Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~

Chapter 4: Dragon Carriage

After my conversation with Margrave Fernande ended, I returned to my designated room to find the cute silver haired foxkin Tina and the pretty golden haired elf Chloe were engaged in a chat. “Tina, you’re cheating. I want to be with Kurt too.” “You can’t speak like that, please return to the room that has been prepared for you.” Lately, these two are often seen playing around with each other. For Tina, there’s no one who she can argue with carelessly. So it makes my quite happy. In this way, I can see the cute side of Tina who acts like her own age. “What happened, you two?” When they heard my voice, they turned this way. “Kurt-sama, Chloe is just being selfish.” “But, but, it’s lonely to be left alone by my friends.” After attentively listening to their words, I can conclude that they’re arguing over the room allocation. Tina and I occupy the large room for spouses that we used the last time we came here, whereas Chloe is in a single room. I see now, so that’s the beginning of those lines. “In that case, why doesn’t Chloe move in here too? There are only two beds, but Tina and I always sleep together so it’s already one too many.” “.....Kurt, hold on there for a second.” Chloe suddenly stares right at me with a blank look on her face. “Kurt and Tina always sleep together?” While being visibly shaken, Chloe asks the question while looking beet red. “We always sleep together.” Even when Chloe stayed in my house, she didn’t realize it because she was staying in the guestroom. I slept with Tina that day too, though, just like always. Because, when I hug Tina, I feel so good that I can sleep. “So the two of you have that kind of relationship between man and woman.” Chloe looks at me and Tina in succession, while she blushes even deeper. Huh, it seems that she’s misunderstanding something here. “That’s not it. It’s just sleeping together. Literally. Tina used to suffer from terrible loneliness a long time ago. She said that the night was scary. Just like that, we kept on doing that until now.” I’m recalling the Tina at that time, it makes my mood turn more pleasant. Tina covers her reddening face in embarrassment. “Phew, I was so shocked. I thought that the two of you have stepped on the stairs of adulthood, you know?” “Don’t say such a weird thing out of nowhere! I was shocked too, just now!” Tina’s fox ears stand up in a ping while bellowing loudly. It’s just that, for me, I’d like to do something like that sooner, but, well, let’s wait for the opportunity without rushing it. If I do something like that against her will, our relationship will turn sour and that will be the worst mistake to commit. “In any case, if you don’t want to be alone, feel free to use the bed. Just don’t fight, okay?” “Thanks! Then, I’ll take your word for that.” “It’s okay to be more reserved, actually.” Chloe looks overjoyed, while Tina looks a bit disappointed. Now, it’s time to get into the main topic. “The two of you, listen to me. Until just now, I was in a conversation in Margrave Fernande’s office, but as I thought, it seems that I wouldn’t be responsible only for the pastry, but for the whole banquet.” The two of them gulps soundly. I know that they’ll understand how grave this situation is. “Of course I will put my best effort into it, but I’m going to ask the two of you to lend me your strength. Can I rely on you?” “Of course you can, Kurt!” “There’s no need to say it, Kurt-sama!” They both are brimming with spirit. Chloe, with her water magic arte, and Tina, with her fire magic arte, I will borrow their strength properly. The both of them will definitely become a huge advantage. “Then, the first thing tomorrow is that I’ll have you help me with the ingredients’ preparations. There are ingredients that need to be fermented for one week first. If we prepare it tomorrow, we can make it in time.” The one thing I’m making is the sauce that I will use in my meat main dish. I want to be able to prepare that here, at least. Besides, there’s also the chocolate production. Originally, chocolate needs to take 3-4 weeks after the process before it can be used. However, the fermentation is possible to be sped up using the power of [Recovery]. It can boost a human’s metabolism. I’m sure it can be utilized in that way too. Explaining my instructions for tomorrow takes us deep into the night. Just before we sleep, there was Chloe who intended to get into the bed of Tina and I, and Tina who defends it severely. Basically, it’s a peaceful night. ☘ It has been two days since I arrived in the Margraviate of Fernande. I’ve been borrowing the strength of others; Tina’s and Chloe’s, obviously, but also Margrave Fernande’s cooks, all to prepare the ingredients that needed to be prepared. When the afternoon comes, I’ll depart to Duchess Renalier’s domain. I’m already dressed for the occasion. I’m running through everything on my list so many times, especially the super important chocolate that we produced from the cacao and the earthenware pot that contains the special sauce that will be used in the main dish. I’m bringing all the ingredients that I wished for. However, there’s another thing that I’d like to have. I intend to look around for that in the Duchess’ dukedom instead. And then, the escorts have finally arrived. They came from the sky. “What a spectacle.”

