A Great Man Still in the Making

There wasn't much point in our continuing this discussion outside, so

we relocated to inside the workshop.

In addition to those who had been in the workshop before, this time

Aisha came inside, too, as a bodyguard.

Having seen him swing that cudgel around, that Kuu kid was pretty

experienced. That was why, in preparation for the unlikely event that things

went badly, I wanted Aisha at our side.

While drinking the coffee Taru provided, I explained to Kuu my request

to this workshop.

"...And, well, that's the gist of it," I finished at last.

There were medical reforms underway in the Kingdom of Friedonia, in

the future there would be a shortage of medical equipment, and we were

going to need to get the craftspeople in this country to mass-produce that

equipment for us to import. We would also need to secure permission from

the government so the medical equipment wouldn't be misunderstood as

weapons when exported.

Because Kuu was the son of their head of state, and it was unclear if the

two countries could form cordial ties, I was hesitant to show too much of

my hand. But I had already discussed all of this with Taru, so I decided we

couldn't trick him.

Incidentally, when I tried taking a formal tone in the discussions...

"Let's do away with all the stuffy formality!" he declared cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm the son of our head of state, but we don't know if the Council of

Chiefs will let me inherit the position. Having people get all polite with me

just makes my butt feel all itchy."

So I opted to talk casually with him. He was awfully open, considering

his position, but, well, who was I to talk?

Hearing what I had to say, Kuu thought for a moment, then let out a

sigh. "Whew... Medical reforms, huh... That's awesome. Is that what our

neighbor's doing? We don't get much news from outside around here. Our

access to news is so bad we have to get our information about what happens

at the end and beginning of the year from the merchants who come in the

summer. Like, we only heard the Elfrieden Kingdom had absorbed the

Principality of Amidonia to become the Kingdom of Friedonia after the

snow melted."

Oh, he was right, that might be a bit slow.

The annexation of Amidonia had taken place from late fall to early

winter last year. If he was saying the information hadn't reached here until

the spring of this year then yeah, that was pretty bad. It just showed how

intense the snow was in this region. Maybe it was like having the evening

edition and morning edition of the paper arrive at the same time.

"From what I hear, the king who was installed next door is pretty

young, yeah?" Kuu added.

"He'll be twenty this year," I said.

Oh, but by the reckoning of this world's calendar, I was twenty already,

right? Well...whatever.

When he heard the (provisional) king was twenty, Kuu let out an

abrasively loud laugh. "Twenty, huh! I'll be sixteen this year, so he's not

much older than me!"

"Isn't a four-year gap between humans and beastmen pretty big?"

Back when I was entering my first year of high school, this guy still

would have been in elementary school, wouldn't he?

"Nah." Kuu shook his head with a laugh. "It's a rounding error, nothing

more. If it's just four years, that's still well within my strike zone."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Women, of course," he said. "I'm down with anything from twelve to

thirty."

"I don't care! You're not laying a hand on Tomoe, got it?"

"That's a darn sha— Ow! Hey, Taru, don't hit me with that thing."

Taru had whacked Kuu in the head with the tray she had used to bring

in the coffee. It made a pretty loud bong sound. This girl didn't hold back

when taking shots at the son of their head of state.

Taru held on to the tray and snorted. "Dumb master, your vulgarity

shames our country. You ought to work on fixing that."

"Y-Yeah, she's right," said the bunny-eared girl, Leporina. "I-Isn't your

father always getting upset with you over it? For a start, you keep acting

like you're loose with women, but you're not actually okay with just

anybody, right? Pretending to have feelings for other women just to get the

one you're interested in to pay attention is— Ow, ow ow! Don't pull my

ears!"

"It's because you keep running your mouth!" Kuu shouted.

Ahhh, I think that exchange told me a little about who Kuu is as a

person.

So that was it... If he was going to turn sixteen this year, that meant he

was fifteen now. By the reckoning of my old world, he'd be in his third and

final year of middle school. When I remembered what I was like at that age,

I felt like I could understand how he was acting.

I would be spinning my wheels with eagerness and self-consciousness,

and when I came to my senses, I'd often mistake the means for the end, and

the means I chose often wouldn't even match the end I was pursuing.

"What's up, darlin'? Why the frowny face?" Roroa asked while I was

indulging in sentimentality.

"No, it's just, I was looking at how Kuu was acting, and I saw a bit of

myself in him..."

"Hm? Ya did?"

