Chapter 64

About 4 hours after Ichirou started the refrigerator.

In the courtyard of the Nelson residence, Rize, who had just finished her morning training routine, was receiving a towel from Eira.

Rize had a slender one-handed sword sheathed at her waist, and a small round shield was propped up against a nearby tree.

It seemed that today she had conducted her training with a sword rather than a spear.

"Miss Rize, well done. How did today's training go?"

"Yeah, it went well. I'm better with a sword anyway."

While wiping the sweat from her neck with the towel she had received, Rize answered Eira.

There is a tradition in the Isteel family that anyone born into it, regardless of gender, must be proficient in handling weapons and tactics.

Rize has been receiving combat and tactical training from Nelson and his close guards since she was a child, and these trainings have become an integral part of her daily life.

Since the ceasefire with Barbeau, which had been ongoing for the past four years, Rize has mainly been receiving combat training from Zirconia.

However, recently, due to Zirconia's busy schedule, she has not been able to receive much guidance.

After she could no longer receive guidance from Zirconia, Rize also sought guidance from others in the military, but after receiving Zirconia's intense training, she felt something was lacking.

Therefore, Rize has been making more time for solo training and has been diligently training every morning.

"Are you almost able to fight on equal terms with Lady Zirconia and Sir Isaac?"

"Don't be ridiculous. While I might stand a chance against Isaac, there's no way I can match my mother."

As far as Rize knows, Zirconia's strength in one-on-one combat is top-notch in the military.

While she may not have exceptional physical strength, her footwork, evasion, and ability to predict her opponent's movements are extraordinary.

In particular, Zirconia's combat power when equipped with a small round shield and a one-handed sword is formidable, and she is likely on par with or even surpasses the most experienced guards.

Isaac, who has occasionally received guidance from Zirconia since the same period as Rize, is like a brother and sister disciple to her.

Rize has sparred with Isaac many times in the past, but she has never won.

This is because Isaac does not hold back in combat, even against Rize, and he never underestimates her just because she is a girl six years younger than him.

Of course, if Isaac were to slack off during a sparring session in front of Zirconia, he would face hell afterward, so it is understandable.

Isaac, who seems to be concerned, tries to be considerate of Rize after training, but the impression he leaves is so strong that Rize has a vague sense of frustration toward him.

Of course, she has never shown this in her expression or attitude.

The Slan family, to which Isaac belongs, has produced many excellent military officers over generations, and most of his father, siblings, and cousins are in military positions.

As the eldest son of the Slan family, Isaac feels the weight of his responsibilities and has been working extra hard to improve himself.

He consistently engages in physical training and combat training, and has now grown to the point where he can fight Zirconia to a certain extent.

However, it is still only "to a certain extent."

"What about my mother? She's on a different level... Maybe I need to gain some real combat experience."

"That might be true... By the way, I heard that Lady Zirconia and Lord Kazura returned last night. They apparently brought back a large amount of cargo from somewhere."

Eira, perhaps reminded by the topic of Zirconia, relayed the information she had received during the morning briefing.

The maids who work at the Nelson residence hold morning and evening briefings to share information, with day and night shifts.

Incidentally, Eira works a day shift and does not perform night duties.

As Rize's personal attendant, Eira's lifestyle is tailored to Rize's.

"Large cargo? ...Is it the one Kazura mentioned before?"

"Do you know what the cargo is, Miss Rize?"

Rize had heard from Ichirou during dinner that he would be leaving Istelea for a few days.

During that time, there was talk of transporting a large amount of supplies to Istelea.

There was also mention of using these supplies to revive the granary regions in the north and west, but the details of what supplies would be brought in were not disclosed.

"Well, Kazura mentioned before that they would do something to revive the granary regions in the north and west. I think the cargo is for that purpose."

Eira's eyes widened in surprise at Rize's words.

"Wait, the granary regions in the north and west are almost completely destroyed by drought. They're going to revive them?"

"It sounds unbelievable, but that's what she said. And she mentioned something about diverting water from the river to the granary regions... I think she said they would use something called a water wheel..."

"Water wheel... I've never heard of that. What is it?"

"From what I heard, it's a round wooden wheel with several boards attached, set up in a river to rotate. It has wooden boxes attached to it to scoop up water."

"...I still don't quite understand."

Eira tried to imagine the shape of the water wheel from Rize's description, but she couldn't picture it.

Rize herself didn't know the exact shape of the water wheel, so it was understandable.

"I only heard about it, so I'm not sure, but if they can make a lot of them, they can lift a large amount of water without human labor. If it's true, it would be amazing."

"That's true. So, the cargo they brought back is the water wheel... Oh, by the way, I remember something else. I heard that strange noises have been coming from in front of Kazura's room since last night."

"Strange noises?"

"Yes. Someone went to investigate, but Isaac was standing guard and wouldn't let anyone get close... And a little while after the noise started, a terrible scream was heard from Kazura's room."

"Wait, is everything okay!? Was there an intruder!?"

Rize was surprised by the unsettling news and asked Eira.

