Chapter 10

"Already... can't... going to die..."

Held by the hand of Valleta, Ichirou, who had been forced to run at full speed to the village, collapsed in a spread-eagle position next to the forked waterway at the village entrance.

Even as Ichirou lay there, gasping for breath, children with plenty of energy continued to run and play, chasing the water flowing towards the village pond.

"S-Sorry, Kazura-san. Are you okay?"

Valleta, the Spartan girl who had dragged Ichirou by the hand and forced him to run to the village, was shocked by his collapse. She hurried back to the mansion to fetch a wooden cup, filled it with water from the stream, and rushed back to Ichirou.

"Here, drink this water. Take it slowly."

"Ah, thank you..."

Valleta helped Ichirou sit up by supporting his shoulder and gently leaning him against her, then brought the cup to his lips to help him drink. Seeing Ichirou drink the water with labored breaths, she couldn't help but smile at the contrast with his usual self.

"Phew, I feel better...? Is something wrong?"

To Ichirou's question, Valleta, who was giggling, sat back down and tilted her head.

"Hehe, nothing. Let's go back home and have lunch."

Valleta stood up, placed her left hand on one knee, and extended her right hand to Ichirou.

"Ah, it's already that time? Alright, I'll help with the preparations."

Ichirou took Valleta's hand, stood up, brushed the sand off his clothes, and they headed towards the mansion together.

"Really, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot about the cleanup."

"Don't worry about it. I could have carried everything by myself."

While helping Valleta prepare the meal, Ichirou noticed the village chief returning with a wheelbarrow loaded with shovels and other tools. He hurried outside to apologize to the village chief.

The wheelbarrow had been left unattended, so technically, the village chief could have carried everything by himself, but considering the number of tools and leftover boards he had brought back, it must have been a heavy load.

"Kazura-san, Dad, lunch is ready."

While Ichirou was profusely apologizing to the village chief, Valleta, who had finished preparing the meal, called them from inside the mansion.

When the two entered, the pot on the hearth in the living room was steaming, and the delicious aroma filled the air.

The pot contained freshly harvested potatoes shared by neighboring villagers and acorn-like nuts that Ichirou and Valleta had collected from the forest, finely chopped and cooked with rice.

On separate plates, wild herbs and Arcadian bugs that the two had collected from the mountains and stir-fried with salt were placed in their designated spots.

"Wow, this looks delicious. Did you catch Arcadian bugs?"

"Yeah, just six of them."

Seeing the Arcadian bugs evenly distributed on everyone's plates, Ichirou felt relieved that he wasn't the only one getting a large portion this time and sat down in his usual spot.

It's not that he disliked the taste of Arcadian bugs, but the moment of putting those grub-like larvae, which resembled beetle larvae, into his mouth always left him with an indescribable feeling.

As Valleta started serving the mixed rice, a knock was heard at the door.

"I'll get it. Dad, can you take over here?"

"Sure."

Valleta handed the wooden ladle she was using to the village chief and ran to the entrance.

While Ichirou was receiving his bowl of mixed rice from the village chief, Valleta returned, looking flustered.

"Dad, Mr. Isaac, the messenger from Lord Nelson, is here..."

"Hmm, I see. Ichirou-san, I'm sorry, but I need to step out for a moment."

The village chief, upon hearing Valleta's words, immediately placed the ladle down and headed to the entrance.

"Lord Nelson... He's the noble who governs this area, right?"

"Yes, and his messenger has come... I'm sorry, but could you please go to the back room until I call you?"

Surprised by Valleta's sudden request, Ichirou hesitated for a moment but, seeing her genuinely apologetic expression, replied,

"Ah, sure, I understand."

He stood up and headed to the back room where he usually slept.

After making sure Ichirou had gone to the back, Valleta took the pot, the bowls of mixed rice, and Ichirou's small plate to another room and then returned to the entrance.

"Considering the prolonged drought, I thought this village would be in a dire situation... But the pond is full, and you even have a waterway. What happened?"

"Fortunately, it rained recently, and the pond filled up. We all worked together to dig the waterway while the water lasted."

When Valleta returned to the entrance, a young man in a leather light armor—Isaac—was talking to the village chief.

Isaac held a thin board with animal skin parchment and a thin piece of charcoal, and he carried a long sword in a scabbard at his waist and a round shield reinforced with bronze on his back.

Standing about 180 cm tall, Isaac was muscular and lean, with a well-defined face and short blonde hair, making him quite a handsome man.

A horse-like animal, presumably the one he rode, was tied to a tree a short distance away.

"I see... By the way, regarding the crops you need to deliver, do you think you can harvest enough by the deadline in two months?"

"Well... most of the crops withered before the rain, and we can only hope to deliver about 10% of the usual amount. Would you like to see the fields?"

The village chief, looking apologetic, explained, and Isaac's expression darkened.

