Chapter 84: That time when we harvested coffee

TL: kizen

ED: Filip/Gecko

In the evening, I went to the coffee shop to check on the state of things.

Caam-san, we have less than half left of the beans

I had put the coffee beans in a barrel to serve as part of the interior decor so I opened it to check and saw that more than half of it was gone.

Ah, its true. Doesnt look like well make it till the next harvest

Why are you so calm about it!? Isnt this a pretty big problem?

Youll still be able to operate for several days so dont worry about it and just resume the operations. Iya, is this what you call the scream of happiness?

What are you talking about? Im concerned about this you know?

Its fine, its fine. Anyway, how are the sales? Just let me know how the sales are per day

Uhm, its about this much

He showed me the bag where they keep the days proceeds.

After counting the money and subtracting the miscellaneous expenses, it was equivalent to the amount youll get for working 25 days at a decent place.

They wont understand if I say it was worth almost a months worth of work so Ill just simplify it.

The amount weve got is the same as you two working for ten days even after deducting the expenses

That much!?

Were not buying the beans after all. Were also getting the rest of the required materials for cheap from Nils-san. I dont know how much your rent is but I think theres still going to be a lot left even if we include that. I think it would be fine unless you start lavishly spending or get caught up in a weird scheme. Well then, I hope youll continue to do your best

Y-yes! We will

Ah, if you ever feel like going back to the island, please inform the customers in advance with a sign that says youll be taking some time off. Ill come to pick you up when that time comes

Understood

Well then, Ill be busy starting tomorrow so Ill deliver the beans as soon as Im done with that

Thank you

Weve already used half of the coffee in the shop we established in town so well be harvesting them today

Whats that? You want help?

Im still uneasy about the mode of transport so Ill just ask the harpy tribe and aquatic demonkin for help for now. Were going to be paying them with meat so please hunt a lot. You can use this empty box and bag. Keith, Ill entrust the meat to you

Leave it to me!

After that, I went to the beach then made a slightly large stone in the air which made a loud splashing sound when it landed on the water.

After a while, Lucan-san showed up.

Too loud! If youre going to call then do it more gently

Crap. I forgot that fish are weak to loud sounds in the water.

Sorry, I will do so next time. Anyway, this is about work

Whats this? Is this about pulling the boat we talked about the other day?

No, were not doing that yet. Its something urgent

tell me more

To make money, we urgently need the fruit of the trees that are on the other side of the island. For land-based demonkin and humans, it would take quite an amount of time to get there so thats why I called Lucan-san who can swim there quicker

Is that all?

Were going to be harvesting the fruit so please select people who can go on land. Well need to fill up those boxes

I pointed at the boxes that were piled up behind me.

Got it. Well meet up on the other side of the island right?

Yes

What about you? How will you get there?

Ill go there using magic

Thats pretty handy, huh? Well, well be going ahead

Thanks, see you there

After that conversation, I transported myself to the mountain in order to call the harpies.

Oh, hey Caam! Whats up?

I found Facile sloshing around in the hot spring.

Im here to talk with Chiarore-san about work

Is it meat~!? Were going to get meat!?

Dont misunderstand. Im not giving it to you, youll have to work for it

Hm~?

Facile tilted her head in confusion.

You work for money. However, since you guys say that meat is better than money, thats what I give you in exchange for your work. Ill give you money if you want though

Meat!

Thought so.

Thats why Im here to discuss it

I see~. Dad is up there

Im in a hurry so I need you to call him. Can you do it?

Sure~

After saying that, Facile flew away even though she was still wet. I wonder if all harpies are like this

While waiting, I inspected the area where the hot water gushes out and the drainage holes. As expected, feathers were floating around the drainage holes. Five minutes later, Chiarore-san arrived.

Demon Lord. This visit seems to be about work

Dont tell me you already forgot my name.

Yes. I would like your help to collect that red fruit. Enough to fill the boxes behind me

Got it. Should we carry those boxes too?

No need. Ill do it myself. Lets meet up in the direction where the sun sets

Meet up? Who else is coming?

They are the aquatic demonkin

I dont like those guys!

Um, did something happen between you? If so then I might have to reconsider a lot of things

Cant eat them even though theyre fish. They even fight back

The heck? Can you only see them as prey?

Er, since they are also demonkin, why dont you treat them separately from fish?

Ohh, youre as smart as ever!

Im done with this tribe. My head always hurts when I interact with them. It really makes me want to say My headache aches.

Ah, un, are you going to leave immediately? The aquatic demonkin started swimming towards the meeting point from our village area just a while ago so I think it will take a while for them to arrive. How fast can Chiarore-san and the others get there?

Umu, the sun would have only moved a bit by the time we reached the place where the red fruit grows

Theyre fast as I expected. It would be great if we could give them jobs that could utilize that speed but I cant think of anything aside from sending letters. That wont happen until the island gets more developed though.

