Takarakuji de 40-oku Atattandakedo Isekai ni Ijuu Suru

A dozen days later in the morning.

In a working room at the Narson Mansion, Ichirana and I were peeking inside the degasser.

The degreaser is cylindrical and has a structure that opens the top lid and puts items inside.

When switched on, the contents rotate fast, forcing the moisture to squeeze out with centrifugal force.

By the way, the power is pulled from the generator you keep outside.

"That's it. I hope it squeezes well."

A cloth bag about the size of a hug was placed inside the degreaser, locking the gatin, and the upper lid.

The contents of the cloth bag are beans that have been steamed and then crushed on the stomach.

"Is oil coming out of the cylinder here?

Zirconia crouched in front of the degasser and peered into the cylinder for oil drainage attached to the bottom.

Naturally, it's dark in the cylinder.

"Yeah, I think you'll be out as soon as you start spinning. Would Mr. Zirconia like to switch it on?

"What, okay?

When Ichigo said while wiping his hands with a towel, Zirconia raised her voice a little happy.

"Go ahead. Push the green switch in there."

Zirconia stood up and, when he came next to a good one, attached his finger to the switch attached to the top lid of the deoiler.

Seeing the appearance, a mischievous heart sprouted in a good heart.

"Yes, when you push in, call me 'Pooch'"

"Hey, what the hell is that? How could you call me that?

"Hope it goes well, it's like a silly thing. Come on, go ahead."

"Ha, ha"

Zirconia turned to the switch and put force on her fingers.

"Poached."

At the same time that the switch was pushed with such a distracted hanging sound, a low ground beep sounded out of the deoiler.

Zirconia gave an uneasy look to the deoiler, which made a rattling noise and swayed into small pieces.

"Oh, you know, is this okay? It's shaking so bad that it's about to break something, and the sound...... so why are you biting off your laughter!? I knew you didn't want that hanging voice!?

Zirconia blushes when she realizes her good mouth is shiny.

"Shh, excuse me! I meant nothing but offense! More than that, look, the oil is coming out!

"What is evil 'only'...... oh, true! Amazing!"

With such an exchange, a chorochoro and oil-mixed liquid poured out of the cylinder for oil drainage.

It is yellow and has a shade like the salad oil you see in Japan.

Zirconia crouched back in front of the cylinder and peered into the hole as earlier.

"Ooh, it keeps coming out...... it usually takes a whole day or more to squeeze, so just having one of these will boost your efficiency"

"Well, is it something that takes that long... Speaking of which, what is this bean?

"This is a type of bean called 'Winter Mame', isn't it? Freshly harvested items are used for oil collection, and those used for consumption are dried in the sun so that they are well preserved."

"Oh, is it heavenly sun-dried? What kind of dish can you use?

"Soup, porridge, you often use it for stewed dishes. When I lived in my hometown, I was tired of all the bean soup every day in the winter."

That's how I kept turning the degreaser for about 15 minutes and finally the liquid stopped coming out.

Stop the deoiler, open the lid, remove the squeezed cussed beans from the inside and transfer them to the barrel.

I packed the new beans in a bag and set them on the degreaser again to switch them on.

"Is it still snowing today?

"It looks like it's coming down. Eira was blurry because she couldn't dry her laundry outside."

It has been snowing almost every day around here since the beginning of the year.

Kara sunny days are enough to count, and the city is completely snow-colored.

The temperature was also quite low and it was cold enough for my face to ache when I went outside early in the morning.

"Um, it's been snowing here lately. Is this what you do every year?

"No, that's quite a bit of snow this year compared to normal years. It was a terrible heat in the summer, so is it a recoil?"

"Oh, I've also heard that when the summer heat is terrible, the cold gets harsher that winter...... Mr. Zirconia, that sounds like something to be happy about. Was it a good thing?

Anyway, I felt something fun about the voice color, and Ichigo turned his attention to Zirconia.

Zirconia crouches down and looks delighted as she watches the liquid come out.

"I was glad to think that if it was so cold, I would be able to take a lot of ice. I'm looking forward to summer now."

"That's right. The ice room and the ice pond were well built, and you can expect it."

Ice ponds built in mountainous areas were able to hold water tight before it began to snow.

The management system is adequate, as we were able to entrust the management of the ice room to the village at the foot with Zirconia's mouth.

If the cold weather continues smoothly like this, you will be able to store a lot of ice.

"You're wearing shaved ice with natural ice. It's time to start prototyping the refrigerator...... yes, would you like to make an ice room dedicated to Mr. Zirconia now? I can store plenty of ice for the shake ice, a little bigger one."

"Oh, that's good...... that's what you said as if I was a foodie"

"Like... aren't you? That's the kind of image that's settled in."

"Chi, no! Don't solidify with weird images on your own!

"Liar, he said it was a joke. I was just kidding."

"Already... you really think this is a joke?

