"Alright, with this..."
"It’s finished!"
"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!"
On the evening of the fifth day, the wedding venue was finally complete.
The square where the guests would gather for the feast and the foundations were already done, but today we added two more structures.
First, a chapel where the bride and groom would exchange their vows, and second, a bell tower to ring out the celebratory chime.
The chapel was modest, roughly the size of a park pavilion, but it featured a near-oval roof supported by pillars and set at an angle. Depending on how you looked at it, the design resembled a seashell. We had decided on this shape because it left the front wide open, making it easier for the participants to see inside.
In the back, I had installed Hardening Fluid Plates colored to look like stained glass. During the day, natural light would stream through, illuminating the couple and the God Statues. At the moment, the building was empty of people and icons, but the shadows cast by the sunset against the beige walls gave the place a dignified air—quite impressive for an impromptu project.
Starting tomorrow, the maids were scheduled to bring in the furniture and decorations, along with the God Statues I’d been carving bit by bit every night. By the day of the ceremony, it would look even better.
Now, was there anything else I needed to handle...? Whoa!
"Ryoma! Thanks for the great venue!"
"Hughes-san?!"
As I stood admiring the site, someone suddenly grabbed me and hoisted me into the air. Before I could process being lifted so easily with my child's body, the other guards joined in. Without a word of explanation, they started a celebratory toss.
"Um... why the toss?"
"Half gratitude, half spontaneity!" Hughes shouted.
It was the first time I’d ever heard those two things used as a justification for anything.
Wait, were the others also unusually hyped up?
"Setting that aside, you're done for the day, right?"
"I am, but—"
"Good! Then let's go out drinking!"
"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!"
Drinking? Alcohol?
In response to Hughes-san’s shout, I was tossed particularly high into the air... and that was when it happened.
"—You most certainly will not."
"Gah?!"
A woman’s voice, cold enough to freeze my spine, rang out. The hands waiting to catch me as I fell suddenly vanished.
"Kyaa?!"
"Master Ryoma!"
"Shoot!"
"Are you okay?!"
"Kid! You hurt?!"
"I managed. I am an adventurer, after all."
I was startled, but I reacted in time to land safely.
Looking up, I saw the men wearing equally shocked expressions. Standing behind them was the Head Maid, Arone-san. The voice from earlier had definitely been hers. Lulunese-san and Libiola-san were standing just behind her.
"Master Ryoma, are you quite alright?"
"Yes, I’m perfectly fine."
"Thank goodness... I apologize. My timing was poor," Arone-san said.
"No, don't worry about it."
So, what were they arguing about?
"As for the rest of you," Arone continued, turning to the guards, "going out for a drink is well and good, but taking Master Ryoma along is entirely inappropriate."
"N-now, wait, Arone-san. Ryoma has the Divine Protection of the God of Wine, so he can hold his liquor. Besides, he worked his tail off for us, so we wanted to show him some thanks—"
"It would be one thing if you were only going for drinks, but you intend to cut loose tonight, do you not? And while I’m sure you lot will disappear into the night, do you expect Master Ryoma to return home alone? For that matter, do you honestly believe he would even be allowed inside such establishments?"
"Urgh, well..."
"I agree. It’s a bad idea," Lulunese added.
"Even you, Lulunese...?" Hughes groaned.
From the looks of it, Hughes-san was trying to drag me to a party. However, with Arone-san and his own fiancée against him, he was losing the battle. Personally, I wouldn't have minded tag-along, but I suppose my age was a major hurdle.
As I was reflecting on this, Libiola-san leaned down and whispered to me.
"Are they not just going to a tavern?" I asked quietly.
"It might start that way, but I doubt it will end there. After all, it is two days before the wedding."
I didn't quite see the connection. She must have caught the confusion on my face.
"Since both the bride and groom spend the night before the wedding with their families, two days before the ceremony is the last night they can act freely as single people. The women gather around the bride to talk late into the night, but for the men, well..."
"...Libiola-san, I understand. You can stop there."
