43. Everyday Life When The Maid Comes To Wake You Up Is Just Amazing, Isn't It?
"Good morning, Master."
"Mm... good morning."
I sluggishly wake up to the voice of Ryuuko, an artificial maid and also my familiar.
Ryuuko brought a cart and offered me a bucket filled with water.
Splashing cold water on my face, I finally start to wake up.
"Here you go."
"Mm."
As I wipe my face with the smoothly offered towel, Ryuuko gently takes the towel back.
"Would you like breakfast in the living room or bedroom?"
"I'll have it in the living room."
"Understood. Your change of clothes is prepared here. Well then."
Ryuuko bows and silently exits the room.
Initially, Ryuuko tried to help me change clothes, but I declined as it was embarrassing.
She thoroughly washed and arranged my clothes in an easy-to-wear order without forcing me.
Yeah. It's incredibly convenient.
After changing and arriving in the living room, freshly baked bread and scrambled eggs await me.
My drowsiness clears up after drinking stamina-boosting tea.
"As for today's schedule, you have a meeting with Kyle-sama in the morning. There are no other appointments in the afternoon."
"Oh, right. I was supposed to consult with Kyle about the intermediate results from the fields."
We were supposed to remove rocks from the land where we defeated the dragon and transform it into a large-scale farm.
Thanks to the initial settlers and farming horses, we significantly shortened the schedule, and we should have already turned it into a considerably large wheat field, even experimenting with it.
"Hope everything goes well..."
Some parts of the fields are using the alchemical fertilizer I made.
One of the research I spread under Professor Jabil's name is alchemical pesticides. Using them makes crops less prone to diseases and increases the yield per cultivated area significantly.
However, the production cost tends to be high, so it's mostly used on rare herbs.
I delved into the professor's books and, using the knowledge from the whispers of the crest, developed a mass-produced and relatively inexpensive alchemical fertilizer. Although it's possible to produce large quantities using an alchemy cauldron, what I provided for testing is something an ordinary alchemist with a crest can make. Since it's a test, I didn't provide a large quantity.
"But still, it tastes ridiculously good."
"Thank you. It's because of good eggs."
"I see. Looks like poultry farming is going well too."
Although I'm not involved in poultry farming, a skilled poultry farmer seems to have immigrated here, and they are doing quite a large-scale operation. Eggs, which are both nutritious and preservable food, are readily available and appreciated.
"Thanks for the meal. Well then, off I go. Oh, by the way, what do you do after I leave, Ryuuko?"
"Today's plan includes cleaning. And, of course, regular household chores."
"I see. Always a great help. Well then, I'm off."
"Yes. Take care."
At that moment, I felt a slight sense of unease, but I couldn't pinpoint the reason, so I mounted Black Dragon and headed to Kyle's mansion.
◆
"Hmm?"
Outside Kyle's mansion, preparations were being made for the horses.
Alongside Kyle's beloved horse, White Fang were two-legged birds and lizards.
Come to think of it, Persia and Alfred had mentioned buying expensive two-legged birds and lizards with the money from dragon hunting.
It must be the ones delivered by Akindo.
There was also a pony.
"Oh, Craft-nii."
"Hey. Wasn't today supposed to be a meeting?"
"Yes. That was the plan, but after reading the report, I decided it's better to go there in person."
"That's fine, but have you improved your riding skills a bit?"
"I've been practicing."
"Kyle is diligent. While galloping might be unstable, trotting should be fine."
"Then I'm good."
The farm isn't too far from here.
White Fang is a proper warhorse that Kyle has owned since the beginning.
Due to health reasons, I couldn't ride him, so he was lent out for work like other farming horses. As a result, he grew even more splendidly than my Black Dragon.
"Both of them have arrived."
"Yeah, a while ago. They're quite something, especially with Craft's potions."
Alfred patted the impressive lizard.
These lizards were tough and resilient, perfect for rough terrains. But they were expensive, especially Alfred's mount, which had a reddish-brown color and was the toughest among them.
"Great lizard... I mean, great mount."
"Yeah, Red Flame. Treat him well."
"Good name."
Its rugged appearance resembled blazing flames. Alfred had found himself a good lizard. That's to be expected from Akindo.
"Persia got herself a two-legged bird, huh?"
"Yeah, after hearing Alfred got a lizard. So, I should prioritize mobility."
"I see. Two-legged birds are fast and agile. Have you named them?"
"Of course. Come! Tebasaki!"
"Huh?"
A yellow-feathered two-legged bird ran over.
Wait, what did you call it?
"Good boy, Tebasaki. Haha!"
Ah, I didn't mishear then...
