Installing A Freezer In The Duke’s Household

The next day, Kent ended up heading to Josette’s mansion.

“Kent, are you going out? After what happened yesterday… I’m coming with you.”

Elnette said she would come along because she was worried about Kent. Certainly, her swordsmanship was the real thing, and if he brought her along as a guard, he thought she would be more than capable. But the place they were heading to this time was Josette’s mansion… in other words, Elnette’s family home. Kent thought it might be hard for Elnette to go there, considering she had left home almost like a runaway.

“Um, the place I’m heading to now is Elnette’s family home, though?”

“What! It’s about that matter I promised Father the other day, isn’t it? It may be a little hard to go back, but it’s for your safety, Kent. I’m coming with you.”

Al, who had been with him yesterday, seemed to have used a great deal of magic power in the fight and was resting in her room. “Last night, Marie-sama was there, so I couldn’t replenish my magic power… it looks like going out today would be impossible,” Al had said to Kent apologetically.

And so Kent headed to the Duke’s mansion together with Elnette.

Since Elnette was dressed in swordswoman’s attire, Kent felt less like he was walking together with a woman and more like he was walking with a guard escort.

“Hey, Kent.”

“What is it, Elnette?”

“C-C-Could I hold your hand?”

Elnette suddenly said that shyly.

“Sure.”

“Then, excuse me…”

Elnette tightly grasped Kent’s hand. It was the sort of hand-holding where lovers intertwined their fingers. Though she was older than him, Elnette, with her face reddened, looked rather cute.

Kent and Elnette arrived in front of the Duke’s mansion. Kent had once been turned away at the gate here before. That memory faintly resurfaced.

“I hope it doesn’t turn into trouble again…”

The thought slipped out of Kent’s mouth before he realized it.

“You’ve been here before, right, Kent?”

“I have, but the very first time I came, I got turned away at the gate.”

“Well, a lot of the gate guards at our place aren’t very flexible.”

Elnette said that with a wry smile.

“Today, I’m here, so don’t worry.”

Saying that, Elnette called out to the guard standing watch at the gate.

“I’ve returned.”

“Hah? This isn’t a home for some swordswoman like you to be returning to. This is the Duke’s mansion. Anyone without business here, leave at once.”

The response that came back was not at all what Elnette had expected, and her eyes went blank in shock.

“Could it be this isn’t Elnette’s house?”

“No, it is without question my family home. He is probably just a new recruit.”

“Hey, you. You’re new, aren’t you?”

“I am, so what of it?”

“Could you call over another guard? You two are not worth talking to.”

Elnette said that to the two guards protecting the gate. Wearing an extremely displeased look, one of the guards went inside and brought back another guard.

“Senpai, this strange woman swordsman is making a fuss, saying let her into the mansion, so please do something.”

“This is the Duke’s mansion, you know—huh!? M-My deepest apologies, Lady Elnette. Hey, you two, this person is Lady Elnette of this mansion.”

““O-Our apologies!””

The two gate guards hurriedly saluted and opened the way.

“Sorry to trouble you. You may return to your duties.”

“““Yes, ma’am!”””

The three guards saluted and saw Kent and Elnette off.

“After talking so high and mighty to you, Kent, I never expected I would receive the same treatment myself.”

Elnette said that with a wry smile.

“Come to think of it, you and the others are each given your own building, right?”

“That’s right. Right now there are thirteen siblings, so there are thirteen buildings like this in total. Those who have left home due to independence or marriage use their building as a kind of storage shed, while those of us who remain in the family home, myself included, use ours as residences. By the way, my separate building is that one over there.”

Saying that, she pointed to one of the many buildings lined up there. That building was next to Josette’s separate building.

“So it’s the building next to Josette-san’s.”

“You know that well. Since we were neighbors, we used to play together often from long ago.”

Elnette said that nostalgically. Then Kent and Elnette entered the main building where the Duke lived.

“This is Lady Elnette. Welcome home.”

“Yes, I’m back. I would like an audience with Father.”

“Certainly. Please wait a moment.”

Since she was the Duke’s daughter, the butler, who dealt with them without even needing to confirm anything, went into the back. It looked like getting an audience with the Duke would be easy enough.

“Thank you for waiting. This way, please.”

The butler soon returned and guided them farther inside.

“I have returned, Father.”

“Excuse me.”

Kent and Elnette were shown into the Duke’s reception room.

“So Lord Kent is with you as well. That means you’ve come to install that thing, yes? Sorry for imposing on you.”

“Not at all. Your Grace has done many things for me, so it is an honor to be of service.”

