Seisan Mahoushi – 249

Chapter 249 – A Warm Night!?

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The mountain where the Tengus live.

We were currently on the side of the mountain, a short distance away from their residential district.

The slope was relatively mild here, and so it was easy to turn it into flat land.
I had already finished preparing the ground, and was currently building up the foundation with stone. And then, we just had to construct the building on top of it.

“It was a good thing that I brought extra materials.”

I said as I directed both of my hands towards the foundation. There was a flash, and then, in an instant, a small log house appeared. While the roof was made of bricks, the rest was wood.

Mette looked at it with some emotion.

“Oh. It is just like those first houses that you made in our village!”
“What a nostalgic feeling. While our current stone houses are nice, there is something to be said for the warmth of wood.”

Iria said as she stroked the log.

“Before Sir Joshua came, we could not even cut down the iron oaks…”
“While I did make the axes, it was the strength of the Kijins that allowed us to get wood materials so quickly…”

I still had not forgotten the sight of the Kijins cutting down the trees so quickly and carrying them away. Thanks to that, we had been able to build a wall and oppose the slave hunters.

“In any case, I think that I will make several houses like this. The interiors will contain a simple desk, chair, bed and shelf.”

Mette looked puzzled.

“But no kitchen?”
“Food will be eaten in a different place. Once the materials arrive, I will build something bigger… Ah, there it is.”

I saw a great shadow cast around us, and so I looked up.
Asuha was flying towards us, as was a single airship.

Asuha came down and landed first.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Sir Joshua! We have brought sand for glass from the storage house on White Sand Island.”
“Thank you, Asuha. That was fast.”
“We have become quite familiar with controlling the ships.”

As Asuha said, the airship let down its anchor and landed smoothly.

The crew were demihumans, and mostly Tengus.

After that, a part of the hull opened, and white sand poured out onto the ground.

I then gathered all of it into magic workshop, and started to produce sheets of glass.

Melk then muttered.

“Joshua. Do you really need that much glass?”

And then Mette said,

“When building the palace…a hot house, was it? Joshua is going to make a similar glass roof, right?”

I nodded at Mette.

“Aye. But this time, I’m also thinking about making something different.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Well, it will be faster to show you… See?”

I put the crafted thing on the ground and showed everyone.

“This…is it a big telescope?”

I nodded.

“Aye. Similar to the ones you use. And if you look at the sky during the night, you will be able to see stars that you normally would not be able to see. I want to set this up in an observatory…”
“Oh. Let me try it then.”

So saying, Mette picked up the telescope that was at least three times her length.

“Wait, Mette! It’s dangerous if you look at the sun! It’s used at night!”
“Oh, oh. Sorry.”

Mette put the telescope back onto the ground.

“No, I didn’t think you would be able to carry it either…sorry. I guess Mette and the Kijins won’t need it. But I’ll still make a platform and observatory for the other demihumans.”
“Mette. Something to look forward to, tonight.”

Melk said, and Mette nodded.

“Let’s work hard and continue building in the meantime!”

As for other facilities, we constructed a restaurant, hot house, and the observatory. The observatory was a great dome with a hole in the roof. And then the telescope was installed on a platform that could rotate.

Also, Melk had the idea of a cart that could be used to slide down the mountain… Though, I had to make adjustments to the speed, so it would not be too dangerous.

After that, I crafted furniture and other items, and we were roughly finished with the new tourist site on top of the mountain.

The Tengus also helped with transportation, and thought of food that could be served. As for Celes and the Mopes, they continued to run around and sleep.

And when it was night time, we decided to enjoy the facility ourselves, but…

“Ecleshia and Monica.”

As Melk said, aside from the Tengus, there were a few other demihumans here and there at the restaurant.

Ecleshia waved her hand at us.

“I saw that you were making something that looked interesting. We have finished planting some flowers, and will now join you.”
“It is not fair that Iria is always with you when you make something.”

Monica said as she puffed out her cheeks.

“Sorry. It wasn’t planned.”
“Well, you are the only one who can build something immediately after having the idea.”

Said Ecleshia, and then Monica and Iria nodded in agreement.

Iria smiled and pulled out an empty chair.

“That is what makes Sir Joshua so appealing… Now, let us all eat together.”
“The Tengus have grilled the kaizer bass with butter.”

