Kujonin

Kujonin
Author: Hanabokuro
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When I went to the workshop next to the storehouse, blood was dripping from the mouths of my employees.
I froze for a second, but Merumo smiled happily.
"What are you dong?"
"Aah, President!"
Merumo shouted.
On top of the table was a basket with red fruits in it.
Tea was also prepared. It seems like it"s a tea break from work.
Snacks being available before you know it in a woman"s works.p.a.ce is the same as it was in my world.
If this helps relieve even a little bit of stress, then I think it"s fine for them to keep eating.
"This is a fruit called blood berries, and it"s very interesting."
"It"s a berry gathered from the wasteland, it seems. Maa, as you can see, it turns your mouth bright red."
Velsa gave me an explanation.
"If you"d like, have some as well, Naoki-kun."
Ashley invited me as she worked on the windmill.
"Thank you very much. Uoh-! These are sour!"
When I tossed a blood berry into my mouth, I was attacked with a strong acidity. It might be good to relieve drowsiness.
"And how is it? How"s the windmill?"
"Well, I"ve never seen a windmill like this, so I wonder if we can make it well. It"s just frightfully interesting, this idea. I wonder just how Naoki-san"s head works."
Ashley-san said. Ashley-san"s skills are good, so she has already split a cask in two for the windmill and fitted it with blades.
"I also haven"t made it before, I just wanted to try it out while testing all sorts of things."
"Can you also come look at the pump?"
Cynthia said to me.
Cynthia, Seth, and Ayl were making the pump over there, and making a valve to attach to a giant monster"s stomach.
Seth is already half asleep. We pulled an allnighter last night, so it can"t be helped.
"It"s fine as long as water won"t leak, right? What about the monster stomach?"
"I"ve made some preparations. Bigger is better, right?"
Ayl responded.
"Also, about this device…"
Ashley-san asked as she pointed at the seesaw-like device that compresses the stomach on the blueprints.
While explaining it so that everyone could understand, I joined in on the work.
When Seth lost to his sleepiness and dropped out, I took forabbit furs out from the item bag and made a nap area in the workshop.
It began to rain again before noon, and Merumo and Ayl slept.
We had a.s.sembled it and were just thinking to take it outside to test it if the weather cleared up, when Velsa, Cynthia, and I also reached our limits, the area around our mouths were red from when we staved off our sleepiness with blood berries.
"Now we just need to wait until it"s sunny, ne?"
Ashley-san smiled happily.
"Yeah, that"s right, ne … I"ve my limit, so I"m going to sleep a little. Please wake me if anything happens."
"Yes, yes. Now then, everyone go inside, and don"t disturb these big sisters and brothers."
Ashley-san took the children who came to watch and returned to the house.
Lying down on the furs like I was collapsing, my consciousness drifted off somewhere far away.

I woke around sunset.
The rain had stopped, and an orange-colored sky peeked out from behind the break in the clouds.
It seems like the women around me also woke when I woke up.
Seth and Cynthia aren"t here.
When I left the workshop, Seth and Cynthia were carrying dishes with food on them to the workshop.
"Ah, President! We"re going to eat dinner with everyone."
"I see. Is there anything I can help with?"
I asked.
"Then can you draw water and use Clean Up to make it clean?"
"Got it."
I went with Ayl and Velsa with various casks and barrels, heading in the direction where the well"s hole was.
Merumo was called by Seth, and she helped carry the food.