"I think so."

"How much?

"... about 50%"

"Don't be half serious. Awesome!

She swells her cheeks and laughs at the angry zirconia.

Doing that, the door to the room opened and Isaac came in.

He holds a large wooden crate that seems to hold a handful, and the top lid stands in addition to hot air.

"Dear Kazura, I have brought you some extra beans. Is the oil squeeze going well?

"Yeah, it's going well. Mr. Barletta's screw press is squeezing, and the mass production of oil is going to work."

The screw press designed by Valletta is complete with prototype and is still in excellent operation.

Due to the considerable bean harvest, oil extraction is not possible in time for pressing as is usually the case (putting beans in a crate with open gaps, putting stones and other weights on top and squeezing oil), which is why we are in a great hurry to work on the production of additional screw presses.

In the meantime, as a hole filling, I am using the de-oiler that Ichigo brought.

"Okay, I guess this is it"

The liquid has stopped draining, so stop the deoiler, open the lid and remove the squeeze cushion.

I received a cloth bag filled with beans from Isaac and put it in a degreaser.

When he switched it on and began draining the liquid, Isaac raised his voice to the sight "ooh".

"I didn't know oil could squeeze so easily..."

"It's amazing, isn't it? With this one, the oil is going to squeeze hundreds of times faster than usual"

"Right, at this rate the price of oil drops and the lives of the citizens...... oh yeah. I have a message from Master Narson. They both want you to come to the office when you're free."

"Clerk's office. Are you asking me what I have to do?

"No, I'm nothing. He just looked a little serious, so I thought it might be a bright topic."

To the words, Ichigo and Zirconia looked at each other, wondering what.

"Complaint? From Barbell?

"Uhm."

A few minutes later, the two men who came to the office sat side by side in front of Narson.

I heard about the Barbell entanglement, and Zirconia has a rugged face.

"One small village along the border of Barbell has been completely destroyed. According to the testimony of only one survivor, the raiders have left in the direction of our territory."

"Is that all you're saying is that Arcadia humans have decided to raid the village of Barbell?

To put it with a surprised look, Narson nods.

"That's right. I was put in a complaint to the effect that don't let the pirates go wild, don't bother this one. In conjunction with the complaint, compensation has also been claimed. This is the Memorandum of Complaint and Claim for Compensation brought by their Messenger"

"How dare you bullshit me like that...!

When Ichigo turned his attention to the voice, Zirconia was staring at the memorandum in its angry form.

This is the second time I've seen her look like this.

"Uh, uh, is it possible that what Barbell is saying is true?

"It won't be possible first. We have to go through a hill along the border to get to Barbell, where we have our army fortifications, while we have surveillance stations everywhere to patrol our soldiers at all times. I can't imagine a burglar going through such a dangerous place."

"Isn't there a route that would greatly bypass that fort?

"It's possible if we go over the northwest mountainous zone or the mountainous zone on the Clayrats side, but we don't have the advantage of going out of our way to attack the village of Barbell, which is close to our country's borders until we do that. And if we're going to cross the mountains at this time, we're going to be shipwrecked in Snow Mountain before we get to Barbell."

"They're provoking, just like they did 10 years ago. The destruction of the village must be bullshit or a selfie."

One good and Narson's gaze gathers at Zirconia, who tells him to throw up.

"If this one doesn't respond to the demands, they're going to use that as an excuse to break the truce. We need to be ready for this one."

"Hmm..."

To Zirconia's opinion, Narson thinks arm in arm.

"Mr. Narson, what is your view?

To a good inquiry, Narson looked up after a few seconds of silence.

"Jill is right, this can also be seen as an enemy provocation. But the way it's done is a lot more violent."

"Rage...... is it?

"Yep. It seems rampant or too cluttered. The way it's done is too forceful and I'm not sure what the other party's purpose is. I'm trying to rebel against this one, but I was wondering if I was too bad at it."

"What is the purpose of creating a pretext to attack before the expiry of the truce, as Mr Zirconia just said? You don't care about the details because it's about rebelling."

"That's not an impossible story either, but if we were to break the truce in that way, Barbell's credibility on the diplomatic front would be discredited. Whatever truce is with our country alone, so are Clayrats, Protia and Ertile. If we attack one country, we will immediately develop into a full-scale war against all our allies. Not only your allies, but other countries that weren't in the last war and the hard-won barbarians who made peace will also harden their attitudes."

Hearing Narson's views, Ichigo twisted his neck.

This is the fifth year since the truce was signed, but Barbell has never put on anything like this one.

That's why I've come here and suddenly put in such unscrupulous complaints.

For the best of diplomatic amateurs, Zirconia's opinion seemed to stick the most.

"Hmmm...... but shouldn't we keep the defense system consolidated just in case?

