Chapter 30

February 14th.

The new year had begun, and about half a month had passed.

The village of Lasmore was completely covered in snow, transforming into a world of white silver.

The distribution of soap to all eighty households in the village was complete, and Kate's educational classes for adults had started.

The blackboard was made by the craftsman Craig. To make it portable, he polished a 1m x 0.5m wooden board, applied a black coating made from charcoal and oil, and managed to create something that looked the part. I wanted to make it green, but there was no good green paint, so I settled for black.

For the chalk, I made it by crushing limestone finely and baking it. It was more fragile than expected, and the writing experience wasn't great, but it was usable.

I tried making dried pasta using flour without a pasta machine, cutting it by hand.

Using a combination of wind and fire magic, I stretched and cut the noodles and dried them.

Because I made them quite thin, they dried quickly, but they felt a bit crispy.

I asked Molly to boil water and tried boiling them with salt, but the texture was a bit off.

Since making a pasta machine was too much trouble, I kneaded and stretched the dough like udon or soba and had Walt and Molly cut it with a knife. The noodles were dried in the sun using the winter sunshine and magic over about ten days.

The drying was good, and they could be boiled and eaten, but the texture wasn't great.

The reason seemed to be that the thickness varied, making it difficult to adjust the cooking time.

Eating with only a knife and spoon was also very difficult. I modified a wooden spoon to make a simple fork and added flavor with salted pork and chili, but the family's reaction wasn't good.

My father's comment was, "It's troublesome to make and hard to eat. It doesn't taste very good. It might be good for outdoor meals since you can eat it with a pot, but I don't think it will sell."

Since others had similar reactions, I decided that the dried pasta was a failure.

(I guess the only thing to do with the excess wheat is to ferment it into alcohol... Maybe my subconscious wanted to make alcohol, which is why the pasta didn't work out...)

The year 3007 in Managahill seemed to be heading towards a baby boom.

After my mother announced her pregnancy, it was soon discovered that Sharon's mother, Claire, was also showing signs of pregnancy. She was three months along and expected to give birth in July.

Shortly after, Polly, Mel's mother, was also found to be pregnant. It was around the same time as Claire, and my grandfather laughed, saying that the village would be noisy with the cries of babies this summer.

I didn't know, but Mel had a younger sister who was born three years ago but died two months after birth due to illness.

Furthermore, there were signs of pregnancy in Jean, the daughter of Nicholas and Kate, who were newlyweds, and they were currently monitoring the situation.

Every time I heard these stories, I thought about the gods.

I wondered if one of them might be a "child of destiny."

As for myself, my training was going well, and both my sword skills and magic had reached level four.

I could feel my body growing, even if only a little.

However, in the past few days, my grandfather and father's expressions had been cloudy, and a heavy atmosphere had settled among the retainers.

Guy and Hector were patrolling the forest with the hunters, but they reported that something was strange in the forest. They found bear tracks that shouldn't be there this season and snow leopard tracks that should be deeper in the mountains.

Moreover, there were goblin-like footprints in the snow, leading to speculation that something was happening deep in the forest.

My grandfather and father decided to send a militia into the forest.

"Just in case, we'll thoroughly investigate the forest. Hector, lead thirty men and follow the tracks. Guy, investigate further with the hunters. I hope nothing happens, but I have a bad feeling."

My grandfather ordered Hector to lead thirty militia members to investigate the forest.

Guy, a former adventurer, was to investigate the upper reaches of the Woodford River with three hunters, expanding the search area to the base of the Aquila Mountains.

February 15th.

Hector's group left early in the morning.

Guy's group, which would take three days, loaded supplies onto sleds and left the village.

In the evening, Hector's group returned empty-handed, with no significant findings.

"The bear and leopard tracks were heading north. The goblin tracks initially went west but then turned north. It seems they were fleeing from the southeast."

After thanking Hector and his men, my grandfather and father discussed the next steps.

Ultimately, they decided to wait for Guy's report.

Three days later, on February 18th, Guy returned, looking exhausted.

"About 5 km upstream of the Woodford River, I found a large number of tracks. They were orcs and ogres."

My grandfather was speechless, and my father crossed his arms, looking troubled.

"Yes, there were nearly a hundred orcs and over ten ogres. Fortunately, they were heading northwest from the east, and we confirmed they crossed the Seilin River, which is about 5 km north of Lasmore Village."

