《Single Aristocrat Enjoys A Different World ~ The Graceful Life Of A Man Who Never Gets Married ~》 CH 1 tl: new SoL series, a bit of a breather from the other heavier fantasy series i¡¯m doing. i¡¯m not at the currently translated manga chapter. however, the manga skips quite a fair bit, especially chapter 4 of the WN, so far seems to be omitted in the manga. release schedule will firm up by next week, depending on reception. ¨C The year 20XX. Modern Japan is faced with the problem of declining birthrates. According to a White Paper published by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, the lifetime unmarried rate has risen to about 26% for men and about 17% for women. Ten years later, they are expected to further increase to about 30% for men and 23% for women. One of the causes for declining birthrates is this increase in the amount of people who are staying unmarried. The factors include economic, psychological, and environmental factors, but the rise of ¡®single aristocracy¡¯ has also been a major factor. ¨CSingle aristocrats A single person who is not married, financially independent, and able to spend all the money and time they earn on themselves. This story describes the single life of one such bachelor, Toshinori Dokuraba (35 years old). ¡ô In my kitchen at home, I was grilling steak. I had bought some high-grade wagyu beef from my favourite butcher. For a single meal, it¡¯s quite expensive, but I have enough money to spare, so it¡¯s not a problem. On the pan was a large, fatty steak and sliced garlic, sizzling away. The seasoning is only salt, pepper, simple seasonings. With such fine meat, no other seasonings are needed. After making sure the steak is properly cooked, the final touch is a splash of wine to add fragrance. Since my stove is an induction stove, there are no flames, so I use a lighter to directly flambe. Then, a flame rises up with a booming sound. ¡°¡­¡­Nice sear.¡± After cooking the steak, I put it on a plate that I take from the cupboard. Although, the steak by itself lacks presentation, so I add some potato salad, carrots and green beans sauted in butter that I had left over. This was more than enough to add color. Today¡¯s main dish is steak. There¡¯s no use in putting too much effort into dressing up. I carry the plates and utensils from the kitchen to the table in the living room. Accompanying the steak will be white wine. Preparing a glass, I fill it to the brim. Many people may be surprised, but I definitely recommend pairing wagyu beef with white wine. The higher the quality of marbling in the wagyu, the higher the percentage of fat. To enhance the taste of this fat even more, white wine, rather than red wine, is the best. For foie gras, which is a mass of fat, the same logic applies for why it goes well with white wine. It¡¯s enough to cook it simply with salt and pepper. Adding a lightly baked baguette, dinner is complete. ¡°Thanks for the food.¡± Slicing the grilled, marbled wagyu beef with a knife, it cuts easily and the juices spill out. The feeling of the tender meat fills me with anticipation, and finally, a bite-sized piece enters my mouth. As soon as I bite into it, the juices and the flavour spread. The meat is so soft that it feels like it melts in my mouth as I chew. Then, while the fat stayed on my tongue, I washed it down with the white wine. The remaining fat and white wine mingle together. ¡°¡­¡­Delicious.¡± Delicious to eat. delicious to drink. This chain of deliciousness endlessly repeats, and my fork can¡¯t stop. I eat what I want, when I want, alone. It¡¯s the best. This year I turned thirty-five. People seem to think that at my age, it¡¯s natural that I¡¯m married, but I am not. I¡¯ve always preferred to be alone. Even my relatives are no exception to this, and I love my alone time. Those guys who are married talk about the joys of living with the woman you love and the fulfilment of raising children, but I can¡¯t relate to that at all, and it doesn¡¯t resonate with me. If you don¡¯t get married, you don¡¯t have to pay for wedding expenses. If you don¡¯t have children, you don¡¯t need to pay for child-related expenses. All of the money that is sure to disappear can be spent on yourself. Surely nothing could be more blissful than this. With someone else, your own pace gets thrown into disarray. You¡¯ll need to consider another person before making any decisions. When you are with someone, you inevitably have to compromise and make concessions. You can¡¯t avoid those things. Such restrictions from human relationships are what I intolerably hate. That¡¯s why I spend my time alone free without being tied down by anyone. The world bemoans the declining birthrates due to late marriages and those who opt not to marry, but it doesn¡¯t matter. Nowadays, society is open to a wide variety of ideas. It¡¯s fine for those who want to get married can get married and those who don¡¯t want to can not. After finishing the steak, I cleaned up and lowered a screen in the living room. I turn on the projector and operate the equipment to project this season¡¯s anime on the screen. Lighthearted music plays from the speakers installed, and the cute characters start to move. ¡°This is what I call a dream home theatre.¡± If I had a roommate, this would be a nuisance, but I am the only one living in this house. Without having to care about gazes from anyone else, I can watch the anime I like. Not salt, but consomm¨¦ flavoured. This is non-negotiable. I eat potato chips while absorbed in the show and then wash it down with a Coke. Compared to dinner, it may be a cheap combination, but strangely enough, although it¡¯s junk food, it¡¯s still delicious. Combined with the fact that it is already nighttime, I can¡¯t stop feeling like I¡¯m sinning. Doing this will probably affect my body, but this combination is so devilish that I avert my eyes from the demerits. Well, I¡¯m going to the gym tomorrow, so it should be fine. As long as I can lose the calories I¡¯ve eaten today there. While escaping from such reality, I immersed myself in the anime on the screen. ¡ô At a good time in the anime where there was a break, I exhaled and looked at my watch, the time was exactly midnight. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s already this late?¡¯ Apparently, I had been watching in a trance for about two hours. The potato chips and coke were already empty, but it was a small price to pay for the two hours of fulfilment they had given me. ¡°I should take a bath and go to bed soon¡­¡­ No, before that I should take out the trash.¡± Tomorrow is burnable trash day. My area is the first to be collected, and sometimes I don¡¯t make it in time if I throw it out as I head to work. If that happens, I¡¯ll have to spend another few days with the garbage. If I have to taste such hell, I¡¯d much rather throw out the garbage the night before. Normally, mornings are already busy enough. I don¡¯t want to leave any unnecessary tasks remaining. Making my decision, even though I thought it was a hassle, I collected the trash and put it into the designated garbage bags. As I lifted the heavy garbage bag and headed for the front door, a sudden pain shot through my chest. ¡°Gu, uuugh!?¡± A pain in my chest that I¡¯d never experienced before. It hurt so much that I collapsed in the living room while groaning in agony. Not only is there pain, I can¡¯t breathe. My mouth is wide open, but oxygen can¡¯t come in. Even if I want to shout for help, I can no longer speak. Assuming I could, I live alone, so no one would come running. This is a high-class apartment building, it¡¯s soundproofed well, so a soft voice probably wouldn¡¯t be heard by anyone. I was thinking about these things, but my thoughts became muddled. The pain in my chest that was so distressing also can¡¯t be felt anymore. I wondered if I¡¯d lost my sense of pain entirely. Gradually, my vision darkens and all I can hear is my own hoarse breathing. ¡­¡­Am I going to die here? With those last words that came to my foggy mind, I lost consciousness completely. ¡ô When I suddenly woke up, I was in a blank space. ¡°¡­¡­Where is this?¡± Just a moment ago, I was about to throw out the trash when I felt a pain running through my chest and¡­¡­ I must have collapsed in the living room because I was in so much pain. I thought I¡¯d been fortunately taken to a hospital where I regained consciousness, but that was wrong. There was no end to this infinite flat whiteness. It was so long that if I walked a little further, I would lose track of where I¡¯d started from. The chest pain and difficulty in breathing that had attacked me just a few minutes before were both gone. If I wasn¡¯t in a hospital, where exactly was I? ¡°Thank goodness. I was able to call your soul safely.¡± As I was about to tilt my head in confusion, I heard such a voice from behind me. When I turned around, I saw a man with a kind face, blond hair and blue eyes standing there. He had flawless white skin without a single speck of dirt, a perfectly contoured face, a straight nose bridge and thin, well-shaped lips. His face and body were so perfectly proportioned that it was hard to believe he was the same as a human. A man who looked somewhat like a doll. Not only the colour of his hair and eyes, but also the clothes he wore were out of the ordinary. He was wearing a robe like a magician. It¡¯s possible that he was a cosplayer, but it looked very natural on him. ¡®¡­¡­Who?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯d go huh. I guess to put it in a way that¡¯s easier for you to understand, the God who manages the earth.¡± CH 2 ¡°¡­¡­God, you say?¡± ¡°Yes, I am a God.¡± Without shrinking back at my suspicious tone, the man who claimed to be the God of the earth said with his chest puffed out. What he¡¯s saying by itself is already nonsensical and stinks of something dubious, but on the surface, I can¡¯t see any signs of him trying to lie or deceive me. ¡°You¡¯re horrible. How can you think I stink?¡± ¡°You can read my mind?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because this is a space I created. It won¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do, so.¡± The man who claimed to be God snapped his fingers as he said this. With that, this blank, white space repeatedly changes. A lush green forest, to desolate land, to the deep ocean, and finally to a cityscape. After this dizzying change of scenery, it returned to the original white space. ¡°See?¡± ¡°¡­¡­So it seems to be the case.¡± ¡°Aha, you¡¯ve suddenly become very formal, huh.¡± Leaving aside whether this man is really a God or not, he certainly has the initiative. I suppose it would be better for me to not be too rude. ¡°If you are a God, how is it that I ended up here?¡± ¡°Because a few moments ago you collapsed and ended up dying like that at home.¡± God reminded me once again of the situation I had just been in. I¡¯d thought I¡¯d been somehow lucky, but it looks like I¡¯m dead after all. ¡°If you at least had a partner, you wouldn¡¯t have died alone at home without anyone discovering you though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± God was being strangely sarcastic, so I couldn¡¯t help but speak my mind. I came to my senses with a start, but God laughed wryly and told me, ¡°it¡¯s okay to speak informally¡±. It feels uncomfortable talking to God casually, but it will take more time to speak formally, so I decide to take advantage of the situation. ¡°Certainly you were in a dangerous spot, but if anyone had been nearby and gotten you to a hospital, there was a chance you could have survived, you know? If only you had married, this sort of thing wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± ¡°I stayed single even though I knew those risks. Even if I died an empty and lonely death, I have no regrets.¡± The big risk in staying single. One¡¯s health. No matter how prepared and capable you are of living alone, you can¡¯t oppose the thing known as health. If you become immobile due to illness or injury, a single person will be dead in the water. Going to the hospital is also a challenge, and if you end up collapsing as I did this time, no one will notice you. However, I was well aware of this. It would be foolish to live with someone you don¡¯t like just because you are anxious about the future. For the sake of having only an insurance policy, I can¡¯t stand the idea of ruining the other parts of my life. I¡¯d rather have a short life and have a good time than spend it with someone while stressed. In fact, I have no regrets about being told I¡¯m dead by this God or whoever. Dying at the age of thirty five is far earlier than the average life expectancy, but I was able to live a stress-free life the way I wanted. I¡¯m happy with that result. ¡°You¡¯re staunch about it, huh. Even though people who reach their end like that more or less tend to have regrets.¡± For those that did regret, it meant that somewhere in their heart, they think that they still want to live longer even if they had to get married. It¡¯s those guys¡¯ faults for not being able to calmly analyse themselves. ¡°Speaking of which, why was I called here?¡± ¡°A certain God has taken much interest in you. I was requested to call you here¡± ¡°By ¡®a certain God¡¯, you mean?¡± ¡°The God over there. The Solitary God.¡± When I looked in the direction that this God pointed, in the white space, I saw a man with black hair and eyes standing alone. His fringe was very long and his eyes were slightly hidden. Is that the Solitary God who is interested in me? He¡¯s wearing a hood and has a kind of gloomy aura. ¡°¡­¡­Isn¡¯t he far away?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re right. Come on over.¡± The Earth God calls out to him, but the Solitary God shakes his head. Even though he requested to have me called here because he was interested in me, why does he mean by not getting invovled? ¡°He¡¯s really going to be like that. As usual, it¡¯s because he prefers being isolated.¡± ¡°Could it be that the Solitary God is some kind of God that enjoys being alone or something? ¡°Exactly. He¡¯s a God who loves solitude. He¡¯s interested in you because you have a strong will for solitude.¡± When the Earth God said this, the Solitary God nodded his head. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± But he only nodded and didn¡¯t look like he would speak. No, isn¡¯t this the part where the Solitary God is supposed to explain why I was brought here? ¡°¡­¡­So, what does the Solitary God want to do with Dokuraba?¡± When asked, the Solitary God beckons for the Earth God and whispers in his ear. At this distance, why doesn¡¯t he just speak normally? ¡°I see¡­¡­. Apparently, the Solitary God wants to invite you to another world.¡± ¡°Another world, you mean a fantasy world like the ones in manga and anime?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Solitary God manages a world different to modern Japan, where skills and magic exist, and fantastical creatures like demons inhabit¡­.. right?¡± The Solitary God nodded his head in agreement. Looks like the Earth God will continue to be the messenger. ¡°Normally, when people are reincarnated, their personalities and memories are reset, but in your case, they will not be reset and you will be reborn in the Solitary God¡¯s world.¡± So it¡¯s that thing they call reincarnation into another world, huh? Because the anime I was watching right before I died was conveniently in the genre of otherworldly reincarnation, I can roughly understand it. ¡°I see¡­¡­. If, assuming I refuse to be reincarnated, what would happen?¡± ¡°In that case, your soul will turn to dust, yeah. Since you¡¯ve already left the wheel of reincarnation, the existence known as ¡®you¡¯ will never be reborn and you will become nothing.¡± The Earth God says something frightening without hesitation. The fact that I¡¯m dead remains unchanged, and no matter how hard I struggle, I will never be revived in modern Japan. If that¡¯s so, is the right choice to accept reincarnation into the world of the Solitary God?¡± ¡°He¡¯s apologetic for playing around with a human child at the whims and fancies of a God, so it sounds like he¡¯ll be giving you preferential powers for your life in a different world.¡± ¡°Is that power, the skills and magic stuff you said earlier?¡± ¡°Yes, that would be it.¡± ¡°Can any kind of power be okay?¡± ¡°The Solitary God says there¡¯s a limit to the power he can give you, but he will grant you whatever is within his power.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to ask a few questions before I receive any power. Can I have a bit of your time?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The Earth God and the Solitary God firmly nodded to my question. CH 3 For me who would be reincarnating into the world of the Solitary God, to survive in a different world, I had a lot of questions built up. The world managed by the Solitary God is a fantasy world like those in video games and anime, where skills and magic exist and demons that attack people are rampant. Their level of civilization is about that of the Middle Ages on Earth, and their scientific culture is not so advanced. ¡°In other words, life in that world is more troublesome than in modern Japan?¡± Inconvenience is unacceptable for leading a comfortable single life. The pleasant life I had in Japan was also only possible because of the wonderful household appliances. Living in a world without them sounds like it¡¯ll be difficult. ¡°Though I¡¯m speaking for the world I manage, the desire of humans living on earth to pursue comfort is outstanding compared to other worlds. In the Solitary God¡¯s world they have developed magic tools that can be used as household appliances, and they¡¯re not too far behind.¡± ¡°Magic tools? Are there such things in the other world?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, there are yeah? Things like household appliances that are made from demonic materials and magic power. The Solitary God nodded as if to confirm what the Earth God said. I see. That being so, it might not be too bad to obtain the ability to make magic tools and recreate modern Japanese household appliances in the other world. A profession tthat makes magic tools would surely be a special profession. If I go down that road, at least it seems unlikely that I¡¯ll go wrong for a while. Since it¡¯s a profession that involves craft, I¡¯d probably also not be tied down to a single company like in Japan. As long as I live by myself, I¡¯ll need more money than others. In the other world managed by the Solitary God, there aren¡¯t things such as old folks¡¯ homes. Most of them are taken care of by families, and the wealthy ones hire servants to look after them with their money. Of course, I have no intention of making something like a family, so I¡¯ll reject the former option. Therefore, when I¡¯m old, it¡¯ll have to be the latter. That being so, I will need more money than the average person. With money, I can do almost anything. There is no better way than a technical profession that can accumulate riches. Good. As I talk to the Earth God, I can see the path getting clearer. ¡°Can I only receive one power?¡± ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s okay if you get some. But the more valuable the power you want, the less effective it will be.¡± ¡°I would like to request the ability to create magical tools, is that a huge request?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Heh, an interesting wish. If it¡¯s that much, it¡¯s possible.¡± The power to make magic tools is apparently not categorised as a very valuable power. If so, it should be alright for me to ask for others. ¡°Then, I want a strong body that will not get sick.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s possible, but can I ask why?¡± ¡°Because no matter how much you plan out your life, there¡¯s nothing you can do about your health and lifespan.¡± Yes, it would be a pity if I die early no matter how good my job is or how comfortable my life is, like how I died just now. ¡°You have a new life ahead of you, and yet you¡¯ve already decided to be single?¡± ¡°That¡¯s clear. I¡¯m not getting married even if I go to another world.¡± Even if my environment changes, I¡¯d still like to be alone. What do I need to say something so obvious? ¡°¡­¡­.Having gone through one painful experience, I admire you for still deciding to remain single. No wonder the Solitary God is so interested in you. Beside the Earth God, the Solitary God clapped his hands and laughed. He seems to really like my position of staying single even after reincarnation. Well, it¡¯s okay. If I get a body that won¡¯t get sick, there¡¯s less chance of dying prematurely again, and there¡¯s no need for me to play it safe and get married because I¡¯m worried about my health in the future. As my body weakens, so does my mind. Even I, determined to stay single, won¡¯t know what will happen when my mind and body weaken. It¡¯s good fortune that I could choose a path that would allow me to destroy that possibility before it even happens. I neither like nor dislike children. If you forced me to, I would say nothing. I don¡¯t feel any joy in raising them, and I don¡¯t find loneliness bitter. The mertis of living a single life have increased, and the demerits have completely disappeared. With this, there¡¯s finally no point for me to get married. As I was thinking of that, I laughed to myself, the Earth God looks put off and the Solitary God is still smiling happily. ¡°With these two, can I still get other things?¡± ¡°You still can.¡± ¡±Then I would like to ask you to give me the bare minimum ability to handle magic, swordsmanship, and martial arts.¡± I¡¯ve spent my entire life in a world that has nothing to do with combat. Even a little knowledge battle will surely help me fight against demonic beasts and survive in the other world. ¡°Then what about the [All Attribute Aptitude], [Swordsmanship] and [Combat Arts] skills? Are such plain skills okay? There are stronger skills like the ones you know from games and anime, you know?¡± The Earth God says in a somewhat testing tone. ¡°These ones are fun because you can steadily and gradually improve, no? I don¡¯t need anything more.¡± It¡¯s true that I¡¯d be lying if I said I hadn¡¯t thought about that. I am sure there are cheat-like skills that can allow you to handle extraordinary magic. But I¡¯m not interested in such things. I don¡¯t really want to be the most powerful person in that other world. My goal, in the end, is to live an elegant life as a single. That¡¯s all. ¡°Single people on earth like to do things the hard way, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Call it self-improvement.¡± Self-improvement is good. Reading, studying for certifications, strength training. Reading broadens your horizons and increases your knowledge. Studying for certifications gives you the stimulation of a challenge and improves your own abilities. Lastly, strength training not only improves your physical abilities, but also nurture mental stability. To live a meaningful life, these are all things that won¡¯t cause you losses. That is why we singles are willing to improve ourselves. ¡°¡­¡­I get the benefits of self-improvement. Then I¡¯ll give you the foundation you need as a magic tool specialist and skills such as [Healthy Body], [All Attributes Aptitude], [Swordsmanship], [Combat Arts].¡± Although it was the Earth God saying all this, it seems that the Solitary God will actually be the one giving them to me. A black aura rose from his body and poured into mine. ¡°Well, now that the explanations are over and the powers have been imparted to you, I will send you to the world where the Solitary God resides. As the Earth God waved his arm in my direction, a large magic circle spread out and glowed at my feet. Behind the rising particles, the Solitary God turned to me with an eerie smile and disappeared. ¡°With that, Dokuraba, I wish you happiness in your new life.¡± In the end, the Solitary God did not speak a single word to me, and I was reborn in another world while wrapped in particles. ¡ô When I awoke, I saw a young woman with blue hair peering at me. Probably in her late teens? She stands out with a well-structured face and emerald eyes. Next to her was a man with chestnut-colored hair and black-rimmed glasses. They both had very gentle smiles on their faces. Their gazes were as if they were looking at something dear to them. Not used to those gazes, I looked around. The room had a solid ceiling and was furnished with bookshelves and closets. Looking at the decor and furniture, I felt that this was a rather good home. As I looked around more, I saw a stout hand. A small hand and body unthinkable for a thirty-five year old. Somehow, as the Earth God said, I had really reincarnated into the world of the Solitary God. If so, the two people in front of me might be my parents. ¡°¡ª¨C????¡ª-¡° The woman grinned and said something. However, I could not understand what she said at all. From the sounds I could hear, it was different from Japanese. ¡°Uuuh¨Cm aaaa¨C¡° I tried to speak, but my tongue was not fluent at all. A baby¡¯s tongue probably can¡¯t move that well. What came out was a complete babbling. But my parents were delighted, and the woman picked me up with a big smile on her face. Although my body was a baby, my consciousness was still that of my previous life, thirty five years old. I felt nothing but shame at being held by a woman younger than myself. Howeverm right now I¡¯m a helpless baby. There was no way I could resist, and my mother continued to cuddle me. ¡­¡­This is hell. CH 4 Eight years have passed since I was reborn in another world as a baby. The me who could not even walk, has now grown up to be a splendid eight-year-old boy. I have blue hair and emerald eyes. It looks like I take after my mother Reincarnated into the Louren family, a family that has been making magical tools for generations, and nobility. My ancestors were magic tool specialists and they seem to have been given titles in recognition of their achievements for the magic tools they created. It¡¯s way too lucky to be reborn into a family of magic tool makers, so this must be also a blessing by the power of the Solitary God. I¡¯d thought that I would have to start gradually studying from childhood and learn from someone after a certain age, so I was very happy about this benefit. The mansion is filled with various magical tools and materials for making them. Most importantly, it¡¯s huge that both my father and mother are magic tool specialists. They were quick to teach me anything related to magic tools, so I was able to learn about making them from a young age. As someone who aspires to become a magic tool specialist in the future, this blessing might be the one I¡¯m most happy about. ¡°Zirc, what are you up to?