In other words, they were planning to go to a place with hostesses—or something even more adult. Even if they started at a normal bar, once the alcohol kicked in, they’d head for the red-light district. I would definitely be refused entry at those shops. It would be a nightmare if I actually got dragged there.
Truth be told, I never set foot in those kinds of places in my previous life, either.
Actually...
"I'm sorry for making a lady explain such things to me."
"Please, don't mind it. I'm just glad you caught on before I had to be more specific..."
I had forgotten about the social implications. Having a woman explain that a group of men was heading for an adult entertainment district could easily be considered sexual harassment. I needed to be more careful.
But if that was the case...
"Hughes-san. I'm sorry, but I'll have to pass."
I really couldn't go. I appreciated the thought, but it would be self-defeating if I caused a scandal for them. I told him that I’d taken the gesture to heart, so he should go and enjoy himself without worrying about me.
Hughes-san gave a reluctant nod.
"Alright. Let's get a drink some other time, then. We can drink at the wedding, too."
"I'll keep you company until you pass out then."
"Oh, you're on! I'm holding you to that!"
That one promise seemed to cheer him up instantly. He and his friends finally set off for the city.
...Before they disappeared, I saw someone else being tossed in the air. Did people in this world just throw each other whenever they got excited? It was a bizarre custom.
That aside...
"..."
Lulunese-san was staring fixedly at the path Hughes-san had taken. Was she worried about her husband-to-be?
I had always imagined women hated the idea of their partners going to those kinds of places, yet she’d sent him off anyway. I wasn't sure what to say—or if I should say anything at all.
"Libiola-san, I'm at a loss for how to handle this nuance of the heart..."
"That's only natural, I should think..."
If a ten-year-old perfectly understood the complexities of a woman's feelings, it would be terrifying. I took that as her way of encouraging me.
While we were talking, Lulunese-san seemed to snap out of it.
"Men have their social circles, and it's only natural they'd want to go to shops with women. Besides, tonight is the last night of his life, so I won't hold it against him."
"I see."
I could have sworn she put a strange emphasis on that phrase. She followed up with, "Since neither of us has any intention of him returning to the single life ever again," and turned beet-red. She was radiating an aura so sweet it was practically nauseating... but since it was a matter between a couple, I decided not to pry.
Regardless, it seemed Hughes-san’s fate of being henpecked was officially sealed.
That night, we held our usual tea party. The conversation turned to a follow-up of yesterday’s discussion.
"Something we want Ryoma-kun to help with?" Reinhardt and Elise repeated.
"Yes. Is there anything at all?" I asked.
Reinhardt-sama and the others had taken my past much more seriously than I’d anticipated. Because of that, I suspected there were things they were hesitating to ask of me. They had been helping me so much with my own problems that I wanted them to feel they could rely on me in return.
I knew they wouldn't force me into anything unreasonable, and I could judge whether a request was possible after hearing it. I hoped they’d be careful with any state secrets, but I figured they already understood that.
The four of them shared a wry smile.
"Something we want to ask of Master Ryoma..." Elise mused.
"Ryoma, you shouldn't say that to other nobles," Reinhardt warned. "If you were dealing with a different person, they’d demand profits or dump impossible tasks on you the moment you offered. I suppose it’s because you trust us."
"Most people can't say no to us even if they want to, and others try to suck up to us by guessing what we want, so we have to be very careful with our words... but since it's Ryoma-kun, I suppose it's fine."
Each of them seemed to reach their own internal conclusion, but no requests were forthcoming.
"Hmm... as for me," Pioro said, "between the Waterproof Cloth, the Iron, and the Music Boxes, I feel like I’ve already profited more than enough for the help I've given."
"The same goes for me," Reinbach added. "That talk about mushroom cultivation is plenty. If it succeeds, I'll be the one in your debt. Even so, if I had to say something... Ah, you were using those Bloody Slimes for bloodletting meat before, weren't you? I'm interested in that."
In that case, I wondered if he could help me increase their numbers. Since they were vital for Serum production, I wanted to breed more of them while their true value was still a secret. Bloody Slimes were slow to multiply; even now, I only had nine.
"If the Serum were released to the world now, it would spark a war," Reinhardt noted.
