Chapter 21
h.e.l.lo (￣▽￣)ノ
I’m early today~
Disclaimer: I don"t guarantee that this is 100% accurate . Please let me know if there are any mistakes in my translations .
Chapter 21: That time when I didn’t know why it was bustling with activity inside the village
Since the last time, I have already received the rewards for plowing ten fields . I also began teaching the image used for field development to the villagers who can use earth magic .
「For now, let’s improve on the points that needs to be improved」
We started by setting that as our objective . After school, I met up with the adults and tilled the fields together . The ones who could not use magic just made fences that will be used to encircle the fields . This is just a story that I heard but it seems like there were talks about renting out two buildings constructed on certain fields but they weren’t sure where and how they’ll do it . It seems like the plans are not yet fixed…… Regarding the compensation for teaching everyone the magic, I received ten more gold coins .
『I wonder how they deal with compensating people who are teaching magic in this world . 』
I was thinking about that but stopped since I remembered that I don’t know market price and value of magic so there’s nothing I can do about it .
Along the highway towards the town, the number of simple houses increased . The reason for that was the ad that the village chief posted at the guild when he went to town .
『Accepting villagers! A simple house and field would be rented out . Price is negotiable . Those with no money will be loaned meals aside from the house and field! Work hard to be able to obtain money!』
Or so it said on the paper .
Well, it’s in this world so they could probably easily understand the contents of that poster . If it was just pasted on something like a utility pole, it would seem like some sort of shady moneylending scheme .
This goes without saying but a few days later, the number of people in the village increased . There are a lot of people seeking safety . Towns would have employment fitting for a town but when it comes to this village, the demand is on dairy and agricultural jobs .
Even though it was a fairly large town, why did the slums still exist? What’s the town’s landlord even doing? Most of people who came to the village were from the lower cla.s.s districts and the slums . I’m not sure if there’s a concept of ‘When in Rome,” here but the quarrelsome people and those with minor offenses were saying,
「This village doesn’t have any money so is it even true that they’re lending out fields and homes?」 「I’ve already been caught stealing so they do have some stuff here」
When he heard that, the village chief said,
「It would be good if you can pay back what you owe by using the money you get from selling the field’s yield next year . 」 「This is still only a small village so you won’t have anything to steal here」 「For meals, we have wheat and dried meat stock up so we’re pretty much still okay with that part」 「If you don’t like it then you’re free to leave, you know?」1
However, those kinds of comments continued to gradually increase .
There were also some who have no experience with farming so the villagers came together to teach them . Our population increased and since the harvest was already over, a slight problem with food supple came out . And for some reason, I was also asked to attend that meeting .
「Well then, let us start the meeting . Until now, the people living in the village had no food problems . However, because of the people who recently came to the village, I’m starting to get worried about our food supply . The cause of this was me being hasty in recruiting villagers but, since winter is fast approaching, does anyone have any good ideas?」 「Thinking about what we’ll lose and gain, if every house contributes a bit of the food they saved up, then all we have to do is wait for winter to pa.s.s, right?」 「You should at least tell us how much food and up to what extend would we need to take out so that it can be put into writing」
This isn’t really a meeting, is it? They just keep on contradicting each other and doing whatever they want . I was taking notes while listening in to their nonsensical conversation .
「Caam, feel free to say it if you have any opinions」 「Eh? Ah, yes . I’ve been writing down all of your opinions up until now」
I’ll be looking over my memo to outline the main points while trying to add my own opinions into it .
「Erー, I consolidated everything as well as the common points and my own opinions . The first thing will be taking some from every household’s food cache to ‘loan’ to the new villagers and them paying it back with the wheat harvested next year .
The food that was originally supposed to be sold in town would be ‘loaned out’ as well . Because of the new immigrants, we have to sacrifice the income for one year in order to reap the benefits from the second year onwards . We don’t reall have a choic but to do that, do we? I think it would also be fine to lend some money for tools and amus.e.m.e.nt .
I don’t think it was the right time to be recruiting immigrants but since they’re already here, there’s nothing we can really do about it now . And with the increase in population, our productivity will also increase .
Because of that, we should consider increasing our livestock and fencing out a plain with a lot of gra.s.s and let the cattle graze there . Let’s also cultivate a field with plants that can be used to feed the animals during winter .
Next would be the formation of the vigilante corps . We need to prevent crime after all . Even if they say that the’re already reflecting on their actions, there are still people with minor offenses around so people going on patrols and making rounds are still necessary .
Since the number of our fields have increased, we should make a watchtower so that we can easily see spot monsters from above and it would be really convenient if we had a place with an extensive view .
With the increase in our population, we should also add new water wells . We could create ca.n.a.ls from the river nearby to draw water in . The water that we would draw in could also be used as a countermeasure during dry seasons .
If we realize that we still have some other necessary things that we forgot to add, it’ll be fine to just deal with those when that time comes . Are there any questions?」
With that, I can just give additional details for the parts that they didn’t understand . How was it? Do I have their consent?