“Yes. (Even I have only traveled with it a few times). Someday, I’d like to have one of those in my territory as well.” Together with Margrave Fernande, I look up to the sky. There’s a dragon up there. Not the long and slender type of Eastern dragon, it’s the Western dragon. Dragon carriage is the most luxurious mode of transportation in this world. By being drawn by a dragon, the speed and stability are guaranteed. Using that means that the travel to Duchess Renalier’s dukedom that will take up more than half a month by a horse carriage, will only take up half a day. In Duchess Renalier’s territory, there’s a village, the only village in the world, that breeds dragons as well as trains them. Like that, the dragons are used as mode of transportation for humans and cargo. “If it’s Margrave Fernande, I’m sure it can be purchased, right?” “With the current finances, well, it can be, somehow.” As a distinguished man of wealth, he still said that he could manage it. There’s no mistake, that means it must’ve had an astronomical price. “Kurt-kun. The problem is the waiting period, you know. With a skilled breeder, it still needs to be reared for twenty years from a hatchling before it can be used. If it’s not a hatchling, it seems that they won’t become emotionally attached to humans. Acquiring a dragon’s hatchling is already difficult to begin with. Before they’re fifty years old, they can’t lay an egg.” That’s a really long time to speak about. The demand for dragon carriages is higher than a mountain. It’s impossible to fulfill each and every demand out there. “I see. More than that, the aircraft drawn by the dragon is also something that I’m intrigued with.” I see the blimp, and it doesn’t seem like something easily produced. “The manufacturing process of that is also being kept a secret, it seems. I think the method has something to do with Magic, though.” Usually, a blimp is something relatively light enough to be filled with gas, but it’s difficult to do with the level of technology in this world. Originally, it floats with the heat from the gas, but it should be different. It can stabilize the movement. Chloe, who has been looking up to the sky at the same moment, has started talking. “That is Wind Magic Arte, isn’t it? There’s no mistake. We elves are sensitive to magic, so I can tell.” “That should be appropriate, considering the height it goes to. Besides, that kind of continuous supply, can it be provided by human?” “......There are also the issues of materials and blueprints. But, I don’t want to say it. I don’t really feel good about it. That kind of thing. It’s disgusting.” Chloe stares at the blimp with a grim face. It seems that something nags in her head. The blimp and the dragon descends to the ground. After that, the men who followed Duchess Renalier’s command to come here also headed over in my direction. There’s a slender and tall man, with a shorter, yet buffer man. From their attires, at least, they don’t look like commoners. “We’ve come to escort you, Margrave Fernande, next Baronet of Arnold.” They lightly bow at Margrave Fernande and I. “If you’re bringing any luggage, we will be loading them, with your permission.” “That is unnecessary. There is a lot of cargo that needs to be handled with care, so do let my subordinates to take care of it. Please bear witness to the process.” “We understand, Margrave Fernande. Then, anytime you wish.” With that, the luggage is loaded one after another, then we climb into the blimp. The dragon flaps its wings, lifts the blimp up, and starts to travel through the sky.

Credits:

Isecai’s Notes: Kurt says that fermenting cacao fruit to cocoa beans will take 3-4 weeks, but on a Google glimpse I find that you only need 2-7 days. But maybe he’s talking about processing the beans until it can be used as baking chocolate as well. About the title. Ryusha is literally written with kanji of dragon and transportation. However, the direct translation is actually “imperial carriage”. I imagine that since the emperor is hailed as “the dragon”, they used the kanji for several things to symbolize the imperial standing. However, since it’s emphasized that the dragon is of Western kind, I retain the “Dragon” translation. I can be mistaken so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. ^w^ (It also has another meaning that’s less relevant to this context, which is a part of a pagoda.) In case you’re wondering, Faruno’s father’s name is Alfred Fernande. And the picture contains a talk that’s added in the LN. (I’m not looking for the differences, though. Just those relevant to the insert pics!)