Chapter 24

We have surpassed ten thousand bookmarks.

I am grateful to everyone.

With the wheat harvest approaching, the village of Coirat is filled with a somewhat festive atmosphere.

The sight of the wheat changing from green to golden gradually heightens people's expectations.

Summer has come to me once again.

Last October, I planted the wheat seeds, and this year's harvest will be from August to September.

This world also has four seasons, and the climate is similar to Japan's. In spring, colorful flowers bloom, in summer, the temperature rises, in autumn, the leaves change color, and in winter, there is a little snow.

The changing of the seasons makes us feel the passage of time.

Some villagers don't change their clothes between summer and winter, but I wonder how that works. Especially that old man Roland.

Men wear loose clothes made of hemp and long pants.

Women wear dress-like clothes, with their chests or waists tied with strings. The loose design sometimes makes me feel a bit awkward, but I think it's wonderful in its own way.

Well, to be repetitive, it's summer. Today is the day the traitor arrives.

The traitor was once someone who shared the same ideals as me and Baltro. Past tense. Past tense, okay.

Death to the traitor. I'll show him something he won't forget.

Around noon, he arrived. Called by Sara, Baltro and I went to greet him in the courtyard.

When we stepped out of the front door, three large carriages were lined up in the courtyard.

I was surprised by the number of carriages. Last year, when he came, there was only one carriage, two helpers, and one mercenary, and both the cargo and manpower were insufficient.

Perhaps he has carriages for doing business in Coirat, and the sound of horses pulling carriages can be heard from outside the mansion.

"Here I am again, Mr. Alfrid!"

He opened his arms wide and greeted us familiarly.

Indeed. He seems to have forgotten about the maid's tattling.

"Hey, Tori. Thanks for coming again this year."

Translation: "I'm surprised you had the nerve to show your face to us."

"Glad to see you! Trilla!"

Translation: "I've been waiting to beat the crap out of you!"

"R-really? I'm glad too."

Perhaps sensing our dark aura, Trilla is a bit on guard.

As expected of a merchant. His instincts are sharp. However, it's shallow of him not to understand his own mistakes.

"You must have come a long way. Come inside the mansion."

When I said that, Baltro opened the door and invited Trilla into the mansion.

Baltro is amazing. His quick and fluid movements, reading his master's thoughts, are like a butler's. We don't actually have a butler, but I guess he's more like a bodyguard.

"Huh? Then I'll be a bother."

Perhaps being more polite made him more cautious. This kind of thing is usually handled by Mel or Sara.

Trilla looked at us and the door, hesitated for a moment, and then entered the mansion.

Death to the traitor.

---

Trilla is a man who has been doing business with small villages since around the time I was born.

Until then, his father had been doing the business. As he aged and began to suffer from frequent back pain, he handed it over to his son, Trilla.

Trilla is very different from his father. He always ends his sentences with "ssu," making him seem unreliable, like a low-ranking soldier.

He is twenty-two years old, has straight blonde hair, and green eyes. His face is flat, and he looks more cute than handsome.

In the past, he used to wear loose, dull clothes like a villager, but now he wears a fine white shirt and a green jacket. He has a solid black belt and green three-quarter pants.

He must have made a good profit from the Reversi and spaghetti I came up with.

Trilla looks unreliable and forgetful, which is why I call him Tori for short.

The way he ends his sentences makes him sound like a bird that says "ssu! ssu!"

However, Tori's instincts are sharp. When he met Seria, he said this immediately.

"These village women seem to be dangerous if you make them your enemy, ssu!"

To notice that right away... For Tori, that's quite impressive. He must have been through a lot of tough situations. I've heard that there are scheming nobles in the capital. The capital... a scary place.

Moreover, the ideas and unexpected suggestions that come from Tori are very innovative. I sold him the rights to Reversi because of this.

We have a long-standing relationship, and he is trustworthy, so there are no problems.

Well, I don't really want to work hard to rise up as a merchant, so it's fine.

I can make enough money just by delivering ingredients with transfer magic.

"Thanks to Reversi, I was able to open a shop in the capital, ssu."