I didn't think Persia's naming sense would be as bad as Jitaro's...
Instead of teasing Persia, I spoke to Jitaro, who was preparing for some reason.
"If Kyle is going, along with Alfred, Persia, and Leafan, why is Jitaro coming?"
"Well, why not? I'm free today."
"After the last hunt, your pockets should be warm... Well, whatever."
Jitaro would be a decent asset.
By the way, Jitaro was riding Super Jet, the pony.
I thought he had no naming sense, but I didn't expect someone on the same level.
I bought the pony as a reward for dragon hunting.
Unlike Jitaro, it was very cute, so I mixed the usual stamina potion with its feed.
Despite no apparent change in appearance, it's cute, so it's fine.
If I nitpicked each detail, the day would end, so we decided to proceed with work.
While waiting for everyone's preparations, Myrna approached me and raised both arms.
"Hmm?"
"Huh, you want a ride?"
"Hmm."
"Kyle?"
"She seems fine with it, but won't I be bothering Craft?"
The way she said it was sly. She might not be aware of it.
"No, it's okay. Mina, are you okay riding with me?"
"Hmm."
Since she seemed fine, I lifted her onto the horse.
With the Black Dragon, I could probably carry a hundred Minas! Maybe.
It seems like she likes animals; Myrna, who sat in front of me, seemed pleased.
Leafan, who doesn't own a personal horse, seemed to have borrowed one from town.
I approached to talk after seeing that the preparations were completed.
"So, what's the problem?"
"I'll explain along the way, but it seems like there's a serious issue with the farm."
"What do you mean?"
The farm is supposed to be our future granary.
Seeing Leafan's serious expression, I had a bad feeling about it.
【Extra】
"Now then..."
After confirming Master had left, Ryuuko turned her gaze towards the roof.
"He's gone."
"Hey, don't you think we could have made some good money by capturing him? He's a superb alchemist, right?"
"I considered that, but he used to be an adventurer."
"I heard he was useless, though?"
"That information is outdated. It's unconfirmed, but he seems to be quite skilled, enough to participate in dragon hunts."
"But isn't he more like an advisor or observer?"
"Maybe. But we shouldn't push our luck. Besides..."
"Yeah, if we can get our hands on that legendary potion..."
"Exactly—"
At that moment, a shadow fell upon them. Despite the clear sky.
"Excuse me, what business do you have here?"
""!!!"
The two men, burglars to be exact, who were on the roof turned around in a hurry, only to see a stunning beauty clad in maid attire.
She had beautiful emerald green eyes, but they were not human eyes.
Her cat-like vertical pupils looked down coldly at the burglars.
Despite being on an unstable roof, the maid stood firmly at the tip as if her axis was unwavering.
And she asked in an emotionless voice.
"While no appointment seems to have been made, what brings you to this residence?"
"Kch!"
One of the burglars swiftly threw a dagger, while the other thrust a Kris forward.
The Kris had a wavy blade, highly lethal against flesh.
The burglars were confident of victory. No matter which they dodged, the other attack would hit.
Moreover, the burglar who threw the dagger was already in a follow-up stance, having drawn the Kris.
"Ah, I see. You've come sneaking in early in the morning."
"What!?"
Burglars and assassins, the two of them shouted at a pro-disqualification volume.
The maid held the dagger and Kris between her fingers, stopping them.
They wouldn't have been so shaken if I hadn't avoided the Kris and dagger.
Furthermore, the burglar who had put his whole weight into thrusting Kris was not moving. It was as if the Kris got fixed in mid-air.
"Damn it!"
The burglar who gave up on the immobile Kris attempted a kick, but with a slight movement from the maid, he spun ten times in mid-air, landing headfirst on the roof.
Naturally, he got knocked out in one blow.
"Ugh!"
Realizing they couldn't win, the burglars attempted to flee.
Or rather, one of them did.
It's only natural, but when he turned back, there stood the maid with a cold expression, silently blocking his way. Not a single rustle from her clothes.
The burglar involuntarily turned back again. All he saw was his unconscious partner.
"No!"
It's unclear what the burglar was trying to say. He collapsed as Ryuko's palm struck him.
"Even if you could intrude into Leafan-sama and my Master's residence, the crime of stepping in with dirty feet is unforgivable."
Afterward, the ragged burglars got delivered to the adventurers' guild.
Currently, the guild gets contracted for maintaining public order.
The new guild leader, while sympathizing slightly with the burglars, interrogated them and delved into their connections.
Thanks to the maid's cooperation, they were surprisingly forthcoming.
As always, I would submit the report to Leafan and Kyle later.
"Cleaning, complete."
It was a peaceful daily life that Craft didn't know about.
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