Chapter 321: Store

“A～a～. A～Aa…...Haaaaa～aaaaa......”

The waves came and went on the beach. As he gazed out at the calm sea, a fallen demon man sitting on the pier sighed exaggeratedly. The large, barrel-shaped belly of the fallen demon man slowly moves in time with his sigh. The port of the Nameless Kingdom is usually a noisy place with active workers, but for some reason, there were fewer people than usual today and their expressions seemed somewhat pained――or rather, bored. The expression on his face was rather painful.

"Stop it. Just ask me to listen to it and not make such a d.a.m.n gloomy sigh"

The tiger man, Narmo, with a disgusted expression on his face, scattered fish slices towards a school of clouded black finless porpoises that were peeking out from the surface of the sea. This is what they call feeding them. Narmo was hoping to make them his followers. Narmo"s mood improved as the clouded black finless porpoises happily ate the food. They are about two meters long even as an adult, making it one of the smallest of the whale monsters. It"s not a very strong monster, but the waters around the Nameless Kingdom are Ao"s territory and he avoids the strong monsters that live in the sea. It may be inevitable that a flock of clouded black finless porpoises, wandering the seas in search of a safe place, showed up at Nameless Harbor.

"You"re good. You often eat with the King"

One of the clouded black finless porpoises poked at the leg of a fallen demon man in the sea, as if to say, 「What"s wrong?」.

"It"s not that often. But it"s more often than the others. The other day I was served a seafood hot pot with a mountain of seafood in it. It was so good! Meat is good, but since the Nameless Kingdom is surrounded by the sea, I think we should eat more fish and sh.e.l.lfish from the sea"

"Did they serve alcohol?"

"You know the king doesn"t drink, right? Well......but, they served me alcohol. And it was a good one, something you don"t usually get to drink"

"Gunuu......! Aa~ah. I"m sure they"re all eating a lot of good food and drinking a lot of fine alcohol right now~. d.a.m.n it......uh......uuh......"

"Gee!? You"re a big guy and you"re crying. And you know the order from your chief, right?"

"I know! I know! But......"

The fallen demon man says this and stares at the large forest that spreads out behind the port. In the depths of the forest, there is a mountain castle, though it cannot be seen from here.

Today, the inhabitants of the Nameless Kingdom were packed into the castle. It all started with a stamp card that the children were given for every help they gave. Ten stamps would get them a snack, twenty would get them lunch, fifty would get them dishes, knives, etc, and a hundred would get them silver jewelry, plus a night"s stay at Yuu"s mountain castle. The adults voiced their opinions about this accommodation. They wanted to visit the castle, if not stay there themselves. Yuu thought it would be a good idea, but there were those who were against it.

"Master, we are against it"

These were the maids who worked at the castle. The maids working at the castle said that they would be scolded if they did such a thing when Marifa was not around. Yuu and Marifa, it"s hard to tell who is the master of the castle. One of the reasons why the maids objected was that they had invited the captains to the castle first to try it out. One of the captains had inadvertently tried to break in while Yuu was bathing. Fortunately, the offender was caught and severely punished by Marifa and the maids were stubbornly opposed to inviting residents.

"Please reconsider!"

The maids, still breathing hard, advised Yuu to reconsider――

"No, I know it"s a lot of work, but it would be a shame if we didn"t use the clean s.p.a.ce you"ve taken care of"

――With these words, the maids simply backed off.

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"Amazing!"

"It"s beautiful~"

"Hey, what"s that?"

"That"s a chandelier. They have them in the homes of aristocrats"

"Hmm. It"s amazing!!"

In the great hall of the mountain castle, the children who were visiting for the first time were looking around and shouting in amazement. Yuu had invited not only the adults but also the children to the mountain castle. This was not out of any kindness on Yuu"s part, but because he could easily imagine the trouble he would get into if he excluded the children.

"Th,This.......whats that"

"Ah....... I know what you mean"

"Is this really the right place for us to be dressed like this?"

"I feel so out of place"

Unlike the children who were genuinely enjoying themselves, the adults were stiff and tense. At any rate, looking around the hall, everywhere you looked there were people, people, people. Despite this, there was no sense of oppression. There were more than several thousand people in the room, but there was still plenty of room. If you look down at your feet, you will see beautiful woven carpets all over the place. Looking up at the ceiling, there were huge chandeliers that looked like jewels. In the rest area, there are comfortable sofas that make you want to fall asleep, tables and other furnishings crafted by top-notch artisans to accentuate the beauty of the wood grain and paintings lining the walls.