"Hee hee. Grandmother told me men are like that," Juna said with a

smile full of charm, and I could offer no rebuttal.

Then, to mask his awkwardness, Kuu cleared his throat loudly and got

back on topic.

"So, what's the young king like? I hear he annexed Amidonia not long

after he got into power, so is he that great a warrior?"

"No, it's nothing like that," I said. "He didn't absorb Amidonia because

he wanted to, the flow of events just made it a necessity...or so I hear."

Hmm... It was hard explaining myself while pretending not to be me.

"But, well, even if the king himself isn't a military man, he's assembled

a talented group of subordinates," I added. "Their support lets him keep the

country going somehow, you could say."

"Capable subordinates, huh... That's something to be envied. The only

person I get to order around now is Leporina. I wanna hurry up and get

some house vassals for myself."

"I-I'm not your subordinate, I'm your attendant, you know?! Don't

order me around!" Leporina protested, but Kuu wasn't even listening to her.

"So?" Kuu asked, looking straight into my eyes and trying to appraise

me. "You're one of those capable subordinates that supports the king, are

you?"

"I'm just a merchant, you know...?"

"Oookyakya, lying's not good. Those medical reforms are sponsored by

the king, right? The equipment for them isn't something a single merchant,

let alone the young son of one who hasn't even inherited the business, can

handle the negotiations for. You're playing at being a merchant, but you

really are acting according to the will of that king. Am I wrong?"

"..."

He'd hit the nail on the head, so I couldn't come up with a good

response. It looked like he didn't think I was the king himself, at least, but

acting on the will of the king was equivalent to acting on my own will, so

he wasn't wrong.

Taru had called him the "dumb master," but he might be surprisingly

sharp. If I underestimated him, I was going to get hurt.

"What if I am?" I asked. "Would you call off this deal?"

"I wouldn't say that," he said. "For our country's part, mass-producing

that medical equipment or whatever would be a new industry. It's

just...there's one point that bothers me."

"What would that be?"

He leaned over with his elbows on the table and his cheeks resting on

his hands as he responded. "I think the neighboring king's medical reforms

sound awesome. Those...doctors, was it? They don't rely on light magic,

and even treat diseases that're hard to heal with magic."

I nodded.

"Basically, I want those doctors here, too. Exporting the equipment is

fine, but if it's being produced in mass quantities, I can't accept not being

able to use it ourselves. There are a large number of sick and wounded in

every country. If there are tools that may be able to treat them, it'd be a

waste not to have people on hand who can use them, right? That's why, if

you want medical equipment from us, you'll give us doctors in return."

Kuu spoke in a strong tone. I felt an intensity in his eyes that he had

every right to be proud of as the son of their head of state. Even though he

was only turning sixteen this year, he could pick the fights needed to carry

his country and people.

This was...a man who might do great things in the future. Half

impressed, half cautious, I accepted Kuu's stare, and he suddenly grinned

and let the tension out of his shoulders.

"And, well, that's what I figure my old man would have said."

"Your father...huh."

Even though those were clearly his words, Kuu had brought up his

father now to blur that distinction. He was a shrewd one, all right.

"I've thought that over properly," I said at last. "If you people will

export the equipment to us, I will provide doctors...is what our king said."

"Well, that's nice. But the winters in this country are harsh, you know?

Can an outsider take them?"

"In that case, we can make doctors out of the people in this country."

"Our people?" Kuu asked, and I nodded.

"To be more specific, what the kingdom will provide is the study of

medicine. When it comes to the training of doctors, we are confident we are

well ahead of other countries. So, if anyone in this country wishes to

become a doctor, they can come to the kingdom to study. If those people

return home after acquiring knowledge of medicine, you will have doctors

who can stay here."

Kuu slapped his knee as if he got it now. "I see... That sounds like it'd

work. That's how we'll trade doctors and medical equipment, huh?"

"Fundamentally, that's about right," I said. "What do you think?"

Kuu pounded his chest with one hand. "Sounds good! I'll talk to my old

man. I mean, I insist you meet with him and discuss it now," he added with

a happy smile.

I didn't have a bad feeling about this. If we could expect the backing of

Kuu, the son of their head of state, that was going to be a great help.

Oh, wait.

"In regards to that, there's a person I want to have handle the

negotiations with your head of state."

"You want to leave it to someone? You're not doing it yourself?"

"Yeah. I think negotiations should be handled not by me, Kazuma, but

by His Majesty, King Souma."

