Chapter 198 - Chapter 3: Village Regeneration Plan
When we somehow managed to defeat the Wyrm and returned to the camp of the Eastern Plains Jaegers, Eleanor-sama praised us.
"Even though Catherine egged you on, you did well. One of the quotas for the other group was to defeat a C-rank, you see."
When I looked at the Headmistress, she was looking away and whistling.
The bandit next to her was looking down, his shoulders shaking.
Dammit, they knew.
Well, but Marcelo-san and Harris-san were there. For D-rank and below, if you get inside the magic defense with Teleport, you can defeat them all. But then it wouldn't be training for the others.
"Now, let's have a meal. The food is preserved rations since it's also part of the training, but Angelica made it delicious for us."
The Headmistress had already gone somewhere. The bandit was laughing openly.
"Is something the matter?"
"No, it's nothing."
According to Eleanor-sama, if it was the first time we defeated a C-rank, there was a possibility that those who used magic, excluding Priest Williams who is over thirty, would learn new magic. After receiving combat training tomorrow morning, we were to be examined by an Oracle. Of course, Eleanor-sama would pay the fee. Since it's an opponent you wouldn't easily fight if it weren't for the time when the Demon Lord is resurrected, now is also a chance for mages to raise their rank. I was told it was lucky to be able to participate in the Demon Lord subjugation in our teens. As a priest, it's hard to condone, but if we're going to do it, I want to raise it as much as possible.
"Next is [Clump Water]. That way, we can make an icehouse where people can cool off in the summer."
On the other hand, Mary is the one who advocates for the peaceful use of magic to the end.
"Are you planning to remodel the brothel?"
"There's a basement. Can't we do it with just a little work there? Besides, you'd want something like that at the Ghost Mansion too, right?"
Well, that's certainly true. It's a blessing to have a place to escape to on a hot summer day.
"If it's a basement, you can do it just by making the floor a raised bottom to store water and covering the walls with ice. However, you have to make sure the waterproofing is solid."
Angelica-san, who usually builds icehouses at construction sites, gave us advice.
When I actually received the oracle, I really did learn it. She is very satisfied. (T/N: Referring to Mary).
By the way, Beatrix learned the mid-level status magic [Mute], and Lyudmila learned the mid-level earth attribute [Clump Stone].
I learned a magic called [Warm], which warms the body. It's still basic level. The Goddess must have felt pity for me having cold thoughts from the end of the year through all of February. That in itself is a blessing, but it's already March.
"Mary, you've learned [Freeze], [Ice Cube], and this time [Clump Water] exactly as you aimed, but how are you doing it?"
Even the first [Water] was apparently because she thought of being able to provide a bucket full of clean water at any time for customers who drank too much or for the ladies.
"I try not to think about any other magic at all."
Eleanor-sama, who heard this, was aghast.
It's very Mary-like, but normally one would think of other things too.
"You might possibly be a genius."
"Is that so? I thought everyone was like this."
She laughed lightheartedly.
In the sense that she can concentrate on one point, she must be excellent.
It seems I have many idle thoughts.
"Beatrix. Did you hear? Just as you were born to parents who couldn't use magic, I believe whether parents can use magic is not as big an obstacle as is said in the world. Using your experience and Mary's words now as a hint, if you regularly educate the children of the village where you are the landlord, the possibility of the children learning magic might increase."
"R-Really?"
Beatrix's voice was trembling.
She must be happy that Eleanor-sama is concerned about her. It also concerns the future of the village where she is the landlord. The hopes of the children who will move to the village are the same ones she once held.
"Tell the priest in charge and have them educate the children. Including reading and writing. Don't forget to get approval from the Lord through the priest. That Lord is a kind person, so I'm sure he will understand."
"I'm going tomorrow, so I'll tell him right away. Thank you."
After that, we received various advice from Eleanor-sama.
Tomorrow, Lyudmila and Mary decided to go with us as well.
That tomorrow arrived.
Since we had taken a break during the winter, it was the second time entering the village since Beatrix became the landlord.
Last time, we had cut down trees to some extent, but we didn't know what had happened since then.
Carrying Flora's basket and riding on Paul-san's bowl, we went to the village and found a log shrine had been built.
When we asked, the Bishop was there.
In the back, woodcutters and guard soldiers were doing some work.
"I'm glad you came. Right now, we are in the middle of making the foundation for the food storehouse. We must have preserved food in case something happens. I hear the Lord will also be here shortly."
He was apparently coming all the way here.
"The shrine is finished."
"Yes. The woodcutters and the border guard soldiers helped us."
I said thank you and gave the captain and the woodcutters wine, dried meat for the pot, and Highway Cookies.
"If the landlord is a survivor of this village, we can't help but cooperate."
