Black Iron Magician

「Please wait in line! There’s plenty of food, so there’s no need to rush desuwa!」

「The man over there, do as Therese says. Otherwise, I will envy you. I will envy you to death――」

「Ueeh!?」

The loud voice that can be heard far away was Therese’s voice. Next to her, there was the third sister of Irygal Sisters, Odile, with a sign that says　『Reflecting & Volunteering』 hung on her neck. Like Therese, Odile seems to be maintaining the line, but her words and actions do not seem to match the words on the sign. The old man dwarf in line was also surprised.

「She’s joking, of course! It’s a vampire joke desuwa!」

「I-I see. Well, it was my fault for looking away. Don’t worry about it.」

「Godo, line up properly.」

「Hehe, sorry.」

Therese was patching things up, and the dwarves didn’t seem to mind about it anymore.

「Odile-san, please refrain from meaninglessly intimidating others. Even if you don’t say it that far, I’m sure everyone who gathers here will understand.」

「B-But, Therese, I’ve been staying in my room for so long, so I don’t really know how to interact with other people…. When I’m panicked, I just let my true nature out.」

「Non-non, there’s no need to be depressed because of what happened before. Not everyone can do things perfectly from the beginning. Even Gobuo-san made mistakes in the beginning desuwa!」

「E-Even Gobuo-san!?」

Odile was shocked and her common sense was overturned. That’s just how effective Gobuo’s name is.

「That’s right. Even I, who grew up watching many servants in the Batten family, am impressed by Gobuo-san work as a butler. And that’s why I can imagine how hard Gobuo-san worked to reach there. I am sure that he has raised himself to that level through many efforts and many failures…! Odile-san, please don’t be afraid and stand up even if you’re worried. I promise to back you up fully as your friend!」

「T-Therese…! Okay. I will do my best to continue this voluntary activity. It’s to become a splendid servant like Gobuo-san! First, I’m going to surpass the envious Lily-senpai!」

「That’s the spirit desuwa! No matter how high and steep the goal is, you can reach it as long as you don’t give up! Ohohoho!」

Odile seems to have decided to follow the path of service, the same as her longing Gobuo. She was a maid in appearance only, but now she wants to be a perfect maid, both physically and mentally. The road will certainly be a steep one, but for now, it looks like she will achieve her first goal at an early stage.

「The lady who’s small but noble, thank you for waiting. Enjoy it to your heart’s content.」

「Ara, aren’t you a good talker? Still, I’m happy.」

Meanwhile, Hund, who was in charge of serving the food, was serving it to the people while talking to them with a nice voice. The charity work of Hund’s army is now well-known on the Jiba continent, and even if monsters such as Sahagin and octopuses participate in the outdoor party, they will be accepted normally.

「Wow, aren’t you a nice middle-aged man? How about we do something good? Let’s go to the alley ♪」

「Eh, w-w-what do you mean by that!?」

「Katarina-dono! This is not the place for that! Please keep the public morals!」

「Thank you for waiting~. Here’s the food~. How about some freshly squeezed blood juice~? Hic!」

「Hey, isn’t this woman drunk!? Is that really juice!?」

「Riara-dono, you too. I’ve told you many times not to drink blood while working! It’s out of the question to recommend it to people!」

「「But~」」

「No buts! Try to suppress your own desire a little!」

However, the fourth daughter Katarina and the fifth daughter Riara, who were entrusted to him, were too free. Like Odile, they have a sign hanging down from their necks that says they are sorry for what they have done, but they are acting as if they don’t care about it. As usual, Hund seems to be having a hard time today. If Chinatsu had been here, her skill level would have gone up tremendously.

「Good grief, those foolish sisters will never change. I wish they would learn from me and Ursula-oneesama who work diligently.」

「………」

「Gigigigi…!」

The ones here are the backstage workers in charge of cooking. The difficult process, such as cutting the specified materials into appropriate sizes and keeping an eye on the pot so that it doesn’t overflow, is entrusted to the cooks, and the simpler ones are entrusted to the Eldest daughter Ursula, the second daughter Veronica, the sixth daughter Eliza, and the seventh daughter Lilyvia.

「Don’t you think so, Ursula-oneesama?」

Veronica, who handles her knife skillfully, peels a thin layer of radish skin and talks to Ursula, who is cutting up the ingredients next to her.

「………」

「Um, Ursula-oneesama?」

However, Ursula kept her mouth closed and showed no reaction. Veronica wondered what was wrong and looked at her esteemed sister.

「…… Veronica, we’ve got a problem. This blade not only cut the target, but also cut the cutting board and table underneath. Is it necessary to use such a sharp knife?」

The cooking area that Ursula has been using had been cut in half. Not only the ingredient, the cutting board, and the table, but even the ground beneath them is cracked. Ursula is just tilting her head while staring at the kitchen knife.

「Onee-sama, you’re putting too much power on it. A softer touch will be fine.」

「Is that so?」

「Yes, that’s right. If it’s someone as strong as Onee-sama, that much is enough.」

「Gigigigigigigi….!」

「…… Um, Lilyvia? What are you doing since a while ago?」

Behind Ursula, Lilyvia was watching the simmering pot while biting a handkerchief. Her expression is full of frustration.

「Gigigigigigigigigigi!」

「Don’t answer while biting your handkerchief, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Good grief, this foolish sister is always doing something meaningless―― wait, come to think of it, Eliza isn’t coming back, huh? It’s been a long time since she went to the washroom.」

Veronica looks around, but there’s no sign of Eliza.

「Gigigi, gigi!」

「I told you to let go of your handkerchief――」

「――It seems that Lilyvia wants to say that Eliza is sleeping behind the tree over there.」

Ursula translates Lily’s words.

「As expected of Ursula-oneesama, you understand it from the slight movement of Lilyvia’s mouth and the fluctuation of her voice, huh?」

「Ah, that handkerchief is to vent my frustration!」

Veronica took the handkerchief from Lilyvia’s mouth and lightly wiped her eyes. Apparently, she has a tendency to accept most things that Ursula does. Veronica then tossed the handkerchief back to Lily and took out a blood-stained whip instead.

「Now, I will make Eliza into a statue and bring her back. Lilyvia, you should follow Ursula-oneesama’s instructions.」

「Gigi!」

「『Why are you giving me orders?』, is what she’s trying to say.」

「… Lilyvia, you’re next.」

The outdoor party with the Irygal Sisters was full of ups and downs, but it was somehow able to keep going with a miraculous balance. Perhaps, whether it will continue to go well depends on Therese’s charisma and Hund’s efforts.