As soon as Tori entered the reception room, he plopped down and stretched.

"Thanks to your efficient selling and promotion, we're also making a profit. The village is becoming prosperous too."

By the way, Reversi has been integrated into the Slowlett family's finances, and I don't know how much it brings in.

The village and mansion can now buy a lot of sugar and salt, so they must be doing quite well.

They also buy cows and chickens and have the villagers raise them. I'm sure Tori is making a lot of money too.

"Mr. Alfrid is an old customer, and there's the Reversi deal, ssu. I hope to continue our relationship for a long time, ssu!"

The relationship between the Slowlett family and Trilla is a win-win. Since he can sell our ideas well, I want to continue working with him.

However, I can't forgive his betrayal of Baltro and me last time.

Because of Tori, our sweet cooking life was ruined, and we had a bitter week.

I want Tori to have a bitter experience too.

I absolutely won't forgive him!

"Anyway, I'd like to get down to business, ssu, but I haven't had a bath because of the long journey..."

There are no hotels in this world, and if there's no water source during the journey, you can't take a bath for a long time.

If you pass through a village, you can avoid sleeping outdoors, but there are no baths. For me, a Japanese person, traveling would be impossible.

"Indeed, we're not in a hurry. Go take a bath. We have everything prepared."

"Of course, ssu, Mr. Alfrid. The bath here is better than the high-end inns in the capital, so it's the best, ssu!"

Tori stood up from his chair with a smile.

Maybe I should play a prank on him in the bath.

"Ah, by the way, Mr. Alfrid mentioned something called 'Kome,' ssu—"

"Wait! Sit down and tell me! Hurry up!"

Rice? Rice!

"Y-yes, ssu."

I don't care if he's a bit intimidated by my intensity. For rice, I'd be called a pervert, but I don't care.

"So? Do you have it?"

"Well, I only have a little."

"How many hundred kilograms? Tons? Is that enough...?"

Rice, a staple food in Japan, is also called our soul food.

I can't help but look for ingredients that go well with rice.

However, few people know how much rice the average Japanese person eats in a year.

We eat about one bag of rice a year.

One bag of rice is sixty kilograms.

However, this is based on life on Earth, so it might not apply here, but it's probably around sixty to eighty kilograms, considering individual differences.

Of course, rice is grown in rice fields.

So, how much land is needed to grow the rice one person eats in a year?

The unit used to measure rice fields is "tan."

One tan is 31.5 meters by 31.5 meters, or 992.25 square meters.

From one tan, you can harvest about eight to nine bags of rice in a good year.

In other words, one tan of rice field can feed seven to eight people for a year.

To put it in perspective, you can harvest enough rice from a plot of land about the size of half a tennis court.

For a six-year-old like me, I'd want at least forty kilograms.

"Um, Mr. Alfrid? Are you listening, ssu?"

"Oops, sorry, I was just thinking."

"You had a very serious look on your face, ssu."

"So, how much? A ton?"

"No, that's impossible, ssu. I managed to get about a hundred kilograms, ssu."

"Too little! It won't last two years!"

"Well, I'll get more and bring it next time, ssu?"

"Tori... I'm glad to see you. Go take a bath. After that, I'll treat you to a cold ale and a hamburger."

I'm sure I'm smiling the best smile I've had since coming to this world.

Maybe the betrayal and all that small stuff doesn't matter. With rice, everyone will be happy. Even wars will end.

"Y-yes, thank you, ssu. I'm glad I can meet your expectations, ssu."

Tori, with a forced smile, followed me down the hallway.

"Here, have a candy."

"Huh? What's this, ssu?"

"It's sweet and delicious. If you think it will help with your fatigue, you should try it."

I handed him a candy wrapped in paper, cooled with ice magic so it won't melt in the summer.

"Thank you, ssu."

Tori bit into the candy, his eyes widening in delight, and I smiled.

---

After guiding Tori, who has returned to being my comrade, to the bath, I went to the kitchen where my accomplice for this plan was waiting.

Hmm, should I cancel the revenge because the rice arrived? Will Baltro agree?

