Ch.186Bean-Tofu (1)

After the self-proclaimed Lord Alberto killed the follower of Satan and the spawn of Satan,

Even at this point when preparations for normalizing the village could be considered complete, the reconstruction of the village—which had been devastated by the rush of visitors—had already been underway for some time.

The urgent food shortage was resolved by purchasing grain at low prices from neighboring cities using the tax exemption benefits granted to pioneer villages.

After conveying through my father that we would refuse “visitors,” the wandering knights stopped coming.

Thanks to this, only now—nearly a month into winter—our village finally completed the basic construction work and could once again move forward toward the next goal, but…

“Charlotte, it would be better to rest, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes. That’s what I think.”

In truth, after pushing the village so hard, what we need more than anything is rest.

In a situation where the village’s entire system is gradually breaking down due to excessive strain, the best decision I can make is to grant the village a period of rest.

Especially now as winter reaches its peak and temperatures continue to drop.

Soon, a cold wave is expected to arrive that will make outdoor activities difficult without fire, so for about a week while this cold persists, the village itself will need to temporarily halt all activities.

Moreover, considering that a horde of over 500 undead recently surged toward the village, it’s undeniable that attempting to undertake any projects might lead to accidents, making matters worse.

[I, Lord Alzar, as the rightful ruler, declare! Beginning three days from now and lasting exactly one week, the village will enter a rest period!]

Having announced the upcoming rest period to the village, we now await that week when everyone except the minimum personnel needed for village maintenance will rest.

Meanwhile, we were making several preparations to survive the terrible cold wave without casualties…

“Hmm… how is Gus doing?”

“He is well. Master Gus… is doing fine.”

As part of these “preparations,” I visited the stable where Gus and the other horses were staying, both to inspect the facility and to see Gus, who had been reborn as a pegasus. I continued my conversation with Charlotte as we walked.

In the “medieval” period of Earth, livestock were typically kept inside homes, and indeed, in our village, privately owned animals are kept indoors by their owners.

By modern standards, this seems extremely unhygienic, malodorous, and vulnerable to disease, but there are practical reasons for this practice.

Poor farmers who scraped together money to purchase livestock couldn’t afford separate barns with heating for the cold winter, and in this world of poor security, the best way to protect such valuable assets was to live under the same roof.

However, this situation obviously doesn’t apply to me as a person of power.

Particularly in the Frankish Kingdom, the stables housing knights’ horses are facilities of extraordinary importance.

The heating inside runs so efficiently that the stable keeper has made the stable his residence while managing the pasture.

“It’s been a while, Gus.”

“…Snort.”

After this brief exchange with Gus, who had become a pegasus just days ago, I looked around the stable interior and suddenly noticed that the feed troughs contained a surprisingly high proportion of beans.

This was certainly an unusual situation.

Beans, as a crop, have a fishy taste and certain characteristics that make them somewhat unsuitable as a staple food, and this holds true even in this era, which is why they’re often used as animal feed.

However, beans provide valuable plant protein for humans and are considered a grain-like food crop. In an era where food is always scarce, one simply cannot thoughtlessly feed beans to horses.

‘…Do we have enough beans to spare for horse feed?’

After I innocently voiced this thought, the stable keeper, who had been nervously watching my reaction, realized I was asking out of genuine curiosity and began to explain…

“Yes. Actually, the beans—”

※ ※ ※

According to the stable keeper, who also serves as a shepherd, the increase in the village’s bean reserves was almost inevitable.

The time when the village began formally distributing land and starting agriculture coincided perfectly with the ideal season for bean cultivation. Bean farming is particularly beneficial for preparing the soil for autumn crops.

Of course, those with less farming experience tend to plant rye, which is easier to grow, but a significant portion of the village population has agricultural experience and planted beans in preparation for the future.

If I remember correctly, the nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legume roots enrich the soil with nutrients, making it quite a good choice if one plans to attempt autumn farming in earnest.

And indeed, most of those who had been younger sons of farming families before moving to the city were able to successfully grow beans…

“…Ah, beans are a bit problematic, aren’t they?”

“Yes. Beans are… awkward.”

While technically classified as a grain, beans aren’t the type of crop used as a staple food, and consequently, there’s almost no demand for this quasi-vegetable or unpopular side dish.

If the village were desperately short on food, it would be a different story, but our village has a functioning social security system, so people don’t really go hungry.

Even the food shortage that briefly occurred during the recent visitor rush was resolved through the Deathmatch method and emergency supplies, leaving beans with even less of a place.

In short, at least regarding beans, there was an excess inventory that ended up being fed to livestock. After finishing my inspection of the stables and returning home, I thought about solving this bean surplus problem…

‘…Do I need to solve this?’

Thinking about it from a different perspective, is this even a problem that needs solving?

Of course, I would put all my effort into resolving a food shortage in the village, but this is just the common situation of beans being produced in excess of what people will eat and thus being used as animal feed.

Honestly, even though I’m taking a proactive approach to governance, I can’t personally intervene in every minor issue like this.

Anyway, after spending nearly half a day pondering bean-related concerns, I finally reached this conclusion and was able to relax…

‘…I want to eat tofu.’

Then, after talking about beans all day, I recognized the onset of hunger accompanied by a touch of homesickness.

Specifically, foods from my former homeland came to mind—vivid in my memory but not yet experienced in this life.

Although my past life exists only as memories with a certain sense of distance, my personal development cannot be separated from these memories.

When a child not yet five years old absorbs the dense and powerful memories of a past life, it would be stranger if these didn’t have an influence.

Of course, the time for agonizing over my identity has long passed, but even considering that, this homesickness is… well, it just is.

Frankly, it’s strange to suggest that suddenly craving a particular food is an unusual situation.

And what I wanted to eat right now was a food from my previous homeland’s culture that came to mind while looking at beans—tofu.

It’s delicious fried in oil, good simply blanched with soy sauce, excellent as an ingredient in various dishes, and pleasant as a side dish with almost anything.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it, and I shook my head trying to dispel the craving…

‘…Hmm?’

Upon reflection, I realized there was no reason I couldn’t make tofu now.

The beans available to me aren’t the soybeans typically used for tofu, but in my previous life, there were varieties like black bean tofu and peanut tofu, so it should be possible with the beans of this world.

Moreover, we have Gretel, our nearly omnipotent magical-chemist, and we’ll have about a week of free time coming up, so it might be a good idea to try.

‘Should I give it a try?’

If successful, I could find a use for beans that otherwise would only be animal feed, while also satisfying my personal craving.

‘…Alright, let’s do it.’

At this point, it would be more foolish not to try.