Chapter 37

Time has advanced by two and a half years.

Two and a half years have passed, and the spring of the year 3010 in the Tria calendar has arrived. The reform plan I implemented has taken root smoothly, and life in Rasmoor Village has become a little more prosperous. The soap manufacturing method, which I had developed, was purchased by five other guilds besides the Masgrave Guild, bringing in an income of 200,000C (approximately 200 million yen).

Initially, the Masgrave Guild seemed to be planning to spread rumors that they had obtained the exclusive rights to the method, as I had predicted. However, because I acted first, the rumors were later denied, and a few months later, the Masgrave Guild lost a considerable amount of credibility as merchants.

Regarding the soap manufacturing method, as I mentioned earlier, it has been sold to a total of six guilds. This was also as I had predicted. Nicholas and others suggested that we should prohibit the resale of the method, but I believed there was no need to worry about them reselling it to competitors.

The reason is simple. The rumor that the method is being sold in Rasmoor Village is already out. Since our village has declared that it will not compete, it is likely that the method will be accurately transmitted. However, the first buyers, such as the Masgrave Guild, might only teach a degraded version of the method to avoid increasing their competition in the future. Additionally, the amount the Masgrave Guild paid for the method is also a matter of public knowledge.

If new entrants suspect the quality of the soap when the Masgrave Guild resells it at a low price, or if they think it's better to buy directly from Rasmoor Village at a high price, the resale will not be a concern.

Even if the quality is slightly lower, if a guild buys it at a low price, they will create a rival with more favorable conditions—less initial investment. Furthermore, if low-quality products flood the market, the overall value of the product will decrease, leading to lower prices. Therefore, unless the guild is in a dire situation, there is no need to consider resale.

In a few years, the technology will spread, but I believe that making a profit in the early stages is sufficient, so I did not include a resale prohibition clause in the contract. The main reason I did not monopolize the soap manufacturing method was the fear of intervention by guilds from the capital. I think it is much safer for it to spread quickly.

In practice, it takes several months to learn the soap manufacturing method, including the drying process. This time, the next guild came to purchase the method before the Masgrave Guild's craftsmen had fully mastered it, so there was no need to worry about resale.

Through the sale of the soap manufacturing method, we also provided the village with magical devices for timekeeping, textbooks, specialized books, tools, and cooking utensils, significantly raising the cultural level of the village.

The clock and bell were lent to Gordon, one of the village elders, and the bell is rung every two hours from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. I thought Gordon might find it troublesome, but he was deeply moved to receive such a valuable magical device. It seems he takes pride in being given an important task, and there have been no issues.

The announcement of the time by the bell had a secondary effect: the productivity of farmers per unit of time improved. While other factors, such as the introduction of wheeled heavy plows, also contributed, even traditional farming methods like harvesting have become more efficient. It seems that knowing the target time helps people concentrate.

With my father's permission, I built a public bath that can accommodate fifteen people. Initially, it had only one bathtub, but as bathing became a trend among the villagers, we added more bathtubs and separated them for men and women.

For the public bath, I initially thought it would be impossible to build the bathtub using the same method as the test bathtub or my earth magic. I considered making cement and using it to build the bathtub.

However, when I mixed quicklime, sand, and water, it did not turn into cement. Despite the high temperature when adding water to quicklime, which almost caused burns, it did not work. Thinking the materials were different, I tried various combinations, but I could not reproduce the Roman concrete, "Roman concrete," that the Romans used.

From a vague memory, I recalled that they used gray volcanic ash or pumice, but there was no volcanic ash in this area, and I could not think of a suitable substitute.

Reluctantly, I dug a hole in the ground for the bathtub, lined it with stones, and used my magic as a substitute for mortar to fill the gaps. It turned out to be a rock bath-like structure, which worked well, but installing drainage pipes was very troublesome. Still, it saved a considerable amount of magic compared to building it entirely out of stone, and the bathtub was completed in about three months. Additionally, I built washing areas and storage tanks, which significantly increased my earth magic level.

I commissioned the dwarf blacksmith Bertram to build a boiler and installed a large pot. Since it was not possible to add a circulation function, it became a type that requires refilling the water. In the future, I plan to consider using a magical device, but it will depend on the cost.

Regarding the spread among the villagers, at first, they did not know how to use the bath, and the water quickly became dirty. However, after several instructions, the manners improved significantly, and the number of users increased. Assigning the management of the bath, including cleaning, to different regions in rotation also helped improve manners.

Although the bath is small for a population of 500, by adjusting the time slots, it is possible to bathe every few days. Thanks to this, the villagers are much cleaner compared to when I first inspected it.

I was concerned that the bathwater would affect the water quality of the irrigation channels, but by increasing the water release from the reservoir and diluting it, there is no noticeable dirt. Hair and other debris are prevented from floating in the irrigation channels by placing sieves at several points in the drainage line and setting up a sedimentation tank. While the biological oxygen demand might have slightly worsened if measured, it is not a significant issue.

