“Ah, I’m glad that you figured out how to make a good waffle. It tastes really good. If you put whipped cream on it, you can make it even tastier, though.”
“I see... We’ll try and make that as well, then!” I held the waffle in my mouth, made my way over to the fridge, and leaned down and took something out. Good, it solidified well.
“What’s that, boss?” Shea tilted her head and expressed confusion at the item.
“It’s pudding. It’s another item you can add cream and fruits to. Tastes really good.” It’d be more accurate to call it ‘pudding a la mode’ if it had the stuff on it, though. I took out a plate and turned the pudding upside down, letting it slide out on to the surface.
The yellow caramel oozed out slowly, making my mouth water a bit. I grabbed a spoon and took a scoop of the tasty mass I’d created. Hm, a little thick, but it’s still yummy!
Shea took a spoon and put a scoop of her own into her mouth. She opened her eyes in amazement and her mouth flapped a little like a fish. Guess she likes it.
“Hey bruv, I cut the potatoes like you asked, but what am I supposed to do now?” There was a pile of neatly-cut potato sticks on the chopping board in front of Renne. I went over and washed them a bit in the sink, then added some oil to a frying pan. Then, I set the heat to medium and began to drop the potato sticks in one by one. Once they started to float, I took them out. After that, I upped the heat and deep fried them until they were a crispy brown.
I sprinkled some fresh salt on to them and garnished them with a side of homemade ketchup. After going so long without french fries I felt an unreasonable amount of joy towards something so mundane.
“These are bloody amazing, bruv! Can I have them all?!”
“...All of them? Well, you can take them all, but I wouldn’t recommend stuffing your face with them, you’ll get an upset tummy.” I gave Renne a soft smile and passed the french fries over to Renne. She wolfed down a handful before I could even react. Crea and Shea peeked their heads over and grabbed a bunch all of a sudden, chowing down like it was some kind of ambrosia. ...They’re gonna get fat. Oh geez.
With that, the indoor entertainment and the food was on track. Now all I had to check on was the defense system.
As I went out into the training grounds, I noticed my three soldiers sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily. Yae was laughing softly at them, for whatever reason.
Still, it wasn’t she who had driven them to this state, it was the grizzled old mustache-clad man, as well as the scarred beast of a man who were standing next to her.
Baba and Yamagata, two famed commanders from the Takeda-controlled territory of Eashen. They were two of the Takeda Elite Four, renowned for their martial prowess.
“Hey, squirt. Somethin’ up?”
“No, just coming by to see how things are going.” As usual, old man Baba decided to call me something annoying. Aren’t I the ruler of a country now?! Damn it...
“Hey, Touya. These three show great potential. They need a little polish, but I am quite sure they can shine brightly.” Yamagata grinned at me, his broadsword resting on his shoulders. And this guy’s just casually calling me Touya. I see how it is.
I had specifically called upon those two to train my three knights. I briefly considered asking Neil or Yae’s older brother, but the two of them seemed busy, so I opted not to. These two, on the other hand, had nothing but free time, apparently.
From what I had heard, Takeda’s son succeeded the clan and immediately pushed away all the close advisers that had ties to his father. He then embarked on a strange, selfish campaign where he just did whatever he wanted. Despite my advice, they had gotten into a quarrel with Oda as well for whatever reason.
I wondered if it was his young age that made him reckless, or if he was simply an incompetent person. It was possible that the downfall of Takeda was simply something that happened in many worlds...
“But still, a brat like you governing an entire country? Even if it’s small, that’s still somethin’ special. Well, I guess I’ve seen the magic you can come up with, so it’s not too surprisin’, but still...”
“Yes, I’m rather amazed and a little envious. When you compare Touya to our young lord... Hmph...” Yamagata sighed a bit wistfully and muttered as he looked at the exhausted trio. Seemed like they had a lot to worry about.
“So what’s the situation now? Is Oda being aggressive or what?”
