Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Chapter 242

Aegir POV–

「Here we have a wooden table made by that master craftsman Tophnaf, Madam . 」

「How lovely……the wood shines just like amber . 」

「Indeed . Ten coats of the precious Dylan sap were painted on the wood so it wouldn’t deteriorate……」

Nonna brushes the polished wooden table, spellbound by its luster while Claire explains with a smile .

Right now, we are currently gathered in the vacant new mansion .

Furniture for the new mansion was prepared by Claire to satisfy Nonna’s strong desire .

The shrewd woman had already accumulated notable pieces of furniture after seeing the near completion of the mansion .

I watch the exchange between Claire and Nonna while chewing some nuts and stifling a yawn .

If I was open about it, Nonna would get angry after all .

「Because of the wars, most of the handicrafts from the Federation cannot be acquired anymore . Fortunately, I have a considerable amount available for your new mansion . Except…… they are still very rare and have a higher asking price than other items……」

「Is that so!? Then we should hurry…… Carla and Mel-san, are you both okay with this?」

Nonna is already in that mindset .

「You expect me to know anything about expensive tables? Do as you like as long as Aegir is fine with it . 」

「I don’t know much about it either, so if Nonna-san likes it……」

I’m not knowledgeable either .

To be honest, be it a table or a boulder, I’m fine with it as long as it has the right height so I’ll let her do as she likes .

Nonna smiles in satisfaction and turns back to Claire .

「Then I’ll have thi-「Wait right there!」……tch . 」

The one who interrupted was Claudia .

The double doors swing open with a loud bang .

She rolls closer with the custom-made dress she stayed up all night to tailor wrapped around her body .

Her intensity and pressure make the other girls step back, and the temperature inside the room simultaneously rises instantly as soon as she steps in .

「What…… no, who is that?」

「Right, this is the first time Claire is meeting her . She is Claudia, one of my women, though not officially anything yet . 」

「I-is that so…… you have some strange tastes . 」

She wasn’t this fat when I embraced her .

Claudia brushes Claire and Nonna aside and examines the table intently .

Drops of sweat fall on the brand new table, which causes Claire to scowl .

「This isn’t something created by Tophnaf . 」

「Wha-!?」「What are you saying!? Are you trying to say it’s a fake?」

Nonna is surprised while Claire raises her voice .

As expected, it would make me doubt their trustworthiness if they try to sell me a counterfeit item .

「It was certainly a product made in his workshop, but it was finished by one of his disciples . 」

Heeeh, now I’m starting to get a little interested .

「The sanding and finishing touches are the same, but Tophnaf’s creations have a certain peculiarity to them . There is one grain on the tabletop that runs from the head of the table to the bottom . Yet this table has two grains, not to mention they’re in the middle, making it not a Tophnaf work . 」

It certainly looks that way .

But I’m sure the Flitch company has experts on furniture .

If the thing about the wood grain is so famous, wouldn’t they have realized?

「This is something I heard from Tophnaf himself . I’ve obtained wooden products directly from him after all . 」

I expected nothing less from the Malordol household .

「Certainly regular noble customers would always get the master craftsman to personally take care of their products . But if they are sold to foreign merchants……」

「It wouldn’t be strange if the products were made by his disciples and he just gives one final check before they’re sold . 」

Nonna and Mel nod, Claire has a nonplussed smile on her face with some anger showing through .

That information just now was probably not even known by the suppliers of Flitch let alone Claire .

「Gather only the products made by Tophnaf himself . Even the products made by his disciples should be better than the other sundries . We can put them in the servants’ rooms . 」

「Acting on your own again!」

Claudia started giving orders out of nowhere and was interrupted by Nonna, even though she was at a disadvantage earlier when causing a fuss about the masterpiece .

「Ara, then did you want to let Aegir-sama have this second-class table instead? You’ve really got nothing besides those breasts . 」

「……Guh . 」

As expected, she spent a longer time shopping excessively and enjoying luxuriousness .