"I see. I understand. In fact, other villages are in a similar situation, and some have even reported famine deaths... It's good to know this village isn't as bad. Do you have enough food for yourselves?"

Isaac looked around at the fields as he spoke.

In the many fields around the village, many villagers were diligently working, and children were playing nearby.

If the situation were as dire as to have famine deaths, such a scene would not be possible.

"Yes, we're managing with wild herbs and other things we gather from the mountains. With the water problem solved, we can't expect a good harvest in two months, but we hope to have a normal harvest of beans in four months. We're also growing fast-growing leafy vegetables to ensure the village has enough food until then."

"I see, that's good news... Oh, I smell something delicious. Are you about to have a meal?"

Isaac, who had been writing on the parchment, sniffed the air and noticed the aroma coming from inside the mansion.

"Huh? Ah, yes. We just finished cooking and were about to eat..."

"Hmm, I see. May I come in?"

Isaac pushed past the village chief and Valleta, entering the living room where the hearth was.

The village chief looked flustered, but Valleta remained calm.

Upon entering the living room, Isaac nodded at the stir-fried Arcadian bugs and wild herbs on the small plates.

"These are... Arcadian bugs, right? I heard they can be caught in the mountains around here."

"Yes, we don't catch many these days, but they're nutritious, so we can manage with them."

This was the first time Valleta spoke, with a forced smile on her face.

Isaac, sympathizing with her, replied, "I see..."

"I'm sorry for entering without permission. Actually, there was an incident in another village where they had been underreporting their harvests for a long time, and it was recently discovered... This has made the lord's side quite nervous, especially during such a large-scale famine."

"Such a thing... Lord Nelson cares so much about our lives, and yet there are people who betray that trust..."

Valleta, looking sad, said, and Isaac, feeling guilty, bowed slightly and apologized.

"I'm sorry for doubting you. Please don't take it personally."

The village chief, seeing Isaac bow, quickly said,

"No, no, you're just doing your job. Please stand up."

After the village chief helped Isaac stand, Isaac thanked them both.

"Then, let me take a look around the village. Balin, please come with me."

"Understood."

As Isaac left the mansion with the village chief, Valleta let out a small sigh of relief and headed to the room where Ichirou was waiting.

"Hmm, a noble's messenger. I wonder what he looks like..."

Ichirou, who had been asked by Valleta to stay in the back room, was lying on the bed, curious about the messenger from the noble, Lord Nelson.

He was very interested in what the messenger looked like, but he couldn't refuse Valleta's request.

Moreover, if he were seen by Isaac, the messenger, in his usual Japanese clothing (today, a colorful T-shirt with "HUNGRY!?" written on the back), he would surely be suspected.

Ichirou thought Valleta must have been worried about that and asked him to stay in the back room.

"Kazura-san, I'm sorry to keep you waiting. You can come out now."

As Ichirou lay there, lost in thought, Valleta came to call him.

"Is the messenger gone already?"

"No, he's currently inspecting the village fields with my father. So, until my father returns, please don't go outside..."

"Ah, it's fine. I won't go out until you say it's okay."

Ichirou smiled at Valleta, who looked apologetic.

Seeing Ichirou's understanding, Valleta sighed in relief and smiled, saying, "Thank you."

"Let's have lunch then. It's better while it's hot, even if it's a bit rude to the chief."

Since the village chief had gone to inspect the fields and wouldn't return for a while, Ichirou said,

"Sure, let's eat."

He stood up, and they headed to the living room together.

Meanwhile, Balin and Isaac were inspecting the village fields.

The villagers working in the fields glanced at them occasionally but continued their work, using hoes to till the soil and pulling weeds by hand around the newly sprouted vegetables.

None of the villagers were using the farming tools Ichirou had provided.

"Hmm, the crops are just starting to sprout, but the pond is full, and water is flowing through the waterway, so the drought doesn't seem to have affected them much."

"Yes, all our hard work paid off."

As the village chief spoke, Isaac looked at the waterway, imagining the effort the villagers must have put into digging it.

In a village with fewer than 100 residents, the number of people available for such a project would have been limited, and the civil engineering work must have been incredibly difficult, especially given the severe food shortage.

Of course, the work had proceeded smoothly thanks to the large amount of food and tools Ichirou had provided, but Isaac had no way of knowing that.

"Everyone really worked hard... Regarding the crops you need to deliver in two months, after inspecting the fields, it seems the harvest will be difficult. As before, I propose you deliver wood instead."

"Since it's impossible to deliver the same amount of wood as last time, I would like you to deliver about 80% of the previous amount. Is that acceptable?"

"Understood. 80% of the previous amount. We will deliver it."

Isaac smiled at the village chief's response.

"Then, I will come back in one month to check the situation. It will be tough, but please work together with the villagers and do your best."

Isaac shook hands firmly with the village chief.