Chapter 41 – Manufacturing
Translator: Isekai Shousetsu
“Ahhnn…nnnn…Ahnn…There…Ah…Aaahh…Good…”
Tetra said in a s.e.xy voice.
I add strength to my movements.
“Aahh…nnahh…That’s…too…strong…hya!”
Tetra said in an agitated voice.
She can barely breathe as she tries to look at me from her back with her moist, s.e.xy eyes.
I can’t believe the usually cool Tetra would be capable of such pa.s.sion and emotion.
I increase further the strength that leaves my fingertips.
“Hyaa…DAME…nnnn! Aaahh, kkuhha!”
I then lighten my movements.
“Ahh…harder…stronger!…hyaa!”
I trace Tetra’s body on top of her clothes with my finger. Surprised by the sensation, Tetra’s body shakes in pleasure.
“You don’t have to push yourself you know? Let’s get this over quickly.” I said to Tetra as my fingers crawled over her body. ( ?° ?? ?°)
Tetra’s body shook in pleasure.
“…Please don’t tease me…” said Tetra in a sweet voice as she faced me.
But just now…
“Didn’t you ask me to stop?”
“…Bully…nnnfwaa…nnn…don’t but continue…”
I don’t get it.
“Then what should I do?”
“Aa…Caress me harder…”
“Does it hurt?”
Then Tetra said as her cheeks blushed:
“Aa…it feels better when it hurts…”
This Girl…it can’t be helped huh?
I grinned as I slowly put strength in my movements.
“Hiyaa!…nnkuh…dame!…haaa…fuhaa……”
You just said “don’t” right now huh?
“Kafuu…Don’t stop!…more!”
“What a willful little girl. Really. Since you want it, I’ll give it to you.” I said as I teasingly used my fingers on her.
Tetra convulsed and said with an agitated voice:
“Pl…Please! There!!! My…ahh! Caress me there!”
I don’t get it. If only she’d tell me once clearly.
I take a hard look at Tetra.
She looks so agitated. She’s breathing roughly too. If I continue to tease her like this, surely she’d be too pitiful. I guess it’s no use. Let’s just do as she wants!
“Aah! It came!” ( ?° ?? ?°) “Ttha…ffuahh!… hhea…nnkuuaaa…nn…nnoo more! Aaaaaaaahhhhh!”
Tetra’s body shook violently, her mouth half-open as she tried to gasp for air. Her saliva drips from her lips as she lay on the bed exhausted.
Then the door opened just at the same time.
“What the h.e.l.l are you two doing so early in the morning!!! Hn…wa. What?” (Soyon)
“What’s wrong?” I asked the bewildered Soyon who just entered the room as I separate my hands from Tetra’s shoulders.
“Ummm…What were you doing?” (Soyon)
“Oh! Just a ma.s.sage. We went to get the census done yesterday right? Just that we felt a little strained after that so we thought we’d help loosen each other up.”
It’s just the two of us taking turns ma.s.saging each other.
Of course, the results were well worth the trouble. We determined the population numbered around 32,423. With these, we should be able to collect taxes properly.
Come to think of it we agreed to conduct the census for Bartolo too. What a pain.
“So…What do you need Soyon?” (Almis)
Soyon’s face turned bright red.
“Ah!…No!…I misunderstood… Ah… No!… A letter from King Rosyth came!” Soyon said as she pa.s.sed me the wood strips.
What could this be about?
“What did the letter say?” (Soyon)
“Well, to summarize: ‘Hurry up teach me the paper manufacturing method already!’ is written.” (Almis)
It’s not like I could just teach it like that even though I’ve become a retainer. It should depend on the compensation after all.
“Tetra, Let’s go.” (Almis)
“Nooo…I want moar.” Tetra said in a sweet voice after I shook her awake.
What is this girl saying?
I still haven’t even gotten my turn yet.
“…You tease…Haa…” (Tetra)
Tetra arose while stretching her neck left to right. Bone cracking sounds went off as she stretched her body.
Then Tetra, who returned to her usual cold expression, turned to me and said:
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Wipe off your drool before that.” (Almis)
Tetra turned bright red as she wiped off the drool on her lips.
“Alright, as I have requested in the letter, please proceed in teaching how to make paper.” (Rosyth)
“Understood. But can you please promise me one thing?”
“What is it?”
I say the condition.”
“First, as compensation, please give me wheat. Furthermore, can you promise me to not produce large quant.i.ties of paper immediately?”
I still look forward to making paper as the primary source of income for the Ars Territory since I reduced the tax rates for wheat after all.
Therefore, a large supply of paper in the market pus.h.i.+ng down the price would not be good.
“I see…I understand your circ.u.mstances. I’ll postpone operations for a year.” (Rosyth)
If possible two years, though I actually wanted three years reprieve. Can’t be helped.
I wrote the steps for paper manufacturing method on a piece of paper and handed it over to King Rosyth. He received it with satisfaction.
“By the way, do you know how to make iron?” (Rosyth)
“Well, if you say I can, I might be able to but only in principle I guess.” (Almis)
King Rosyth leaned forward excitedly. “TEACH ME!”
Well, I did learn about deoxidizing iron oxides but that was in science experiments in middle school.
It was more or less five so I could understand.
I think there’s no one who doesn’t know what a deoxidation reaction is. That is if they went through compulsory education. Besides, we also briefly touched on the subject in history so I can somewhat understand it.
