Chapter 93

That night.

Ichirou was in his room, using an oxygen torch to melt a translucent green glass rod.

The blue flame from the oxygen torch reaches nearly 2,000 degrees Celsius, an ultra-high temperature.

Since the color of the flame when it hits the glass is not good for the eyes, he wears special glasses for the work.

He holds the tip of the glass rod in his left hand, placing it in the flame and slowly melting it while rotating it.

Once the melted tip forms a ball of a certain size, he removes it from the flame, places it on a carbon plate on the table, and deforms it.

He then uses special tweezers to pinch the deformed end, burns the ball part and the glass rod with the flame to separate them, and burns the cut surface to shape it, completing the process.

"I've made quite a few... but I wonder how much they'll sell for."

He throws the deformed glass ball into a cooling agent in an empty cookie tin, turns off the flame of the torch, and stretches.

There are already over 30 glass balls of various sizes in the cooling agent.

He has been burning glass for about 4 hours, but there is still a lot of material left.

"If I'm going to produce them in bulk, should I burn all of this... It takes more time than I thought."

The glass rods Ichirou prepared this time weigh about 6.5 kilograms.

It will take quite a while to burn all of them, but he can only do a little bit every day.

It would be a good idea to show the glass balls to Nelson later and ask how many are needed.

Thinking about this, Ichirou suddenly remembered the red quartz he sold at a general store in town before.

The red quartz he sold then was not the low-transparency one he showed Nelson recently, but a slightly translucent one.

Moreover, it was a perfectly cut sphere, so its value would be tremendous.

"That old lady, I wonder if she's using a left fan now... Maybe I should go check on her."

Nelson said that even a low-transparency gem, if cut into a perfect sphere, could be worth around 10,000 al.

He was sold at a very low price, but it's unknown how much the old woman at the general store sold it for.

When Ichirou showed the gems to Nelson the other day, Nelson and the others seemed very surprised that they were perfect spheres.

From their reaction, it's safe to assume they had never seen or heard of such gems before.

Since expensive gems are sought after by wealthy nobles and royalty, if the red quartz he sold then is circulating in the Isteria market, it should be the subject of some rumors.

However, since those rumors haven't reached Nelson or Zirconia, it means the old woman at the general store sold it in a different region or country.

In that case, the old woman has a channel to sell gems of tremendous value without a clear origin.

If he can use that channel to sell the glass balls he is trying to sell, it would be very helpful.

However, since she is someone who can easily make a profit through fraudulent means, he must be cautious and approach her carefully to avoid being deceived again.

At the very least, even if he doesn't use the old woman's channel, it might be a good idea to go and check on her.

Since he and Rize will be going out next time, it would be a good opportunity to visit and exchange some items for cash.

Ichirou took a break to gather his thoughts and then looked at the paper bag at the edge of the table.

The contents of the paper bag were the creams and moisturizing gels he couldn't give to Zirconia last night, and a bottle of Lipod D.

"Is Eira around?"

Ichirou stood up from his chair, picked up the basket of herbs and the paper bag.

"Ah, Eira. Good evening."

When Ichirou entered the kitchen, Eira was sitting in a chair.

Eira stood up with a relieved look when she saw Ichirou and bowed deeply.

Eira was not wearing the nightgown she wore last time but the same maid's uniform she wore during the day.

It seems she had been waiting for Ichirou to come.

"Master Kazura, I apologize for the late hour. I made the sweets we talked about before... I hope it's not a bother."

On the table next to Eira was a silver plate with a compote of fruit similar to apples.

Compote is a general term for sweets made by cooking fruit in syrup or fruit wine.

"No, no, it's not a bother at all! It looks delicious!"

Ichirou walked to the table where Eira was standing and smiled at her worried expression.

Eira also smiled in relief.

"Thank you. I make these sweets for my younger siblings at home from time to time, and they are very popular. I've served them to Lady Rize a few times, and she said they were very delicious."

"Wow, I'm looking forward to it. Let's have some tea and enjoy them right away."

"I've already boiled the water. I'll make the tea now."

Eira went to the stove, transferred the water from the bronze pot to a copper pitcher, and returned to the table with the pitcher.

She poured the water into a glass teapot where Ichirou had already placed the herbs.

The herbs spread out and the water quickly turned a light red.

The herbs in the teapot are a blend centered around hibiscus and rose hips, mainly for fatigue recovery.

Eira transferred the compote to small plates on the table, added forks, and placed them in front of Ichirou and herself.

After they both sat down, they said "Itadakimasu" and picked up their forks.

"Mm, this is sweet and delicious!"

Ichirou relaxed his cheeks as he tasted the compote.

The fruit cooked in fruit wine was pleasantly sweet and had a good mouthfeel.

The sweetness is mild because no sugar was used, but this level is suitable for a dessert after a meal.

If it's chilled in the refrigerator, it will taste even better.

"Thank you! ...I'm glad."

Eira, who had been watching Ichirou eat the compote, smiled in relief.

"Ah, Eira, please have some too. There's no need to be so formal, just relax."

"Yes, thank you."

Eira also started eating the compote at Ichirou's invitation.

While Eira had often stood by while Ichirou ate, this was the first time they were eating something together.

