Novel Bin Chapter 58: Spinning Top and Grandchild
Chapter 58: Spinning Top and Grandchild
Inside the room of an inn, separate from the hustle and bustle of the royal capital.
It was currently a restful time after breakfast.
I can hear the voice of Nord-tousan and Elna-kaasan intimately chatting comfortably.
As for me, I’m currently sitting in a relaxed manner on a high-quality sofa a little bit away.
I’m thinking to myself, what should I do today. The thought of making the most out of the rotating magic tool from yesterday has been going around inside my head.
Speaking of rotation, creating the frame without magic tools is possible. You can make one with just a string and wood. Then if I have the time later, I can just try to integrate the magic tools to rotate it, I might be able to make toy frames similar to the ones in Japanese toys.
「Here it is, a black tea popular in the royal capital has arrived.」
A tea cup was gracefully presented to me who was relaxing.
「Ah, thank you, Mina. 」
When I expressed my gratitude, the maid Mina bowed and then stood by alongside the wall.
If Sara was the one who did it, I wouldn’t have felt any discomfort.
If it’s Sara, then she would already have anticipated it and made tea when I’m thirsty, or when I’m about to take a break, she’s that kind of maid.
However, Mina doesn’t have the ability to do that.
She even said once, while facing me 「Rather than adding sugar in your tea, why don’t you use it to make sweets instead?」, when I add sugar in my tea.
But she’s being graceful today, not saying stupid things lika that.
But, this is after all Mina we’re talking about. When I lowered my head, her gaze landed on my pocket.
As expected, she can’t completely conceal her true character.
Mina has always been like this ever since I did the magic trick of pulling a cookie from my pocket.
I don’t know how much of my stock has ended up in Mina’s, but I wonder how long you are going to be in this state.
Well, it’s Mina, so I’m sure she’ll be back to her usual self soon.
I sip on the tea while thinking of such things.
「………it’s good.」
When I’m still appreciating the royal capital’s tea, I can hear Nord-tousan and Elna-kaasan stopped talking, and the sound of teacup being put down.
「Al, it’s time to go okay?」
「Where to?」
「Didn\'t I tell you yesterday. We’re going to grandfather\'s house.」
Aah, come to think of it, I think kaasan said something like that before I went to the magic tool shop.
But, I hadn’t heard about what exactly.
「Okaーy, wait a minute.」
I took out a cookie from my pocket with Space Magic, took a bite and washed it down with the black tea.
Mina’s eyes brightened as she watched that, and bravely helped me to prepare for my departure with even more respect.
We headed north using a carriage, it takes around 20 minutes from the inn, I guess.
The carriage stopped at a beautiful street.
Unlike the main street, it was a place without the constant stream of people and carriages, a classy street with a calm atmosphere.
The people wear beautiful clothes with good quality, their expression also looks to be happy.
There is also a wide lush garden in a mansion where you can hold something like a tea party.
I see, this is the so-called noble street.
Overall, the buildings on the are big, while there are also a lot of small mansions lined up.
「Al, over here.」
While I was gazing at the landscape, Nord-tousan beckoned me.
There is a two-storied mansion in that direction, with a wide garden spread out. The place was enclosed with an iron fence.
I heard that Elna-kaasan’s family was of a merchant lineage. I guess if it’s a big company, they can build a mansion like this.
There are a lot of flowers and plants raised in the garden, but I feel that there are more flowers with red color.
I wonder if this is grandfather’s hobby.
When we entered the mansion grounds, a man who seemed to be a servant came out and guided us.
Looking at his physique alone, I wonder if he also serves as a guard here.
He had this certain aura about him that made me think so.
Going past a room which seems to be a living room, we were led to a place where there is a woman smiling, who looks to be thirty years old, and an uncle who stood up from his chair suddenly *gaba!*
They are Elna-kaasan’s father and mother, but they look very young.
Grandmother has the same chestnut-colored hair tied up, she gives a really calm feeling to others.
She doesn’t look to age at all, truly youthful.
In this world, one is considered an adult if they are fifteen years old, and it’s not strange for them to have an early marriage, however she looks too young for me to call her grandma so it feels awkward for me to call her that.
I’ll just call her okaasan 2
As for grandfather, he has wrinkles around his eyes, and it gives off an adult, refined look which is cool.
His hair is bushy brown. He seems to be doing just fine.
But, the first words he said.
「You didn’t bring Eleonora with you?」
He said in a slightly loud voice as he strongly shakes his head.
And since he can find her, he even went behind us to check.
