Bangun Rumus Bangun Rumah - 19

Bangun Rumus Bangun Rumah

Espada dan penduduk desa sibuk bangun benteng. Dee sama rombongannya lagi ngumpulin kayu. Sedangkan aku, ditemenin Till dan Kamsin, malah sibuk bangun rumah.

"Padahal pengennya bikin furnitur buat sendiri, kok malah begini jadinya…"

Aku pakai kayu yang dikumpulin kereta buat bikin balok kayu dulu. Susah ternyata kalau ngolah kayu biasa sambil transformasi di waktu yang sama. Makanya balok kayu kubikin dulu, baru setelah bahan cukup, aku mulai bangun rumah.

Prosesnya udah mulai terbiasa, jadi produksi baloknya cepet banget. Kayu apa pun yang nemu—entah gelondongan, tembok rusak, pintu reyot, atau struktur lain—semuanya kusihin jadi balok kayu.

Dalam sejam, balok kayu buat satu rumah udah terkumpul.

Oke, pertama bangun rumah buat Dee dan kawan-kawan yang belum punya tempat tinggal. Terus rumah buat Orto dan rombongannya. Abis itu rumahnya Fura. Terus rumahnya Pak Inca…

Sambil ngatur jadwal, semangatku kok malah ilang ya. Rasanya kayak pegawai kantoran. Tapi mau gimana lagi, udah terlanjur.

Rumahnya Dee dan yang lain bisa juga difungsikan sebagai barak. Memang belum ada kamp pelatihan, tapi kayaknya perlu ruang penyimpanan senjata dan armor.

Kubikin satu ruang ukuran sedang dan dua kamar kecil. Terus ruang makan, kamar mandi, dan ruang istirahat yang bisa diakses langsung dari luar. Ruang penyimpanannya kubikin gede, soalnya makin gede makin baik.

Pas jadi, rumahnya sama besarnya dengan rumahku sendiri. Ya mau gimana lagi, ruang penyimpanannya emang gede.

"Ah, Wakil Komandan! Bangunannya jadi!"

"Ya ampun!"

Pas banget Dee dan anak buahnya balik. Mata mereka berbinar lihat rumah baru yang megah.

"Oh, oh…! Menakjubkan! Pantas saja Tuan Van!"

"Ini dari kayu, kan? Nggak bakal kayak kereta kan? Badanku masih pegel-pegel berkemah terus. Meskipun udah pawai panjang, di desa terpencil ini nggak ada tempat layak buat nginep. Semoga ini bisa bikin hidup lebih enak."

Knight satunya lagi langsung jeduk kepala yang ngomong sembarangan itu. Berani-beraninya ngina wilayahku. Apa-apaan sih? Masa disamain sama berkemah? Rumahku jelas lebih baik daripada itu.

Sambil aku tatap, Arb—alias Ksatria A yang baik hati—langsung kasih hormat terbaik sambil teriak, "Maaf!"

"Nggak apa-apa. Tapi minta maafnya sama penduduk desa, ya."

Aku noleh ke ksatria berikutnya, Lowe—alias Ksatria B. Dia juga langsung hormat sambil teriak, "Mohon maaf juga!"

"Kamu nggak ngomong apa-apa sih, tapi aku tetap butuh bantuan."

"Kumpulin kayu sebanyak-banyaknya sebagai permintaan maaf ke penduduk desa."

Begitu aku bilang gitu, Arb dan Lowe jawab keras-keras terus lari.

Dee di sisi lain keliatan lagi jelajahin rumah, mukanya cerah.

"Sungguh menakjubkan! Aku kagum sama kekuatan sihir Tuan Van, tapi aku juga salut sama pengetahuan yang diperlukan buat bangun rumah semegah ini!"

Sambil Dee muji-muji, dia liat sekeliling dan sadar anak buahnya udah pada pergi.

"Hm? Mereka ke mana?"

Aku nunjuk ke pintu masuk desa. Dee nyipetin mata.

