Chapter 12

I hate chemistry...

"Hey? Is this really going to work?"

"Don't worry, trust me."

The children look at me with doubt as they spread the ash over the field.

This area gets a lot of rain in winter, and the amount of rainfall has been increasing recently.

Rain is slightly acidic because it contains dissolved carbon dioxide from the air.

The field, which absorbs this rain, should have become slightly acidic soil.

And wheat is weak in acidic soil.

That's why we need to spread the ash to neutralize it.

That's the reason we're spreading the ash.

Different plants prefer different soil types, some like acidic soil and others prefer alkaline soil.

We need to be careful about that.

This field is 1.5 times the size of the one where we grew turnips.

There are various reasons for this, but the biggest one is that my physical abilities have improved.

I can take good care of it.

"Next, we'll use homemade fertilizer."

I pick up the fertilizer in the earthenware pot.

It's made by fermenting cow and goat manure with forest leaves.

It wasn't ready in time for the turnips, but now it can be used.

The children said it was impossible to put cow manure in the field, but I convinced them by saying that the fruits we always eat grow in forest soil mixed with animal manure.

I considered using human manure, but I don't like it, and I'm afraid of parasites.

Parasites are just too disgusting.

After adding the fertilizer and ash, we need to mix them.

We need to make sure they spread evenly.

We work together, using the strength of the ox, the children, and myself.

The work goes very quickly.

My arm strength and, more importantly, the ox's strength are significant.

It might even be more efficient than a typical farming village.

"Let's call it a day here. We'll finish the work tomorrow and the day after."

"Agreed! I'm already tired. Let's have dinner."

"What's for dinner today?"

"The same as always."

"Meaning, acorns..."

"How does Griffin gather so many acorns?"

The children start preparing dinner while talking.

When I first arrived, everyone was quite tense.

Everyone was from different places and strangers to each other.

Many were still in shock from being abandoned by their parents.

Now, that's not the case.

Everyone looks happy.

"Shall we go?"

Tetra tugs on my clothes.

"Yeah, I know."

I head over to everyone.

...I wonder how many of the children will leave me next year if there's no famine.

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"Farming... the difference between busy and not busy times is really extreme, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

It's been a few weeks since we planted the wheat seeds.

When we're not plowing or harvesting, the farm work is mainly weeding and pest control.

Weeding isn't too hard if you do it diligently every day. Even small children can do it.

Thanks to the pyrethrum extract, pests don't appear much.

"By the way, I've been seeing more people in the forest lately."

"It's because winter is coming. People are feeding acorns to pigs and collecting acorns. The fact that people who fear Griffin's anger are entering the forest is quite serious."

Tetra says with a worried look.

"Will there be children abandoned this winter?"

"I think those who can't support them have already given up by summer, but there will be a certain number of people without plans. If the next wheat season is a bad harvest, there will be a lot."

We can only pray for a good harvest.

Will Griffin help the new arrivals?

Probably not...

In our case, it was largely due to his whims.

"Neither King Dorgal nor King Gilburt should be at war. It's foolish to lose labor and sorcerers in war. Soldiers should return to farming, and sorcerers should focus on counter-curses."

"Is there anything sorcerers can do in war besides curses and counter-curses?"

"...Ask Yuria."

Tetra says unhappily.

That's mean.

"Tell me."

"Then pet my head."

"Here."

I pet Tetra's head. She smiles happily.

"Then I'll tell you. You know that they can transfer their souls into animals, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Then it's simple. They transfer their souls into eagles or dogs to scout the enemy. Of course, the enemy will try to shoot them with arrows. If the soul is pierced while it's in the animal, it will suffer significant damage. They can also start fires and create wind, but it takes dozens of people."

That's impressive. Especially for scouting.

Depending on how you use them, they can be like airplanes.

You could have birds carry bomb-like objects and drop them on enemy troops.

They could be bombers too.

It's surprisingly useful, even if it's subtle.

"Hey, when autumn ends and winter comes, I want to invite Yuria to the village. I want everyone to learn about sorcery. Is that okay?"

"...I don't have any objections to Almus' decision."

It seems she agrees.

That's good.

"By the way..."

"What?"

"Isn't it getting cold lately?"

"..."

Tetra's silence is an affirmation.

The season is gradually approaching winter.

I can tell, but the cold in this region is the same as in Japan. In other words, it's that cold.

Everyone is wearing clothes made from the animal furs Griffin occasionally gives us, but we only have one set each. It's too cold to cope.

"We'll probably spend more time indoors during the winter."

I want a warm fireplace.

We need to prepare firewood in advance.

Ah... burning firewood indoors produces a lot of smoke.

What should we do...

Right, I'll make that. Now's the time.

"What's up, Almus?"

"I'm going to cut some wood now."

A good idea when it comes to mind is a good idea.

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Charcoal has many advantages.

The biggest advantages are its long burning time, stable heat, and lack of smoke.

Of course, it has disadvantages too.

In terms of pure heat and efficiency, burning firewood directly is faster.

In fact, firewood is the basic fuel for fireplaces.

So, I really want to use firewood for warmth, but firewood produces smoke.

A chimney would be ideal, but pit houses don't have chimneys.

If we try to use firewood for warmth indoors, we'll end up smoked.

Now, making charcoal isn't that difficult.

If you heat wood in a low-oxygen environment, it will turn into charcoal instead of burning.

A low-oxygen environment for heating.

There's a facility like that somewhere...

"So, we'll use a pit kiln."

"Was that introduction necessary?"

Shut up. You should be grateful I explained it to you.

"Anyway, if we can make charcoal, we won't freeze or get smoked during the winter."

I start filling the pit kiln with wood.

To prevent too much air from getting in, I pack it as tightly as possible and fill the gaps with dry leaves.

"Let's light it."

I light it with a torch.

The wood inside starts to burn.

"After a while, we'll seal the air and smoke vents. Leave it for a day, and the charcoal will be ready."

"Isn't it similar to Sueki pottery?"

"Well, the point is the same: to prevent oxygen from reacting."

"Hey, what's oxygen?"

Explaining oxygen...

I'm not confident I can explain it well...

"Oxygen is something needed for burning. It's a type of air. Without oxygen, things can't burn."

"Hmm. Isn't it the oxygen that's burning?"

Damn. You're asking the hard questions.

I'm a humanities major, so I can't answer scientific questions correctly.

"Um, burning is when carbon, a substance found in wood and our bodies, combines (reacts) with oxygen. So, it's not that the oxygen is burning, but that the oxygen is causing the burning, right?"

"Hmm. I kind of get it."

I'm starting to get confused too.

Is this the right definition of burning? Isn't the reaction of iron with oxygen also combustion? Is it limited to carbon? What's the difference between combustion and burning?

General terms and scientific terms?

I remember a high school teacher saying that oxidation isn't just the reaction of oxygen with other substances.

Isn't it also when a substance loses hydrogen?

I think oxidation is when a substance loses electrons.

So, it's not oxidation.

It's confusing.

Don't use terms that cause misunderstandings.

In middle school, we were taught, "Oxidation is when a substance reacts with oxygen."

Why change the definition?

It's confusing.

"Hey, big brother. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I was just thinking."