¡± The one who came into the living room was my father, Lesta, with his chestnut hair and black-rimmed glasses. Zirc is my name. Zirc Louren. That was my name in my second life. The language of this world was obviously not Japanese so I was troubled, but as might be expected, after living here for eight years, I was able to master it. ¡°¡®I¡¯m drawing plans for a new magic tool.¡± ¡°Heh, what kind of thing is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a refrigerator, I want to make it so that food can be stored for a long time by releasing cold air inside the box.¡± In this world, I don¡¯t have the conveniences I had in my previous life. That¡¯s why I¡¯m aiming to recreate them with magic tools. Right now, looking ahead to the future, I¡¯m trying to build a refrigerator, and I¡¯m drawing on my own knowledge to recreate it. The current season is summer. In this world, food is generally preserved only by methods of salting or drying. That would mean that in a climate like this, you cannot eat food directly fresh. Eating is one of the major pleasures in my life, so I wanted to develop this first, rather than air conditioners or fans. ¡°¡­¡­This.¡± My father had the kind face of a parent, but his eyes gradually turned serious as he looked over my blueprints. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lesta?¡± While Lesta was looking at the plans with his eyes wide like saucers, a woman with the same hair colour as mine came in. Mira Louren. My mother in this life, and like Lesta, she is also a magic tool specialist. ¡°Magic tool plans that Zirc thought of. Take a look.¡± While being surprised by Lesta¡¯s expression, Mila leaned in close and looked at my blueprints. Then, not only Lesta, but even Mira¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°¡­¡­It might be better to make the box a bit thicker in order to better isolate it from heat, besides that, I¡¯m worried about how much cooling power can be extracted from the ice magic stone and how long it¡¯ll last with this magic circuit.¡± I see, as expected of the professional magic tool specialist, she points out things that I wouldn¡¯t notice. It looks like without the kind of suitable materials from my previous life, it¡¯ll be difficult to make it compact with the materials here. ¡°I think that since cold air tends to sink, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem even if it didn¡¯t produce very cold air.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why the ice magic stone is inserted in the upper area.¡± ¡°But you also want to be able to freeze ingredients, so you might want to increase the efficiency and strength of the magic circuit.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s so, we might be able to do that by splitting the ice magic stone into two and putting the magic circuits in series?¡± ¡°But that would consume a lot of ice magic stones. Let¡¯s review the circuit first.¡± Talking about making magic tools, my parents were having a heated conversation without me. There were some parts I haven¡¯t learnt, so I was a little annoyed that I couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°There are still some parts that need to be worked out, but it can stand by itself admirably as a magic tool. Moreover, this magic tool will definitely sell. Did Zirc really draw these plans?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± When I answered so and Lesta also nodded firmly, Mira¡¯s eyes opened in disbelief. But soon after that, she gave me a big smile and hugged me. ¡°Zirc is a genius! He¡¯s only eight years old, but he can already invent such amazing magic tools!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really unbelievable. With Zirc, the Louren family is set.¡± Not just Mira, but even Lesta hugged me. It¡¯s summer so it gets a little stuffy when two people hug me, but since they are happy for me, I can¡¯t refuse them.¡¯ I resigned myself to Mira and Lesta¡¯s continuous praise until their excitement subsided. ¡ô After showing my parents the plans for the refrigerator, the two of them had been contacting various places to gather the materials required. As for me, as an assignment from my parents, I was thinking about how to improve the efficiency of the refrigerator. Of course, my parents who are both active magic tool specialists already have the right answer for how it could be optimised, but they said that this wouldn¡¯t help me grow, so they wanted me to come up with my own solution. My parents are so strict that I can cry, but it¡¯s part of accumulating experience as a mage tool specialist, so I¡¯m energetically setting out to work on it. Being involved in the development of magic tools from a young age will lead to results in the future. To be able to stand with pride at that time, I need to acquire the appropriate skills. For leading an elegant life as a single person, I need to be independent. That is why, with the book on efficiency given to me by my parents in one hand, I¡¯m working on reviewing the plans and magic circuits. ¡°Big brother, let¡¯s play!¡± However, there was an existence that interfered with my determination to work. I was sitting on a chair, working, and he was tugging at my sleeve. But having no time for that, I ignored it. ¡°Big brother Zirc! ¡°Oi, stop it. You¡¯ll tear my clothes.¡± However, the other person, perhaps getting fed up, began to pull harder on my hem. When I turned around, I saw a girl with chestnut hair tied in twin-tails and a quiet-looking boy with blue hair. The girl is Ilya Louren. The boy is Alto Louren. They are my younger sister and brother in this life, and they are the ones who are cutting into my studying time that I need to lead my elegant single life. ¡°But, big brother won¡¯t play with me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy improving my magic tool. Ilya and Alto, you two can play by yourselves, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna! I want big brother too! Play!¡± As I said that and was about to go back to work, Ilya tugged even harder at my sleeve. Alto, my younger brother, does not appeal directly to me like Ilya does, but he comes right next to me and stares at me intently. There¡¯s nothing more annoying than this. Seriously, even though I¡¯ve explained the reason why I can¡¯t be with them, why can¡¯t they understand? This is why children are so troublesome. ¡°Ilya, what¡¯s the matter?¡± As you¡¯d think, with such a commotion, other people will get concerned Mira came to check on my room. ¡°Big brother won¡¯t play! ¡°Ilya keeps interrupting my work on the improvements.¡± ¡°Big brother¡¯s always like that! When Iyla asks him to play, he runs away and says it¡¯s cause he¡¯s too busy reading or doing his sword! Big brother hates Ilya! Uwaaah!¡± To think my sister would start crying while complaining. There was no logical argument there at all, she¡¯s just venting her emotions. And Alto next to her. Don¡¯t just randomly imitate Ilya¡¯s crying for no reason. You¡¯ll probably end up crying too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Zirc, play with Ilya and Alto once in a while.¡± To become a magic tool specialist and live an elegant single¡¯s life, there is non time to waste. Rather than playing with Ilya and Alto, it¡¯s much more meaningful to think about improving the refrigerator. ¡°Yeah?¡± I guess she understands my disatisfaction. Mira bends down and makes eye contact with me. Her serious eyes were filled with genuine hope for my growth as an older brother. Under these circumstances, I can¡¯t even think straight. And if I go so far as to offend my mother, it¡¯ll be more troublesome than with Ilya and Alto. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Thank you, Zirc.¡± When I nodded my head, Mira patted me on the head. ¡°I don¡¯t hate Ilya. So don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°Ugh, hic¡­¡­ really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Eheheh.¡± As I declared firmly, Ilya laughed even though her eyes were red. Like this, at least for now it looks like she¡¯s stopped crying. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re playing now, right? What do you want to do today?¡± ¡°Um, Ilya wants to play tag!¡± ¡°I want to play hide-and-seek.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I nodded obediently to the words of my sister and brother, who said so as we held hands. Haa¡­¡­ it¡¯s hard not being able to do what you want when you want. Having lived as I pleased for many years in my past life, I feel this even more strongly. After all, living with someone is not for me. I need to quickly become a full-fledged magic tool specialist and enjoy the life of a single person. ¡ô ¡°Did Ilya and Alto get a chance to play with Zirc?¡± ¡°Yes, he looked a little unhappy, but Zirc gave in.¡± ¡°Zirc is so mature that it¡¯s hard to believe he¡¯s eight years old. He¡¯s doing well in his studies, and his swordsmanship training is also going well.¡± ¡°Not only that, he has already finished with the basics of being a magic tool specialist, and he is already working on practical application.¡± ¡°Saying this might make me sound like a foolishly doting parent, but just like Mira, Zirc is also good looking. Zirc will probably be very popular in the future.¡± ¡°Yes, I have no doubt that when he grows up, he will get a beautiful bride and succeed the Louren family.¡± CH 5 ¨CTwenty years have passed since then. I, Zirc Louren, am now 28 years old. Of course, I never got married. Currently, I¡¯ve already left the Louren family mansion and am now living in the Royal Capital. Having obtained my desired qualification as a magic tool specialist, I built a workshop in the Royal Capital and made a living from my self-developed magic tools. Greeted by the refreshing morning, I get ready and quickly move to the living room. From the regriferator, I take out ham, cheese and lettuce and swiftly cut them up. Arranging these ingredients on bread that I had bought yesterday, I set it in the sandwich maker I had made myself. Waiting for the sandwich to be done, I clean up the kitchen and return the leftovers to the fridge. ¡°¡­¡­After all, I¡¯d still like it a bit smaller.¡± The first plans for a magic tool that I drew up when I was eight years old. Borrowing the help of my parents, I was able to recreate it after repeated improvements. In this world, except in some extremely cold regions, the only methods of preserving food are drying, salting, or temporary freezing by ice magicians using ice magic stones. However, with the invention of the refrigerator, although somewhat expensive, anyone could easily store food by refrigeration, and refrigerators became widespread in households. Due to the invention of the refrigerator as an entirely new method of keeping food, the Louren family has become very well off and I receive a good amount of money to my account on a regular basis. However, this refrigerator that my parents and I have developed through gradual improvement is slightly larger than the one in my previous life. Though only by a few centimetres, knowing how compact the original one is, from my point of view, I could only say that it¡¯s too big. Especially when kitchen space is limited, the presence of the refrigerator stands out even more. And the kitchen in my apartment is quite spacious. So if it feels that way even in my place, it must feel that much more cramped in an average house. ¡°¡­¡­This is also another task.¡± However, I can¡¯t get too hung up on one thing. In these past twenty years I¡¯ve developed not only refrigerators, but also magic stoves, hair dryers, fans, and many other things. Despite this, there are still many things that are missing in order for me to lead a comfortable life. To get them done, I can¡¯t just stay stuck on one magic tool forever. While I was thinking about this, the sandwich maker made a sound to inform me that the food was ready. I¡¯d conveniently just finished cleaning up the cooking utensils, so I take out the sandwich and cut it in half with a knife. A fragrant smell wafts out from the browned bread, and peeking out from between the two halves is melted cheese, cooked ham and soft lettuce. When I picked up the slightly hot bread and brought it to my mouth, the crunch of the bread echoed through the air. From there, rich melted cheese intertwines with the salty ham, and this strong flavour is nicely absorbed by the lettuce and bread, making it milder. Since the sandwich maker is a personal creation, I haven¡¯t put it up for sale, but I might just sell it too. ¡°Even if I do say so myself, I¡¯ve made a good magic tool.¡± ¡ô After finishing breakfast, I leave my apartment and head for my workplace. My workshop is located in the central district of the Royal Capital, so it¡¯s a bit far from my apartment in the northern district. Though I say that, it¡¯s not more than a fifteen minute walk away. Similar to the taxis in my previous life, there are horse-drawn carriage services, but in the busy mornings, using it doesn¡¯t save much time, so I¡¯m alright with going on foot. It¡¯s only starting to become spring and the morning air is still a little chilly. But I like this light, cool air. Breathing in, I feel as though even the inside of my head is refreshed. I walk through the cobblestone-paved streets as usual. As I approach the central district, quiet residential areas turn into a bustling shopping street. In addition to stores, various facilities are concentrated in the middle district, so naturally, there start to be more people on the roads. Walking along the streets are not only humans, but also various other species such as beastmen, elves, dwarves, and lizardmen. The presence of other species surprised me at first, but after living here for more than twenty years, I had become accustomed. They may look different from us humans, but they have the same emotions and can communicate with us. There have been many times when their unique magic and skills contributed, and in this world where various species are intermingled, we can coexist well. As I proceed down the street, there are more and more people, and it becomes more lively with food stalls, stores and the like. ¡°Welcome! How ¡¯bout some fatty red beef?¡± ¡°Freshly caught this morning, elephant tuna! You can steam or grill it! Today¡¯s special, eight coppers for one portion!¡± Shouts go up all over the place as people tried to sell the ingredients they had in stock. Sustaining those ingredients were refrigerators. My refrigerator is not only for home use, the large scale versions are being used as commercial refrigerators. Thanks to this, the supply of food has been flourishing in the Royal Capital and other cities in recent years. It¡¯s only been in recent decades that fresh meat and fish can be bought in Royal Capital at such prices. An abundant diet is indispensible for an elegant single¡¯s life. I¡¯m so glad I got to eat fresh meat and fish before I grew up. Even though from a young age I was hindered by my younger sister and brother, my study of magic tools has borne fruit. Our Zirc workshop was located close to a residential area in the central district, just past the shopping area. A private three story brick house. Surrounded by a fence with a beautiful lawn growing. The central district was chosen after considering the supply of purchased materials and delivery of goods, but it¡¯s also where we usually do development. Not wanting to set up in a part of the central district that was too noisy, we chose a quiet place with as few people as possible around. To enter the workshop, you¡¯d have to pass through a grand entryway, and extending behind is the workshop. There are many rooms on the second and third floors, but most of them are pretty much buried in magic tools and materials, so you could say that the actual work is more or less only done on the first floor. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Zirc.¡± A young man with blond hair and blue eyes called out to me as I entered the workshop. This guy is Tristan. An employee of the Zirc workshop and my subordinate. ¡°Ah, morning.¡± ¡°Are you be in a bad mood today?¡± Tristan asked suddenly as soon as I returned his greeting. I¡¯d thought I answered as usual, but I wonder if I look displeased right now. ¡°No, not really.¡± ¡°It would be a shame for you to look so irritated, wouldn¡¯t it? You¡¯re good looking, Mr. Zirc, so you should smile more. Then you¡¯ll be irresistible.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be irresistible to women. Mind your own business.¡± ¡°Mr. Zirc is mature, aren¡¯t you? If I were Mr. Zirc, I would be playing around with girls.¡± His negatives are that he talks too much about useless things and his head is full of nonsense. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so fun about playing with a bunch of women. ¡°Rather than that, have you finished processing the ice magic stones yet?¡± Since it seemed like the trivial chat would continue, I forced the conversation to return to work. With that, though for a moment Tristan looked bored, he brought the magic stones to my table. ¡°I¡¯ve done it.¡± I check Tristan¡¯s processed magic stones one by one. Magic stones, which are the core of demonic beasts, cannot be used as is. They need to be cut to a size that will be easy to use in magic tools, and the unevenness of the magic power needs to be smoothed out. If this is not done, when used in magic tools, irregularities in performance will end up appearing. Tristan is tasked with these chores. ¡°No problem. Next, I want you to process the materials here.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot today, huh.¡± After I examined each of the processed magic stones, I took out the next material I wanted to use from my desk drawer and handed it to Tristan. Though surprised by the sheer amount of materials, Tristan returned to his own desk. ¡°Alright, shall I work on magic tools today?¡± Soon before long, summer will come. Now that the refrigerator project has been taken care of, maybe it¡¯s time to start working on the air conditioner. Even though the heat is not as tough as in my previous life, there are still days when I find it too hot to only be able to use a fan. With the processed ice magic stones in hand, today, I again work on making magic tools. CH 6 ¡°Good morning!¡± While I was at my desk in the workshop drawing up plans for an air conditioner, someone opened the workshop door and came in with great energy. A woman with slightly frizzly red hair and jade green eyes. Her name is Rouge, and she¡¯s one of the employees of my workshop. ¡°We¡¯ve got orders for new magic tools!¡± Rouge raised her voice cheerfully and laid out order forms on the desk. Her job is to take care of the workshop¡¯s miscellaneous tasks, such as securing sales routes, making deliveries, and taking orders. ¡°Again?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to have work? Don¡¯t look so disgusted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but the problem is that we don¡¯t have many employees, yeah.¡± Tristan directed a somewhat cutting remark at me. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. We¡¯ve increased our sales so much, but we have no more than two employees¡­¡­¡± Yes, Tristan and Rouge are the only two employees at the Zirc workshop. If you include me, there are only three of us. ¡°Hey, Zirc. Now that the delivery of refrigerators has calmed down and we¡¯re safely in the black, isn¡¯t it time to hire people?¡± ¡°Unnecessary.¡± Rouge said in a sickening sweet voice, and I immediately dismissed the idea. ¡°Why not? If we hire more people, we can make more magic tools, and our workshop¡¯s sales will go up even more, you know? In this world, there are many people who want Zirc¡¯s magic tools.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times, but I make magic tools to make my own life more comfortable. I don¡¯t have any noble thoughts about making them for someone else¡¯s sake. I only make what I want to make.¡± Yes, I don¡¯t have green thoughts about trying to make people smile or enriching the city with magic tools. Eveything I make is only for the purpose of making my own life more comfortable. I sell magic tools just to pay for development and to make a living for myself, I don¡¯t harbour Rouge¡¯s kind of enthusiasm. ¡°Haa¡­.. You don¡¯t change your mind even a little bit, do you? Even though the magic tools invented are amazing, the person who made them is like this.¡± People don¡¯t change that easily. Regardless of whether I¡¯ve already died once and had been sent to my second life, I can say that I haven¡¯t changed at all. Make no mistake. At any rate, I checked the order forms that Rouge brought to me. From this bunch, I¡¯ll do only what I want to do. I won¡¯t accept anything I¡¯m not interested in. Rouge will take care of the rest on her own, either by passing them on to other workshops, declining them, or she¡¯ll have other good ways of handling them. ¡°But I still want more employees!¡± Not caring about me dismissing Rouge¡¯s opinion, Tristan again requests. There¡¯s a part of me that wants to reject immediately, but since he might have an important opinion, I stop looking at the request orders and hear him out for now. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because if things stay like this, no matter how much time passes, I¡¯ll never be able to get a girlfriend! Ms. Rouge is beautiful, but she¡¯s married, and there are no other women here, only a cold male boss! In a workplace like this, I can¡¯t even meet anyone!¡± I was a fool for taking his question seriously, thinking I would get at least some kind of diverse opinion. What a shallow reason. ¡°I¡¯m almost eighteen. It¡¯s time for me to start going out with someone with marriage in mind!¡± ¡°The workplace is a place to work, not a place to meet people. What do you think our workshop is?¡± ¡°Uuh, that¡¯s true, but I want some warmth, I want to get married!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the good points of marriage anyway? If you get married, your assets will be shared and you won¡¯t be able to spend as you like. You¡¯ll also have no time to enjoy freely, no time to devote to your hobbies or work, surely? Also, you haven¡¯t even qualified as a magic tool specialist yet, so what time do you have to be infatuated with women?¡± Tristan is an apprentice magic tool maker and has yet to pass the certification exam. To become a magic tool specialist, one must pass the national written exam as well as demonstrate the construction of a magic tool. Without these two things, he cannot sell the magic tools he makes, nor can he open his own store. Even an average marriage is already expensive. For Tristan, who still can¡¯t earn independent income, I wonder if he can go down a thorny path like marriage. He should throw away such silly ideas and first go directly on the road towards becoming a magic tool specialist. ¡°Ugh, Ms. Rouge. Mr. Zirc is saying terrible things to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t agree with everything he says, but the fact that he¡¯s right in a way means there¡¯s a problem with you.¡± Having his sore spot hit, Tristan is on the verge of tears and Rouge laughs wryly. If Tristan had told me in all seriousness that he¡¯s usually overworked, I would have at least given it some consideration. Well, in the first place, since he didn¡¯t come up with such a reason, it must mean that he has plenty to spare even with his current workload. Though we¡¯re having an unproductive conversation, at least it was good in the sense that it allowed me to get a firm grasp on my subordinate¡¯s work speed. ¡°But, Zirc. Marriage isn¡¯t all bad, you know? It¡¯s wonderful to be able to share the same time with the person you love, and to experience the joy of raising children.¡± ¡°I prefer to be alone. Spending the same time with someone else every day is nothing more than a pain. And I don¡¯t like children either.¡± Rouge politely explains to me the wonders of marriage, but I don¡¯t find any of it appealing. The gentle expression on Rouge¡¯s gentle face fell flat after I denied her without hesitation. ¡°¡­..No matter how many times we talk about this, there¡¯s no point, huh.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Those who love being single and those who are married can¡¯t come to a common ground. No matter how many times we discussed, it was impossible to compromise on our views of marriage. It would be more productive to discuss such topics with those who share the same views. ¡°This is why you can¡¯t get married, Mr. Zirc.¡± ¡°Let me correct you. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t get married, it¡¯s that I won¡¯t get married. Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± There are many proposals of marriage meetings and talks. If I¡¯m really bothered about it, I can get married. But I don¡¯t want to get married because I like being single. I don¡¯t want to be put in the same category as a man like Tristan who can¡¯t get married. Even though I¡¯m not interested in marriage at all, I don¡¯t like to be branded as such. When I made that point, Tristan and Rouge looked at each other and gave each other looks of exasperation. ¡°Tall, well-educated, well-paid, good-looking. All the more, what a waste.