Chapter 4

After everyone had introduced themselves.

They all seemed to have been abandoned by their parents, though the circumstances varied.

Their hometowns were scattered all over.

It seemed they had only become close in the past few days. This means there's room for me to fit in. I can relax, I can relax.

The gender ratio was about even.

Usually, girls are more likely to be abandoned, but for some reason, it was even.

Well, that's not important right now.

Let me introduce the five key figures.

Rong. Twelve years old. The oldest. Taller than me now. A bit confrontational but has a sense of responsibility.

Soyeon. Twelve years old. From the same village as Rong. Quite cute. Probably Rong's future wife. She uses polite language with me, but she acts big with the other kids, including Rong. I feel a bit of distance and it's a bit lonely.

Rozward. Eleven years old. He was the second in command until I arrived. More domineering than Rong. He doesn't seem to care much for me.

Tetra. Ten years old. Quiet. She basically doesn't talk.

Garam. Ten years old. Small and timid.

These five are the central figures of the group.

"I think we have no choice but to do farm work."

I explained my plan to the five of them.

To be honest, I don't think it makes much sense to ask for the children's opinions, but it's better than starting on my own.

I'm a newcomer.

I had to be considerate and didn't ask the children under ten, as it wouldn't have been productive.

"But, making a field is really hard, you know? What are we going to do?"

Rong's opinion.

He's absolutely right.

Untilled land is incredibly hard. Plus, the roots of plants make it even more labor-intensive to cut through.

The critical issue is that we're all children.

Moreover, the only ones who could be of any help are the six of us who are ten or older, including me.

It's a daunting task.

But it's better than doing nothing.

"It's impossible. Let's just give up."

Rozward, slouching, made a lackluster comment.

He glared at me.

"Listening to what this guy says won't end well. Right, Tetra?"

"…But to get a stable food supply, we have no choice but to farm."

Tetra seemed to agree with my opinion.

"What do you think, Garam?"

"Uh! No, that… I don't know."

Garam, with a timid expression.

Well, it's natural that he doesn't know. Kids are all like that.

"But how are we going to cultivate the land?"

"Buy iron farming tools. With those, it should be much easier."

"Buy? What do you mean by buy?"

Oh… there's no currency. That was a slip of the tongue.

"I mean barter."

"We would have already eaten anything we could trade for iron farming tools. You're an idiot."

Rozward, with a harsh comment. Hey, calling someone an idiot makes you look like an idiot.

"There are things we can trade. Unfortunately, they're not edible."

At my words, the five of them tilted their heads in unison. They look so cute.

"Hey, I brought them."

Griffin's voice reached my ears. It seems he brought the items we needed.

"Thank you. With these, we can manage."

I received a large number of swords and spears from Griffin. Seventy percent were iron, and thirty percent were bronze.

These weapons were brought by brave people to defeat Griffin. They were well-worn and rusty, but all valuable metals.

"Don't worry about it. I don't need such teeth or claws. They don't decompose easily and they smell, which is a problem. Please dispose of them quickly. I still have a lot to collect."

Griffin said and flew away.

The values of beasts and humans are completely different.

"So, are we going to start a war?"

"No."

I denied Garam's statement. Garam, you have quite a radical imagination.

Despite being timid.

"Even if they are powerful, we can't win against adults with just children. We can be easily overpowered by adults even if we have weapons."

The outcome of a battle between adults and children is obvious. I won't do such a reckless thing, even if we're on the brink of starvation.

"Then, are we going to trade for iron farming tools?"

"That's right. Tetra!"

I tried to pat Tetra's head, but she dodged. Big brother, I'm sad.

"Then, should we buy food?"

Rong asked, and Tetra answered.

"If we buy it, it's a one-time deal. We won't get a steady supply of food."

"Oh, that's true."

Rong backed down easily. His honesty is one of his good points.

"But can we easily cultivate the land with just iron farming tools? The soil is really hard."

Tetra said.

"We have to find softer spots. As a last resort, we can hire adults. If we offer them iron swords, they might help us for a short time, depending on the conditions."

Thanks to Griffin's authority.

It's a last resort, though.

We could also ask Griffin himself for help.

We could trade iron swords for food to extend the deadline.

