Chapter 11

The dim light of the candle faintly illuminated the wooden room, where a middle-aged man with short, dark brown hair streaked with white stood facing a large desk, reading aloud from a report written on a piece of leather paper.

The man's face was stern, indicating that the content of the report was not favorable.

On the desk, several other reports were stacked, and a quill pen and a small ceramic container filled with black ink were placed beside them.

The furniture in the room, which was about the size of a 16-tatami mat, was simple, and the only expensive-looking item was a large carpet made of animal fur, laid under the desk and chair where the man was sitting.

As he read the report, deep in thought, there was a knock on the door.

"It's Isaac. I have just returned from Grisear Village."

"Come in."

Without lifting his eyes from the report, the man said, "Come in," and Isaac entered with a "Pardon me," holding a piece of leather paper in his right hand.

Isaac, who had just entered the room, handed the leather paper he was holding to the man, who was still reading the report with a serious expression.

"Sir Nelson, regarding the situation in Grisear Village, it has not turned out as you feared. In fact, the village has irrigation channels, and there is no need to worry about water."

"…What?"

Nelson, who had been reading the report, looked up at Isaac, took the leather paper he was handed, and read it.

As Nelson read, his expression became puzzled, and Isaac, standing straight, shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he had done something wrong.

"It says here that water was flowing through the irrigation channels. Is that correct?"

"Yes, indeed, water was flowing. The irrigation channels are connected to a reservoir, and the reservoir was about half full."

"That's impossible."

Upon hearing Isaac's response, Nelson shifted his gaze from the report to Isaac.

Under Nelson's piercing gaze, Isaac, though he had done nothing wrong, felt a cold sweat on his back.

"H-however, I saw it with my own eyes, so there should be no mistake…"

"Isaac, do you know the distance from the village to the river and the terrain around the river?"

"…No, I apologize."

"…I see."

Nelson stood up and took out two large pieces of leather paper from a bookshelf against the wall.

"Well, it's fine. I'll explain why it's impossible for water to flow through the irrigation channels. It would be good to learn the geography as well."

Nelson patted Isaac's shoulder, who was hanging his head, and spread the two pieces of leather paper on the desk.

One depicted a map of the area around Grisear Village, which Nelson governed, and the other was a map of a region slightly farther away, showing the river that was supposed to be connected to the village's irrigation channels.

"Understand this: the distance from Grisear Village to the river is about four and a half koku (about 30 minutes) on foot for an adult. Furthermore, there has been a prolonged drought, and food is almost non-existent. Many young men have been lost in the recent war, leaving a shortage of labor. The village also lacks bronze tools."

Nelson paused to confirm with Isaac, "Is this clear so far?"

Isaac nodded, and Nelson continued.

"The report doesn't mention when it rained, but if it rained shortly after your last visit to Grisear Village—about a month ago—then it's not entirely impossible that they worked hard to dig the irrigation channels. However…"

Nelson pointed to the river on the map.

"…only if the water level of this river is high enough to reach the irrigation channels. Unfortunately, the water level of this river is too low to reach the irrigation channels. Even if the channels were to be dug from further upstream, the river moves away from the village and there are several hills along the way."

"…Then, where did the water come from…?"

As Isaac listened to Nelson's explanation and looked at the map, he groaned.

Isaac had indeed seen water flowing through the irrigation channels, and he had assumed it was simply a matter of digging a channel to the river.

However, it was impossible to draw water from that river.

From the map, there were no other water sources near the village, and it was unclear where the water had come from.

It would be possible to cut through the hills or to dig a channel around them, but it would be impractical in terms of time and labor.

"I don't know either, but… if we follow the irrigation channels in the village, we might find out."

"That's true. I'll go back to Grisear Village tomorrow and investigate."

Nelson shook his head at Isaac's enthusiastic offer.

"I have other work for you. Besides, the fact that water is being supplied to Grisear Village is not bad news. For now, let's leave the source of the water a mystery. After all, it takes a full day to get to Grisear Village even on a horse, and we don't have the time to devote to this investigation right now."

"…Yes, I apologize."

Isaac hung his head, feeling that his lack of attention had added another concern to Nelson's list of issues.

Nelson, noticing Isaac's dejected state, smiled gently and patted his shoulder again.

"Don't worry so much. You've only been to Grisear Village a few times. Besides, this time it was good news. It's a good thing you learned about the geography."

"But if this had been a bad report, and if it had led to an irreparable situation due to my mistake…"

Nelson sighed and changed the subject.

