Lu, who was sitting at my side, was quite interested in the okonomiyaki, as well.
Oh yeah, she didn’t get to try it yet.
“This is best when eaten warm. Renne, I’ll start eating now.” I took the nearby knife and fork into my hands. I’d have preferred to eat using chopsticks, but I wasn’t in my own home, so I had to adjust.
A moment after I did, Mary and the others picked up their own utensils.
Once I put the knife in, cheese poured out of it in great amounts.
Well, I didn’t expect that. This looks really good.
When I took a piece of this okonomiyaki into my mouth, a familiar and nostalgic taste overwhelmed my taste buds. The compatibility between the soft texture and the sweet-salty sauce was simply perfect. The cheese, too, was thick and rich in taste.
“Oh, oh dear me! This is delicious!”
“It really is... It’s so good! I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”
“I couldn’t agree more! So this is okonomiyaki...!” The three looked surprised, but in a good way. The hands taking their food to their mouths showed no signs of stopping. Renne looked at us, clearly happy with her work.
By the time everyone had emptied their plates, Renne and Robinson brought us some tea.
Oh? This is green tea, isn’t it? Guess she brought this from the mansion, too.
It was made from the high-class tea leaves I’d gotten from Ieyahsu. I handed them over to the maids and gave them permission to use them as they saw fit.
“This tea is quite delicious, as well. Thank you, Renne.”
“No, thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t like it, grandmother...” Renne smiled in a bashful manner. Seeing Mary smile back made me realize that the distance between them had shortened, which put me at ease.
I took out a pair of gate mirrors from my [Storage] and handed them over to them.
“What is this?” Upon taking hers, Mary tilted her head in confusion.
“It’s an Artifact I made. When you put a letter into this small mirror piece, it comes out through the other. Use it to exchange letters with Renne.”
“Touya... are you sure we can have this?”
“Yeah. The capitals are pretty far apart, so it would take a while for your letters to reach. Faster horses would be expensive, too. Also, I’ll send you over here when you have consecutive days off, so you’ll be able to see your grandmother pretty often.”
“Thank you so much, bruv!” With a bright smile on her face, Renne clung to me.
Whoa, now.
Once I hugged her back, Lu looked at me with her mouth open wide.
“Th-Th-That’s so unfair! I-I want to cling to Touya, too!”
“Uh, Lu...”
“Huh?!” Once she noticed the strange looks, Lu cleared her throat and elegantly brought her tea cup to her lips. That won’t be enough to play it off, you know?
“W-Well, she’s a child, after all. There’s no need to get worked up about it.”
Okay, no. You got seriously worked up just now. That both confuses me and makes me kinda happy, though.
Lu seemed to have a competitive side to her. Though, there really was no point to competing with Renne.
Everyone was trying to contain their laughter at how charming Lu appeared just now. Renne, who merely seemed confused, was the only exception.
“I see. I am glad to know that it went well.”
“Yeah. With Renne, this house becomes a much more cheerful place, after all. Not having her around would be sad, so I’m glad it turned out this way. Do continue taking good care of her, okay?”
“Certainly.” I told Laim about what happened in the Regulus Empire’s capital and once again asked him to look out for our little maid. Since Renne chose to stay, I didn’t want to do anything that would’ve made her regret that decision.
As I was sitting in the balcony and sipping the tea that Laim had prepared for me, I looked up at the moon up in the night sky.
“Where’s Renne, anyway?”
“I already had her return to her room. She asked Cecile to give her some paper and envelopes, so I believe it’s safe to assume that she’s already writing a letter to the empire’s capital.”
I see. A part of me felt envious. After all, no letters that I wrote would ever reach my family.
However, the family I had here in this world was just as dear to me. And that might’ve been a beautiful thing.
“Would you like some more?”
“Yes, please.” Laim took the empty teacup and left the room.
As I looked up at the moon in the night sky, I prayed to God for the happiness of the family I’d left behind.