It may be understood because they are people who don"t have it.

Even a single vase of flowers displayed in this place is not something they can easily acquire, not even in their lifetime. However, these are not just Yuu"s hobbies. When Balue Voli Nox, the former Finance Minister of the Udon Kingdom, dismantled his mansion, the usable items were moved directly to Yuu"s mountain castle. Marifa was in charge of selecting the furniture, while Russ was involved in the design of the castle.

"What are you talking about now? The king gave us permission because you guys were being childish"

A beastman woman joins the conversation, giving the men a ridiculous look.

"Guu. Who"s a child, who!"

"Oh, dear. Didn"t you know that? We"re always saying that men are all idiots"

"Haaa!? Wh, Who"s stupid!"

"Yes, yes! Unlike these guys, I have a teacher who teaches me everything!!"

"You idiot! I can already do arithmetic!"

"Then I would have been able to do it first!"

The men began to argue.

"Look, don"t argue forever, we"ve been invited to the King"s castle, so enjoy it. The dining area over there is full of dishes you don"t usually see"

In the hall, various dishes were laid out on tables in a standing-room-only style. The maids working at the castle were putting out additional dishes one after another. The beastman woman squinted at the smiling faces of the maids when she saw the beast siblings――Hende and Reteru, hard at work helping them.

"You guys, this is your master"s castle――no. This is his home. You must behave yourselves"

Elsewhere, a demon woman in a maid"s uniform was bending down to tell a group of children to behave.

"I would never do such a thing!"

"Inpika is a good girl!"

"We"re good!"

"Yeah, yeah! Me too!

"Me too! Me too!!"

The words of the young demon girl holding hands with Inpika triggered the children to speak at once to the demon woman. It"s a good thing that the children are energetic, but their voices are so loud that the demon woman"s ears are ringing and she has to hold her hands to keep them from ringing.

"Hey, hey. What"s this?"

The young demon girl tugged on the demon woman"s skirt as she rubbed her ears.

"This is pudding"

Tables are lined up in front of the children and various sweets are placed on them. The young demon girl pointed to a rectangular silver container of pure white pudding and there were several of them lined up. The sweet smell of the pudding made the children put their hands on their cheeks and twitch their little noses, muttering, 「Good sme~ll」.

"So, what about this one?"

"Pudding"

"Umm, and......"

"That"s pudding, too"

"Why are there so many puddings?"

The young demon girl"s mind became confused. Grabbing the two horns that grow from her head, she growls, 「Uuh, Uuh」 . From behind her, Impika hugged her and whispered, 「It"s okay~」 .

"There"s a reason there are so many of these puddings. From here on, they"re getting harder and harder"

The demon woman explained about the pudding, but Inpika and the others didn"t seem to understand and nodded their heads.

"This is a little lacking in explanation. Master says that even the same food has a different texture and taste"

Inpika and the other children seemed to be convinced by this explanation and the demon woman patted her chest. But there was someone sneaking up on the woman from behind. She tried to put her hand on her shoulder, but――

"What can I do for you?"

The demon woman took the initiative and called out to her. Her hand, just before touching her shoulder, pulls back astonishingly.

"Aaa! Tacho!!"

Zen.o.bia stood beyond the point where the demon girl happily pointed. Then Inpika and the other children then shout 「Tacho」 and 「Captain」 and pose like a salute in the army.

"Huh. What, I"m worried that you"re bullying the Zen.o.bia corps?"

Zen.o.bia struck a cool pose, but her mouth was covered with cream and cake sponge residue, making her look unattractive. To put it more bluntly, she was a mess. Her younger brother, Chris, who was hiding behind Zen.o.bia, was embarra.s.sed and pulled Zen.o.bia"s clothes, muttering, 「Sister, stop being so embarra.s.sing」.

"What"s wrong? You must have something to say to me"

""Yes, I do. Now, leave the idiot alone and let"s eat some pudding"

At the words of the demon woman, Inpika and the others shouted with joy, 「Waaa」.

"W, Wait......."

Zen.o.bia, who was left alone, was blatantly upset.

"Sasa. There is enough quant.i.ty without rushing. It"s the order from the smallest child"

"""Yes!"""