"Oookyah?! A meeting between heads of state, huh!"

"Yeah. That'd be faster, right?"

"Well, yeah, but...can you get King Souma to come here?"

"I'm thinkin' it'll be fine, y'know? That king likes doin' the legwork."

Roroa looked to me with a grin as she spoke.

Well, I was here, after all...

"Oookyakyakyakya!" Kuu laughed heartily. "Okay! I'll talk to my old

man. It'll be up to him what happens, but you people talk to your King

Souma!"

"Got it."

"Now things are getting interesting! This'll be a huge deal!" Kuu

seemed deeply entertained. "Hey, Leporina! You run over to the old man

now, and let him know what's up!"

"N-Now?!" she protested. "It's already evening, so let me set out

tomorrow!"

"You dolt!" he yelled. "You've gotta make immediate decisions and act

fast when it comes to business opportunities!"

"G-Give me a break, please."

Kuu was hyped up, and Leporina was being run ragged by him.

Watching this boisterous master and servant, Taru, who had to this point

been listening and not saying anything, let a few words slip out.

"I knew it... The dumb master really is dumb."

Her tone was cold, but the corners of her lips looked as if they had

turned upward just slightly.

This unplanned-for meeting with Kuu resulted in the decision to

arrange a sudden meeting with the head of the republic.

To make preparations, I dispatched a messenger kui to Hakuya in the

kingdom, and Kuu dispatched one to his father, to arrange a time and place

for the meeting. Then, when those arrangements were complete, it was

decided we would stay in the country until the day of the meeting.

Taking the speed of messenger kui communication into account, the

meeting would be in one week (eight days in this world) at the soonest.

However, I explained to Kuu I would be staying as a liaison.

Because there were issues of security and such when the king stayed in

another country, I was choosing to keep my identity a secret for a while

longer. Because I had, technically, entered the country on false pretenses, I

decided to have Hakuya subtly inform their head of state of that fact before

the meeting.

That being the case, I thought I would use the time left before the

meeting to continue deepening my understanding of the country, as

originally planned. But Kuu said he wanted to accompany me.

"If you want to learn about our country, you'll need a guide, right?

Being Turgish born and Turgish raised, I'd say I fit the bill, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, uh...I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't make the son of the

country's head of state be my guide..."

I tried letting him down lightly, but Kuu laughed.

"Hey, don't sweat it. I may be his son, but I don't have any power.

Besides, Kazuma, now that I know you're a foreign VIP, I can't let you out

of my sight." Kuu made a sharp, slightly provocative glance in my

direction. "Sightseeing is fine, but I don't want you going anywhere too

unusual. If you try going to military installations, for instance, I think we

may have a little trouble."

That made sense... He'd be doubling as our keeper, it seemed. The air

got a little tense, but I shrugged and let the look Kuu was giving me slide.

"I never planned on that, anyway."

"Oookyah, just playing it safe," he said. "You people wouldn't want to

be suspected of anything you aren't doing, right?"

"Fair enough..."

Right now, we weren't in the country to gather intelligence. We were

purely here to expand our understanding of the country; there was no need

to seek out their critical facilities. If Kuu was going to accompany us, we

wouldn't have to worry about any undue trouble with the locals, so it was a

convenient arrangement.

I offered Kuu my right hand. "If that's how it is, then please, come

along."

"Sure!" Kuu took my hand and shook it firmly. "By the way, do you

guys have lodgings booked for the night?"

"Yeah. We booked lodgings at the White Bird Inn in the town of

Noblebeppu."

"The White Bird Inn! That's a good place. Now, if you're wondering

what's so good about it, it's that there are hot springs."

Hot springs.

Yes, hot springs.

I'd heard there were many hot springs in the republic. The town of

Noblebeppu was one of the few hot springs areas in the country, which was

also one of the reasons we had chosen it for our base of operations. We

apparently had a decent number of hot springs in the Amidonia Region of

our own kingdom, but there were few in the former territories of Elfrieden,

and none of those were in the vicinity of the capital Parnam.

I wanted to take the opportunity to use Noblebeppu and its famous hot

springs as our base of operations, and to enjoy the springs while deepening

my understanding of the country. That was the reason we were here.

The White Bird Inn, where we would be staying for a while, was a

travelers' inn operated by a member of the white eagle race. What was

more, for an additional charge, we could reserve the open air baths for an

hour a day for exclusive use by our family.

