Chapter 43

Another two years have passed.

Two years have gone by, and it is now May in the year 3012 of the Tria calendar.

At the age of ten, I have not only improved in swordsmanship and magic but also in scout skills, and I no longer hold back the hunters when I go with them.

My Swordsman level is sixteen, and my Sword Skill level is twenty-three, but more importantly, my Awareness and Stealth skills have both reached level twenty.

Although it has only been two years, I have been entering the forest every other day, and it seems I have reached a level where I can survive as a hunter.

Davi, the son of the hunter Rob, who trains with me, has both his levels at thirteen, but he is quite depressed because he has fallen behind me.

My Wind magic has also surpassed the apprentice level, reaching level twenty-three, which is considered the level of a fully-fledged mage.

My height has grown to about 150 cm, and I have become much taller.

The thing I am most happy about with this height is that I no longer have to bend down when talking to Ridi.

Although she is still over ten cm taller than me, the fact that I am no longer treated like a child by her makes me feel somewhat equal, which is a pleasant change.

Regarding the Zakkar Quartet, Mel has further improved her swordsmanship, reaching Swordsman level seventeen and Sword Skill level twenty-four, surpassing me.

Although her Evasion skill level is still low, she has never lost in mock battles, and at the age of eleven, she has reached the level of a regular soldier.

Moreover, she is gradually developing a more feminine figure, and even I, who am not into young girls, sometimes feel a bit flustered by her gestures, such as brushing her bangs aside.

Dan has been focusing on swordsmanship, archery, and forest walking.

His Swordsman level is twelve, his Sword Skill level is fifteen, his Archer level is seven, and his Archery Skill level is ten. His Awareness and Stealth skills are also gradually improving, and he is happy that he can become a scout like his father, Guy Jakes.

He has also grown taller, already exceeding 160 cm. His lean, well-trained body and serious personality have attracted the attention of the girls of his age in the village.

Sharon has continued to receive personal lessons from Ridi. According to Ridi's assessment, her Wind magic has reached the level of a graduate from a magic academy—around level fifteen. She has also started to show impressive offensive spells with Fire magic, and in terms of pure offensive power, her spells are second only to mine.

Additionally, her swordsmanship, which she has been learning from Ridi, has steadily improved to Swordsman level four and Sword Skill level five.

Despite the increased outdoor training, her fair skin remains beautiful, and her appearance with her thin blonde hair in a braid resembles a doll.

Regarding my older brother, Rodrick, I receive letters from him about once every three months, informing me of his current situation.

Last summer, he was promoted to a squire and assigned to a fortress at the foot of the Porta Mountains in the eastern part of the Razwell March. According to his letter, the area is filled with monsters, and he hunts them in the mountains every day.

Although he did not mention his levels in the letter, his confidence is evident from the tone, suggesting that he has improved significantly.

Regarding my younger siblings, Theophilus and Seraphine, who are now five years old, both have started training in swordsmanship. I also checked their magical talents, but unfortunately, neither of them has any.

I thought Seraphine might not need to train in swordsmanship, but she was motivated by seeing Mel.

It is still early to determine their potential, but I believe they have some talent, given their older brother's example.

A year and a half ago, in October, my younger sister was born.

Named Sophia, she is a lively girl who will surely grow up to be a beauty.

In addition to Sophia, children have been born to other squires' families, and the hill is filled with the voices of young children.

Regarding the situation in Rasmor Village, the success in compost production and the implementation of production diaries by literate farmers have improved production efficiency.

Crop rotation farming continues, but some of the better fields have stopped crop rotation and are now dedicated to root vegetables. The introduction of a heavy-duty plow has also led to the start of reclamation in the southern grasslands of the hill.

The infant mortality rate, which was over 30% when I started my reforms five years ago, has now decreased to around 10%. I would like to attribute this to the thorough implementation of hygiene management, but the true cause is not entirely clear.

Additionally, the postpartum mortality rate, which is the death rate within about two months after childbirth, has also decreased. I believe this is largely due to the thorough hygiene management during childbirth. With this risk reduced, Rasmor Village has experienced a baby boom, with the number of annual births increasing from about thirty to around forty.

Furthermore, with the decrease in infant mortality, the population of Rasmor Village has exceeded 550, a 10% increase compared to five years ago.

Regarding education, the increase in the number of children under five years old led to the construction of a school that also serves as a daycare center.

This was largely due to the efforts of Squire Nicholas Garland, who actively lobbied my father. I was busy with my own training and only provided advice when asked.

The school is a two-story wooden building located on the western slope of the hill. Although it is slightly inconvenient for children living in the southern hill, I suggested that it be built on the hill for safety reasons, as it can serve as an emergency evacuation site.

Classes are only held during the off-season of farming, but the school also serves as a daycare center during the busy farming season, and it is common to see young children running around the hill's grasslands.

