I was inside the Lord's Mansion meeting with Maruta.
On the table between us was cake and black tea.
Seeing as I was meeting with the Lord of another town I spent 10,000 magic to make the tea and cake.
I made it but…
「You're Maruta, I mean Malta?」
「…….」
The person in front of me was a small girl.
She seemed to be around the age of a middle schooler.
She was staring at the cake with intense concentration.
「Hey!」
「…….wha-?」
I waved my hand in front of her eyes and she finally came back to her senses.
「Wh-what is it?」
「Uhhh…nothing.」
I pulled myself together and asked.
「So you're Malta huh?」
「That's right, do you have a problem with that?」
I got that kind of childish and assertive answer back.
「I am Malta. Malta of the long and illustrious line who have lead Kazan (Volcano).」
「What the heck are you going 'Mmhmm' about!? Are you making light of the Kazan Clan?」
She asked angrily with a red face.
「Well…no I wasn't really…」
「Well…….」
I don't even know what it means to be a member of the Kazan family.
The silence stretched on for a bit and I had no idea what to say.
「So it's like I thought! You're really making a fool of us!? Listen up! The Kazan family is the family of one of the great warriors, Ruslan, who fought the Evil God with the hero.」
「Mmhmm」
「Another 『mmhmm』!?」
She got angrier.
「Well…that wasn't my intention. Sorry.」
I apologized and gave Valeria a look.
Valeria looked back at me apologetically.
I somehow understood.
This kid was the lord and she had to take care of her.
「Well let's get back to the main topic. Why'd you want to meet me?」
「That's right. Because you said some weird stuff we got off track.」
I didn't say anything!
At that moment, Malta's face changed.
*Picture*
「Thank you for supplying us with food, thanks to you it ended without us starving. Thank you very much.」
Her way of speaking didn't really change, but her expression and the look in her eyes did.
She let me feel her sincere gratitude.
I looked over at Valeria.
She was smiling.
I see, so that's why she brought her.
I was wondering why such a capable looking woman would bring Malta here but it seems like she believed in her.
I looked back at Malta.
「I have received your gratitude.」
Malta smiled. She looked kinda cute.
「Well, the tea has cooled so have it with some cake.」
「Hm?」
「I've never seen it before. Is this food?」
She'd never seen cake before huh…
「Yes it's food. It's tasty and delicious.」
「It's tasty!?」
Malta's eyes began to glitter.
She took a bite of the cake.
「Delicious!」
She devoured it in seconds.
「Do you want seconds?」
「Yeah」
I took out my DORECA and chose cake, then made the magic circle.
Yuria who'd been standing stationary behind me this entire time, moved to get the ingredients.
She put the things in the circle and cake appeared from within the flash of light.
The moment I took out the DORECA she started to move. Risha and Mira's teamwork was good, but she moved as soon as I took out my DORECA.
She was a quick thinker.
「Good job Yuria」
「………」
I thanked her. Yuria didn't say anything and once again stood behind me.
I looked at Malta once more.
Malta was looking at me and the cake alternately.
She had an extremely surprised look on her face.
「Wh-what was that just now?」
「That was magic.」
I said and pushed the cake towards her.
「Mmmm………」
Malta ate it and showed another happy look on her face.
This young girl seemed much more suited to things like this than acted impertinent or grown up.
「H-hey. I've got something to ask.」
「C-can you give me…..more cake?」
「Yeah, I'd like everyone in Kazan to have some.」
「Why?」
「It's simple.」
I took out my DORECA and put down two magic circles.
Yuria anticipated it as always and was off gathering the materials. What then appeared on the table were two things…the cake we had just eaten—and a pushinee.
「This is the…thing you gave us.」
「Three-thous——」
Malta's face turned white as a sheet.
「You ate two…so that's about 6,000. It's a luxury item so it's troublesome to make. So that's why I can't give you so many…even if it's me.」
「That's fine!! I don't need it! 6,000….in just that moment I ate enough food for everyone to eat for 4 days…..」
I guess that's the calculation…but I refrained from nodding since I thought that'd make it worse.
I refrained, but Malta started crying.
She broke down as large teardrops streamed down her face.
「H-hey, don't cry.」
「I-I'm not crying!」
Malta played tough. She pretended to be tough as she wiped her tears with the back of her hands.
「There's no way I, the great leader of Kazan, will do that in front of others!」
She said as she shot me a glare.
「Well, that cake thing was delicious. Well I'm the leader after all right? It's natural for me to eat more than the others.」
She was bluffing again.
It was so easily seen through that I unintentionally let out a *Pft* laugh.
「What're you laughing at!?」
「No no… sorry…sorry.」
I coughed and cleared my throat, then looked at Malta.
The next moment some words came flying out of my mouth.
「Cake…I'll find some way to make a lot of cake.」
「That's right, I'll find some way to make it mass-produced like the pushinee so that everyone can have some.」
「It's possible.」
She had remained silent the entire time, but now she was speaking out.
「If it's Master, then it's possible.」
Malta was surprised at the complete and utter faith that her words implied.
「That's right, if it's Akito-sama then it should be possible.」
Malta was even more surprised when her own subordinate Valeria said so.
「There are many rumors surrounding Akito-sama. He has also fixed the towns and furthermore he showed us his magic. If it's Akito-sama then I believe that he is able to.」
Valeria strongly asserted.
Malta was stunned until finally she looked at me with glittering eyes.
「Can you really?」
「Yeah.」
I followed Yuria and Valeria's example and confirmed.
It seems like I have another goal to work towards.
The mass production of luxury goods.