episode_0076

The field was quite large, but Clara and I, both of us with good stamina, decided to plow it and it was all cleaned up in no time. Clara wiped the sweat from her forehead and skillfully explained the farming methods.

“Phew, next time let’s fertilize the field.”

“The fertilizer made from monster excrement before should be enough, right?”

“Enough to overflow.”

The byproduct made by burning finely ground animal excrement, leaf manure, and forest compost all at once is called fertilizer here.

It was called fertilizer, but it was closer to compost than chemical fertilizer, which is the pinnacle of modern technology. Anyway, it is said that fertilizer made from monster excrement has strong earth energy and quickly restores soil fertility.

“After fertilizing, you need to take a rest period of about two weeks.”

“Why?”

“Because it takes time for the field to absorb all the earth energy in the fertilizer.”

It was a completely unscientific answer, but I didn’t bother to tackle Clara’s words, which came from experience.

“Then what are you going to do for two weeks?”

“I don’t really do anything. I just plow the field like today or make a ridge.”

“That’s it? It’s easier than I thought, so I’m confused.”

“Wouldn’t everyone farm since it’s easier than hunting? If it was harder, they would have hunted like Si-an.”

“That’s true.”

While Clara was convinced, I had some time left and made some progress in preparing the drain.

The village of Lugeron had no advantages and only disadvantages, but it was the only one with a strong river flowing down from the Titan Mountains, so there was no need to worry about water, which was most necessary for farming.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

When I returned home with Clara, Elsia was there to greet me. She didn’t look tired, even though she had done so much yesterday. Of course, Sylvia was flying around vividly.

“Breakfast is ready.”

“Already?”

Currently, there are a whopping 10 people in my family.

Preparing a meal for ten people wouldn’t have been easy, but Sylvia didn’t show any sign of difficulty.

“Haha, it ended quickly because we all did it together.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

So, all the family members except Chloe gathered at one table and had breakfast. Sylvia took care of Vivian, who was still not fluent in the Imperial language, and Clara took care of Clia, the youngest sister who was still not fully awake.

And of course I took care of Chloe, who had trouble moving around.

“Chloe, ah~”

“Honey, I can eat it myself… ”

Chloe blushed, but she still took a bite of the bread I gave her.

“Honey, have some too.”

“I feel full just watching Chloe eat.”

“Brother, that was a line that sounded like something your mother would say.”

“Clea!”

Chloe, who was always nagging, got scolded by her older sister Clara. Leaving my sister-in-law behind, I had a cozy meal with Chloe.

“Xian, are you home?”

After I had finished eating and was cleaning up, Tom came to see me.

“Good morning, Tom. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, I just came to tell you that there is a town meeting at noon today.”

“Thank you. I will visit Tom’s house at noon.”

“Haha, there’s no need to take care of old people.”

“Where would you find something like that between friends? Oh, and I finished the washing machine idea I mentioned before.”

“Is that so? I’m looking forward to that.”

“Would you like to listen while drinking some tea?”

“If you give it to me, I will be grateful.”

So I talked to Tom for a while about washing machines.

It was not a modern washing machine, but a traditional washing machine called Baltoare, which was made by utilizing the flow of a river. It was intended to be made by utilizing the powerful river flowing down from the Titan Mountains.

Since this is a town with a lot of water, we should make use of it.

‘Laundry is also quite hard work.’

Tom was impressed when he saw the drawings I had made.

“Here it is.”

“You put a lot of effort into making this.”

“Yes, if you make it using the power of a watermill, you can even have a dehydration function.”

“You are a genius! How can you think like this?”

“This is not my idea.”

I remember watching a documentary when I was a non-commissioned officer and had nothing to do, so I brought it up. However, since I couldn’t explain this fact, I brought up my adoptive father’s name.

“My father told me. It’s a traditional method from a certain region.”

“That guy, Ian, has certainly been well-informed since the old days. I couldn’t believe the story about drinking fizzy drinks in the Holy Kingdom, but after hearing from you, it seems to be true.”

“Huh?”

What is that? Carbonated?

“Huh? Didn’t you hear this story from Ian? There were many mysterious things in the Holy Kingdom, but he praised carbonated drinks as the best. ”

“…I think I heard it.”

Next time I get a chance, I’ll have to try some of the specialties of the Holy Kingdom through Helen.

