By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 27

Chapter 5 Episode 27: Wedding Venue Completed

“Right, and with that...”

“It’s finished!”

All of us erupted in a cheer; it was the fifth evening, and we had finally finished the wedding venue. There was already a plaza and foundation for the reception venue, but we’d added a chapel for the ceremony, as well as a bell tower that would toll in celebration. The chapel was actually more like a gazebo, its oval roof being supported by pillars. It might have looked like an open clam, but we decided that opening the structure up this way would allow the guests to see the altar more clearly. I had also colored a pane of hardening fluid to make it resemble a stained glass window. During the day, it would help natural light illuminate the couple and the divine statues. Of course, there were no attendees or statues now, but the sunset created a contrast of color on the structure’s beige walls which made it look majestic, especially considering how quickly we set it up. The maids would start bringing in any tools or decorations needed for the ceremony, and the statues which had been in development night after night were almost ready to be brought in. The place would be even more impressive on the big day.

Just as I was wondering if there was anything else I had to do...

“Ryoma! Thanks for the awesome venue!”

“Hughes?!”

He picked me right up while I was looking over the venue. Before I knew it, the other security volunteers had joined in, collectively tossing me in the air for no reason.

“Um... Why are you doing this?”

“Because we can!”

Did anyone wonder whether they should have? It seemed like the whole crowd was hyped up. “We’re done for the day, aren’t we?”

“Yes, but—”

“Oh yeah! Let’s go get hammered, boys!”

The crowd erupted in cheers once again, still tossing me up in the air.

They’ve already got alcohol on the brain? Just as I had gained more air time than any of the previous tosses...

“Not on my watch, you won’t,” a chilly female voice spoke, which left no hands to catch me.

“Oof!”

“Master Ryoma!”

“Dang it!”

“You all right?!”

“Are you hurt, kid?!”

“I’m fine. I’m technically an adventurer, after all.” Despite my surprise, I’d managed to stick the landing. I looked up to find the men, who also looked surprised, and Araune the housekeeper. She must have been the one whose voice I’d just heard. I could see Lulunese and Libiola behind her.

“Are you hurt, Master Ryoma?” Araune asked.

“No, I’m completely fine.”

“Thank goodness... I evidently picked a bad time to speak up. My apologies.”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing.” What was she trying to say, anyway?

“Now, as I was saying. It’s all fine for you all to go out drinking, but not with Master Ryoma.”

“C-Come on, Miss Araune. Ryoma’s got protection from the God of Wine, so he can hold his liquor just fine. Can’t we return the favor for him, since he’s been working so hard for us?”

“Drinking is one thing, but getting ‘hammered’ is quite different. If all of you decide to disappear into the night, will Master Ryoma have to walk home alone in the pitch darkness? Will the bartender even let him come in with you?”

“W-Well...”

“If I may... I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Even you, Lulunese...”

It sounded like Hughes was trying to take me out to a party, but now that Lulunese had joined the protest, things weren’t looking too hot for him. Personally, I didn’t mind tagging along, but I figured it wouldn’t be a good look if I did. Then, Libiola crouched down like she wanted to tell me something.

“Aren’t they just talking about going out for drinks?” I asked.

“Even if it starts out that way, they’ll start doing more than drinking before long. There are just two days left before the wedding, after all.” Apparently the date had something to do with it, but it wasn’t clicking with me. Libiola seemed to have guessed as much, so she continued explaining.

“Both the bride and groom spend the night before the wedding with their respective families. That’s why tonight is their last night being ‘single.’ The bride and the women can have fun drinking as well, but the men, well...”

“It’s all right, Miss Libiola. I think I know where you’re going with this...” So they were going to hit up more “mature” establishments, especially after getting some drinks in at the bar. Probably zero chance of me sneaking into a place like that, not that I ever wanted to try. I’d never even patronized a place like that during my life in Japan.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have made a lady explain something like that.”

“No apologies necessary, Sir. You caught on before I had to say it...”