Well then, lets meet up at the beach at the direction where the sun sets

Got it

After saying that, he immediately flew away. Doesnt he still need to call his comrades? I decided to not think about that and just go to the meeting place using transfer magic.

When I arrived, there was nobody there yet.

I only told them the general direction so I decided to raise the ground and form it into a pillar to serve as a landmark. It might also work as a stone pillar later on. Since I already set this up, I guess I might as well place one in each of the 4 cardinal directions.

While I was busy with that, a half fish half human type demonkin rose from the water.

Why the heck did this guy arrive first?

I was thinking that, the sahagin that was pretty much human except for the fish for a head(an ajot?) came over to talk with me.1

Maou-san, youre pretty fast huh?

Well, youre pretty fast too. Im astonished at how fast you are

Wait, this guy has vocal cords?

Im the fastest in this area after all

He did a thumbs up as he said that. If he had a human face, he might have been a fresh-looking young man but for some reason, I feel irritated when he does it with a fish face like that. However, I shouldnt discriminate. Thats why I also smiled and gave him a thumbs up. I think thats how I should reply to that. It would be really awkward if he meant it differently though.

Are you just going to wait until everyone else arrives?

Yup

If you only look from the neck down while hes talking, he really seems like a nice young man. That image gets ruined by the head though. Am I the only one who thinks that?

After a while, the harpies arrived followed by the rest of the aquatic demonkin.

Why the heck are harpies also here?

We were called by the demon lord after all

So were we

A young harpy and aquatic demonkin started fighting like middle school kids but I just ignored them and began talking.

We are all demonkin who are living on and around this island. Because of that, I called out to you so that we would all get along. Was I being bothersome for doing that?

No, not really

Thats not it

Both sides reacted like their fight was stopped by a teacher.

When I spoke with the harpy tribe earlier, they seem to think that everyone living in the sea is fish except that you guys fight back. They could only think of you as food. In order to clear that misunderstanding, why dont your tribes exchange food? That way, well all be able to get along. Okay?

So thats what it was. I thought they were idiots but I didnt think they would be that stupid

Cant really help it since you guys look like fish. Were going to be careful from now on. Ill also let the rest who arent here know

So its all good now right?

So, what should we do?

Their conversation ended, then they came to me to ask for instructions. Despite their quarrel, theyre perfectly in sync.

Their tribes will probably get along from now on. I just hope they dont make children with a human body, a fish for a head, and wings on their backs.

Alright, its simple. Please collect the red fruits from the trees behind me and put them inside these boxes. Thats all. If it isnt red, that means its not ripe yet so dont take them. Im also going to give you bags. You can put it inside the box once it becomes heavy. Simple, right?

Thats easy

Yeah

Im also going to work so lets all do our best. Of course, you will be rewarded with meat for your work

Wooh!

It just dawned on me but, is this really alright? It hurts my conscience though. I should give them preferential treatment once our village flourishes.

After that, I began my work by collecting the fruit into the bag then placing it into the box once it was full. While repeating that simple task, I was also making sure to properly observe the surroundings.

Im sure I have more!

No way. Mine is heavier after all!

They were having that argument but I dont think it matters in the end. The fruit will be peeled, dried, roasted, and ground after all.

It would be better if the beans are heavier and there are more of them though.

Tasty~

This is almost entirely seed but you can eat it, right?

Facile and a sahagin woman were peacefully doing their task.

Its kinda heartwarming.

Since there were plenty of people, the boxes immediately filled up. I brought a lot of containers since I was being greedy but it still didnt take a long to finish.

There might be three barrels worth in total. I wonder how much itll decrease after peeling and drying it though.

Thank you, everyone. Well be able to manage now that we have this much. Im not sure if theyre already done hunting but please go to the village to receive the meat

Everyone cheered after I said that. The aquatic demonkin vigorously ran towards the sea and swam back with all of their strength. The harpies also disappeared into the eastern skies.

Do they really want meat that much? If thats the case then it wont be a bad idea to put more effort into breeding the pigs. Hunting the wildlife wont be permanently sustainable after all. We already have an example of that since the rabbits on the island almost went extinct.

While I was thinking about that, I activated the transfer magic and returned to the village.

Welcome back

Im back

Whats this? For some reason, I feel a bit sluggish. Does the transfer magic really consume that much mana? I havent noticed since I havent done a round trip until now. I should be careful next time.

Weve taken as much as we could get. Now its our turn to work by peeling the fruit and laying it out to dry

Thats true. It would take time for us to go all the way to the opposite side of the island so they were a huge help

However, we cant just leave it all to them so next time, well just ask them to transport us back and forth using the flat-bottomed boat that was made the other day. Well fill it up with as much as we can then come back

It would be great if I could pay everyones salaries but coffee isnt well known yet. If we manage to sell it, it might be a good idea to go shopping in Corundum with everyone. It would feel just like a school trip.

Its going to be hard to pack enough food for everyone to last for six days though so this plan might be impossible. I dont even think that ship would fit all of us, much less our food.

