「There’s no more rice!」


  I fell flat on the table of My Home.

  There’s no more rice. None.

  It’s been about a year since I got the rice that Tori bought from somewhere. If I were to eat it alone, it would have lasted for a year but because the rice was being consumed regularly, I’m no longer surprised it happened.

  「Fhers no aice!?」


  「Swallow it!　Swallow your food first then talk!」


  One of those people who ate my rice - Roomba - talked while his mouth was full of rice with raw egg.

  Because of that, rice was scattered around and landed all over the table, making it dirty.

  After chewing, Roomba swallowed the food inside his mouth and he opened his mouth again.

  「There’s no more rice!?」


  「Yeah. We will run out of rice. 」


  「That’s a problem! Especially that donburi, it’s my favorite!……mom, give me another big portion of rice. And the raw egg too.」


  「Okay. Here, eat a lot………huh, why are you ordering me around!?」


  He gave me his rice bowl so confidently that I casually received it against my better judgment.

  Am I this guy’s mother or what!

  「But you were always like that in the mansion. Even though there are maids in the mansion, you were ordered around by Eleonora. Like yesterday, why did you prepare a towel for Eleonora? 」


  「Uh no, that’s because using a cold towel after exercise felt good you see……」


  For some reason, I put a large serving of rice and a raw egg on the table while having a bitter look on my face.

  And I noticed that there’s no more water in Roomba’s cup, so I use water magic to fill it, and add ice in it using ice magic.

  「………Al is so convenient. I also want one for my house.」


  「I don’t want you to call people like you did a handy magic tool」


  I feel like I pick these kinds of small details up naturally when I was dealing with Eleonora-neesan.

  How to make the other party be in a good mood, and avoid the worst-case scenario.

  Grasping what the other party wanted, always doing my best.

  In that situation, Eleonora-neesan will spend her time comfortably, and sometimes forget to practice.

  Even if the me right now don’t have a job in the future, I feel like I can become something like a butler.

  I was also taught about how to make delicious tea. After that would be learning etiquette, I guess.

  Only in etiquette did I receive a passing mark, but Elna-kaasan told me that I didn’t have a dignified appearance at all………


  Oh well, I don’t care about something like that. Rather than that, the problem now is rice.

  「If it stays like this, then we will run out of rice in a month.」


  I’ve stored a few kilos of rice using space magic for emergencies but, that’s not counted. That’s for emergencies.

  「Certainly, there’s no rice in this village, isn’t it?」


  Cracking the thick egg that was the product of Koryatt village, Roomba asked while mixing the egg using a spoon, making a rattling sound.

  「That’s right. Tori bought it from somewhere.」


  「Then, just make Tori buy them again. He seems to be making a lot of money these days, it should be easy right?」


  Tori’s firm has certainly grown rapidly over the past year.

  It has reached the point that a lot of nobles and even royalties have become their regular customer, he will be able to purchase a lot more rice in comparison to last year.

  However, if I can go to the place with rice, I want to just go and buy them directly. And if I went to that place even once, I can just Teleport there myself with space magic in one go.

  Because of that, I would really like to leave for that place.

  「I’ve more or less wrote him a letter but, I wonder if the person himself will come 」


  I wrote that I will sell the shogi to the Lazareth company if he doesn't come immediately………will he come I wonder.

  My heart was palpitating because of the decrease in rice. Has there ever been a time when I wait for someone to this extent?

  「Mm?　I saw his wagons came to the village before coming here, Tori is coming to the mansion, isn’t he?」


  「Tell me that sooner, you idiot!」


  I said that directly while giving a backward glance to Roomba who said such important things and started running from My Home toward the mansion.

  ◆


  As soon as I entered the entranceway, Tori greeted me.

  「Alfried-sama, I’ve been waiting for you, man! Huh? Eleonora-sama went to My Home a short while ago, did you pass each other, man?」


  He seems to be searching for Eleonora-neesan, turning his neck around to look for her.

  As for me, I was running from My Home but then I decided to use Teleport since I thought that time was precious.

  Because of that, it's unavoidable that we pass each other.

  「Uh, I didn’t tell anyone that I will go to My Home today, though?」


  I went to My Home to organize the foodstuff stored in my Space magic, I haven’t told anyone where I am going today.

  Roomba just came back suddenly before noon.

  「Noー, I was also troubled since I can not find you, but then Eleonora-sama said something like 『I feel like he’s in My Home, I will go and bring him back』………」


  Tori answered with a wry smile on his face.