I had been so removed from those things that it had completely slipped my mind. Making a lady explain to me that the men were trying to take me to a brothel? That’s borderline sexual harassment for sure. Note to self, be more careful.

Ultimately, though, if that was the plan they had in mind, then... “Sorry, Hughes. I appreciate the thought, but...”

There was no way I could go. I’d have loved to celebrate with them, but if I ended up getting them in trouble by being there, that’d really dampen their spirits. They’d already shown me their gratitude, so I wanted them to go on and have fun without feeling bad for me. So I just apologized to Hughes, and he finally relented.

“All right. But as far as I’m concerned, I owe you a drink. Hell, alcohol’s fair game at the wedding.”

“In that case, I’ll happily tag along until you’ve drunk yourself under the table.”

“Oh, now you’re talkin’! That oughta be fun!” His spirits seemed to leap right back up at my offer, and he set off out into town. As for the others, they started throwing someone in the air again as they disappeared into the distance. Perhaps that was a common method of celebration around these parts.

Meanwhile, Lulunese was staring in the direction the men had set off toward. I was actually surprised that she let him off the hook, knowing exactly what kind of establishment they were going to. I always figured most women must hate even the thought of their partners hitting up a brothel... I wondered whether I should say something.

“Miss Libiola, the inner machinations of the female mind truly do elude me...”

“I don’t think anyone expects you to understand.” She went on to console me, if I could call it that, saying she would be concerned for a child’s well-being if he was thoroughly acquainted with the female mind.

Lulunese seemed to hear our conversation, and said, “I understand that men like to have a sense of camaraderie, and that they have the urge to visit such establishments. In any case, this will be his last such excursion for the rest of his life, so I shan’t be one to complain.”

“I see.” That was a rather strenuous emphasis... But she blushed, adding that she had no intention of becoming nor letting him become single again, the strawberry shade of her cheeks steadily ripening... But who was I to meddle in their marriage? I just had a feeling that Hughes might have relinquished the pants for the rest of his life.

■ ■ ■

That evening, we met for tea as usual, where the topic of conversation had carried over from the previous day.

“Anything we want you to do?”

“Is there anything you can think of?” I asked the party around the table. After seeing how gravely they had been considering my background, I wondered if there was anything they were holding back. I was able to talk to them so easily, so I didn’t want them to keep anything from me for my sake. They would never pressure me into anything anyway, and I could always decide whether I can handle it or not after hearing them out. Of course, I’d want them to be careful with confidential info, but they were well aware of that. I explained all of this to them, and they shared a chuckle.

“There’s something we want to request of you...” Serge parroted.

“Ryoma, don’t go saying that to other nobles,” Pioro added.

“He’s right,” Elise chimed in. “Someone nefarious may jump at the opportunity to demand money from you or ask something impossible of you. I know it’s because you trust us, though.”

“A lot of people won’t say no to us even if they wanted to,” Reinhart said. “We can’t really be vocal about our problems, because they can sneak in an opportunity to manipulate us somehow... But I don’t see a problem in telling you, Ryoma.”

Each of them seemed to accept my request in their own way. I waited for a few minutes, but no requests came my way.

“Hmm... I think I’ve made much more than I’ve put in with the waterproof fabric, metal, music boxes...” Serge muttered.

“Same goes for me,” Pioro agreed. “The mushroom farm alone would have covered it. If it takes off, I’d owe you some favors. But if you’re twisting my arm about it... Oh, remember how you drained some game using bloody slime? I’d like to learn more about that.”

In that case, maybe he could help me multiply my bloody slime. Now was the time to do it, especially because of their important role when it came to plasma. I wanted to increase their numbers before anyone figured out how valuable they were; currently, I still only had nine of them, since they didn’t multiply so well.

“If word gets around, wars would be fought over them,” Serge commented.

Elise nodded in agreement. “Literal wars, quite possibly.”

“If we can increase the supply, we may be able to keep the demand low enough for us to step in and keep things peaceful.”

“And having them kept in multiple locations would minimize the risk of losing all of them through some sort of freak accident. Most importantly, I trust Pioro. We have a store branch over in Lenaf, so it won’t be hard to communicate.”

