328-Episode 240 and on the day of the event,

The time passed quickly, and the day of the meeting of the Lords arrived.

Lucia, who had been in District 42 yesterday, had returned to District 35 before the meeting.

Estella and the others were supposed to go to District 35, meet up with her again, and then go to District 29.

According to Gilberta's information, for the past few days, guards have been standing guard at every entrance to BU, and the guards have been on even higher alert than usual.

Probably, I would have been stopped there if I had tried to force my way into BU.

I also heard that they were checking my letters.

Because of this situation, I decided to ask Estella and Natalia to go alone this time.

If we disobeyed, even the meeting might be in jeopardy.

Their one-sided attitude was a clear indication of that.

The new letter from Ma'ru also said not to take any preemptive action.

So, I quietly saw Estella off at the sunlit pavilion.

Estella got into the carriage with a slightly anxious look on her face, and Ginette saw her off with another anxious look on her face.

Today, at last, the matter would be settled.

Even if you are unhappy with the content, it is not a situation where you can file an objection.

In fact, if you do, your relationship with BU will be at its worst, and the distribution you've had so far will be destroyed.

It's that simple.

'Heavy taxation on exports to the outer periphery'.

All you have to do is to make two rules: 'Heavy tax for bringing in special products from the outer periphery'.

If you do this, the forty-two districts that oppose it will oppose the BU,......, and the result will be a war of attrition.

The result is a war of attrition. Neither side will emerge unscathed.

I think the BU people think that the poor and lowly outer wards will destroy the economy and make it impossible for them to survive in a long war.

'They've been scouting this way?

'...... No, they didn't. Medrama ordered guild members to stand guard at various locations, but no one was caught in the net.'

'Heh, I didn't know they were doing that.'

'...... "Please take care of the Hunting Guild, which is more useful than the Sea Fishing Guild."'

'What the hell, that's ......'

'......, the current slogan of the hunting guild.'

Medora's got a rivalry going with Masha.

Don't compete with her.

'So, can we trust the members of the hunting guild?'

'......, not to mention the technical aspects.'

They are skilled at finding and hunting prey in the forest, detecting dangerous magical beasts and evacuating as soon as possible, and so on. They must be good at watching and keeping vigilance.

'...... Besides, Gustave was putting pressure on his juniors with tremendous enthusiasm.

'Gustave?'

'......, the Piranha man in love with Masha.'

'Hmm~............?'

'...... high-pitched voice.'

'Ahh!You're that guy from the gluttony contest!

The piranha who confronted me in the fourth round, the one with the strangely religious voice that reminded me of a mouse in dreamland. By the way, he was crazy about Masha, wasn't he?

'So you're saying he was hell-bent on defeating Masha?

'...... No. Rather, he wanted to fight with her. But that man has a disease that makes him unconditionally overzealous when the name 'Sea Fishing Guild' is attached to it.

'I think he was conscious that he wanted to be seen in a good light. ...... He's a bit of a Philomaniac.

There's a lot of pure-hearted men in this town. Too many.

'Well, I guess I'll be going out soon.

'Ah, Yashiro-san.

Ginette stops me as I'm about to leave.

Then she told me to wait a little longer and went into the sunlit pavilion.

I made eye contact with Magda, but Magda didn't seem to know what Ginette was planning to do.

A few moments passed and Ginette came out with a huge basket in her hands. It was big enough to hold food for about ten people.

She holds out the basket to me. ...... I think it's too much for a single person's lunch.

'If you're going to Newtown, could you please deliver this to Loretta-san?

'Oh, I see.

'...... Loretta, I hope you're alive. ............'

'No, I'm alive.'

'...... too much muscle pain can kill you,..................'

That may be true, but ......

In fact, the day after returning from the 24th district, on the afternoon of the day of the meeting with Lucia at the sunny pavilion, Loretta left the sunny pavilion and engaged in an important mission in a certain place.

In two and a half days, she had completed a task that would normally take nearly a month to complete.

Yesterday morning, he still looked like he was dying, but the fact that he still had work to do kept his spirits up. But as soon as the work is done, fatigue sets in.

It would probably be worse this morning.

No wonder Ginette wanted her to eat something energizing.