Baltro had the hardest time, after all.

"Mr. Alfrid."

"Hmm? What is it?"

As I was walking down the hallway, Mina called out to me from behind.

"I just heard from Mr. Trilla that you have sweets, Mr. Alfrid."

Oh, she's in her not-a-maid mode.

"I don't have any more."

"Is that so? Then I'll report to Miss Elinora."

"Joke, joke! It's a lie! Just kidding, Mina! I have about three candies left here!"

I turned around and offered Mina three candies.

Mina looked at them and slightly frowned. She must think they're stale.

"Mr. Alfrid."

"Yes?"

"Jump up and down."

"Huh?"

Plop, plop. Clank, clink, rustle.

"You still have some."

"Oh, right, sorry. This is the last of them."

Mina took them, put one in her mouth, and left with a face that looked like it was melting.

"This is extortion!"

No one saw the aftermath of my victim.

My anger at Trilla resurfaced. Because of his unnecessary talk, I ended up being extorted. Mina is a maid, right? I'm a noble, right? Why did this happen? Well, before being a maid, Mina is a woman, and before being a noble, I'm a man...

"Hey, kid. The hamburger with plenty of Akara fruit is ready!"

Akara fruit is a very spicy fruit, shaped like a slightly wilted cherry tomato. A little bit adds a nice kick and makes a good snack with alcohol, but if you use too much, it's unbearably spicy.

I was thinking of letting Tori eat this.

"Akara fruit alone won't do..."

"What? What's wrong, kid? You're the one who suggested it?"

"A hamburger with just one Akara fruit isn't enough! Because of Tori, the new thing was discovered by Mina!"

"What!?"

Baltro looked at me in shock.

I'm sorry, Baltro. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted him even a little.

Tori!

"...Well, then, this hamburger is too mild for him. I'll add more Akara fruit! And I'll make the mushrooms extra spicy!"

Baltro's expression turned to anger, and he started making the hamburger with quick, determined movements.

Baltro is amazing, aiming even higher. Food-related grudges are scary. Still, what should I do with this hamburger?

On the kitchen counter, there are test hamburgers on a plate. To hide the red color of the Akara fruit, I used carrots, making it look quite natural.

Maybe I'll give it to my brother Silvio later.

With that in mind, I set the plate aside and started cooking.

As I was cooking, Elinora came into the kitchen, drawn by the good smell.

"Wow, it smells good! Hamburgers! I love these~"

Is Elinora a dog?

"Sorry, I'm just cooking hamburgers right now."

They're almost done, and I can't take my eyes off them. I'm picky about meat, you know.

"Hmm, boring. I'm a bit hungry. Can I have a little? I had sword practice this morning."

Seeing my serious face, she must have realized I wasn't going to play with her. Elinora leaned on the counter, looking bored.

"Hmm? If you're hungry, you can have the hamburgers over there."

"Did Al make them?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Just eat quickly and leave.

"Then I'll take the one at the end."

"Sure, sure. Go ahead. My cute little brother, Alfrid, made them with gratitude."

"Hey, kid. The one at the end..."

"...Huh? The end? What? Ah! Wait—"

Before I could finish, Elinora grabbed the hamburger with her hand and put it in her mouth.

"Spicy! Ah! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Elinora screamed and started yelling hysterically. What was she saying at the end?

I couldn't understand what she was saying, but I could tell she was very angry.

After drinking water and other things for about five minutes, Elinora calmed down and glared at me with red eyes.

Her tongue must still be tingling, making it hard to breathe. It's that kind of spicy.

"I see, I understand Al's feelings very well."

Her smile is very scary. Is she like her mother, Erna?

"No, that... That was... To me, Elinora is like a spice in life, like Akara fruit... Ah, right! She's a spicy person to me!"

I looked back at Elinora, who had been glaring at me.

At that moment, a hamburger was forced into my mouth, and the Akara fruit ravaged my tongue.

I don't remember what happened after that.

When I came to, it was night, and I was in bed.

I should have just done a dogeza without saying anything extra. I don't know if it would have been forgiven, though.

I'm gradually making corrections.