Chapter 66
“Hoho.”
Elshnain let out a satisfied murmur as she looked at the tiny creation placed on Calvin’s outstretched palm.
Chirahan, who had been standing awkwardly with dark circles running all the way down to the floor, suddenly lifted his head.
A glint appeared in his bloodshot eyes.
“Do you like it?”
Elshnain nodded.
“Yes. It’s nice. Cute and approachable.”
The piece that Calvin and the dark wizards had created together was a palm-sized doll.
A round face with big, shiny eyes, a lovely pink nose. Pointed ears, and a heart-shaped curled tail.
“As expected, cats are perfect.”
Its appearance was so undeniably adorable that no one could deny it.
“R-Really?”
Calvin, nervously watching Elshnain’s reaction, blushed shyly. The dark wizards, sensing relief, let their tense shoulders drop slightly.
“However…”
“Yes?”
Their shoulders tensed again at Elshnain’s indifferent tone.
“What is this fur made of? The texture feels amazing.”
“Ah…”
The dark wizards exchanged glances. Hesitant, Calvin raised his hand and spoke in a cautious, timid voice.
“It’s… a new material we created by combining magic.”
“You created the material?”
Was that to say they had made something out of nothing?
Elshnain murmured to herself, and Calvin hurriedly shook his head.
“N-No, that’s not it. We just enchanted ordinary fur sold at the market nearby.”
“Hoho.”
There was such magic?
Because the dark wizards’ magic was mostly unknown to the general public due to prejudice, this was the first time Elshnain had learned of it.
“So such magic exists. Fascinating.”
“Yes, um. Hehe. It’s magic we developed to make a fur-based house to attract tourists.”
“……”
Thinking about it, it was no wonder that tourist business failed. Perhaps it was better that visitors avoided it entirely due to prejudice.
Elshnain gave a faint smile and said,
“Anyway, it feels nice. I like it.”
The dark wizards’ faces brightened with delight.
“And these clothes were designed thinking of the Gourmand Riders, right?”
The cat was dressed in the hat and uniform worn by the Gourmand Riders.
“Yes. White-san said they wanted a mascot to represent the Gourmand Nation.”
Calvin spoke with a slightly more confident tone.
“Very good. Riders are mascots representing the Gourmand Nation, but you mages are mascots too.”
“Ah…”
The dark wizards looked touched by Elshnain’s words.
“We weren’t able to fulfill our role as teleportation mages…”
“What do you mean? You’re doing wonderfully right here. And now, you’re not teleportation mages—you’re mages of the Gourmand Nation. You can be proud.”
Elshnain puffed out her chest slightly and spoke with confidence.
The dark wizards nodded eagerly, almost teary-eyed.
Elshnain looked at each of them and smiled.
“So, you can make about a thousand of these dolls by next week, right?”
“Eh…?”
Calvin, full of joy, blinked in surprise.
“We’ll pay you accordingly.”
Originally, there had been more leeway in the schedule.
“If you hadn’t made that weird giant weapon in the middle, we’d have had enough time. Tch.”
Chirahan flinched at the muttered words.
“So, Chirahan, make sure the mages can meet the quota.”
“Y-Yes… yes…”
Chirahan nodded, his pale face grim.
“Y-Yes…”
A response smaller than a mosquito’s breath returned.
In the south, matsutake mushrooms were made into stew; in the north, mandrake vegetables were stir-fried; butter from the west and freshly baked bread from the east all came together.
The ladies couldn’t help but swallow as they looked at the steaming, golden bread.
“Yes. That comes to 5 gold in total!”
A Gourmand Nation Rider bowed politely, announcing the total in a bright voice.
“Oh my, we were careless. Ahem. Hanson, pay up.”
The attendant, standing beside the ladies at attention, stepped forward and began paying the Rider.
“Picnics are best with the Gourmand Nation.”
One lady chuckled.
“Indeed. I can’t even remember how we used to prepare for picnics.”
“It was like a war from the morning, wasn’t it?”
“Oh dear, not just the morning. Didn’t it start the week before? Choosing the food, preparing ingredients…”
The ladies nodded in unison.
“Yes! It was exhausting back then.”
“Now, thanks to the Gourmand Nation, picnics are less burdensome, and we can enjoy a wider variety of foods.”
Hohoho!
The ladies burst into cheerful laughter.
At that moment, the Rider, having finished the payment with the attendant, smiled brightly like sunshine and exclaimed,
“Thank you for ordering from the Gourmand Nation! Please visit us again!”
The ladies’ eyes followed the Rider’s clear voice.
“The Riders are so cheerful. I can’t help but smile,” one said.
“Hoho. Right? I feel the same. The Gourmand Nation really manages their staff well.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
One lady pointed at something like a necklace around the Rider’s neck.
“Oh, you’re right. They didn’t have that before.”
“Ah! I saw that too a few days ago when my husband and I ordered grilled crocodile. Another Rider was wearing it then too.”
“Oh my, really? So it’s not just that Rider. And Baron still has unique taste in food, doesn’t he? Ho… hoho.”
“Ahem. Anyway, isn’t that necklace super cute? Could you come here for a moment, dear? If it doesn’t interfere with your work, of course.”
The Rider nodded cheerfully and hopped over. The ladies, wearing satisfied motherly smiles, received the necklace.
“Oh my. It’s a cat!”
“No wonder! It looked adorable even from afar.”
“Kyaa. How soft!”
“Oh my! Really. Once you touch it, you can’t let go.”
“And the Rider uniform! How cute is that?”
The ladies, who had been elegantly seated just moments ago, now squealed like young girls, cheeks flushed, utterly captivated by the cat’s cuteness.
“Where can we get such an adorable cat? Surely it’s not sold to ordinary people, right?”
The Rider smiled knowingly and said casually,
“The Gourmand Nation prop shop will have a grand opening at the capital square soon.”
The ladies’ eyes sparkled.
Seeing their expressions, the Rider looked slightly awkward.
“Oh, but they said only the first thousand people after opening will get this merchandise.”
This time, the ladies’ eyes gleamed. The Rider felt their gaze like that of soldiers steeling themselves before battle.
“Oh my! Really? Hoho.”
“Only a thousand… hmm, that’s both a lot and a little, I suppose.”
“Hoho. Looks like they call such dolls ‘merchandise’.”
“A new word learned today.”
“Oh hoho.”
The ladies who had squealed like girls moments ago had returned to their poised, noble demeanor, each wearing a polite smile.
“Hehe. So, next week, then?”
“We’ve held onto this child too long.”
The Rider took back the necklace, put it around their neck, and stepped back.
Then returned to their duties.
A week later, early in the morning.
People began gathering in front of the large building in the capital square.
The building was covered in a cloth as large as the building itself.