The woodcutter replied with his usual kind smile.
"Let me introduce them. These are our companions Lyudmila, Mary, Flora, and Fiona."
Of course, I kept quiet about them being a spirit and a ghost.
Previously, when we were invited to the Lord's mansion, we had called Dune and Mel, but we hadn't brought those two.
I had to introduce them.
While we were talking about various things, the Lord arrived.
He was on a horse, accompanied by three knights.
"Ah, Priest Jeanne. Beatrix. Are you well?"
After the long-awaited greetings, I introduced everyone.
"We came to cut trees today. We have to build houses for the people moving in next month."
"Will you make it in time? It's for five households."
"We'll do our best."
"I have a proposal for you as the landlord."
"What?"
Instead of making five houses, his proposal was to make one large house to gain more rooms and have the five households live there. The second floor of the great hall would be the living area. For the time being, have them live there, and eventually let them build their own houses. That way, it could be reused as a temporary reception area for people moving in, and it would also be a meeting place for everyone to gather.
"We don't have enough manpower. We only have the woodcutters and the soldiers commanded by the captain."
" I shall send reinforcements. The soldiers who were stationed at the border also returned during the winter. For some reason, the highway has been cursed by the Demon Lord, so I don't think they'll be attacking for a while. Besides, a pledge of non-aggression will be made until the Demon Lord is defeated, and if he is safely defeated, ceremonies praising the heroes will be held in various countries, so no war will break out for a year. I'll send that portion over here. Of course, it's free of charge."
"Is that okay? Thank you."
It seems we've also gained the favor of King Regnentes. He apparently received words to show consideration.
"Also, regarding what you said about lowering the age for the oracle and the management of children's magic in the village, I have received His Majesty's approval. Of course, it's only for this village, but His Majesty seems to want to test it. If it goes well here, it will be expanded to the whole country."
"What about the fee?"
"He said it could be considered if it goes well. The condition is to produce results enough to break even, increase food production, and have no signs of rebellion."
"Rebellion won't happen. Village management means it will ultimately be the Lord's management, and if they violate it, they'll be punished."
"Ho ho. You've thought that far ahead?"
"Of course. Magic exists to protect the weak. If a mage runs amok, even in Sertoria, they'd be lucky not to get the death penalty."
"In that case, you have no objection if the children of this village are punished for violating the laws of Regnentes when they use magic."
"Are you making a new law?"
"No, I won't go that far. It's the same as before. There's no distinction between adults and children in the application of the law. Though, in the case of a fine, the parents will have to pay for it."
"Then I won't say a word of complaint. I have no right to complain about the way this country is or its laws."
"Umu. I'm impressed."
Once the talk had progressed this far, the rest was easy.
I decided to immediately tell him what Eleanor-sama had taught me.
"Educating the serfs? What about the costs?"
"Um, Bishop?"
When I looked at the Bishop, he nodded calmly.
"Lord. If you would give your approval, I intend to teach them for free. Why, it's just the reading, writing, and calculation necessary for life. Since I can also use holy magic, I'll also try to do something about the knack for learning magic that Beatrix mentioned earlier. It has been proven in Sertoria and Engrio that if one can read, write, and calculate, the standard of living rises. If the number of people who can use magic increases, agricultural work and civil engineering will also progress. I will also clearly convey that everything is due to the Lord's kindness."
As expected of a veteran. He doesn't forget to flatter the Lord.
"Then it is fine. This village is drawing attention within the country. If it produces good results, it might spread to the whole country. As you know, Bishop, this country has many elders who interfere compared to other countries, and His Majesty the King is also troubled. Education for children and the management of mages do not violate the intentions of the church either. I hope good results can be achieved."
I heard plenty of grumbles about this from the Bishop and the Lord when we were welcomed at the mansion.
'Elders' seems to be a code word for the church.
Only I know that the Lord was inwardly in favor of Beatrix's proposal.
If the number of mages increases, national power rises. The class system... especially the long-standing custom of trying to maintain serfdom, is getting in the way. However, the ancient church itself wouldn't complain about the increase in mages. One in fifty, or even two in fifty is fine. If production power is raised even a little and the number of poor people is reduced even by one, the taxes will increase by that much. In short, as long as the income increases, it's fine.
In fact, some sensible nobles in Regnentes, including the King and the Lord, had noticed this long ago.
Just in time, in a sense, a place for an all-out experiment was created. In addition to the three heroes who defeated the Demon Lord, the church's greatest enemy, Harrison-san was involved, so they couldn't easily criticize it. They seem to have jumped at it.
After that, I spent half a day cutting trees together with the woodcutters in front of the Lord.