While I was thinking of that, I put the beans in a house thats not directly exposed to sunlight since the beans spoil easily. I was about to prepare the meat that we were going to give the harpies and aquatic demonkin when I saw Keith smugly pointing his thumb at a bear and deer that had a hole on its head and other vital spots.

Thanks. Thats going to be a huge help

I responded maturely instead of stooping down on his level. It will just get even more out of hand if I react after all.

Just as we were about to start the dismantling work with everyone, the harpies arrived at the village. There was a slight ruckus since they wanted to try the freshly extracted liver. I can understand why youd want that but you should still be careful about parasites. You guys are still humanoid even though youre demonkin after all.

A short while later, the fish head guy who said he was the fastest swimmer came into shore. Im really curious about how his body works.

Alright, it seems like everyones here so lets eat. Thanks for the meal!

Thanks for the meal!

This time, I also invited the ones who didnt participate in the harvest so that we could eat together and deepen our friendship. The human males were completely distracted by the female mermaid we saw the other day who wasnt wearing anything on top though. I also asked her to cover her chest with a cloth this time but one of the human men still asked her to introduce them to a sister or something.

As for Facile, she was eating meat together with the sahagin woman who she was talking with earlier. It seems like they were getting along well.

I also saw a human woman talking with a sahagin man. She might have fallen at first sight for those supple and firm muscles.

Well, I think its alright as long as everyones getting along.

Hey, Caam

Whats up, Keith?

Whats this for?

What do you mean? Its better if everyone gets along right?

Well yeah but there are only a few places where demonkin and humans get along like this

Then why dont we create another one of those places? Im even planning the islands development to be able to accept all races

Wouldnt there be some kind of war because of that?

Thats why, in order to avoid that, Im trying to get the humans and demonkin to get along right now. Whats more, its only the higher-ups who are being stupidly set on their ways. What do you think would everyone do if they cant access something popular that can only be found on the island because of a decree of some kind of important person? They would complain, right? And besides, even if they decide to kill all the humans and demonkin here to get the island for themselves, rumors have already spread. No matter how much theyve been brainwashed or taught that anyone who associates with the demonkin who are heretics, how would you think the soldiers who came to kill us will feel? Im sure its not going to be great. Then, the demonkin would condemn that and theyd retaliate Wait, theres going to be a war then. What do you think?

How should I know? Seriously, I regretted asking that question halfway through your speech

Well, sorry about that. Basically, there shouldnt be anyone wholl wage war against us. However, the goal is to make the islands products popular with royalty, the royal family, nobles, and big-time merchants. Hopefully, well have enough to be able to oppose the seizure of this island. If were threatened, Id like to think that we could just say were going to stop shipping coffee and they would rescind their threats out of fear of backlash from the unhappy people. But still, if there ends up being a war No no no, wars are no good. Once we get money, well also make liquor and sweets as our specialty product and make it even harder for both sides to intervene okay?

Do you want to have another war?

No way

Why are you still talking about it then?

Its a lot of trouble whenever a country is involved. Even more so when there are demonkin. They treat it as a good enough reason to invade. They dont need any reason to take control of an island managed by a demonkin other than to please their superiors. Apart from that, if they find out that the demonkin is actually a Demon Lord, the whole country might start making a move. Well, a hero already came though!

What the heck!?

I managed to settle it by just talking though

Talking you say? How did you get a hero to hear you out?

He had more than enough reason to listen to me. Well, lets just think about this later. For now, lets get some meat

The heck? Just tell me

I cant. I cant tell you since its not even something I can tell my friends and family

After that conversation, I ate some of the meat that Keith had hunted. While were at it, I also served the remaining liquor I had.

Hopefully, the harpies and aquatic demonkin would be able to get along better with this.

~Idle Talk~

Whats that gross thing?2

Hey Caam

Hm? Whats up, Keith? You still have things to ask?

Whats with that one with a human body but with the head of the fish? Theres also that fish with human limbs growing out of it

Those are sahagin right?

No way. They should be more you know? Shouldnt their fish features be more spread out along their body? Just like that woman over there

Keith pointed at the sahagin woman whos eating meat together with the fishing group leader.

They only have fins on a part of their arms and scales on their hands and feet you know?

Its one of the mysteries of life. Thats just how it works

Dont brush it off as just a mystery. What the heck is that thing!?

Theyre part of the sahagin and mermaid tribe

No way, theyre more like fish people rather than just a mermaid or sahagin. Where are their voices even coming from!?

It should be from their mouths, right? Youll just go bald if you think too much about it. Im just not thinking about it

Ah, I see. Well, I havent been able to sleep for a while because of that

Youre going to go bald you know?

I wont! My dad has a full head of hair even now Ill have you know

Just imagine, if that pairs up with a harpy, well get that but with wings. I think itll look divine

What kind of evil god is that!?

There were flying fish in my previous world but I wonder how its going to end up. That evil god would have to form an alliance with mutation and the mystery of life to win against its DNA. Its probably impossible though.