kscans

Chapter 104 - Interlude. The Pleasant and Secretive Village

Around mid-September, Baron Darren visited the post town of Han and was perplexed by a report from his deputy.

"...You say End Village sent its annual tax payment as usual?"

"Yes. Though it was Adon’s man who delivered it."

"That is not unusual. He must have come to buy produce again this year… wait, did End Village sell its produce to Adon as usual?"

The recent food shortage was casting a shadow over this country, Rivairein. Rivairein itself was not suffering from a poor harvest or famine, but a neighboring country had apparently produced a considerable number of refugees. Some of them were flowing into this country, increasing food consumption more than usual. And yet, food imports from the neighboring country had all but ceased, so there was less food on the shelves. To add to this, the wheat harvest in Rivairein had been rather poor this year. Since vegetables and fruits were as plentiful as any other year, most of the populace probably did not feel the food shortage much… but they would surely notice when the price of new wheat went up. He had been concerned about the harvest and had been touring the villages in his domain, and every single one had a poor wheat harvest. If he were to collect the usual amount in taxes, the farmers would have just barely enough to eat. They probably had some reserves, but not a sufficient amount. Therefore, he had decided to reduce the amount of the annual tax this year and had been notifying each village.

And yet, End Village had paid its taxes as usual and sold the surplus to a merchant…?

Worried that the villagers of End Village were pushing themselves too hard, the lord decided to change his schedule slightly and visit the village himself.



"Hoh… so this is made from Dag fruit?"

Four days after receiving the report from his deputy, Lord Baron Darren, visiting End Village, was sampling starch from Dag fruit, which the villagers had served him rolled into a dumpling. To taste the starch itself, he had tried it without any toppings. There was a slight bitterness, but it was by no means inedible. With proper seasoning, it could easily be served at the dinner table. Having it for every meal might be tough, but eating it between servings of bread might actually be a pleasant change.

"Hmm… I had thought the fruits of Dag and Shika were too bitter to be eaten…"

In fact, the baron remembered having nibbled on one out of curiosity as a child.

"Yes, my lord. But after crushing them and soaking them in water for a while to leach out the bitterness, this is the result."

The peak season for Dag and Shika fruit was still ahead, but it was better to test whether these fruits were edible sooner rather than later. With that in mind, the villagers had harvested these acorns while they were still green, starting around the end of August, leached them, and found the taste promising. Since then, they had been waiting with bated breath for the fruits to ripen, and just the other day, they had harvested the very first of them and extracted the starch.

"Mmm… this seems like a remarkable piece of wisdom. Who was it that discovered this?"

The villagers exchanged glances at the lord’s question. This method had been taught to them by Yuri, but should they tell the lord about him? They did not want to cause trouble for the boy who could be called the village’s benefactor, even if it was an order from their lord… The villagers fell into a troubled silence, and seeing this, the lord guessed there must be a reason. He was not trying to do anything to the inventor. He just wanted to hear the details. After he repeatedly persuaded them with these words, the village chief relented and explained the situation, but only after securing a promise from the lord, on his honor as a noble, not to do anything that would be to the inventor’s disadvantage.

"So… that boy… for five years… all alone…"

The story he heard from the village chief was something he could never have believed without the testimony of an eyewitness, Otta, who had remained in the village. If he had heard it in a tavern, he would have laughed it off as a tall tale. But the leaching technique that the boy had taught them was undeniably real. If he could spread this method to other villages, this year’s food situation might improve considerably.

…As the baron was thinking this, he realized that this was not just a matter for this year alone.

With this leaching technology, things that were previously unusable could now be used as food. They even said the root of the Lycoris could be eaten. How great would the benefit be? Even in a year without a poor harvest, an increase in the variety of food was nothing but good news. This technology should be spread. But… if it came from here, the Darren Territory, what was wrong with that? The Darren Territory was a small domain in the northern Rivairein Kingdom. It had no notable special products other than agricultural ones, and it had no particular advantage compared to other territories. However, if he could spread this technology within his domain, and if he could keep it secret… this could become a major advantage.

"Village chief, I know it is a busy time before the harvest, but would it be possible to dispatch a few people who have mastered this leaching technique to other villages? I would like to spread this technique to the other villages if possible."

"My lord… that would be fine, but…"

"Of course, there is no need to speak of the boy. No, I would rather you did not. I forbid you from speaking of this leaching technique to those from other domains."

"...Please wait a moment…"

The village chief consulted with the villagers for a while but reached the conclusion that there would be no particular problem. They had intended to do so from the beginning, and they had not taught Adon about the leaching process. Although it had been at a banquet, they had asked Yuri to keep it quiet as well. Hearing that the lord had priority, Yuri had nodded in understanding.

The arrangements to spread the leaching technique throughout the domain were made, but the lord’s worries were not resolved… or rather, his worries about the poor harvest were being resolved, but a new worry had emerged.

(The boy in question is said to have gone to Laurenzen… should I follow him…?)

He would return eventually if I waited… but what if he spread the word about the leaching technique before then… They had apparently told him to keep it quiet, but the merchant city of Laurenzen was crawling with cunning, seasoned merchants. For them, getting a child to talk would be easier than twisting a baby’s arm. On the other hand, it would be unnatural for him to visit Adon’s mansion. The Adon Company was a trading partner for End Village and others, but it was not the official merchant for his own domain. Above all, Laurenzen, where Adon had his company, was not in his own domain but in the neighboring one. If he were to visit abruptly, it would surely attract attention. That was something he wanted to avoid above all else…

The baron worried in secret.