Yuri Empire

It was the 39th day of the spring month, and the third year of spring was already coming to an end.

About five minutes before noon on this day, just as Yuri was thinking about where to have lunch today, there was a rare visitor in the office.

“I'm sorry to have suddenly interrupted your work, Your Majesty.”

―――It was Ilorina.

As soon as she entered the room, the first thing she did was bow her head.

“Don't worry, I've just finished my work for this morning.”

If you need me for anything, just let me know, okay?”

“Oh, um, errands, I mean… Have you decided what you're going to have for lunch today, Your Majesty Yuri?”

“No? I was just wondering if I should eat in the palace dining room or use one of the food stalls for my inspection.”

“Then it was just fine! I've made you a sandwich, perhaps you'd like to try it?”

She then held out the basket she had been carrying in both hands to Yuri.

“My. Did you take the trouble to make this for me?”

“Yes! …I don't know if it will be to your taste.”

“How can something you prepared for me not be delicious?”

No matter what it tasted like, or if there was poison in it. If it was given to her by a girl he liked, Yuri was confident that she would enjoy it with a smile.

“I'm not much of a cook… It's really just a sandwich.”

Said Ilorina, timidly, as she opened the lid of the basket. The basket was full of sandwiches.

Ilorina said, “It's just sandwiches.” But when you actually cook, sandwiches take a lot of time and effort to cook.

If she had prepared this amount of food, it would have taken her about two hours.

I mean, it looks like a bit too much for two people to eat, but… But since Ilorina is a good eater despite her small size, this amount might be just right for her.

After moving from the office desk to the sofa, Yuri immediately tried it.

The bread must have been made in the Republic of Aneka. It was a hard bread with a slightly dark color, but it was cut into thin slices.

There seemed to be a variety of ingredients available, but for now, Yuri was hungry, so she took a bite of a satisfying sandwich of vegetables and bacon.

When Yuri bit into it, she could taste the savory flavor of the bread and bacon, as well as the fresh taste of the vegetables.

The bread was hard for a sandwich, but not too hard.

It's a reasonably satisfying meal, so I guess I'll take it.

“My… it's so good, Ilorina.”

“Are you sure? Thank you very much!”

Ilorina's expression relaxed happily in response to Yuri's words.

It's me who should be thanking her. The fact that she expressed her gratitude with a big smile on her face made Yuri feel a little confused.

“I can't eat it all by myself, so let's eat it together.”

“Yes!”

Taking out a bottle of tea and a cup from her <Inventory>, Yuri prepared drinks for the two of them on the table.

Unfortunately, unlike the storage of items in the <Maid Bag> skill, the <Inventory> cannot save the condition of stored items. The tea, of course, had returned to room temperature.

“This salad is also delicious. I wonder what kind of vegetables are in the sandwich?”

Yuri asked as she took a bite of the second sandwich.

It has a vegetable similar to cucumber in between, and the taste and texture are pleasant and delicious.

When Yuri asked this, Ilorina immediately told her.

“It's called kulat. It's a vegetable from the land of the Nimun.”

“Is that so? Do you think it grows in the desert?”

“No, it doesn't grow in deserts, but it can be grown in hot places and I've heard that it grows well in places where it doesn't rain much.”

“You know a lot about it…”

As I thought when I first met her, Ilorina has a healthy physique like a sports girl, but she seems to have a surprisingly clever or intelligent side.

The fact that she had a good grasp of the vegetables of the allied countries was something that Yuri was usually impressed with.

A sandwich is something you can't stop eating.

Yuri continued with the egg sandwich.

For modern people, the first thing they would think of when they hear the words “egg sandwich” is an egg salad. The sandwich that Ilorina prepared had a texture and taste more like an omelet sandwich.

I've never seen mayonnaise in this world, and eggs are usually eaten after being heated. So perhaps this was the normal way to eat an egg sandwich here.

“Egg sandwiches are also delicious. You have something in the egg, don't you?”

“Thank you very much. I thought the corn would improve the texture. I also thought it would go well with the sweeter seasoning.”

“I see… I'm flattered, but I think it goes very well together.”

I've made omelets many times when I lived in Japan and after I came to this world. But Yuri had never tried to put any ingredients in them.

―――It seemed like a bad idea. She thought that adding salt, sugar, and dashi (Japanese soup stock) would be enough to make an omelet, let alone an omelet sandwich.

But when I actually tried it like this. The texture of the egg omelet with corn added was delightful and very tasty, just like Ilorina said.

Good taste is justice. At that point, there is no such thing as evil.

“It's a very convenient city because you can easily find all kinds of food in the market. The corn was surprisingly cheap, and the eggs were normal in price, but tasted good…”

“Fufu. I'm glad to hear you say that.

The corn is brought in right after it's harvested from a village called Erat near Yuritania, so you can get fresh corn at the market any time of the year.”

“Eh? What? All year round? …Come to think of it, corn is mainly harvested in the summer, isn't it? I can't believe it's still spring and I can get it so cheap…”

“Yes. It's not hard to grow crops in any season if you use【 Temperature Control Ward 】.”

Erat is a village that specializes in agriculture, mainly growing oats, wheat, and corn.

Most of the farmland is protected by【 Barrier Ward 】and【 Temperature Control Ward 】to protect it from the threat of demons, and at the same time, keep the fields at the most suitable temperature for each crop to grow.

Corn is a grain that tastes the best right after it is harvested. It is a great luxury to be able to get a stable supply of corn that is in season all year round at a low price.

By the way, in the village of “Erat”, they used to grow wheat and beans as well. Now, most of the farmland belongs to oats or corn.

Both of these crops are excellent fodder and require large amounts of storage.

Oats are excellent as feed for horses, so most of them are used in Kolt, which mainly raises and breeds horses. Corn is excellent as feed for pigs and chickens, so it is used in the city of Hourai, which raises many chickens, the divine messengers of Amaterasu, and in the villages of Notoku, which mainly raise livestock.

“I'm sure corn and good eggs will soon be available in the cities of the Aneka Republic, so you can look forward to that.”

“Wow…! I'm really looking forward to that!”

Yuri's words made Ilorina's expression glow.

The distance between the Yuri Empire and the Republic of Aneka is very close.

So, if we can spread the trade routes where wagons can run at high speed in both countries, and also utilize the “air transport”, it will be possible to distribute various foods from the Yuriy Empire to all the cities in the Republic of Aneka.

If Ilorina would be happy with it―――I'd give it my all.

At least for Yuri, it was enough compensation for her labor.