Chapter 287 - Second Story: The Land of Victory
Since Beatrix came to pick us up on her bowl, I decided to go to Regnentes with Lyudmila and Mary. Flora had to look after Glory, who had sprouted her true leaves, so I had her mind the shop with Fiona.
It's been half a year since the war started in May.
"Is everyone in the village doing well?"
"They're great. We won the war, and we've finished harvesting and threshing all the wheat and barley. Since the Volunteer Army helped us, we've even finished sowing the turnip seeds, and now everyone is out hunting boars together."
With Eleanor-sama there, any farm work would be finished in an instant.
"How much was the wheat harvest?"
"Well, you see..."
When Lyudmila asked, Beatrix pulled her robe over her head and looked down.
"That's good. There were five bags, right? Or maybe six?"
When I pressed her, Lyudmila cheered, "Yay!"
"At least try to be fooled!"
There's no way I'd be fooled just by her hiding under her robe.
"So, how many bags was it?"
"Well, you see..."
When I peeled back the robe, she had a beaming smile.
"Seven bags! Seven!"
"Kyaa! That's amazing!"
"Wa-Wait, Lyudmila! Don't dance in a place like this!"
"Mary! You're shaking it on purpose, aren't you!"
"It's swaying! It's swaying! It's dangerous!"
We were flying along the highway. We almost crashed into a tree. As I hurriedly crouched down and held my head, Beatrix somehow managed to steady it.
"Honestly, what are you thinking!"
Beatrix scolded them, but the two rascals were just smirking without a hint of remorse.
"But, seven bags from a single field is something no other country can do. From what I've heard, even at the testing ground in the Royal Capital, it's four and a half bags at most. And that's in a year with a really good yield."
Before I knew it, even Mary had become quite knowledgeable.
According to the villagers, the insect-repelling magic and mold-preventing magic were surprisingly effective.
"Hey, Lyudmila. I wonder if I can teach the method you and Flora came up with to my customers?"
"Next year, we'll be doing it across the entire basin. If that succeeds, it should spread throughout all of Regnentes."
"Besides, you don't know the details, do you?"
"It's fine. I have Lyudmila's textbook. I can make as many copies as I want."
"Textbook?"
It was something Lyudmila made during the war, and with the Royal Capital's permission, she used it for lectures at the prisoner-of-war camp. The prisoners who took Lyudmila's lectures will be returning to their respective lands next month. The one Mary has is a copy, and currently, there are only the original and one duplicate.
"If you spread it, it won't be as valuable."
"That's not necessarily true. Because, you see, it has a weakness."
"Right?" Mary looked at Lyudmila, who nodded.
"You see, you have to divide your fields into four, right? So, unless someone has a reasonably large amount of land, their wheat harvest per year will actually decrease."
"Exactly. So, it's more effective for the nobles."
When did Mary study all this?
"Then, are the nobles at an advantage?"
"Well, yes. But nobles don't do field work, do they?"
"Ah, I see! In other words, the serfs tilling the nobles' large fields are more necessary than free farmers."
"Right. So, when a customer with influence—meaning someone with a lot of land—asks about it, I'll teach them. I'll listen and act as if I'm secretly arranging for the lord to give them special consideration. That way, my reputation goes up, right? Especially if it's effective. And then, the next step."
She looked at Lyudmila suggestively.
"Ah, I get it! It's the method they use in Engrio!"
As Lyudmila cheered, "Amazing! Amazing!", Beatrix tilted her head, so Mary explained it to her.
I see. That's quite something. If you suddenly told them to use magic for the sake of serfs, they might not listen. But after hearing the results from the village, you teach the method to fertilize the land to interested nobles, show results, and then deliver the finishing blow once they're hooked by the profit. If influential nobles start doing it behind the scenes, no one will object even if someone suggests applying it to all of Regnentes.
"Everything is about the setup, the setup."
"You're quite something. As expected of a shop manager who spans four countries."
"Actually, it's five. Thanks to Jeanne and Aira, the Northern Gram royalty have become regular customers."
"What do you mean?"
It's a bit embarrassing, but I explained the unexpected effect of the mold-preventing water.
"Treating the Karmic Disease... You did it! Your magic really was amazing!"
Beatrix lunged at me.
"Wa-Wait a minute. It's dangerous! Look, look, look ahead! Look! Gyaaaaa!"
Gwan! We hit a tree and flipped over. Lyudmila instantly used [Favorable Wind] to kill the impact of the fall, and I cast [Defend] to harden everyone's bodies, so it ended without any major injuries, but we could have broken our necks if things had gone poorly.
"Ouch! Jeanne, cast [Heal]!"
"What are you saying! Whose fault do you think this is! You're last."
Leaving the cause of the accident aside, I looked at the other two. Lyudmila had curled up like a cat and was on all fours. Impressive. She had chanted her magic even faster than me, and I have the Cat Stone.
Wait? For a moment, Lyudmila's eyes were gold... No, that can't be. She said she scraped her hand, her eyes grey, so I fixed it with [Heal].