「Y-yeah . For some reason, I just couldn’t get any of that so could you summarize it a bit more for me?」
That was already summarized though…
「Everything’s the village chief’s fault . The food that we would lend to our immigrants should be paid back with food . We should also give a bit of sake and similar things to them . Create patrols . Increase livestock . Cultivate a field exclusively for livestock feed use . Add more water wells . Bring in water from the river to the village . It’s the village chief’s fault . 」 「I get the ‘It’s the village chief’s fault’ at start and end but why do we have to use a field to cultivate animal feed? Wouldn’t it be fine if we just did that if there’s an extra field that’s not being used?」
The chief had a complicated facial expression . He probably has something he wanted to say but just let it pa.s.s .
「If our livestock increases, we need to have that much fodder . If we do as you said, the animals will starve and die since we won’t be able to feed them during winter . After going through all that effort in trying to increase them, wouldn’t it be waste if we just went ahead and crushed all of that? Using a field produce animal fodder doesn’t mean that everyone’s food stocks will decrease . If we determine the one that’s for livestock use from the start, everyone, including the animals, would not go hungry . It would probably be fine if all that they eat is corn or something like that . It won’t rot easily if we properly dry it . 」 「I was able understand that somehow . I’m dumb so I’ll be able to understand it if you say it like that」
Everyone around us agreed .
This is bad…… If every adult around me is like this, I’m going to be busy every year since I’ll have to be the one to organize everything . You guys had better find someone brighter .
「Caam, you really don’t have to go to school anymore, do you? How can you easily come up with those ideas?」
As I had expected, the meeting just ended up as a group discussion .
「Couldn’t you somehow just deal with it using your magic?」
As I had also expected, we ended up on this topic .
I produced a brick on top of my hand as I started talking .
「Ahー I tried doing that once by using an image of firing bricks but the sun had only set for a bit when it disappeared . It would probably disappear as the magic power gets cut but there won’t be any problems if it’s just something like turning over soil . It won’t disappear .
I don’t think that there would be any problems if the original object is already there and I’m just using magic power to change it . That’s why I can probably dig up the water wells and the ca.n.a.ls from the river for irrigation . However, stacking stones on the sides of those would be impossible for me . Since you don’t have to be skilled to do that much, you’ll have to do that part」 「Digging a hole for a water well takes time so if you have magic that can be used for well digging then we won’t have any complaints」 「To even try and do that when I was already amazed with you plowing those fields…Sensei is glad」
Before anyone noticed it, Birke-sensei2 appeared from the potted plant that was on the corner of the a.s.sembly hall . It’s scary how she can travel anywhere if she used plants .
After that we properly consolidated everything that was discussed and the village chief declared the end of our meeting . Father was drunk when he came home that evening but it seemed like he was really happy . Their conversation probably ended up being about me while they were drinking . There aren’t a lot of parents who wouldn’t be happy hearing their child get praised . I’m no longer a child though…
◇
Once the plan has been settled, it was quickly put into action .
「Let’s settle this before winter starts!」
Everyone started being desperate . You can say whatever you want about it but it seems like there were only a few who were opposed to the plan ofincreasing the size of the village .
We built channels for water to flow into the fields . We also made two small ponds near the village for bathing and breeding fish and aquatic birds like ducks . Because of that, the aquatic demonkin villagers like my mother were unexpectedly delighted . Even though there were only a few of them compared to the number of human-like ones, it seems like they have secured their own task .
When the village chief and guys from the senior cla.s.s had decided where to place the water wells, I first started by lifting up a cylindrical-shaped soil off the ground .
「Oi, dig lower!」
Was what they said but I was not sure how far I need to dig before I hit water so I just aimed at a spot where the ground was wet . After that, following their instructions, we let the ground settle and the water level started increasing by about a meter .
「The pond for breeding fish needs to be a little deeper . If it’s shallow, they’ll just get eaten by the aquatic birds . It would be okay to make it even deeper . Just leave it to us when the time for catching fish comes」
An aquatic demonkin onee-san came over and gleefully impeded on our task . Since I received her advice, I just obediently followed it . My knowledge when it comes to these kinds of things is nonexistent so that was really helpful to be honest .
【Skill・Offensive attribute・earth: 4】acquired .
I was able to raise it here as expected .
We’ll start building the ca.n.a.l later so we just marked the places where it will pa.s.s through with stakes for now . The path we planned for it will start from the river, to the pond for bathing, then to fish breeding spot, through the highway and back to the river . The ca.n.a.l will be a meter wide and half a meter deep .
Even with all of this, it doesn’t mean that we’ll be able to finish immediately . Just as they said, we’re only doing as much as we can before winter .
This is like one of those city making games, isn’t it? I played those before . The only difference is that I’m doing it in real-time and I’m not the mayor .
Footnotes: 1 . The village chief was talking to a lot of people so there were multiple「」s . 2 . I wasn’t wrong with her name this time . Birke is German for Birch because she’s a j.a.panese white birch dryad .