  As usual, Eleonora-neesan’s intuition is strange.

  I might play with Torr and Asmo. Or take a nap on the plains. Celia-san’s restaurant. Logan’s house, river, forest, there should be a lot more other places like that.

  So how did she come to the conclusion that I was at My Home, I wonder……


  Oh well, whatever. I’ll leave Eleonora-neesan for later, right now it’s about rice.

  「Hmm, if it’s Eleonora-neesan, she will come back soon. Let’s talk in the usual guest room.」


  Saying that, I led Tori toward the guest room.

  「I know this is abrupt Tori. But, I wonder if you’ve read the letter?」


  Picking the snacks and tea that Sara made, I ask him after I have calmed myself down.

  「Ahhー, I was really surprised man, Alfried-sama. I heard that it will be another before the rice runs out.」


  ……hmm, what is it I wonder. Beating around the bush like this. He’s talking as if trying to find out the other party’s true intention.

  Somehow, it feels the same as when I met with the nobles at the party in the royal capital.

  「The people in my family ate more rice than I expected. I don’t have any more rice.」


  「That is, you want to make an unusual dish like spaghetti again?」


  He said those just like the usual, but his eyes narrowed.

  「………hey, it’s troublesome having this noble-like exchange between us.」


  「Ahaha, Alfried-sama is still Alfried-sama, man!　You don’t change even after going to the party in the royal capital.」


  When I cut him off and said that it was troublesome, it’s as if strength left Tori’s shoulder and he laughed.

  Ah, it’s the usual foolish Tori.

  「I’ve been doing a lot of business with nobles as the other party recently. Sorry, man.」


  Uh, does a cheeky person like this who says 「man」 when the other party is those nobles have a hard time?

  Still, you don’t use that kind of inflection when the other party is royalties, right?

  「Rather than that, I heard about it man, Alfried-sama?」


  「What is?」


  Tori leaned forward while having a smile on his face.

  I have a bad feeling about this. His smile looks a little similar to Torr’s unpleasant smile.

  「Having a sword dance with the second son of the Sylford family, and there is a rumor that Alfried-sama is engaged with the second daughter of the Misfid family……… Ranna-sama is four years old, right?　Alfried-sama is quick!」


  「That’s not true!　They’re both false!　It was something like a mischievous fight for a bit of meat. And the matter with Ranna-chan is a misunderstanding.」


  This is obviously a setup to make me have a bad reputation. I have to deny it decisively.

  「I seems that it was quite a serious fight for a children’s quarrel man, even when you went to the royal capital, Alfried-sama doesn’t change a bit, man.」


  If you want to say such cheeky things, then I want you to just plainly say it.

  「Then, who are you engaged to?」


  「Of course it’s also a misunderstanding. All the nobles who participate at that time should have known about it.」


  「That’s right isn’t it, man?　There is no way that Alfried-sama would get engaged or having something like that happen to him. Actuallyー, I was flustered when I first heard about that rumor, man.」


  ………I wonder what this is. This is awkward, but this response makes me angry.

  I feel that those words are ambiguous, it’s like they include Sylvio and Eleonora somehow or other. Was it just me being paranoid?

  「Rather than that, let’s talk about rice!　About rice, man!」


  Looking at Tori laughing happily, I hit the table *bam* while saying that.

  If he were to keep exploiting my story in the royal capital any more than this, then I would likely be at a disadvantage so I cut him short.

  「Ah, that’s right, man. That’s because Alfried-sama’s actions are too interesting man, so I unintentionally…」


  「As I mentioned in the letter, I don’t have any more rice so I would like to go and purchase them」


  「Not just purchase it, but you want to go and purchase the rice, man?」


  Tori guessed my intention and returned my words.

  Yes, I don’t want to purchase rice from Toriela Firm, but I wanted to go to the actual place where they sell the rice and buy them myself.

  I would be happy if I could go and buy it together, if that was possible.

  「That’s right. I want to go to the place where they have the rice.」


  「Will Nord-sama and Elna-sama permit that, man?」


  Tori had this delicate expression on his face when I answered him frankly.

  Eh?　I thought that it was not located in this area, but is it that far? 　Also, it looks as if Nord-tousan will not allow me to go there.

  「Is it that far?　Rather, I forgot to ask about it, where is the place where they sell rice?」


  Just how far is this place I wonder? Could it be that it’s as far as the royal capital?

  When I asked him while feeling anxious, Tori slowly opened his mouth.

  「……you can find rice on the eastern continent, where a country called Kagura is located across the sea. 」