Chapter 1: The Birth Story of a Knight Begins with Poverty Alleviation
Part I
Ryoji, summoned to dinner by Duke Harrold Coltezis, was eagerly awaiting the final dessert. This anticipation was heightened after receiving a message from the head chef, declaring it to be a specialty.
“Wait? Is this a hotcake?”
“A hotcake you say? It doesn’t really have a specific name; it’s a dish I created, but it seems they have something similar in your country, Ryoji-sama. It looks like I still have a lot to learn.”
“No, no. There are similar things, and I thought it was something unique to my country, but when I saw this, I was surprised.”
Listening to their exchange, Charlotte, the head of the Royal Magic Academy who had been invited alongside them, curiously poked at the pancake with her fork and asked a question.
“Ryoji-kun. To have sweets served after a meal, aristocratic dining really is something else.”
“Principal, that’s not very proper. Still, it’s quite a delight to encounter hotcakes. Truly, the chef of the Duke’s household is exceptional.”
As Ryoji and Charlotte chatted, Harrold, observing the two, began to speak joyfully.
“Don’t worry about manners. By the way, how does it taste? What do you think, Ryoji?”
“This is good enough to open a store just for hotcakes. By the way, should I try making hotcakes from my country too? If the chef is okay with it—”
“Absolutely! Please teach me your country’s hotcakes, Ryoji-sama! I don’t want to be outdone by the palace’s head chef!”
“Too close! Your face is way too close!”
Taking the suggestion as a light-hearted joke, Ryoji, who was approached so enthusiastically he almost bumped faces with Harrold, received permission and headed to the kitchen.
“Wow! As expected of the Duke’s kitchen! With this much equipment and ingredients, I can do all sorts of things. First, could I borrow a sieve and a whisk?”
“A sieve? A whisk?”
“Oh, you don’t have those here? The sieve is to prevent clumps. If there are clumps, it affects the texture. The whisk is for beating the egg whites. It makes the mixture finer, resulting in fluffier hotcakes than just mixing with a stick.”
With that, Ryoji took out mithril ore from storage and used his skill to extract it into thin strands. Imagining the whisk, he completed it in about a minute.
Charlotte and Harrold, recommended by Ryoji, took a bite and were left in shock. The softness of the hotcakes he made was significantly different from those made by the earlier chef.
For a while, they savored the hotcakes, but then they noticed the chef holding a strange stick with care and furrowing his brows as if realizing something, he stared at Ryoji in disbelief.
“As expected of the Duke! Your insight is remarkable! This whisk was made from mithril!”
“To make cooking tools from mithril…”
Harrold was astonished at Ryoji’s beaming smile.
“What’s happening here?”
Orlando’s first words as he entered the dining room were met with an equally bewildered expression from Elizabeth, who was looking around unsure of what was going on.
“What are you doing?”
“My lady! Just in time! Orlando-sama, please join us! This hotcake was created by me and Ryoji-sama. Please enjoy!”
Before Ryoji could respond to Elizabeth’s question, the chef, in an excited manner, began talking.
“If you recommend it, I will partake. It smells wonderful! Now, could you please answer my question, Chef? What on earth is happening?”
“It’s amazing how well-balanced they’ve been stacked up like this.”
Looking at the stack of more than ten hotcakes, Elizabeth confirmed. Meanwhile, Orlando murmured in admiration beside her.
Listening to the chef’s explanation, Elizabeth and Orlando took a bite of the hotcakes and were left speechless by the deliciousness. It was as though they had been given a dish to soothe their recent intense work, and they ate the hotcakes with complete focus.
“Well, I admit that the hotcakes are delicious. But I’m sure you can explain how that came to be, right?”
In response to Elizabeth’s question, Ryoji began to explain happily instead of the chef.
“At first, I was explaining to the chef how to make hotcakes, but while describing the whisk, I came up with some improvements. Naturally, if it turned out well, I wanted to use it, right? When I poured in some mana, it spun perfectly, didn’t it? It made whisking so much easier, right? When I made hotcakes with it, they turned out extremely fluffy, didn’t they? So naturally, I wanted to make more, right? The chef got carried away and made a ton, right? I didn’t want to lose, so I made some too… Ouch!”
“I understand the situation. Please calm down, Ryoji-san.”
“O-o-oh. O-o-ouch. It hurts…. That paper fan is really painful, you know?”
“I think so. This is a silver hand fan made in reference to Marco-san’s mithril hand fan. Unfortunately, compared to the mithril one, it lacks flexibility and just hurts when you hit someone with it.”
“… Please don’t hit me on the head with such a prototype.”
As Ryoji rubbed his head and complained, Elizabeth explained while stroking the hand fan.
“Marco-san said, ‘If Ryoji is running wild, stop him with this hand fan. I, who have been recognized as the tsukkomi master by King Marcel, give you permission.’ So, I made this based on the mithril hand fan.”
“What the heck! That’s terrible, Marco!”
“It’s a message from Marco-san: ‘Because of you, I now have the title of tsukkomi master for the entire Sandstrom Kingdom, including the king! Get hit by a hand fan! Also, it’s too long! That title is way too long!’ It was quite the task remembering his message.”
