Chapter : 27
The Bachelor Aristocrat Builds a Coffee Mill
“~~♪”
“…Jilk, you’re in a good mood again today, aren’t you?”
Tristan said, giving me a somewhat exasperated look while I was humming and working on my magical tool.
It was a tone far too disrespectful for a subordinate, but I didn’t care at all—I was in an exceptionally good mood.
“Well, yeah.”
“Did you find another good shop again?”
“Yeah, I recently discovered a nice bar. Not only does it have a great atmosphere, but the bartender is skilled as well. It’s perfect.”
That wasn’t all. I had gotten tangled up with a troublesome violinist named Katarina, but as a result, I managed to acquire a rather rare magical item.
It had taken some effort and trouble, but recently, I could confidently say that things were going very well for me.
“You’re not taking me to that bar either, right?”
“Of course not.”
I nodded at Tristan’s words, as if it were obvious, and he slumped in disappointment.
I didn’t want to bring work colleagues into my private life.
Besides, if I took Tristan to that bar, he’d probably bother that female elf, which would be annoying. I wanted to cherish this newly found place of relaxation.
“…I’ve been wondering for a while, Jilk. What exactly are you making? You were designing a new magical tool not long ago, weren’t you?”
“I’m curious about that too.”
Not only Tristan, but Rouge also came over to my desk to ask.
I had been entirely focused on designing new magical tools lately.
Tristan and Rouge roughly knew the outlines of my projects, but seeing me assemble a clearly different magical tool naturally raised questions.
“I found a drink called coffee at one of my favorite cafés. I’m making a magical tool to grind the coffee beans that are used as its ingredient.”
Yes, what I was making was a coffee mill—both manual and automatic.
If I went to a café in Rondel, I could drink coffee anytime.
But I wanted to drink coffee not only at cafés but also at home, in the workshop, or while out.
So, I decided to create a coffee mill that could grind beans anytime.
The manual one was cylindrical, with a handle on top.
The automatic one had an inert magical stone inside, and when charged with mana, it could grind beans on its own—a marvelous creation.
Since both manual and automatic had their own advantages and disadvantages, I decided to make both.
“Coffee beans? What’s that?”
“I’ve never heard of it either.”
Even when I tried to explain the wonders of the coffee mill, Tristan and Rouge just tilted their heads in confusion.
They didn’t even know what coffee was. Perhaps explaining in detail would be pointless.
“Well, it’s not a common drink in this country.”
“Again with making such a niche magical tool! If you have time to make that, why not make an air conditioner? If that became real, summer would be comfortable, everyone would be happy, and the workshop would earn huge profits!”
“Shut up. Don’t boss me around. It’s fine to make a different magical tool for a change. Besides, I’m not lacking money.”
I brushed off Tristan’s complaints, and he looked dissatisfied.
There wasn’t a strict deadline, and the workshop was running at a good profit. There was no reason to rush.
Doing the same work all the time can get boring. It’s okay to make a different magical tool for a bit of a break.
“Rouge, say something too!”
“It’s better to let Jilk make what he wants than for people to fuss around him.”
Tristan said that, but Rouge replied with a wry smile.
As expected of our sales manager, she understood me well.
“Eh? But this kind of magical tool won’t sell at all, you know?”
“I’m not doing it for money.”
Tristan was right—coffee mills aren’t magical tools for the masses like refrigerators or hair dryers.
Even if they were sold, only a few customers, like regulars at Rondel or cafés, would enjoy them.
But I didn’t care. I was only making magical tools to make my own life more comfortable.
“My job is to somehow promote and sell it. I don’t know much about coffee, but since cafés offer it, there might be some demand.”
For this particular tool, I didn’t really need her to sell it, but I agreed with the division of roles: I create, Rouge sells. That’s why I hired Rouge—to increase efficiency.
Thinking this, I installed the blades inside the coffee mill, attached the body and handle, and assembled it.
“All right, it’s done.”
I had bought some coffee beans from Rondel, so I could test it immediately.
But drinking my first cup from a coffee mill I made in the workshop felt a little dull.
I hadn’t gone out much lately, so I decided to enjoy it outside.
“I’m done for today.”
“Eh? Already?”
“Yeah, I want to check the performance of the coffee mill. Yesterday was late, and you two can leave once your quotas are done.”
I told Tristan and Rouge, who were working in the workshop, then took the coffee mill and beans home.
After returning home and preparing to head out of the royal capital, I arrived at my favorite lake in the Eastern Forest.
“Yo! We meet again!”
And once again, I ran into Eight.
He had set up tents and chairs by the lakeside, enjoying his time here, just like before.
I had wanted to enjoy the lake alone this time, so seeing another visitor was a bit frustrating.
“…You don’t live here, right?”
“No, of course not. I have a proper home too.”
When I asked suspiciously, Eight chuckled and shook his head.
What were the odds that he would show up here just on the day I came?
Well, it happens. Eight understood solo outdoor enjoyment, so while he might chat lightly, he didn’t interfere unnecessarily.
It was unfortunate that I couldn’t have the spot to myself, but sharing it with him wasn’t so bad.
“Eight? What are you doing?”
Then a flashy girl with orange hair came out of the tent.
A girl with him…?
“You’re not alone today, huh?”
“Sorry. She insisted on coming along.”
Eight looked troubled, as if he hadn’t really wanted to bring her.
This was a quiet location—he wasn’t the type to boisterously bring a companion here.
It seemed he reluctantly allowed her to come along.
“Hey, do you know her?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“What’s her name?”
“Name? Now that you mention it, I introduced myself, but I didn’t ask your name.”
“That’s weird! We know each other but don’t know each other’s names?”
Eight said seriously, and his companion laughed.
Looking at her, she was tall, well-built, and unlike ordinary women—flexible yet strong. She likely had enough combat ability to venture outside.
“Perfect opportunity. Tell me your name again?”
Eight had already introduced himself, so it was only fair for me to do the same.
“Jilk Rulen.”
“I’ve heard that name! You’re the genius who makes amazing magical tools, right?”
The girl reacted immediately to my name.
“I don’t know about genius, but yes, that magical tool craftsman is me.”
“So, you were the unreasonable client Rouge mentioned?”
Not only the girl, but Eight also reacted in surprise.
“Wait, you know Rouge?”
“She’s sometimes my client who places specific requests. You didn’t know?”
“I leave all the small tasks to Rouge.”
I sometimes handle the purchase of materials needed for magical tools, but small or bulk purchases are mostly left to Rouge.
For rare materials, it’s hard to get them from the market, so I sometimes have adventurers procure them directly.
Apparently, Eight had helped gather materials many times through this process.
“What an interesting coincidence.”
“Indeed.”
It turned out that, despite not knowing each other’s faces or names, we were connected professionally.
“Okay, okay! Finally, me! I’m Mariela, an adventurer with Eight!”
The girl hurriedly introduced herself, but I didn’t care.
“I see.”
“Just that? You barely reacted even though you know Eight?”
“Haha, Jilk’s just cool like that.”
Perhaps sensing my feelings, Eight immediately lightened the mood with a joke.
That was probably his secret to being popular, but I didn’t need such a skill.