"When it comes to consolidating the defensive system in earnest, you will assemble an army to move into a quasi-war system. That would ensure that the economy would stagnate in relation to conscripting. I don't think it's a good idea to do that to the arrow that's about to revitalize the economy."

"It's not too late after the attack. If their attack starts unprepared, it will be irrevocable."

Narson sighs at Zirconia, who complains in a strong tone.

"Jill, as I've said many times for 10 years, we need economic strength to fight. I need a lump sum to pay for conscripts and their families, money and food to keep my legions, whatever it takes. Moving to a quasi-war system means it's going to last for a long time."

"I know that. But we should be ready to fight just in case, right? I'm not telling you to move into a quasi-war system right now, but we should recruit just some of our citizens and let them train."

"I guess we're building fortifications along the border to make up for these things. We have two squadrons (600 men) of standing soldiers, and we have nearly 3,000 workers living there. In the meantime, Ixios is permanently present on the ground. In case they attack, send reinforcements to the fort and we'll be sure to repel them."

"You mean reinforcements from Isteria will be in time, even after Barbell is found to be attacking?

To a good question, Narson nods.

"We'll make it. If it becomes urgent, you will be able to force a reserve and rush to the fort in a few days, although it will be an army in a hurry. Unless you need more time, you can arrive at the latest a dozen days before the enemy attack begins."

"Does this mean we can't detect the enemy's movements? If the fort is suddenly attacked, can't it just stand the troops stationed there?

"It won't be possible either. A country called Barbell needs a vote in the Senate before it can take major action. After that vote, the consul goes to the battlefield as Commander-in-Chief of the Legion to take command of all the armies or give instructions to each Legion from the capital. If we were to launch a major offensive against an enemy country, we should also give instructions to the legions that are dotting it all over the place, and that move would be a big one. There's no way we can't perceive it."

"Oh, that's why you were able to set up your defense system beforehand during the last war..."

Because the country works differently, Barbell seems to take longer to take bigger action than Arcadia.

I guess Arcadia is quick to judge and act on things because the authority of lords per region is so great that each lord exercises almost authoritarian rule.

"But maybe the enemy has already deployed iron gear to the entire army, and since they moved out, there's a training period for conscripts..."

"Jill, I know what you're saying, but we don't need to go that far at this point. It would also be possible enough to send a diplomat to put the story to rest. Besides, we still have more than three years before the truce deadline. Having obtained the iron, Barbell would think that the more time passes, the wider the battle power gap can be with us. So easy, you think they'll attack us until we break the deal?

"Yeah, but what if they know we're starting to refine iron? Wouldn't be strange to think about attacking us before we get all the iron in place, would it?

"Having done so, they will know very well that it will also take quite some time to align the iron vessels. Anyway, they don't have a blast furnace like us. I don't have a ton of furnaces lined up everywhere, and I keep the presence of blast furnaces secret. I don't even think this one produces large quantities of iron. It won't be the same after the iron distribution starts for a while."

Zirconia tried to say something again, but when she closed her mouth she dropped her gaze to her knees.

"But then, what is the purpose of the complaint you've been putting in?

"Well...... either you've just been harassing me or some reason has arisen for the other person to have to act like that"

"Is it convenient in the other party's country? I see, that's how you think about it."

"Yes, it is also possible, for example, that part of Barbell's army has rebelled or mobbed and attacked nearby villages, causing this one to conceal that fact. The people of Barbell would also be convinced if they were explained that Arcadia had attacked them..."

Narson tried to say that much, and stopped the words with a look like, Shit.

Zirconia, as always, remains gazed down on her knees.

"... Mr. Narson?

"Yes, no, I'm sorry. Anyway, we will try to pay more attention to the trends in Barbell. Responses to the other party shall present an indication that the security near the border will be enhanced"

"What do you do about claiming compensation?

"I'll poke. Because they haven't presented any evidence or anything."

"Okay.... Um, what if we were to assume that Barbell would be attacking us in defiance of the truce agreement, how long does Mr. Narson think it would be?

"I don't think it's likely to break the truce itself, but if we were to break it, it would be as early as after the summer of a year later. According to the information coming in, the consul just took turns around last summer, and one of the new consuls seems to be someone who values citizens' opinions more than the Senate. I don't think they're going to do anything big in that situation."

"I see..."

Ichiyoshi nodded and glimpsed the zirconia nagging next door.

He keeps his mouth shut all the time, like he's patient even though he has something to say.

I'm pretty sure you're not convinced by the way the story goes.

"Jill, you may be dissatisfied, but if you recruit or something, even if it's just some citizens, you'll spread unwanted anxiety all over the country. The heat that is thriving on reconstruction will also cool off once and for all. You know what I mean."

When Narson said so, Zirconia took a small breath before raising her face.

"... it's okay. I know. I'm sorry I said too much."

To her smiling like a little trouble, Narson breathes like, "Oh, man."

Those two were roughly good at something that didn't freshen up on a good chest.