"Biar penduduk desa bisa tinggal di rumah bagus, mereka pergi ngumpulin kayu buat bantu aku."

Begitu aku jawab, mata Dee melek lebar.

"A-apa?! Itu yang mereka lakuin! Nggak nyangka mereka tumbuh gitu aja tanpa sepengetahuanku… Oke, aku juga ikut ngumpulin kayu!"

"Cuma ada satu kereta, kan? Nggak bakal gampang nyusul mereka sekarang. Lebih baik Dee tinggal buat jaga desa."

"Mmmm… bener juga, kalau aku pergi, tenaga buat jaga desa kurang. Kalau gitu, aku bantu bangun tembok pertahanan aja."

Dee langsung gabung bangun tembok desa.

Berkat arahan Espada yang ahli, pembangunan tembok desa kelar hari itu juga. Di pihakku, rumah buat Orto dan para petualang juga udah jadi.

Rumah Orto dan rombongannya kubikin sekecil mungkin. Tapi mereka punya kamar pribadi masing-masing, jadi cukup nyaman.

Selain rumah-rumah itu, karena masih ada sisa lahan, aku bangun tempat mandi sederhana di samping rumah bangsawan. Awalnya cuma karena pengen mandi, tapi aku seneng pas liat para cewek loncat-loncat heboh pas lihat pemandian.

Omong-omong, bak mandi primitifnya dari baja. Pluriel perlu pake sihir air buat ngisi, dan orang di luar perlu nyalain api di bawah buat manasin air. Modelnya kayak pemandian Goemon gitu.

Aku coba, dan rasanya lumayan enak. Bersyukur bisa mandi bersih.

"Van-sama, masuk bareng yuk."

"Aku ikut juga!"

Hampir aja tergoda, tapi aku tolak. Aku kan orang dewasa yang terhormat, masa diperlakuin kayak bocah cuma gara-gara umur keliatan muda.

Pas aku protes, Till dan Pluriel malah liatin aku kayak liat bocah imut. Nyesel.

Dan bakal lebih nyesel lagi nantinya.

Sore harinya, aku bersiap tidur di rumah baru. Eh tiba-tiba sadar kalau lupa bikin ranjang. Hampir nangis.

Bodoh banget.

Kukira akhirnya bisa tidur di ruangan luas, tapi ini apaan? Masa iya masih harus tidur pake sleeping bag meskipun udah pindah ke rumah beneran?

Buru-buru kubikin ranjang pake sisa balok kayu. Empat buat rumahku, tiga buat rumah Dee, lima buat rumah Orto.

Kami dapet jerami dari penduduk desa, bikin ranjang jerami sederhana. Lembut dan empuk, puas deh.

Selamat malam.

Esok harinya, badanku segar bugar. Mungkin karena udah lama nggak tidur seenak ini.

"Ha-ha. Till, omeletnya lagi dong."

"Enak banget."

"Syukurlah! Bahannya terbatas, jadi agak khawatir sama rasanya."

Pas aku komen, Till keliatan lega. Oh iya, meja dan kursi darurat yang kupake duduk ternyata nyaman juga.

Senang bisa sarapan enak di rumah sendiri dan bisa ketawa bareng Till.

Pas lagi mikir gitu, Espada yang duduk di samping kiriku buka suara dengan muka serius.

"…Pertahanan desa itu penting, tapi kita juga harus ningkatin pendapatan. Kalau kayak gini, setahuku satu-satunya interaksi dengan dunia luar cuma pedagang keliling yang datang sebulan sekali."

Meskipun nada bicaranya serius, Eh Espada, kumismu masih ada sisa omelet kecil. Aku nggak yakin bisa ngelakuin semua ini sekaligus, udah mulai capek.

"Kayaknya aku bisa dapetin perumahan, furnitur, dan pakaian kalau perlu. Juga dapet makanan cukup. Jadi kenapa nggak fokus ningkatin pertahanan aja?"

Espada ngelap mulut pelan-pelan pake saputangan putih, lalu mendongak.