When Roroa's sharp eyes had picked up that detail during check-in...

"Hey, hey, darlin'. We don't get the chance often, so how's about we

reserve the bath and go in as a family? By 'we' I mean me, you, Big Sis Ai,

and Big Sis Juna, of course," she'd said with a grin.

Being a man, it was a tempting proposal, but I had no idea how to

explain our family situation to the innkeeper, and I felt it would be a poor

influence on Tomoe, who was traveling with us. And, more than

anything...I felt incredibly embarrassed, so I gave Roroa a firm but nonpainful karate chop to the head.

While I was recalling that, Kuu suddenly slapped his knee.

"Okay! I'll stay at the White Bird Inn tonight, too, then!"

Leporina let out a strange cry. "Whoa, what are you saying, young

master?! You have a villa here, don't you?!"

But Kuu tut-tutted and waggled a finger at her. "Kazuma and his folks

want to understand our country better, right? In that case, we've gotta let

them experience our traditional culture."

"Traditional culture?" I asked.

"Oookyakya!" Kuu cackled with glee. "In this country, when friends

come from far away to visit you, it's customary to slaughter an animal and

hold a feast. You and I are already like friends, after all! Let's ask the inn to

hold a feast!"

With that said, Kuu threw his arm around my shoulder.

It should have felt a little too chummy coming from a younger guy, but,

for some reason, it didn't bother me so much. There was no malice behind

it, and I could tell this was just how he was, so I couldn't even bring myself

to feel like, "Well, I guess there's no helping it..." It may well be this was a

sort of charisma.

"I appreciate the offer, but wouldn't it be trouble for the inn, receiving a

sudden request like that?" I asked.

"Oh, don't worry, I know the owner. If I pay money and provide the

ingredients myself, it won't be an issue. Leporina, run over to the

innkeeper's place and get the necessary materials together."

"Urgh... I understand, but, young master, you're such a slave driver,"

Leporina complained. "You're already sending me to your father's place

tomorrow..."

Kuu heartily laughed it off. "While you're out shopping, you can buy

that expensive cherry wine you like, too."

"I'll get right on it!" With a salute, Leporina took off and dashed out of

the workshop.

Kuu was surprisingly good at handling his subordinate.

Kuu turned to the woman near him. "Taru, you come party, too. The

more the merrier, after all."

"Honestly, dumb master, you're such a handful." Taru resignedly

accepted. However, her white bear ears were twitching a little.

Could it be the snow bear race's ears functioned similarly to the mystic

wolf race's tails? If so, despite how cold she presented herself to be, she

may have been unexpectedly enthusiastic about it.

Well, anyway, the impromptu feast had been arranged.

The sun went down, and a large carpet in the great hall of the White

Bird Inn was packed tightly with plates bearing various dishes. The

majority of it was meat, meat, meat... A smorgasbord of meat dishes. The

white eagle innkeeper was laying down another large plate with a new meat

dish.

The white eagle race were, as the name suggested, eagle beastmen with

wings on their backs, but their wings turned brown from the middle

outward, so they didn't give off the impression of being angels. For the

men, their faces were actual eagle faces, making them resemble the halfman, half-beast depictions of gods from ancient Egyptian murals.

While watching the innkeeper lay out the food, I talked to Kuu, who

was beside me. "I'm seeing an awful lot of meat dishes..."

"That's how our feasts are. We generally butcher our livestock, then eat

the meat."

"This is party food, right? What is your normal diet like?"

"Aside from meat, we eat shellfish, fish, and dairy. We do have

potatoes, but fruits and vegetables can only be harvested in parts of the

north, so they're rare and expensive."

"Hmm..."

If he was saying there was demand for vegetables, we could probably

develop a trade route and export them here. Well, how were they getting

their vitamin C and such? I'd read in some manga that, long ago, sailors had

suffered from scurvy due to vitamin C deficiency, and it was really hard on

them.

"You don't get sick from lack of vegetables?" I asked.

"Huh? Never heard of that happening. Like, we don't get sick much at

all. We don't really have reason to be afraid of death by sickness. We're

more afraid of death by freezing."

"Hmm..."

Did they have some special way of taking in those nutrients?

While I was thinking that, the preparations for the feast seemed to be

completed. Present for the occasion were Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Tomoe, Hal,

Kaede, and me from Friedonia, as well as Kuu, Taru, and Leporina from

Turgis, for a total of ten people.