Throwing a bucket with a rope attached to it into the hole, I pulled it up and drew water. The drawn water was put into the casks. Let"s draw up more water rather than less. With 3 people taking turns it wasn"t too bad, but it took some time.
Around when I thought that it would be better to use a magic circle, all the casks were full.
I purified the water in the three barrels with Clean Up and we brought them back to the storehouse.
Normally they"d be too heavy to carry, but the three of us have unusual strength, so we easily carried them.
Other than Garcisan and his family, our employees and the people from the Central Government were at the storehouse, as well as a middle-aged man with a good appearance I hadn"t seen before.
That middle-aged man has a good build, seems like he"s related to the military, and has taken an interest in the Central Government personnel.
"Who is that?"
When I asked Garcisan,
"HillLake Kingdom"s investigator, Guil-san."
He told me.
"For the time being, I"ve explained the situation."
Alfred-san told me.
"Ah, h.e.l.lo. I"m Naoki. I run an extermination business. A pleasure to meet you."
"I"ve heard of your rumors. I"m Guil, from HillLake Kingdom"s Military Intelligence."
After greeting Guil, I sat down.
The table has a tablecloth over it, and on top are dishes with food lined up.
There was vegetable and meat stirfry, grilled bird monster meat, stew, and the like; at any rate, there were many large plates.
Ashley-san said, "It"s always like this for us."
The children all properly said grace before eating.
Garcisan, Ashley-san, Sabui, and the young spokesman (Jason seems to be his name) already ate.
Our portion was also included, so we partook without holding back.
While eating, we listened to Garcisan and Ashley-san talking, and it seems like the discussion about the roadways have made some progress."
"Oh, right, Naoki."
Alfred-san called over to me.
"What is it?"
"Properly come with me to HillLake"s capital."
"-Ng, why?"
While swallowing the meat I had eaten, I asked why.
"Guil, explain it to him."
"Two dragons have appeared around the border to the northern country. The situation seems to be that our King has completely holed up in his castle, and he won"t even leave his room."
Guil explained the capital"s situation to me.
"And that means I have to go to the capital?"
"You have dragon acquaintances, correct?"
If you"re asking if I have any, I do. Or like, those two dragons are my acquaintances.
"The construction of the ca.n.a.ls is under the King"s command. If the King doesn"t give the command to stop, then everything will continue as planned."
"Hm? And what am I supposed to do about this?"
I also have the same feelings about wanting to stop the construction of the ca.n.a.ls, but I don"t think I"m needed for this.
"Please get the King to leave his room. If you can get him out of his room, Guil can explain things to him, and I will be able to negotiate."
"Wouldn"t it be fine if Sabui-san drags him out of the room by force?"
I tossed the problem at Sabui.
"I won"t do. If someone from the Central Government makes a move, just that in itself will cause a delay to the completion of the roads , I believe."
"But it"s just the King refusing to leave his room. Aren"t there advisors or prime ministers? I"m just an exterminator."
"So you say. Please lend us a hand."
Pain in the a.s.s.
"Won"t he leave naturally if you starve him?"
"The castle chefs will be executed."
Guil said.
"Naoki, who isn"t from HillLake and has nothing to do with the Central Government is the suitable person for the job. Please try to get the King to leave his room without using brute force."
You can say that, but…
"Will there be payment?"
Velsa asked from the sidelines.
"Yes, we"ll pay."
Alfred-san said.
" "We"ll do it! Let us do it!" "
Ayl and Velsa replied immediately.
"No, see, I"m working on the windmill and pump, so…"
I still have work left in Gnomefield.
"That"s what we will be doing. Naoki will go to the capital."
"That"s right, it"s just going to get the King-sama out of his room, right? Isn"t it simple?"
With Ayl and Velsa conspiring against me, it looks like I won"t be able to refuse any more.
"If that"s the case, I"m taking one of the newbies."
I demanded a travelling companion.
"That"s fine."
"Merumo!"
"Eh!? Me!?"
I"ve already thought up a way to get the King out of his room.
"Have you already trained the earticks?"
"Eh? Do you mean taming them? No, I haven"t tried it."
"Can you?"
"At my parents" house I tamed the goatsheeps. But for bug-type monsters, I wonder …?"
Merumo"s home is a goatsheep ranch.
"Let"s try it after you"re done eating."
"Understood."
Well, in the worst case scenario they don"t have to be tamed, though.
"Then you"ll do it?"
Alfred-san asked.
"I will. My employees accepted the job, right? In that case, let"s hurry and leave."
"Understood. We"ll depart tomorrow morning. Guil, you"re also fine with that?"
"As you wish."
And that was that.

After the meal we returned to the inn, and when Merumo said something in front of the eartick bottle, the earticks in the bottle lined up in a row.
"It seems like you can."
"Haha, it"s something I didn"t know myself."
If she has the talent to be a beast tamer, then I think it would be better to develop it.
"How is it?"
Ayl, Velsa, and Seth returned to the inn a little after us. They were talking about tomorrow"s schedule with Ashley-san and the others.
"Merumo might have the talent to become a beast tamer."
When I said so,
"I see. We should try all sorts of things out from now on."
Ayl replied.
"How about you guys?"
"We"ll try to a.s.semble the windmill and pump if it"s clear. If it rains again, we"ll make seed dumplings."
"There might be seeds left behind in the houses of the people who left the village. We"ll also try asking if there are any seeds at the church."
Ayl and Velsa said.
"Hm? Come to think of it, where are Alfred-san and the others?"
There aren"t any inns but this one, so they"ll be staying at this inn, right?
"Aah, that Jason guy asked the church if they could stay over there."
"I see."
He"s a more competent guy than I thought.
We"d slept at a weird time, so even though I wasn"t sleepy, I fell asleep quickly when I entered my bed.