In Village Five, there was a food cart specializing in selling zenzai.

The assistant manager of Kuro and Yuki was requested by the guards and talked to me. Then, I asked the mountain elves to make a food cart.

The staff of the said food cart were recruited from Kuro and Yuki.

Therefore, you can say that the food cart specializing in zenzai is a branch of Kuro and Yuki.

The name of the food cart is “Kuro and Yuki Zenzai”.

Don’t question anything about naming sense.

It’s a food cart.

Its purpose is to respond to the request of the guards that are looking for warm, sweet taste under the cold night patrol.

So basically, it is only open late at night.

The location of the food cart will be near the facilities where the guards are.

I made it in the form of a food cart so that it can go around those facilities where the guards are around Village Five.

If we build a store or rent a place, it will be only close to one and will be very far away from the rest.

The menu is limited to zenzai but mochi can be sold too.

If you run out of energy, these foods can charge you up but they soon start to get tired of it.

…….

In the middle of the night, one after another, residents started wandering around in search of the food cart. They even filed an official complaint to Youko which she delivered to me.

They became similar to undead who are wandering around in search of flesh, I mean sweetness, which became a security problem.

The food cart, that’s supposed to ease up the guards at night duty on the cold winter night, became the cause of disturbance that made the said guards busy.

I’m sorry.

Let’s stop this food cart business….

When I tried to stop it, Youko told me to wait a little more.

「I’m not asking you to not stop the food cart business. I’m only asking that maybe, we can think of measures to make the residents not wander around.」

Right.

-0-

Why are they wandering around?

They don’t know where the food cart is.

Then, the solution is simple.

We just need to clearly inform them where the food cart is.

How do we inform…..

I think flyers would be the best but there are many people who can’t read.

How can I tell a large number of people where to go without making them read?

………

There’s no choice but to announce it using the voice of someone during the day.

Let’s hire people then.

However, once the food cart ran out of stock, we should leave an out of stock sign at the place that was announced during the day.

Okay…..

In addition, if I really hire someone to announce it all over, there’s a possibility of the number of customers increasing.

I better tell the staff of “Kuro and Yuki Zenzai” to increase their prepared stock.

Is that all I need to do?

-0-

The problem seems to have been solved.

Good.

The sales of “Kuro and Yuki Zenzai” were also good so the staff were paid a little more.

However, I told them that this food cart will only run this winter but the staff know the whole thing better.

They said not only the guards but there are also people who work in the middle of the night.

And those people don’t only want sweets but also a proper meal.

I see. A food cart for proper meals.

The staff said that it would help everyone if they not only stick to selling sweets.

Maa, I’ll think about making another food cart then.

-0-

When I went to the workshop to look for the mountain elves, three machines greeted me.

That one is a cutting machine.

It is a machine to finely chop wood.

The other one is….a stirring machine.

I wonder what they are designed to mix.

I’m not sure about the last one.

It’s moving in a strange manner.

But it is something familiar.

Where did I see those movements…..

……………

Village One!

Papermaking movement!

That means…..

「It’s a machine that makes paper desu.」

One of the mountain elves told me.

They studied how Village One makes paper and wondered if it could be done mechanically.

And since they thought of it, they made it.

Umu.

I thought that the industrialization of papermaking is still in the far future….

Will this damage the existing parchment industry?

No, industrialization is not a bad thing.

Work efficiency will shoot off the roof.

The manpower and time needed to manufacture something will decrease a lot too.

Though the important thing is not to make too much of it.

「How many of these are you going to build?」

「None. We only made this as a change of pace.」

「I see. Then, hide it before Youko finds it.」

「We want to follow your order but….Youko-sama is behind you.」

「Eh?」

「Village chief, I’m sad that you want to hide this from me.」

「Ehto….」

……..

I can only order Youko.

Don’t overdo things.

「I only don’t want them to overdo things. The production of these machines is not so advance because their hands are full with the slider-type coin calculators.」

It seems like the mountain elves need some break.

But I can only ask them.

I have no choice but to order them to make new food carts for Village Five.

「Please, order us without hesitation. Rather than making the same thing over and over again, making something different is definitely fine!」

……

I know how you feel.

-0-

After helping with the work of the mountain elves, I returned to the living room where the demon king’s group is.

They are the demon king, Beezel, Glatts, Randan, and Hou.

Tiselle and Malbit joined too and it became something like a meeting.

……

The agenda seems to be the short-range teleportation gate.

And it looks like it has come to light that there’s not enough groundwork for the matter with the adventurers guild and they are also consulting both the Dalfon Company and Goroun Company for the merchant’s side.

I get that but why is Malbit insisting on protecting the interest of Big Tree Village?

Also, why is Tiselle insisting on protecting the interest of merchants?

Ah, no, I have no question.

If I stick my neck out there, I might get invited to participate.

The only thing I can do is to stay silent.

Hnn?

When I was about to leave, Miyo, who should have returned to Shashaato City after her vacation, arrived.

「Long time no see. Why are you here?」

「I was called desu. I have to participate in the meeting over there.」

Miyo, who’s holding a rolled parchment, said that.

Given its size, it is probably a map.

Ah, it is indeed a map of the villages and towns along the way.

「Village chief, are you not going to participate? Loo-sama and Youko-sama should participate too desu ne.」

「I will refrain from….or rather, what’s with that meeting? Is it about the plan revision?」

「Looks like it. I was called here because I was told that the final revision has been decided.」

I see.

Maa, to be honest, it will be for the good of everyone if the short-range teleportation gates are installed but that’s something the demon king’s kingdom should decide.

It is not something I can actively participate in.

I’m only a collaborator at best.

I have to be careful to not get involved too deep.

「I think it is already too late for you to say that……I’ll report to you later.」

I walked out of the living room after talking with Miyo.

-0-

Areh?

Why do you have to report it to me?

-0-

After dinner.

It was the demon king himself who came to report to me.

-0-

Mountain elves: We want to try some other image too rather than playing the same jigsaw puzzle.