¡± Rouge¡¯s words mixed with a sigh echoed through the workshop. CH 7 ¡°Zirc, how about ending soon?¡¯ Rouge called out to me, and my consciousness that had been submerged in a sea of thoughts rose back to reality. Looking out the window, red evening glow is about to turn into night. Even though magic tools that emit light are widespread, compared to my previous world, in this world people do not work as long hours. It¡¯s normal to finish work when it gets dark. If I, as the head of the company, don¡¯t stop working, it¡¯ll be hard for Tristan and Rouge to leave. ¡°¡­¡­Shall we end here for today then?¡± ¡°After this, how about we all get dinner?¡± Wiping the ink from his pen tip and carefully stowing it away on the desk, Tristan suggested. ¡°Recently, there¡¯s a new place that¡¯s opened serving meat in a different style. They call it ¡®yakiniku¡¯ and apparently they provide you with thinly sliced meat that you¡¯re supposed to grill by yourself!¡± ¡°I know that one! Everytime I see there¡¯s always a bunch of people lined up. If I¡¯m not wrong, it¡¯s named ¡®Nikubishi¡¯!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! If it¡¯s okay, how does that sound?¡± ¡°Yakiniku, huh? Not bad.¡± Listening to Tristan, I felt like having yakiniku tonight. I hadn¡¯t eaten much meat recently, and it would be nice to go out and eat as much as I can. ¡°Sorry! I have to go home and take care of the kid today, so¡­¡± Rouge apologises regretfully with her hands clasped together. ¡°Eh, can¡¯t you just go for today?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to go, too, but it¡¯s an important period for the kid. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Despite Tristan¡¯s disappointment, Rouge quickly tidied up her belongings and left the workshop. I guess she¡¯d been rushing to finish her work because she wanted to leave early today. Hearing what she¡¯s said, I can¡¯t forcibly keep her back. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Then today with the two of us¨C¡° ¡°Should we cancel? There¡¯s no point with two guys.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­If that¡¯s so, thanks for your hard work.¡± Bowing his head to me, Tristan promptly prepared to go home and left the workshop. Well, if you don¡¯t want to go, then we don¡¯t have to go. Dinner can be finished at home. Leaving me alone, I put away the work tools on my desk, locked the door tightly, and left. It was already dark outside, and the magic tool lamps that had been installed illuminated the street. Walking from the workshop to the central district, I see many carpenters and adventurers going out to bars and pubs after work. The central district is noisy even after dark. Usually when I go straight home, I take a detour and pass through a quiet residential area, but today I have to do some shopping for dinner. This morning when I looked, the insides of the fridge were a little lonely. I walk past dwarves singing a merry song and head towards the stores. The smell of savoury meat drifts from the stalls and restaurants that lined the street. ¡°¡­¡­After all, I want to eat meat.¡± Tristan talked about yakiniku so my stomach was completely in the mood for some meat. I could eat it at home, but it will be a bit of a hassle to buy it now and then have to grill it at home. Today, I want to eat grilled meat without worrying about preparation and cleanup. ¡°Should I go to a yakiniku restaurant?¡± Having decided so, I stop shopping. No longer heading to the stores, I turned around and proceeded to a yakiniku restaurant in the central district. ¡ô In the central district, the restaurant streets. A detached building made of black bricks. The white signboard has ¡°Nikubishi¡± skillfully painted in black letters. Probably because it¡¯s dinner time, a large number of people are lined up in front of the restaurant. Even so, new customers are not put off and start lining up even farther back I guess despite being aware of the long wait, they¡¯re resolved that the food is worth it. Normally, having just arrived, I would have to join the back of the line, but there is no need. I ignored the queuing customers and walked through the door. ¡°Apologies. Please wait in line. I will guide you in due time.¡± ¡°Idiot, leave that gentleman alone!¡± An unfamiliar young waiter called out to me, but a well-dressed man came out of the back of the store with an embarrassed look on his face. ¡°My apologies, Master Zirc. This guy is a recent newcomer¡± While rubbing his hands, the manager of Nikubishi made the newcomer bow. The newcomer¡¯s face turns pale when he notices the title I am addressed by. He would probably be feeling miserable. ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m more interested in the fact that your store looks thriving.¡± ¡°Yes, thanks to you. I put into practice Master Zirc¡¯s suggestions, and the shop has been doing. I am truly filled with gratitude to Master Zirc.¡± Yes, the recent popularity of the thing known as ¡®yakiniku¡¯ is something I proposed to the manager and had him start doing. Although this was originally a long-established butcher store, the rise of refrigerators has made it possible to eat a variety of meats. The meat of animals and demons that were previously inaccessible are now available, and the number of new restaurants are gradually increasing. Unable to compete with the diversification in food culture, Nikubishi, as a butcher store, started to have its business decline. In such a situation, the manager consulted me, a customer at the time, and they ended up serving yakiniku. Providing thinly sliced meat and having customers grill it themselves at their tables was a style that seemed to have never been done before in the Royal Capital, and its popularity exploded. Being formerly a well-established butcher¡¯s they handled meat well, which was a perfect match for yakiniku, leading to huge crowds being drawn in. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I just mentioned what I myself would¡¯ve liked to have.¡± ¡°I still really can¡¯t raise my head in front of you, Master Zirc.¡± ¡°Rather than that, is the usual seat empty?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. I will show you there right away.¡± Speaking for such a long time at the entrance, my stomach was considerably hungry. The manager leads me to the back of the floor. It is not an open space, but a private room. It¡¯s nice to be lively and grill meat with friends and family, but there are also singles like me who want to enjoy meat in a more relaxed atmosphere. This space is designed to meet such needs. In fact, I would¡¯ve liked to have had a space dedicated to solo yakiniku, but it seems that the need for such spaces is still very limited in this world. The private room I am shown is for four people. The table, chairs, and door are all black, creating a very relaxing space. In the centre of the table is a round hole for containing charcoal. The manager lights the charcoal with a magic tool for ignition and gently places a grill on top. There were initial ideas to set up heating magic tools on each table, but I purposely chose against that because I still wanted to eat over charcoal fire. If I told Rouge this, she might say, ¡°even though that would have been a great opportunity to sell magic tools!¡± and get angry with me, but this is my own personal obsession and I cannot compromise. ¡°What would you like to order?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start with a portion of red beef tongue, thick-sliced skirt steak, and ribs. For drinks, ale.¡± ¡°Certainly, sir.¡± In this world, there are so many different kinds of meat that it¡¯s hard to decide, but if you are going to eat at this restaurant, it has to be red beef. Nikubishi¡¯s ageing, cutting, and seasoning techniques are unrivalled among all the other butcher stores. It¡¯s impossible to come here and not try the red beef. I¡¯ll later start with the soft and flavourful tongue. While I was thinking all this, the manager, who usually leaves immediately, was standing there with a lost look on his face. ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡®Um, are you sure we don¡¯t have to grant you a portion of the profits? Right now, we have enough to repay you, Master Zirc¡­.¡± I see, that¡¯s what he was wondering. To be honest, I don¡¯t need any payment in return. Fortunately, I am not troubled by money. It¡¯s good enough if I can have a table anytime and be sold delicious meat like this. But the manager is a commoner, and I am the son of Viscount Louren. Even if I didn¡¯t care, it would probably be frightening to have to be indebted to a nobleman. The manager should also know my character, but I guess it¡¯s uncomfortable for him after all if he doesn¡¯t provide compensation. ¡°Got it. If the store¡¯s sales continue like this for three months, I¡¯ll take ten percent.. Other than that, it¡¯s good if you can continue as you have to give me seating priority and selling me the rare meat you obtain.¡± Although this place had recently got back in black, before that, business had been poor. The restaurant must have spent a lot of money for renovation, and I¡¯d be the one troubled if I received something from them now only for them to go under. ¡°I understand. I will work hard and definitely return the favour to you, Master Zirc.¡± ¡°Yeah, all the best.¡±. ¡°Then, I will bring the food to you immediately.¡± The manager smiled and left. After that, my order was soon brought. ¡°What a beautiful colour.¡± While sighing in admiration at the bright red beef, I use tongs to grab a piece of tongue. I then place it on the hottest part of the grill, at the centre. While charring the surface, I make sure the flame doesn¡¯t cook through to the middle. Tongue is a special cut of meat where the fibres run in all directions. If you are careless, it will quickly become overcooked and the meat will end up tough. To prevent this from happening, when the side you first cook slightly curls up, turn it over and cook it in the same way. This is enough to ensure that the heat has passed through and still preserve the tender taste. I place the freshly grilled tongue in my mouth. The strong flavour and juices of the red beef spread in my mouth. The more I chew, the more the flavour seeps out. And then, wash it down with chilled ale. The fat dissolved on my tongue is washed down my throat with cold ale. This refreshing sensation is out of this world. In the same way, I continue to carefully grill the tongue and drink the ale. I¡¯m just repeating the same process, but it¡¯s irresistibly delicious. After finishing the tongue, next is the thickly sliced skirt steak. As for skirt steak, it¡¯s best to grill it at a place slightly away from the centre. The surface of the meat should be crispy, so there should be some clear grill marks. However, the inside must be medium rare. This allows you to enjoy the aroma as well as the crunchy texture unique to the skirt steak. I put the thick, freshly grilled skirt steak in my mouth. The special crunchy texture of the skirt steak is delightful. The aroma is rich and the flavour of the meat is wonderful. The salt seasoned on the meat adds a nice accent to the flavour and brings out the flavour of the meat. Then, with the skirt steak finished, next are the ribs, which had been sufficiently seasoned with a sauce. I place the beautiful bright red meat in the centre of the grill where the temperature is higher. Ideally, the ribs should be well-seared on both sides, but still with a little redness on the inside. ¡°¡­¡­.Right now.¡± I quickly grab the flipped ribs with my chopsticks and bring it to my plate. As soon as I eat it, the tastes of red meat, fat, and sauce mix and spread together in complete harmony. ¡°Delicious!¡± In my mouth the flavour explodes and the savoury aroma penetrates deep into my nose. ¡°Ah, I want white rice.¡± It¡¯s a pity that the thing known as white rice is not present. If there had been white rice, I would have gulped everything down with relish. However, it is not that there is no hope. Recently, it seems like the Royal Capital has begun to receive a clear alcohol that resembles Japanese sake. The alcohol came from a country called the Far East and tasted exactly like sake. If there¡¯s sake, then there must be rice, the source of sake. Rice has still yet to be imported, but by some chance it might also come. When that happens, I want to get my hands on it no matter what it takes. And then it must also be added to Nikubishi¡¯s menu. It¡¯s a crime to have all this delicious meat but no white rice. Thinking of things like that, I grilled the ribs one after another. The taste of this charcoal grill is something I can¡¯t reproduce at home. I am glad I came to Nikubishi in the end. Without worring about others, I can eat what I like as much as I like, This is the joy of eating. Just because it¡¯s yakiniku doesn¡¯t mean you have to go with everyone. They say that a meal tastes better when you eat with others, but I don¡¯t think so. ¡°It was right to come alone.¡± This sense of fulfilment would surely not have been possible if Tristan or Rouge were here. I downed the ribs with ale and in high spirits, thought about what to order next. CH 8 Today is a day off. There are no urgent magic tool deliveries, and neither do I have anything on. I¡¯m just relaxing at home and refining the plans for the air conditioner. This isn¡¯t too bad, but today, I feel like wanting to go out and moving a bit. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve headed out.¡± By ¡°out¡±, I don¡¯t mean outside the house, but outside the Royal Capital. The Royal Capital is crowded with people, but outside the walls surrounding the city, there extend magnificent plains and forests. Although the Royal Capital is not as bustling as the city area in my previous life, I still feel a bit suffocated. It¡¯s become a usual routine for me to go to the plains and forests where there are few people and spend time relaxing. Outside, there are of course demonic beasts that attack people, but I have enough strength to brush them off, so they¡¯re not a problem. ¡°First, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡± The Adventurers¡¯ Guild is an organization comprised of people who mainly make a living by defeating demons. Whenever it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been outside, I¡¯d definitely stop by to check on the situation in the surrounding areas. I¡¯ve become able to defeat most of those demonic beasts, but I don¡¯t want to end up in an area where troublesome demonic beasts are roaming around. Besides, if there are requests for subjugating certain demonic beasts you can bring back body parts for verification, or if you bring back materials, you can exchange them for money at the Guild. It¡¯s not a place where I¡¯ll lose anything just by showing my face. After changing out of my regular clothes and into my full adventurer¡¯s gear, I left my house and headed for the Adventurers¡¯ Guild in the central district. A two-story building with a green roof by the central plaza. That is the Adventurers¡¯ Guild in the Royal Capital. When I passed through the door that was always open, there were many armed men. Humans with swords on their waists, dwarves wielding huge war hammers, and elves with longbows on their backs. People of various species and ages were in front of the notice board, looking at the request forms or discussing them while sitting at tables. Among them were some drinking without minding that it was still early in the morning, well, adventurers are like freelancers or self-employed individuals. They can work when they want, and no one would criticise them. Though if they keep drinking without taking requests, they¡¯ll be looked coldly at. As I was walking by a table, a man sitting at that table got up in a stagger. Though I reacted quickly and stepped aside, the contents of the cup he was holding spilled a little and my shoes got wet. I had been prepared to get at least a bit dirty since I was going outside, but I didn¡¯t expect to get dirty in the Guild like this. From the looks of the other guy, he wasn¡¯t being malicious, but I was still annoyed. ¡°Oops, sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Careful.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± The displeasure on my face had probably completely shown, the man sobered up with a pale face. Ah, I want to quickly head outside where there are no people. I walked past the man standing there in a daze and looked at the noticeboard at a corner of the Guild. Here, information on the demonic beasts that appear in the vicinity of the Royal Capital and requests to subjugate them are posted. By looking at this information, you can get a general idea of what¡¯s going on out there. The notice board is mainly filled with requests to kill demons or to gather materials. The next most common requests were miscellanous tasks such as cleaning and carrying luggage. ¡°¡­¡­Nothing particularly abnormal.¡± The most important thing to look out for is the appearance of demonic beasts that don¡¯t usually appear or whether goblins have constructed nests, but in my destination, the eastern forest, there is no such news. That information cannot be taken as a guarantee, but it should be fairly reliable. After confirming the environmental conditions of my destination, I decided to accept requests to collect kirkweed and button mushrooms. If it¡¯s those materials, I¡¯ll be able to collect them along the way. After peeling off the request form from the noticeboard, I headed for the reception desks in the back of the building. There were well-dressed receptionists there taking care of the request procedures and other business. I wait in a relatively empty line. ¡°Next please! Eventually, it was my turn, and I was called, so I proceeded to the reception desk. ¡°Mr. Zirc, how can I help you today?¡± Perhaps because she¡¯s been part of the Guld for a long time, it looks like she¡¯s even completely remembered me By the way, I don¡¯t know this receptionist. I only drop by the Guild privately, so even if I don¡¯t remember her, it¡¯s not really a problem. ¡°Please handle the proceedings for the collection requests.¡± ¡°Kirkweed and button mushroom collection in the eastern forest, right? While the receptionist checks the request form, she looks at me as though she has something to say. ¡°Umm, Mr. Zirc. If it¡¯s alright with you, would you not form a party? With Mr. Zirc¡¯s skill, I think if you have more people, you will be able to makea lot more money!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Why is that? Mr. Zirc, with your skills as a solo B Rank, you can aim for higher with a group of comrades, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sorry to say, but I¡¯m not trying to be a high ranked adventurer. So I have no need to form a party. If you understand that, then please proceed quickly with the processing.¡± ¡°U, understood.¡± Looking disappointed after my firm refusal, the receptionist finished the procedure. What the receptionist said was indeed true, but I didn¡¯t really want to be a stronger adventurer, and I didn¡¯t want to make a living as an adventurer. There¡¯s also no need for me to go so far as to risk my life by fulfilling difficult requests or defeating high-ranked demonic beasts. On the rare occasion that I need materials from high-ranked demonic ranks for magic tools, I would much rather pay money to have high-ranked adventurers pick them up for me. I¡¯m not condoning staying at a stagnant level, but there¡¯s no point for me to lose my life or to suffer an injury and negatively affect my main trade. It¡¯s simply my personal preference that staying individual will be more enjoyable and easier, but I also have other special circumstances. Even if I were to head out again after this, it won¡¯t be likely for me to party up. CH 9 To finish the collection request from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, I arrive at the forest east of the Royal Capital. An unpopular spot, there are only lush green trees and the faint sounds of plants and animals. Taking a deep breath, I could smell the earth and grass. ¡°¡­¡­The air is so good.¡± I feel as if my whole body is getting quality oxygen and my blood can circulate well. The sky peeking through the gap in the trees is perfectly clear and its contrast with the green is really beautiful. People have been living amongst nature since ancient times. So, it¡¯s innate that my heart feels at peace when I come out to a natural place like this. I feel liberated from the commotion of the city. Nature is indeed good because it doesn¡¯t make loud noises like humans. As I enjoyed the natural sights while walking, I spotted a plant with oval-shaped leaves at the base of a tree. ¡°Kirkweed.¡± Kirkweed is a wild grass that grows in the forest. When cooked with meat or fish, it has the effect of reducing the smell, and it also has antibacterial properties. It¡¯s like the leaves of sasa in my previous life, a material that never stops being in demand. I snap it off at its base to collect it. However, as I continued to collect, they began to bunch up in my hands. In such times, you¡¯d usually store them in a pouch or something similar, but I have something useful. It is a treasure tool called a magic bag. Treasure tools refer to mysterious items found mainly in dungeons. A robe that makes you disappear, a ring that allows you to teleport, a mantle that lets you fly, a bracelet that allows you breathe underwater ¡ª such kinds of various things with effects that transcend what civilization can achieve. This magic bag, which can hold objects regardless of its mass, is one of those treasure tools. Unlike magic tools, treasure tools cannot be reproduced with modern magical technology. Therefore, treasure tools sell at high prices, and there are adventurers who aim to get rich quick by diving into dungeons. ¡°Though, no matter how many times I use it, I can¡¯t get used to it.¡± It looks like an ordinary shoulder bag. However, it can store an amount of material that clearly exceeds its capacity. According to one theory, it¡¯s said to be a magic tool created by an ancient wizard, but I think it is fundamentally different because even I, who had received knowledge of magic tools from the Solitary God, cannot understand it¡¯s structure. But precisely because of that¡­¡­ ¡°Treasure tools have a certain mystique.¡± Treasure tools are filled with technology that cannot be reproduced by magic tools. This goes for the magic bag. If you asked me to make such a a magic tool, I wouldn¡¯t even know where to start. The magic bag can¡¯t hold an infinite amount, but it still is very convenient and helpful. I¡¯m extremely fond of this convenient treasure tool that plugs a hole that can¡¯t be filled with magic tools. ¡°Here are the button mushrooms huh.¡± As I continue to collect kirkweed, I find a yellow mushroom growing on the tree bark in the shade. As the name suggests, they are called button mushrooms because of their round, button-like shape. An ingredient good when boiled or grilled and grows throughout the year. They are also in high demand and always requested on the noticeboard. To be honest, these items don¡¯t bring in much money, but I can always take the excess home as ingredients. So picking as many as I can doesn¡¯t cause me any loss. While I was absorbed in plucking button mushrooms from the tree bark, I heard the rustling of bushes from behind me. It was a faint sound, but I knew that it obviously was not a sound made by the wind. I immediately turned around and saw a monster with black fur and white fangs. ¡°Black boar huh¡­..¡± It was probably hostile toward me because I¡¯d entered its territory, and it let out a rough snort as it directed a sharp gaze at me. The black boar is an omnivore, but it especially likes to eat mushrooms. Seeing me gathering button mushrooms, it probably judged me as an enemy that was stealing its favourite food. ¡°I haven¡¯t been getting much exercise lately, so this is just nice.¡± At the level of a demonic beast like a black boar, I¡¯ll have no problems dealing with it. I draw my sword that was attached to my waist, and the black boar kicked the ground with its hind legs as it dashed. A wonderful starting dash. Though the opponent¡¯s body was smaller than me, I won¡¯t stand a chance if those curved, raised, heaven-piercing tusks stab me. But that¡¯s only if it can hit. The black boar¡¯s charge is very direct and not difficult to avoid. If you catch its habit of using its hind legs to kick the ground as it prepares to move, you can easily read the timing. I side-stepped to avoid the charge, and quickly prepared for the black boar to turn around. ¡°Fu, fugii!¡± But that turned out to be unnecessary. ¡°You got your fangs stuck, huh?¡± Somehow, its tusks got stuck in the tree where the button mushrooms were growing. The sharp fangs it boasted off apparently ended up as its downfall. In front of me, I could see the rear of the black boar pointing out as it struggled to somehow get its tusks out. ¡°It wasn¡¯t even a light workout, but I don¡¯t have an obligation to let you go.¡± I swung my sword at the immobile black boar. ¡ô After dismantling the black boar and sorting it into its fur, tusks, meat, and magic stone, I store it in the magic bag and start walking again. As I headed onwards, the distance between the trees gradually became wider, and I could faintly hear the sound of water. Walking straight ahead, the dense vegetation faded away, and a lake spread out in front of my eyes. An unexpected large lake in the middle of the forest. There were no trees surrounding the lake, and the transparent water was calmly asserting its presence. This is my favourite place. Whenever I visit the eastern forest, I always spend a relaxing time here. The view is excellent, and I can see the sky and the mountains in the distance. Ducks were swimming happily in the lake and many colorful birds were resting their wings on fallen trees. There was no sign of any ferocious demonic beasts, and all in all, a relaxed air flowed. As I was thinking about spending a leisurely time here, diagonally to the right, I saw a tent was set up, and a figure that looked like a man slouched down deeply into a chair beside it. I couldn¡¯t make out his face as he had placed a book in front of his face. ¡°Someone came before me, huh.