Chapter IV: The Duchy of Brunhild
A month had passed since the trouble in the empire. The emperor honored and praised me as the hero who saved Regulus. I was formally recognized as an adventurer from Belfast who happened to be in their capital on the day of the incident.
Taking advantage of the situation, Regulus also announced its renewed friendship with Belfast, as well as the Duchy of Brunhild, which would be formed using territories from both nations.
And, of course, the grand duke of that duchy was me. A lot of people seemed surprised at the sudden announcement of a new nation, but the commotion died down shortly afterward. The interest in it actually lasted a lot less than I had expected. I didn’t mind, since I had no plans to move there any time soon or anything.
Plus, it wasn’t like there were any actual people living there, either. I began to think about what to do with the vast amount of land that the duchy consisted of, though. I thought maybe making some kind of orchard or cultivated field would probably be a good start.
The formal announcement of my engagement to Yumina and Lu was put on hold. The reason was that the sex of the baby being carried by Belfast’s Queen Yuel was still unknown. The child’s sex would determine my position as well, so we stalled the announcement until that was confirmed. The announcement of my engagement to Lu was also put off as a knock-on effect.
General Bazoar and most of the upper-ranking military officials were sentenced to death. That was only natural, since they’d committed high treason. The Blockbracer and Drainbracer that the General had wielded were also confiscated, just in case those with similar ambitions decided to take up the mantle once more.
It was decided that since they’d cause nothing but trouble for Belfast or Regulus if misused, that they had to be destroyed. Part of me wanted to stand up and say “Excuse me, but those are ancient treasures from Babylon, which makes me the rightful owner,” but obviously I couldn’t do that.
I also considered creating fakes in the workshop and switching them out, but I didn’t want to cheat the king or the emperor. They were going to both be my fathers-in-law, after all.
And so, in front of a royal audience, I crushed both bracers flat with [Gravity]. I regretted it, but to be honest... They still smelled kind of bad.
After all was said and done, the land was formally broken from the two countries and granted to me, which marked the official founding of the Duchy of Brunhild.
“...So then, are we going to move to the new country?”
“Eh... do we have to?” I sipped some tea that Laim had brought me as I replied to Linze’s question. Really more of a pain in the ass... It’d be better to stay here.
“I do not think it’s a matter of concern, I do not. I believe we have already made arrangements to move there, we have.”
“Wait, what?!”
“You’re a total dumbass. If your engagements to Lucia and Yumina get announced soon, then living here’s only gonna make it look like you’re favoring Belfast.” Oh, fair point. I guess that’d reflect pretty poorly on the empire, huh? But honestly, I don’t see it as a huge deal. I have [Gate], so it’s not like I can’t be at either location in a flash anyways...
“So we’ve got no choice but to live in Brunhild? Then what, do you guys want me to transport this whole house the
re?”
“I think it’d be smarter to leave this house right here. That way it can act as an embassy of sorts for Brunhild.”
Alright, that also makes sense, I guess... But that means I’ll have to build a whole other place there. Damn it...
“Should I just buy a mansion and have it transported to Brunhild? Oh, wait, can’t we just use the housing complex I have in the Hanging Garden of Babylon?”
“If we’re going to the trouble of moving to begin with, why not construct a castle? For all intents and purposes, Touya, you are the head of the state. It would be wonderful if you could create something more magnificent than a mansion.”
“Ahh, that sounds superb! A pure, beautiful white brick castle... Oh my...” Lu reacted well to Yumina’s proposition, and the two began chattering amongst themselves about ideas. They really were getting along well. I had a feeling that the two being of similar age had something to do with it. Not to mention the fact that they had similar circumstances growing up. To be honest, I’d much rather they got along handsomely than if they were clawing each other’s eyes out, so I couldn’t complain.
“Hm, a castle...” I pulled up my smartphone and connected to the internet, running an image search for “castle.” In a flash, several images of castles were projected out by the hologram setting.
