Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 123 Chicken coop and Christmas tree

December has arrived.

The mornings and evenings have become quite chilly.

I have the warmth of the bed thanks to Minya and Ciel.

When I wake up in the morning, Minya and Ciel are full of energy and head outside even in winter.

“Hehehe, take that! And that!”

I can hear the crunching sounds.

Frost columns form in this region along with ice.

Minya and Ciel are playing, stepping on the frosty ground in the garden.

Lania and I are simply watching with smiles on our faces.

This area seems to be at a higher elevation than Trieste City.

Being situated on the slopes of Mount Helhorn, I think that’s the reason.

Now, let’s go back a little before the carpenters left.

With the construction method I devised for building the same houses in the tenement, the work progressed faster than expected.

Once the work was completed, we gathered the carpenters and had them construct a certain facility.

That facility was a chicken coop and a cowshed.

It had been in my plans for a while.

The cowshed had a makeshift shelter, but I wanted to have proper walls before winter arrived.

And the chicken coop.

We had them build a spacious and modern chicken coop, following the latest standards in this world.

We arranged for the transportation of both male and female chickens from Trieste City, coinciding with the completion of the buildings.

Since the chicken industry in Trieste City was managed by the lord, I requested assistance from Lady Eleanor.

Though my item box could store living creatures like chickens, apparently, a regular magic bag couldn’t do that.

Therefore, they prepared a dedicated carriage to transport the chickens.

“Ed-kun!”

“Lady Eleanor.”

“Hehe, I’ve come.”

“It’s been a while.”

“You never send me letters anymore, and when I get one, it’s all about business.”

“Well, I can’t just throw away expensive letters for no reason.”

“I guess so.”

This time, Lady Eleanor herself came, and it surprised me a bit.

She was dressed in a fluttery blue navy dress, looking quite stylish.

Her female guards and knights were with her again.

Everyone worked together to catch the chickens and place them inside the chicken coop.

The coop had a back entrance that allowed the chickens to roam freely in a vast grassy area within the castle grounds.

Then, in a corner, there was Egg Bird-chan. We hadn’t forgotten about it, but it had been kept as a pet in the lord’s mansion. Recently, we decided to keep it together with the other chickens. Though they were different species, it seemed better to have companionship.

“Alright, take care, Egg Bird.”

Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-doo.

Egg Bird had become quite attached to us. While I’d like to have more companions for it, being a rare monster, we hadn’t encountered any others yet. I plan to venture into the woods during winter to find some companions for it.

With that, the chicken coop was completed.

Next, in a prominent position within the lord’s mansion, there stood a triangular fir tree.

It must have been about three meters tall, quite substantial.

Apparently, it was planted in this spot to become a Christmas tree.

“So, let’s turn this into our Christmas tree!”

“Yay!”

“Hehe.”

Everyone joyfully started decorating the tree with the small ornaments we had made with such care.

There were round, star-shaped, fish-shaped, and even stocking-shaped ornaments.

The fish-shaped ones might be unique to this world; I’ve never seen them in Japan.

And there were also cookies shaped like gingerbread people from Earth, which they called “Gingerbread Cookies.”

Christmas tree culture isn’t widespread among everyone; it seems to be more centered around the upper class. The common people usually decorate their homes with Christmas wreaths made from branches with leaves.

That’s more typical here.

Well, in the slums of Lanierda, they didn’t do it much. Occasionally, I’d see some wreaths.

The only thing that felt truly Christmassy was the giant potted fir tree placed in front of Dridon’s general goods store, all adorned with decorations.

“Hahaha, we can’t be any less Christmassy than that!”

I remember Dridon chuckling and saying that.

In the original Dridon Trading Company in Eldania, they probably had a splendid Christmas tree.

I felt a determination to carry on that tradition.

Now, looking at the tree in front of Eldania Manor, I felt a sense of nostalgia.

Dridon-san, we’re keeping the tradition alive.

Though you probably won’t see it, the tree in front of Eldania Manor has been resurrected, just like this.

Now, since the children could only reach the lower parts, we had everyone help out.

Today, even Gid-san, who usually stays out of sight due to being targeted, joined in.

Gid-san and Melun-san typically handle behind-the-scenes tasks and administrative work, where there are fewer people. They only come out on occasions like festivals.

It was about a week before Christmas.

“Ed-kun, you’ve got mail!”

The maid handed me a letter. Indeed, it was addressed to ‘Ed.’

I turned it over to check the sender. It read ‘Tomaria.’

This postal service belongs to the Seven Seven Trading Company.

Though adventurers’ guilds also handle mail delivery, in this case, you have to go pick it up.

—Mom, so you were alive after all.

The contents mentioned that she was currently in the royal palace of the capital of Merlia Kingdom.

She would be back before New Year, and that was all it said.

What’s going on, Mom?

And wait, she was in the capital, and in the royal palace at that.

Does that mean there’s a connection between the royal family and me, considering I have a surname too?

This letter had been forwarded from a once-delivered home in the slums of Lanierda. It was a double-sealed envelope from Mimilene at the clinic.

Though it mentioned being in the royal palace, there was no address or indication of how to reply. But if she’s planning to return to Lanierda, she should pass through Eldania almost for sure, so I can catch her then.

And just like that, it became an early present of good news a week in advance.

Oh, right, along with the letter, there were ten gold coin exchange vouchers that can be exchanged at the Adventurer’s Guild. These vouchers are like checks, but without any risk of dishonor.

A Christmas present, I suppose. Thanks, Mom.

And now, all that’s left is to wait for Christmas day.