¡± I was uncomfortable with there being someone I didn¡¯t know because I thought this was a spot that only I was interested in. However, this is not my private property and anyone can enter the forest. I can¡¯t complain. From their point of view, it¡¯s me that¡¯s unusual. Though even if I wanted to change my location, this was my only favourite lake, Besides, it would be annoying to return to the Royal Capital just because someone else was already here Since I had already decided to spend the day relaxing here, I didn¡¯t want to change my plans. If the other party was a large group making a huge commotion, I would have left without arguing, but since that wasn¡¯t the case and it only looked like there was one person, surely there would be no problems. With that in consideration, I took out the outdoor goods I had prepared from my magic bag. I put up a pole and spread out a wind-proof tent, and quickly fixed it up. Then I set up a foldable chair on a flat surface and sat down. I¡¯d like to just sit back, relax and read an interesting book, but since I¡¯m here, I want to get ready for lunch. I reached into my magic bag and pulled out a long, thin, black tube. This is a magic tool for smoking that I made. I love smoked food, and even in my previous life, I used to make smoked food outdoors whenever I camped or went mountain climbing. Back then, I often used a portable smoker, so I¡¯ve recreated it. The principle is simple. Put chips inside the cylinder and light them with an ignition magic tool. Then, all you have to do is press a button, and the wind magic stone inside will activate and send the smoke from the burned chips out from the tube. Finally, you just have to appropriately arrange your ingredients and put them in a box with a lid to trap the smoke. That¡¯s enough to smoke the food. Of course, the ingredients to be smoked have been prepared in advance. Standardly seasoned eggs, cheese, bacon, nuts, and peanuts. Cutting each into just the right size, I place them on a flat plate and in a box. Once the tube is in, next is to activate the magic tool. With the ignition magic tool, I light the chips. With that, the apple wood chips burn red and release an aromatic fragrance. That smoke drifts around in the smoker, and the wind magic stone sends wind to carry the smoke to the tube. The smoke then shoots out of the tube and covers the ingredients that are arranged on the flat plate. After confirming that the smoke was reaching the food properly, I closed the lid of the box. When a good amount of time passes, the food will be smoked. Having checked that the magic tool was working properly, I sat deep in my chair and read a book. CH 10 I was absorbed in the world of my book when the sounds of hunger from my own stomach brought me back. ¡°It¡¯s time for lunch, huh¡­¡­¡± Before I¡¯d noticed, the sun had already passed the midday mark, and it was well into the afternoon. I wanted to continue progress on reading the story a little more, but feeling hungry, I wouldn¡¯t be able to concentrate. At the page I¡¯d read up to, I stuck a bookmark and put the book aside for the moment. ¡®With this much smoking, the taste should have firmly seeped in.¡± Along the way while I was reading the book, I stopped the magic tool, but smoke was still wafting inside the box. The ingredients inside would definitely be well smoked. Excitedly, I opened the lid of the sealed box. The smoke inside the box suddenly rose up. Inside the box, the food looked properly smoked, imparted with brown colours and a fragrant smell. ¡°Owow! That looks delicious!¡± The one who let such words out wasn¡¯t me. I noticed that there was a man with amber hair by my side. He was about the same age as me, or maybe a little younger? His sky-blue eyes shone innocently as he gazed at the smoked food. ¡°The hell are you?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m Eight.¡± No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡­ I was startled by the sudden intruder but after taking a deep breath, I regained my composure. Looking diagonally, the earlier person sitting on the chair was no longer there. So this guy is probably the person who had been here before me sitting on that chair. ¡°No need to be that wary. I smelled something delicious, so I got curious.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ve achieved your goal. Go back to your own place.¡± ¡°Hey, you added a weird smoke but is this stuff good?¡± He didn¡¯t hear a single thing I said. Are the ears on this guy¡¯s head just for show? No, I think he¡¯s intentionally ignoring me. ¡°¡­¡­There¡¯s no way I would bring something that doesn¡¯t taste good outside.¡± ¡°Let me try a bit.¡± Apparently, this man named Eight had never had smoked food before. It was annoying so I offered him one of the skweres, and after some hesitation, he chose the classic, cheese. He picked up the skewered cheese and lifted it up to smell it. ¡°It smells so unusual! Doesn¡¯t smell like smoke, a strange smell!¡± After making a fuss all by himself, Eight took a bite of the cheese. ¡°Delicious!¡± At this reaction I was anticipating, the corners of my mouth ended up unintentionally lifting. ¡°Where is this cheese from? Did you use some special cheese?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just ordinary cheese from the market in the central district. One block costs less than a silver coin.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe such common cheese can be this flavorful. There¡¯s a savoury or a different flavour, it feels like the umami has been raised by several levels¡­..¡± It¡¯s best to use high-quality cheese, but even ordinary cheese can be made sufficiently delicious. ¡°What¡¯s this cooking called?¡± ¡°Smoking. This time I used a method called hot smoking.¡± ¡°Smoking¡­. Just by adding smoke you can make it this tasty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just using any kind of smoke, it¡¯ll go wrong if you don¡¯t carefully select chips that bring out the best flavours.¡± If you made chips from the trees you find around here, you won¡¯t get these kinds of good flavours. It¡¯s only by using chips that suit each ingredient and combining them that complex flavours and savouriness can be brought out. ¡°Is this that chip thing? Dried bark?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. By the way, these are made from apple trees.¡± When I showed him the bag of chips, he sniffed them in admiration. Kind of like a dog. When he¡¯s had enough satisfaction, I take back the bag of chips. ¡°Can I also try the other ones?¡¯ ¡°Bring a plate. After I plate them for you, go back to your place.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Eight said a word of gratitude and quickly ran back to his tent. He then returns with not only his own plate, but also a bottle of wine. ¡°A gift for letting me eat good food. I¡¯ll pour you a glass.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have it.¡± A man who oddly intrudes into your personal space, but he seems to have some etiquette. I handed him the glass and Eight poured red wine from a wine bottle. When I inadvertantly glanced at the label, I was surprised by the brand. ¡°¡­¡­Isn¡¯t that wine from Serberus?¡± Rare wine made in Serberus, a region famous for its wine. Using grapes raised in rich soil and processed in a special way, only a hundred bottles of this wine are distributed each year. A wine so outstandingly delicious meant that royalty and high-ranking aristocrats buy it up all the time, so those in the middle ranks and below could not easily obtain it. It¡¯s not something you can get just by having money. ¡°Oh, If you know about it then you must be a connoisseur too? It¡¯s a precious thing, so drink it and savour it.¡± ¡°Appreciated.¡± The smile on Eight¡¯s face was not one of mockery, but rather the smile of a man who wanted to boast about a product he was proud of. Eight finished pouring the wine, wiped it lightly with a cloth, and tightened the cap There was no hesitation in his movements, as if he were a waiter in a high-class bar. I remember even in my previous life, when I was camping, fellow solo campers would exchange meals with each other like this. Return good with good. I don¡¯t dislike that spirit. I take the plate from Eight and put cheese, eggs, bacon, nuts, peanuts, and all sorts of other food on it. Eight took it happily and quietly went back to his chair. After enjoying the rich aroma for a bit, I sipped from the glass. The concentrated taste of grapes is supported by a refreshing minerality. ¡°It¡¯s indeed delicious¡­¡­ but I think this would be even better paired with meat or cheese.¡± Such a concentrated taste would be better with hearty foods like meat and cheese. That was the theory I arrived at. To test it out, I skewered a piece of smoked bacon and put it in my mouth. The bacon was well seasoned and fatty to begin with. Adding the flavour of smoke, there was no way it wouldn¡¯t be delicious. In my mouth, the tender bacon danced, freely releasing its taste. Then, mix that with Serberus wine. The wine¡¯s fruitiness brings out the savouriness of the meat and enhances the smokiness, the tannins and acidity bring the whole thing together. ¡°I knew it¡¯d match.¡± As I had guessed, it was perfectly compatible with the impactful bacon. ¡°Delicious!¡± While I was admiring the wine, Eight, who was sitting diagonally away from me, was swinging his legs while shouting. I wondered if the other side had also noticed the synergy of smoked food and wine. A guy with a strange presence, but I¡¯ll do what I like and he can do what he likes. Refocusing myself, I put my hand on the cheese. The cheese at the market had been well coated with smoke, and the surface of the cheese had become a little hard and even more yellowish. I skewer the, now, less crumby cheese and put it straight into my mouth. Originally, it would have tasted like any other cheese that filled the market. However, with the addition of smoke, the cheese gained a richer flavour. Then, again, Serberus wine. It washed away the remaining thick flavour of the cheese. The aftertaste is refreshing while umami lingers in the mouth. Irresistible. After eating the cheese, next comes seasoned egg. Before they were smoked, they had a light brown skin from the colour of the sauce, but now the skin was completely brown. While enjoying the fragrance, I took a bite of the smoked seasoned egg. The sweet sauce seasoning and smoke flavour matched exquisitely. Because the time it had been smoked was just right, the white wasn¡¯t too hard, and the sweet half-cooked yolk flowed viscously. ¡°¡­¡­.It¡¯s delicious.¡± The last time I tried, the duration I¡¯d boiled and seasoned it was a bit off, but this time the yolk was half-cooked, and everything was completely to my tastes. It¡¯s good when you make and eat it at home, but I feel it tastes even better when you eat it outside. Although I¡¯m suspicious about the idea that food tastes better when eaten together with a large group of people, I fully agree with this other theory. After finishing the main meal, I enjoyed fishing on the lake while snacking on smoked nuts and peanuts. CH 11 I was absorbed in the world of my book when the sounds of hunger from my own stomach brought me back. ¡°It¡¯s time for lunch, huh¡­¡­¡± Before I¡¯d noticed, the sun had already passed the midday mark, and it was well into the afternoon. I wanted to continue progress on reading the story a little more, but feeling hungry, I wouldn¡¯t be able to concentrate. At the page I¡¯d read up to, I stuck a bookmark and put the book aside for the moment. ¡®With this much smoking, the taste should have firmly seeped in.¡± Along the way while I was reading the book, I stopped the magic tool, but smoke was still wafting inside the box. The ingredients inside would definitely be well smoked. Excitedly, I opened the lid of the sealed box. The smoke inside the box suddenly rose up. Inside the box, the food looked properly smoked, imparted with brown colours and a fragrant smell. ¡°Owow! That looks delicious!¡± The one who let such words out wasn¡¯t me. I noticed that there was a man with amber hair by my side. He was about the same age as me, or maybe a little younger? His sky-blue eyes shone innocently as he gazed at the smoked food. ¡°The hell are you?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m Eight.¡± No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡­ I was startled by the sudden intruder but after taking a deep breath, I regained my composure. Looking diagonally, the earlier person sitting on the chair was no longer there. So this guy is probably the person who had been here before me sitting on that chair. ¡°No need to be that wary. I smelled something delicious, so I got curious.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ve achieved your goal. Go back to your own place.¡± ¡°Hey, you added a weird smoke but is this stuff good?¡± He didn¡¯t hear a single thing I said. Are the ears on this guy¡¯s head just for show? No, I think he¡¯s intentionally ignoring me. ¡°¡­¡­There¡¯s no way I would bring something that doesn¡¯t taste good outside.¡± ¡°Let me try a bit.¡± Apparently, this man named Eight had never had smoked food before. It was annoying so I offered him one of the skweres, and after some hesitation, he chose the classic, cheese. He picked up the skewered cheese and lifted it up to smell it. ¡°It smells so unusual! Doesn¡¯t smell like smoke, a strange smell!¡± After making a fuss all by himself, Eight took a bite of the cheese. ¡°Delicious!¡± At this reaction I was anticipating, the corners of my mouth ended up unintentionally lifting. ¡°Where is this cheese from? Did you use some special cheese?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just ordinary cheese from the market in the central district. One block costs less than a silver coin.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe such common cheese can be this flavorful. There¡¯s a savoury or a different flavour, it feels like the umami has been raised by several levels¡­..¡± It¡¯s best to use high-quality cheese, but even ordinary cheese can be made sufficiently delicious. ¡°What¡¯s this cooking called?¡± ¡°Smoking. This time I used a method called hot smoking.¡± ¡°Smoking¡­. Just by adding smoke you can make it this tasty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just using any kind of smoke, it¡¯ll go wrong if you don¡¯t carefully select chips that bring out the best flavours.¡± If you made chips from the trees you find around here, you won¡¯t get these kinds of good flavours. It¡¯s only by using chips that suit each ingredient and combining them that complex flavours and savouriness can be brought out. ¡°Is this that chip thing? Dried bark?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. By the way, these are made from apple trees.¡± When I showed him the bag of chips, he sniffed them in admiration. Kind of like a dog. When he¡¯s had enough satisfaction, I take back the bag of chips. ¡°Can I also try the other ones?¡¯ ¡°Bring a plate. After I plate them for you, go back to your place.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Eight said a word of gratitude and quickly ran back to his tent. He then returns with not only his own plate, but also a bottle of wine. ¡°A gift for letting me eat good food. I¡¯ll pour you a glass.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have it.¡± A man who oddly intrudes into your personal space, but he seems to have some etiquette. I handed him the glass and Eight poured red wine from a wine bottle. When I inadvertantly glanced at the label, I was surprised by the brand. ¡°¡­¡­Isn¡¯t that wine from Serberus?¡± Rare wine made in Serberus, a region famous for its wine. Using grapes raised in rich soil and processed in a special way, only a hundred bottles of this wine are distributed each year. A wine so outstandingly delicious meant that royalty and high-ranking aristocrats buy it up all the time, so those in the middle ranks and below could not easily obtain it. It¡¯s not something you can get just by having money. ¡°Oh, If you know about it then you must be a connoisseur too? It¡¯s a precious thing, so drink it and savour it.¡± ¡°Appreciated.¡± The smile on Eight¡¯s face was not one of mockery, but rather the smile of a man who wanted to boast about a product he was proud of. Eight finished pouring the wine, wiped it lightly with a cloth, and tightened the cap There was no hesitation in his movements, as if he were a waiter in a high-class bar. I remember even in my previous life, when I was camping, fellow solo campers would exchange meals with each other like this. Return good with good. I don¡¯t dislike that spirit. I take the plate from Eight and put cheese, eggs, bacon, nuts, peanuts, and all sorts of other food on it. Eight took it happily and quietly went back to his chair. After enjoying the rich aroma for a bit, I sipped from the glass. The concentrated taste of grapes is supported by a refreshing minerality. ¡°It¡¯s indeed delicious¡­¡­ but I think this would be even better paired with meat or cheese.¡± Such a concentrated taste would be better with hearty foods like meat and cheese. That was the theory I arrived at. To test it out, I skewered a piece of smoked bacon and put it in my mouth. The bacon was well seasoned and fatty to begin with. Adding the flavour of smoke, there was no way it wouldn¡¯t be delicious. In my mouth, the tender bacon danced, freely releasing its taste. Then, mix that with Serberus wine. The wine¡¯s fruitiness brings out the savouriness of the meat and enhances the smokiness, the tannins and acidity bring the whole thing together. ¡°I knew it¡¯d match.¡± As I had guessed, it was perfectly compatible with the impactful bacon. ¡°Delicious!¡± While I was admiring the wine, Eight, who was sitting diagonally away from me, was swinging his legs while shouting. I wondered if the other side had also noticed the synergy of smoked food and wine. A guy with a strange presence, but I¡¯ll do what I like and he can do what he likes. Refocusing myself, I put my hand on the cheese. The cheese at the market had been well coated with smoke, and the surface of the cheese had become a little hard and even more yellowish. I skewer the, now, less crumby cheese and put it straight into my mouth. Originally, it would have tasted like any other cheese that filled the market. However, with the addition of smoke, the cheese gained a richer flavour. Then, again, Serberus wine. It washed away the remaining thick flavour of the cheese. The aftertaste is refreshing while umami lingers in the mouth. Irresistible. After eating the cheese, next comes seasoned egg. Before they were smoked, they had a light brown skin from the colour of the sauce, but now the skin was completely brown. While enjoying the fragrance, I took a bite of the smoked seasoned egg. The sweet sauce seasoning and smoke flavour matched exquisitely. Because the time it had been smoked was just right, the white wasn¡¯t too hard, and the sweet half-cooked yolk flowed viscously. ¡°¡­¡­.It¡¯s delicious.¡± The last time I tried, the duration I¡¯d boiled and seasoned it was a bit off, but this time the yolk was half-cooked, and everything was completely to my tastes. It¡¯s good when you make and eat it at home, but I feel it tastes even better when you eat it outside. Although I¡¯m suspicious about the idea that food tastes better when eaten together with a large group of people, I fully agree with this other theory. After finishing the main meal, I enjoyed fishing on the lake while snacking on smoked nuts and peanuts. CH 12 Ilya and my mother get fired up by Sera¡¯s words. This topic has been raised so many times in the past, so it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯m fed up with it. ¡°Haven¡¯t I said I¡¯m not getting married.¡± ¡°Why not? ¡°Because I like being single. I have no interest in marriage.¡± Even when I answer in this way, mother and Ilya look at me with faces as though they can¡¯t understand at all. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want to live together with a woman you love? Don¡¯t you want to have children and make a happy family? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to live with someone else. I prefer to be alone. And besides, I¡¯m not interested in raising children.¡± ¡°Ehh¨C¡° Listening to my declaration, Ilya looks put off. In this world, lifestyles are not as diverse as they were in modern Japan. As in the early Showa period, one is considered a full-fledged adult after getting married and having a family. And they hold on to the entrenched idea that this is generally what it means to be happy in life. For Ilya and my mother, living without marriage is not an option, and they surely find such a life unthinkable. ¡®¡­¡­Brother, maybe you like men?¡¯ ¡°No.¡± At Ilya¡¯s hesitant question I immediately refuted. Her thoughts had derailed to me not liking women because I might be homosexual. Even for this sister of mine, the idea was too offbeat. ¡°Then, why haven¡¯t you had a single girlfriend?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve just said, I like to be single. I¡¯ve come to find all this love stuff annoying.¡±. ¡°Brother, if you can say that, then does that mean you¡¯ve been in love?¡± Sharp. The words that¡¯d carelessly come from my mouth were based on my previous life¡¯s experiences. That is, it wasn¡¯t the case that I had a personality like this from the get go. I¡¯ve learnt from many past events and experiences and have come to embrace these kinds of feelings. Since she had never seen me go out with any women in this life, I can understand Ilya¡¯s suspicions. ¡°As far as I¡¯ve seen, there hasn¡¯t been any woman you¡¯ve been on good terms with.¡± ¡°And at work and in high society, he¡¯s had a lot of women try to come on to him.¡± ¡°Well.¡± As my mother¡¯s eyes keep narrowing, Ludwig sends a lifeboat, ¡°Ah yeah, looking from the outside, brother has many conditions in favour of him. He¡¯s tall, has a good appearance. On top of that, as a magic tool specialist, he has high income, graduated with high honours from his department in the Royal Academy, the eldest son of a Viscount. And he¡¯s single¡­¡­ the women who wouldn¡¯t be trying to sink their teeth into him would probably be in the minority.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a nice woman out there who can hook him? At least with that, I¡¯ll get to see my grandchild¡¯s face.¡± ¡°As long as you get to see a grandchild, nothing about me matters huh¡­¡­¡± Despite me retorting like that, Ilya and mother just continued talking whatever they wanted. Good Lord, they¡¯ve started to talk about what kind of wife would be good for me, what the children will look like, and so on. Apologies for thinking this while they¡¯re happily talking to each other, but what they¡¯re saying is all going to be pointless because that future is never going to come. ¡°Well, that should be enough of that talk for now. Let¡¯s have dinner.¡± While Ilya and mother were excitedly chatting, my father, who had been quietly watching the conversation closed the topic. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m getting quite hungry.¡± ¡°Sera is also hungry.¡± ¡°Okay. Well then. Shall we eat?¡± Ilya had looked dissatisfied when my father and I spoke, but when Sera said the same thing, her expression changed completely. Hmm, this is useful. From now on, whenever troublesome topics arise in the mansion, shall I try to use Sera? After father called out to Gilliam, the door opened and servants came in one after another, setting out the dishes. ¡°Hey? Come to think of it, what happened to Alto?¡± As the meal was being prepared, I noticed that despite some time passing, Alto, his wife, and child had yet to arrive. ¡°Alto has social obligations, so he won¡¯t be coming.¡± ¡°Huh? You let that guy refuse but you didn¡¯t let me refuse?¡± I¡¯m not satisfied that my brother and his wife were allowed to decline while I couldn¡¯t. ¡°Zirc, you haven¡¯t been back for a year so you have no right to refuse.¡± ¡°Generally, Alto is busy because his brother not only isn¡¯t inheriting the territory, he also doesn¡¯t show his face in high society, right? Do you have any self-awareness when you say that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­My bad. I can accept Alto not attending.¡± There were some things I could say in return to my mother, but I had no words for Ilya¡¯s point. He¡¯s succeeding the estate in place of me because I¡¯m devoted to making magic tools and because I¡¯m bad at socialising. He¡¯s the one who has to interact with those from high society. I¡¯ve been set free from the fetters of aristocracy largely due to Alto¡¯s great efforts. I mustn¡¯t forget my gratitude. ¡°Should I give him a present and take him to a nice restaurant?¡± I decided I would express my thanks to Alto in some casual way. In the meantime, dishes and tableware were lined up on the table one after another. There was a colourful salad, a cold potato soup, a vegetable and meat stew, as well as the fish I¡¯d caught called ¡°sabana¡± included as one of the dishes. ¡°Ah? There¡¯s a fish I don¡¯t recognize?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the fish that brother caught outside?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Because I¡¯d been in the mood for fish today. So in the end, I¡¯d wanted to eat it no matter what and asked the cook to additionally prepare it. ¡°Eh, Zirc caught this? This looks delicious.¡± Ludwig, who loved fish dishes, had his eyes lit up when he saw the grilled sabana. That guy prefers seafood dishes to meat. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s make a toast to the Louren family¡¯s future prosperity.