Archmage’s Restaurant – Chapter 25: Cheese (4)

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A muddy river flows. It’s not particularly wide, but it runs a very long course from the central empire to this southeastern coast.

Water buffalo are supposed to inhabit this area.

They should be here, but there were no signs of them. Instead, a hippo lay with its mouth wide open in the river.

As I approached, a nasty-looking crocodile crawled out. Called a Kyaharik, it’s a vicious creature considered on the level of a monster.

“What is this inferior creature?”

The crocodile attempted to attack with its sharp teeth, but Rurin stomped on it, rendering it unconscious.

Rurin began poking and prodding the unconscious crocodile for fun.

Water buffalo need water, so they should show up eventually. This is definitely their habitat.

For now, I dragged Rurin upstream into the forest.

The trees in the forest bore bright red fruits. I didn’t know their name. They looked as red as a Red Delicious apple, but they were not apples. They were very soft, like cherries, but the size of an apple.

Ten years ago, I survived on these fruits. During a grueling march, these fruits were like an oasis. They held nostalgic memories.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, I gestured to Rurin.

“Rurin, go up and pick those fruits for me.”

The fruits were hanging a bit high.

“Why not just chop down the tree?”

“Dragon lady, we don’t need to chop down the whole tree just to get some fruit, right? It’s about coexistence. We get the fruit, and the tree doesn’t have to be cut down.”

“What’s that? That’s weird!”

Of course, it’s weird. It’s nonsense. We chop down trees whenever we need to. We chopped down trees earlier to make the platform for the tuna. But now, we only need the fruit, so there’s no need to cut down the tree.

“It’s called a piggyback ride. Here, sit on my shoulders.”

Rurin tilted her head, looking confused, but she seemed interested in the idea of sitting on my shoulders.

“Oh, I get to dominate your face!”

She promptly climbed onto my shoulders. When I stood up straight, she cheered.

“Whoa!”

She then grabbed my hair, which hurt.

“Hehe, you are mine now!”

“Dragon lady? Would you mind picking the fruit before I toss you off?”

“Getting tossed would hurt.”

Rurin grimaced but reached for the fruit. Once she got it, I lowered her back to the ground.

“Good job.”

“Is this tasty?”

She asked, eyes filled with curiosity and hunger, despite having just eaten tuna.

So, I put the fruit into her mouth.

“Mmph!”

She pouted for a moment, but the sweet juice soon calmed her down, and she began to chew quietly.

I took a bite of the fruit too.

It tasted like a mix of strawberries and bananas, with a very high water content. A rich sweetness and tanginess coexisted in this delightful fruit.

“Huh?”

Rurin mimicked my reaction like a parrot. I was surprised because I finally spotted water buffalo. Muddy water buffalo heading towards the river. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

A herd of water buffalo began drinking from the river.

“Found them!”

I couldn’t contain my excitement.

Water buffalo. My mozzarella cheese source had arrived.

“Wha? Wha is it?”

Rurin asked, her mouth full of fruit.

“Treasure. They’re called Berinerique.”

Rurin looked at me and the water buffalo with a puzzled expression.

—

I asked Rurin to knock out the water buffalo, then I performed a large-scale teleportation.

I released eight water buffalo on a hill and set up a barrier to prevent any monsters from escaping. I began constructing a fence with the help of hired workers.

Using Dragon Fear, I manipulated the buffalo’s minds to prevent aggressive behavior. While Rurin couldn’t manipulate human minds yet, she could handle small-brained animals.

That’s the specialty of dragons, a 10th class mental magic.

Once she matures and her powers fully develop, she might be able to manipulate human minds with 10th class magic, but even then, it wouldn’t work on me.

As long as the Dragon Heart breathes within me.

Using that magic, I tamed the buffalo to have a docile temperament, similar to cattle. I also created an artificial lake for them.

The pasture for the water buffalo was in an area where the lair construction didn’t extend. It was on the edge of the hill, not needing to dig further down.

Water was supplied by magic. The water needed to be changed daily to prevent stagnation. The drained water flowed down a steep slope, naturally feeding into the stream between Greiksh and the hill.

A lake for the buffalo, you could say.

Next, I built a pen beside the lake. I also hired workers to help. Building the pen for the buffalo didn’t require advanced skills, just a simple structure.

Even so, the entire process took about ten days.