Next, I cast [Heal] on Mary and Beatrix, and we took a break. Since the leather water skin was safe, we decided to pass around the wine.
"Honestly, what were you thinking?"
"Sorry, sorry. I just got excited. But it's amazing. To think that Karmic Disease can be treated."
"It's not exactly that it can be cured. If it's changed down to the bone, it can't be put back."
"But it helps, right?"
"Yeah. I think it can save lives. But according to Dune and Flora, it's not actually that big of a disease, it just looks bad. It doesn't spread to people that easily, and it's not fatal."
"Is that so?"
"Apparently. I don't really know myself. More importantly, using the mold-preventing water can completely prevent it from spreading to others. That's the bigger part."
In Sertoria, people diagnosed with the Karmic Disease are isolated in facilities in the forest, except for a very few wealthy people. Poor people in other countries are kicked out of their villages and live quietly in caves and such, so the Queen said they probably die from lack of food or other diseases.
"There are herbs to slow the progression. But they're very expensive. So, if we use Jeanne's water, it's cheap, so we should just build treatment facilities in the country."
"Why not sell it through the Marcelo Company?"
"Hmm. This will be used in state-run facilities, so the state will use bathtubs with magic circles built in. The Marcelo Company is making scrolls, just like with [Thought Communication]."
You can't take money for this kind of magic. For a while, it sold like crazy as a remedy for athlete's foot, but now it's treated as a mysterious magic medicine, and the scrolls are selling better. In the treatment centers, they use this water not just for the disease, but also to wash clothes and other linens, as well as dishes, and the healers apparently wash their hands and bodies with it too.
Of course, the rot-preventing wooden boxes and athlete's foot medicine are also selling well. Apparently, some people are drinking it, but I'm not sure how effective that is.
"And because that medicine saved the Crown Prince of Northern Gram, you're invited to a dinner party at the Royal Capital."
"That's right. They're even providing the outfits."
"I'm jealous. I wasn't invited."
"This time it's incognito. Lyudmila, you'll be invited to a dinner party in Regnentes eventually."
"Really!"
"Leave it to me. So, look, can I copy the duplicate I have and distribute it to the lords in secret?"
"Understood. I'll ask Adolf-san."
"Thank you!" she said, hugging her. She's always been shrewd, but she's really becoming a merchant. No wonder she gets along with Beatrix.
When we arrived at the village, we received a grand welcome, perhaps because they had heard from Beatrix. It was mainly for Lyudmila. "Chief! Chief!" everyone gathered around.
After looking around at the Class of 175's second shop and the threshed wheat and such, we gathered at the meeting hall.
Even though the magic soldiers had helped, they had achieved a harvest of seven bags of wheat per field. Of course, the barley was also much more than in normal fields.
"Right now, the scale is still small. From now on, we're going to keep expanding, but we'll need fertilizer for that. We'll raise earthworms on food scraps, mix waste with soil to make compost, and then graze animals. For now, this is the only method, so please do your best. If possible, I'd like to increase the number of goats..."
When she looked at the Priest, he smiled.
"Thanks to everyone working hard to make boar jerky, we're now able to increase the number of young pairs by one per household."
The jerky couldn't be exported, but the state bought it all. It seems it amounted to quite a sum. Thanks to that, the number will increase by twenty all at once. If things go well, baby goats might be born next spring.
"Therefore, I took the liberty of increasing the turnip fields. Not the clover seedbeds, but places where we cleared weeds and did slash-and-burn farming."
"That's perfectly fine. We're just sandwiching turnips in because it's not good to keep growing wheat. I was wondering what to do about feed if the goats increased. Priest, everyone, thank you very much."
The villagers' expressions had been somewhat stiff, but when Lyudmila thanked them happily, their expressions softened.
"I'm glad the Chief is happy."
"I guess we're starting to understand a bit too?"
"You only remembered the order and didn't remember the reason, did you?"
"N-No. I've already remembered. It's better not to do continuous cropping with wheat, right? The reason is that it won't grow well."
Somehow or other, the method Lyudmila and Flora came up with is soaking in. Even though there was a good harvest across the whole island, it was a sufficient result for a testing ground officially recognized by the King. And they did it while at war. It seems the Volunteer Army, including Hans-san, worked quite hard on both defense and helping with agriculture. "When we get back, let's make sure to thank them properly," Lyudmila and I laughed together.
While we were making a fuss with everyone, Harold-sama and the Lord, who were supposed to be at the Lord's manor, came flying over.
"Ho, Landowner. You seem to be having fun."
"Beatrix, are you well? Oh, Jeanne, Lyudmila, and Mary have come too. It's been a while."
"Oh, Harold-sama and the Lord. Hello. Has everyone who evacuated returned home?"
"A few remain."
"It's five households of serf couples who can't use magic. There are small children too."
The Lord spread his right hand suggestively and held up five fingers.
"Which means? Third term?"