“Nay, in this case the problems don’t stem from Oda, but our lord himself. He gives orders on a whim without considering the implications, and when the money coffers run low he simply raises the taxes. To be frank, he is not popular with the people at all. Rather than us destroying Oda with ease, it may be them that swoop in and wipe us out. With how things are going, we’re considerably weakened. We Elite Four have tried to advise him, but he bullheadedly ignores all we have to offer.” Sounded to me like things had gone from bad to terrible. Even if the founder of a nation was a tactical genius or a benevolent man, it wouldn’t be the first time a country has been driven to ruin by the foolish attitude of the next generation. Schingen probably wouldn’t be able to rest in peace, after all.
“If you’d like, you’re welcome to defect to my country. We’re just starting out, so we could really use the extra hands.”
“Hmph... I’ll admit, squirt... that’s quite the enticin’ offer ya got there. But we still got plenty obligations to Lord Takeda, so...”
“Come, Baba-dono, aren’t you being a little stiff? We’ve been invited here out of the kindness of the boy’s heart. I’d be quite happy to join this place, but the lack of an ongoing war is a little saddening.”
That was a dangerous thing you just said! Battle nuts like him were a real problem, though he’d probably get along with Mismede’s Beastking.
“Whatever our feelings are on the matter right now, we cannot give you an answer. We’d need to return home and discuss the issue with the other two. Even if Takeda is brought to ruin, I feel we should look upon it with our own eyes.”
“I understand, so don’t worry. I won’t press the issue for the time being.”
“That’s most appreciated.” Yamagata lowered his sword and shifted his attention to the three who were still on the ground.
“Alright, you little mites! Same as last time, I’ll charge the three of you at once!”
“Yes sir!” The three of them drew their weapons with renewed vigor as they let out that cry. Their fighting spirit was pretty impressive, but I wondered if it was enough to defend against his onslaught. Regardless of the outcome, it was something they had to do alone.
I turned back to the castle after checking out the training grounds, and the big double doors opened for me as I approached. Then, as I stepped into the entrance hall, they closed again. They weren’t automatic doors or anything. The person who had opened them was right in front of me. Or rather, hanging up in front of me.
It was a picture hanging up in the middle of the landing on the stairs just in front of me.
《The caaastle is raaaather lively today, Master.》 A girl in a white dress protruded her upper body out of the picture frame and made a casual comment. It was the picture frame artifact I had recovered during the ghost fiasco. When she realized that I was the man who controlled Babylon, she copied Cesca and started to call me master.
I sold the picture of the dead feudal lord’s wife a while ago, and placed a different picture in the frame using the proceeds. It was a nice picture, so I decided to decorate my castle with it.
As a result, she was reborn as a girl in her late teens, clad in a beautiful white dress and a pink ribbon in her hair. She called herself Ripple. Apparently the castle she inhabited beforehand was called Ripple Castle, so that was probably why.
“Everyone’s busy preparing to host the other country leaders. You gonna help too, Ripple?”
“Yes! I’ll keep on the lookouuut for anything suspicious. My eyes are everywhere in this place, after all. Ahaaa, young R
enne just smashed a plaate!” I didn’t understand it too well myself, but Ripple managed to reproduce her frame using the workshop, and was now capable of moving around through the frames as she pleased. Apparently they couldn’t copy her soul, so there was still only one Ripple. She was basically a security camera network at this point.
I put pictures of landscapes and scenery in the new frames and placed them all over the castle. I took care not to put any in the private quarters, however. I guess she could be called a ghostly surveillance camera.
With that, I figured everything was in order. All that was left was to greet the incoming royals.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Ohoho! Amazing, I don’t know what it is, but it’s amazing!” The second he walked into the game room, the king of Belfast turned toward the pinball machine with a look of glee on his face. Following after him, but turning in the complete opposite direction, the Beastking walked over to the bowling alley.