"Orcs and ogres... Are the ogres chasing the orcs?"

Guy shook his head.

"I don't know. But the orc tracks didn't show any signs of fleeing."

My grandfather looked incredulous.

"...So the orcs and ogres are moving together? Well, that's fine. Did they leave any signs of returning this way?"

"Yes, we followed the tracks from the Seilin River to the base of Mount Sheharion, but there were no signs of them heading this way."

My father asked, "Is there any other information to report?"

"There were older tracks heading north, including wolves, deer, and bears. They seemed to have entered Mount Sheharion."

Guy believed that the animals and weaker monsters were fleeing from the ogres.

My grandfather gathered the retainers, including Walt, to discuss the next steps.

However, with too little information, they could only strengthen the village's defenses.

After the retainers left, my grandfather and father called me in.

"About the ogres. I want to hear your opinion."

I was surprised by his words.

"I'm a layman when it comes to military matters. I don't have the knowledge to give you advice, Grandfather."

My grandfather shook his head. "Anything is fine. If you have any thoughts, please share them."

Honestly, I had never seen orcs or ogres and didn't know the strength of the village's militia, so I wasn't sure what to say.

For reference, orcs are about 1.8 to 2 meters tall, covered in tough fur, with a protruding belly, short legs, a squashed nose, and a few centimeters of tusks extending from the lower jaw, and a small horn about 2 cm long on the forehead. They are a type of demon.

On the other hand, ogres are over 3 meters tall, with long, thick arms, sharp fangs in their mouths, and immense strength to match their size. They are powerful monsters.

Both are low in intelligence but are aggressive and greedy, known to eat humans and kidnap women for breeding, making them the most hated monsters by people.

"Is it possible for our village's militia to fight a hundred orcs and ten ogres?"

My grandfather immediately replied, "No, it's not possible."

"Then, is it possible for orcs and ogres to form the same group?"

"I've never heard of it. Matt, what do you think?"

"...I don't think so... However, demons can use other monsters as their servants."

According to my father, the demon race living east of the Aquila Mountains, the Oni race (a collective term for Great Oni, Middle Oni, and Small Oni), can control ogres, orcs, and goblins. During the invasion of the Kaum Kingdom (a mountainous country in the south) a few decades ago, ogres, orcs, and goblins attacked simultaneously.

"That's true. If that's the case, it's possible... However, this area is about 300 km from Kwaedamtenebre, the land of the demons. Even if they are demons, it's impossible for them to cross the freezing Aquila Mountains."

My grandfather believed that the possibility of demons advancing to this area was low and unlikely.

My father agreed, nodding.

(Whether they are demons or not, the presence of orc and ogre tracks is undeniable. It's possible that the orcs were chasing something, and the ogres were chasing the orcs. In any case, they headed north of the Seilin River. Beyond the Seilin River is the town of Kilnareck...)

"I understand. Then, the only thing we can do is report this information to the appropriate authorities. By the way, who in Kilnareck should we report this to?"

"That's right. Kilnareck doesn't have a lord, so it would be the mayor and the head of the guard. It might be good to inform the guild branch leaders directly as well."

Kilnareck is a town in the Kaerm Empire but is an autonomous city under the League of City-States. Therefore, while there is a nominal lord, they do not reside in the town.

"Then, we should warn Kilnareck immediately. Preferably in your name, Grandfather."

My grandfather couldn't think of a reason to use his name.

"We will warn them, but why use my name? The lord Matt's name would be fine, wouldn't it?"

"From what I heard, this story might be hard to believe. Therefore, it would be better to present it as information verified by a seasoned veteran like you."

My father also nodded, agreeing.

Nicholas was chosen as the messenger to Kilnareck. My grandfather wrote a personal letter to the mayor and gave it to Nicholas.

"After giving this to the mayor, speak directly to the guild leaders. Especially to the adventurer guild, tell them not to let their guard down."

After Nicholas left, the village's militia strengthened patrols around the village.

The next day, February 19th in the evening, Nicholas returned from Kilnareck.

According to his report, the mayor and the head of the guard were skeptical but decided to strengthen their defenses as a precaution.

He also spoke to the guild branch leaders, but their response was not encouraging. They agreed to share the information as a precaution but had no intention of taking proactive action.