'Isn't that a lot of food for Loretta to eat?

'No, um, ...... in Loretta's case, it seemed that her siblings had a lot of snacks to eat. ......'

'That's a wise decision.

If Loretta is suffering from sore muscles, it means that Loretta's food will be eaten up by her younger siblings.

...... I hear they're pretty disobedient at home.

I think Loretta is a bit naive. When she is seriously angry, all of her siblings are very firm, and the fact that they are lax means that they think that this is safe.

She wants to present herself as the strict eldest daughter, but it's obvious that she's too lenient.

'Jeannette. If you want to make sure Loretta gets fed, select a 'nurse' from among your siblings. That way, the appointed one will be responsible and complete Loretta's care.

'I see. You're very good, Yashiro. You understand your younger siblings very well.'

'...... As expected of the eldest son.'

'No, I'm not.

Loretta calls him 'big brother', so it's kind of like that.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that your siblings are quite fond of you as well.

...... I mean, they love me too much, don't they?

I'm not sure if that's enough.

Because we mobilized all the brothers and sisters yesterday.

'Then, we'll ask you to come to the Sunshine Pavilion to eat what we need.

'...... We're in the red today, aren't we?

'That's because, you see,...... that's the thing,...... what did you say,...... that Yashiro-san often says? .................. Yes, it's "investment"!

I'm sure you've heard of it.

I'm not that good of a guy.

I'm not that sycophantic.

Also, what you pay later is not an investment, okay?

'...... There should be a reward. The thing is, it's pretty awesome.

Even Magda is raving about it.

Well, they made it in two days, so it's worth it.

And I'm pretty sure it's going to be the decisive factor in destroying BU. ............ Well, what can you do?

'So, just for today, let's make it special.

'Yes, sir. It's special. ...... ugh.'

What's with the chuckle?

If you have something to say, say it clearly. No, you don't have to say it. I don't want to hear it.

'Well, I'm off.

'Okay. Have a safe trip.'

'Give my regards to Loretta at ......, and tell her to get some rest.'

'Yes, yes.

After seeing her off, I too departed from the sunlit pavilion.

Carrying a very large basket.

I stepped into New Town. ............ What kind of fair is this?

There were stalls lined up on both sides of the street in New Town. None of them were open, though.

Yesterday, the day before yesterday, there were a lot of carpenters and lumberjacks coming and going here, and there were food stalls for them.

Now it's just like after a festival. Because it was early in the morning, the area was quiet and still.

We headed for Loretta's house, passing by the line of stalls heading for the river.

Come to think of it, this might be the first time I've been to her house. I've been calling him all the time for some reason or another.

Loretta and her family had lived here from the beginning, and they had been given a very nice plot of land to build a house on during the redevelopment of New Town.

It was an eviction fee or something to that effect.

Originally, the place where their house was located had poor drainage and was muddy all day long, but now they have moved to a stylish, sunny, slightly elevated place in the New Town. It has good drainage.

It is one of the most prestigious places in New Town, and if Lucia wants to build a villa, this is the place to be. ......, but since Hammaro will be in danger, Lucia's villa will be on the other side of the river.

'Oh, ...... they're so powerful when they're lined up.'

After a while, we saw a row of houses that looked like they had been built for sale, with a sense of unity but with a hint of individuality. There were three houses in total.

One of them was the main house, and the slightly larger one was a child's room - or rather, a child's house.

There was also a separate house that was used like a barn for storing work tools.

All of these houses are for Loretta's family.

If you look closely, you can see that all the houses are connected to each other by a corridor.

The parents and Loretta live in the main house, and all the other siblings live in the children's house.

In fact, I had planned to divide them into three houses to give them more space, but they seem to be more comfortable in a cramped space, so they live together in a tightly packed house.

By the way, I remembered that the hamsters I saw in a pet store slept in a pile in a small space.

Hamsters, who are entrusted to help with all kinds of jobs in the 42nd district, have as many work tools as there are hamsters. It is said that the amount of tools they own is not half of what it used to be, and when they set up a storage space for tools, a maintenance room, and a training room for teaching how to use them, they filled up an entire house.

I once suggested that we add another house, but Loretta and her younger siblings said it was unnecessary.