Elizabeth conveyed this with a wry smile.
“I finished eating the hotcakes; will you talk with me now, Ryoji-kun?”
“Of course! It seems that His Holiness the Pope has arrived because the arrangements are settled, correct?”
“… Don’t force yourself to use honorifics. Just act as usual.”
Orlando began to explain the poverty measures while chuckling. He talked about the improvements of the roads and creating several rest areas along the way. The road being improved would connect the royal capital to the Papal State where the holy city is located.
Ryoji would be in charge of recruiting workers, and Elizabeth would sponsor it as the Duke Family. Orlando then conveyed that the Pope would grant permission for the road improvements.
“What does that mean?”
“When the Pope says, ‘Believers! Let us pave the way to the holy city!’ it carries more weight. The Pope’s influence is even greater than you think, Ryoji-kun.”
Orlando explained while Ryoji looked at him with curiosity.
In the royal capital, a certain newspaper was being distributed. It was a special edition that was free, and the curious citizens of the royal capital eagerly accepted and read it one after another.
Help Wanted! Want to help us build the road to the Holy city?
We will be improving the road connecting the Royal capital to the Holy city! Men and Women of all ages are welcome! We have various jobs available! Three meals a day included! Paid monthly, but daily payment is also possible! For those with small children, there’s a daycare as well! A joint policy by Count Ryoji Uchino, the hero of Drugul, and Miss Elizabeth Coltezis. The Pope has also expressed his gratitude!
The paper was distributed in a district with many commoners, and the newspaper workers read it out loud energetically. It detailed the joint effort by Ryoji, who had recently become a count, and Elizabeth, and the back side contained the interview venue and timings.
“As everyone knows, this project is being centered around the hero of Drugul, Ryoji-sama, who recently became a Count! The Coltezis Dukedom and the Royal family are participating in the project as well. Plus, the Pope is pleased! Isn’t that amazing!”
“Will it be fine for us who are being helped at the relief center?”
“Of course! Just going to the interview means you’ll receive a meal and three copper coins! Just for showing up!”
As the reader announced with excitement, a loud cheer rose from the gathered crowd.
“It was our first attempt, but it seems to have gone well.”
“Distributing newspapers for free. Also, helping financially while not meddling with the article content is impressive.”
Elizabeth and Orlando spoke to Ryoji as they looked at the newspaper.
“If we meddled, it would negate the newspaper’s value. Still, this is having results beyond our expectations.”
“When I hear about Ryoji-sama’s knowledge and skills, I feel like I would believe someone saying, ‘He is actually a messenger from the gods.’ I apologize; that wasn’t something I should say in front of the Pope.”
Elena, who participated as a representative of the royal family, offered an apology, but Orlando responded with laughter.
“It’s fine, Princess Elena. I was told by the God Iorus to ‘be of help to him,’ after all. Ryoji-kun is someone who is relied upon by the gods.”
“Hey, don’t go adding titles without permission.”
Ryoji lightly complained about Orlando’s words.
“Ryoji-sama’s titles are quite diverse, aren’t they? Just from what I know, there’s the hero of Drugul, the nemesis of the Ox-Men, the prodigy of the academy, the one who awakened cooking, and the master of mushrooms. And then, limited to the royal family, there’s the rival of the founding king Amadeo Sandstrom, the ‘Conductor of Pudding and Ice Cream,’ and the ‘Seeker of Post-Dessert Treats.'”
“Wait! I remembered! The awards and punishments on my guild certificate were also Princess Elena’s doing, right? That’s terrible! I heard about it from Carena!”
When Ryoji read out the titles that spread in the town, he initially listened in embarrassment but finally couldn’t help but interject at the end.
“There’s more? When will Count Pudding come to visit? I want to eat those hotcakes made at the duke’s residence too!”
“Isn’t that just a message? I’m going to come by soon, so please don’t give me any weird titles!”
“Oh my! I’m so happy! It’s like I was urging you!”
“Princess Elena, it’s definitely an urging…”
“Now, let’s start with the explanation of the road construction. I, Carena will be your host. Nice to meet you!”
A stir arose from the crowd as Carena introduced herself on stage.
“Carena, the beloved daughter of the spirits? What is she doing here?”
“Don’t you know? She’s the fiancée of the hero of Drugul, Ryoji.”
“That makes sense. So this project is being funded entirely by Ryoji, right?”
“Yes! You guys over there! Please keep your chatter to a minimum! Let’s listen to what I have to say!”
Carena’s admonishment sparked some wry smiles and chuckles from the audience, and the men who were scolded turned red and apologized.
“Now, let me start the explanation. This project is about improving the road from the Royal capital to the Holy City. The construction period will last one year. If we finish early, we will give special rewards, so let’s all do our best!”
Additionally, it was explained that meals centered around meat would be provided at every gathering, and those recognized for their hard work would receive housing and fields from Ryoji. Furthermore, those who excelled would be hired as vassals. Each time another detail was shared, cheers erupted from the crowd, culminating in a deafening cheer during the final announcement.