“Aha, there’s some weight to this, boy! A cannonball, perhaps? No, it has three holes...” Entering after those two, the two emperors looked around the room with cautious eyes.
“Is all of this for playing around? It isn’t especially gaudy here.” The emperor of Regulus murmured a bit, and from behind him came all the family members that the monarchs had brought with them.
Initially I had told them to only bring close family, but apparently their governmental members were concerned so they brought a small retainer of guardsmen as well.
From Belfast there was His Majesty the King, Queen Yuel, Duke Ortlinde, Duchess Ellen, and Sue.
From Regulus there was His Highness the Emperor, Crown Prince Lux, and Princess Sarah.
From Refreese, His Imperial Presence the Emperor, Empress Zelda, Princess Reliel, and Crown Prince Redis.
From Mismede, there was His Beastliness the Beastking, Queen Thillie, First Prince Remza, Second Prince Alba, and First Princess Thea.
There were seventeen people in total. They also each had a small entourage of armed guards.
From Belfast there was Neil and Lyon. From Regulus there was Commander Gaspar. From Mismede, there was Garm. And the guards from Refreese I knew nothing about at all. Around five people came from each country, so the count was closer to twenty guests in the end. Their weapons were confiscated in case of any shenanigans, and I had applied a [Paralyze] effect that would take hold if anything funny went down.
The guardsmen, upon seeing the room and its wonders for the first time, seemed quite taken aback. Our three soldiers were situated in the game room just in case anything happened. They looked extremely nervous, though... Still, that was only natural. The defense of the castle itself was being left to a Cerberus, a Griffin, and two Pegasi, so the exterior would be mostly fine.
“Welcome, dear guests, to our game room. The various devices and creations here are assembled for you all to use at your own leisure. If you wish to know how they function, simply ask a member of our household and we will be happy to assist.” Elze, Linze, Yae, Yumina, Lu, and the maids were all lined up for our guests. Lapis, Cecile, Renne, Cesca, and the girls from Moon Reader were here to assist as well. Rosetta had even taken a rare change of pace and gotten into a maid outfit rather than her regular overalls. And of course, supervising all of them was my esteemed and magnificent butler, Laim.
“Hot food, desserts, drinks and so forth are just over there. Feel free to eat at your own discretion.” I had prepared various tables and chairs, as well as the luxurious massage chairs, in the corner of the game room. On the tables were various samples of fine food.
Each of the rulers wandered off toward the games, their eyes full of curiosity and wonder. On the other hand, their wives and children seemed more interested in the various pieces of confectionery tucked away in the corner of the room.
“Haaah!” Without further ado, the Beastking beelined straight for the bowling ball and gave it a firm toss. Despite his furious yelling, it was a gutterball. Prince Remza and Prince Alba did the same thing, too. Remza looked to be about nine, while Alba seemed to be about five. They both were snow leopard beastmen, like their father.
At the air hockey table, Duke Ortlinde and His Majesty the King were engaged in a high-stakes confrontation between brothers.
At the mahjong table, a showdown was ongoing between His Imperial Presence the Emperor and his son, Crown Prince Redis.
Crown Prince Redis was twelve years old, if I recalled correctly. He seemed extremely mature, but being the younger brother of that girl must’ve been extremely unpleasant. Just as I had thought during the coup incident, Prince Lux didn’t have much of a presence to him. I couldn’t believe this guy was going to get married and succeed his father. It was pretty surprising, really.
Lapis answered any and all questions about mahjong with relative ease. People picked up on it pretty easily because I had put up a visual aid for scoring combos next to the board.
It looked like the guards were enjoying themselves watching the games unfold, too.
At the dining table, the food was proving especially popular with the women. I was pretty pleased to see them all getting along.
Sue, Reliel, Thea, and Renne were at the cards table, playing what appeared to be Old Maid. Princess Thea seemed to be about the same age as Sue, ten or so.
“This is something amazing, isn’t it...” Neil stood nearby, muttering something. The one to respond to him was Gaspar.