“Yes, but I only have second-hand knowledge on the matter so it’s not like I can manufacture iron with certainty. Please take that into account. Also, I want more wheat as compensation.” (Almis)
“There’s no problem. However, the wheat will come after my forges can produce iron goods.” (Almis)
Well, it’s only natural. By all means, you’d want the smiths to succeed in making iron goods.
“Yes, but first we need to prepare charcoal and iron ore.”
Iron ores are made up of iron oxide. You use the charcoal in the smelting process to isolate the iron in the ore.
“Also, Iron working would need high temperatures.”
“I told you to teach me the method.”
What an impatient fellow.
“We would also need to use a tool called a ‘bellow.’ It should be easy to make, probably.”
I teach King Rosyth how to make bellows. It’s kind of difficult explaining verbally, huh.
After this you’ll have a spongy ball of molten iron and charcoal residue. You’ll then need to hammer out the impurities from this spongy substance. At the very least, you’ll be able to make iron from this. This is the most I know on the matter.
I’m not a smelting specialist after all. We didn’t learn that much in school after all. This is the limit of my knowledge. They could make bronze after all, so this explanation should suffice.
“Yes, this is enough. I’ll send the grains upon the iron’s successful manufacture.” (Rosyth)
Alright, with this we’ll get more wheat.
“Then, please teach me how to make fire medicine next.” (Rosyth)
Fire medicine?
Ah! Gunpowder, huh.
“Unfortunately, gunpowder ingredients are currently at their limits. Besides, only I know how to make it. I think that circulating its manufacturing method would be dangerous.” (Almis)
“Does that mean you won’t be able to teach it?” (Rosyth)
“That would be correct.”
King Rosyth lets out a sigh as he heard my reply.
“Then it can’t be helped. Certainly, it would be bothersome should King De Morgal begin to use gunpowder too. For the meantime, I’ll content myself with iron.” (Rosyth)
Thank goodness. Your understanding would clearly save me the trouble.
“So, are your territorial affairs going smoothly? You border King De Morgal’s Territory you know?”
“Well, it’s pa.s.sable. I’m still not used to managing territory but I’m getting by thanks to Bartolo-san’s help.” (Almis)
Wait, thinking back, Bartolo hasn’t seem to have done anything, hasn’t he?
“Is that so? Good. Then I shall give advice as well.”
Advice? Advice straight from King Rosyth himself?
“Listen, Pay diligence to your relations with your neighbors. A lot of them do not think highly of lords after all.” (Rosyth)
“Yes, I understand” (Almis)
Managing social relations.h.i.+ps is important after all. Like in my wedding, for example, we received lots of well wishes and flattery.
“Did you know that Bartolo’s child was just born?” (Rosyth)
“Yes, I heard.” (Almis)
When Bartolo’s wife was giving birth, I advised him to use hot water to disinfect all the tools and to use alcohol to disinfect their hands. This is to significantly reduce the risk of the child dying from contracting postpartum infections.
“That guy had probably prepared for festivities in advance. You should go. Everyone from your clan should prepare for a present. Yes…I think honey would be a great gift.” (Rosyth)
It’s not like you had to tell me. That was what I intended to do all along. What should we do for the gifts? Certainly, it would be absurd for each of us to bring honey. I need to think about this.
“Also, there’s one more thing I have to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“Be careful of Regal DeBell and the DeBell clan. They consider you as an enemy and a threat to their family. Besides, I hear nothing but bad rumors about the guy.”
The DeBell clan, is it? If I remember correctly, they were the most powerful clan in the Rosyth Kingdom before I got landed. Certainly, there’s little to no difference between the population of my territory and theirs. Sigh, I wanted to have good relations if possible but…
“But please be at ease. I also hate the DeBell clan. Bartolo hates them too. In fact, a third of the powerful clans hate the DeBell clan. Do you get what I mean?” (Rosyth)
It means I should be at the head of the Anti-DeBell faction, huh. Sigh, I hate troublesome things. But it can’t be helped since the hostility comes straight from the other party.
“I’ll think about it.” (Almis)
“It’s not like you have to think about it. I think it’s the natural course of action. Conduct yourself skillfully. I’m expecting great things from you after all.” (Rosyth)
King Rosyth stared at me intently. What’s up with the stare, dude.
“I would live for three years more at most. That’s why I want you see great accomplishments from you as a lord within a year.”
“Accomplishments?”
In one year, huh. Why does this king want accomplishments from me before he dies? Is it to contain the DeBell clan?
Furthermore…
“Subjugating King Ferrum, Manufacturing Iron, and Manufacturing Paper. Normally, they would be more than enough accomplishments. However, considering the circ.u.mstances, they are not enough. Do great deeds in the management of your territory. And hold fast your land against King De Morgal. If you accomplish such…” (Rosyth)
“I understand. I’ll do my utmost.” (Almis)
What could he possibly want to say…
————————————————
Three months later, I received a letter from King Rosyth. It reads:
“
It seems the iron smelting was a success. Unfortunately, the strength was unusually weak so we couldn’t put it to good use. We did, however, managed to trade them to Cretian smiths for a lot of salt.
Perhaps they thought that if they left it as it is then it would become so that we could make iron, so they thought that before we could make profits on it they should just make the profits on it.
Though you might say its not fit for use, iron is still iron. It is for that reason that the Cretians overlooked the quality.
I will send the wheat immediately. It’s a favor I’ll certainly return so long as I live.
“
“Well, so long as I get the wheat I don’t have any problems.” (Almis)