¡± To the sound of my father calling for a toast, each of us raised a glass in our hands and toasted. The clear sound of glasses clinking rang through the dining room. ¡°Sera, you too, toast with your uncle.¡± ¡°Cheers.¡± Ilya took Sera¡¯s hand and forced her to make a toast. She didn¡¯t have to force her, but Sera still obediently went along with it. The first sip of the toast moistens my throat. I wonder if it¡¯s because I drank Serberus wine during the day. I can¡¯t help but compare it to that mellow aroma and flavour, so I honestly can¡¯t enjoy it. ¡­¡­I think it¡¯d probably be better not to drink red wine today. If I can¡¯t drink with joy, then I shouldn¡¯t drink at all. ¡°By the way, Zirc, are you making proper food at your home?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a good cook. So I do cook for myself.¡± ¡°If anything, aren¡¯t you just buying expensive meat or something and grilling it? Or in other words you just make snacks to go with strong alcohol.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡­¡± As I was about to object that there was no such thing, I thought back to my recent eating habits. Just the other day, I went to eat yakiniku, this afternoon, I ate smoked food. I¡¯m not eating well enough to refute Ilya¡¯s point. ¡°Ah-, he hesitated! I bet you¡¯re eating exactly the way I mentioned!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get sick if you keep eating such an unbalanced diet.¡± Sorry, but the Solitary God has blessed me with a healthy body. I don¡¯t have to worry about the illnesses my mother is worried about. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I won¡¯t get sick.¡± ¡°How can you say that so confidently?¡± ¡°Since the past, I¡¯ve never once been sick.¡± ¡°Actually, I might¡¯ve never ever seen brother sick! Eh? Isn¡¯t that just plain amazing?¡± Ilya was surprised as she looked back into the past and searched her memories. ¡°You may be fine while you¡¯re still young, but as you get older, your body gets weaker, you know? You have to eat right.¡± ¡°Ah, I got it.¡± I nodded my head as my father said anxiously. In fact, I¡¯ll be fine because of the blessing of the Solitary God, but I think my parents would definitely be unable to understand that. Nevertheless, an unbalanced diet is still not good for the body, and it also lowers one¡¯s performance. I¡¯ll rethink things a bit. ¡°Is this really a sabana? It tastes completely different from what I¡¯ve had before.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s different from when you grill it with salt, the taste is kind of complicated¡­¡­¡± While I was thinking and eating the salad, Ludwig and Ilya raised their voices in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s because we cooked it in a special way with Master Zirc¡¯s magic tool.¡± Gilliam, who was standing by, opened his mouth to explain. ¡°Cooking with magic tools?¡± Ludwig asked for further explanation, but Gilliam turned his sight to me. This probably meant it was best for the person who had created it to explain. ¡°You burn special chips and smoke it. That way, it increases the richness of the flavour, making it more delicious.¡± ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know there was such a cooking method. You¡¯ve once again made an amazing magic tool. Though, speaking of that, is that magic tool for sale.¡± ¡°I use the smoker for my own personal use, so. I won¡¯t be selling it.¡± It¡¯s not that hard to make, but I don¡¯t want to voluntarily add to my own work. I want to have enough buffer so I can always move freely. ¡°This, delicious.¡± ¡°Oh, Sera, you can eat it? You always say you don¡¯t like fish because of the smell¡­¡­¡± ¡°This one doesn¡¯t smell bad, you know?¡± For a four-year old, I wonder if she can really appreciate the taste of smoked food. ¡°Hey, Zirc. Can¡¯t you sell me one of those?¡± ¡°Father wants one too! With this smoker thing, it seems like I¡¯d be able to enjoy all kinds of food.¡± Jumping on Ludwig¡¯s words, my father takes advantage of the opportunity and asks for one too. ¡°¡­¡­Got it. Next time, I¡¯ll make and deliver them.¡± It¡¯ll also be a hassle to be called for every time if they say because they don¡¯t have a smoker. Let¡¯s obediently send them smokers and have them not bother me. CH 13 ¡°Heading out for lunch.¡± Noon, the next day after the dinner party at the mansion. As I was working on plans for the air conditioner in the workshop, Tristan¡¯s listless voice echoed. please do visit https://hakuci.org/?p=4689 to support me and help motivate me to translate. check out https://www.patreon.com/hakuci for 6 advance chapters. I¡¯d been focusing on work since morning and it was already noon. Tristan shoved his wallet into his pocket, put on a jacket, and went outside. Rouge is making her rounds, so she¡¯s not in the workshop today. I was the only one left in the room. Even if I wanted to continue working, my progress is poor. I¡¯m done with material selection and deciding the form, but I¡¯m completely dissatisfied with the magic circuit that connects the ice and wind magic stone. It should be possible to make it more efficient with a simpler shape. To achieve that, I¡¯ve been constantly pondering over the magic circuit, but I can¡¯t get an answer that I¡¯m happy with. ¡°Should I also change up my mood a little?¡± I feel as though somehow my thoughts have gotten a bit stuck. In times like this, I should take a short break from magic tools and refresh myself. It¡¯s just nice for lunchtime, so let¡¯s take a walk around the city. A human can only stay concentrated for around an hour and a half at most. Spending any more time than that won¡¯t get you any better performance. Making this and similar excuses in my mind, I put on my jacket and went outside. The air in the workshop was stuffy, but the air after I stepped outside was refreshing. If Rouge was here, she would have probably paid attention to ventilating the room, but the two of us men were no good for things like that. Stretching my legs towards the central district, I came to a street of food stalls. The street was lined with food stalls on both sides and my stomach was stimulated by the drifting aromas. Among those, particularly strong was the smell of seafood tomato soup. Looking into a large pot from afar, one could see that it was filled with a variety of seafood, including giant king squid, queen prawns, and scallops. Each individual ingredient was huge. Soup steeped in such luxurious ingredients must be exquisite. At six hundred soros per bowl, the price is fairly high for a street vendor, but even so, there are quite a few people lined up. Considering the ingredients used, it¡¯s a reasonable price. That so many people are not afraid to buy it is also proof of how delicious it is. Not long after getting in line, my turn comes. ¡°Hey, welcome!¡± ¡°One bowl of seafood tomato soup. And also one grilled armour crab skewer.¡± ¡®Nine hundred soros. Thank you.¡± Next to the pot was a large net that displayed grilled skewers of various seafoods. Among them, the bright red armour crab skewer looked very delicious so I ended up unconsciously ordering it. After paying the owner, he handed me a bowl of soup and a skewer. The bowl for the soup was deeper and larger than I had imagined. It looked like it would be quite filling. Conveniently beside the stall was an empty space where you could stand and eat, so I slipped in there and took a spot. ¡°First, the armour crab skewer.¡± I wanted to have the soup, the bowl was steaming and seemed a bit too hot. That didn¡¯t make me feel like eating it right away, so it would be better if I tackled the slightly warm armour crab first. Armour crab, as the name suggests, are crabs with shells that develop a strong armour. They¡¯re said to be high in defensive power and difficult to defeat, but the insides are firm and tasty. I put the red meat with grill marks into my mouth. In my mouth, the savouriness of the crab spreads. The moderate sprinkling of salt was outstandingly compatible. Because it was charcoal grilled, there was also an added pleasant aroma. When I bite into it, the elasticity of the meat pushes back against my teeth, and at the same time, the savouriness of the crab and the taste of the sea are released. It was as delicious as I¡¯d expected. After devouring the grilled armour crab skewer, next is the seafood tomato soup. While I was eating the armour crab, the hot steam from the soup had settled down a little, and it¡¯d become just good to eat. Using a wooden spoon, I scoop out a ring-shaped giant king squid and scallops. Entering my mouth, first I feel the rich flavour of the seafood. The flavour of the many seafood ingredients has infused into the broth. Combined with the umami of the slowly simmered tomatoes, this is irresistible. With the addition of what tasted like abundant chilli spices, the soup also kicked a strong punch. And then, these flavours were soaked up by the king squid and scallops. ¡°This is tasty.¡± How could something like this not be delicious? Every scoop is filled with a large portion of ingredients, making it a very substantial meal. I¡¯d been thinking of going to a proper restaurant, but it¡¯s not bad to taste street food like this every once in a while. ¡ô With my stomach swollen from street food, I randomly walk along the streets. I wasn¡¯t interested in going back to work right after lunch. I was in the mood for wandering outside a bit more. At times like this, after all, it¡¯s good to be alone. It¡¯s hard to do aimless things like this with someone else around. ¡°If you have some time, please do come¨C¡° As I walked mindlessly down the street, a person suddenly came up to me and handed me a flyer. After I received it, the woman handing out the flyer smiled and left. Ah. I took the flyer out of reflex. I must have caught her eye because I was walking around in a daze. Anyhow, it¡¯s got to be an advertisement for some boring store. I ended up getting wastepaper filled with information that I had no interest in. It¡¯s also too much trouble to go looking for a trash can. For now I¡¯ll just leave it in my pocket and throw it away when I find one. As I thought that and was about to fold it, I see that what¡¯s written is an advertisement for a concert. According to the information, an orchestra comprising various species would be performing. On the flyer, black silhouettes of various species were lined up with musical instruments. ¡°Hoh, there were such events organised in the Royal Capital¡¯s Opera House, huh¡­¡­.¡± I¡¯d known that there was an opera house, but till now, I¡¯ve yet to visit it. I¡¯m curious about the interior and also simply what music is like in this world. Just looking at the duration of the performance, it¡¯s a good length. It¡¯s well past my lunch break, but right now I¡¯ve only got the designs of the air conditioner and no urgent work. Even if I¡¯m not there, Tristan¡¯s work won¡¯t be hindered, so it probably won¡¯t result in any trouble. ¡°Shall I take a look?¡± CH 14 Relying on a simple map drawn on the flyer, I headed for the theatre. The place where I¡¯d been walking around was not too far from the theatre, and I arrived there without taking more than ten minutes. Located slightly north of the central district is the Royal Capital Opera House. support me on https://hakuci.org/?p=4716 reading it on my site will help motivate me to work harder on translations. check out https://www.patreon.com/hakuci if you would like read advance chapters It¡¯s a four-story building with pure white walls and a light green roof. A majestic structure that could be mistaken for the residence of a high-ranking aristocrat, it was obvious that quite some funds had been spent on constructing it. The people that looked as though they were being sucked in through the entrance are all dressed exquisitely. Most of them are probably wealthy people living in the Royal Capital. From afar, even though there were some commoners that looked like they were also attending the performance, they seemed to be intimated by the grandness of the opera house and those wealthy people going in. Well, you¡¯d be nervous if you¡¯ve never been in that kind of building before. I was also the same way at first, but you get used to it. Fortunately, today I wore a three-piece suit today, so I didn¡¯t feel out of place going into the opera house. Besides, I do actually have money on me. That gives courage. I proceeded to the opera house as if I were following the flow of the high society people. Entering the theatre, the floor is covered with white marble. It was so shiny that the clothes of the people walking on it reflected slightly. Towards the back are the ticket counter and admission entrance. I showed the flyer at the counter and was promptly shown the options for the orchestral tickets. Perhaps the seats had already been filled up, the only ones available were farther in the back. Seats started from 3,000 soros to the premium seats costing more than 100,000 soros. The seats on the higher floors were also quite expensive. I guess it¡¯s because you can get to see the performers and hear the sound better. However, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a fan of the orchestra mentioned on the flyer, so I chose a normal seat at the back. Since I had no baggage to leave, the ticketing process went smoothly, and an employee led me into the hall. Once inside, I see that the hall is in a circular shape, and the seats were arranged in curved rows. There were seats on the second, third, and fourth floors, and the premium seats on the second floor were really close to the stage. A red curtain was hanging over the stage, indicating that they were still preparing. I looked at my ticket number, searched for my seat, and settled down into it. There were a good number of people in the hall, but it was strangely quiet. I could feel the high level of cultural awareness of the people who¡¯d come to this opera house. This was nice. After relaxing for a while, an announcement was made and the lights in the hall went out. The curtain is lifted and the performers enter the stage one after another. The performers were of various species, humans, beastmen, lizardmen, elves, and dwarves, and also of different genders and builds. The differences in their silhouettes are interesting. They sit down at their respective seats and begin to ready their instruments. Violins, cellos, double basses, flutes, trumpets, and the like are ones that I¡¯d seen even in my previous life, but mixed among them are some instruments that looked to be unique to this world. I caught sight of one that looked like a horn but with a really long tube that wrapped around to the back, and one that looked like a customised trumpet much longer than the usual ones. To these unknown instruments, I was very much looking forward to hearing what they would sound like. All the musicians took their seats in chairs on the stage. Finally, an elven man, who appeared to be the conductor, entered the stage. The audience applauded, and shrill voices rose from the front rows. Some people had come here with their eyes for the conductor. Though I was taken a little aback, I too gave him a welcome clap, too. The conductor bowed politely to the audience and took his place on the podium. Applause ceased, and the hall was enveloped in silence. It was as though the entire hall was engulfed by the spirit of concentration from the conductor and the musicians. Now, it seemed as though even the slightest footstep would echo loudly. Then, a blonde woman began to play the violin alone. A gentle, delicate tone as the other musicians also started to chase her. Soon, as those sounds went on, they blended together, uniting with the tones from other instruments to suddenly produce a complex sound. Amazing. I¡¯d occasionally listened to orchestral music in my previous life, but the sound quality and impact are completely different when you hear it up close. The delicate tones were very comforting, and even though it was music I didn¡¯t know, I ended up enraptured listening to it. This is good. Listening to the music in a dream-like state, before I knew it, the piece was over. The hall erupted in applause. The tone was so beautiful that I felt unfortunate that it was over. After the applause ended, the hall became quiet again, and they entered the next piece. The conductor waved his arms violently, and suddenly a heavy bass rang out that resonated with my stomach. Completely changed from the gentle and delicate tones of the previous piece, this piece was like a sprint, a furious sound. Precisely because of the lingering remnants of the first piece, this destructive force stood out. Particularly the trombone played by a plump lizardman. His belly was so swollen that it could have been mistaken for a balloon, and it was from there that wind was blown into his instrument. Lung capacity that humans could never reproduce. I see, his trombone was that long not only because of his stature, but also because it was customised to suit his lung capacity. Though, against this kind of low-pitched instrument, the sounds from the higher instruments resolutely sounded out. The higher notes from violins, violas, flutes, and other instruments mix with the heavy bass and combine into a single sound. As they mixed, what stood out to me was a horn-like instrument with a shape I had never seen before. Just when you thought it was playing the bass, it then joined the treble part. Normally, horns are characterised by their clear tones or the soft tones unique to woodwinds, but this one had neither. It somehow sounded like it had quite a wide range and was beign used for many different parts. Furthermore, its structure was curious. Although it was curved, the tube was able to extend and wind all the way to the back. Exactly what kind of structure does it have? It¡¯s complex like a magic circuit. ¡°Magic circuit?¡± I wonder if the magic circuit of the air conditioner could be made more efficient by bending it and folding it onto itself like that. There¡¯s no rule that says the circuit must be flat. As long as the magic power from the magic stone is transmitted properly, it is all right. ¡°This might just work.¡± I found my thoughts had completely shifted to magic tools. I can¡¯t wait to get home and try it out. However, it would be bad manners to leave in the middle of a performance, as it would disturb the musicians and the audience. At the very least, I would have to wait until this piece ended. ¡°Finish quickly. The idea¡¯s going to fly away.¡± While making sure this idea that flashed into my head didn¡¯t disappear, I waited, then left the hall behind after the piece finished. CH 15 As I was scrambling to scribble down the inspiration I¡¯d gotten at the opera house, the evening sun had already shone into the workshop. When it comes to this time of the day, Rouge, who has to take care of her kid, starts to get fidgety. The previous time I kept her late, so shall I call it here for today? please do read on ¡°Shall we end here for now?¡± ¡°Alright then, excuse me for leaving first. Thanks for your hard work!¡± As I¡¯d thought, she wanted to head home soon. Rogue quickly arranged her desk and left with her bag on her shoulder. ¡°Mr. Zirc, would you like to go out for dinner?¡± As I too, was also about to clean up my desk, Tristan came over to me and asked as though he¡¯d been waiting for the chance. ¡°You, the other day you said there¡¯s no point in just two guys going, didn¡¯t you?¡± I¡¯m certain I remember that. As we were about to go to the yakiniku place, he mentioned that when it looked like it was just going to be the two of us alone. ¡°D, did I ever say that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m going home.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, please wait. Right now, I¡¯m short of money. Please treat me, Mr. Zirc!¡± As I got up from the chair and was about to leave, Tristan came begging wholeheartedly in tears ¡°Why don¡¯t you have any money? Don¡¯t I pay enough for you even considering you¡¯re an apprentice?¡± Tristan is properly paid as an apprentice magic tool maker. Of course, as an apprentice, it¡¯s not a high salary, but it¡¯s enough that he shouldn¡¯t run out even if he indulges a little. After I questioned him, Tristan looked uncomfortable. ¡°Um, well, I spent it on presents to my favourite girl at the cabaret club¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m going home.¡± If he¡¯d used it to make magic tools, or if he spent it on getting materials to practise processing on, it¡¯d have been fine, but it¡¯s way too foolish to get gifts for a girl at a store. ¡°I, sorry! But, isn¡¯t it okay to spend it on those kinds of gifts once in a while! I thought I could help out a pretty girl! I, I¡¯ve never gone out to eat with you, Mr Zirc, you know!?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡­¡± Now that he¡¯d mentioned it, I felt that was the case. I¡¯ve known Tristan for more than three years, but we¡¯ve never gone out for a meal. Although, the person who kept wasting such important opportunities was Tristan himself, but I¡¯ll refrain myself from saying anything. If he got too stressed out, it would be troublesome if it started to interfere for his work. For only something like dinner, I guess I can fork up. Tristan¡¯s attitude is at times questionable, but he still does manage to properly get his work done. This might also be part of the boss¡¯ job, to reward their subordinates. ¡°¡­¡­Can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll take you with me.¡± ¡°Really?? ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe Mr. Zirc is actually treating me! Yay, I¡¯ll get prepared right away!¡± I wonder how much of a cold-hearted human Tristan sees me as. Haa, that¡¯s why human relationships are troublesome. I just want to comfortably make magic tools, have a good enough system for income, and live an elegant life by myself. ¡ô Having ended up going to dinner with Tristan, we walk through the central district of the Royal Capital. ¡°I want to eat Nikubishi¡¯s yakiniku!¡± ¡°Rejected. I was there the other day.¡± ¡°Ehh!? Who were you there with? I went there the other day. Who did you go with? Could it be Mr. Zirc¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Just because I went to a yakiniku restaurant, why must it be that I went with someone? Why must it be a girl? I don¡¯t understand Tristan¡¯s thought processes. Maybe the circuits in his head are mixed up. ¡°Why would it be like that? Isn¡¯t it obvious I went alone.¡± ¡°Eh? You went to a yakiniku restaurant by yourself? ¡°Anything wrong?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing wrong, but I¡¯ve heard that a yakiniku restaurant is a place where everyone enjoys themselves together with others. Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t enjoy yourself if you go alone.¡± ¡°W, well, that¡¯s true, but¡­..¡± It¡¯d only been about three months since the cuisine known as ¡®yakiniku¡¯ started, but has that kind of evil image already taken root? I thought it was still too early to tell, but maybe I should recommend the manager to implement the one-man yakiniku style as soon as possible. No, maybe it¡¯d be better to open a store specialising in solo yakiniku? A yakiniku restaurant that is comfortable and enjoyable for the singles in Royal Capital must be made. ¡°If Nikubishi¡¯s no good, then where should we go? Oh right, Mr Zirc, please take me to a store you would recommend.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± I¡¯d much rather go into a restaurant I like than to have to hang out with Tristan in some strange place he¡¯d pick. Now, which restaurant should we go to? That recently opened restaurant serving excellent white wine and shellfish dishes? Or that restaurant specialising in spicy food from a desert country? As I walked down the street while thinking about which restaurant to go to, I ended up stumbling upon my favourite treasure tool store. ¡°Sorry. Let me stop by that treasure store¡± ¡°Uweh. Seriously? Mr Zirc, you spend quite a long time in treasure stores¨C¡° There¡¯s been a few times when I¡¯ve gotten him to accompany me in the middle of buying materials, but I¡¯ve never stayed that long. Ignoring Tristan¡¯s comments, I entered the ¡°Ardeus¡± treasure tool store. Opening the refined entrance, I hear the light tinkling of a bell. The first person to enter our sight is a large man. He¡¯s wearing a black full-body armour and a helmet with ominous horns. Not a single piece of skin is exposed, his entire body is wrapped in protective equipment. An axe is tied to his waist, and on his back he carries a large sword. Nearly two metres tall, him just standing there is intimidating enough. He¡¯s the guard protecting Ardeus. ¡°Hiee, no matter how many times I see him, that guy is frightening. Somehow just looking at him gives me chills.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a maniac for cursed treasure tools.¡± A mask that can never be removed once worn, an axe that is filled with a grudge that pollutes the mind, and so on. A cursed treasure tool is a treasure tool that imparts a large debuff to the wearer that equips it. Although these are extremely dangerous treasure tools with severe demerits on the wear, they are also characterised by them having great merits that can outweigh those risks. Some maniacs are fascinated by their risky yet outstanding abiltiies, this man was one of those maniacs. ¡°No wonder he gives me the chills. Are you okay wearing these cursed treasure tools?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Can you hear me?¡± Tristan spoke to the guard, but he did not respond. ¡°There¡¯s no point trying to talk to him. Because of a cursed treasure tool, he can¡¯t speak.¡± As I explained this to him, Tristan looked at the guard as if he were looking at a crazy person. ¡°¡­¡­I knew it, people who like treasure tools have missing screws in their heads.¡± ¡°Are you saying that to me too? Don¡¯t lump me together with that kind of cursed treasure tool maniac.