After that, the distant howls of wolves from Mount Sheharion in the north could be heard, but there were no significant changes as March approached.

We heard from the traveling merchants who came every half month, but there were no reports of orcs or ogres attacking the roads or towns.

The villagers gradually lost their sense of unease.

March 15th.

My grandfather believed that the possibility of a large-scale monster attack was low and lifted the militia's alert status. The village returned to normal life.

By this time, the snow had started to melt, and farming activities gradually began.

At Managahill, the retainers started preparing the fields for cultivation.

The compost made from the improved toilet system, which was successful in the fall, was to be tested in Nicholas's family's field.

The trial of the wheeled heavy plow, which was made during the winter, was to be conducted in Hector's family's field.

The prototype wheeled heavy plow used many parts from a cart and felt more fragile than I expected.

However, when used, the work efficiency improved dramatically, and the field was plowed in a fraction of the time it would take with manual labor.

My father, seeing this, sighed in admiration.

"As expected, it's obvious when you think about it, but seeing it in action is more impressive than I thought."

I, knowing the cultivators from my original world, didn't feel as impressed.

"Yes. The next step is to identify areas for improvement and introduce it to the village. I think one plow per district should be sufficient. How do you plan to manage it?"

My father asked, "Manage it? What do you mean?"

"Who will own the wheeled heavy plow? Will the lord lend it, or will each district share it? If lending, what will the rental fee be? If sharing, who will manage it?"

I explained everything I could think of.

(If there were a cooperative organization, it would be best to manage it there, but I don't fully understand the relationships in this village. It would be fair for the Rockhart family, as the lords, to lend it, but my father might lend it at a low price...)

"I'm sorry. I have no idea. I'll leave it to you and Nicholas. Proceed in the way you think is best."

My father threw the task to me and Nicholas, feeling helpless.

I had expected this, so I said, "Understood. I'll prepare a plan as usual," while inwardly smiling wryly.

I had a rough idea.

For now, the plow would be owned by the lord and lent out, with the rental fee set to cover the depreciation of the manufacturing cost. However, since the village's monetary economy is not well developed, payment in kind would also be accepted.

The main issues were storage and maintenance. The plow couldn't be left out in the open, and maintenance after use was essential. If we expanded the cultivated area in the future, we would need one plow per district, requiring space for four to five plows.

Another issue was determining the lifespan. I estimated three years, but with no experience, it was hard to predict.

The manufacturing cost was three gold coins, or 300C (300,000 yen). Using cart parts, it was cheaper than expected.

If the depreciation period was three years, we needed to recover 100C annually. Assuming 100 working days a year, the daily fee would be 1C (1,000 yen), or 2C (2,000 yen) for 50 days, which shouldn't be a significant burden.

For payment in kind, I would leave it to Nicholas since I didn't know the market rates.

I called Nicholas and explained the issues of storage, maintenance, and rental fees.

"The storage location should be in the eastern district, near the blacksmith Bertram and the carpenter Craig's workshops. For maintenance, we need to appoint someone trustworthy. I have someone in mind, so I'll talk to them..."

I was impressed by his quick response, thinking, "As expected, Nicholas."

"The rental fee should be 2C for half a day, including a horse. If a horse is not needed, 1C for half a day is sufficient."

I had assumed it would be rented by the day, so I was surprised, "Half a day?"

"Yes. From what I saw in Hector's field, a small field can be plowed in half a day. Since the plowing season is the same for everyone, it's best to use it efficiently."

If the crops were the same, the planting season would also be the same. While the timing might vary slightly due to sunlight, the villagers didn't pay much attention to that.

According to Nicholas, if the fee was charged daily, people would take their time and make others wait. Therefore, it was better to charge by half a day and use it efficiently.

(As expected, Nicholas understands the village's situation well. Without knowing the "field," it's hard to come up with practical ideas. I need to observe the field more... I'll leave this to Nicholas.)

"Understood. I'll leave the payment in kind to you. I can't even imagine it."

In the end, I also threw the task to Nicholas, just like my father.

We decided to show the operation at Managahill to the villagers and lend it to those who wanted to use it. Many villagers showed interest, indicating that the reforms led by Nicholas, and thus by me, were gaining acceptance.

If this goes well, we can expand the fields. Increased wheat production will allow us to make more alcohol, which could become a specialty product, enriching the village. If we can also reduce the child mortality rate, the population can grow.