Something resembling wooden goblets were passed around, one to each

of us.

When I looked, the goblet had a white liquid inside. Giving it a swirl, I

could see it was just a little thick. Rather than milk, it seemed more like

unrefined sake.

"A mysterious white liquid...?" I murmured.

"This? It's our famous fermented milk," Kuu answered.

"Fermented milk?"

"It's a drink made by fermenting snow yak" (this was apparently a

hairy cow-like animal that lived in this country) "milk, so it's fermented

milk. It's got a strong taste, but once you get used to it, it's good, y'know?"

"Fermentation..." I murmured. "If it's yak milk, then...lactic acid

bacteria?"

Come to think of it, didn't lactic acid bacteria produce vitamin C? If I

recalled, it was part of the fermentation process... I only vaguely

remembered it, though. Could it be the people of this country were

supplementing their otherwise insufficient intake of vitamin C with this

drink?

That aside, once everyone had received their goblet, it was decided Kuu

and I would offer a toast. With everyone gathered around, he and I stood up

on our own.

"Long-winded speeches before a feast are so uncouth. That's why I'll

keep this brief." With that said, Kuu turned to me, and raised his goblet. "To

our guests from Friedonia!"

In response to those words, I raised my goblet to Kuu, too. "To the

people of Turgis!"

Then we clacked our goblets together.

""Cheers!"" we both said.

"""""Cheers!""""" everybody else called.

Then the feast began.

"Now, go on and knock it back," Kuu urged me.

"R-Right..."

I tried drinking the fermented snow yak milk. It had a strange taste.

It was smoother than its appearance may suggest, but...how could I

describe it...? It was like drinkable plain yogurt, maybe. But it had that

alcoholic flavor to it, too. It was better than I had expected, even this way,

but I felt like it might taste better with honey.

Everyone but Tomoe smacked their lips over this fermented milk.

Incidentally, in this country, just like ours, there was no law dictating a

minimum age for drinking. It seemed the custom was that, as of fifteen or

sixteen, children could openly drink in public. I'd considered putting a

proper law in place, but in some ways it was part of the local culture, so I

was leaving it be for now. If I meddled unnecessarily, it could invite a

backlash from the public, after all.

Well, if the people became health conscious, voices calling for a

minimum drinking age would emerge naturally. I could wait to roll out a

law until then.

While drinking my fermented milk, I looked around.

Checking the most boisterous spot in the room, Aisha and Kuu were

seated in front of big plates stacked high with food, competing over who

could eat the most and the fastest for some reason. It seemed like Kuu,

influenced by seeing the way Aisha ate, had challenged her. The

competition was apparently to see who could clear a plate stacked high with

food first.

""Nom, nom, nom, nom...""

They were both desperately piling food into their mouths.

In a simple contest to eat the most, I wouldn't have thought it possible

for Aisha to lose, but, with the speed element added in, who knew? From

the look of it, the food was disappearing from their plates at about the same

rate.

"Nom, nom..." (Oookyakya, you're not bad, for someone so slim.)

"Nom, nom..." (You, too. I'm impressed.)

Their eyes crossed every once in a while, and when they did, they

seemed to be having an exchange like that.

They were being watched by an exasperated Roroa and a bewildered

Tomoe.

"Honestly... Big Sis Ai, what're you havin' a speed eatin' contest for?"

Roroa asked.

"Aisha's eating as fast as ever," Tomoe commented.

"Tomoe, don't ya let her beat ya. Eat up. Ya won't grow otherwise,

y'know?"

"If I eat a lot, can I grow up big like Aisha?"

"It must be nice, havin' room for growth..."

I was pretty sure Tomoe was talking about height, but Roroa was

looking down at her chest with dead fish eyes. She must have gotten

depressed when she imagined our little sister growing larger than her in the

future. I think she'd just chosen a poor person for comparison, and it wasn't

as if she didn't have any, but...broaching the topic with her too deeply

would be suicidal, so I opted not to do it.

Looking to another spot, Hal and Kaede were drinking with Taru and

talking about something. Hal asked a question as he poured Kaede another

drink.

"Taru, you're a blacksmith, right? Do you know what sort of weapon

would suit me?"

"What kind of weapon do you want?" Taru asked.

"I specialize in wreathing my weapons in fire then throwing them, but

with ordinary spears, they burn up after I throw them. Meanwhile,

magically enchanted spears are expensive, so I can't throw them away, and

on the battlefield it's a lot of trouble going to retrieve them."

