Chapter 8

"Then, I'll be going. I'm leaving everything else to you."

"Take care. Please be careful."

Some time had passed since then.

My father, the pillar of our household, left home on a solo assignment.

Why would my father, who is a farmer with a field, have to leave home?

It was because he had been called to war.

It seemed that a rather large-scale conflict had broken out, and many people from the village had been called to serve.

From the uncle who lived nearby to the villagers I had never really spoken to, they all left the village in a group.

Among them were quite a few young boys, but would they also have to fight?

Since I was born into this world, I had always wondered if the development of agricultural technology was lagging behind, but it seemed that this war was the cause.

People were being taken away from farming to fight in the war.

Seeding and harvesting times were busy, but the rest of the time was free.

And it seemed that wars were repeatedly taking place during these free periods.

In years without war, the main job was to clear new land and increase the area.

There was plenty of land, and if you worked hard, you could make it your own.

However, it was not something that could be done with individual effort alone.

It seemed that the village was gradually expanding the area of the fields through cooperation.

Considering this, I could say that my magic was a great thing.

After all, it was possible to create new fields with individual effort alone.

Moreover, taxes were generally proportional to the area of the land.

Fields cultivated with magic produced more and grew faster, giving a significant advantage.

However, there was something that concerned me.

It was that the equipment of the villagers who had been called to war was very poor.

It seemed that when farmers were called up, they had to go out with their own weapons.

That's why we had weapons at home.

I even saw some villagers go out with farming tools instead of weapons.

I couldn't help but wonder if they could fight with such things.

Eventually, I would have to grow up and stand on my own.

As a farmer, I thought the risk of not having enough to eat would be low thanks to my magic.

However, with the possibility of war, the future was completely unpredictable.

I might be used as a common soldier and get injured, or our village might become a battlefield, and we could lose our home.

I had been thinking about this ever since my father left.

However, I didn't think there were many options to choose from.

No matter how I thought about it, having a certain level of combat ability would be necessary.

Weapons and armor would be the minimum requirements.

Although I didn't want to engage in killing, I had to be prepared.

Then, what was needed for that?

Money.

Money was needed.

And there would never be enough, no matter how much I had.

But I was penniless.

Of course, this was because I was a child, but there was a fundamental problem.

In the village, the main system was barter.

We exchanged the crops we grew and ate them.

I had recently started growing vegetables other than Hatsuca, but they didn't turn into money.

So, what could I do?

The only option was to use traveling merchants.

Even in this village, where the barter system was established, there was a flow of money.

One of these was the traveling merchants who moved between the city and the village to do business.

While they bought things at much lower prices than what they sold them for in the city to make a profit, it was still a valuable means of obtaining cash.

I decided to start making money right away.

※ ※ ※

"Sure. Then, why don't we get you some sandals?"

"Sandals?"

"Yes. If you make sandals from the stems of Hatsuca, they can be bought."

When I consulted with Maman that day, this was her answer.

Hatsuca, known as a crop for the poor, apparently had uses beyond just eating.

It seemed that by drying the stems and bundling and twisting them, various items could be made.

The most common type was a sandal-like shoe that went up to the ankle, but there were also boot types.

They were not particularly comfortable, but they were not to be underestimated.

In this world, there were no sneakers.

Having shoes or not made a big difference in movement speed and also helped prevent foot injuries.

Since it sometimes snowed in winter, the demand for boot types often exceeded the supply.

It was probably not the most efficient way to make money.

But it was not a losing or failing proposition.

Also, there were no traveling merchants around at the moment.

I learned how to weave shoes and continued to make products every day.

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