“Touya, what’s this?”
“Heh, I guess you could consider it a castle catalog... or maybe more like an illustrated guide.” I shrugged off Linze’s question, then scrolled through each image as they passed by.
“Goodness me, there are even castles here like the ones in Eashen, there are.”
Because I’d ran a search for “castle,” it was only natural that there’d be a few Japanese-styled ones in the mix as well. To be honest, there were a ton of castles, more types than I had imagined. I wanted to see if I could see any similar to Het Steen. It’d be an appropriate type of castle for a [Slip] caster like me, after all.
“This castle is so beautiful and white...” The castle that Lu was going crazy over was Hluboka Castle, that big one from the Czech Republic. It was white, and very beautiful but...
“Isn’t it a tad too large? We don’t have any staff or servicemen right now, so a place like that would only be a burden.”
“Aw... I suppose you’re right.”
“For now, let’s start with a relatively small castle, and we can make extensions to it as needed, alright?” Come to think of it, I don’t actually know how to build a castle.
I reasoned that as long as I had the necessary materials I could definitely cobble together a solid exterior with [Modeling].
I couldn’t guarantee that it’d look great, though... Not to mention the fact that the interior would almost definitely be terrible. I could maybe use Belfast Castle as a mental reference, but I had a feeling that putting all that together bit-by-bit would take more time than I had.
“I don’t suppose there’s a castle lying around that just isn’t in use, is there...?”
“Sir, yes sir! I had a feeling this might happen, sir!” With a war cry and a loud noise, Rosetta exploded into the room. Damn it, that scared me!
“The time has come, sir! I can finally show you the true potential of the Workshop, sir!”
She clenched her fist tightly and raised it high up to the heavens. She had way too much enthusiasm, if you asked me.
“The Workshop doesn’t just replicate stuff, y’know?! We have an automated remodeling system, too! Yessir we do! We can scan objects and reshape them to suit your tastes, sir yes sir!” Rosetta’s ragged breath spewed from her mouth as she explained it all at once. Automated remodeling system? So we can manipulate objects that get scanned?
“Let’s hustle, on the double! Right-left, right-left! To the workshop!” Lu couldn’t contain her awe when she saw the workshop for the first time. We all walked over to the great cube that housed the actual facility.
There were smaller cubes piled up in various places around the floor, and a structure somewhat like a monitor was built up near the middle of the room. In a similar fashion, there was a cobbled-together chair composed of the white cubes right in front of the monitor. Rosetta plonked her butt down on the chair and reached her finger toward the monitor.
“Ten-hut! Gonna scan this country’s castle good, sir!” Babylon had been moved to the skies of Belfast, just above the royal castle, a bit earlier. Naturally, it wasn’t noticed by anyone due to the built-in stealth field.
I was a bit perplexed by the fact that it didn’t even cast a shadow over the city, though... No matter how many times I looked at it, it was unreasonable to think about. But maybe it made sense... Shadows were cast when light was blocked by an object, but in this case light was still going around the object...? I decided it was best not to think too hard about how magic and science worked. I’d simply lose sleep for no good reason.
The monitor displayed an aerial view of Belfast’s Castle. Suddenly, a green light covered the castle for a split-second, only for the display to be replaced by a three-dimensional model of the building.
“Scan completed, sir! I’ll switch to the automated system now! Did you have something specific in mind?” Rosetta turned around and posed a question.
“Uh... anything specific? Well, it definitely doesn’t need to be so big, so could you start by shaving off some of the rooms?”
“Mission orders received, sir!” Rosetta frantically swiped here and there on the screen, slashing and slicing away various rooms on the 3D model. I wondered if it had some kind of smart learning system that automatically picked changes in relation to cuts and tweaks.
“Oh, this rampart tower is pointless, too. You should get rid of it. I’d like the courtyard to be a little wider, as well.” As if responding to my whims, the castle transformed again. I could definitely get used to this kind of remodeling function. It was really useful. I didn’t realize that the workshop could also be used for such intricate designs and renovation. Then again, it was pretty much the same as when I modified my Brunhild, just on a larger scale.