The principal is Nicholas, and the teachers are his wife, Kate, and his daughter, Jean. Ridi occasionally visits as a special lecturer.

The brewing is going well.

The still has been upgraded from a small initial model to a larger one, and the distillery has also been expanded.

Scott, the head of the distillery, is supported by five full-time staff, and production has increased significantly.

The raw materials are no longer sufficient from Rasmor Village alone, so we are purchasing from neighboring villages. While we cannot buy too much barley, we are buying a considerable amount of wine and its pomace.

We are currently providing agricultural guidance to neighboring villages to ensure a stable supply of barley.

For sales, we are only shipping "Scotch" that has been aged for three years in smaller barrels—about 100 liters, or quarter barrels—to the capital of the Kingdom of Caum, Ars.

Originally, we intended to age it in larger barrels, but we needed to ship it early, so we aimed for early maturation using smaller barrels.

We did not originally intend to sell in barrels, but due to repeated inquiries from dwarves living in Ars, we reluctantly started selling in barrels.

Thanks to this, the dwarves have hired professional transporters to come to the village, eliminating the need to consider transportation risks and costs.

Furthermore, they buy each barrel for about 1,000C (approximately 1 million yen), which has become a significant source of income.

Incidentally, the transporters are accompanied by about twenty skilled mercenaries, giving a glimpse into the dwarves' intense passion for alcohol.

When I asked the dwarf blacksmith Bertram, who lives in the village, about this, it seems that Scotch is becoming a trend among blacksmiths.

"In Ars, it seems that being able to drink 'Scotch' is a sign of being a top blacksmith. After all, a glass costs 20C. It's a high-end drink, fifty times more expensive than ale."

According to Bertram, there is an unwritten rule among blacksmiths in Ars that only top blacksmiths are allowed to drink Scotch. While it is true that one needs the income to afford such a high-end drink, it seems to be more of a status symbol.

Well, when I say a glass, it's not a shot (60cc) but a pint (568cc), so if you think of it as a bottle, 20C (20,000 yen) is not that expensive.

I find it a bit awkward.

Originally, I don't think it's the right way to drink Scotch. As the maker, I want people to savor it.

However, Rasmor Village's Scotch is becoming recognized as a specialty for dwarves, and it can be said that we have successfully developed a local specialty.

Regarding our diet, we have improved the stone mill to produce much finer flour.

The improvement was not significant; I simply asked the mill manager to grind the flour finer.

Upon hearing this, he explained that there was no demand for finer flour before, but it could be easily produced with a little adjustment. Finer flour is difficult to store and transport, so there was no demand for it.

Using this finer flour, we baked bread, and it turned out to be of high quality.

The bread was made by the head maid, Molly, based on my description, so it is not my achievement.

Furthermore, I introduced the method of smoking to the village.

Although I knew the method, I had never done it in Japan.

I tried to make something like bacon by using cherry branches I collected after hunting, crushing them, and smoking salted pork belly in a large wooden box.

The temperature was a bit high, so it did not turn out very well, but I decided to try cooking it to get feedback from my family.

I sliced the bacon-like product thickly and sautéed it with diced boiled potatoes and onions in a frying pan, creating something similar to German potato.

Although there was no pepper to add flavor, it was well-received by my father and grandfather when served as an appetizer.

When used as a base for vegetable soup, it was also highly praised by the rest of the family.

At my father's suggestion, I wrote down the smoking method and gave it to the owner of the village's only tavern, "Black Pond" Inn. It was well-received, and within half a year, smoking had spread rapidly.

Not only meat but also trout and char caught at Black Pond were smoked, and it has become a signature dish of the Black Pond Inn.

Regarding beekeeping, the bees have successfully overwintered, and we can now steadily obtain honey. I entrusted beekeeping to a young man named Pat, who was a former hunter, but at first, he often complained about being stung by bees and having difficulty harvesting honey.

Nicholas extracted my knowledge and, after four years, managed to get beekeeping on track.

However, there are issues with diseases and parasites, so I think it is possible for the bees to be wiped out at any time, and I believe it is best to produce only enough honey for the village's consumption.

When I mentioned this to Nicholas,

"Honey is in demand in Kilnareck, so I would like to expand the scale. Could you entrust this to me?"

It seems that Nicholas is constantly researching the trends in Kilnareck, a nearby town, which is the consumption area.

He remembered the words I said in the past: "If there is no demand, no matter how good a product you make, you cannot sell it. When starting something new, you should always confirm the demand."

As usual, I ended up entrusting beekeeping to Nicholas.

Tomorrow, May 25th, is my birthday.

This year marks my tenth birthday, a significant milestone.

Today, I planned to make a proposal to my parents and grandfather.

Yes, I am thinking of leaving this village.