Since it was said that bears appear, after scouting with the Chururi couple, I set up a pot and had Fiona and Flora keep watch, so we were able to exterminate them easily. We finished them off with [Ice Cube] for two people and an amplified [Holy]. Since we couldn't use Teleport scrolls, we dismantled them and had Paul-san's bowl carry them, but it was difficult.
The Lord was also surprised by the handling of the Chururi couple, but in fact, I've also secretly introduced Dune and Mel only to the Bishop and the Lord. They sighed, but nothing was asked.
"Hey, Lord. Is there no one who can make scrolls?"
"Unfortunately, there is no one in my territory."
"Then, look, if I learn how to draw magic circles, can I use them here?"
"It is fine as long as there is no problem in light of our country's laws."
I got his word. I decided to ask the Bishop, the manager, to look into the details of the law.
We returned to the village and everyone ate lunch together.
Of course, it was a pot. I also brought vegetables for the ingredients.
When I had them eat it right away, it was also highly praised by the Lord.
It was originally boar meat, but I know from asking the woodcutters that they are also around here.
"Priest Jeanne. You all are truly making various ingenious efforts."
"Since we have nothing particularly outstanding, we have no choice but to be ingenious."
"No, you are too modest. I must follow your example as well."
"If you say so, I have a proposal."
"What is it?"
It's Owen-brand dried meat.
I want to make it a featured product of the village. I have permission from Owen-san and Adolf-san. The manufacturing method has already been passed to Medioland.
"At the moment, I cannot teach you the manufacturing method, but please allow us to make this dried meat in the village. It keeps well, can be portable food for soldiers, and tastes good like this. If you allow me to tell the Bishop, I intend to put it up for sale as a specialty of the village. Since the production volume in Sertoria is limited at the moment, I don't think it's circulating here. It's also quite effective for bear hunting, as we saw earlier. If it succeeds in the village, I will also tell you the manufacturing method, so why not make it a famous product in your territory?"
He nodded greatly, and it was decided easily.
"In that case, Priest. There is also a famous product in my territory. Smoked beef and cheese. Cattle grazing is flourishing in my territory, you see. It has a good reputation even within the country, and we used to export it to Engrio. How about it in Sertoria as well?"
The Lord also seemed to want to sell it, and he brought out the actual items.
The dried meat is preserved food, and if you shave it and eat it, it's just right as a snack with alcohol. It also seems to have a good reputation among the nobles.
Hearing this talk, Fiona jumped at it.
She apparently heard from Harrison-san that it's exquisite when you put cheese in a pot, simmer it, and eat it with various things entwined.
We immediately experimented.
Since the Bishop is cultivating onions, I had them seared until they became thin and translucent.
"This is... delicious."
Despite it being my second bowl, the rich cheese and the faint aroma of meat whetted my appetite, and the flavorful cheese and meat fat melted on my tongue. The texture of the seared onions and the bread that scooped up the cheese from the pot was also good, and they had sufficiently absorbed the flavor, so satisfaction spread with just one bite. As expected, I couldn't eat a lot, but since I originally made a small amount, it was all gone.
"It's delicious. The pot earlier was also delicious, but this is good in its own way. It's still chilly, but my body has warmed up."
The woodcutter was also very satisfied.
"It would be good if there were vegetables like mushrooms or carrots, but since we don't have any on hand right now..."
Fiona said, but it was enough for a tasting.
"This is wonderful. Priest. Beatrix. By all means, let's cooperate and sell this."
"Then it's decided. We'll hold a tasting event at our shop in Nakanohara to advertise, and we'll sell it as a set. We'll advertise for the rest of this month, secure the volume by autumn, and have another go in the winter. Until then, we can just sell each item individually, right?"
Each of our intentions perfectly matched, and the first export item was decided. Let's have the old men eat it and negotiate so they'll buy the cheese and smoked beef. Since I come once a week, I'll take them back on the way home. In that way, we decided to gradually sell them and expand the sales channels, and once a communication route was established, carry them by horse.
"By the way, it seems they are recruiting for the Demon Lord subjugation force in Sertoria, but will Bishop Catherine also be participating?"
The Lord is a big fan of the legendary Seven Heroes, especially the Headmistress. The fact that he is cooperating this much is largely due to having the Headmistress and the others perform an exorcism.
"She's going. We're going together with her too."
When Beatrix explained that it was to lower the average age, the Lord and the people of Regnentes all let out a sigh.
"Make sure you return safely. If you lot were to perish, the people of this village might be left wandering the streets."
They were quite worried about us. We must look unreliable. Well, that's true, though.
"It's okay. Because it's a diversion. Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama are with us, and Paul-san is too."
"Paul-dono. I leave these people in your care."
"Kind-hearted Lord. Rest assured. Our country is not so foolish as to needlessly let young ones die."
After that, I was told many times to be careful.