“That’s a huge responsibility... Why don’t you lend me some bloody slimes ‘for draining game,’ just to test the waters? I want to know how much of a game-changer they’ll be, and what I’d need to prepare. I’m sure there’s a bunch you were able to teach me about keeping them, too.”

“Right. Let’s not rush into it, and take our time talking this over.” And so we set that topic aside for now.

Just as I was wondering if they were going to mention anything else, Reinhart quietly spoke up. “Could you possibly open a branch of the laundry service here in Gaunago?”

“No problem. I’m training people with the idea of setting up more branches, and that’s why I increased security. I’ll have to look into where we can build one... But may I ask why?”

“I might have told you this before, but the house of Jamil, from my father’s time as the duke, has been working on improving the environment of our land, particularly to prevent the spread of diseases.”

Come to think of it, Reinbach was outraged when that disease came out of the septic tank. Not that anyone shouldn’t have been.

“I’ve been told that the most important aspect of preventing ailments is to keep oneself clean. You’ve mentioned something like that too, didn’t you, Ryoma? Something about airborne and contact illnesses.”

“I remember that. It was shortly after we first met. That was barely even a year ago, too; kinda hard to believe that.”

“Right. I was curious how you’d gained such knowledge, but it all made sense when you told us yesterday how you’ve received Lady Meria’s tutelage. If she too had emphasized the importance of personal hygiene, I concluded that inviting you to open a branch in our town would lead to decreasing the chances of diseases breaking out. I’ve heard wonderful things about your business; not only can the common citizen keep themselves clean for a reasonable price, but there is no heavy labor involved either. Even men who usually tend to not pay too much mind to their cleanliness frequent your establishment; perhaps they are your best customers. If it helps prevent diseases on top of that, I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

That made sense. For the sake of his land and his people, he wanted to keep an eye on it close to him, sort of like a trial... Now I was thinking about what I could do to aid him in that goal.

Then I wondered what kind of mature establishment Hughes had gone to. What if I spread a rumor that the ladies preferred men who kept themselves clean? I didn’t know how much of an effect that would have, but I thought the clientele of such establishments must have some sort of want for female attention. Besides, I assumed that those who ran those establishments must have had a preference for clean customers, even if just to lower the risk of their employees contracting diseases. Plus, I had nothing to lose from gaining more clients.

Come to think of it, those establishments must produce more dirty laundry than most other places. I’ve had people running ordinary inns come in for a recurring contract, but I don’t have any contracts with those mature establishments yet... At least, I didn’t think I did; if I did, there weren’t many of them. I could see myself making some cold calls to get things rolling. Or did I want to set up a shop dedicated to those businesses? In modern Japan, such establishments were usually run by the yakuza, so I started tallying up the forces I had available to me to defend.

“Ryoma?”

“Yes?! Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts.”

“Well, if it’s too much for you to handle, then...”

“No, I was just mulling over how to go about running the new location.”

“Oh, I see. I trust your business decisions, of course, but there’s no need to go the extra mile just for my sake. I just want to see how your service would impact the area.”

It didn’t seem like I had to worry too much about this request either. We decided that I should talk it over with Carme before hammering down any of the details. I was ready to hear the next request when Reinhart added, “I have a great spot in mind for your location here. You may see nobles or their servants as customers, and I could recommend someone who can train your staff to interact with that clientele...”

“There’s a newly invented magical item that can help adventurers when they camp,” Serge jumped in. “Would you like to try one? I’d love to hear what you think after you’ve...”

“I’ve got your back when it comes to food, Ryoma,” Pioro piped up. “We may have travel rations, but you have the Dimension Home, so...”

“I’m raising sprint rabbits to feed my familiars, since they multiply so quickly. They can turn into quite a pest, so you need to train with the Tamers’ Guild to handle them, but...”

Before I knew it, they were all talking about helping me out again. I was very grateful, of course, but it left me at a loss as to when I could turn the discussion back to me helping them out... But their generosity made me feel all warm and fuzzy, so who was I to complain?