"When do the maids usually eat? You always seem so busy."

"In the morning and at noon, we eat quickly after Master Kazura and the others have finished their meals. At night, the dining room is open, so we come when we have free time, order what we like, and eat. It's quite delicious."

"Really? Do you have a fixed menu?"

"It depends on the ingredients available that day, but it's quite flexible. If you request something in advance, the cook will usually prepare it. Since not many people come to eat at night, except for the night shift, they don't need to prepare a lot of ingredients."

"I see... Maybe I'll come and try it sometime."

"Master Kazura? The cook might be surprised."

"Hmm, that's true. Then, maybe I could come in disguise as a guard?"

"Ah, that might... No, you'll be found out. Definitely."

"Damn... I really want to try it once..."

At first, Eira was hesitant, but as Ichirou chatted casually, she seemed to relax a bit.

After eating the compote and chatting for a while, Ichirou decided to bring up the main topic when the conversation paused.

"Do you often see Zirconia?"

"Yes, every afternoon, I have a meeting with Lady Rize to adjust her schedule for the next day and report on my duties."

"I see... Actually, there's something I'd like you to do for me."

Ichirou picked up the paper bag he had placed at his feet and put it on the table.

"It's this. I want you to give it to Zirconia."

"Understood. Should I just give it to her as is?"

"Hmm... No, I'll explain the contents now, so please pass the same information to Zirconia."

Ichirou took out the cosmetics and Lipod D from the paper bag and placed them in front of Eira.

Eira was captivated by the beautiful containers of the cosmetics.

"These are cosmetics from my country. They are used for skin care, and the usage is... Eira?"

"Y-Yes!"

When Ichirou called out to Eira, who was frozen in place looking at the cosmetics, she responded nervously.

It's understandable that she was surprised to suddenly see such items.

Ichirou was about to continue his explanation when he suddenly thought of something and decided to ask Eira.

"Eira, have you heard anything about me from Nelson or Zirconia?"

"Eh..."

Eira's expression stiffened at Ichirou's question.

"Have you... heard anything?"

"Yes, I think you've been given various instructions, but what have you been told?"

Previously, Nelson had said he would tell his subordinates that "Lord Kazura is from a very noble family and should not be questioned unnecessarily."

However, Ichirou hadn't asked what specific position he was supposed to have.

He could imagine that he was being passed off as someone from another country because of the unusual tools he brought.

He thought it would be quicker to ask Nelson directly for the details, but he decided it would be fine to casually ask Eira for a general idea.

"Um..."

Eira seemed very nervous and hesitated about how to answer, but she finally spoke as if she had given up.

"Master Kazura is from Graciel and has provided great support to the Ister territory..."

"..."

Ichirou, who had been casually expecting some kind of setting, was taken aback by the unexpected response from Eira.

Eira flinched at Ichirou's reaction.

"Ah, no, please continue. What else have you been told about the support?"

Ichirou hadn't expected Eira to hear such a thing and was internally confused.

However, he decided to accept it as part of the explanation he received when he became his personal attendant and encouraged her to continue.

"...And that you have granted us the power of blessing."

Ichirou was startled by Eira's next words.

He hadn't explained to Nelson or Zirconia about the super strength gained from the food he brought over a long period.

He had given Lipod D to Isaac and Haber a while ago but had told them not to tell anyone.

Besides, just one dose of Lipod D should only restore physical strength, so they shouldn't have realized the long-term effects of the food.

"What exactly have you been told about this power of blessing?"

"Um... Just that it's a monstrous power. I haven't heard much more than that..."

"Who else knows about this?"

"I, I don't know. I only received a brief explanation from Lady Zirconia when I was assigned to be Master Kazura's personal attendant..."

"I see..."

Ichirou folded his arms and pondered what was going on.

It wasn't unnatural that Eira had received an explanation from Zirconia as part of becoming his personal attendant.

He wished he had been informed, but Zirconia was busy and might have forgotten to tell him.

However, the mention of super strength was unexpected.

So far, only the residents of Grisier Village should know about the super strength gained from the food Ichirou brought.

He briefly considered whether someone from the village had leaked the information, but given the villagers' reverence for him and the behavior of Isaac and Haber, that seemed unlikely.

"Then, from the traces of the bandit attack on the village... Ah, that's it, I see."

Ichirou realized he had overlooked something.

Not all the bandits who attacked the village were killed by Barin and the others; some survivors were captured.

The captured bandits must have seen Barin and the others in action, so it's likely they leaked the information.

Since Ichirou had never met the bandits, he had completely forgotten about them.

As Ichirou was thinking, he noticed Eira looking at him with a very worried expression.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't know you had heard about this... Don't look so worried, I'm not angry."

"Yes, but... I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. It's just a communication issue. It's not your fault."

When Ichirou smiled and said this, Eira's expression relaxed a little.

Although unexpected, if Eira believed he was from Graciel, it would be easier to explain the cosmetics and Lipod D.

Since he would be relying on Eira in the future, it might be better for her to know he was from Graciel.

"Um, then, let's continue. First, this is a moisturizing gel. After washing your face, use this much..."

Ichirou picked up one of the containers from the cosmetics and began explaining how to use it to Eira.