Chapter 13

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Chapter 13:

The Great Bezel Forest, which separates the Kingdom of Lordberg from the Kingdom of Lancel to the west, is vast in both width and length, but it does not cover the entire border between the two countries.

The further south you go, the narrower the forest becomes, and eventually it becomes a region dotted with small forests and low mountains. Such areas are fully accessible by the military, and have been the scene of conflict between the two countries, whose relations have been deteriorating for the past few years.

The village where Edgar lived was located nearby this area. One day, the small village, which was built to carve out the southern edge of the Great Forest of Bezel, was attacked by the Lancel Kingdom’s army, which had forced its way across the forest.

The peasants resisted, but their opponents were trained forces of the military. It was inevitable that they would be overwhelmed by the difference in strength, and the men would be killed. The women and children, sold.

Under such circumstances, Edgar was ordered by his father, the village chief, to take some of the villagers and flee the village.

He spent his days moving northward on foot along the Great Bezel Forest. Edgar and the other refugees, who had fled the village with at most their clothes, ran out of strength soon enough.

However, there was no town or village that would accept dozens of refugees. Edgar and his friends were almost turned away at every turn, and finally found their way to a city called Retvik in the northern reaches of the western part of the kingdom.

・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・

“Ye~es, it’s finally time for the harvesting ceremony of the first crop in the Arkvist territory!”

Noein said in a good mood as he gathered his people in front of the field for the first cultivation within this settlement.

It had been two months since Yuri and his friends had arrived, and almost three months since Noein and Matilda had entered the forest, and now the day had come to harvest the first potatoes they had planted.

“Oh, congratulations!”

“What the hell, can you make it more exciting? It’s a memorable day, okay?”

“Noein-sama, I am truly delighted. Today is a day that will go down in the history of the Arkvist territory.”

“Thank you, Matilda. It’s been three months since we first entered the forest and now this day has finally arrived. I’m so happy.”

“Yes, Noein-sama. It’s really wonderful.”

While Yuri and the others were aside, Noein began to talk with Matilda with deep emotion.

There is no doubt that this was a joyous occasion, and as a citizen of the territory, I am happy to congratulate him, but it is Noein’s fields that will be harvested.

If it were Yuri and his friends’ fields, it would be different, but for today’s event, it’d be impossible for them to be as happy and excited as Noein and Matilda.

He’s interested in showing how potatoes grow in the soil, so he feels like he should just harvest them himself and put them on display for everyone.

“I’m happy for you, and I’ll celebrate with you, so hurry up and dig them up.”

“All right, all right. Then watch me carefully, okay?”

As he said this, Noein dug up the soil with his own hands instead of the golem.

As he started removing soil, a number of fat potatoes were unearthed from the ground.

After removing most of the surrounding soil, he grabbed the base of the stalk and pulled it out, revealing about seven or eight potatoes hanging there.

Noein stared at them with deep emotion,

“…… u~hi~hi”

and let out an odd chuckle.

“Can’t you find a better way to express your admiration?”

“Let me be happy in any way I want.”

“Well, you can do whatever you want, but …… hmm, so this is how it grows. It’s a lot different from the green clumps I saw when I planted them .”

When it was just a green clump of sprouts, I didn’t want to eat it, but now I can accept it as food.

“If you leave it in the sun, it will change its colour to green and sprout, making it suitable for planting. On the other hand, if you keep it in the shade, you can keep it for quite a while, right?”

“I see. They feel like …… big beans, don’t they?”

“They look like that. It looks like a big bean, but it’s actually a crop with stems that store nutrients and fat.”

He has never heard of a vegetable with stems that had such girth, but that’s what Noein, who planted it, says.

“If it grows so easily and can be used as a staple food instead of bread, I can see why they call it the ‘crop of salvation’.”

“Right? If we keep growing more and more of these, we won’t have to worry about starvation in our territory. I’m really happy about that. It’s the first crop to be harvested in our Arkvist territory.”

Noein said so, brushing the soil from the potatoes with an enthralled face. He was like a child gazing at his own treasure.

He’s a cynical guy, but when you look at him like this, he’s got a certain cuteness about him that suits his age, Yuri thought. He thought not to say this thought out loud.

After the harvest ceremony, Yuri and the others went back to work on their own fields, Noein continued to harvest the potatoes with Matilda, making strange noises such as ‘Uhihi’ and ‘Uhhoho’.

・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・

In the evening, Noein suggested that we actually try to eat the potatoes that they had harvested.

“Is it okay to eat them like any other vegetable?”

“Yes, apparently. They say that you only need to remove the sprouts, which can cause stomach problems if eaten, and then boil or bake them and let it heat”

Noein replied to Pence, who asked with a knife in his hand.

“I understand. Bart, Mai, help me with this.”

“Okay”

“Hai”

After the three of them finished removing the sprouts, they threw the potatoes into a pot of water, as directed by Noein.

All they had to do afterwards was to move the pot onto the fire and wait for the potatoes to be boiled.

There were two potatoes per person this time, 14 in all. Most of the rest will be used for the next crop.

They just needed to get the timing right and take them out at the right time, but Noein didn’t know how long it would take either, so he depended on intuition. And when the potatoes seem to be sufficiently heated through, pull them up and place them on their respective plates and cut them down the middle.

“Ooo, it looks so delicious”

“It definitely is delicious, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think you’ve ever eaten one before, have you?”

“Ahaha, come now”

The potatoes, which had been hard, became soft and tender as they heated, and steam rose from the cross section with a vaguely savoury smell.

“Noein-sama, this one is done too.”

As she said this, Matilda cut up the meat of the sizzling Demon rabbit on the griddle into portions.

Noein had Matilda bake it because the potatoes alone wouldn’t taste great nor will they be enough.

“Thank you, Matilda. Let’s all eat now.”

Each plate was filled with potatoes, demon rabbit meat, and pickled vegetables that were stocked in from Retvik.

“First of all, Let’s start with Noein-sama.”

Matilda said as she sat down beside Noein. Noein nodded and reached for the potatoes.

In order to celebrate the first harvest, he took a bite of the boiled potatoes, which were lavishly sprinkled with expensive pepper.

“… Fufu. Nfufu”

“Why don’t you tell me what you think of it instead of making creepy noises again?”

“It’s delicious. It’s amazing. I mean it’s so …… warm and stuffy. I’ve never had that feeling before. Everyone should try it.”

At Noein’s urging, each of them took a handful of potatoes from their plates.

“It’s a new sensation for me, but it’s very tasty, Noein-sama.”

“… It’s certainly an interesting texture.”

“Hmm, unlike bread or meat.”

“Hey, I can’t describe what it tastes like, but it’s good.”

Each word was different, but the general impression was that ‘it was delicious’.

“It’s also very filling and looks like it will keep you going for a long time. Doesn’t it?”

Just as Bart had said, it’s packed tightly, that you can feel like you have eaten a full meal. It is understandable why it could be a staple food.

“I wonder if there’s another way to cook it besides boiling it.”

Mai muttered.

“According to the southern books I’ve read, people sometimes mash boiled potatoes into almost a paste and eat it.”

Noein replied.

“Wow, that sounds easier to eat than taking a bite out of the whole thing. It looks like it would be delicious with some other ingredients in it.”

“Oh, that sounds good. I’ll try it next time. I heard that there is also a dish, where …… It is cut into thin slices and fried to a crisp.”

`It would go well with sake’, Yuri thought to himself.

The evening passed as they tasted the potatoes and talked about other ways to cook them and the future of the cultivation.

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This translation is presented by Nocturne Translations.

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