For now, we decided to trade these weapons for farming tools.

There were no objections.

Well, it would be a problem if we were opposed without any alternatives.

"The question is where to trade… Does anyone know the geography around here?"

I asked, looking at Rong. Rong shook his head vigorously.

"No way. I only know the area around the village. What about Soyeon?"

"Sorry… I don't know either."

"Rozward?"

"Uh!? I… I… I know, but I can't say…"

"So, you don't know. Garam?"

"S-S-S-S-Sorry…"

Well, it can't be helped. At this cultural level, where there's no currency, it's natural that peasant children wouldn't know much about the outside world.

"Tetra?"

"I know."

Really…? What!?

"You know?"

"A little."

Tetra then told us about the surrounding area.

This forest is called the Romano Forest.

To the east is the country ruled by King Rosais. To the northwest is the large country ruled by King Gilbert. To the northeast is the large country ruled by King Dorgal. North of King Gilbert's and King Dorgal's countries is the country ruled by King Faldarm.

"King Rosais' country is not very large. They don't have proper iron farming tools or many iron weapons. King Dorgal's and King Gilbert's countries are quite large, so they probably have iron farming tools. Also, King Gilbert's and King Dorgal's countries are at war with King Faldarm's country due to the current famine."

"I see. So, now is the best time. If we don't hurry, the farming tools might be converted into weapons. We need to act quickly."

Why are you so knowledgeable? I'd like to ask, but now is not the time. It would be rude to pry into something we're not close about. We can talk about it when we get closer.

"If I were an adult…"

Tetra looked at me straight in the eye.

"I would only take the weapons. How do you plan to handle that?"

Well, that's true. Adults don't usually talk to children seriously. Especially in times of crisis. They need to win the war, but they also need a good harvest next year. They won't give us iron farming tools easily.

"Don't worry. I have a plan. We'll use this."

I showed the five of them a large feather. A beautiful golden feather.

"Is that Griffin's?"

Garam's voice trembled.

"Did you steal it!?"

Rozward shouted loudly.

I didn't steal it; I just picked it up.

"What are you going to do with it?"

Soyeon tilted her head, asking. She's the most honest and cute.

"If we show this and say we're Griffin's messengers, it should be fine, right?"

"Wouldn't we get divine punishment?"

Rong asked, looking worried.

Griffin is impressive, but he's not a god. There's no way we'd get divine punishment. At least, that's what I think.

But the other four children, except Tetra, looked very anxious.

This is a difference in perception due to our different values.

"I have permission."

When I said that, the four of them looked relieved.

Griffin is scary, but he's not that terrifying. He's actually quite considerate.

"Let's go then. We'll trade ten iron swords and six bronze swords for now. We might need them in an emergency."

We'll trade these for now.

We need farming tools urgently, but we also need other things.

"It's dangerous for all of us to go. Who wants to go?"

Garam and Rozward raised their hands.

"Let's go! Tetra!"

I took Tetra's hand. She looked puzzled.

"I didn't raise my hand."

"What are you talking about? You're the only one who knows the geography around here. You're coming whether you like it or not!"

Tetra sighed deeply.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

"So, we'd like to trade."

The village chief looked suspicious at my words.

Of course, it's suspicious for a group of children claiming to be Griffin's messengers to suddenly ask to trade swords for farming tools.

The village chief alternated his gaze between the swords we had and Griffin's feather.

He seemed to be thinking it over.

"Chief! I brought the blacksmith!"

Two people ran up.

One of them started examining the swords we had.

The man, presumably the blacksmith, looked surprised.

These swords were brought by people who intended to defeat Griffin. They are all famous swords, though they are rusty. We're offering to trade them for farming tools. It's a good deal.

"What do you want?"

"Let's see. Ten shovels, three axes, and eight sickles, I think."

Iron farming tools use iron only at the tips. In comparison, the iron swords I brought are almost entirely iron except for the handles.

I could ask for more based on the amount of iron, but we're just kids.

I'll ask for a smaller amount.

After much deliberation, the village chief agreed to the trade.

If the war situation worsens, the iron farming tools will be converted into weapons, so it's a good deal for them too.

We hinted that we might come back for more trades and left the scene.