"Kita nggak punya bumbu dapur. Juga nggak punya bahan buat kue manis kesukaan Van-sama atau apa pun itu."

"APA?!"

Aku berdiri sambil teriak. Kulihat Till, dia noleh canggung. Apa kita separah itu?

"…Kita butuh industri. Oke, cepet bikin sesuatu yang bisa dijual dari desa ini. Terserah apa pun."

Pas aku bilang gitu, Kamsin angkat tangan.

"Kayaknya balok kayu buatan Master Van bakal laku!"

"Ditolak. Cuma aku yang bisa bikin."

Kamsin manyun.

"Yah, aku bisa berburu hewan iblis dan ambil materialnya…"

"Ditolak juga. Kamu bisa berburu, tapi hasil buruan itu punyamu dan petualang lain. Bukan punya desa."

Till nimbrung.

"Biasanya ya hasil panen. Tapi susah minta penduduk desa ngasih hasil panen mereka. Lagian nggak langsung ngasih pemasukan."

Espada kasih pendapat juga.

"Tentu, kalau dipikirin jarak tempuhnya, kayu juga nggak bagus. Kalau di pinggir sungai gede, bisa pake jalur air buat ngirit biaya. Tapi di desa ini, nggak bisa pake cara itu."

"Mmmm… kayaknya nggak ada pilihan selain aku yang kerja."

Aku bergumam ogah-ogahan, dan semua mata tertuju padaku.

Chapter 19: House Building Spree

Espada and the villagers were busy building a bulwark. Dee and his group were gathering wood. Meanwhile, me, with Till and Kamsin, ended up building houses.

"I really wanted to make furniture for myself, how did I end up doing this…"

I used the wood the carriages had gathered to make woodblocks first. It was tough processing plain wood and transforming it at the same time. So, I made woodblocks first, and when I had enough materials, I started building the house.

I've gotten used to the process, so I could produce blocks super fast. Any wood we found—logs, broken walls, decrepit doors, whatever—got turned into woodblocks.

In an hour, I had enough woodblocks for one house.

Alright, first build a house for Dee and his friends who don't have one yet. Then Orto and his group's house. Then Fura's house. Then Mr. Inca's house…

As I set up the schedule, I felt my excitement drain. Felt like a salaryman. But I couldn't stop myself.

Dee and the others' house could also serve as a barracks. We don't have a training camp, but we'll probably need a storage room for weapons and armor and stuff.

I made one medium-sized room and two smaller rooms. Then a mess hall, restrooms, and a rest area accessible directly from outside. I made sure the storage room was huge—after all, bigger storage is always better.

When I finished, it turned out the same size as my mansion. Well, can't help it—I did make a big storage room.

"Ah, Vice Commander! The building's complete!"

"My God!"

Right on time, Dee and his subordinates came back. Their eyes sparkled looking up at the newly completed house.

"Oh, oh…! How stunning! As expected of Master Van!"

"It's made of wood, right? It won't be like the carriage, will it? My back still hurts from all that camping. Even after the long march, we still didn't have anywhere decent to stay in this backwater village. I'm hoping this'll change things."

The other subordinate knight poked the talker's head to shut him up. You openly mocked my territory, what's with this guy? Comparing it to camping? My house is way better than that.

As I stared at him, good-natured Arb—aka Knight A—gave his best salute and shouted, "I'm sorry!"

"No, I'm okay. Instead, you owe the villagers an apology, okay?"

Turning to the next knight, Lowe—aka Knight B—he also saluted and shouted, "Please forgive me as well!"

"You didn't say anything though. But I still need your help."

"Gather lots of wood as an apology to the villagers."

When I told them that, Arb and Lowe replied loudly and ran off.

Dee, on the other hand, seemed to be looking around the house, clearly in a good mood.

"It's really stunning! I'm amazed at Master Van's magical power, but I also take my hat off to the knowledge you needed to build such a stunning mansion!"

As Dee praised the house, he looked around and realized all his men were gone.

"Hm? Where'd they go?"

I pointed to the village entrance as Dee squinted.

