After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 102

Chapter 102: Finally Here!

Today, like every other day, we’re working on clearing the forest. Gretel swings her axe while the mixed group of witches from the empire and the principality manipulate wind magic to clear the land, and earth magic users dig up stumps and level the ground.

The men’s work mainly consists of carrying the logs felled by the women, as well as removing obstructive stumps and boulders. During brief breaks, scenes of female mages chatting amiably with the male laborers, exchanging friendly shoulder taps, can be seen here and there. In Max’s mixed group, it’s evident that relationships between men and women are getting closer. It seems that working together towards a common goal fosters such relationships, as it was in my former world.

Additionally, the group’s leader, Max, reportedly sets up events at night by lighting campfires around, preparing some wine, creating opportunities for men and women to bond. They enjoy lively scenes, such as rustic dances resembling folk dances accompanied by light string music. However, I can’t participate in such festivities.

Well, such enjoyable slave life is only for Max’s group.

The other two groups consist solely of men. While I ensure their basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter are taken care of, I don’t go as far as providing entertainment. Unlike the female mages in the mixed group, they are not people I want to keep in Berzenbrück. I assign them tasks like cultivating the land that Max’s group cleared, sowing seeds, digging irrigation channels, and building earth walls for monster repellent. So far, they seem satisfied, probably because they’re well-fed.

I was worried there might be some jealousy towards the mixed-gender group, but it seems that many men feel, “It’s better than doing dangerous work on the front lines…” Instead, I’m more concerned about the general apathy of men in this world. Many seem to be inclined towards the easier path, which is concerning to someone with a Showa-era mindset like me. Don’t they want to work a bit harder, even if it’s a bit risky, to win over women?

“I doubt it. Men in this world are creatures who don’t ‘get’ women but are ‘gotten’ by them,” Gretel says, voicing my thoughts unintentionally. Ah, I see… Well, even in our case, Gretel was the one who proposed.

“But being told by Lutz at the palace, ‘I want to be with you for a lifetime,’ was lovely. Those words will be my treasure forever.”

My heart pounds heavily. How can my childhood friend say such a sweet thing? The stark contrast between this pure love phrase, which resonates perfectly with my Showa-era Japanese sensibility, coming from the mouth of the rough Gretel, makes it even more endearing.

Just as I reach out to hug her, her gaze turns serious.

“So, I’ll tie you down for life. You understand what will happen if you betray me, right?”

Oh no, scary… The tsundere turned into a yandere. Retract my previous statement, Gretel is definitely intimidating.

—

The day’s development went smoothly. Already, about forty hectares of forest have been cleared, with half of that turned into arable land. By the way, in this world, the metric system can be used almost as it is… I vaguely remember that medieval Germany used units like “rudes” or “morgens,” but it seems different from the world I came from. From the second year onwards, we can’t rely on the country’s support supplies, but if we continue expanding the farmland at this pace, we should be fine.

Returning to the large log house that serves as our temporary residence and opening the door, Gretel looks puzzled by the scent wafting through. But I recognize this smell. This aroma that tightly grabs hold of my stomach, as someone with a Showa-era palate…

“Miso?”

“What’s that smell?”

“It’s a popular seasoning from the world I used to live in. It’s made by fermenting beans… Since it’s a smell Gretel isn’t familiar with, she might not like it.”

“Oh, I like this smell. And if it’s something my beloved ate in his hometown… I think I can come to like it too.”

Furthermore, my heart beats heavily again. Why? Because although her words sound like casual dere, it’s clearly a dere coming from someone who recognizes that I’m from another world and not her childhood friend Lutz. She’s confessing her feelings to the personality of an old man who took over the body of her childhood friend Lutz, whom she played with since she was young. In the excitement, I can’t help but want to embrace her.

But in this situation, I can’t indulge in affection for Gretel. In this medieval European-like world, where only members of the dark clan can produce dishes like a Japanese hot pot, and the only women willing to serve me such a dish…

As the door leading to the kitchen silently opens, a black-haired woman dressed in Eastern-style clothing gracefully appears… Despite the wooden floor, she smoothly kneels down in the traditional Japanese seiza posture, placing three fingers on the floor. Then, her dark black eyes gaze straight at me.

“Lutz-sama, Margarete-sama, it’s been a while.”

“Ayaka!” “Ayaka-san!”

Of course, standing there was my precious fiancée.