Chapter 56

After a series of events, including Christie's "re-education," Eld's fever for Noein, and Damian's relocation, Noein's days of peaceful and steady development were restored.

Thanks to the efforts of the retainers and slaves, many of the daily chores were taken off Noein's hands, significantly reducing his workload. Now, his main tasks were to clear forests and expand the plains, conduct interviews with potential settlers, and make judgments as the lord regarding development and expansion.

"Lord Noein, I have come to report on the potato cultivation experiment!"

On that day, Christie, who assisted with Anna's financial and administrative duties and also conducted crop cultivation experiments, entered the lord's office.

"Thank you, Christie. Please go ahead."

"Yes. This time, we divided the cultivation into 12 patterns based on the presence or absence of sprout pruning and the amount and frequency of fertilization—"

Noein learned about potatoes from a memoir introducing the southern continent and understood that they were an excellent food source, but his knowledge of cultivation methods was limited to the vague idea of "exposing the tubers to sunlight to sprout and then cutting and planting them."

Therefore, Christie's role in achieving more efficient cultivation and harvesting was significant.

"—In conclusion, sprout pruning should be done thoroughly, and fertilization should be done twice rather than once for better growth. Additionally, the serfs suggest that earthing up should be done regularly as the potatoes grow. The specific changes in yield are as follows."

Noein looked at the table Christie presented, confirming the tangible results before speaking.

"…I see. I understand. There are clear results. Let's compile the potato cultivation procedures based on this."

The potatoes, which started from a single barrel, had increased to a sufficient quantity for daily consumption after the spring and autumn plantings of the previous year and the spring planting of this year.

Noein intended to spread potatoes beyond the Arquvist domain in the near future and was working on compiling systematic cultivation procedures for this purpose. Christie's efforts this time made that possible.

"Great work, Christie. As expected of you."

"Thank you! In the future, I plan to keep long-term records based on the results of previous experiments, such as the effects of continuous cropping. I also think we can summarize the results of the soybean cultivation experiment after the first harvest."

"I see. Please continue your good work. But don't overwork yourself, okay? You've been working non-stop lately, haven't you?"

After her "re-education," Christie became a very loyal slave, but she also had a tendency to be a workaholic.

As a lord who loved and cared for her, and as an owner who had invested a lot in purchasing her, Noein couldn't ignore the concern that she might overwork herself and fall ill.

"Y-Yes, you're right. My body is also your property… I'll make sure to get enough rest and sleep!"

"Good. Do that."

Noein smiled at Christie and saw her off as she left the room.

After a while, another workaholic, Damian, arrived.

Knock, knock, knock! The door was almost broken by the loud knocking, and an overly enthusiastic voice echoed, "Lord Noein! It's me! Damian! Can I come in?"

Noein allowed him to enter with a wry smile, and Damian literally burst into the room.

"Lord Noein! The fourth prototype of the crossbow is ready! It's much more powerful than the third one, and I've adjusted the angles of the parts to improve accuracy! Please, let's test it! Right now!"

In the early days, Damian would burst in without knocking, so his current behavior, while still impulsive, was a significant improvement in terms of being a retainer.

His restless attitude might seem rude to some, and Matilda, who stood by, didn't look too pleased, but Noein thought this was fine for Damian.

He was more concerned that if he tried to correct this wild behavior, Damian might lose his enthusiasm and creativity as a craftsman.

"Sure. Let's test it right away. I was just thinking of going outside anyway."

Staying cooped up in the office all the time could be stifling, and for Noein, these experiments and inspections around the domain were valuable breaks.

...

"Yuri, let's play."

Noein knocked on the door of Yuri, the head retainer, and called out. Behind him stood Matilda and Damian, who was holding the fourth prototype of the crossbow and beaming.

Soon, the door opened, and Yuri, the master of the house, appeared.

"...That way of calling is embarrassing for the one being called. Just call me normally."

"It's fine, it's just a bit of teasing."

In response to Yuri's slightly awkward expression, Noein laughed and replied.

In the past, Yuri was often away in the Ristio Mountains supervising the extraction of lapis lazuli, but with the introduction of slave labor, the labor shortage was significantly alleviated, and they could meet the monthly quota in a concentrated effort. As a result, Yuri spent more time in Noeina, the capital of the domain.

"Today is your day off, right? I need to test the new crossbow, so can you help me?"

Noein could control golems and was strong in that sense, but as an individual, he was physically weak and lacked both strength and combat skills. He was not the best person to test the new weapon.

So, he relied on Yuri, the head retainer, for testing the crossbow.

"Another new one, huh? Sure, no problem..."

As Yuri looked back into the house, Mai, who also served Noein and was now Yuri's wife, appeared.

"Hello, Mai. Can I borrow Yuri for a bit?"

"Of course, feel free to use him."

"Thank you. By the way, how are things going?"

Mai's belly, visible even through her clothes, had grown.

Noein learned of Mai's pregnancy in the spring.

"Hehe, thanks to you, both mother and child are doing well."

"That's great. I'm looking forward to a few months from now. Right, Yuri?"

"Sure. I never thought I'd be a parent... I don't know how many times I've muttered that."

Yuri, blushing, said, "I'll be back soon," to Mai and left the house, closing the door.

The four of them—Noein, Yuri, Matilda, and Damian—headed to the shooting range in the backyard of the manor. It was a makeshift range, just a mound of earth with a target set up.

Once they arrived at the hastily prepared range, Yuri, urged by Damian, drew the string of the crossbow prototype, loaded an arrow, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger.

With a sharp sound, the arrow was released and pierced the target slightly to the right of the center.

"How was it!? How was it!?"

"...First, the accuracy is much better. This part where you load the arrow, if you make it a bit narrower, it might be even better."

"Got it! I'll try that next! How about the power!?"

"The power is more than sufficient... actually, it's a bit excessive. The string is too tight. I had some trouble drawing it, even for me. It would be quite difficult for someone smaller to use."

Yuri was a large, strong man, comparable to the big beastmen like lion and tiger people. If he had trouble drawing the string, it would indeed be difficult for someone smaller.

"I see... Last time, the power was too weak, so I focused on making it stronger, but I guess I overdid it."

"Also, this part. With this attachment method, it will probably start to rattle after about 20 shots. Then the arrows won't fly straight. It would be better to embed it in the base."

"Durability issues, huh... Got it. I'll work on improving those next! Thank you!"

As Damian was about to run back to the workshop, Noein hurriedly called him back.

"Wait a moment, Damian."

In the past, Damian would have run off without listening, but now he stopped and responded, a significant sign of his growth.

"What is it!?"

"I heard from the maids that you're not returning to the manor properly, right?"

"No, I do return and sleep! Every two days! And the maids bring me food!"

Hearing this, Noein sighed.

"That's not good. If you collapse, the crossbow development will stop, and if you die from overwork, you won't be able to see the completion of your invention. You don't want that, do you?"

"N-No, I don't! It's my invention, so I have to see it through!"

"Right? So, you must return to the manor every day and sleep every day. If you don't, I'll cut the budget and force you to rest, even if it means losing your development freedom."

"T-That would be a problem! Got it! I'll definitely return every day!"

"Good. Then you can go."

Noein watched Damian run off with the fourth prototype of the crossbow and smiled wryly.

"...Honestly, I've never dealt with someone more stubborn than myself, so it's exhausting."

"True, he's a strange one, but his skills as a craftsman are exceptional. We're just a few steps away from making the crossbow practical."

"That's true."

Improving agricultural techniques and developing new weapons.

The industries of the Arquvist domain were evolving bit by bit through trial and error.