¡± I may like treasure tools, but even I didn¡¯t like it when they were cursed. Depending on the tool, I¡¯ve heard that some can move on their own in the middle of the night. As you might think, even I can¡¯t handle that. tl: threw together a mailing list option for those who want to receive updates on this series whenever i release. CH 16 Past the guard, the store was lined with many glass cases. Contrary the old-fashioned decor of the store, these glass cases and the treasure tools housed in them were very clean and orderly. They are distinguished according to ring-type, bracelet-type, and necklace-type items. Armour-type treasure tools are hung on the walls. please do read at https://hakuci.org/?p=4860 to help support me and motivate me so i can keep doing translations. check out https://www.patreon.com/hakuci for 6 advance draft chapters The items in the front of the room were things that could be used in daily life or suitable for regular use, and the deeper you went in, the more dangerous the items became. ¨C [Sharpener¡¯s Bracelet] By wearing it, one¡¯s sharpening skills become the level of a professional¡¯s. Note: The items that can be sharpened range widely from swords to kitchen knives. [Ring of Throwing] The distance of projectiles thrown is greatly increased, and control is improved. Note: This treasure tool is not enough to compensate for poor motor control. [Driving Hammer] A single strike is all it takes to drive a nail in cleanly and deeply. Recommended for efficient carpentry work. [Finger Shot] After flicking the finger this is equipped on, a small shock is released. Note: The power output seems to be about the same as a flick to the forehead. ¨C Cards showing the names and effects of the treasure tools are placed next to the glass cases. There¡¯s a wide range of tools, from those closely related to daily necessities, to tools that can be used for work, some that are aids in battle, and others like the last one that only leave you wondering what it can be used for. They are all unknown things that cannot be reproduced by magic tools. ¡°This is nice.¡± For me, a collector of treasure tools, this store felt like a museum or a toy store. ¡°Wow, as usual, treasure tools are expensive.¡± ¡°Obviously. There are those that are versatile and highly effective, but even for the ones that are completely useless trash, a treasure tool is still a treasure tool. They cannot be reproduced by modern science or magic techniques. Therefore, it¡¯s only obvious that the price is high.¡± The groaning of Tristan after looking at the treasure tools was answered by a dwarf who came out from the back of the room. He has a stout figure and short arms and legs. His striking feature was his lush beard. Perhaps he had been appraising until a few moments ago, he was wearing a silver-rimmed monocle. This man is Gwan, the manager of Ardeus. Gwan appraises, manages, and trades treasure tools unearthed in dungeons. Many of the treasure tools obtained from dungeons are unknown, so someone with great knowledge about magic tools and the skills to appraise them is needed. Adventurers who acquire a treasure tool in a dungeon and use it without having it appraised can end up destroying it. To prevent such accidents, it¡¯s common sense to appraise a newly found treasure tool before using it. ¡°But it¡¯s you again, huh? Even though you must have been here just three days ago.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that fine?¡± Encounters with treasure tools are once in a lifetime experiences. You never know when a useful and wonderful treasure tool might arrive. When that time comes, there¡¯s nothing more regretful than not being able to set your hands on it. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t seem to have any other customers today either, do you? Looking around the store, it was deserted, and there were no other customers than us. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We have a guy who buys ridiculously priced treasure tools.¡± ¡°You¡¯re referring to Mr. Zirc, aren¡¯t you? Exactly how much has he bought?¡± ¡°He¡¯s holding on to at least more than two hundred treasure tools. Other than my store, he should also be scavenging and buying from other places, so he surely has around three hundred.¡± ¡°T, three hundred!? Where does Mr. Zirc get that kind of money¡­¡­¡± Tristan stared at me gloomily. ¡°Don¡¯t leak customer information.¡± I wonder where this store¡¯s privacy compliance has gone. Don¡¯t give out your customers¡¯ purchase records without their permission. ¡°Rather than that, Gwan, has anything new come in?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.There is. Seems like something you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± Apparently, there¡¯s a new treasure tool in stock today. Gwan¡¯s endorsement alone was enough to make my heart soar. Tristan and Gwan may be taken aback by my frequent visits, but it¡¯s things like this that make me feel like I can¡¯t go without showing my face here often. I follow Gwan and he takes out a case from behind the counter. Gwan opens the leather case and inside is a golden wine cup. It has a very beautiful lustre and there is no cloudiness at all on the wine cup. Not an ostentatious gold, but an elegant shine. Quickly peeking in, I see that it¡¯s golden on the inside as well. I have seen wine cup type treasure tools before and own a number of them, compared to them, this one looks simple. The rim isn¡¯t flared, there are no jewels on it, and it¡¯s not ornamented. I wanted to try and discern what kind of treasure tool it was, but I had completely no idea. ¡°What kind of effect does this have?¡± ¡°¡®Spring¡¯.¡± When I asked that question, Gwan only picked up the wine cup and said a single word. Then, water sprung up from the bottom of the wine cup and made crackling sounds. Upon closer inspection, it wasn¡¯t ordinary water, something like bubbles was rising to the top. ¡°Does this mean this is a treasure tool that can produce carbonated water!?¡± ¡°Yes, it is. It¡¯s called the [Bubbly Cup].¡± Gwan transferred the carbonated water from the cup to a simple glass. I carefully looked at it and sipped. This popping sensation in my mouth. It was definitely carbonated water. ¡°How much is it?¡± The moment after I finished the water, I asked. There is a mysterious spring that produces carbonated water in this world and some carbonated water is exported from there. However, it was rarely available, and it wasn¡¯t something I could privately enjoy whenever I liked. But with this, not only can I enjoy carbonated water at home, I can also make all kinds of cocktails that mix juice with carbonated water. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re buying it? It¡¯s just a cup that makes carbonated water!?¡± Though Tristan couldn¡¯t seem to think of any use for it, and said such a silly thing. For now, let¡¯s ignore the fool beside me. ¡°So, what¡¯s the amount?¡± ¡°30 million soros.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy it!¡± It was the first price Gwan quoted, but I immediately decided to buy it. On the spot, I reach into my pocket, take out a cheque, and write the necessary information on it. Seeing that, Gwan carefully wiped the wine cup with a cloth and put it back into the case. ¡°Haa!? Eh!? Mr. Zirc, it¡¯s 30 million you know!? If you pick the right place, you could build a house in the Royal Capital!?¡± ¡°For only 30 million, you can make cocktails anytime you want. It¡¯s cheap. And you can even use this to raise funds for a bar.¡± Even if you don¡¯t open your own bar, if you were to lend it out and teach cocktail recipes, that by itself would be enough to make some money. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve apparently seen a way to put it to good use. Take it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be receiving it.¡± Gwan might be the manager of a treasure tool shop, but he is very selective about who he sells to. He¡¯s also a genuine treasure tool enthusiast. He would be more happy if the treasure tools he sells can be made useful. ¡°Do you have something against me to be buying something like this in front of an employee who complained that he doesn¡¯t have any money?¡± ¡°Who knows. It¡¯s your own lack of self-control that leaves you short.¡± It¡¯s nice that I don¡¯t have to hesitate to make such big purchases. If I had a family or a wife, they would question if buying this was worth lowering their living standards, or if instead of buying this, the money should be saved for them or the children. But single people are free. Of course, with freedom comes responsibility. You have to be prepared to live alone and plan accordingly. The only person concerned about you is you alone. You must keep in mind your own responsibilities and when to avoid risks, but as long as you can do that, you are free. So buying something for 30 million soros is not something I have to hesitate about ¡°Now then¡­¡­¡± ¡°Dinner, right?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going home.¡± ¡°Ehhhhh!? Weren¡¯t you going to treat me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the heart to carry around a treasure tool that costs 30 million soros.¡± As you might think, even I wouldn¡¯t want to wander around with such an expensive treasure tool. ¡°You just really want to quickly go home and try it out, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I won¡¯t deny that. If you want to eat outside, then I¡¯ll accompany you some other time, so, forgive me.¡± Ignoring Tristan¡¯s piercing gaze, I walk outside alone. ¡°Well, no matter how good he looks and how much money he has, I don¡¯t think anyone would marry him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± From behind me, I heard some grumbling, but I pretended not to hear it. CH 17 Just like that, I cancelled dinner plans with Tristan and went straight home. First thing I should do¡­¡­ ¡°A treasure tool appreciation session.¡± Opening the case I received from Gwan< I take out the Bubbling Cup. I place the golden wine cup on the table. please do read at https://hakuci.org/?p=4885 to help support me and motivate me so i can keep doing translations. check out https://www.patreon.com/hakuci for 6 advance draft chapters Its elegant colour and radiance are otherworldly, it indeed looks like how a treasure tool ought to. Although treasure tools are typically obtained from treasure chests in dungeons, this one had been properly handled, there was not a single scratch on it. The deeper you go into a dungeon, the more likely you are to encounter rare materials and treasure tools, but the traps and demons that stand in your way are also all the more vicious. Despite that, the fact that this treasure tool was brought back to the surface without any imperfection is testament to the extraordinary skill of the adventurers. And Gwan¡¯s maintenance must have been excellent as well. I looked at the perfect cup from all angles and lifted it up. It felt a little heavier in my hand than an ordinary wine cup. Tapping it with my finger, it made a rather hard, cool sound. ¡°I wonder exactly what material it¡¯s made of.¡± Being someone who makes his living as a magic tool specialist, I¡¯m more familiar with materials than the average person, but even I didn¡¯t have a single clue about which materials were used to make the treasure tool. ¡°¡®Spring¡¯.¡± After I uttered the key word that was requried for activating the treasure tool, from the bottom of the empty cup, carbonated water came gushing out. An absolutely mysterious treasure tool. If you asked me to do something like this with a magic tool, I would simply say it¡¯s impossible. As I thought about that, I looked at the memo that was included in the case. Written on it is the information that Gwan had obtained through his appraisal skills and his conjectures about the treasure tool based on his experience so far. Most of the time his guesses are on point, so it¡¯s very helpful. The memo contains detailed information on the estimated strength of the treasure tool and ways of handling it, such as the cleaning method. According to Gwan¡¯s speculation, the cup is not that fragile and won¡¯t crack even if it were to be dropped a little. It seems like it¡¯d be fine to wash it like you¡¯d with a normal wine cup. As for the temperature and amount, it sounds like if you strongly think about the temperature and amount you desire when you use it, it¡¯ll come out exactly as imagined. After making sure that there were no other warnings, I gulped from the wine cup. The carbon pops in my mouth. It crackles and flows straight down the back of my throat. I can¡¯t get enough of this refreshing feeling. From now on, I can drink soda water anytime I want. However, since it¡¯s soda water after all, it¡¯d also be a waste to simply just enjoy it alone. ¡°¡­¡­Shall I make a highball?¡± There is whiskey in this world, but because of the lack of carbonated water, it¡¯s almost always drunk on the rocks or cut with water. But now that we have soda water, I can make highballs. I moved to the kitchen. From my storage cabinet, I take out a bottle of whiskey and a glass, and from the fridge I take out ice. However, the sheet of ice I made in the fridge is rather large so I decided to cut it down. I could have used ice magic to instantly make ice that was the right size, but I was in a slight mood to enjoy this sort of work. Though it would be easier to cut the ice after letting it thaw naturally for a little while, I skip that step because I can¡¯t hold myself back. After lightly washing the ice sheet with water, I placed it on a cutting board. I put the knife right in the middle of the ice sheet. While using a small hammer to press down the knife, I slide it to make an incision. Then, when enough of a cut is made, I carefully tap the top of the knife with the hammer. If I mess up here, the cut of ice will be terribly disappointing. I have to be very delicate. Concentrating my attention on the hammer, I hit the knife on the top. With that, the weight of the hammer causes the knife to bite into the ice, and at the fourth tap, the ice cracked. ¡°It¡¯s a clean cut. The best I¡¯ve done so far.¡± The ice sheet that was split into half was so beautiful that I couldn¡¯t help but praise myself. I have made ice like this at home, but it¡¯s been a long time since I have broken ice this nicely so I¡¯m very happy about it. The split ice sheet was further broken into four equal pieces. I again divided it in half into eight equal parts, then finally divided it into three equal parts horizontally. Though, the pieces were still too big, so I had to split it one last time. After washing away the loose fragments with water, ice for the highball was complete. The crystal clear ice is very pretty. And since it¡¯s something I made myself, it was especially lovely. After I arrange the ice into the glass so that there aren¡¯t any large gaps, I pour the whiskey in. Getting a measuring cup will be a bit troublesome, so I measure by eye. An adult male¡¯s finger and a half is roughly enough whiskey. When the pouring is complete, I prepare a stirrer and stir the ice in the glass. The purpose of this is to make sure the glass is cool. If you stir too slowly, the ice will melt more easily and it¡¯ll become diluted, so you need to be careful. When the glass is cool enough for condensation to form, add more ice as though burying the ice that¡¯s already slightly melted. By adding ice at this point, the ice will not float when soda water is poured in, preventing excess water from being released. Contrary to how simple the process of making a highball seems, if you don¡¯t put in enough effort, it¡¯ll become diluted and taste bad. So despite its simplicity, it¡¯s something that must be carefully prepared. After adding ice, the next step is to add the soda water. ¡°¡®Spring¡¯.¡± After properly imagining cold soda water, I swirl the cup and pour it through the gap between the ice cubes. If it hits any ice, the carbonation will be lost, so the key point is to pour carefully without letting it touch ice. Tilting the cup and pouring slowly, you can hear the sound of the carbonation quietly popping inside the glass. I¡¯ll do a ratio of one part whiskey to four parts soda water. When the pouring is finished, you can see the whiskey rising to the top due to the gas pressure of the carbonated water. At this stage, the whiskey is pretty much mixed, so all that¡¯s left is to lightly put in the stirrer and give it a turn to lift up the ice¡­¡­ ¡°Highball, success.¡± There¡¯s no meaning in just continuing to appreciate the finished highball. It¡¯s best to drink it fresh now before the ice melts. I pick up the ice-cold glass and lift it to my mouth. ¡°Ah, this is the best.¡± I let out a sigh. The bitterness of the whiskey spreading in my mouth, concealed behind that, a subtle sweetness and savouriness, This is mixed with the soda water to create a lifting taste. Since the ice was packed in a chilled glass, the soda water and whiskey blended well together. There was almost no dilution or unevenness in the flavour. I was so touched by the taste of a highball that I haven¡¯t had in a long time and I quickly emptied my glass. As I was about to make my second highball, I suddenly came back to my senses. ¡°Wait, I haven¡¯t had highballs in a while. Since that¡¯s the case, I might as well have something to go with it for dinner.¡± I may be a strong drinker, but it¡¯s still not good to have alcohol on an empty stomach. Besides, with such delicious alcohol, it¡¯d be a waste if I didn¡¯t prepare something to accompany it. Speaking of dishes that go well with highballs¡­¡­ ¡°Fried chicken.¡± You might exclaim that ¡®highball equals chicken¡¯ has far too low-class of an image, but the two go so well together that it¡¯s both the classic and the right choice. Peeking into the refrigerator, I find a pack of seasoned chicken thighs. Without a doubt, this is the Solitary God telling me to make fried chicken. I even have a magic stove installed in my kitchen. It also has an adjustable function for keeping a constant temperature, so it¡¯s easy to do deep frying. With a grin on my face, I decided to make fried chicken as swiftly as possible. ¡ô ¡°Everything¡¯s ready.¡± A small magic stove was set up on the table, and the pot on it was filled with hot oil. There is nothing worse than cold fried chicken. As far as I can tell, fried chicken loses flavour as it cools, so I decide to boldly cook and eat it on the spot. I¡¯d also prepared another highball to enhance the taste of the fried chicken. The preparation of the meat was already done, so all that was left was to put it in the pot and fry it. I put the thigh meat covrered with batter into the pot. With that, a sizzling sound echoed through the living room. Different from the bubbling of the soda water, the sound of the bubbling oil was relaxing. Sipping slightly from the highball, I waited for the batter to turn light brown. After I doubled-fried the chicken, I plated it and started tasting. Freshly fried chicken¡­¡­ is definitely hot. Although I knew that it wouldn¡¯t cool down with just a small puff of air, I couldn¡¯t resist the aroma that wafted from its body. I grabbed the hot fried chicken with my chopsticks and brought it to my mouth. The crispy texture of the batter and the delicious flavour of the juices seeping out from inside ¡°Hot!¡± The result was as expected, but I persevered with my will. Firm, taut thigh meat dances around, and I feel its tenderness as I bite into it. Undertones from the ginger and garlic seasoning oozed from the meat into a harmonious whole. ¡°What soft meat.¡± After chewing enough of the meat, I downed my well-chilled glass of highball. The soda water washed away the grease that had spread throughout my mouth, and the flavour of the meat matched the flavour of the whiskey. ¡°¡­¡­..Delicious.¡± I downed my glass and put it on the table. Hot fried chicken washed down with a chilled highball. I couldn¡¯t think of any other description than that it was the best. As I continued to eat while struggling against the temperature, two pieces of fried chicken were gone in no time. Having fully enjoyed the taste of fried chicken, I decided to change up the taste a bit. I squeezed the lemon I had cut for the fried chicken with my fingers. The strong sour juice dripped from the lemon and lightly wet the fried chicken. After the lemon juice was evenly spread, I put the lemon on the edge of the plate and again moved the fried chicken to my mouth. ¡°This refreshing zest of lemon is also the best.¡± The strong acidity enhanced the savouriness of the meat and made it much easier to eat. If you were to just keep eating fried chicken, with its strong flavour, your stomach might end up feeling heavy. However, the addition of lemon makes it possible to enjoy a change in flavour as well as making it lighter. Eating sour fried chicken and drinking highballs. With a treasure tool that cost 30 million soros, I could afford such extravagance. This is the fruit of me working hard for so long to aim at a single life. It is because of that effort that I¡¯ve come this far and am able to enjoy this kind of enviable single life. ¡°I wish I could go back and praise previous me who worked so hard all those years ago.¡± I think to myself as I raise my Bubbly Cup. There¡¯s nothing better than admiring my collection while eating good food and drinking delicious alcohol. With this treasure tool, I can drink highballs anytime, or make carbonated juice or other cocktails. I¡¯m sure that from now on, my future drinking at home will be even more fulfilling. Next time, I can make a wine spritzer or something similar by mixing my wine with soda water. Ah, I can¡¯t stop imagining the dramatic increase in the variety of drinks I can make. Thanks to today¡¯s visit to the opera house, I was able to come up with an idea for the magic circuit. Besides that, I was also able to buy such a valuable treasure tool for a mere 30 million soros. Looking back, what a day today was. Realising this, I got into an even better mood and started singing a favourite song of mine from my previous life in the living room. CH 18 ¡°I¡¯m home¡­¡­¡± I, Catalina Macrae, was back home today after another performance at the opera house. Entering my flat, I¡¯m greeted by a pitch black foyer. I find it lonely that there¡¯s not even a single person here and no lights are on. please do read at https://hakuci.org/?p=4956 to help support me and motivate me to keep translating . ¡°Can¡¯t think like that, can¡¯t think like that. Right now I need to concentrate on music!¡± When the body and mind are weakened by fatigue, humans are creatures that can¡¯t think straight. I ended up thinking about something that was so unlike me. check out my patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hakuci for 6 advance draft chapters. I left my house because I wanted to pursue a career in the world of music, that¡¯s why I¡¯m living in the Royal Capital. It¡¯s not a world where you can survive with naive thoughts like you¡¯re lonely because you¡¯re all by yourself. check out my discord https://discord.gg/zmZEwrErsw if you want to get pinged for updates. I scolded my weak heart as I took off my high heels. ¡°Ouch, ouch¡­¡­ Another blister.¡± After taking off my shoes, I see my heels are red. I was so focused during the performance that it didn¡¯t bother me, but as soon as I finished my work, it started to hurt. ¡°I don¡¯t want to wear them anymore.¡± Every time I put on a new pair of heels, this happens. Though I¡¯m letting out such whining, since it¡¯s for work it¡¯s unavoidable. Appearance is important as well as playing technique. Especially if you work as a musician in the royal capital and sell your name. You can¡¯t let your guard down not only on stage, but also in the city. Not only is a performer¡¯s musical skills important, their appearance is as well. This especially true for musicians active in the Royal Capital and even more so if they are trying to make a name for themselves. Not just on stage, but also on the streets they can¡¯t relax. Playing technique not just, but also the appearance is important. Especially if you work as a musician in the royal capital and make a name for yourself. Don¡¯t let your guard down, not only on stage, but also in the city. However, there are still times when I just want to walk around the city with flat sneakers. With such carefree delusions in my head, I put on my indoor shoes and walked down the hallway. After turning on the living room light, the dark room brightens up. I pretended not to see it and moved to the sofa. I threw myself and fluttered over it, and there was a creak and the dress I was wearing slipped off. And then, my sloppy life is revealed. Many dresses are piled up on the sofa, and the table is full of cosmetics and accessories. The shoes and socks you took off are lying on the floor. On the sofa, a number of dresses are piled on top of one another, and the table is crammed with cosmetics and accessories. On the floor are shoes and socks that I¡¯d taken off and left. For me, from a young age, I¡¯d been raised with the idea that such chores should be done by servants, so my hands just couldn¡¯t move. No, saying it like that is just an excuse. As long as I live alone, this should be my own responsibility. On the sofa, that numerable dresses am piled on top for individual another, the and table is crammed taking cosmetics and accessories. The in floor am shoes and sock this myself take off and leave. ¡°¡­¡­But, I just can¡¯t push myself to do it right now.¡± After myself the push dressed over my head and hang it the over backward the sofa, myself can finally breath. I decided to pretend I didn¡¯t see them and moved to the sofa. As I threw myself and flopped down on it, it made a creaking screech and the dress I was wearing slips off. After I pushed the dress over my head and hung it over the back of the sofa, I could finally catch my breath. ¡°Haa, I just want to sleep like this.¡± But that¡¯s not okay. We have another concert next week. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ No matter how much I¡¯ve practised, it¡¯s important for a performer to practice everyday. If you don¡¯t do that, your skills will soon rust. Besides, I¡¯m also hungry, even though there are breaks in the performance schedule, what I was supposed to be doing during that time was to prepare for the next piece. I didn¡¯t have the time or energy to eat lunch, and in the end, today I only ate breakfast. I was already starving. ¡°Let¡¯s eat something light and practice.¡± I whipped my exhausted body and somehow got up to head to the kitchen. I searched around in the refrigerator and found a pack of meat in the back. When I checked the refrigerator to see if there were any ingredients, I found only wine, shrivelled carrots, cucumbers, and other miserable foods. Oh no. I was too busy that I completely forgot to go shopping. At a quick glance, the shrivelled vegetables were a little damaged, but not yet rotten. If there was at least one piece of meat, I could at least make a vegetable stir-fry. I rummaged around in the fridge and found a pack of meat in the back. ¡°There it is! Meat ¡ª it¡¯s no good. This is¡­¡­.¡± But when I looked at the pack, there was only what looked like a blackened lump of meat stuck inside. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ Even a fridge couldn¡¯t store meat for such a long time. Then there was a bang, and the vibration caused the wine bottle inside to roll a little. I was also not in the mood to fry and eat only shrivelled vegetables. I resolved to give up on dinner for today. Like I was venting my frustration due to my hunger, I closed the door of the refrigerator a little forcefully. Then a slam echoed, and the wine bottle inside rolled a little due to the vibrations. I searched around in the refrigerator and found a pack of meat in the back. ¡°¡­¡­Still, couldn¡¯t this be a little smaller?¡± A refrigerator that gives off a strong presence in the kitchen. Thanks to the epoch-making magic tool that uses ice magic stones, my eating habits have improved considerably. The refrigerator has a strong presence in the kitchen. Thanks to this revolutionary magic tool that made use of ice magic stones, my food situation has improved a fair bit. However, I¡¯m dissatisfied by the size of this refrigerator. The magic tool specialist who created the refrigerator, is famous in the royal capital, but his weakness is that he can¡¯t meet such specific needs well. Well, since food is stored in it, it does need to be somewhat big, but couldn¡¯t it be more compact? The magic tool specialist who created the refrigerator, is famous in the royal capital, but his weakness is that he can¡¯t meet such specific needs well. Zirc Louren, the magic tool specialist who created the refrigerator is quite famous in Royal Capital, but his flaw is that he doesn¡¯t respond well to such specific needs. Perhaps he has no further interest in his finished creations. If I have a small magic stove, I feel like I can make a small dryer. The magic stove also requires a lot of force to twist the knob, and a woman like me has some difficulty adjusting it. If I have a small magic stove, I feel like I can make a small dryer. Even the hair dryer is inconvenient because I want to use it outside but its shape is too large to carry around. I have sent requests for such magic tools many times, but he seems completely indifferent to improving the product. If there can be smaller magic stoves, I feel that a small hair dryer can also be made. I¡¯ve sent him many letters of request for such magic tools, but it seems like he¡¯s completely uninterested in improving his products. Magic tools are a lifesaver for people like me who are not good at housework. To make that wish come true, I will not stop sending him written requests. That¡¯s why I want him to continue to make magic tools that will support people like us. To make that wish come true, I will not stop sending him written requests. In order to have that hope realised, I will not stop sending him written requests. After activating the soundproofing magic, concentrate on arranging the score of the song to be played at the next concert. Because that would still definitely be faster than improving my housekeeping abilities. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ ¡°Well then, I must practice my violin¡­¡­.¡± A refrigerator that gives off a strong presence in the kitchen. Thanks to the epoch-making magic tool that uses ice magic stones, my eating habits have improved considerably. Having given up on dinner, I promptly take my instrument out of my violin case. After activating a soundproofing magic tool, I lay out the sheet music for the piece I will be playing at the next concert and concentrate. When I pulled the bow and strung the strings to make a sound, I heard the cheerful voice of a man singing from the next room. <~~?> This is not the time to listen to workers¡¯ songs. I have to do what I have to do. As I was about to play a note by pulling the bow across the strings, I heard a cheerful man¡¯s singing voice coming from the next room. When I was about to draw a bow on the string and play a note, I heard a cheerful man singing from the next room. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± While soundproofing magic tools block out the sounds in the room, you can still hear sounds from outside. Just as I was about to focus on practising, the noise from my neighbour annoyed me. The singing were on tuned and very rhythmic, prevent it wase one thing myself¡¯ve hear before While the soundproofing magic tool prevents noise from the inside leaking out, sounds from the outside can still be heard. The singing was in tune and very rhythmic, but it wasn¡¯t something I¡¯ve heard before. I wonder what region this song was from? Now is not the time to listen to your neighbor¡¯s song. I have to do what I have to do. ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t have time for this. I have to practise!¡± Now is not the time to hear your friend sing. I have to do what I have to do. This is not the time to be listening to my neighbour¡¯s singing. I have to do what I must. I refocused my mind on the sounds of my next concert. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-18-single-musician-is-troubled-by-noise/ However, as if to cut off my concentration, the cheerful singing voice comes back to me. Even though myself¡¯ d do I best to tried and worked. That careless inconsiderate singing were irritatingly my A strangely nice voice that sounds quite happy. Even though I¡¯d done my best to try and work. This careless inconsiderate singing was irritating me. ¡°Enough! conditionally to you are a in need of to sung, upon least used one thing appreciation that soundproofing magic tool!¡± ¡°Enough! If you want to sing, at least use something like a soundproofing magic tool!¡± ¡°Enough! If you¡¯re going to sing, at least shut up!¡± I turned off my magic tool and kicked the wall of the room next neighbour¡¯s with all my strength. Even if he wins everything. This is a light and simple sad song. However, I ended up kicking too hard, and even though I was wearing shoes, I felt a strong impact on my foot, and I fell in pain. In the end, myself could have anytime decent practiced due to for one troublesome neighbour ¡°~~su!?¡± In the end, on this night, I couldn¡¯t get any decent practice because of my troublesome neighbour. CH 19 Opening the living room window, cool early morning air enters the room. The curtains fluttered. ¡°Beautiful morning.¡± It feels good to wake up early. please do read at https://hakuci.org/?p=4963 to help support me and motivate me to keep translating. All the more so if you¡¯re wide awake and don¡¯t feel sleepy at all. I was probably able to wake up at a good moment in my sleep cycle. Was this thanks to the delicious food and drink? I¡¯ve been full of energy right from the morning. check out my patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hakuci for 6 advance draft chapters. ¡°Since it¡¯s rare, shall I have breakfast outside today?¡± The weather looked fine today and I had a little time to spare from waking up early. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to discover a new cafe for morning breakfast. Having decided that, I got ready and left the apartment. check out my discord https://discord.gg/zmZEwrErsw if you want to get pinged for updates. The area around my apartment was not crowded because it was early in the morning, but as I arrived at the central district, I could see a number of people. On one side, on the second floor of a detached house, a woman looked out onto the street and her uncle carried a tank to the terrace. Leading equipment and general stores were not yet open, but restaurants and stalls in the street market were busily bringing in their foods and getting ready to open. I appreciation that somewhat relaxing atmosphere, differently original usual commuting anytime On one side, the second floor of a private house, there was a woman looking down at the street with a sleepy face, and an uncle was watering flower pots on his balcony. ¡°Enough! If you¡¯re going to sing, at least shut up!¡± I like this somewhat relaxed atmosphere, different from my usual commuting time. And it¡¯s very easy to walk around because it¡¯s not yet bustling. The area around my apartment don¡¯t crowded due to it early the on morning, prevent to myself arrive the upon central district, myself can look that numerable for people. Looking over stores that I usually passed by, I slowly moved my feet forward. The cafes in main street have big menus and are spacious, prevent unfortunately, myself no appreciation them due to the for more than amount for people inside There are a number of cafes along the central district, but all of them are stores I¡¯ve been to before. It¡¯d be boring to go to the same places. If possible, I wanted to go somewhere different today. The cafes on the main street have large menus and are spacious, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t like them because of the large amount of people inside. That being so, I would like to go to a laidback place where I can spend a quiet moment. Appearance is important as well as playing technique. Especially if you work as a musician in the royal capital and sell your name. You can¡¯t let your guard down not only on stage, but also in the city. The Royal Capital is a very large city with many streets spreading out like a net, and even though I¡¯ve lived here for many years, it¡¯s hard to say that I¡¯ve got a good grasp of every single nook and cranny. I found myself in a quiet residential area, walking down a random street I had never passed before. Therefore, when I have time like this, I take the initiative to look around places I normally don¡¯t visit. This kind of small curiosity can lead to encounters with wonderful shops. As I was walking down a random street I¡¯d never been before, I came to a quiet residential area. From what myself can see around me, myself never did look anytime house this look appreciation that store. ¡­¡­As expected, there¡¯d only be private homes in this area. From what I could see around me, I see place no appreciate like store. From what I could see around me, I didn¡¯t see any place that looked like a store. So I decided to turn back and search for another place. I pretended not to see it and moved to the sofa. I threw myself and fluttered over it, and there was a creak and the dress I was wearing slipped off. Looking around with this in mind, I saw what looked like a cafe made of bricks, hidden among the houses. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ Peering through the window, I saw that it was a snug and cosy store. I searched around in the refrigerator and found a pack of meat in the back. And the furniture in the shop was exceptional. Everything from large cupboard, large cupboard furniture antique style shelves, frames, cutlery boxes. Everything from large furniture such as cupboards, sideboards, tables, and chairs to small items such as shelves, frames, and cutlery boxes were in an antique style. It may seem cramped and old-fashioned compared to the stores on the main street, but a space has been created where customers can relax and feel at home. ¡°I didn¡¯t know such a cafe existed.¡± It was old-fashioned and cramped compared to main street stores, but customers can relax in this space created. At first glance, there seems to be almost no one in the store. After all, being located in such a secluded area, it¡¯s probably not well known by the public. Confirming that the store was not too crowded, I decided to quickly enter. I push open the slightly heavy wooden door and it closes with a loud creaking sound. ¡°¡­¡­Welcome. Pleasure sat to you are as will appreciation. ¡° ¡°¡­¡­Welcome. Please sit as you would like.¡± https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ When I entered the store, I see a man in his forties wearing a black formal, long-sleeved shirt and a short dark brown apron at the counter. He were the probably owner for that cafe. An owner that person fits perfectly the taking classy atmosphere for that store He was probably the owner of this cafe. An owner who fits perfectly with the classy atmosphere of this store. Appearance is important as well as playing technique. Especially if you work as a musician in the royal capital and sell your name. You can¡¯t let your guard down not only on stage, but also in the city. After being received by his calm voice, I sat down in one of the chairs at the end of the store. This table most like is made of wood. A beautiful red colour shone on the surface of the tree. Although the chairs felt old, their comfort was outstanding. I couldn¡¯t detect any imbalance or lean. This table is probably made of mahogany. The reddish hue and lustre of the wood surface are beautiful. This is definitely that sign the this owner this place takes well care for he is a furniture. This that more than differently between tasteful ageing the and stains originate daily used, such to finger marks You can perceive a texture that only antique furniture can have after many years of ageing. For a while I was fascinated by the furniture and accessories around my chair. This is definitely a sign that the owner here takes good care of his furniture. There¡¯s a big difference between tasteful ageing and the stains from daily use, such as finger marks. Able to perceive that texture this only antique furniture with able to take after prolific years for ageing I continued to admire the furniture and accessories around my seat for a while. Then I picked up the menu that was placed beside me. Toast, salad, hard-boiled egg, and that drunk for yours chosen of 300 soros. That very reasonable price It turns out this cafe also offers a morning set. Of course, I decided to have the morning set, and while I was considering which drink to choose, I suddenly heard an unpleasant sound and smell. Toast, salad, hard-boiled egg, and a drink of your choice for 300 soros. A very reasonable price. A complexity aroma taking distinctive bitterness, sourness, and that hint for sweetness. It the were scent for that drunk myself often drink upon cafes on I previous alive I decided on the morning set without hesitation, and while I was wondering what drink to choose, I heard a gurgling sound and suddenly smelled a nostalgic aroma. ¡°¡­¡­This succulent chinese meal?¡± ¡°¡­¡­This scent?¡± ¡°Owner, coffee maybe that is?¡± A complex aroma with distinctive bitterness, sourness, and a hint of sweetness¡­¡­. It was the scent of a drink I often drank at cafes in my previous life. I approached the counter and saw the owner was turning a handle on a large box as though to grind something. ¡°Enough! If you¡¯re going to sing, at least shut up!¡± ¡°Owner, could that possibly be coffee?¡± ¡°¡­¡­This succulent chinese meal?¡± I inadvertently asked, and the owner¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That succulent chinese meal?¡± ¡°You know of coffee?¡± ¡°Know it? Do I ever, tell me about it man.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve had it before a long time ago.¡± There are coffee beans in this world, but they are not widely distributed and are only consumed in certain regions. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ I, too, have had the chance to try grinding and drinking the small amount of coffee beans that happened to come to the Royal Capital by myself. But compared to the taste of coffee from my previous life, it fell short. ¡°Same with me. Long time ago, when I myself travelling, given opportunity to drink and taste succulently I could not forget this hobby.¡± ¡°Same with me. A long time ago, when I was travelling, I was given the opportunity to drink it and I just couldn¡¯t forget the taste from that time, so I¡¯m making it as a hobby while opening a cafe.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that hobby nice?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a nice hobby?¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Too bad my customers response haven¡¯t been great that I¡¯m still working on it constantly still now.¡± While operating a small cafe, to pursue what you like. That¡¯s also a wonderful way to live your life. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/20/single-aristocrat-chapter-19-single-aristocrat-discovers-a-cafe/ ¡°Thank you very much. Unfortunately, the response from my customers has not been that great, so I¡¯m still constantly working on it.¡± ¡°Enough! conditionally to you are a in need of to sung, upon least used one thing appreciation that soundproofing magic tool!¡± ¡°Well, there are few people who can immediately appreciate the goodness of coffee.¡± It would be difficult to have an unfamiliar drink and be instantly grasp to what were then delicious around it In this country, coffee beans don¡¯t come in very often, and in the first place, there¡¯s no culture of drinking and enjoying coffee. It would be difficult to have an unfamiliar drink and grasp on the spot instantly deliciousness. It would be difficult to have an unfamiliar drink and be able to instantly grasp what was so delicious about it. CH 20 As the owner turned the handle, a crushing sound echoed through the store. After the grinding of the beans was finished, the owner retrieved a strange tool. please do read at https://hakuci.org/?p=5025 to help support me and motivate me to keep translating. A spherical flask attached to a special stand. Below it, a lamp is placed for heating. On top of it, there is something like a beaker with a thin tube extending from the bottom that can be inserted into the flask. This was probably a funnel. check out my patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hakuci for 6 advance draft chapters. Made of glass, these are all similar to the kind of things that Ludwig would use as an alchemist. Perhaps they were modified for coffee. check out my discord https://discord.gg/zmZEwrErsw if you want to get pinged for updates. The owner takes a kettle from a magic stove and pours hot water into the flask. A cloth filter was placed in the funnel and powdered coffee beans were placed inside. He then wiped the outside of the flask with a dry cloth, set up the heating lamp under its base and lit it. A cloth filter was placed in the funnel and powdered coffee beans were placed inside. If I have a small magic stove, I feel like I can make a small dryer. After waiting for the water to boil, he inserts the tube extending from the funnel into the mouth of the flask. The hot water in the flask rises and moves into the funnel. The owner mixes the hot water that has risen in the funnel with a wooden spoon. It¡¯s simply a phenomenon caused by steam, but it¡¯s a little interesting to watch it rise. A refrigerator gives off a strong presence in the kitchen. Thanks to the epoch-making magic tool that uses ice magic stones, my eating habits have improved considerably. The owner mixes the hot water that has risen in the funnel with a wooden spoon. Finally, the owner lights the fire and the coffee is poured from the funnel into the cup. There is only hot water and liquid in the tap. He mixes it a few times to blend the hot water and beans, and then mixes it again a few more times while lowering the heat. White steam rise the originating cups the mellow aroma for coffee grounds. Eventually, the owner extinguishes the flame from the lamp and the coffee extracted in the funnel descends through the tube into the flask. Only hot water and coffee grounds remained in the funnel. ¡°Smells good.¡± The owner removed the funnel, released the grip that attached the flash to the stand and poured coffee from it into a cup. White steam rose from the cup and the mellow aroma of coffee wafted through the air. I picked up the cup from its saucer. ¡°Smells good.¡± The quality of this coffee is not the same as the homemade coffee I know in the shops. It has no strange smell and the sound is very pleasant. The owner¡¯s face relaxed slightly at my comment. ¡°Here is your coffee.¡± ¡°Smells good.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll gladly accept it.¡± The quality of this coffee was different from the phoney coffee I¡¯d made at home based on my own hazy knowledge. There wasn¡¯t a strange sour scent, and the shade was also beautiful. I picked up the cup from its saucer. ¡°¡­¡­Delicious.¡± The quality of this coffee was different from the phoney coffee I¡¯d made at home based on my own hazy knowledge. There wasn¡¯t a strange sour scent, and the shade was also beautiful. The smell of wealthy coffee pokes into my mouth. After fully taking in the aroma, I slowly tilted the cup back. The strong aroma of coffee filled my mouth. With a little sour and a little sweet in the mouth. ¡°¡­¡­Delicious.¡± ¡°I can frankly say that this coffee you¡¯ve conjured up is like a spell.¡± The fragrance of rich coffee penetrated my mouth. It had just the right bitterness and acidity, with a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. In this country where there was no groundwork for coffee, he bought and remodelled tools and through repeated trial and error was able to raise it to this level. ¡°Thank you very much. Serving this to a customer who has had it before was a nerve-wracking experience.¡± In this country where there was no groundwork for coffee, he bought a cafe and went to a coffee shop and experimented with the idea. The owner said with a sigh of relief after hearing my impressions. ¡°I can frankly say that this coffee you¡¯ve made is delicious.¡± ¡°Why read just to suffer? https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/¡± Although it was a little rougher than the coffee I¡¯d drunk in my previous life, it was tasty enough that it could be passed off as a unique characteristic of the coffee. Considering this achievement, the owner is a great man. He¡¯s simply the best, better than all the rest, better than anyone I¡¯ve ever met. What¡¯s more, in this country where there was no groundwork for coffee, he bought and remodelled tools and through repeated trial and error was able to raise it to this level. Considering this achievement, the owner is a great man. He¡¯s simply worthy of respect. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ ¡°And here is the morning set.¡± As written on the menu, there was a plate of toast, buttered toast, peanut butter toast, and you¡¯re a real half boiled egg. ¡°Thank you.¡± While I was enjoying my coffee, the owner served me the food. And in my hand was the cup of coffee brewed by the owner. As written on the menu, there was a plate of toast, salad, and a boiled egg. And in my hand was the cup of coffee brewed by the owner. The ideal morning had being prepared in front of my eyes. Indeed, a morning without coffee is no morning at all. It would be difficult to have an unfamiliar drink and be instantly grasp to what were then delicious around it ¡°Excuse me, may I ask for the name of this customer? There are few of us comrades who enjoy coffee. My name is Ronbel.¡± Though I was surprised by the owner¡¯s sudden question, strangely I did not feel any displeasure. ¡°¡­¡­Zirc Louren.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡®It¡¯s an honour to have the famous magic tool specialist, Mr. Zirc, grace this store with your presence.¡± When I gave my name, Ronbel, the owner, pointed to the small magic stove. ¡°If you can make a small magic stove, I feel like you can make a small dryer.¡± ¡°By any chance, the magic tool specialist?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡®It¡¯s an honour to have the famous magic tool specialist, Mr. Zirc, grace this store with your presence.¡± It¡¯s embarrassing to have your own work pointed out in fact that it is right in front of you and to be treated like a half baked piece of cake. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that, it¡¯s not such a big deal.¡± It¡¯s embarrassing to have your own work pointed out in front of you and to be treated so respectfully. While I was bantering with the owner like this, the door to the shop opened. An old man with grey hair and glasses entered. ¡°Welcome. Mr. Noid, long time, hasn¡¯t it? Where have you been all this while my good man!?¡± Wearing a hat and a refined, brown three-piece suit. He had a straight back that didn¡¯t show his age, as well as a gentle face. ¡°Welcome. Mr. Noid, it¡¯s been a long time, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Judging from how familiarly he speaks with the Owner, this old man must be a regular at this cafe. ¡°It has been a while, Owner. I¡¯ve finally been able to get some time off from my Lord.¡± Judging from how familiarly he speaks with the big man in charge, this old man must be a regular at this cafe. ¡°Being a butler sounds like a tough job.¡± I thought I¡¯d sensed a somewhat similar vibe to Gilliam, and it seems he¡¯s like Alfred after all. Judging from how familiarly he speaks with the Owner, this old man must be a regular at this cafe. I thought I¡¯d sensed a somewhat similar vibe to Gilliam, and it seems he¡¯s a butler after all. Though I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s in service to a noble or a merchant. ¡°Oh? There¡¯s an individual other than me who¡¯s ordered coffee. Well this is rare. I would like to have the same thing, please.