Chapter 65

"Alright, let's leave the supervision of spreading fertilizer in the fields to Isaac and Havel, and we'll head towards the river, shall we? I believe it's to the north, right?"

While glancing at the people who had started their work, Ichiro asked Zirconia, who was standing next to him.

"Yes. A large river flows from the northwest mountainous region. It should be about a quarter of a quarter of an hour from here."

A few days ago, Ichiro borrowed a map of the surrounding areas of Isteria from Nelson. The map detailed not only the locations of rivers and mountainous regions but also the positions of hills, springs, forested areas, and wetlands. The river meandered around the northern and eastern granary regions, and several tributaries branched off, flowing into the granary regions adjacent to the river and into the city of Isteria.

Most of the areas where crops were on the verge of being completely wiped out due to the drought were directly affected by the reduction in the river's water volume. Although many irrigation channels were drawn through the less hilly parts of the granary regions, in some places, the sudden decrease in the river's water volume meant that the water could no longer flow into the channels due to the elevation difference. There were also several reservoirs scattered around, but even these had dried up.

The reason for the severe damage in the northern and western regions of Isteria, compared to other areas, was likely due to the heat waves descending from the northwest mountainous region. The southern and eastern granary regions were farther from the mountainous region, and the city of Isteria acted as a barrier to the heat waves, so the damage was relatively lighter.

"A quarter of a quarter of an hour is about 15 minutes... I understand. Let's head there immediately. We'll assemble the water wheels on site, so all the attendants should come with us."

With the parts for the water wheels loaded on a cart, along with the guards and attendants, Ichiro started walking towards the river.

"Havel, how are you feeling?"

While watching Ichiro and the others walk towards the river, Isaac spoke to Havel, who was standing next to him.

"Unbelievably good. It feels like everything inside my body has been renewed. The fatigue I felt before seems like a lie."

While watching Ichiro and the others walk away, Havel replied to Isaac.

Both Isaac and Havel had been quite fatigued from the long journey by rata until they received the Repo D from Ichiro. However, about two hours after taking it, their bodies suddenly felt much lighter. Despite having only taken a two-hour nap that morning, both were in excellent condition.

The sudden change in their physical state, as if they had been enchanted, left them in awe.

"Kazura-sama referred to it as a secret medicine from the land of the gods, but I didn't expect it to be this powerful..."

"Yes, if it has such an effect, it could cure any illness... Wait?"

Havel paused, tilting his head slightly.

"Hmm, is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that I was wondering why Kazura-sama, who possesses such a powerful secret medicine, looked so exhausted."

From what Havel had observed, Ichiro had been working with dark circles under his eyes and looking very fatigued every day. If he felt fatigued, he should have taken the secret medicine and immediately recovered. Havel was puzzled as to why Ichiro didn't take it.

"That's true... It can't be that he saved it for us, can it..."

Havel's words left Isaac pondering, looking somewhat puzzled. Perhaps there was some special reason, but there was no way to know without asking Ichiro directly.

"However, asking Kazura-sama about it might not be appropriate... There might be some circumstances, but it's not something we should pry into. We should simply be grateful for the secret medicine we received."

"Yes... you're right."

Convinced by Isaac, Havel nodded, casting a worried glance at Ichiro's back, which was visible in the distance. Havel was deeply concerned about Ichiro's recent visible fatigue.

If something were to happen to Ichiro, it would be a significant problem for Havel. Although Havel believed that Ichiro, being a god named Gracior, wouldn't collapse or die from overwork, he still couldn't help but worry.

Before Ichiro's arrival, Havel was merely the deputy of the 1st Officer Training Corps, with little authority within the military. His only status was that of "Isaac's favorite" due to his successful contact with Isaac during the war with Barbeau four years ago and their subsequent frequent interactions. Thanks to this, he was appointed as the deputy of the 1st Officer Training Corps by Isaac about a year ago, but his career advancement had stalled there.

Havel had planned to advance by attaching himself to Isaac, so if Isaac didn't advance, neither would Havel.

Isaac was very much favored by Nelson, and Havel had expected that Isaac would quickly get together with Lise, whom Isaac seemed to favor. However, despite the rumors of Lise's favorable attitude towards Isaac, there was no progress in their relationship.

If Isaac married Lise, he would become the next head of the Ister family, holding significant power and influence. As a result, Havel, being close to Isaac, would naturally take on important roles within the military. Even if he didn't become the deputy of the entire army, he might be appointed as the commander or deputy of a heavy infantry battalion or cavalry regiment. Additionally, establishing himself as one of Isaac's close aides would likely lead to other important positions, securing his future.

However, Isaac and Lise's relationship remained stagnant.

Havel wanted Isaac to quickly win over Lise and advance in his career. Considering Isaac's extremely serious personality, Havel wondered if he was too cautious to make a move.

"Advise him to take action when the opportunity arises."