「Eleonora is not here today, father-in-law.」
「Don’t call me father-in-law!」
「Now, now, grandpa please calm down. The leading actor today is Alfried, right?」
The grandfather who flared up at Nord-tousan, and grandmother pacifying the grandfather.
And then she got up from the chair, and came toward me.
「Alfried-chan right? Nice to meet you, I’m Elena (エレーナ), Elna’s mother.」
Looking at her gentle smile, as expected, I can see that she is Elna-kaasan’s mother. And their faces are just alike.
「Nice to meet you, Elena-obachan」
I cheerfully replied to her, but Elena-obachan just said 「Uuーn」 as she stared directly into my eyes.
「Mm-hmm, though your eyes are a little like that, you seem to be okay.」
「Eh?」
Wait a sec, what do you mean by like that? I want you to tell me more about that part in detail.
「You must be tired since you’ve just arrived in the royal capital, so take it easy today. Let’s talk again later, okay?」
Elena-obachan kindly smiles at me as she caresses my head.
No, but it’s already the fourth day since we came to the royal capital, and I also slept soundly yesterday, you know?
Does my eyes look exhausted that much………
As everyone sat down, I alone stood in a daze.
Grandpa stroke my head roughly with his big hand *washiwashi*, as though to cheer me up.
「By the way, Nord. Nowadays, the frequency of your visit to the royal capital has decreased hasn’t it? And because of that Eleonora doesn’t come, hmm. Don’t you think that it’s important to associate as a noble?」
Elna-kaasan’s father, Lazareth-ojiichan (ラザレス) said with his arms crossed.
Perhaps, grandpa’s motive ratio is about thirty percent Nord-tousan, and the seventy percent is for Eleonora-neesan I think.
We certainly have a Baron title. And since among the nobles it is considered low rank, it may be necessary for us to be conspicuous occasionally. However, Nord-tousan seldom attends the party held by the nobles in the royal capital. Even though our territory is quite far from the royal capital and other territories, the world of nobles wouldn’t be so lenient every time we didn’t attend using such an excuse.
Of course we participate in important events and social gathering of the nobles in the vicinity of our territory, but I also think that we also spend too long inside our own territory,
「Father-in-law, that――」
「Don’t call me father-in-law!」
「Father?」
「No.」
「……papa?」
「Hou? You’re now able to tell such joke after not meeting for a long time huh, Nord?」
I was also surprised at that. For Nord-tousan to call grandfather with ‘papa’.
Is this the usual exchange between them, Elna-kaasan and grandmother were still talking as if nothing happened.
The two of them are talking amicably on a sofa like sisters.
Anyway, it seems like Nord-tousan is teasing grandpa.
「Well whatever. Are you fine with what I told you before?」
「Yes, my territory is located in the countryside, and I myself don\'t want to have anything to do with those kinds of things. I also got a backer just in case. But, they appear to be paying attention to our family recently………」
Then Nord-tousan directed his gaze at me, glancing at me. Because of that, grandpa also took a glance at me.
Eh? We certainly have some leeway and are getting rich, even so what Nord-tousan said still falls within the category of being in the countryside, right?
「I guess it’s because of this guy who sold those entertainment gimmick to that upstart company. The townspeople and the nobles are crazy about it.」
That’s rude, calling me ‘this guy’. I have a splendid name, Alfried, you know?
And it was Nord-tousan who sold it officially.
「Why are you saying it as if it\'s something terrible. Even though you brought the trial product that arrives and go around, boasting about it to everyone.」
「Quiet!」
The grandpa who is exasperated to grandma’s comment, then retorted while feeling distraught.
But grandma didn’t mind him, appearing as if not caring at all and returning to talk with mother again.
It feels kind of peaceful.
「Anyhow, you should’ve sign the contract with our company.」
「Ah well, since we also have a connection on our side as well.」
「Oh well, regardless of right or wrong, you are the straightforward type after all. It’s not your fault. 」
「Forgive me.」
Grandpa muttered like so to change the slightly gloomy atmosphere.
「Haaー, I hope Eleonora joins the chivalric order soon. If so, she will live in the royal capital, and then she can live in my house.」
「The knights have a rule stating that they have to stay in the lodging house, so that’s impossible.」
「Whaat!? But then you got the influence of a Baron.」
「Our family doesn’t have such influence. Even if we do have it, it is in an extremely rare case for us to interfere. Of course, after the enrollment, there are a few times they gave them some days off.」
His expectation smashed to pieces, grandpa collapsed on the table.
Hoh, so you will have not many days off as a knight, huh. It’s a good thing I heard that.
So in other words, she wouldn\'t be able to leave the royal capital to return back to Koryatt village.