Nonna lets out a strained cry and couldn’t say anything more .

Carla pokes fun at her and then they start grappling with each other .

Leaving the struggling Nonna and Carla aside, Claudia drops herself firmly on a chair she prepared, then asks Clara to fan her while she continues the negotiations .

When the chair creaks, Clara quickly grabs a supporting rod and props it against the chair .

She might need a metal chair dedicated for her use only .

「Next is carpet . What selections do you have available?」

「Products from Goldonia’s Schups and former Treia’s Riflo . If you aren’t worried about cost, then I can also prepare the high grade carpet made by Kiraff from the eastern part of the Federation . 」

「I will of course choose products from the Federation! Even if it’s more expensive, the material quality is worlds apart . The touch and feel of Kiraff’s carpets…… is so nice it makes your body want to lay on it without thinking……」

Nonna looks on from a distance as she comments .

Now that I look, Carla, who she was scuffling with before, is upside down .

Apparently she let her guard down and got slapped by Nonna’s ferocious breasts .

「Kiraff? Something that cheap will make your feet rash . It’s no good unless it’s made by either Juht or Mashue . 」

However Claudia doesn’t hold back .

She could at least phrase it better…… Nonna’s eyes are tilted upwards now .

「T-those are certainly items our company doesn’t have…… they’re too expensive and not high in demand……」

「Haa…… you’re reaully useless, aren’t you . Well I guess Kiraff carpets are better to clean the dirt off our feet than other carpets of unknown make . Alright then, we’ll take Kiraff . 」

「Thank you for your purchase . 」

Claire politely bows her head .

As expected of a merchant to keep up appearances .

Her shoulders are trembling though…… she must be pretty angry .

「How dare that pig woman……」

Nonna is pretty upset too .

Don’t make such a scary face…… Claudia is just blunt, she doesn’t any bad intentions .

「Next is…… right now the door is a temporary one, right?」

Claudia looks at me .

This might be a mansion that hasn’t been used yet, but glass and doors have been installed .

I was planning to use it as is, what does she mean by ‘temporary’?

「It was such a simple design that I thought it was just a temporary lid to block the wind from coming in . Then let’s exchange this one too . I want one with a winter theme, using snow and ice as a motif . 」

「R-right…… a handcrafted door would take some time to make though . 」

Claudia lets out the biggest sigh at Claire .

「Are you an idiot? You should be bringing products with winter designs while its winter time, you don’t even know that?」

Claire apologizes while her shaking increases .

Nonna took it upon herself to start the counterattack here .

「Of course something that only looks attractive during the winter isn’t fashionable . No matter how luxurious and gorgeous it is, a winter design would look too chilly during the spring . You’re too short-sighted if you don’t even know that . 」

However Claudia further exceeded Nonna’s imaginations .

「Haah? It’s obvious that once the seasons change into spring, we’ll exchange the door with one that has a spring design on it . You didn’t think we would use a winter design for the whole year, did you?」

The way Claudia said it was like asking if Nonna had her head on straight .

Does she really intend to replace all the doors of the mansion with every change in season?

It’s not like we can use the removed doors for the upcoming years .

「Of course I’m going to do just that . Reusing a thumb-marked door is nasty . We have to get another trendy door for the following year . 」

Nonna’s jaw drops .

When it comes to money-spending, Claudia wins by a landslide .

So she’s been doing this all the time up till now…… I tip my hat off to Marquess Malordol who supported her luxurious lifestyle .

It makes Nonna’s wasteful habits seem like child’s play .

「Now then, next is the entrance hall chandelier . 」

「I will select that!」

Nonna gets psyched again, unwilling to let Claudia choose the chandelier in the entrance hall, which can also be considered the face of the mansion .

Don’t push yourself too much .

「The chandelier is the face of the mansion! I can’t let some complete stranger choose it . 」

Nonna approaches Claire while speaking .

「The entire thing should be made of either steel or silver…… or perhaps brass . 」

「No, please make it out of gold! One that shines like a divine light!」

So you would see glittering gold as soon as you walk through the door……?