"That, and Hal often rides on Ru...a large creature," Kaede added. "So

he'd be best with a weapon he can use from on top of a creature like that,

you know."

The large creature Hal often rode on was Ruby, but she didn't mention

that. If people learned Hal had a contract with a dragon without being from

the Star Dragon Mountain Range, they were going to wonder just who he

was, so she kept that part vague.

"In that case, there's a weapon called a Twin Snake Spear." Taru

seemed to think a little as she spoke.

"Twin Snake Spear?" Hal asked. "What kind of weapon is that?"

"Like a twin-headed snake that has a second head on the end of its tail.

It's a weapon with two spears connected at the base. They're connected

with a thin chain, and if you use one as a throwing spear, you can pull on

the other to retrieve it. It was originally made so someone riding a large

beast like the dumb master's numoth could attack soldiers at its feet."

"Hmm, sounds like an awesome weapon."

Hal seemed impressed, but Taru shook her head quietly.

"It's just...it's incredibly hard to use. The length of the chain can be

adjusted with enchantment magic, but the longer it gets, the more technique

and strength it takes to use it. It's not widely used, even in our country."

"I think that should be fine, you know," Kaede put in. "If there's one

thing Hal can be confident in, it's his strength."

"That's harsh... Couldn't you have found a more loving way to say

that?"

"It's love that's making me look for a weapon to keep you two from

dying on the battlefield, you know?"

"Urgh..."

Seeing Hal get verbally bested by Kaede, Taru giggled. "If I recall, we

have one in stock in the workshop. I think it would be a good idea to test

how it works for you first. If you like it, I'll accept an order for one."

"Oh! Thanks, I'll be counting on you," Hal said.

"We'll take you up on that offer, you know," Kaede added.

The three clacked their goblets together. Had a deal been struck? I

hoped he'd find a good weapon.

Now then, as for those of us who remained, Juna, who was playing the

role of my wife, sat down, and the white rabbit Leporina poured the drinks.

In part because we were seated directly on the floor, not on chairs, it

reminded me of a Japanese-style reception in a tatami room.

"I'm sorry," Leporina said as she poured fermented milk into my

goblet. "Normally, entertaining our guests would be Master Kuu's job..."

"No, no, I'm extremely grateful to have a welcome feast like this at

all."

"It helps so much to hear you say that. Oh, let me take care of your

wife, too."

"Hee hee. Thank you." Juna was having Leporina pour her drinks, too.

She looked to be in somewhat of a good mood.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself, Juna," I said.

"Yes. We look so much like a husband and wife now."

"Y-You think...?"

That was kind of embarrassing. Leporina watched us with a big smile.

Juna scooped something that was in a nearby pot into a wooden bowl

and offered it to me. "The dishes here are all so new to me, too. This soup is

delicious."

"Oh, yeah? From the looks of it...it's like dumpling soup."

There were root vegetables and thin, white dumplings floating in a

broth similar to miso soup made with red miso.

I took a sip, and an unexpected flavor spread through my mouth. This

wasn't miso soup, it was pumpkin stew. The dumplings were dumplings,

but they were thin and stretched out. It was like... How should I put this? It

was like a cross between houtou and pumpkin stew.

"It's not the taste I expected, but...it's good."

"Yes," Juna agreed. "It makes your body feel warm, somehow."

"Hee hee! That pumpkin stew is an old standard in our country, you

know?" Leporina eagerly explained as Juna was smacking her lips. "It's

hard to get your hands on leafy vegetables in our country, but you can get a

lot of pumpkins. That's why we have a wide variety of pumpkin dishes.

Many of our sweets use pumpkin filling or pumpkin cream, too. They use

sugar liberally, though, so they may taste too sweet to those from outside

the country."

"Oh? You have a lot of sugar?" I asked.

"Yes. Like with the pumpkins, we have a lot of beets, too."

Beets. She was talking about sugar beets.

Like their name suggested, they were one of the plants from which

sugar could be made. Most of the sugar circulating in our country was made

from sugar beets, too. There was also maple sugar, which could be

harvested from maple trees. Because sugarcane could only be grown in

some places in the north of the kingdom, there wasn't much cane sugar in

circulation.

They could harvest a lot of beets in this country, huh...

"Food is one of the places where a land really shows its character," I

commented.