“Quite so. Never thought I’d see the day that all the rulers of the western continent would band together like this. It’s rather relieving to see them let loose and have some fun.” Both of them smiled as they played pool and looked over their respective charges.
The rulers didn’t seem to mind who won or lost the games, so they were just going at all the ones they could fit in at a time.
“Touya, what’s this one?” The Beastking turned to me and pointed at a small stand with six holes in it. He picked up the soft foam hammer attached to the side, then peeked into one of the holes.
Seeing him reminded me that my ability to use [Gate] was revealed to Mismede not too long ago. They doubted it at first, apparently, but Leen vouching for me was enough for them to believe it in the end. It didn’t matter too much at this point, since the Regulus Empire was also aware of what I could do.
The Beastking didn’t really seem to care anyway. I decided to teach him how whack-a-mole worked.
“So, in this game you have to score points by smacking the little moles that pop out of the holes. It’d be best if you didn’t strike using full force, since even a little impact should register.” Yep, the game was whack-a-mole. The moment the game started, the Beastking immediately struck the moles with astonishing precision. Just as one would expect of a species predisposed to war... his senses were sharp. But you’re naive, Beastking!
“I-It can’t be!” Halfway through the game, the moles picked up the pace and jumped up and down several times in quick succession. In the end, His Beastliness ended the game with ninety-two points.
“Ghaugh! One more time, I’ll defeat you!” Despite the fact that I told him not to smack them too hard, he went at it full-force. I had expected something like this, however, so I made sure to build an extremely sturdy frame for this particular game.
I looked back toward the dining table and found that the women were all giggling, chatting, and picking at various desserts. That was good. Cecile and Laim had the situation under control over there, so I turned my attention back to the games.
“Excuse me, Grand Duke? How do you play with this thing, sir?” The two young princes of Mismede approached me, asking about a certain thing I had placed in the corner of the room. It was a cube-shaped trampoline enclosure with transparent sides. Through magic means, you could jump around and bounce off all six sides.
“You go in through the entrance and can jump around inside. It should support up to two adults at a time, so you two will be just fine. Give it a go.” The two snow leopard boys bounded into the entrance
and began to jump around. It didn’t take long for them to let loose entirely. After a while they began to do backflips and crazy parkour stuff. Beastmen truly were astonishingly talented...
“Oho, that seems rather fun. Perhaps a tad intense for me...” His Highness the Emperor watched the boys playing and laughed gently.
“I’ve placed some special chairs over here to relieve tension. It might feel a little strange at first, but I assure you it’ll have you feeling comfy and refreshed in no time.”
“Oho?” I guided the old emperor over to the massage chairs and helped him sit down on it. After that, I let the magic flow through it. The rollers in the back of the chair and the pumps around the legs and bottom of the chair began to function, slowly beginning a full-body massage. The emperor frowned a little at first, but he was smiling gently with his eyes closed before long.
“Ohooo... i-it’s so nice... It feels amazing... Th-Thank you...”
“If you want it to stop, just press this button.”
“Mm... yes...” Regardless of whether or not he heard me, I moved off away from the emperor to let him enjoy his relaxation time.
A short bit away, His Imperial Presence the Emperor of Refreese and the Beastking were having a bout of mini golf. Across from them, Prince Lux was playing table tennis with Duke Ortlinde. And a bit away from those guys, His Majesty the King of Belfast was playing pool with Gaspar. Wait, is it fine for the guardsmen to be playing too?!
“The king invited him, and the emperor permitted it. Sure must be nice to be Gaspar right now... I wish I could play too.” Lyon walked up to me and let out a small lament. He had a small point, but I imagine you probably weren’t allowed to win if you were playing against the king of another country. I guess it could count as work, too... entertaining the king with pool and all.
“Feel free to come here when you have a day off. We can play. Oh, actually. When you get married to Olga, you could come celebrate here.”
In Another World With My Smartphone_Volume 5 Page 2