"I said I wanted the villagers to live in nice houses, so they went to gather wood to help me."

When I replied, Dee's eyes snapped open.

"W-what! That's what they're doing! I didn't expect them to grow like that while I wasn't looking… Okay, I'm going to gather wood too!"

"There's only one carriage, right? It's not gonna be easy to catch them now. Dee should stay behind to defend the village."

"Mmmm… it's true we won't have enough manpower to protect the village if I leave. Well then, I'll just stay and help build the defensive wall."

With that, Dee joined in building the village walls.

Thanks to Espada's expert guidance, the village wall construction was completed that day. On my end, I finished houses for Orto and the adventurers.

Orto and his friends' house was kept as small as possible. Well, they each have private rooms, so it's comfortable enough.

Besides those houses, since there was plenty of room, I built a simple bathing area next to the lord's mansion. I only built it because I wanted to take a bath, but I was happy when I saw the girls jumping up and down excitedly when they saw the bath.

By the way, the primitive bathtub is made of steel. Pluriel needs to use water magic to fill it, and someone outside needs to start a fire underneath to warm it up. The so-called Goemon bath style.

I tried it, and it was pretty good. Felt grateful to cleanse myself with water.

"Van-sama, please come in with me."

"I'll go in with you too!"

I was tempted, but I refused. I'm a respectable adult—I'd hate being treated like a kid just because of my apparent age.

When I protested, Till and Pluriel looked at me like I was a cute kid. Regretted it.

And I'd regret it way more later.

In the evening, I was about to sleep in my new home, but suddenly realized I forgot to make beds. Almost cried.

I'm an idiot.

I thought I could finally sleep in a spacious space, but what's this? No way I'm sleeping in a sleeping bag even after moving into an actual house.

I hurriedly made beds using leftover woodblocks. Four for our house, three for Dee's house, and five for Orto's house.

We got some straw from the villagers and made simple hay beds. Soft and fluffy—satisfied with my work.

Good night.

The next day, I was full of energy, probably because I hadn't slept so well in a while.

"Ha-ha. Till, more omelets, please."

"Delicious."

"Thank goodness! I didn't have many ingredients, so I was a little worried about the taste."

When I commented, Till sounded relieved. Side note: the impromptu table and chair set I'm sitting on are surprisingly comfortable.

Happy to have a good morning meal in my own home and laugh with Till.

When I was thinking that, Espada, sitting diagonally in front of me, opened his mouth with a grim face.

"…The village defense is important, but we also have to increase our income. As it is now, I've heard the only interaction with the outside world is with peddlers who sporadically come monthly."

Although you're speaking seriously, there's a little omelet on your mustache, Espada. I'm not sure I can do all this at once—I'm already kinda tired.

"I'm sure I can acquire housing, furniture, and clothes if I have to, and get enough food. So why don't we focus on building up our defenses?"

As I said this, Espada gently wiped his mouth with a white handkerchief and looked up.

"We don't have any condiments. Also, we don't have any ingredients for Van-sama's favorite sweet baked goods or anything like that."

"WHAT!?"

I stood up and shouted. I looked at Till—she awkwardly avoided my gaze. Are we really that low?

"…We need industry. Okay, let's make something to sell from this village right away. I don't care what it is."

When I said that, Kamsin raised his hand.

"I think the wooden blocks Master Van makes would sell well!"

"Rejected. I'm the only one who can make them."

Kamsin pouted.

"Well, I could hunt some demonic beasts and get materials…"

"Denied. You can hunt them, but if you hunt them, they belong to you and the other adventurers. Not the village."

Till chimed in.

"Normally it'd be crops and such. But it's hard to ask villagers to give up their harvests. Besides, it doesn't lead to immediate income."

Espada added his opinion.

"Of course, considering travel distance, lumber is no good either. If you're by a large river, you could use waterways to cut costs, but in this village, you can't use such methods."

"Mmmm… seems I have no choice but to work."

I muttered reluctantly, and everyone turned to look at me.

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