Underfloor Heating

When I woke up, my mana had increased again.

This should help me get my work done faster.

Familiarity played a major role in the Construction Company skill, and the more I built, the more refined my techniques became.

I was going to work hard again today to perfect my craft.

Today, thick black clouds hung heavily in the sky.

It looked like it might start raining before long.

Come to think of it, it was a little chilly today.

Perhaps it was finally time to start using some heating.

There were fireplaces in my bedroom and office, but they wouldn’t see much use until winter.

Until then, I’d have to find my own way to stay warm.

Now, there were all sorts of heating systems to choose from.

Air conditioners, stoves, and so on.

But what I planned to build today was neither of those.

I intended to install underfloor heating.

Underfloor heating was wonderful.

It warmed the entire room evenly from the floor up without polluting the air.

It didn’t dry out the air much, either.

I wanted to get started right away, but the furniture was in the way.

I could work without moving it, but that would take extra time.

It seemed best to move the furniture outside before starting.

The trouble was that things like beds were heavy.

Aine and I might not be able to move them by ourselves.

Oh well. I’d have to ask General Paimon if she could spare some manpower.

The general gave me permission to use any soldiers in the break room, so I headed straight there.

It was my first time visiting an area where so many soldiers gathered.

The large room up ahead must have been their break room.

I could already hear the murmur of voices coming from inside.

“Good morning, everyooone!”

As I entered and greeted them, the soldiers’ conversations abruptly stopped.

There were about a hundred soldiers inside, and every single one turned to stare at me.

With two hundred eyes fixed on me, I found it difficult to speak.

“Um…”

“…”

Ugh, this was awkward.

But I wanted to finish installing the underfloor heating in my bedroom today.

I couldn’t afford to stand around here doing nothing.

Kinoshita Construction Company’s deadlines were absolute!

“I’m about to start some construction work, and I need two people to come with me. Would anyone be willing to help?”

Despite my request, all the soldiers immediately averted their eyes.

“E-excuse me. My stomach’s been acting up…”

“I-I’ve got something I need to do…”

Some even made excuses like that before fleeing the room.

They really needed to get used to me already.

Perhaps I should have asked Karan-san to arrange things instead of approaching them directly.

But unless I made an effort to communicate with them, even a little at a time, the distance between us would only continue to grow.

While everyone else avoided me, two soldiers timidly raised their hands.

One was a tall, lanky soldier.

The other was short but stocky and muscular.

Both had beards and looked to be in their thirties.

The taller man spoke to me.

“Private Gustav and Private Bumps, sir. If we’re acceptable, we’d be happy to help…”

They were like guardian angels appearing in my hour of need.

There really were kind people everywhere.

“Thanks! You’ve saved me. Could you come to my bedroom with me, then?”

Gustav and Bumps were friendly soldiers, and we quickly hit it off.

“Well, I’d heard that people from other worlds eat human flesh, but I guess that’s not true after all!”

“Of course not, Gustav. Why would anyone go to the trouble of summoning monsters that eat people?”

“Ha! You’ve got a point!”

“Then is it also a lie that boiling some of your hair and drinking the water can cure illnesses, my lord?”

“Come on, Bumps. If that were true, we’d all have had our heads shaved the moment we were summoned to the Royal Palace.”

“Now that you mention it…”

“If you really want one, I don’t mind giving you a strand of hair, but I doubt it’ll do anything.”

“I suppose you’re right…”

Bumps’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.

I’d assumed they were around thirty, but apparently, both men were still in their late twenties.

Beards really made it hard to tell someone’s age.

I left the furniture moving to them while I began embedding pipes for the antifreeze solution along the edges of the floor.

Apparently, the antifreeze traveled through a transfer portal connected to a hot place resembling a desert.

The liquid was heated there before circulating through the pipes to warm the room.

That meant I didn’t have to worry about operating costs at all.

This Construction Company Job really was ridiculously overpowered.

Thanks to Gustav and Bumps’s hard work, the underfloor heating installation was finished before dinner.

“Great work, you two. Thanks to you, the job’s finished.”

“That was nothing, sir. We’re actually better suited to manual labor than soldiering.”

Gustav gave me a cheerful laugh.

“Would you mind helping me again if I have more work?”

“Of course! Just call on us anytime. Well then, we’ll be taking our leave.”

“Hold on a moment.”

I stopped them as they were about to leave and opened the cabinet doors.

“Do you two have any more duties tonight?”

“No, sir. We’re not on sentry duty tonight, so all we’ve got left is dinner and bed.”

“Then I suppose a little alcohol would be fine?”

“Alcohol, sir?”

Bumps, who was much quieter than Gustav, immediately perked up.

“Yeah. If you don’t mind canned beer, why don’t you have some before you go?”

“Beer? We’d be mighty grateful!”

I poured the beer into ceramic mugs, and the two men drained them in a single gulp.

What an impressive way to drink!

“Phaaah! Delicious! What kind of beer is this? It’s not sour at all!”

“I feel like I’ve been living my entire life just to drink this one mug…”

They both seemed thoroughly satisfied.

“Please be sure to call on us again next time!”

“We’ll work hard for you, my lord.”

They’d done a good job, so I decided to ask for their help again whenever I needed it.

After they left, I laid down a new carpet and placed one of Kinoshita Construction Company’s highly recommended cushions on it.

With that, my relaxation area was complete.

Time to switch on the underfloor heating!

Karan-san entered the bedroom and stopped in surprise.

“Isn’t this room rather warm?”

“Yeah, I installed something called underfloor heating. Oh, please take off your shoes before stepping onto the carpet.”

As instructed, Karan-san removed her shoes at the edge of the carpet.

“The soles of my feet feel warm…”

“Nice, isn’t it? Now the bedroom is even more relaxing. Why don’t you try sitting on that cushion, too? They’re called cushions that turn people into helpless couch potatoes.”

“This thing?”

I gestured toward the colorful, pastel-toned cushion on the floor.

“There are several ways to sit on it, but first, stand it upright, position your bottom against one of the corners, and lower yourself onto it.”

“Like this, perhaps…? What!?”

“It conforms to your body, doesn’t it? Pretty comfortable, right?”

“Yes, I’m astonished. This is truly… comfortable. Though, of course, there’s no possibility of someone like me becoming helpless because of a cushion.”

Karan-san closed her eyes in bliss.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“In that case, I’ll have some champagne.”

I’d intended to offer her a soft drink, but Karan-san immediately chose alcohol.

“Hey, don’t blame me if you get drunk again.”

“A little champagne won’t get me drunk.”

“Don’t you remember what happened yesterday?”

“Of course I do. I had champagne last night as well. It was quite delicious.”

“No, the problem was what happened afterward. You started acting like a spoiled little kid and clinging to me. It was a real handful.”

“Me? Surely you jest.”

Did she genuinely not remember?

Or had last night’s behavior just been a one-time thing?

One hour later.

I was sitting on the cushion, with Karan-san perched on my lap.

She was back in full-blown clingy mode, exactly like the previous night.

“Takeeeru, this underfloor heating feels sooo nice. Karan really likes it.”

“I’m glad to hear that… By the way, could you please get off my lap now?”

“Nooo waaay! Karan likes Takeru’s lap toooo! Sitting here makes me feel sooo safe. Phew, it’s hot…”

“W-wait, wait, Karan-san! Please don’t take off your clothes!”

“But it’s so hoooot! Takeeeru, unbutton my shiiirt.”

A spoiled little girl act while wearing a black bra? That’s just unfair!

And so, once again, I ended up having to put up with Karan’s childish tantrums until late into the night…