In fact, the water flowing from the pastures on rainy days is likely to be dirtier due to dissolved animal waste. In Japan, some people might get angry about this, but they do not complain about the drainage from car washing. It's a strange phenomenon, as it seems cars are dirtier than human bodies. While natural materials are not a panacea, I believe that with the current population, the polluted water from natural soap can be naturally decomposed within the permissible limits due to sufficient dilution.

The introduction of wheeled heavy plows has significantly increased the productivity of the villagers, and they have started to cultivate the western slope of the Manor Hill and the eastern forest, which were previously left uncultivated. The plows have been gradually improved by the farmers, and the prototype is almost unrecognizable.

The introduction of baths, toilets, and soap has greatly improved the hygiene of the villagers. The improvement in hygiene, the restriction on drinking raw water, and the thorough cleaning of dishes and cooking utensils have likely contributed to the absence of major epidemics and the gradual decline in infant mortality.

While the causal relationship is unclear, the year after the bath became a trend, the number of pregnant women in the village became noticeable. Perhaps the husbands (or wives) fell in love with their wives (or husbands) again after they became clean.

As a result, the population of Rasmoor Village is rapidly increasing. The population, which was stagnant at around 500, is gradually increasing. At this rate, it could double in twenty years.

The itinerant teaching by Liddy and Kate has been quite effective. While I do not know the exact definition of literacy, before the education began, the proportion of people who could read and write to some extent was less than 10%. However, in the past three years, this proportion has exceeded 30%.

While they can only read and write simple sentences, it is a surprisingly high literacy rate for a small village on the frontier. We plan to continue the itinerant teaching, but at this rate, building a school might be a good idea.

Regarding maple syrup and honey, we continue to produce a small amount of maple syrup in early spring. I also tried making xylitol from birch sap, but the sweetness was not worth the effort, so I plan to stop production once beekeeping becomes more established. However, if tooth decay becomes a problem, I might resume production.

Beekeeping has not yet been fully successful. In the first year, I was happy when bees entered the hives, but I failed to harvest honey and destroyed the hives. I used a simple hand-cranked centrifuge, but it did not work, or perhaps the timing was wrong, and the bees disappeared.

In the second year, bees built nests in two hives. Learning from the previous year, I changed the honey harvesting method from centrifugation to natural dripping and only harvested honey during the flowering season, achieving some success. However, I failed to manage the temperature during winter, and both hives were destroyed.

This year, bees have entered two hives again. Learning from the past, I hope to sustain them until next year.

Finally, regarding the distillery, which I have been focusing on the most, we are using surplus grain production and purchasing a significant amount of grain from neighboring villages during bountiful harvests to make alcohol. As a result, we have added more distillation equipment and are operating four distillers at full capacity, with nearly 200 barrels of distilled alcohol in storage. The storage area in Scott's brewery became too small, so we built a brick warehouse near the eastern forest of Manor Hill for storage.

Initially, I thought about digging a tunnel for storage, but it consumed too much magic, so I had a brick warehouse built. The funds for this came from the sale of the soap manufacturing method, but I believe it will pay off in the future, so I invested actively.

However, the brick warehouse, located on a hill, looks more impressive than the wooden mansion, causing some visitors to head there by mistake.

Regarding myself, I am about to turn eight. I have grown taller and my body is transitioning from a child's to a young boy's. My earth magic level has risen to 18, and Liddy says I am now on par with a full-fledged magician.

Regarding swordsmanship, there has been a gap between the occupational level (Swordsman Level) and the skill level (Sword Skill Level) since I turned six. Currently, my Swordsman Level is 12, but my Sword Skill Level is 15. In terms of skill alone, I am almost on par with a regular soldier. For my most talented skill, evasion, my Skill Level is 20, and I rarely receive attacks in mock battles with Mel and Dan.

I also train in throwing and hand-to-hand combat, both of which are at Skill Level 5. The lack of instructors and the focus on main sword training have slowed the improvement of these skills.

Regarding my family, my younger brother Theo and sister Sera are very active, making the mansion lively. They are starting to learn to speak, and their curiosity is overwhelming. My grandfather and the rest of the family are all well, and another sibling is expected to be born this fall.

The retainers are also doing well. Einos and Jean had their second child last year. Walt and Molly's daughter, Tricia, married a young man from the village, Will Keegan, two years ago. According to my grandfather, Will was a promising young man in the vigilante group, and he was appointed as a retainer after marrying Tricia. With Tricia's marriage, Walt and Molly moved into the mansion, and their house became the new home for Will and Tricia.

In just three years, the population of Manor Hill has increased significantly. However, tomorrow, on April 2nd, someone will leave Manor Hill: my older brother, Rodrick.