"You're so right," Leporina agreed. "But it was only just recently that

we began putting dumplings in pumpkin stew, you know? We started

putting them in after we heard from an Amidonian merchant you can eat the

root of the beguiling lily plant."

"Wait, these were lily root dumplings?!"

"Yes. It seems a deity known as Lord Ishizuka, the God of Food

descended on Amidonia, and taught them they were edible. Thanks to that,

we were able to eat a soup that was once a side dish as our main course. We

have to give our thanks to that god."

""..."" We were all silent.

To think the food culture we were spreading in Amidonia would reach

this country, too.

What was more, Poncho was ascending to divinity as the God of Food;

not just in Amidonia, but here, too... Rumors tended to blow things out of

proportion, but at the rate things were going, I wondered if someone might

actually build a temple to the god Ishizuka eventually.

Oh, Poncho, where are you going? Well, he probably didn't know it

himself.

Kuu came over, patting his belly. "Hey, you two. Having fun?"

"We are, thanks," I said. "And you? Is the eating contest over?"

"Oookyakya! That girl's tough. Speed eating is one thing, but I never

stood a chance against her when it came to quantity. I'm shocked she can

pack that much away and still eat more."

Aisha had won the contest? Well, in retrospect, that did seem like a

foregone conclusion.

Kuu took Leporina's goblet from her, and plopped himself down next to

me. "I'll handle the rest, so you can go join the others, Leporina."

"Okay." Leporina waved and went over to where Aisha and the others

were.

Juna said, "I'm going to go check in on Aisha and the rest, too," and

vacated her seat.

It looked like it was going to be just us guys, drinking one-on-one from

here. We poured out drinks for each other, then had a toast.

Kuu downed his drink in one gulp, then laughed cheerfully. "Whew!

Booze you drink at a feast just tastes extra special."

"Isn't that line a little too old-man-ish for a fifteen-year-old?" I

commented.

"Oookyakya! Don't worry about it. Setting aside age and rank is the

only way to party."

"...Oh, yeah?"

I poured Kuu another drink. Kuu sipped at his drink this time, and then

slapped his hand down to rest on my shoulder. What? Was he looking to

argue with me? I was thinking that, but...

"So, how is it, Kazuma?"

"How is what?"

"This country, I mean. You enjoying it?"

I thought about that for a little bit before answering. "Yeah. I think it's a

good country. There are hot springs, and the local dishes and fermented

milk are delicious. You have capable craftspeople, too, so I think it's an

attractive country."

"Oookyakya! Yeah, you bet it is. I love this country, too." Kuu let out

another cackling laugh, then took on a more serious expression. "I

honestly... think it's a good country, you know? We put our livestock out to

pasture in the summer, and make excellent handicrafts indoors in the winter.

It's cold, but the people huddle together to survive in this country. There're

some hardheaded old folks who seem bent on expanding to the north,

though."

I was silent.

I had heard the Republic of Turgis had a national policy of northward

expansionism. In fact, during the time our country had been shaken by

internal issues and a conflict with the Principality of Amidonia, this country

had massed troops on the border showing their intent to invade us. While

there was no direct conflict between our nations, I was surprised to find

someone in the Republic of Turgis who thought like Kuu.

"Besides, even if we take land to the north, we can't hold it," Kuu

continued, crossing his arms and nodding. "In the outside world, air power

like wyverns is the most effective, right? A cold land like ours isn't suited

to breeding wyverns. That's a plus when it makes it difficult for others to

come to invade us, but it's impossible to slice off part of a neighboring

country's territory without wyverns. No matter how hard we tried, we'd

take maybe a city or two at most. Besides, when winter came, the snow

would shut down contact with the mainland, so it would be hard to maintain

them."

His dumb behavior made it hard to see, but he had an incredibly precise

grasp of his country's situation. Talking to him, I felt a charisma that would

draw people to him, too. If Kuu had been born into the royal family of a

kingdom with a better territorial situation, he might have become a rare

hero.

Kuu gulped down his fermented milk in one gulp again. "Listen,

Kazuma, I seriously think this country has its own way of becoming

prosperous. We don't have to go north. This country has the underlying

power to develop itself. That's how I feel."

"I feel like I understand," I said soberly.

"You do, huh?" he laughed. "I'm glad you get it! Here's hoping the

negotiations between my old man and your king go well!"

"Yeah. I'm sure... the meeting will be meaningful for both parties."

With that, we clacked our goblets together once more.