Chris joined the demon woman and helped her put the pudding on a plate and distribute it to the children.

"Hey, don"t ignore me~! I can help too, okay? N, No. They"re part of my team, you know. All right, I"ll help. I"ll help you, too! Even if you don"t want me to, I"ll help you on my own!!"

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And while Zen.o.bia was having this stupid exchange, there was a different exchange going on elsewhere. The big kitchen――the food that is brought to the hall is prepared here. A short distance away from the maids in charge of cooking, who were busily moving around the kitchen, two groups of people were facing each other. One was Yuu and the maids, the other were the chiefs of each race.

"King, thank you for inviting us here today"

Rubanov, the chief of the beastmen, greeted him. Bjarne, the chief of the deprived people and Mauno, the chief of the fallen demons, followed with similar greetings.

"What do you mean, by invitation?"

Despite Yuu"s teasing words, the maids behind him were surprisingly cold towards Rubanov and the others. The chiefs could not help but laugh at the att.i.tude of the people they had sent to Yuu. Although they had sent the most capable women of their race to serve Yuu, they had strictly ordered them to do so. The original premise was to show that their race was more capable than the others and that they could be of service. Hopefully, with Yuu"s discipline, Marifa"s discipline has now made Yuu the highest priority from their race.

"I"d like to know how long we"ll be staring at each other. You guys want to finish early and eat"

At Yuu"s words, 「Let"s get started」, everyone started to move.

"Uwaa. It"s so shiny"

"Hou, so this is the trivet used in the king"s castle....... Oh, what"s with this b.u.t.ton?"

"Is this a kiln? I wonder how much bread it can bake at once if it"s this big"

Each one moves around freely while touching the cookware polished like a mirror surface.

"Don"t touch it sticky!"

"What? The king said it"s okay, so it"s okay"

"Aaa! Don"t do that! Don"t push that b.u.t.ton!"

"You can make anything here, right?"

A brief skirmish ensued between the maids and the curious. When the situation finally calmed down, the dishes that everyone had brought with them were laid out on the table and Yuu tasted them.

"Who made this bread?"

"Yes! It"s me!!"

A man from the deprived people raises his hand.

"It"s delicious"

"I"d also like to try my hand at the pastries the king mentioned before"

"For now, you"re the candidate for the bakery"

"Thank you very much"

What they are doing is that the residents of the Nameless Kingdom have received a sufficient amount of money, so it is a choice to start a store in earnest. Yuu decided to start with the necessities of life, food――restaurant is the first one.

"What do you think?"

A beastman girl asked Yuu fearfully. Yuu takes a mouthful of the not-so-gorgeous stew.

"It"s not bad. It tastes so comforting"

"Yes! King, she can"t cook elegant food like the n.o.bles eat, but she"s good at this kind of common cooking!!"

Another beastman girl appealed with pride.

"H, Hey! What do you mean by common? It"s so rude"

"Maybe we can go to a set meal restaurant"

"Thank you very much!"

"Mou! Why do you have to answer"

One after another, Yuu tasted the food and decided who would be in charge of the restaurant, but there was one restaurant that caused a little trouble.

"I"m the most knowledgeable butcher in the Nameless Kingdom, so let me handle the butcher shop!"

"What"s the best! Also, you should put "sama" on it. Besides, I"m the best in the Nameless Kingdom, not my older brother! That"s why, King-sama, please let me be the butcher!!"

"When did you become more knowledgeable about meat than me!!"

"That"s my line!!"

"You know who taught you how to dismantle a cow!!"

"Aah? I taught myself!!"

These fallen demon brothers fight over who will be the butcher. Mauno, the chief of the fallen demons, holds his head in such an abomination.

"Hey"

The brothers shivered.

"Who"s the best in the Nameless Kingdom?"

When Yuu got angry, Mauno and the brothers shrunk back.

"You know what? I"m the one who knows more about meat than anyone else in the Nameless Kingdom!"

""He?""

Not only the brothers, but everyone around them looked at Yuu with a dumbfounded expression.

"I"ve learned how to dismantle birds and rabbits from Grandma Stella and I"ve also dismantled hundreds of cows, boars, pigs, sheep, deer goats, fish and large monsters. You guys only have cows, deer and birds at most and that"s not even a hundred a year"

""Z, Zorry......!!""