. . .

At noon, as I was walking straight to Tom’s house, I saw a familiar woman on the way. It was Selnia.

‘What? Are you still unable to shake off your obsession with Elsia?’

Fortunately, that’s not the case, said Selnia in an urgent voice.

“Please help me.”

“What is it?”

Oh, you need help. I promised her I would help you before.

“Maybe the watermill will come up in today’s meeting.”

“Watermill?”

Her words brought to mind what the village chief had said before.

‘Let’s hire someone who can manage it professionally.’ I agreed with the village chief. It would be a loss for Tom and I, who were considered the most skilled workers in the village, to waste our time on the watermill.

‘Like last time, let’s appoint someone who has a hard time doing farm work as a manager and split the commission. Of course, some of the commission will go to Tom and me, the owners of the watermill.’

“So you want me to recommend your husband as the mill owner?”

Selnia’s husband, Jace, lost his leg while saving a comrade during the war, so he’ll have a hard time doing farm work or anything else. The person the village chief is probably going to recommend is Jace.

But I felt a little awkward about leaving it to him. Even if there was an agreement between the couple, I couldn’t like the idea of sending my wife to another man.

But Selnia’s answer was different from what I expected.

“I disagree.”

“Huh?”

“Please recommend someone other than my husband.”

“Who?”

“Please recommend Astin, Carla’s husband.”

“Astin? Who are you?”

“You may not know this, but he is a boy who went blind while receiving treatment for an epidemic in his village.”

“You’re blind?”

“Yes.”

Since ancient times, the blind have been the target of discrimination. In the countryside, a person with a cripple who cannot work may be ignored, but he or she will not be abandoned by his or her family. However, the blind are different. A blind person who cannot live a normal life is abandoned by his or her family.

And if you say boy, he doesn’t seem that old.

“But why are you trying to help that guy?”

“She’s just a younger sister that I’ve known for a long time.”

“That’s not you, is it?”

Selnia is a homosexual. She is a woman, but she likes women. So it is said that she chased Elsia’s butt for a while in the past.

So I was wondering if maybe this time she was after a little girl.

“Dangerous? What’s dangerous?”

“You didn’t know that? That’s… ”

Selnia was about to say something, but then she looked at the faces of the nearby villagers and spoke urgently.

“I’ll tell you later. First, I’ll ask you something.”

“Oh my… What do you want me to do if you do that even if I ask you to?”

I was shocked to see Selnia leave after saying only her own words, but then I remembered what Helen had told me.

Maybe there’s a secret in this town that I don’t know about?

‘I’ll have to ask Tom.’

I headed straight to Tom’s house.

. . .

People’s personalities change depending on the environment they live in, and even in the small village of Lugeron, generational differences were bound to exist.

Perhaps the village of Lugeron is where such generational differences are most evident.

The older generation who had to suffer from monsters every day near the Dark Forest, the younger generation who thought they could resist monsters through Ian, and the younger generation who had no worries thanks to Cyan who changed the ecosystem of monsters near the village with his overwhelming power.

The older generation thought conservatively and resented the younger generation running wild without knowing anything.

On the other hand, the younger generation ignored the older generation, who had not even experienced war, and took the initiative to change the village, while the younger generation did not even understand the conflict between the two generations.

The village chief had to mediate between the two generations.

In that sense, the village chief’s job was not easy. He did not have the power of a noble, nor the money or power of a lord.

“The owner of the mill? What would you do if there was embezzlement like last time?”

“But can’t we just leave the millstone alone like this?”

“The owner who made it should take care of it.”

“Those two? Are you young and thoughtless? How much does a blacksmith contribute to the village? Not to mention a hunter.””

“Are you trying to fight now?

“Okay, both of you stop. Since it’s already been decided, let’s discuss who to vote for.”

“Then who are you going to recommend? Surely it’s not your relative?”

“No way, what about Jace? He seems like someone you can trust.”

“Jace, he sure has a good personality.”

Still, decades of experience have given us know-how.

Maintaining neutrality and mediating has now become natural, not just familiar.

At that moment, Si-an raised his hand to try to get the right to speak.

“Xian, do you have anything to say?”

“I recommend someone else.”

Then, for the first time, the villagers who had opposed his every move remained silent.