Vol 2 Chapter 11 (1/2)
Chapter 2 Episode 11: Lucie and Kuu
After returning to the village, I go to the warehouse next to the chief’s house.
In the warehouse are stored ingredients and spices. I also put the gold coins I got today for safekeeping. Aside from my workshop there’s no other place with better locks.
I take the sack filled with gold from the carriage and it’s quite heavy.
After all, even though the coins are small, gold by itself is heavy and the empire’s coins have a high degree of purity. Each coin weighs about 40g. There are about two thousand of them totalling around 80kg.
While shouldering that much, I also carry the other bag to the warehouse.
Then after opening that bag, there are several smaller bags weighing about 500g.
On the inside, there’s brown sugar.
「I never thought I could get something like this in this lifetime.」
Sugar is incredibly valuable. The sugar cane it’s made from can only be grown in warm climates. Not to mention Elucie of the Empire, there’s no place suitable for raising it in the entire continent. So you have to rely on importing it from beyond the seas.
However the arts of s.h.i.+pbuilding and navigation are well developed and because the underwater terrain around the coast is rather complex the seas are very rough. Also the water sprite race that lives in the coastal area sees s.h.i.+ps as encroaching on their territory and will often sink them. Because of that all imported good are expensive.
No to mention the Empire is quite far inland so to get from a harbor city one have to pa.s.s through numerous checkpoint and the taxes just pile up.
Also the demand for sugar is exceedingly high, to eat sweet foods is considered a sign of status among the n.o.bility and the wealthy. Due to the ostentation a kg of sugar can reach the price of one gold bar(60.000 yen). In the first place, to even be able to get your hands in it is already a fortuitous occasion.
This 10kg of rice should be worth about 10 gold bars(600.000 yen).
「If the process of making sugar from beets were to be spread that would probably change, but that’s unlikely.」
I grumble to no one in particular. Cane is not the only thing you can use to make sugar.
The best example would be using beets that can grow even in colder climates. You can also call it sugar beets.
If you take the roots of these kinds of vegetables, cut them into small pieces, boil them and let the broth crystallize you can make perfectly good sugar.
Because of the quality and ease of cultivation, this type of producing sugar has actually surpa.s.sed sugar cane in quant.i.ty on Earth.
Even if you don’t use sugar beets, you can probably find a subst.i.tute for it if you look.
Also there’s one more way of making sugar…….
「Thinking only of Elucie, maybe it’s better that sugar beets and the way to make sugar from them is never discovered. That way, our speciality product that can only be acquired in winter is worth more.」
Yes, if this sweetness becomes widespread, the demand will reach an all time high and I’m thinking of ways to take advantage of the situation.
Elucie isn’t self sufficient. So aside from fast income like the one from today, we need to quickly establish a steady source of income, and also acquire foreign currency.
After two more months, we should have a basic shape down.
Well, now that my business in the warehouse is finished, time to look into private matters.
I got back to mine and Lucie’s house.
「Cyril, welcome back. Where did you go today?」
Lucie, who seems to have returned earlier greets me with a smile.
The preparations for winter are over so the the elves basically have nothing to do. The firefoxes on the other hand, with getting ready to raise goats and the preparations for making the specialty of the village are going to get quite busy.
I tought may we could s.h.i.+ft some of the work to the elves, but since they can’t use fire magic the efficiency of the work drops a lot and I want to use this opportunity to show the value of the firefoxes. So I have to push this responsibility on them alone.
The firefoxes seem to trust me and there’s Kuu to help. I can convince them somehow.
But more importantly, recently here and there rumours are cirulatationg among the elves that I only care about the firefoxes and am neglecting them ot that I’m playing favorites. That leaves a bad taste.
I hope that these were dispelled after last night’s gathering, but if not it’s better to strike first.
「Today, I met with an important person in the empire and exchanged the hostages for ransom. So our financial problems are solved for a while.」
Hearing that Lucie start trembling and finds it hard to form words.
「Why do you do these things alone! Tell me these things earlier」
「If I tell you earlier you’ll get worried and one or two people will want to follow me right? To persuade them is troublesome and there was not enough time.」
At the current situation I can’t fight and protect someone at the time, things only work out because I went alone.
「I understand, I understand what Cyril is saying but even so, I feel lonely.」
Lucie says with a low voice.
She probably feel sad that I did not need her.
「Lucie, today’s conditions made such that I had to go alone, but there’s lots of time that won’t be able to handle alone. Those times I’ll surely ask for your help. In fact, I could use your help right now. 」
In some ways, this is the real issue.