If it's five households, they can live on the second floor of the meeting hall until their houses are built.
"Is that alright? We still have food, and since we won the war, we can take reparations. It has been decided that His Majesty will grant a reward for our territory's cooperation."
At the Lord's words, Beatrix looked at the Bishop, who saw the villagers' reaction and gave a slight nod. It seemed there was no problem. The Lord also looked satisfied.
"Also, the Priestess who couldn't come during the summer will be coming next month. Including those who have already learned magic, four people will be able to receive a divine message. You should receive it. The cost will come out of the reward money, so even the two who were originally supposed to pay can have it for free."
The parents of the four people were thanking the Lord.
Mary went to her apprentice and hugged her. She said she wanted to learn [Freeze] next. It's beginner level, and since it's the same attribute as her magic, it should be easy to learn.
I wondered if I should talk about Engrio, but when I looked at Mary, she gave me a slight look of opposition. She probably meant it wasn't a story to tell in front of the villagers.
"Furthermore, although the war is over, we must repair the camps and checkpoints at the entrance to the highway. So, by proposal of the Military Minister, a portion of the Kingdom Army and the scout unit will be able to remain in the basin until spring. Since they'll also be providing people for boar hunting, would you mind operating the jerky processing plant during the winter? We intend to recruit those from the basin who wish to work there as well."
"If the Lord says it's okay, then of course it's fine. We were short on boars, so that's perfect. Thank you, Harold-sama, Lord."
Beatrix gave her thanks, and a cheer rose from the villagers.
"And one more thing. His Majesty praised the spider countermeasures and scorched-earth tactics that Jeanne and Beatrix devised with our scout unit as one of the reasons for victory in this war."
"Now, now," Harold-sama said, quieting the villagers before speaking.
"We have already conferred medals upon the scout unit, the Volunteer Army, and the Sertoria light infantry who remained in this land, but you two have not yet received yours. Would you mind going to the Royal Capital on the same day as the scout captain, who is scheduled to be decorated? You will be granted a reward by His Majesty's personal order."
"Eh!"
The two of us looked at each other. We wouldn't be knighted like the Headmistress or Harrison-san; it would be one rank lower. However, in Regnentes, which maintains a strict class system, it's apparently not something that happens often. We did make the proposal, but without Harrison-san's earlier idea, my plan wouldn't have existed. I feel bad about bypassing Harrison-san, and even though we have the right of free passage, we can't just go on our own.
"Henry and Eleanor will be with you, so don't worry. Since it's official, those two will probably wear slightly better clothes. You should come from the Royal Capital of Sertoria."
When I looked at Harrison-san, he told me, "You should go." He even said it would be a good thing for the village, so I suppose I should go.
When I looked at Mary, she had her eyes downcast. Lyudmila looked bored.
"And also. This autumn's harvest in the village was surprisingly good. His Majesty has taken an interest and would like Lyudmila to come as well. He wants her to come with the Lord and Mary. There won't be a reward or anything, but he wants to hear Lyudmila's story directly. You should coordinate the date with Beatrix and the others."
"It is a greater honor than I deserve," Mary said, curtsying, while Lyudmila jumped for joy. She started dancing right then and there, and the children joined in.
"I'm glad you're so happy; it makes me happy as the one who invited you."
Harold-sama's face softened. I saw that Mary remained composed. Apparently, she had been planning this with the Lord for a while. Since Henry-sama and the others are going, we're probably just an addition, but that's likely more convenient for the King of Regnentes as well.
"Harold-sama, Lord. If I may be so bold, I have one request regarding our trip to the Royal Capital."
It was Mary.
"What is it? Speak your mind."
"Thank you. I have visited the Royal Capital several times, but my apprentice, being a serf, has no such experience. She has a contract as a clerk for our shop with the Lord's approval, which means she has the right of free passage. Of course, she won't enter the Royal Palace, and I will cover the costs, so would you permit her to see the Royal Capital?"
I heard the apprentice gasp. Since it would be disrespectful to speak, she hurriedly covered her mouth.
"I don't mind. Henry and the others are planning to stay at my mansion, so if you like, you can all stay together. It'll be fine if you're all in the same room. I'll even provide a carriage for sightseeing."
"In that case, I'll prepare the documents. I'll provide the carriage for the round trip. Let's go together."
Since Harold-sama had easily agreed, the Lord also spoke generously. With the Lord's carriage, passing through the checkpoints would be easy.
"Thank you for listening to my selfishness. I am grateful for your generous heart."
After Mary gave her thanks, she hugged her apprentice, who was clinging to her and sobbing, and stroked her head. The father and mother were also crying along with her, thanking them over and over. Even during the war, she had strictly followed what Mary had taught her, gathering herbs and managing them properly so they could be sold at any time.
"You worked hard managing the herbs while I was away. This is your reward. Let's go see the main street of the Royal Capital. And the Great Cathedral. I'll buy you new clothes for sightseeing. And souvenirs too."
As expected of a shop manager. She's thought this through well.