“Anyone else got any changes to make?”
“Ah, yes... I would prefer a wider balcony.”
“I desire a magnificent dojo, so that I might spar and train there, I do.”
“Oh, if she’s getting one, then I want a training zone for unarmed combat, too!!”
“I-If it’s not too much, I’d like a library installed...”
“I’d love a broad moat, and a magnificent drawbridge as well!” As everyone made their own changes, the castle model distorted. It was no longer recognizable as the Belfast Castle it originally was. It had become completely unique. A moat, a gate, a drawbridge, even little buildings around the castle now made it distinct.
“Well then, sir! Is this quite alright?!”
“Yeah, looks fine by me. So, how’re you gonna make it real?”
“A paltry matter, sir! We simply take off to the desired location and plot this data. I flatten the landscape and begin automatic assembly! I estimate it’ll take three days, sir!” I was amazed that she could do it in such a short amount of time. The workshop was truly an amazing tool. Why stop at a castle? We could easily construct a town or hamlet with it.
“Well, that is if the materials are readily available, sir!”
“...Sorry?” What did she mean, exactly? Materials for the castle?
“You mean like the basic stuff, right? Marble, brick, metal, and so on?”
“Not just that, sir! Lumber, glass, brass, iron, cloths like cotton and silk! All these materials are necessary to complete your castle, sir!”
“I don’t have all of that!”
Besides, do you know how long it’s take for me to gather all that stuff?! It’d end up costing me the same as if I just went and bought a regular castle, if not more! We’d maybe save on labor, but it’s not like it’d be a considerable sum to begin with!
“Uhm... d-do the materials have to be brand new?” Lu suddenly spoke up, nervously addressing R
osetta.
“No, ma’am! Old materials are disassembled and rebuilt from the ground up like new anyway, ma’am! Only extremely decayed material would be totally useless!”
“I-If that’s the case, then... there’s an abandoned castle fort to the north of the Regulus Empire. If we harvested it, wouldn’t we have enough materials for our new home?” That made good sense to me. If we used a building that pretty much used to be a castle anyway, we’d save massively on material needs. Even if stuff was tattered, shattered, or worn down, it could be recycled and used again! Lu was a genius.
I didn’t think it would be a big deal if an old abandoned fort was torn down, either, so I decided to go and get permission from the emperor at once. The plan was settled.
Lu suddenly spoke up in concern, despite being the one to suggest it in the first place.
“A-Ah, uhm... actually... about that fortress, perhaps we shouldn’t... or they might be disturbed...”
“What might be disturbed?”
“The... The ghosts...”
Oh come on... Was she serious? A haunted castle?!
◇ ◇ ◇
So the story goes, there was once a benevolent young lord who lived in a castle fortress to the north of Regulus. He had the full trust and support of the emperor, and the people loved him for his kind nature, wonderful work ethic, and generous policies.
But one day everything changed. The young lord’s wife passed away. Afterward, he became reclusive, shutting himself inside his castle. Not long after, strange incidents began to occur in the surrounding area...
One by one, people went missing. And one day, a young girl was seen being carried away by the very lord who had locked himself up not so long ago. The people of the village all went to the castle, wanting answers.
Strangely, there were no people guarding the great gates of the castle. Even more strangely, they found the castle completely barren. No servants, no men-at-arms, no guardsmen.
The people pressed on, desperate to find their missing families and friends. What they found instead... were corpses. Mounds of corpses, piles of the dead, lazily discarded and strewn around. The young lord had been committing the most vile of acts. He had researched the art of necromancy, all in the name of returning his beloved wife to the world of the living. Those who lived inside the castle were culled like lambs, used for his twisted experiments. And when they were all used up, the young lord simply started reaching into the nearby village for new livestock.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 4 Page 18