Oh, no, I remember Loretta saying something like ......'If I'm going to build one, I'd like a small room to isolate my parents from the kids ......'.

But she and Loretta are living in the main house, because there would be no limit to the number of children they could have.

Maybe I'll give her a hanging scroll with the word "Modesty" written on it.

So, I headed for the main house.

The main house has a large bathroom, a kitchen as big as a dining room, and a living room where the whole family gathers.

Therefore, even though the rooms of the younger siblings are located in different buildings, they see each other several times a day. Family ties are the treasure of Loretta and her family.

'Hey, Loretta!Are you alive?

I knocked on the door, and my sister peeked out.

'Ah!Oniichan!

My sister is about eleven to thirteen years old, old enough to be a vendor at the second and seventh stores of the Sun Goddess Pavilion.

She is one of the strongest children in the world.

'You wanted to see your sister?Or your father?'

'...... Loretta.'

'Oh, what a shame.'

I'm not going to ask what's a shame, but ...... I think you're being a little too firm.

I hope Hammy will continue to be an innocent child who doesn't care about all that.

'Sis, I couldn't get out of bed this morning.

'Is it that bad?

'Digging holes is my brothers' job, but I was digging a lot to show off.

'Does he want to play nice with his ...... younger siblings?

'The eldest daughter's dignity is a habit...'

It's because she's stubborn like that that her dignity is being undermined.

'Then, for the time being, tell her I'm here and ask her if it's okay if I visit her.

'Why don't you just come in?

'When you're Loretta's age, it's embarrassing to be seen in your nightgown.'

'I'm wearing .............'

'...... I don't think Loretta is completely naked either.

I'm not even sure that Loretta is naked." No matter how popular Natalia is in BU, the Natalia style of sleepwear will never catch on. ...... In the first place, it's not loungewear, and nudity is.

I'm going to go ask her about it.

I'm going to ask you a few questions.

And the little sister appeared with her even smaller brother.

'Aaah!Onii-chan!

'Onii!Cha!

'Aren't you guys in church?

The little ham is supposed to be taken care of at church.

'You're going home today!

'Nah!

To summarize the words of the sister barking with all her might, all the brothers and sisters worked together, so she is going home temporarily to help them heal.

...... It's just more work to have to take care of you guys.

'The store will be cleaned up today'.

'Oh, no, wait. Tell them to leave the store as it is.'

'Tell who?

'Hmm, ............, you know Umaro?

'The carpenter's fox!

'...... Your perception of Oumalo is sometimes chilling from the outside, isn't it?

Well, it's probably my fault.

'If you have a brother or sister who knows Umaro, please tell them that.

'All right!'

My sister runs with her arms raised.

My younger brother, held by my sister's arms, is also throwing his arms up in the air.

I guess he's at an age where he wants to imitate her.

'Yay!I've got a job!

'Pika!

'Wait a minute, little brother!How do you know about that?

Don't tell me there are monsters that say 'Pika' in this world too?

Or is it a game of 'forced translation magic'? .................. The latter, probably.

I'm not sure. I'll be back in a minute.I'm going to have to clean up my room for a bit. ...... Aita!It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.

'The imitation was indeed very similar, but ...... you don't have to reproduce it so faithfully.'

I could easily imagine Loretta falling off the bed and getting stuck with sore muscles as she rushed to clean up the mess.

'I'll wait for you in the living room.

'Really?Well then, let me come in.'

'Yes!But if you hear anything from upstairs, cover your ears!

...... Yeah. So my parents' room is upstairs.

That's not good for their education, these parents.

Well, I'm going up there anyway.

My sister took me to the cozy living room, as you'd expect from Umaro.

It's quite a spacious room, but of course not enough room for all my siblings. I wonder where they are eating.

If all the brothers and sisters wanted to eat together, they would probably have a barbecue outside.

I'll make a stove in the yard.

'Whoa!No way, a home visit!

Hammaro's eyes rolled up when he found me in the living room.

He's holding a large basket in both hands. I guess it's laundry in there.

'Are you all right, Hammaro?

'Hammaro?

'You've been working hard for the past two days, haven't you?'

