Chapter 479 - Present

I cut some bamboos.

I made a large amount of cups using those bamboos.

The diameter of those bamboo cups is about….20cm.

Instead of bamboo cups, won’t it be better to call them bamboo saucers?

No, the depth is about 10 cm so they can still be used as cups.

…….

Should I just use them as bamboo saucers?

The oni maids wash the bamboo saucers I made.

I’m sorry for making a lot of it.

-0-

In the corner of the guest receiving room, the mountain elves assembled an odd table.

The table is a long table that can be occupied by 20 people, 10 people on each side.

The width is around 30cm and there is something after it that looks like a lane that is around 10cm deep.

The shape is an elongated O so it looks like a horse race track.

Water was poured on that lane and the bamboo saucers that I made are floating on it.

This is basically a tryout on checking if the bamboo saucers won’t sink.

After checking, the bamboo saucers were withdrawn.

And Loo installed a magic tool.

It is something that generates water flow.

After adjusting the water flow several times, Loo gives an OK sign.

In response to that, I put a bamboo saucer and let it float on the lane again.

Yeah, it started to go with the water flow.

I put bamboo saucers one after another to check if there won’t be any problem.

Complete.

「What’s this?」

I answered the question of one of the civil servant girls.

「Rotating lane」

Accurately speaking, a sushi conveyor belt.

-0-

I wanted to please the children but I’m worried if they’ll like what I’ll do.

And so, I came up with sushi’s conveyor belt.

This might already be an obsolete idea but the adults like it, mainly the mountain elves, so I thought it would be fine.

The difference with this idea of mine is instead of sushi, I plan on putting a variety of dishes on the bamboo saucers.

The mobility experiment is currently successful.

I asked the oni maids to start cooking and call the children.

On the chairs around the table are Dors, Girar, ancestor-san, demon king, Doraim, Loo, Tier, fairy queen, and Beezel.

……

Isn’t it still too early for dinner?

……

I could not resist their eyes full of expectations.

Maa, let’s think of this as a trial before children’s use.

-0-

I’ll explain the rules of this rotating lane.

One, you may only take what is before you.

Don’t cause trouble to your seatmate.

Another rule, make sure you’ll eat the dish on the saucer you took.

Don’t leave anything.

Another rule, only one dish at a time.

You can only take another one once you finish eating what you took.

We will prepare alcohol separately.

That’s all.

The oni maids started cooking so I joined the group.

-0-

「I see, seeing the dishes float like this is marvelous…hohou. This looks delicious….no, the next one is.」

Dors’ eyes chased the flowing dishes but he did not take one easily.

「You won’t be able to eat if you think and wait too much. Eat what’s coming.」

Girar took the dish and ate it.

「The taste is quite different compared to a normal banquet.」

Ancestor-san’s dishes are well balanced. He took roast chicken, salad, grilled fish, and fruits.

「This is fun and I’m even looking forward to what’s going to float next.

The children will surely love this.」

The demon king is mainly taking rice dishes that flow from time to time.

「Don’t only eat the things you like.」

In contrast to ancestor-san, Doraim is concentrated on taking dishes with radish.

He’s not practicing what he preaches, does he?

Now his eyes are currently chasing after floating boiled radish.

「This is incredible, five sweets in a row!」

Loo stared at the incoming pudding, ice dessert, honey yogurt, crepe, and dango. She chose the ice dessert at the last minute.

「Upstream seats are advantageous. 」

Tier chose the pudding without hesitation.

「I chose the wrong chair to sit on. 」

The fairy queen took the crepe.

I took the dango.

It looks like I ate it too fast.

「All sweets are already taken by choice by my neighbors. 」

The last one, Beezel, who was drinking alcohol, picked up the only dish that flowed before him.

-0-

Yeah.

The seats closest to those who are serving food are indeed more advantageous.

However, that person won’t know what will come out next so it will be his judgment that will be tested.

In that case, the second and third seats might be a little better since they can still check out what’s happening and what will be the next dish.

Well, it’s also possible to change where the server will put the food next.

If they will put all the dishes in the same place, won’t the person in the end be unable to eat what he wants?

How about deciding where to sit by draw lots?

Let’s add that to the rule.

Another rule, don’t instruct others.