“And, anyone who participates in the interview later will receive three copper coins and a meal. Interviewees will be given two wooden tokens, one blue and one red. Each one serves as a voucher for the reward and the meal, so please be careful. Anyone have any questions?”
“Yes! There are so many people here, but will there be enough food?”
“Of course, Ryoji-sama has prepared enough for one thousand people, so it’ll be fine. Any other questions? Well then, let’s start the registration right away. We’re dividing registrations by job type, so please pay attention.”
Following Carena’s instructions, everyone began to move.
“Will that explanation be enough? Perhaps it needs to be a bit more detailed—”
“That was sufficient. The interview basically is ‘Can you start today?’ Ultimately, we want around five hundred people. Unfortunately, it looks like a lot of folks just want a meal and three copper coins today.”
Ryoji was preparing the food while talking to Elena. Unable to contain her curiosity about the large pot and the vegetables being tossed in, Elena asked for clarification.
“Ryoji-sama, what kind of dish is this?”
“This is a type of stew made with potatoes that’s popular in my country. It’s perfect for large gatherings.”
“That’s quite a big pot you have there. You have a lot of plates too; it must have been quite a hassle to prepare all this?”
In response to Elena’s questions, Ryoji began demonstrating by pulling iron ingots and clumps of dirt from storage to create new pots and plates. Elena watched in fascination as they were made, but then became worried.
“Um, Ryoji-sama, won’t this mean there won’t be any work left for the blacksmiths? You have five huge pots and a thousand plates prepared, right?”
“Yes, I’ve prepared that much. But don’t worry. The plates are single-use, and once we’re done with the pots, they go back to being ingots. This was done in a rush, so there’s no need to worry. This won’t take away from the blacksmiths’ work.”
After hearing that the tableware would be ordered in bulk for the upcoming road improvement project and that lodging cabins were being prepared, Elena looked at Ryoji with admiration, sending him heated glances.
“Hey! Get in line!”
A boy warned a group of five men who had cut in. He was grabbed by the collar.
“Shut up! Don’t get in our way!”
People around them shifted to avoid getting caught up in the commotion, forming a circle around the boy and the five men.
“I’m going to say it again! Get in line!”
“Kids like you should go to daycare!”
“Go drink some milk over there!”
“You’ve got some nerve complaining to us!”
“If anyone on the sidelines has a problem, come on!”
The followers of the first shouting man also began to intimidate the boy. Despite his pale face, the boy glared at the men when a light voice came from the side.
“What are you doing?”
Looking at the source of the voice, they saw Ryoji, dressed nicely and approaching with sparkling eyes. The boy thought a naive noble child was interfering and quickly warned him.
“Get out of here! This isn’t a place for a noble brat like you!”
“Those five over there cut in line and are saying some low-level nonsense, right?”
“You were watching, huh?”
“That’s the template, you know.”
Though the others didn’t understand Ryoji’s response, they recognized he was mocking them, and one of the men tried to grab Ryoji by the collar but instead found his arm twisted, letting out a scream.
“That hurts! What are you doing?!”
“I’ll take it easy on you, so don’t worry and come at me.”
“Don’t take me for a fool!”
Fueled by rage, the man attempted to strike Ryoji, but he easily dodged and knocked him out with a punch to the right cheek.
“After all, templates should be like this. By the way, how many people can you handle?”
“I don’t need any help with the kids! Just run away!”
As Ryoji smiled wryly at the boy’s words, two knights clad in full plate armor arrived.
“What’s all this commotion about?!”
“They were causing a ruckus, so I just warned them.”
“That’s a lie! It’s because you all cut in line!”
“Stop the fighting! Everyone will receive food and copper coins, so there’s no need to argue.”
The knight, trying to forcibly settle the situation, was confronted by the boy, who looked indignant.
“That’s not right! We have to follow the rules!”
“Who started the fight? The count is working on measures for the poor, and we should take into custody anyone causing trouble. You are guilty too!”
“No way. What are you talking about?”
Seeing Ryoji approach casually, the knight speaking to the boy looked astonished and turned pale at his own blunder.
“It’s this guy! The one who started picking a fight!”
The knight reprimanded the man trying to shift the blame onto Ryoji.
“You fool! Don’t you know this man is the hero of Drugul?!”
“H-Hero of Drugul? Lord Ryoji Uchino?”
All the attention in the area focused on Ryoji.
“Is he really the hero of Drugul?”
“Yeah, that’s me. I was hoping to keep a low profile, but too bad. Hey, I’m taking this kid with me. You settle this ruckus here and once you’ve registered them, bring them to my tent.”
“Yes! I will definitely bring them!”
Nodding gracefully at the knight’s words, Ryoji instructed the boy to follow him.
—-Part I end—-
Don’t worry, I won’t take a year to post another part. I’ve tled it already and scheduled for the release, next week at this time.
(The Next button will only work next week)
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I was surprised for a multiple releases. 😉 Looking forward for the next week’s chapters. Thanks for the treat. 👍