Chapter 31

Bathed in the gentle sunlight of spring, I was dozing off when the chirping of birds reached my ears. They must be trying to comfort me after working late into the night yesterday. Being able to enjoy a second nap after this dozing is a privilege of Sundays.

(What a refreshing morning... Hey!)

Mixed in with the chirping of the birds, a voice that ruined the morning's freshness could be heard.

"I am a cute, cute kitty. With fluffy fur and squishy paws. Pretty Lovely MIKE. Come on, let's sing together! Pretty Lovely MIKE"

Peeking out the window, I saw Mikke, the divine messenger, sitting cross-legged and strumming a guitar.

...I saw something unpleasant this morning. I'll close the window for now.

"Hey, what are you doing? You're singing a cute song for the kitty. It's only polite to pet it with all your might."

Mikke, who said this, opened the closed window as if slamming it. Mikke, in the form of a cat, is a divine messenger, so opening a window is no trouble at all. I'll have to lock it properly from now on.

"What's cute about that song? The birds have flown away!!"

"Are cats not cuter than birds? Besides, birds just destroy crops, right? Cats are not only pretty but also excellent pets that catch mice."

The mouse problem is one of the issues that has been troubling me. However, there are not a few examples of cats brought in to catch mice attacking native birds and disrupting the ecosystem.

"Ah, I'm awake now. Well, let's start work."

Thanks to the morning banter with Mikke, I was suddenly wide awake.

"Work? It's Sunday today. You should take a break once in a while or you'll ruin your health."

Mikke is right; if you don't rest when you can, your body won't hold up, and your motivation will drop. Most importantly, if the lord doesn't take a break, it will have a negative impact on the vassals. I understand that... I understand, but...

"I have work that can't be done on any other day. I want to make progress on something before summer comes."

I can't skip school from April, but depending on how the classes progress, I might prioritize my duties as a lord.

"A noble should lead a more leisurely life."

Mikke is right; other nobles enjoy operas and have their portraits painted, leading a leisurely life. ...I think I would be too embarrassed to have my portrait in my room.

"I'm scared if I don't do something. I'm terrified of not moving forward, no matter how awkwardly. I'm so cowardly that I hate myself."

I fear that if I let my guard down, an irreparable trouble will occur and everything will be ruined. But if I do something, the fear fades... even if it's just a meaningless self-satisfaction.

---

After finishing breakfast, I headed to the town where the dwarves live. The dwarves were the first to migrate, so the town is already complete. The town's name is Fare. The buildings, built to the dwarves' height, are small but beautifully designed and charming. In the future, Fare will likely become one of Baur's top tourist destinations.

"What a fine town. It's hard to believe this was a grassland a few years ago."

Today's escort is Mr. Sunda. Mr. Bolf is on a date with her.

"Let's head to the Industrial Guild."

The Industrial Guild is the largest building in Fare. Since dwarven products are easy to buy, merchants from all over Orizon come here.

"Lord George, I've been waiting for you."

The one who greeted us was a middle-aged dwarf. Short and bearded, he is a typical dwarf. His name is Eisen Hammer, and he is Lill's father.

"Eisen, it's been a while. I'm sorry to come on a Sunday."

He might have planned to spend time with his family.

"No, I have nowhere to be at home. Lord George, here are the samples of the cement and concrete you requested. We've improved the quality by changing the ratios and materials."

Eisen speaks with a sigh, but I think Lill's love for making things comes from Eisen. He has a wealth of experience in crafting and can create the ideal product just by hearing my amateur knowledge.

"How about the reinforced concrete?"

"It's perfect. With reinforced concrete, we can make the thing you mentioned."

So, we can finally make it... My dream of combining hobby and practicality is about to come true.

"Thank you. But please start mass production of the cement first. We'll use it for the reservoir."

"Reservoir? But Baur doesn't have any large ponds or lakes."

Baur has the Scale River, but no large lakes. The water from the Scale River flows straight to the sea. If a drought continues, there's a risk of water shortage and famine. But it would take a lot of time for humans to create an artificial lake. So, humans...

"If we don't have one, we can make one. We'll start making it today. Would you like to come with us?"

---

We headed to the undeveloped large grassland in the center of Baur. To be precise, it's land we intentionally left untouched.

"Lord George, look at that!"

Eisen was frozen, staring at the sky. His face was tense, and only his pointing finger was trembling. In front of him was a group of dragons.

"Amazing!! Sunda is so lucky to see so many dragons flying in the sky. There are silver dragons, black dragons, and even the legendary ruby dragon!!"

Unlike Eisen, the scholar orc's excitement was rising.

(Ruby dragon... I'm glad it's not emerald.)

One of the dragons seemed to notice us and descended. It was a dragon with bright red scales.

"Lord, good morning. My name is Akadama. I will be the representative for this task."

...Indeed, ruby is written as "red jade." I hope this dragon doesn't put a stop to everything.

"No, we are very grateful that you will help us with our request. Can we ask you to do it?"

"Yes, it's been a while, so I'm really pumped."

Akadama said this and flew back into the sky. Then, stopping in mid-air, he suddenly opened his mouth. What I asked the dragon to do was to breathe fire on the ground to create holes, which we would then process into an artificial pond.

"Is that the dragon's breath... What incredible energy!"

Indeed, the energy gathered in the dragon is incredible... It's at a dangerous level.

Then, a massive surge of energy was released. Before I could brace myself, I was hit by a powerful shock wave and rolled around helplessly. Several more breaths were released in quick succession.

As a result, several large holes were created, and my lower back was in pain. For some reason, my lower body was soaked even though the artificial pond wasn't finished yet.

"Wow, it feels so good to let out a full breath after a long time."

"It's not easy to let out a breath alone."

"I hear that letting out a breath alone is becoming popular among young dragons these days."

"It's a generational difference."

Letting out a breath alone is not the same as singing alone. According to what I heard later, dragons need to let out their breath regularly or they will get stressed. They usually release their breath into the air, but letting out a full breath at the ground makes them feel refreshed.

A hero party that can withstand such a breath and remain calm must be something else.

This time, I received the cooperation of Jyutunai-sama and SANDY-sama.