The pasture looked quite presentable. The buffalo were divided into males and females, so their numbers would increase through breeding.

More buffalo meant more mozzarella cheese.

Now, I needed to hire workers for the pasture. Two strong men to feed the buffalo and manage the general upkeep, and one experienced worker to oversee operations. I planned to hire three people in total.

My own pasture and restaurant. The thought alone was peaceful.

Though starting with just eight buffalo.

I asked Ms. Rein to look for experienced workers and requested the Greiksh boy to put up recruitment notices.

In any era, jobs are always welcome.

Especially if they offer good pay.

Today was interview day.

I strictly instructed Rurin not to interact with any of the people coming today. There would be all kinds of applicants, and if they upset Rurin, it could cause trouble.

As usual, Rurin lay napping on the table while I turned the second floor into an interview room.

[Interviews are on the second floor. Please line up and proceed in order.]

As I was putting up the notice, someone entered the restaurant. Already? The interview time was still a ways off. My curiosity was short-lived as it turned out to be Knoll, unrelated to the interviews.

“Hey, you’re starting a pasture? Business must be good? The restaurant doesn’t seem very busy.”

“I just saved a lot before retiring. Unlike someone who got scammed. Hehe.”

“What did you say? Damn it!”

Knoll stomped his foot, speechless. Then he changed the subject.

“Hmph, anyway! How are you going to conduct interviews alone? I’ve met all sorts of people as a mercenary, so I can help! Not like a mage who everyone catered to! Haha!”

Knoll laughed heartily, then went downstairs to grab a chair, setting it next to me.

He’s a maverick.

Well, having him might be better than doing it alone. That’s true.

Just then, another person timidly came upstairs. Another familiar face.

“Um…”

“Elena?”

“Yes, hello.”

The bright, smiling elf greeted us. She looked beautiful as always. But what brought her here? She wasn’t planning to quit being a healer to work at the pasture, was she?

“What brings you here, Elena?”

“Well, the great being is…”

I quickly raised a finger to my lips, glancing at Knoll. Luckily, he seemed oblivious, excited about being an interviewer.

“Ah, sorry! Anyway, he’s sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake him. The kitchen was empty, so I was about to leave when I saw the notice and figured you might be here.”

A funny scene flashed through my mind. An elf enters the restaurant looking for me, sees the dragon sprawled on the table, bows in shock, then hurriedly leaves upon realizing the dragon is asleep, only to see the notice just in time. A slapstick comedy.

“So, did you come to eat?”

“No, I finally decided to come learn the recipe you mentioned….”

Oh, I did say that when visiting Mente. Her passion for vegetable dishes must have overcome her fear of dragons.

“Today’s not a good day for that. I’m interviewing people for the pasture.”

“That makes sense. Sorry for the interruption! I’ll leave now!”

She bowed repeatedly, looking apologetic. I glanced at Knoll and had an idea. Elena would be a hundred times more useful than Knoll.

An elf who can see through lies. What better interviewer could there be?

“Wait, Elena. Can you spare a moment?”

“Huh?”

“Character is important in hiring, right? If someone lies, can you let me know?”

“Lies? Sure! I’ll help however I can!”

Elena clasped her hands and nodded vigorously.

“I’ll do my best, trust me.”

She was unexpectedly enthusiastic. I set up a chair for her, making her part of the panel. Now we had three interviewers.

Soon, actual applicants started arriving, forming a line.

The interviews began.

“No. That guy caused trouble in the shop before.”

Knoll declared a rejection. Slam.

“He had inappropriate thoughts about me!”

Elena also declared a rejection, raising her eyebrows.

“That guy looks shifty.”

“Yes, he had inappropriate thoughts about me!”

Rejected. Slam.

“That guy seems okay.”

“No, he lied.”

Oh boy. These people?

Rejection after rejection. I couldn’t get a word in. They dismissed applicants almost as soon as they walked in.

Elena was surprisingly fervent, her previous timidness gone. She was almost aggressive.

Elena explained that she was fine with people showing her goodwill. But those with lewd thoughts made her uncomfortable.

She referred to such people as having lustful intentions.

Of course, what someone imagines in their mind is their business. But having such thoughts about Elena during a job interview? Naturally, they were rejected.

But at this rate, we wouldn’t hire anyone. I decided to intervene.

“This time, I’ll make the decision. Just observe for now.”

Chapter 25: Cheese (4)

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