"By the way, how are things with Rize? Are you getting along well?"

"Wh-what!? No, nothing has changed!"

Surprised by the sudden question, Isaac looked up and hurriedly answered.

Nelson exaggeratedly sighed at Isaac's reaction.

"Isaac, you won't win my daughter's heart with that attitude. I don't know what kind of man she likes, but it's certain that you have to attack like a fortress to win her over."

"…Lady Rize, who is called the Shield of Arcadia, seems more like an impregnable fortress to me."

"Hahaha, well said! You might be right, she could be more than just a fortress!"

Nelson laughed heartily, and Isaac, feeling that it was not a joke, hung his head again.

Meanwhile, in the mayor's house of Grisear Village, Ichirou, Barretta, and the mayor were sitting around a hearth, where logs were crackling, discussing crops and taxes.

"I see, so you pay taxes in the form of crops every two to three months, and the lord trades them for money with other regions?"

"Yes, we pay the money to the royal family, so if we don't collect taxes properly, we will be reprimanded by the royal family. If we get permission from the royal family, we can also pay with crops or other items instead of money."

"Hmm, Barretta, you are very knowledgeable. I'm impressed."

When Ichirou said this, Barretta smiled slightly, blushing.

"I've learned a lot from my father. As the mayor's daughter, I need to have a certain level of education to set an example for the villagers."

"Indeed, my daughter, Barretta, is a very intelligent girl. I think it would be better for her to serve a noble like Sir Nelson and increase her knowledge, rather than staying in this small village…"

At these words, Barretta turned to her father and smiled.

"No, I like this village and don't want to leave. Besides, if I'm not here, this house will be covered in dust in no time. In a month, my father will be a ball of dust."

"Hey, that's a bit harsh. I can at least do some cleaning."

The mayor's eyes were warm as he looked at Barretta.

Barretta was probably concerned about her father being left alone in the house.

Watching the two of them, Ichirou felt his heart warm, thinking, "What a considerate daughter."

"So, about the current tax, it's 80% of the wood we paid last time, right?"

"Yes, Isaac instructed us to do so yesterday. Ideally, we would like to pay with crops, but it's too late for most of the fields to grow potatoes. We plan to grow leafy vegetables, which grow quickly, to use as food for the village until the next crop of beans is ready."

Ichirou nodded and thought about the wood to be paid.

From the progress of the logging work he had done to build the irrigation channels, he believed the logging could be done without any problems.

He didn't know how much wood had been paid last time, but with the axes and saws he had brought, the work should go smoothly.

"By the way, is it possible to pay more tax than what is requested?"

At Ichirou's question, Barretta nodded.

"I don't know about other villages, but if we have a surplus of crops or if we have extra branches to use as firewood, we sometimes pay additional money or crops from selling them in other towns."

"Really? Why is that?"

"Sir Nelson considers our lives when setting taxes and actively supports us when we have problems in the village. During the recent famine, it was difficult, but he did his best."

"Ah, what a good lord…"

Ichirou nodded in admiration at Barretta's answer.

It seemed that Nelson was implementing good governance, but the burden on him must be significant.

Not everyone would be grateful, and as the mayor had mentioned during dinner, some villages would try to cheat and take it easy.

If he was too lenient, they would take advantage, and if he was too strict, they would rebel.

Management has always been a difficult task.

"That's why, when we expect a sudden drop in tax revenue, like this time, we want to pay as much as possible to Sir Nelson. He will probably need more money to pay the royal family."

"I see… In that case, we should pay the wood as instructed, and if possible, some crops as well. How many fields are currently growing potatoes?"

"Only about 20% of the original potato fields remain. The other fields have been completely destroyed by the drought."

"20%… I see."

As a model village in Nelson's domain (Ichirou had just learned the village's name from the mayor), Grisear Village wanted to pay as much tax as possible.

"Since it's too late to increase the number of potato seedlings, the only thing we can do is improve the quality of the potatoes."

Bringing a large amount of crops from Japan would be the easiest solution, but the taste and shape of the crops in this world were quite different, and suddenly presenting a large amount of new crops would likely raise suspicions.

Since there seemed to be no problem with the wood, Ichirou thought it would be best to carefully cultivate the crops available in the village and pay them as taxes.

"Can I see the village's fields tomorrow? I want to check the remaining potatoes."

"Oh, you'll look at them? Thank you."

"Uh? Ah, yes. I'll just take a look…"

Ichirou tilted his head at the mayor's unexpected gratitude.

"Then