Loretta's muscles are so sore that she's exhausted to the point of falling asleep, but she's looking quite composed.

'I'm fine!My body is built differently!On a genetic level!

'Your genes are exactly the same, you two.

'Irresistible, the curse of blood!

Where do you learn words like that? You've forgotten all about metaphors, haven't you?

'Are you going to do the laundry now?

'Yes!Your pants are delicate, so you need to wash them by hand!

'......, I know Loretta told you to do that, so don't spread out your pretty pink pants and show them to me. You'll get blown away later.

Loretta seems to be wearing some pretty pants.

I wondered what I would do if she was wearing tattered ones to save money, but I was relieved.

Just then, my sister comes back.

'Hey, big brother. My sister said I can go get her.'

'Oh. Let's go then.

'I'm coming too!

'No, you go do the laundry.

'I'll save it for later!

'That's just putting off work, isn't it?

Sandwiched between my sister and Hammaro, I headed for the second floor of the main house.

There are several rooms on the second floor as well. ...... Well, it's dangerous to let young siblings live here. ............ Those parents.

'This is my sister's room.

You can easily imagine that, if you open the door without knocking, you will be very angry!

I can easily imagine you guys being pissed off.'

Loretta is a girl of her age. ......

'I'm telling you to knock! She's saying that too.

'Then let's open it without knocking. --I'll just knock.

'No, he said knock.No, I always tell you to knock, don't I?

Loretta wraps herself in the covers on the bed.

Yeah, yeah. That's the reaction I expected.

'What if I'm changing my clothes, big brother?

'You wouldn't bother to change your clothes when you heard I was coming, would you?

'Of course I would!I'd change into a clean, comfortable loungewear!

'...... Don't go out in your nightgown.'

...... You're Loretta, but you smell a little sweet and nice.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'd like to know what to do.

'I've got some potpourri in my room that Miriri taught me about!

Ah, that reminds me, the potpourri you taught me before.

There's a vial full of bright petals on the table.

'Did you make it yourself?

'Yes, sir. I've been doing it from time to time since you taught me. It's a bit of a hobby.

'You have a hobby? ......'

'Of course I do.

'And you make things?

'Heh, ...... watching your brother makes me want to make something too.'

So you're making something you can do.

'You're like a girl, you know that?

'I'm a girl!What do they think I am?

Loretta's room was a very girly room.

A white, round doll that Ginette had made for her was displayed on her bedside table. It's a motif from the ...... teru teru bozu.

The sheets on the bed are also dyed in a floral pattern.

If you want to have them made by Ukrines, it will cost you a lot.

'I dyed this together with Mr. Nephrite while learning from him.

'Nephrite, can you dye?

'That's great, Mr. Neffely. He's good enough to make a living at it.'

Well, I don't think Nephrite does anything but poultry farming.

I see, you're that good. ............ Let's try indigo dyeing. For yukata fabric.

You're good at that. You should do this for Jeannette. She'd love it.

'I'll make them for the manager and Magda next time I'm off.

'Oh, go ahead and do that.

'I'll make one for you too, brother!You can look forward to it.

I'm not a fan of floral ...... patterns.

'Make sure it's something I'd like.

'Boobs are a bit ......'

'Who would sleep in a futon like that?

In Japan, they have sheets for sleeping together.

I don't want it. Breasts drawn on a flat surface are not breasts!

I like those bulges!

'Flat surfaces are not tits!

'You should apologize to Estella-san!

You're a good judge of character.

You should be the one apologizing.

'So, Jeannette made you lunch.'

'Wow!That's great to hear!If I eat the manager's cooking, my muscle pains, sprains, and mysterious golden bindings will all be cured at once!

'Elixir, his food is ......, he must have used it very hard, your muscles.

The twitching and tying up are both signs of extreme fatigue.

'Sister. Can you get two more people to take care of Loretta?

'Sure!I'll go get them!

'Um, big brother. I'm not the one who needs to be nursed. ......'

'No, you need a nurse. ......'

'Yum!It's a great snack!

'And you can't prevent people like this, can you?

'Hammaro, what are you snacking on?

'Hammaro?

'It's you!You're the one who's chewing on the fried chicken without permission!