"Powerful factions would undoubtedly try to seize it by force," Elise agreed.
"If we increase the population and reduce their rarity, we might be able to step in and mediate a peaceful distribution later," Reinhardt continued.
"Furthermore," I added, "managing them in multiple locations reduces the risk of the species being wiped out by an accident. Above all, I trust Pioro-san, and since we have a branch in Lenaf, communication would be easy."
"That's a heavy responsibility," Pioro said. "How about we start by borrowing the Bloody Slimes for a 'bloodletting trial'? I want to see exactly how much of a difference they make, and I'll need time to prepare. You'll have to teach me the ropes of slime management too, right?"
"Indeed. It would be best to iron out the details slowly, without rushing," Reinbach concluded.
That topic was settled for the moment. Then, Reinhardt-san spoke up softly.
"Would it be possible for you to open a branch of your laundry shop here in Gaunago?"
"That wouldn't be a problem at all," I replied. "I've been training managers with the intent of expanding, and that's why I've been increasing my security staff. I'll need to scout for a location, but just for reference... why my shop?"
"I might have mentioned this before, but the Jamil family has been focusing on environmental improvement since my father's time. Specifically, the prevention of epidemics and the reduction of disease."
Come to think of it, Reinbach-sama had been furious when an outbreak occurred in the cesspools. It made sense.
"And it is said that maintaining cleanliness is vital for warding off sickness. Besides, you told us about it back then, didn't you, Ryoma-kun? About airborne and contact infections."
"I remember. That was when we first met. Though, it's been less than a year since then."
"Yeah. At the time, I wondered how you knew such things, but everything clicked yesterday when you revealed you were Mealia-sama's disciple. If she also preached the importance of hygiene, then I believe inviting your shop here would help lower our disease rate. I've seen the reputation your shop has. It provides cleanliness at a price the common citizen can afford, and it has the added bonus of freeing people from heavy labor. Even men who are usually slovenly tend to use your shop. If that lowers the risk of people falling ill, it’s a massive win for the territory."
I see. Thinking of his people, he wanted to place me nearby as a sort of experiment to see how things changed.
If that was the case, I wanted to do whatever I could to help.
...Wait, I wonder what kind of place Hughes-san and the others went to?
...What would happen if I started a rumor that "women prefer clean men"?
I wasn't sure if it would work, but most men who frequented those establishments probably wanted to be popular with women. And the women working there would surely prefer clean customers over smelly ones. Plus, hygiene would definitely reduce the risk of disease for everyone. If usage increased, my shop would benefit as well.
...In fact, those shops must generate a lot of laundry. So far, I’d signed contracts with normal inns, but I didn't think we had many—or any—contracts with the red-light district. It might be worth making a sales pitch.
Actually, would it be better to open a dedicated storefront for that? I’d have to worry about the "shady" elements in those areas, but in terms of our defensive capabilities...
"Ryoma-kun?"
"Oh! Yes. Sorry. I was just lost in thought."
"Is it a difficult request?"
"No, I was just thinking about the most effective way to market the service."
"Oh, is that all? Well, I’d be happy if you worked hard at it, but don't feel pressured. I just want to see how the town changes once your shop is established."
So, there were no problems there either. I decided to take the idea back to Gimul and consult with Calm-san.
Just as I thought we were done...
"I'll handle the location for the Gaunago branch. Nobles and their retainers might use it, so if you need someone to train your staff in high-end hospitality—" Reinhardt offered.
"We have a new magic tool developed for adventurer camping; would you like a sample? Please, try it out and give us your feedback—" Elise added.
"If it's a food supply issue, I'm your man. I handle portable rations, but Ryoma, you have Dimension Home, don't you? In that case—" Pioro chimed in.
"For your familiars' food, we've been breeding Sprint Rabbits. They're quick to multiply, but they can become pests if mismanaged, so you'll need a Tamer Guild course to handle them—" Reinbach noted.
Before I knew it, the conversation had shifted back to them helping me.
It was incredibly kind of them, though I wondered what had happened to the part where I helped everyone else.
...Well, I was happy regardless, so I suppose it didn't matter.