No one should tell anyone what to or what not to eat.

-0-

Immediately after seeing the adults sitting, the mountain elves have already begun making a new table and lane.

「We thought there are not enough seats.」

After making it quickly, they connected it with the current lane.

The sitting capacity is now doubled.

It seems like they were already thinking about expansion since the beginning so even draining the water on the lane is unnecessary when connecting the new one.

They’re reliable.

I’ll make additional bamboo saucers.

The lane has extended after all.

Let’s do our best.

-0-

When the children saw the rotating lane, their eyes twinkled.

I suggested having draw lots for the sitting position but the civil servant girls rejected it.

Why?

「For example….assuming Beezel-sama is sitting before Dors-sama, do you think he would dare take anything?」

The civil servant girls said so while looking at Beezel who’s enjoying the food that makes its way to him.

There’s that huh.

「There is. There’s hierarchy among adults and there’s also hierarchy among children. Changing the arrangement will only cause…..」

I can’t argue with that.

As for me, as long as the children are getting along, it’s fine.

I’ll leave the sitting arrangements of the children to themselves.

-0-

The children sit next to Beezel.

Ririus, Riguru, Ratte, Torain, Alfred, Tiselle, Ursa, Nutt, Hiichirou, and Guraru sit in order.

While sitting, the children can’t reach the dishes on the lane.

A big failure.

I should have reviewed it more.

Next to the children are a group of civil servant girls, high elves, and oni maids who’ll take the dishes on the lane per the children’s request.

Yeah, that took more trouble.

I’m sorry.

-0-

I apologized in my heart but the mountain elves brought more new tables and lanes.

And then connect them to the original.

This is….the width of the table is shorter, they made it for the children!

「We were careless. How about now?」

Mountain elves, great job.

-0-

I asked the children to move their seats and resume their meals after that.

Oh, it looks like they find it for fun taking it by themselves rather than instructing someone to take it for them.

Hahaha.

Don’t panic, you’ll flip the saucer.

Also, don’t play with the water of the lane.

The rotating lane was very popular.

It would be good to do this from time to time.

-0-

Hnn?

Why don’t I just sit down and eat?

Okay.

Then, I’ll sit next to Guraru.

-0-

Yeah, I made it for them and they are having fun.

However, am I being too strict when I say only one dish at a time?

I feel like I want three dishes at the same time.

Maa, I’m enjoying this so it’s okay.

Then, I saw a spiderling flowing on a bamboo saucer.

Hahaha.

It suits you but it’s not good to play at the place where we eat.

I’m wrong?

You’re not playing?

The spiderling before me made a web and stopped the bamboo saucer before me.

?

If you do that, the next bamboo saucer will hit it.

The spiderling said it was okay. The following saucer indeed has no food on it.

Why?

Instead of food, there was a large iron medal and a letter on it.

The letters were from the children.

Reading the content of the letter, I can’t help but tear up.

The big iron medal is something that the children made together with Gutt teaching them.

Wasn’t that dangerous?

I’m happy but I don’t want you to put yourself in danger for me.

The big iron medal, though unskillful, has my name, the children’s names, and their mothers’ names.

Even the names of the baby children are there too.

Yeah, I’ll take care of it for the rest of my life.

That day, I played with the children until late at night.

-0-

Middle of the night.

The dwarves were sitting around the rotating lane.

And what flows on the lane are saucers with cups of alcohol and saucers with tsumami.

「It’s a good idea to put a cap on alcohol cups.」

「But you’ll be unable to know what kind of alcohol it has.」

「There’s only 3 saucers of alcohol per person so it wouldn’t matter.」

「Right. Kuh, too little!」

「You don’t have to be like that. If you tell village chief, we can drink as much as we want.」

「Right, right. There’s no point in worrying about it in the first place.」

「That might be the case but we have to do it in moderation.」

「Of course. By the way, is the amount of alcohol poured on each cup the same? Do you feel any difference between this and that?」

「If it’s the same type of alcohol, it will be the same amount. There’s a little difference in other types but I wouldn’t mind that.」

「It’s not little. It’s clearly different.」

「Then, choose those that contain more.」

「No, that’s not the alcohol I want to drink.」

「You’re troublesome.」

The dwarves continued until dawn.