“I see, I see. Then get to work at once. Elnette, you accompany Lord Kent and assist him.”

“Understood, Father.”

With that, the Duke urged them to begin the work before having any further conversation. Elnette immediately led Kent to the kitchen.

“It’s huge.”

“Well, yes. We sometimes hold parties on the scale of several hundred people, so a certain amount of space and staff has been prepared.”

It seemed the staff in the kitchen were currently on break. They were all gathered around a large cooking table, chatting together.

“Excuse me for interrupting your break.”

When Elnette entered the kitchen, everyone hurriedly stood up and turned toward her.

“Everyone, stay as you are. Continue your break.”

When Elnette urged them to do so, everyone sat back down, but the conversation from before had disappeared.

“Head Chef, do you have a moment?”

“Yes, what is it, milady?”

When Elnette called for the head chef, he hurried over to the front.

“We are about to install something in the kitchen. Please take instructions from Kent here.”

“Understood.”

The head chef bowed once to Elnette, then turned toward Kent.

“I’ll now be installing a freezer. It’s about this size, but is there anywhere we can put it?”

“In that case, how about somewhere around here?”

“Understood. Then I’ll place it here. Elnette.”

“What is it, Kent?”

“““!?”””

Everyone in the kitchen was startled when Kent called Elnette by name without a title. They had apparently thought he was just some technician, but now they realized the two had a different kind of relationship.

“How much ice cream do we need?”

“Let’s see. Father is probably planning to serve it at parties and such, so we may need enough for several hundred people.”

“If that’s the case, a household one won’t do… it’ll have to be a commercial one.”

Kent was choosing while looking through the list of freezers displayed on the tablet.

“A size about this large should be enough, I think.”

Kent selected a commercial freezer of a suitable size and summoned it through the terminal. A large silver box suddenly appeared in the planned installation space, and everyone in the kitchen was astonished.

“Amazing. What is this used for?”

The head chef asked Kent. Elnette had seen the freezer at the shop before, so she immediately understood it was a larger version of that, but for those seeing it for the first time, there was no way they could understand what it was.

“So, this is called a freezer, and it’s a box that allows you to store ingredients and such in a frozen state. I think it would be good for storing perishables and other ingredients that spoil easily.”

“So such a convenient thing exists? And how is this meant to be used?”

“This is something all of you here will be using, so once the preparations are done, I’ll explain it. Please wait a little.”

“Understood.”

Leaving the head chef, who looked curious and fidgety, to wait, Kent carried out the wiring work.

“All right, that’s done. Then, power on.”

“““Ooooooh!”””

With the low-pitched operating sound, the compressor started up and began cooling the inside. The thermometer displayed outside gradually dropped, showing that the cooling was working. Once the temperature pointed below zero, Kent explained the machine to the kitchen staff.

It was a simple explanation, but they listened with great interest, and some of them were even taking notes.

“Now then, next is the ice cream that His Grace requested…”

Since it included things that were difficult to obtain in this world, Kent placed several types of the commercial ice cream tubs that were also used at Marie’s shop into the freezer.

“Then please, everyone, have a taste.”

Kent handed out ice cream to the cooks in the kitchen, partly to show them examples of how it could be plated, and had them sample it. The cooks showed expressions of surprise at the taste, which they were trying for the first time.

“Kent, where’s mine?”

“Do you want some too, Elnette?”

“Of course.”

“I would like some as well, desuwa.”

“Whoa.”

Josette’s voice suddenly came from behind him. Since she spoke to him so suddenly, Kent was startled.

“Oh my, Josette, what’s wrong?”

“Onee-sama, that was terrible of you. To start the work without telling me anything. I had absolutely no idea Kent-san was here.”

“I’m sorry about that. Father said to begin the work immediately.”

Josette said that with her cheeks puffed out in a pout.

“Here, this one is your portion, Josette-san.”

“Ah, t-thank you very much, desuwa.”

In the meantime, having prepared it, Kent handed plates of ice cream to Josette and Elnette.

“Just thinking that I’ll be able to eat this every day from now on makes me so happy, desuwa.”

Josette said that with an enraptured expression.

“Now then, Head Chef.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I’ve put in a reasonable amount for now, but if it looks like you may run short, please inform Marie’s bakery. Even if I’m not there, I think someone at the shop will be able to handle refilling it.”

“Understood.”

Kent explained to the head chef about restocking the ice cream.

“Then, Elnette, since our business here is finished, let’s return to the Duke.”

“Understood.”

“I shall come as well, desuwa.”

Kent, Elnette, and Josette decided to return to the Duke.