks like.”

Melty was already so deep into the Mock Refrigerator’s guts that she was oblivious to the world around her. She was fully dressed now, but the way she was huffing with excitement while tearing into the machine certainly justified the ‘pervert’ label.

“I see… so she’s a Perverted Patient. I hope she gets better soon,” Al said, his expression softening with pity.

He really is a good kid. Even if he doesn’t always listen and does the most outrageous things…

As I watched them, Fee whispered from beside me.

“More importantly… why is there meat?”

I had remained silent, sensing that this was a boundary I shouldn't cross. But the question hung in the air, heavy and foreboding.