「Tomorrow, I’m going shopping at the center of commerce on the Korine Kingdom the city of Erin. Would you come with me? I’ll need your help.
After thinking about things, i realized that going shopping alone would be impossible. I’ll need at least Lucie and Kuu.
「…. You need my help?」
「Of course, if it’s not Lucie there’s no point.」
「I understand! I’ll go with you.」
Lucie nodded with a happy smile on her face.
I look at that and give a bitter smile.
She probably wanted me to rely on her, even though there’s no need to mind that at all.
How much she has already helped me, how can i convey these feelings to her.
「Cyril, it’s fine to together with you. But I want you to stop leaving without saying anything like you did today. I won’t be selfish and will not trouble you, but I want you to at least talk to me. Otherwise every time I can’t see you I’ll think you’re doing something dangerous and worry, okay?」
She looks up at me.
To this lovable girl I gently place my hand at her cheek.
「I’m sorry, I was wrong. That’s right if I don’t say anything you’ll worry. From now on I’ll tell you everything.」
「I’ll be happy if you did that. ….. I want to know more about Cyril.」
Why does a smile suits her so well I wonder.
Just because of that, it’s hard to mention Kuu.
While sweating on the inside, I pat Lucie’s head. She told me not to treat her like a child but her body is honest and always reacts happily.
「Well then, let’s eat. I moved a lot so i’m very hungry. I got some good ingredients so look forward to it.」
I remove my hand from Lucie’s head and move towards the stone kitchen.
Well, let’s start the cooking that i’ll stake my life on in many ways.
「Lucie, it’s done. It’s best while hot so eat up」
「That’s a very delicious smell, what’s this?」
「A pastry called Donut. Once in awhile is good i think.」
What I made this time was a well baked light brown a about the size of a fist small round confection.
The way to make it’s simple. You mix wheat flour, water and sugar in the correct proportion and thread the dough then heat up in lard. Afterwards you sprinkle sugar over the finished product.
It’s actually closer to a sata andagi¹ than a donut, but since it’s hard to p.r.o.nounce I went with donut.
「It’s sweet. I never ate something like this before, it’s so delicious it makes me so happy. 」
The sweet loving Lucie seems happier than ever and keeps biting on the donut.
From my point of view something made without baking powder and eggs is a little lacking. But for someone who never experience the sweetness of sugar like Lucie it’s the meal of a lifetime.
「Lucie I’ll heat up another helping so eat as much as you want」
「Uu, I want to take another but I want to enjoy this as long as I can so I’ll control myself. How did you make something so sweet?」
「I used a lot of sugar.」
「Sugar!? So you got something like that. It’s the first time I eat the real thing」
「Yes, the people from the Empire brought it」
「I wonder if there’s good people even in the Empire」
「I wonder, I think it was the first time I saw a upright soldier from the empire」
Until now it was the first high caliber soldier I saw. If he takes command, I’ll have to brace for a difficult war.
Now is not the time to talk about the amount of experience the people from Elucie have. We have to think of the measures we are going to need to take.
「Is there enough for everyone?」
「Unfortunately, to divide among everyone would be hard」
10kg of sugar, if divided amongst everyone in the village would be too little
「It’s too much of a luxury to me. Cyril that’s enough for me, but what are we gonna do? How are we going to divide what’s left? No matter what it will be unfair.」
While looking at the donuts Lucie holds her head. Even if she understand that it’s impossible to distribute to everyone she doesn’t want to give up.
She probably wants to spread today’s feelings to everyone.
「It’s alright. It’s hard to distribute the sugar as is but, if we make sweets to eat with soup everyone can have a taste. So no need for hesitation and eat as much as you want.」
「But that doesn’t seem right.」
「The gold I got as chief of the village, but the sugar I got privately so it’s actually all mine. But, Lucie would not like that so well treat everyone. If you don’t eat these donuts, I will hog all the rest of the sugar.」
「Cyril is always saying those unfair things. If you say that I have to eat. ……but thank you.」
Lucie stuff her cheeks with the donuts while smiling.
That smile alone is enough of a reason for me to work hard. But I have to say something that will freeze that smile.
「Err Lucie, I have something I have to apologize for.」
「What, why are you acting like that?」
「Kuu said she liked me, and I said I like her and slept with her」
When she heard those words, Lucie dropped the donut.
「Cyril, you like Kuu-chan now?」
「Yes, I was attracted by how she was giving her all. And, if I had refused she looked like she would fall into despair and I couldn’t refuse. 」
Lucie’s eyes moisten with tears and she looks like she’s about to cry. My chest hurts.