The fallen demon brothers twisted their faces in frustration.

"The king can dismantle as many livestock as he wants. It"s only natural that Iwould lose in terms of the number of animals I dismantle"

"Yes, you"re right, older brother. No, I don"t like that"

"Don"t ever lie to me again about being the best in the Nameless Kingdom when it comes to meat"

In front of Yuu, who has a triumphant face, the fallen demon brothers cannot say anything.

"Master´s strange part, he hates to lose"

"Don"t say unnecessary things"

The maid behind Yuu speaks in a whisper.

"Bjarne, get a guy who is strong in numbers from the deprived people"

"Understood"

"Don"t be disappointed if you"re not chosen this time, because we"re still planning to open more restaurants. After all, the population is growing rapidly. Now, do you have any questions?"

The beastman girl who was in charge of the set meal shop――no, the beastman girl next to her who was making a lot of noise earlier――raised her hand.

"Yes, yes! King, King!!"

"What"s with all the noise"

"We can do simple reading, writing and math. Why do you need help from the deprived people?"

This was something that everyone had been thinking about, but hadn"t said. They admired the beastman girl in their hearts for not being afraid of Yuu.

"I"ll decide where to set up the store and how big it will be, but you want to decide the exterior, interior, cooking utensils and tableware yourself, right?"

Everyone nodded silently. Everyone wants to be able to build their own restaurant, just the way they want it.

"I don"t know how much money you guys have saved up so far, but it"s not enough to open a restaurant. Some of you will have to hire people because it"s too much work for one person and you"ll have to figure out how to price your products, how many customers you need to have per day to make a profit. I think it"s better to have someone who"s good with numbers until you get used to it"

"Th, That"s right......I"m getting a headache just thinking about it"

The beastman girl sticks out her tongue and lets out a pathetic 「Uhee」 .

"It"s not all hard. Here"

Yuu placed a stack of papers on the table and laid them out for everyone to see.

"O, Oh....... This is a magic tool called a copy-eye tool, right?"

The paper contained recipes as well as dishes that had been photographed with the magic tool. In addition, the exterior of the store and the inside of the store were photographed in detail.

"Here are the recipes of popular restaurants in Comer and Tenca.s.si, the royal capital of the Udon Kingdom. You can use this as a reference to build your own ideal restaurant. And as for the dishes in the book, the maids will give you a thorough lesson, so be prepared. Well, whether you want to serve it as is, or devise your own, or compete with your own original is up to you"

"King, I"ve often heard popular restaurants give away their recipes"

"I stole them all when I ate at the restaurant. Of course, I took pictures of the restaurant without their knowledge"

"Eeeh!? King, you"re bad! You"re a bad person!"

For some reason, being called a bad person made Yuu grin.

"Yes. Didn"t you know? I"m a bad guy"

""Why are you smiling, King? I"m scared!"

"But you know, in a city like the royal capital, the stores are more stylish"

"I would make a prettier store"

"I like this store"

Everyone mingled with Yuu and the maids and got excited about how to make the store.

"Emm~, King"

Mauno, who had been silent until now, fearfully raised his hand.

"What"s wrong?"

"There doesn"t seem to be a liquor store"

"I don"t drink and I"m not interested in it"

"Nuu. I like to drink alcohol"

"There is a place to drink at a liquor store. Hey, Frank"

In the corner of the kitchen, Frank, a human who was drinking wine with Yuu and the others, tugged at his beard with his fingertips, smiling disgustingly.

"My Lord is right"

"You"re not going to let me drink to my heart"s content!"

Frank is in charge of the liquor store and the tavern and he does not sell expensive liquor to those who have bad manners or do not know how to taste liquor, no matter how horrible they are.

"I"ve heard that Frank serves alcohol equally to men and women. And if you like it so much, why don"t you make it yourself?"

"Nuuuu. The king doesn"t understand anything! The fallen demons like to drink! We don"t like to make alcohol! In the first place, if we do that, the blacksmith will forbid us from entering!!!"

"Then you"ll have to negotiate with Frank"

"Gugigii......"

When Mauno glared at Frank, Frank raised a gla.s.s of wine asking him to come.

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Author note:

Beastman siblings working at the mountain castle: Yuu picked them up in the slums of Tenca.s.si.

The young demon girl: A former slave who appeared in chapter 266.