And so we all sat around the table and started to eat.

The main dish was the kaizer bass that we had caught during the day. They had been sliced into pieces that were as big as my fist, and cooked with butter. And they were served with mushrooms and vegetables from the mountain.

Mette cut hers with a knife and used her fork to take a bite.

“…It’s delicious!! It’s just as soft as boar meat!”

Iria and Melk also took a bite.

“It is not as fatty, and so I actually prefer this one.”
“You would not get bored of it. It is different from fish from the sea. How surprising.”

Asuha also took a bite and said,

“The Kappas of White Sand Island may like to try it as well.”

I tried it myself, and it was indeed quite delicious. It melted in your mouth while the smell of butter spread out.

“And the vegetables are crunchy… I can see it becoming very popular.”
“The clear mountain air also makes the food seem more delicious.”

Iria said with a smile, and Asuha nodded.

“Yes, eating food on a mountain is the best. Besides, the night sky really is beautiful.”

Here, we could see the stars, not just from the large window, but through the roof as well.

And then Melk muttered.

“Strangely, it seems so much clearer than in the village.”
“It does. Maybe the sky is closer?”

The words came naturally from my mouth.
It wasn’t until after I met Iria and the others, that I was able to slowly gaze at the sky like this. Before then, I had never even thought about how to view the stars.

I turned to Wiz, who also nodded with emotion.

Iria smiled and said,

“It is now just as appealing as White Sand Island. I am sure that the other demihumans will like it as well.”
“Melk shall bring the children. The rumors will spread quickly.”

Asuha replied to this with a satisfied expression.

“It really is a wonderful place! Thank you, everyone!”

Asuha said with a bow.
Upon seeing this, Mette said,

“Don’t be so reserved, Asuha. We have always cooperated with each other up until now.”
“The Tengus have helped us so much. And so in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask us if you need anything.”

I nodded at Iria’s words.

“Aye. You really must tell us if there is anything. As for me, I think it would be nice to have a hot spring. Perhaps I can speak with the dwarves about drawing water to the top of the mountain.”
“Melk wants it too. Soak while looking at the stars.”
“That does sound nice. Please do it then.”

Asuha said with a bow.

“While hot springs are great…I am curious about that big telescope! Let’s hurry up and eat so we can try it.”

Mette said as she quickly ate her kaizer bass.

“Hey, Mette. Mind your manners. The stars are not going to run away.”

Said Iria, and everyone laughed.

And like that, we enjoyed the rest of our dinner, and then made our way to the observatory.

“Amazing. The stars look so big…!”

Iria’s voice shook as she looked through the telescope.

Everyone had a turn, and they were all surprised as well.

Monica nodded and muttered.

“There was one star that looked like it had some blue and green mixed in… And a large bird?”
“I heard that rabbits live on the stars. So perhaps there are other creatures.”

Ecleshia said, and Mette laughed.

“You do say such amusing things, Ecleshia! How could you live on something so small!”
“It only looks small because it is far away.”

Said Iria, and then Melk wagged her tail and answered.

“Then the stars must be very big.”

Asuha laughed.

“It is quite wonderful to think about. If there is someone living on it, I wonder if we could go and meet them?”
“Perhaps it would be possible with the airship?”

Said Mette, but Asuha shook her head.

“If you go too high up into the air, it becomes difficult to breathe. I also heard that it is just endless night, and very cold. And no matter how high you fly, you cannot get close to the stars. In the past, there were Tengus that tried to reach the sun and moon, but they all failed.”
“So it’s harder than expected. Still, surely if we had the help of the Demon King and dwarves… Well maybe our children or grandchildren will be able to do it.”

If Fendel continued to be prosperous, that wish may just come true.

That was what I meant, but the others turned to each other.

Iria blushed a little and answered.

“Indeed. Our children will be able to accomplish it.”
“If that’s how you feel today… Me too, Joshua!”

Mette said as she threw her arms around me.

“Wai-wait! I didn’t mean it like that!”
“It is cold on top of the mountain, so we will sleep together. I got some wool from Celes and made a big blanket.”

Melk said as she pulled my hand, while Asuha held the other.

“We don’t want you to get cold. So it’s time to tuck in for the night!”

And like that, they took me away.

While we had gone to the top of the mountain to cool off, it ended up being a very warm night.

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