Ch.136200 Members Breakthrough

About a few weeks had passed since I returned to the village after completing my business.

Early autumn, or perhaps late summer—a time when the unbearable heat under the sun was finally beginning to subside.

By this point, several changes had occurred in the village over the past few weeks.

First, there was a change in the village population.

Several new people had joined, including a family of five who operated the ranch my father had sent. Because of this, the population should have smoothly exceeded 200 people from the original 191, but…

The problem was the village’s deaths.

Various illnesses due to old age that couldn’t be cured even with the priest’s healing magic. People who died from overwork without any chance for intervention.

Add to that the not-insignificant number of deaths from accidents.

[May the Golden Hand receive the deceased…]

As inevitable deaths occurred, the deceased were buried one by one in the communal cemetery behind the temple, and the village was occasionally enveloped in a solemn atmosphere.

After all these calculations, the current population stood at exactly 200. Winter, the season of death, would soon arrive, so for the time being, there were no plans to increase the number of mouths to feed.

Food supply was considered the most important task in preparing for the even harsher winter influenced by the Mist. Increasing the number of mouths to feed would be a significant burden, especially as food supply methods were gradually diminishing.

Meanwhile, in this atmosphere, the village was beginning to harvest crops from the fields and prepare to plant new autumn crops… in other words, preparations for autumn farming had begun.

They were harvesting crops that were starting to ripen—rye and beans planted in early summer—and instead planting typical autumn crops like winter wheat and rye in their place, implementing a double-cropping system.

In pre-modern societies where crop yields were insufficient, a single harvest was never enough to sustain life, so the practice commonly known as double-cropping—farming twice a year—was prevalent in this world.

In spring, they would grow oats, barley, or “spring wheat” to enrich the soil, and after harvesting these crops in autumn, they would plant rye and winter wheat that could survive the winter to be harvested around early summer.

There were also complex farming methods like planting beans in summer to supply nutrients to the soil or implementing fallow periods, but let’s skip over those details as they’re not immediately important.

Anyway, the three main autumn crops being prepared for planting in the village were:

“Rye,” which grows well regardless of poor soil or lack of moisture; “winter wheat,” a variety harvested in early summer after surviving the winter; and “barley,” which, though less popular than the other two, still had definite demand.

Just as in East Asian regions of Earth—especially the Korean Peninsula, my homeland in my previous life—where barley was cultivated in fields after the autumn rice harvest instead of leaving them idle, these people practiced autumn farming in a similar fashion.

While farming continued, the village was also busy preparing for the approaching winter.

They were making winter clothes and hats from the abundant furs, applying insulation to the outer walls of houses, and filling gaps with resin and sawdust to prepare for the cooling climate.

Small braziers and other heating devices were being produced and supplied to the village, additional fireplaces were being installed, and sufficient firewood was being harvested from the nearby forest for these expanded heating systems.

Going to the forest for logging during the snowy winter would be madness that could lead to freezing to death, and most firewood available in winter would be too wet with snow to use effectively.

While preparations for “clothing” and “shelter” among the necessities of life were underway, “food” also needed to be prepared.

Winter is a time when edible plants wither and animal activity decreases, meaning there are virtually no sources of food supply available.

The reason they work tirelessly all year to stockpile food is precisely to consume it during winter.

For these reasons, everyone in the village was currently focused on preparing their own preserved foods.

There were luxury preserved foods like fruit preserves made by soaking wild berries and fruits in wild honey, but even more common were foods focused simply on long-term preservation.

The most representative were various salted foods—vegetables, fish, and meat—preserved with rock salt harvested from nearby open-pit mines, salted to the point of being almost solid salt.

Some who found the valuable salt too precious made jerky or dried fish by drying meat, and occasionally households could be found producing smoked foods, though in smaller quantities.

Considering that smoking is not an easy process, it’s possible they produced these not just for preservation but also because they simply enjoyed them.

Additionally, milk from sheep and dairy cows that were starting to produce was being made into cheese, so in some ways, this winter might actually be more abundant than usual.

Moving on to the realm of governance, the core project currently underway in the village was administrative reorganization.

More precisely, it was a process of completely overhauling the makeshift system that had been in place until now.

The current village structure was simple: I, as the “acting village lord,” governed this pioneer village in my father’s stead, and below me were people who served me but otherwise had no connection to each other.

Obviously, without me, they would struggle to share opinions or transmit information, so I took this opportunity to completely restructure the village’s organization.

First came the administrative separation of the werewolves.

They had settled here because I, their chieftain, lived in this village, but what if I finished my term as acting lord and returned to my home?

Since they were under my command rather than village affiliates, they would likely follow me when I left.

Additionally, werewolves were traditionally a nomadic hunting-gathering tribe rather than settlers, so there would likely be little resistance among them if I, their chieftain, decided to leave.

Especially since, if I returned, I planned to develop them into something like an elite reconnaissance unit for the territory, so unless they settled down through marriage or something similar, they would likely return with me.

Therefore, in the administrative restructuring, these werewolves became my subordinates rather than being considered “village residents,” even though they were currently staying in the village.

This reorganization was applied almost equally to “Droop Bazilit,” who had sworn allegiance to me.

His current position was roughly that of a mercenary employed by me, though he had once been a renowned mercenary called the “Red Meteor.” Finding this ambiguous status insufficient, I presented him with additional conditions.

“Droop. If you follow me, I will grant you a knighthood when I become lord.”

“…I will gladly follow you.”

One condition was a title—specifically, an official noble title from the Western Continent, something orcs, considered barbaric races, could normally never dream of.

This title, which would allow entry into the upper echelons of Western Continent society—notoriously closed to outsiders—seemed quite appealing to Droop, who was unusually non-violent and non-aggressive for an orc.

After this reorganization, the rest was mostly finalized by following local customs appropriately.

Retired adventurers were appointed as a kind of formal military force—village-affiliated men-at-arms—beyond simple militia or vigilante groups, and in return for military service and obligatory village protection, they received profitable privileges.

Specifically, they were given the unique position of “village men-at-arms,” distinct from traditional men-at-arms, along with certain privileges that were unlikely to be abused in the process of village protection.

For example, benefits like the right to receive a fair share of spoils during village defense, or receiving a consistent salary from the village.

While these might not seem like special benefits by modern standards, they were considered privileges in this era.

As the village system was reorganized and the overall atmosphere shifted from a rural village to a proper manor…

“Lord Alzar, a message from Lord Falten. He says the repairs are complete.”

“…Oh!”

And so, my peaceful and monotonous life of nearly a month entered a new phase with the news of my golem armor’s repair.