Slave’s Smile
In the lord’s manor, I stood before the finished food printer.
The printer looked like a one-meter-square cube, hollowed out in the middle, like a platform.
“What’s this for?”
Yuria asked, standing beside me.
“Supposed to use it.”
I said that, and showed her the device.
A cube block, palm-sized—about the size of a Rubik’s Cube.
“What’s this?”
“A food cube. It unlocks after the printer’s complete. Only two could be made, due to material limitations.”
“Is it rare?”
“Not really. It uses about fifty mana points, and the materials aren’t hard to gather. Just no stock left right now—only two made.”
“So we make things with it?”
“Yeah… watch.”
I told Yuria that, then placed the cube on the printer’s platform and activated it.
Entered the required conditions. Pressed start.
The printer clicked shut.
A faint grinding sound came from within, then it opened again after a pause.
There it was—the finished product.
“What is this?”
“Cake. Soft, chewy, sweet. Tastes great.”
“……”
“Well, wanna make another one?”
I slid the last cube into the printer and repeated the same process.
“What’s this one?”
“Bark cake. Sweet, delicious too. You can scarf it all at once, or peel off one layer at a time—either way’s nice.”
“Why’s there a hole in the middle? Is that necessary?”
“Who knows.”
Huh. Why *does* a bark cake have a hole?
“Anyway, doesn’t matter.”
I picked up the two desserts—cake and bark cake—just made.
Simultaneously, I opened DORECA’s menu and confirmed both were now on the creation list.
Cake requires twenty thousand mana. Baumkuchen, fifteen thousand. Both demand far more than a shortcake.
And yet, both were made with just fifty mana.
The food printer itself demanded nearly one hundred thousand mana.
Still, we need to make that first. It’s a hassle, but once it’s done, everything after is cheap. Make ten desserts, and the initial cost is paid back.
Now we can mass-produce sweets, snacks.
I’ll start mass-producing this soon.
"Master?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you going to eat those?"
"Huh? Oh, since we’ve got two, we could—"
I started to say, then stared at the cake and baumkuchen in my hands, back and forth.
"Master?"
Yuria looked at me, eyes wide with confusion.
"...Yuria, help me."
"Yes, Master."
She’d been frowning, puzzled just a moment before, but the instant I said “help me,” the doubt vanished from her face completely.
Good slave.
☆
The starting town—Akito.
Even at night, the place glowed with light, people bustling about.
“Risha, can’t you do something about the wooden house?”
“Understood. I’ll move it a bit.”
“Risha, we’re short on clothes—ten people’s worth.”
“Clothes? Got it. I’ll set up a magic circle right away.”
“Risha! Disaster! The cook who can’t cook wrecked the kitchen’s ceiling!”
“Oh no—repairing that’s beyond me. I’ll move the stove outside. Use that for today.”
Sent here as a replacement, Risha worked with her slave card (Normal).
Building homes for the suddenly swelling population, making clothes, securing food.
Copying the methods she’d watched her master use, sweating through it all.
I called out to her.
"Risha."
"Y-yes? What is it this time—Master!"
Risha startled, suddenly seeing me appear.
She nearly dropped the slave card she was holding, fumbling to catch it.
"What is it, Master? You were supposed to be busy with something important..."
"Never mind that. Risha."
"Y-yes?"
I asked, dead serious. Risha blinked, thrown off.
"Which do you prefer—square or round?"
"...Huh?"
"Come on. Square or round. Which one do you like better, Risha?"
"Umm... that is..."
She shook her head mid-sentence.
Guess she thought it was a pointless question. Slaves don’t ask pointless questions.
"If I have to choose, I’d say round."
"Why?"
Just asking.
"Because... it’s like the collar."
"Ah. Right."
Sounds like the truth.
"Then... Yuria."
"Yes?"
Yuria, who had come along, held out one of the two boxes.
She handed it straight to Risha.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
“Yes… this, this is…”
“A sweet dessert called Baumkuchen. You like circular rings, right?”
“M-me? You’re giving this to me?”
“A reward for working.”
“But… I mean…”
“Just take it. I’ll deliver one to Mira’s place too.”
“To Mira’s too?”
"Yeah, she’s probably worked hard too."
"I see…"
Risha stared at the Baumkuchen, a smile tugging at her lips.
——Magic power charged: 10,000.
Not when she first took it. Not until she learned it was also going to Mira.
“Typical of you.”
I ruffled Risha’s hair, then left town with Yuria by my side.
☆
On the way back to Rebeck, walking slowly with Yuria beside me.
“Mira seemed happy, huh.”
“Yes.”
"Being with Risha, handing it over to her—my magic charged up, that’s for sure."
I remembered the moment I gave Mira the cake.
She hesitated a little, but when she heard I’d already given it to Risha, she took it with a smile.
And my magic spiked by twenty thousand.
It’d been a while since my magic had charged this much. Being able to admire my slave again made me happy too.
…Wait.
"Yuria."
"Yes?"
"What kind of thing do you like?"
"…"
Yuria paused, then answered.
"I don’t care much about taste or shape."
"Hmm, so anything goes, huh—"
"Only… I’d be happy if I could enjoy it when it serves my master."
"Ah."
So that’s the type she is.
Yeah, Yuria’s definitely that type.
We walked a while. I thought about what form would be the most satisfying way to admire Yuria, my slave.
"Yuria."
"Yes?"
Starting tomorrow, you're gonna work twice as hard.
Yes
Yuria answered without hesitation, nodding.
Something like a stifled chuckle, maybe.
No magic charge, but she was certain.
Soon, boom—charges in the hundreds of thousands are gonna come flooding in.