「Not good enough . Inlay it with sapphires and emeralds . We’ll add color to the light . 」

Claudia opposes Nonna .

The first thing I would see when I return home is shiny gold and jewels…… I don’t think it’ll make me feel relaxed .

「Err let’s see…… a gold body decorated with sapphires and emeralds…… and the size……?」

「「As big as possible!」」

Their voices overlap .

「……do you know the estimated price?」

Claire asks in a hushed voice .

She didn’t want to bring up the matter of money when the girls were so enthusiastic, though I have a bad feeling about this .

「Magnificent chandeliers have skyrocketing prices . If I were to give a quote for a chandelier with your suggestions……」

I become troubled when I look at Claire’s notepad .

Why do I have to pay that much for a single chandelier?

「Honestly, I don’t want to do it even for this price . Many craftsmen would be able to make it but I don’t know if it’ll be worth the profit if you think about the risk of damaging the item during transportation . 」

Alright, then I’ll have it crafted inhouse .

I’m sure the dwarves can make a sturdy one .

Besides, they don’t only make unrefined items .

They’ve already proved with my spear that they are capable of doing detailed and beautiful designs .

Their finished product would be much better than an unnecessarily shiny thing .

Might as well get them to make tableware and other small accessories too .

Irijina and Casie break things all the time, so it would be nice if more durable tools were made .

Don’t make such a sullen face Claire, I’ll make sure to buy my share from you .

「So how much will everything cost altogether?」

I’m not going to do something so unusual as changing the door every season .

「The items requested by that lady are all of the highest class even amongst those made in the Federation . The merchant headquarters would have dealt with something like this but I think the price will be quite eye-popping . 」

The final decision will ultimately be made by me and Nonna .

But Nonna has pride and probably won’t choose a product with a lower rank than the ones Claudia suggested .

「The size of this new mansion is among the highest out of all the noble residences in Goldonia . If you were to lay the highest class carpet on all the floors and decorate all the rooms with the highest class furniture……」

「Enough dawdling, just tell me the price . 」

Depending on the price, the way I approach Adolph will change .

I would either claim it to be a necessary expense, secretly put it on a document, or run and hide somewhere while sending Celia to deliver the message .

「Taking into account all the good favor and our relationship up till this point…… it will come to a total of 30,000 gold . 」

「Haaah?」

I accidentally let out a voice of disbelief .

This is just furniture, you know?

Things like tables, carpets, and beds…… wait a second, how much did it cost to build this mansion?

Don’t tell me it’ll be more expensive than the house itself .

「I know this price is insane . But the goods requested by that madam are all ordered from the Federation…… they’re all items that could be considered heirlooms for the average noble household . 」

This definitely won’t work .

Adolph will definitely faint and die .

If all the money meant to re-equip the soldiers disappears, Leopolt would yell at me too .

「I’d easily be made into the tyrant for turning all the tax money into furniture . It’s not possible, sorry but cancel all of it……」

「Wait just a minute!」

Claudia stands in the way with her chubby arms and thick waist .

Even though she’s shorter than me, she has quite the pressure .

「You don’t have to worry about the money . 」

Claudia tries to snap her fingers but fails .

Her fingers were too fat and couldn’t produce a crisp sound .

She ended up hitting her own stomach .

It made a satisfying sound .

「Right away, Madam . 」

Clara acknowledges the signal and brings forth the jewels .

They’re the ones Claudia wrapped around her body .

They were covered in sweat and body odor but I guess they were just wiped clean .

「Miss, how much value do all these jewels have?」

Claire’s eyes widen at the incomparable size and beauty of the jewels not usually found at your average jewel vendor .

Surprise was not the only emotion within her eyes .

Unlike Nonna, Claire was not interested in the jewels themselves, rather the value they carry .

Before I knew it, even Laurie rushed to her side with sharp eyes .

「Let me see here . 」

There was a few moments of continued silence .