My brother recently turned twelve and is joining the Raswell Margrave's knight corps, as planned. Since my birthday three years ago, my brother has worked hard, and his Swordsman Level is now 16, and his Skill Level is 22. According to my grandfather, it is rare for a squire at the age of fifteen to reach an occupational level of 15. My brother should be the strongest among the knight corps apprentices, and my grandfather vouched that he is stronger than a new knight at eighteen in terms of skill, though not necessarily in physical strength.

Despite this, my brother remains humble. From my perspective, he has grown up in a strict environment without a rebellious phase and is a very sincere and good boy. However, I am worried about whether he can handle the knight corps, where he will not know anyone.

He looks a lot like my father and is quite handsome, and I worry if he will be envied for his sword skills and appearance. When I mentioned this to my grandfather, he laughed and said, "Don't worry."

"Rod has a goal to aim for. Such men are strong. Besides, conflicts arise when people gather, whether in the knight corps or elsewhere. It will be a good experience for Rod."

(At twelve, he would be in sixth grade or first year of middle school. If he is bullied in a dormitory, it could be bad. I guess Grandfather understands this...)

I could not hide my concern, and my grandfather continued.

"No matter what happens, someone who can be crushed by such things is not fit to be the heir of the Lockhart family. I have told Rod to retaliate if he is attacked, regardless of the other person's status."

(That sounds dangerous, doesn't it? Even if Grandfather has connections with the margrave, there are also noble sons with titles... I am really worried now.)

I left Grandfather's presence and went to my brother's room. My brother was preparing for his departure. When I spoke to him, he stopped and asked, "What is it?" I was unsure how to approach the conversation.

"Um, please do your best in the knight corps. And don't take Grandfather's words too seriously..."

My brother laughed and said, "You mean 'retaliate if attacked,' right?"

"Yes. The knight corps can be complicated, so you might hear a lot of things at first, but try to make friends..."

I was unsure how to express myself and ended up rambling incoherently.

"It's okay. I don't intend to lose to anyone. I need to become strong to protect you and the child sent by your god. I can't afford to lose to a mere knight corps apprentice."

My brother spoke to me with a calm expression.

(My brother is growing up. He might be okay, but I am still worried.)

"Besides, I plan to pull ahead of you quickly. It's embarrassing for an older brother to lose to a younger brother who is four years younger in a mock battle."

Indeed, my evasion skill is at level 20, so I can hold my own if I focus on evasion. However, I cannot win in a real fight due to the physical disadvantage, but as an older brother, he cannot accept it.

"I understand. I will also do my best not to fall behind. Please take care of yourself, Brother."

As I was about to leave his room,

"You can use this room. I don't plan to return until I become a squad leader."

Impressed by my brother's determination, I bowed and left the room.

The next day, my brother and father set off for Wellbourne, the capital of the Raswell Margrave's territory.

Wellbourne is a city about 250 km west of the academic city of Doctus in the northern part of the Caelm Empire, about 550 km from Rasmoor Village. It takes more than half a month to travel by horse. My father decided to accompany my brother to greet the Raswell Margrave. The newly appointed retainer, Will, was also allowed to join to broaden his horizons.

After my brother and father left, the house felt much larger. Theo and Sera started crying when they heard that their brother was leaving, and Molly also shed tears. I felt a bit teary-eyed but held back for my brother's departure.

(Leaving is always sad, especially when family members go on a journey. Even knowing they will return, not being able to share the present moment... I wonder what Mother thinks.)

Mother's demeanor did not change much, and she only said it was a pity she could not go with them.

"Rod will grow up in Wellbourne. I would have gone with him if I weren't pregnant."

"Mother, aren't you sad? I heard that they cannot return home for at least two years in the knight corps."

Mother lowered her eyes slightly but quickly smiled.

"Yes, I am sad. But he is a boy, and he will eventually leave his mother's hand. The same goes for you. In a few years, you will also leave... but you will return someday. Knowing that, I am not too sad."

I felt that Mother was putting on a brave face, but perhaps she had been prepared since she married into a knight's family.

At dinner that night, I could not help but notice the empty chair where my brother used to sit. In my memory, my brother was always there. While Father was sometimes absent due to work, my brother had never been away before. It might seem strange for a boy of twelve to make me feel lonely, but it is a sign that I have become part of this family. Grandfather, who was unusually talkative, might have been feeling the same way.

That night, I talked with Liddy. She had also left her family to come here and has met and parted with many people in her life.

"Your brother has left."

"Yes, but we will see him again soon. If he is alive, we will definitely meet."

I thought she was trying to cheer me up, but she spoke in her usual tone.

"If he dies, we won't meet, but if he is alive, we can meet no matter where he is. Yes, as long as he is alive..."

She seemed to be reminiscing about the past or