The Morning Before Work

The uncomfortable bedding woke me.

The room was still dim. I'd gotten up a bit early.

They say the countryside rises early, and sure enough, the townspeople were already moving before the sun was up.

Faint sounds drifted in from outside.

The rest of the group was still asleep.

I didn't see Orleans at first, then spotted her curled up next to Elza.

She was separated from her parents right now. She must have been lonely.

I hadn't taken her on for life.

A bit of experience, then returning her to her parents was what was best for Orleans.

Something I hadn't told anyone, but just getting a look inside a major Imperial noble's estate had been a worthwhile gain in itself.

Most of it was wheat, but I'd spotted some cotton growing in one section.

The Empire had cotton as a signature product, and now I knew it was being cultivated on these estates.

The city of Aquarius, liberated from water shortages and blessed with fertile, well-watered land. The city of Ateil, with its vast estates.

I recalled hearing that ordinary foodstuffs weren't very profitable for trade with the Empire. That's why I'd opted for apples, something they wouldn't have locally.

Now it all made sense.

There were probably many estates like that one scattered throughout the Empire, all producing crops.

I hadn't thought much about the people doing the actual work, though…

"Good morning."

Azu greeted me, still half-asleep.

She seemed to be up.

The sun was finally starting to rise, brightening the room.

Azu let out a big yawn and instinctively covered her mouth.

"You can sleep a bit longer if you're tired."

"No, I'm fine."

"Yeah? Then give me a hand."

"Okay."

I grabbed the supplies and headed out of the room with Azu.

Inns like this, with no dining hall, usually opened up the kitchen hearth for guests.

You could pay and ask them to cook for you, but the expectation was that you'd make your own.

I pulled out the food we'd packed for the trip.

What I'd brought was dried noodles.

And heavily salted smoked meat, preserved for long storage.

I sent Azu to fetch water.

I set the large pot on the hearth and laid out the fire magic stone I carried.

I tried to light it, but the magic had run out.

Damn.

With Alexia always around, I'd never had to use the stone, and I'd forgotten to ask her to recharge it.

"Got it!"

Azu came back with a brimming container of water.

A grown man would struggle with that weight, but it didn't seem to faze Azu.

While waiting for her, I mixed together some herbs, oil, and a few seasonings.

"Pour the water into the pot. And here."

"Hm?"

Azu poured the water while glancing my way.

"Your magic power's been growing, right? Can you use this?"

"The fire magic stone? I can try."

I handed it to her.

Azu cupped the stone in both hands.

The engraved seal that indicated it was a fire magic stone began to glow faintly.

Proof that magic power was flowing into it.

"Oh, looks like it might work?"

"It goes in bit by bit, I think. But it'll take a while."

"Hmm, so it seems. Maybe I should just use a flint or borrow a flame…"

Azu's apologetic face made me give up on the idea.

I'd thought it was a good plan, though.

As Azu held the stone out to return it, the engraving flared bright.

"Ow!"

Azu yelped.

I caught the stone as it slipped from her hands. It was hot.

That's what happened when a magic stone was overcharged.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

Not hot enough to burn, but a sudden spike like that would startle anyone.

But the stone had been completely drained just moments ago. Why the sudden surge…

"Good morning, Master, Azu-sama."

Orleans' voice came from behind us.

The magic stone's heat subsided. What had that been about?

"Ah, morning."

"Good morning."

Azu turned around.

Orleans walked over and bowed.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Sure. Watch the pot with Azu. Once it boils, put the noodles in, and when they're cooked, pull them out into this. I'll go get some vegetables."

"Yes, sir."

I activated the now-recharged fire magic stone and set the pot to heat.

Azu and Orleans stared intently at the pot.

Meanwhile, I went and got some leafy greens from the innkeeper.

When I mentioned we were using the hearth and tried to pay, they waved me off. Instead, they asked me to fill the pot next to the hearth with water and set it to boil.

Considering the cost of fire-starting materials and firewood, that was probably the better deal for them.

I thanked them and went back. The two of them were still watching the pot, not having moved an inch.

"Has it boiled?"

"Probably?"

After watching a moment longer, they pulled the cooked noodles out of the pot just as I'd instructed.

Azu had practice helping in the kitchen, so she had the hang of it, but Orleans was less experienced.

Azu gave the directions, and together they managed it without a hitch.

"Is it done?"

"Not yet. Still need to season it."

"Right, next is this. Cut the meat and vegetables up."

I handed the greens to Orleans.

Azu took each piece and cut them into bite-sized portions.

Finally, she sliced the smoked meat and tossed everything together with the noodles.

I added the seasoning mix to the noodles, and the simple noodle dish was complete.

I'd made enough for five, so it was a decent amount.

Azu and Alexia ate fairly generously, so I'd made extra.

I sent Orleans to wake the other two while I tidied up.

"Orleans. Go wake those two."

"Understood."

"Azu, sorry, but could you fetch more water?"

"Sure. Be right back."

I still had the innkeeper's request to take care of.

I placed their pot on the hearth and set the fire magic stone underneath it.

Once the other two were up, we all ate breakfast together while going over the day's plan.

A full day of monster hunting around the perimeter.

Ten Imperial silver coins per kill.

They wanted at least thirty taken care of, if possible.

Combined with the delivery job, that came out to about one Kingdom gold coin.

The local monsters were apparently small, omnivorous creatures.

Some were the Horned Rabbit type that people caught and ate from time to time.

Unfortunately, the meat was off the table this time.

Materials went to the town, but we'd get to keep the magic stones from the kills, so factoring those in, the haul wasn't bad.

Elza offered a prayer after the meal, and breakfast was over.

Come to think of it, I hadn't seen any sign of the Church of the Sun God around here.

Maybe the presence of elementals was stronger inside the Empire.