The guy who's about to go do the laundry is picking at the fried chicken with his bare hands.

Don't touch the laundry with that. ......

'Wipe!Just the clothes.'

'Hey!You can't wipe with your clothes!

'I'm fine!This is your Pantu!

'Nyohaaaa!Don't spread it out!Don't look at it either, big brother!

Yeah. Sorry.

I already saw it, just now.

I'll go do the laundry.

'I refuse to eat a lot of food!

'Hammaro. Go to the sunny-side up after work. You can eat as much as you like.'

'I'll work harder if I have a reward!

In high spirits, Hammaro went out to do the laundry.

...... It's really hard to deal with these guys every day, isn't it?

'Loretta, good work.

'...... I'm really tired.'

In the event that you've got a lot of time and energy, you'll be able to take advantage of it.

...... Oh, shit. This sweet scent makes me weirdly aware of the girl inside Loretta.

'Hey, do you want to hang a statue of Javier around here?

'No, I don't want to, it'll be right in my face when I sleep!

Since it's Loretta's room, I'd like to have a little more laughter in it.

At any rate, I'll complete the errand she asked me to do.

'Bento, can you eat?

'Ugh ......, my arm hurts, but I can at least eat.'

'It's because you don't usually dig holes and you're too eager.

'Because I'm the ...... eldest daughter.'

'I told you to take the lead, didn't I?I thought it was best to leave it to you, the eldest daughter, to mobilize all the ham kids and take control.

'It's true that Umaro and the others are very lenient with their younger siblings, so it would have been a little difficult to finish in two days.

Even though Hammy likes to work, it doesn't mean he's not tired.

Above all, they are still children. Their physical strength is not infinite, and their energy is not sustained by their desire to play.

That's why they had to work without a break. I have to say some harsh things.

In that case, it would be difficult for Umaro and the others to do so.

So, Loretta.

'You made me reckless.

'Hahaha...... sure, it was a bit hard. But ......'.

Hold her knees and gently place her head on them.

He sits up in a triangle on the bed and says happily and proudly.

'It made me think, "Oh, we're working now. I thought, 'This is the best thing that could happen to the 42nd district.

And embarrassed.

'...... I'll do anything you ask.

He said that to me.

That's a nice thing to say. ......

I'm going to need a reward for this.

'Loretta, what do you want to eat?I'll feed you.'

'Whaaaaat?I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure you'll be able to do it. ...... I'm the eldest, and I'm not a spoiled brat like that. ...... ........................I want to eat an omelet.

It seems that he was struggling with something, but eventually he broke down.

He cut the omelet into bite-sized pieces, picked them up with his chopsticks and brought them to Loretta's mouth.

'Oh, that ............ thing, I want you to say that ...... thing, the standard ...... thing.'

What?The classic ...... Oh, that.

'Loretta is normal...'

'It's not that!And it's not a classic!

I know, I know.

'......Here, ah~'

'Ehehe ...... big brother, you're so sweet.'

'Hurry up.'

'Yes, sir. ...... Ah~n.'

Loretta opens her mouth,...... and closes her eyelids for some reason.

You're not going to kiss her, so keep your eyes open.

You've got to keep your eyes open.

At that time--

'I've been chosen to take care of my sister!

I've been selected for a big job!

'I'll heal any illness or injury!

--The three sisters ran into the room and froze.

'''...... ah'''

''Nyah, nyah, ah, um, this is not ...... the same!

Loretta, who is in a big hurry to get out of the way.

I'm not sure what to do.

I think she doesn't want her sister to see her being spoiled, as the eldest daughter.

'Big sister.

'Big brother.

''What, what is it ......?''

'''Mom and Dad, do you want me to go get them?'''

''You don't need to do anything else!

Somehow, I feel like I'm going to be made part of the family if I stay in this house. So I decided to leave as soon as possible.

So I decided to leave early and walked around the New Town.

Finally, the sky turns to the color of morning.

It will be a long time before Estella meets up with Lucia. It will be much longer before we reach the 29th district.

We'll have to do this before then.

Prepare to turn BU upside down.

And so I start walking towards the river again.

In the direction of the cliff where Todokeiru No. 1 stands.