「…… could you tell me the source?」

She’s implicitly asking if they are stolen goods .

There is no way such a large amount of high quality jewels could be found around town .

Each individual jewel is amazing enough to have its own name .

「From the Malordol household in Albens . 」

「!?」

Claire and Laurie gulp .

They probably know about the fall of Albens .

「I am Claudia Albens Malordol, though I’m only Claudia right now . 」

「The wife of the Malordol house!? W-why is she here in the Central plains……」

Claudia wraps her arm around my waist .

「It’s natural for a woman to rely on her beloved man in adverse circumstances, no?」

「Marquess Malordol died in Albens…… beloved? Eeeh!?」

「Claire-sama, if I remember correctly, the wife of the Malordol house came to Goldonia for a friendly visit once before and Margrave Hardlett was the one responsible for entertaining her . 」

「So during that time, she committed adultery…… eeh? Eeeeeh!?」

Claire is unusually flustered for once .

「There’s no point in hiding it now . It is a burning love, where I, pierced by the exceedingly thick rod and scorched by the flames of affection, fall into a sea of pleasure and…… mggmhmgh . 」

We’re getting off topic so I block the madam’s mouth .

Now, just tell me the assessment of the jewels’ value .

「……Ahem, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it . Giving these impressive jewels a once-over, I estimate the value to be about 20,000…… no, 25,000 . 」

Claudia sighs and moves in to scoop up the jewels .

「You really aren’t the best merchant . I’ll ask someone else . 」

Claire pleads her case in a panic .

「Please wait! I’ll get the jewels properly appraised by an expert in the field and tell you an accurate price!」

「Ara, you will? Then hurry it up . That amount will offset the furniture while you can keep any extra money . I’m not trying to buy someone like you, this is just preferential treatment from my beloved, so be grateful . 」

After saying that, Claudia lifts up her head and wiggles her nose .

「Ara, it’s about time lunch . Clara, we’re going to the dining hall . 」

「Yes, madam…… aah, please don’t go so fast . 」

Claudia rolls out of the room in the same manner she came in .

Clara hastily follows her…… the madam surprisingly moves quite fast like that .

Claire exhales deeply .

「Formidable, isn’t she?」

Her strained smile told the whole story without her having to say anything .

Claudia is a person who enjoys expensive products, though it can be taken that she understands the true value of those things .

「Anyways, I’m surprised you were able to make her fall . Was it a single thrust from that huge dick of yours that did the trick?」

「Hahaha, various things happened . 」

What a nostalgic story .

Claire forces another smile before heading over to Nonna and the others .

Nonna was arguing with Carla over something like bed materials .

Looking over at Laurie, it looks like she’s about to cry .

I wonder what’s wrong .

「So you liked fat women…… no, meatballs . So when you embraced someone as inferior as me, was it like tasting chicken bones……?」

Wait, I’m okay with fucking plump women but I’m not that crazy about them .

I like thin women too, don’t make such a grim face .

「You mean it……?」

The naked body of Claudia suddenly comes to mind .

It isn’t something which can be considered aesthetically pleasing .

But when she rides on top and clings to me, the feeling of her soft flesh enveloping me is…… .

It might be unexpectedly nice .

「Uuuuu……」

Aah, don’t cry Laurie . I love women with a childlike body like yours too .

The next time we fuck, we can pretend you’re a kid .

Thus ends the selection of the furniture . All family members will move to the new mansion at the start of the next year .

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett . 23 years old . Winter .

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave . Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area . Mountain Legend . Friend of the Dwarves . Friend of the King of Aless . Dragon Slayer Hero .

Citizens: 174,000 . Major Cities – Rafen: 25,000 . Lintbloom: 5000 . Vandolea Special Town: 9000 .

Family: Nonna (feeling defeated), Claudia (meatball who knows the difference), Claire (tired), Laurie (pouting)

Assets: 35,820 gold (all furniture -30 000) (offset from sale of jewels +30 000)

Sexual Partners: 288, children who have been born: 54 + 555 fish