However, he couldn't suggest such a thing, so he spent his days in frustration. But after Ichiro's arrival, the situation changed dramatically.

Since the number of people who knew that Ichiro was Gracior was limited, tasks related to Ichiro were assigned to Isaac and Havel. Through this process, Havel gained the opportunity to meet Nelson and Zirconia and secured a position as one of Ichiro's close aides, who held even more influence than Nelson. If he could maintain this position, he would likely achieve a high rank in the military in the future.

However, his career advancement was not yet guaranteed. If Ichiro were to collapse from overwork or fall ill, it could lead to responsibility issues for Havel and Isaac as his close aides. In such a case, they might lose their positions and their career advancement could be derailed.

"But recently, Kazura-sama seems quite fatigued. Even if we refrain from commenting on the use of the secret medicine, we should adjust the work schedule to reduce the burden on Kazura-sama..."

"Indeed, I agree."

Isaac's eyes softened, feeling pleased that Havel shared his concerns.

"Even if we need to expedite the reconstruction, we can't afford to let anything happen to Kazura-sama. It seems that if left unchecked, he will work tirelessly. We should advise him to take proper rest in the future."

"Yes."

Hearing this, Havel's expression relaxed, looking somewhat relieved.

"In return, we should work even harder. We may not be able to contribute much, but we must do our best to reduce the burden on Kazura-sama."

"Of course. I'm prepared to work to the best of my ability."

"Indeed, that's the spirit. I'm counting on you."

Isaac smiled at Havel and patted him on the back.

---

While Isaac and Havel were having this conversation, Ichiro was walking north through the granary region with Zirconia.

"Hmm, this is a dire situation... Most of the crops are already dead..."

As they walked, the fields were filled with crops that had turned brown and were lying limp. Occasionally, some crops still retained a bit of green, but the vast majority were in the aforementioned state.

"The crops in this area are already lost. However, there should be many more that are still intact near the river. Also, although the reservoirs are dry now, there might be some crops around them that are still in good condition."

"So, even if we bring water now, only a small portion of the crops can be saved... This is more serious than I thought..."

No matter how much fertilizer and water they provided, it would be meaningless if the crops were already dead. Ichiro could use the large amount of fertilizer he brought from Japan to significantly promote the growth of the surviving crops, but that would be a last resort. However, the abnormal growth of the crops would be too noticeable, and he wanted to avoid drawing too much attention. If rumors spread, the capital of Arcadia or other regions might interfere, hindering the smooth reconstruction.

The introduction of advanced technologies like water wheels would also be noticeable, but it could be explained as an invention by Isterian engineers. However, the abnormal growth of crops could not be reasonably explained, and he wanted to avoid drawing attention. If he had to, he would avoid extreme growth promotion like that seen in the Gracia village.

"Harvesting the current crops is not very promising, but if we can bring water now, we can prepare to plant the next crop. The soil is too dry to even plant seeds at this point."

"Indeed, if it's too dry, the seeds won't even sprout... Why didn't you use water from the river to plant seeds?"

When Ichiro asked Zirconia, she looked slightly surprised.

"In this situation, the seeds would cook in the heat... Normally, the temperature would start to drop around this time, making it possible to plant seeds, but this year's heat is abnormal..."

"Oh, I see..."

Ichiro responded, feeling a bit anxious internally but not showing it on his face.

"(Damn, that was a question a god of fertility shouldn't ask... I need to study the basics of agriculture more thoroughly.)"

Ichiro had occasionally helped his father, Masaharu, with his home garden, but he had little knowledge of agriculture. He had learned some from his studies with Barretta, but it was superficial knowledge from books.

Lacking the crucial knowledge gained from experience, he sometimes made ill-informed comments on basic matters. He wished he had put more effort into helping his father with the garden.

"Anyway, let's first install a large number of water wheels on the river to bring water into the existing irrigation channels. Once the water wheels are installed, we won't have to rely on the reservoirs... Hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

Zirconia tilted her head as Ichiro suddenly stopped speaking and started thinking.

"No, I just have a question. How cold does it get around here in the winter?"

"In the winter, the water in the reservoirs freezes. It usually snows quite a bit from December to the end of February."

"I see... Hmm, this might be a good idea."

"Good idea?"

Ichiro nodded, and Zirconia looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Yes, it's just an idea, but if it works, it could improve the citizens' diet and make money at the same time. I want to think about it more concretely, so could you discuss it with me later?"

When Ichiro said this, Zirconia nodded, her eyes shining with hope. She couldn't imagine what the idea was, but she trusted Ichiro and knew it couldn't be a bad idea. Moreover, there was no option to refuse.

"Of course. I'm looking forward to it."

"Ah, no, it's just an idea at this stage... It's not guaranteed to work..."

"Yes, but I'm looking forward to hearing about it."

Ichiro smiled wryly at Zirconia, who already seemed confident it would work.