From now on, there is no longer any need for me to fear my natural enemy, is this the promised elegant life…
Should I be a little nice to Eleonora-neesan when I get back… And then when the time comes, I’ll grandly send her away. That way she will be embarrassed to go back after that.
Yesterday was the second day that I stayed in grandpa’s house. There were two days left until the party.
In any case, they said that the party is being held for two days, that’s fine since I’m still going to stay to a certain extent even after the party is over. It’s okay. Like, even if I got caught up in an emergency, I’ll go watch the play even if I have to use teleportation.
× × ×
「Al, what are you doing?」
Grandpa spoke to me who was shaving wood in the garden.
Wearing white shirt, an indigo vest that looks like a haori6, and light brown long pants.
He’s unexpectedly fashionable.
「I’m making a spinning top out of wood.」
Answering like that, once again I use the rotating magic tool installed on the ground to roughly cut the spinning top.
Attaching a whetstone to it, it spun rapidly as I put my magic power into the magic tool, it then smoothed out the rough surface of the spinning top in a flash.
In addition to that, a not-so-loud noise resounded.
And then Nord-tousan and the others came over as if to see what’s going on.
I guess they heard the sound the magic tool made when it cut the spinning top and came over.
I’m doing more or less a precise and dangerous work right now. Maybe they consider it like that since no one is talking to me, but I feel slightly uncomfortable since everyone’s staring at me.
In such conditions, I prepare the shape approximately and then I carve the center part.
If I were to fix the top in place and push it against the blade part, it would finish quickly, but as expected with the insufficient tools, I had to abandon the idea. I carve it with this chisel-like thing given to me by Elman-san.
This time, the gazes directed at me change to a doubtful one.
「By the way, this spinning top and that thing, what are those thing for?」
Grandpa asks on behalf of everyone.
I wonder if this thing appears as food or something to everyone\'s eyes?
「………naturally, isn’t it to spin and play it? 」
When I answered like that, grandma smiles pleasantly, Elna-kaasan and the other members of the family have a shocked expression.
As for Nord-tousan, he held his head as if enduring a headache
It might look a bit ill-formed and unable to rotate properly, so should I give it a try…
I move from the lawn to the stone pathway, then I wrap around a string around the spinning top.
Only grandpa followed me with great interest.
While being watched over by the immensely curious grandpa, I throw it to release the string.
The sound of dry wood and stones rubbing against each other.
And then the spinning top slipped and fell over.
The spinning top makes a clattering noise, I gather the spinning top that has turned rough.
I’m kinda embarrassed for failing to throw it abruptly.
「Just like that?」
「No, I just made a little mistake in throwing it.」
I confirm the execution of the throwing once again as I carefully wrap the string around.
Un, the shaft lodged in the middle seems to be fine.
And then I pulled the string once more…
At first, the spinning top was unstable, but it started to rotate steadily.
「It rotates!」
「Ooh! It’s spinning nicely! This is fascinating!」
We watched the spinning top in high spirits.
「By the way, is this thing can only spin like this? Though it’s interesting, but is there any other way to play it?」
「There is, knocking one spinning top with another in a small ring. And if one is skilled, they can make the spinning top cross a string.」
「Knocking with one another!? That sounds interesting isn’t it! Hey, get me another one!」
「No, that is, there’s only one here.」
「Then you can just make another one right. I want to see them knocking each other.」
What the heck is this grandfather saying with such a serious face. What were you watching when I made one previously…
Ahー, but if he just wanted to see them knocking each other, then it’s fine if I improvise right.
「Then, do you have a thick paper the size of a card, a skewer, and scissors? If you have those things then I can make an improvised spinning top.」
Then grandpa rushed back to the house, and brought the things I asked.
I cut the cardboard-like thick paper he brought out to a round shape, and then I stabbed the short skewer through it.
「It’s done.」
「This thing can spin?」
As it is not possible for this improvised spinning top to spin on the stone pathway, we moved the spinning top to a table in the house.
「Hold it right here, then turn it like this……look.」
When I showed him how it’s done, grandpa also does it obediently.
「Oh! Ooohh! It spins!」
「Theーre, beat itー」
「Ah! What are you doing to my spinning top?」
「You want to see it knock each other right?」
「Youu! I’m going to blow you away next time!」
「Oi, why is Al’s spinning top so sharp?」
「Because it’s for winning?」
That day, grandpa kept turning the spinning top throughout the day.
And trying to come up with an ingenious plan on the paper to win. As for me, I’m approaching it from a different angle, making a spinning top that looks like a flower, painting it in a brilliant color.
「Oi, sell this thing to me.」
「Ahー, okay okay. I’ll give it to you if you like it………」