Published: July 31, 2025
Today, four chapters posted simultaneously.
This story is the third chapter.
“Ugh…”
I returned to the inn and started thinking about the advertisement content. But there was one thing I just couldn’t decide on—the store’s name. Only simple names came to mind...
While I was fretting over this, Mr. Sebas arrived.
“Lord Ryoma, you’re back?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
He opened the door as he spoke.
“Lord Ryoma, the young ladies have invited you to join them for tea.”
“That sounds nice. I was just stuck on the work anyway. I’d be happy to join.”
With that, I headed to the young ladies’ room.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Ryoma.”
“Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
Tea was served, and I took a sip. Then Mr. Reinhardt asked me,
“You seem to be working hard lately. Aren’t you overdoing it?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“How is the progress on your work?”
“The store is almost finished. Tomorrow, I just need to sow grass and flower seeds around it, then use wood elemental magic to grow them. After that, I’ll make the signboard and an ‘Open’ sign. Once that’s done, the minimum preparations should be complete.”
“Eh!? You’re already that far along!?”
“Ryoma-kun, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“No, there’s no particular problem.”
“Lord Ryoma, I heard you’re building the structure with earth magic. How much mana do you use each day?”
“Well… I stop using magic just before I get symptoms from mana depletion. After that, I do what I can manually.”
Hearing that, everyone else sighed.
“That’s definitely working too hard…”
“If Lord Ryoma is using mana up to just before depletion, that means you’re expending an amount of mana that would make an average mage collapse easily. There’s no doubt that’s overwork for one person.”
Come to think of it, my mana is abnormally high.
“You sure look like you just realized that.”
“I’m suddenly worried. Are you really okay being alone like this...?”
“It’s fine. Compared to my old workplaces, this is nothing.”
“Old workplaces? What kind of jobs did you do?”
“Huh…?”
I blurted it out, but they probably wouldn’t understand if I said I was a programmer… Maybe I should talk about part-time jobs.
“I did various things… ordinary loading work, and I also tried making dolls a bit.”
“Is that so… Have you ever found work difficult?”
“There were tough times, but I had to work to live… plus, it wasn’t all bad. For example, the loading was carrying building materials at construction sites. It was interesting to see buildings slowly take shape. Finishing one gave me a sense of accomplishment. Doll making was mostly painting specified colors in specified places repeatedly, but I felt happy when the result turned out well.”
“I see. I hope I can find a rewarding job like that someday.”
Huh? The young lady wants to work? Even though she’s a duke’s young lady?
As I thought about that, she seemed interested in the dolls. She really is a girl after all...
“If you’d like, I can make one for you next time.”
Without thinking deeply, I blurted it out, then remembered: the dolls I made were mostly for boys.
“Really!? Please do if you have the time!”
Oh no!! This is bad in so many ways! I made various things for both hobby and profit, but they probably wouldn’t get the references here. Plus, anything not suitable for the young lady’s age—like the ones meant for ‘big friends’—is out of the question...
“Is something wrong?”
“No… it’s just that the models were a bit… The part I was in charge of was coloring, and now that I think about it, there was no base model…”
“Oh? Aren’t you skilled with earth magic, Mr. Ryoma?”
…That’s true. The usefulness of earth magic here is a double-edged sword...
Oh well. I brought it up myself, so I’ll just make something harmless and simple.
“Understood. I’ll make something when I have time.”
“Please do.”
“Mr. Sebas, where can I buy art supplies and paints?”