"Well, after the scream, the guards and Isaac rushed into the room, but nothing was wrong. However, it seems that at the time, Kazura was muttering something about everything melting, with a vacant expression... I don't know the details."

"See, that's concerning... It's almost time for breakfast. Maybe I should ask Kazura about it."

"Ah, Kazura is not having breakfast this morning. She is quite tired and will be resting until noon."

"I see. Then maybe at dinner... But, is it right to ask so many questions?"

Rize was very curious about what had happened, but it wouldn't be appropriate to ask too many questions.

She also wanted to go and see the source of the mysterious noise, but if Isaac was standing guard, it must be something that shouldn't be seen by others.

It would be better to casually bring up the topic later and judge based on Ichirou's reaction.

"Do I have any plans this afternoon?"

"Lord Vilvel Maybach, a wealthy merchant from the region, will visit in the afternoon. After that, Lord Aldert Treger from the Fries region, Lord Gunther Branden from the Gregor region, and Lord Nibel Ferdinand, a wealthy merchant from the same Gregor region, will visit in that order."

When Eira listed the names of the visitors for the day, Rize made a visibly displeased face.

"...That's a bit too much. Can you cut me some slack?"

"Even so... Also, after breakfast, you have a tactical lecture with McGregor."

"Um... When do I have free time?"

"...After dinner, I suppose."

"..."

That afternoon.

Under the scorching sun, Ichirou was in the northern granary region of Istelea with Zirconia and others.

In front of them were several cargo wagons loaded with fertilizer bags and water wheel parts, as well as nearly 300 people gathered.

Currently, the gathered people were being divided into groups of five, with Isaac and Haber giving instructions.

The gathered people, curious about what was about to begin, followed the instructions and were smoothly divided into groups.

While Ichirou and the others were away from the Nelson residence, a soldier named Rute, one of Isaac's subordinates, was assigned to guard the generator left in the courtyard.

Rute was one of the soldiers who followed Isaac when Ichirou was captured in Grisear village.

According to Isaac, Rute is his cousin and a very serious and trustworthy person.

Rute and another soldier had heard that Ichirou was Graciel, but Isaac had made sure to keep them quiet.

So far, there has been no sign of the rumor spreading, indicating that the two are keeping the secret as instructed.

"Alright, let's start. Zirconia, please distribute one cart to each of the groups you just divided."

"Understood."

When the group division was complete, Ichirou gave instructions to Zirconia.

Zirconia followed Ichirou's instructions and had her attendants distribute the carts to each group.

Soon, 60 carts were distributed to each group, with 5 bags of fertilizer stacked on each cart.

"Next, please shallowly dig the ground nearby. Once you finish digging, add some soil from the bags and mix it well."

Following the instructions, each group started digging the ground with shovels.

The dry ground was a bit difficult to dig, but they managed to do it with everyone's effort.

Once a group finished digging a certain area, Isaac and Haber approached and took a small amount of fertilizer from the bags and spread it over the dug soil.

Isaac and Haber then took shovels from nearby people and demonstrated how to mix the soil well.

"Please mix it thoroughly like this. The area to be spread is about one bag..."

Ichirou said, looking at his stride and counting his steps as he walked.

He stopped after walking about 35 meters and then walked 35 meters to the side and stopped again.

"Please spread it as evenly as possible in this area. Once you finish spreading one bag, move to a field that hasn't been spread and repeat the process. This needs to be done for all the fields in the northern region."

When Ichirou explained this, the faces of the gathered people showed shock.

Even though the area was limited to the northern region, the granary region was vast.

Considering the amount of time it would take, it was easy to feel overwhelmed.

However, Ichirou was not particularly fazed by the reactions of the people.

This was because he had calculated the area that could be spread and the approximate time it would take the night before using a calculator.

According to Ichirou's calculations, if the 45 tons of fertilizer they brought was diluted to one-fiftieth of its original concentration, it could cover an area of 3,712,500 square meters.

To put it in perspective, this is equivalent to about 79 Tokyo Domes or about 2.25 million tatami mats.

If 300 people were divided into 60 groups, 60 areas of 35 meters by 35 meters could be fertilized simultaneously.

With 3,000 bags of fertilizer, if each group took 2 hours to spread one bag, they would use 4 bags per day with an 8-hour workday.

Since there were 60 groups, 240 bags would be used per day.

If there were no major issues, Ichirou believed they could use all the fertilizer in about two weeks.

"Also, when spreading, please form a line and do it simultaneously. Do not advance too quickly just because you finish first, as it may cause overlapping areas."

Ichirou gave this warning and looked at the people who were staring at him in a daze.

"I forgot to mention, but you will be paid by the Isteel family once this task is completed. The quality and progress of your work will be considered, so please do your best."

The mention of payment brought life back to the faces of the people, who had previously looked like they were dead.

The motivation to work is significantly different when there is a reward waiting.

"Then, let's begin. Thank you for your cooperation."

At Ichirou's signal, each group started the work simultaneously.