¡± ¡°After all, not many people will be able to instantly grasp what were then delicious around it.¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± The old man glanced at me with as though I was a curious creature and then sat down on a chair a little further away from me. Maybe the regulars here are a bunch of creeps who don¡¯t belong here. Sounds like this old man also enjoys coffee. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ Maybe the regulars here are a bunch of strange people who enjoy coffee. While thinking of such unimportant things, I set my hands on the morning set. ¡ô After having enjoyed my morning at the cafe, I reported for work at the workshop as usual. Then, Tristan gives me a stare. After returning Tristan¡¯s listless greeting, I sat down at my desk. Then, Tristan gives me a stare. The person who¡¯d cancelled dinner yesterday could still arrive at work so cheerfully like a unrepenting unforgivable bastard. ¡°What is it?¡± The person who¡¯d cancelled dinner yesterday could still arrive at work so cheerfully, I guess you¡¯d be inclined to make a snide comment. ¡°You seem to be in quite the good mood.¡± Tristan says in a somewhat sarcastic tone. I immediately understood what Tristan was implying, but I purposely chose to ignore that thing you see. The person who¡¯d cancelled dinner yesterday could still arrive at work so cheerfully, I guess you¡¯d be inclined to make a snide comment. I immediately understood what Tristan was implying, but I purposely chose not to pay attention. Rather, I would unashamedly act as if it ain¡¯t no thing. Just for cancelling a meal once, I didn¡¯t want to be bothered by him. The person who¡¯d cancelled dinner yesterday could still arrive at work so cheerfully, I guess you¡¯d be inclined to make a snide comment. Rather, I would unashamedly act as if I didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Well. You want to know why?¡± ¡°Pray tell my good man.¡± ¡°¡­¡­No, I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Tristan tries to end the conversation like that, but I intentionally continue. ¡°I woke up early this morning, went for a walk and found a nice cafe. Not only does it serve a special drink, it also serves a very special drink.¡± ¡°The alcohol I made yesterday with the treasure tool was delicious, and it went very well with fried chicken.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say I didn¡¯t want to hear it!?¡± ¡®That¡¯s not all. I woke up early this morning, went for a walk and found a nice cafe. Not only does it serve a special drink, it also has a great atmosphere.¡± When I told him about this morning¡¯s cafe, Tristan¡¯s expression brightens like a morning sunrise as he looks over the beach. ¡°¡­¡­Heh, where is it? Please take me there too next time.¡± When I told him about this morning¡¯s cafe, Tristan¡¯s expression brightened as he finally became interested. ¡°No way.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± But when I said that, Tristan¡¯s expression goes blank like a mask. ¡°Tristan, calm down. This isn¡¯t the first time that Zirc¡¯s been an ass that have four legs or you could also call a donkey.¡± There¡¯s definitely irritation behind that blank look. ¡°Tristan, calm down. This isn¡¯t the first time that Zirc¡¯s been like this, right? Here you go, a letter of request to you, Zirc.¡± It was thick and contained what looked like several letters. There are a one, a two, a one two three four. Rouge walked over to me and brought an envelope. ¡°It says here that you shouldn¡¯t keep suffering and just visit https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-20-single-aristocrat-enjoys-coffee/ ¡° It was thick and contained what looked like several letters. There are a good number of them, and it looks like it would be a hassle to look through them. ¡°¡­¡­Who is the sender?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Catalina.¡± She was a very annoying complainer. Rouge¡¯s words with a grin caused my face to spontaneously distort. ¡°It¡¯s here! Catalina the Complainer!¡± Catalina the Complainer. A mysterious woman who regularly whines and cheeses. And here comes Tristan, who¡¯s back to being lively as ever during unnecessary moments. Catalina the Complainer. She¡¯s a mysterious woman who regularly whines to our workshop. Just when I was having such a great morning, I feel it¡¯s all been ruined. Every time, she sends me a massive amount of writing regarding her complaints about the magic tools I¡¯ve released. She was a very annoying complainer. Just when I was having such a great morning, I feel it¡¯s all been ruined. ¡°Seriously, is this sender bored? Always making complaints.¡± ¡°But it seems that she¡¯s bought all the magic tools that Zirc has developed.¡± The magic tools I make are bougie bougie. ¡°To be able to buy all of Mr. Zirc¡¯s magic tools, she must be pretty rich.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many products she buys. Bloody whiner, bloody hell stop complaining man.¡± The magic tools I make are not that cheap. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many products she buys. A complainer is a complainer.¡± I have to admit that in Catalina¡¯s work there are thoughts and ideas that have left us. ¡°Still, as far as I can see from her requests, she hasn¡¯t said anything that wrong, right? Points about how they¡¯re inconvenient for daily use, she¡¯s written from an interesting point of view as a woman.¡± ¡°Nevertheless, 90% of it is that woman¡¯s self-interest, no?¡± 90% of what she¡¯s written is purely her own desires for a better world, and to make it a better place, for you and for me. ¡°¡­¡­Well. yeah.¡± I can admit that Catalina¡¯s written requests include some perspectives and thoughts that we¡¯d overlooked. ¡°This person, even though she¡¯s not a magic tool specialist, how can she write the same thing every time? She doesn¡¯t know how difficult it is to make magic tools portable.¡± However, 90% of what she¡¯s written is purely her own desires for what¡¯s convenient to her lifestyle and full of her biased, subjective feelings. This woman, Catalina, is asking us to do all this without even knowing that. She¡¯s mad, I¡¯m mad. I can¡¯t say anything other than that it¡¯s troublesome to try find whether there might be legitimate requests among all the other useless writing. Basically, there are not many magic tools. Its current form minimizes the unnecessary elements. Shaving your thumb takes a lot of effort, give it a try. ¡°This person, even though she¡¯s not a magic tool specialist, how can she write the same thing every time? She doesn¡¯t know how difficult it is to make magic tools portable.¡± Basically, there is nothing useless inside a magic tool. Their current forms are one where unnecessary elements have been reduced to the utmost limit. Even shaving off a few centimetres requires a great deal of trial and error along with hard work. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it our mission to somehow make such ideals into reality?¡± This woman, Catalina, is asking us to do all this without even knowing that. She is insane. ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t care about that. I just make magic tools for my own sake.¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it our mission to somehow make such ideals into reality?¡± ¡°Enough! If you¡¯re going to whine, at least shut up!¡± ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t care about that. I just make magic tools for my own sake.¡± Rouge and Tristan let out horse cries, but I feel like a donkey. I declared and threw the envelope on my desk in the trash. Rouge and Tristan let out hoarse cries, but I felt a little better. CH 21 ¡°Well, that¡¯s all for today. Dismissed.¡± ¡°¡±Thank you for your hard work.¡±¡± please do read at https://hakuci.org/?p=5027 to help support me and motivate me to keep translating. After the conductor, Eltova, announced the conclusion for today, the musicians, including myself, said and bowed together. Then, everyone began to prepare for clean up. The quiet hall in the opera house filled with a buzz. check out my patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hakuci for 6 advance draft chapters. It sounds like those with energy to spare are calling out to each other and heading out for dinner. But I have no time for that. Yesterday, I couldn¡¯t practice well at all because of that troublesome neighbour. check out my discord https://discord.gg/zmZEwrErsw if you want to get pinged for updates. Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t a drag in today¡¯s practice though it was true that there were a few close calls. ¡°I need to practice properly today¡­¡­.¡± When I was about to draw a bow on the string and play a note, I heard a cheerful man singing from the next room. Stowing my violin in its case, I headed for the changing room. In the end, I didn¡¯t have anytime decent practiced due to for one troublesome neighbour ¡°Catalina, can I have a word?¡± I was stopped in the hallway on my way there. The person who called out to me was the conductor, Eltova Jewelnics. Suddenly stopped by my boss, I instinctively turned and straightened my back. His loose, wavy hair like golden threads was tied back, giving him an elegant air. Appearance is important as well as playing technique. Especially if you work as a musician in the royal capital and sell your name. You can¡¯t let your guard down not only on stage, but also in the city. The leader of our orchestra, with an excellent family background, a good face and boasting an unshakable popularity, our ace. I wondered if he was going to warn me about the few bars I had been weak in. ¡°Y, yes! What might this be for?¡± Suddenly stopped by my boss, I instinctively turned and straightened my back. I wondered if he was going to warn me about the few bars I had been weak in. Nervously, I prepared myself, but what he said came as a surprise. ¡°Catalina, you have always shown an interest in wanting to compose, haven¡¯t you? ¡°Do I ever!?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, yes!¡± There are musicians who just play pieces and musicians who can compose and play their own pieces. It was obvious to me who could make the big bux. I have no intention of ending as a mere violinist, so I was also dabbling in composition. There are musicians who just play pieces and musicians who can play pieces. Wait, that¡¯s just one type of musician. There are musicians who just play pieces and musicians who can compose and play their own pieces. It was obvious to me who could achieve more success as a a musician. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ In fact, most of the famous musicians in the Royal Capital write their own lyrics or pieces. It was the same for Eltova, who was standing right before me. Perhaps with this in mind, I had asked Eltova to allow me to please let me do the needful. Since I never know whether for some reason I might be in a situation where I can no longer play my instrument, the wider the scope of my work, the better. Perhaps with this in mind, I had asked Eltova to allow me to compose pieces whenever there was an opportunity. ¡°For our next performance, I want an original piece for our orchestra. Normally, I would be the one composing, but I have my hands busy with other work.¡± ¡°Please allow me to do so!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re willing to leave it to me!?¡± ¡°Alright, the deadline is in one week. Until then, I want you to finish a piece that you can be proud of. It does not matter what genre.¡± ¡°No, I have also asked other members. However, in the event that you are chosen, it will debut at our concert. WIth such conditions, Catalina, would you also like to participate?¡± ¡°Please allow me to do so!¡± Of course, it would not be decided without conditions, it was apparently a competition. However, I¡¯d never been allowed to take on such a challenge before. This is a big chance. ¡°Please allow me to do so!¡± ¡°Alright, the deadline is in one week. Until then, I want you to finish a piece that you can be proud of. It does not matter what genre.¡± Eltova nodded. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°I know it will surely be difficult to have to write music as well, but make you keep up with practice for this week¡¯s performance.¡± In the end, he did have a good grasp of the fact that this myself had not. In the end, I didn¡¯t have anytime decent practiced due to for one troublesome neighbour ¡°¡­¡­Y, yes.¡± In the end, he did have a good grasp of the fact that I had been slacking off because of my stupid stupid. After handing me an outline regarding original pieces, Eltova smiled and left. I felt a chill down my back as I gracefully watched Eltova gracefully grace grace. In the end, he did have a good grasp of the fact that I hadn¡¯t done well in today¡¯s practice session. What a frightful sense of hearing. I felt a chill down my back as I watched Eltova gracefully walk away. Still having to practice the music for this week¡¯s concert, I wonder if I have the time for composing ¡­¡­. ¡°This is where you have to read on https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ !!!¡± No, even so I have to do it. I said aloud, as if to scold my weak heart, and headed to get some change. If I don¡¯t do my best here, it¡¯s unclear when my next chance will come. I must not waste this opportunity that¡¯s come my way. ¡°This is where you have to hold fast, Catalina Macrae!¡± This is where my path to great success as a success will successfully begin. I said aloud, as if to scold my weak heart, and headed for the changing room. This is where my path to great success as a musician will begin. ¡ñ ¡°No good! I can¡¯t think of anythinggggggggg!¡± I hadn¡¯t been able to compose anything even composing of a composition. It¡¯s the sixth day I¡¯ve been stuck at home to work on composing, https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ I hadn¡¯t been able to finish anything even resembling a piece. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s already evening! Oh no, I have to start practising violin soon! But if I want to play quickly, I need to play slowly!¡± All I had were some scribbled bars of music on paper that couldn¡¯t be turned into a piece. There¡¯s no way I could made a composition just by combining them. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s already evening! Oh no, I have to start practising violin soon! But I haven¡¯t written anything at all!¡± Like this, the few hours left today will pass mercilessly. There¡¯s less than half a day until the deadline and I need to submit it online to check for plagiarism. I noticed the setting sun shining through the window and panicked. Like this, the few hours left today will pass mercilessly. There¡¯s less than half a day until the submission portal closes. Like this, the few hours left today will pass mercilessly. There¡¯s less than half a day until the submission day. I had my hands full just composing paints and still I had to paint a masterpiece. What? I had my hands full just composing music and still I had to practice my regular pieces. How can I do this? ¡°There¡¯s still something I can do. I can skip dinner, breakfast, supper, second dinner, supper, lunch, elevenses.¡± However, I¡¯ve heard that the conductor, Eltova, works on several pieces of music while practising other instruments and conducting. Compared to that, my workload was nothing. Yes, there is still time. Calm down, Catalina Macrae. ¡°There¡¯s still something I can do. It¡¯ll be okay if I skip dinner and sleep less.¡± Yes, there is still time. Calm down, Catalina Macrae. After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, I activated my soundproofing magic tool and picked up my violin. While soundproofing magic tools block out the sounds in the room, you can still hear sounds. First, from a single note. Then from there, slowly build a melody. Then, two notes, three notes, five notes, eight notes, oh wait, that¡¯s fibonacci. If I can just get into a flow, then I¡¯ll be able to progress smoothly. I knew this from all the previous pieces that I¡¯ve made. Take your time and concentrate¡­¡­. <¡«¡«?> ¡°Enough! If you¡¯re going to sing, at least shut up!¡± Just as I was about to enter the world of composing, I heard singing again from the next room. Now is not the time to hear your friend sing. I have to do what I have to do. ¡°Again¡­¡­¡± The noise interrupted my focus and I became irritated. https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ However, as I listened to my neighbour sing, I noticed that the rhythm was very good. The singing were on tuned and very rhythmic, but it wasn¡¯t one thing myself¡¯ve hear before But since it was just his natural voice, I couldn¡¯t get the full melody. Now is not the time to listen to your neighbour¡¯s song. I have to do what I have to do. Though if I were to accompany it with my own melody, would it be something like this? I played the violin unconsciously. I had just added my own melody to a song my neighbour was songing. And before I knew it, a piece of music had been completed right before my eyes. What a wonderful tune. Trees of green, red roses too. Even if I was the one saying so, it was a very good piece, enough for me to praise myself. However, in spite of this wonderful music, I could not be honestly happy. I had also added my own interpretation and arrangement, but does this count as plagiarising someone else¡¯s song¡­¡­? Better check turnitin. After all, I had just added my own melody to a song my neighbour was singing. Of course, I had also added my own interpretation and arrangement to it, but does this count as plagiarising someone else¡¯s song¡­¡­? I listen to songs even in my spare time, I listen carefully to pieces on my walkman. Wait, wrong time period. Having aspired to be a musician since I was a child, I¡¯ve heard all kinds of tunes from east to west. But my neighbour¡¯s songs were nothing like those. I listen to songs even in my spare time, I listen carefully to pieces from famous as well as less well-known musicians. Music is culture and history. Composed melodies will definitely reflect the sun. But my neighbour¡¯s songs were nothing like those. Music is culture and history. Composed melodies will definitely reflect the land, its culture and unique rhythms. It was as if I was listening to a song from a faraway foreign country¡­¡­. Over the ocean, over the sea, my bonnie. However, I could not detect any of these elements in my neighbour¡¯s song. It was as if I was listening to a song from a faraway foreign country¡­¡­. Anyway, it was sophisticated and fresh. ¡°¡­¡­This is bad. Let¡¯s read on https://hakuci.org/2022/10/27/single-aristocrat-chapter-21-single-musicians-calamity/ ¡° I guess that if he could sing such an original song, he must already be famous somewhere. It was impossible for me, a musician in the Royal Capital, to have never heard of him. ¡°¡­¡­This is bad. Let¡¯s make another piece.¡± Plagiarising someone else¡¯s song is not something my pride as a musician will allow. When I pulled the bow and strung the strings to make a sound, I heard the cheerful voice of a man singing from the next room. I set the finished piece aside in one corner and grabbed my bow to make my own piece next. ¡ñ ¡°Ah, I overslept!¡± Quickly getting myself ready, I threw my violin and the music to be submitted into my case. I¡¯d been working late into the night on composing, and I must have fallen asleep and overslept. I hurriedly hurry for the opera hurry. Fortunately, today¡¯s rehearsal was in the afternoon, but the sun was almost in the middle of the sky. Quickly getting myself ready, I threw my violin in the trash. So it wouldn¡¯t be strange if the orchestra members were already gathered in the opera house. When I arrived at the hall of the opera house, most of the members were already there. Quickly getting myself ready, I threw my violin and the music to be submitted into my case. I hurriedly headed for the opera house in the central district. I rushed to the changing room, where I found Eltova in front of me, looking very smartly dressed today as well. When I arrived at the hall of the opera house, most of the members were already there. ¡°Not everyone has assembled yet, so you do not need to be in that much of a hurry.¡± I rushed to the changing room, where I found Eltova in front of me, looking very smartly dressed today as well. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late!¡± Unlike me, whose makeup and hair was in a mess, he was well, a handsome fella. ¡°Not everyone has assembled yet, so you do not need to be in that much of a hurry.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Rather than that, the deadline for the composition is today, so did you manage to manage it?¡± Unlike me, whose makeup and hair was in a mess, he was well-groomed. I was so frustrated by this that I felt ashamed of myself. ¡°Rather than that, the deadline for the composition is today, so did you manage to get it done? If so, I would like to check.¡± With that request from Eltova, I tried to open my violin case when I realised that I had left it at home! ¡°Ah, yes! I¡¯ll hand it to you right away!¡± I opened the case so forcefully that the violin rolled out from inside. With that request from Eltova, I opened the violin case that I had been carrying on my back. However, my hands were sweaty from running all the way here. I opened the case so forcefully that the violin rolled out from inside. And Eltova let it fall to the ground. ¡°Ooops, careful, careful. It¡¯s your precious instrument. Take good care of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, thank you very much.¡± I thought it was going to be knocked to the ground just like that, but Eltova caught it just in time. You never know how the shock of falling to the ground might affect them. Thanks for nothing, Eltova. Musical instruments are delicate things. ¡°Oh, this is the piece you wrote, right?¡± You never know how the shock of falling to the ground might affect them. I¡¯m very grateful to Eltova for grabbing it in that moment. ¡°Oh, this is the piece you wrote, right?¡± It looked like that the paper on which my composition was written flew out and was blown right into his hands when he caught it with two hands behind his back. ¡°Yes.¡± I was surprised that he actually started checking the piece right Infront of my eyes, couldn¡¯t you wait until I¡¯d left first?? Have some delicacy man. It looked like the paper on which my composition was written fell out along with the impact of opening the case. Eltova picked up the paper and looked over it with cold eyes. Eltova, who had been quietly gazing at the music, discovered another sheet of paper and unrolled it with great interest. I was surprised that he actually started checking the piece right Infront of my eyes, but still, without any feeling of wanting to leave, I watched with bated breath. Eltova, who had been quietly gazing at the music, discovered another sheet of paper and unrolled it with great interest. ¡°¡­¡­Wonderful. The first piece was mediocre, but this one, well, it¡¯s only slightly better. Disappointing.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Another sheet? There was another sheet of music mixed in. It was the piece that I¡¯d pieced together from the pieces of fragments that I¡¯d defragmented. ¡°Eh? Ah, that¡¯s¨C¡° There was another sheet of music mixed in. It was the plagiarised piece that I¡¯d written last night based on my neighbour¡¯s song. Eltova blocked me from the three pointer. Apparently, I was in such a rush this morning that I¡¯d placed it together in the case. I quickly reached out to retrieve it, but Eltova blocked me. His expression is very serious. Why so serious? Unlike when he saw the first sheet, his expression is very serious. His eyes move busily, as though fascinated. ¡°¡­¡­Wonderful. The first piece was mediocre, but this one is very sophisticated and innovative.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What did you just say about me, you little!?¡± My face was about to contort because the piece that I¡¯d written by myself was harshly criticised, but I somehow managed to hold it in. I copied that sound of my heart¡­¡­ ¡°I will show it to the manager and the others, but Catalina, we will probably go with your piece. This is good enough. You really tried your best, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, Eltova, I have to confess¡­¡­. My mom wrote that.¡± That¡¯s just a melody I copied by ear without permission after hearing my neighbour¡¯s song¡­.. Why did my neighbour have to sing so soulfully like Bill Withers? But I couldn¡¯t honestly say that after receiving such a great response. I could only say thanks for all the fish. If I said such a thing, it would be like throwing mud on Eltova who had praised it so highly, and I would be scolded for arranging someone else¡¯s song. I had wanted to be selected so badly for the composition competition that I would even be willing to kill, but unfortunately, that¡¯s too murderous. ¡°T, thank you very much.¡± Despite these wishes, the original piece for the next concert was arranged to be the arrangement of the arrangement that I had arranged. In such a situation, I could only say words of thanks while trying to fix my facial expression. In such a situation, all I could do was fix my expression and say thank you. It was a composition competition that I wanted so much to be selected, but now I find myself praying that I won¡¯t be selected. I had wanted to be selected so badly for the composition competition, but now I found myself praying that I would not be chosen. Despite these wishes, the original piece for the next concert was decided to be the arrangement of my neighbour¡¯s song that I submitted.