Farmland Reform (2)

“Can something like that really be done?”

“There are crops I have never heard of before…”

“We don’t know how to grow them.”

After hearing Kent’s explanation, the farmers raised doubtful voices.

“We will prepare the seeds and seedlings on our side. As for how to grow them, I will explain it over the next several days, so everyone, please learn it properly. Of course, I will also leave it on paper, so when you do not understand something or feel uncertain, please refer to that. If things go well, I think everyone’s lives will improve considerably.”

After saying that, Kent decided to begin with sweet potatoes, which were said to be suitable for improving food conditions.

“First, I would like to start by cultivating a tuber called sweet potato. I would like all of you to till this section to this section as a sweet potato field. I apologize, but please bring your tools and gather here again.”

Kent decided to begin with sweet potatoes, which were relatively easy to cultivate. He told the farmers to go get their tools and cleared the area of people, and in the meantime, he decided to prepare the site that would serve as their base.

“For now, I need to make preparations while I can…”

Kent took out his device and ordered a large number of sweet potato seedlings. Along with that, he also decided to order the tools needed for cultivation.

“Then I will till the designated section.”

“Al, I’m counting on you.”

Since Al could understand what Kent was thinking to some extent, she would move as he intended even without detailed explanations, though she sometimes went out of control, so it was helpful. After saying that, Al skillfully used the tentacle-like vines she usually used for attacks and such, leaving only part of the section planned for sweet potato cultivation untouched, and tilled the rest beautifully. If they tried to do this work by hand, it would take the number of people currently gathered several days, but she finished that work before the farmers returned.

The farmers each gathered again, carrying hoes to till the field, but they were surprised to see that the field had already been tilled except for a small area.

“Then, since we have completed a certain amount of preparation on our side, I would like all of you to till this area here.”

Following Kent’s instructions, the farmers took their respective hoes and began working. However, since the current number of people only had to till a small area of land, the work ended quickly.

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Now, I would like you to plant these sweet potato seedlings in the land we plan to cultivate. As for the method…”

Kent demonstrated while explaining how to plant the sweet potato seedlings. Caro wrote down the situation in a notebook. Later, this notebook was planned to be compiled and left behind as something like a manual describing the cultivation method.

The work involved burying the seedlings in the soil, but it seemed this had to be done by hand. Kent and Caro also joined the farmers and helped with the work. Perhaps because he was a worrier, the Town Head worked while watching the situation and breaking out in a cold sweat. Incidentally, since Al had worked a lot, they had her rest.

They worked under the blazing sun while taking breaks, and they were able to finish the work before sunset. They dismissed everyone for the day, and asked everyone to gather the next morning to carry out the next task.

“We are tired today.”

“Yeah.”

After finishing dinner and returning to their hut, Caro and Kent had moved around a lot that day, so they were thinking of resting early in preparation for tomorrow.

“Master, Caro-sama. Please work hard tonight too.”

““Whaaaat!!””

At Al’s single statement, the two of them raised voices of dissatisfaction at the same time. In the end, they ended up working hard until late at night.

“It’s already morning…”

“It is already morning…”

Unable to recover from their fatigue as much as they wanted, Kent and Caro moved their heavy bodies and decided to get up since morning had come.

“Master, Caro-sama. Good morning. Let’s go with full energy today as well.”

Al, who had absorbed the two of their magical power and become glossy, said that. It seemed another long day was about to begin.

“Good morning. Everyone, I look forward to working with you today as well.”

Kent greeted the farmers gathered from early morning like that. However, the farmers seemed concerned that something about the field was strange.

“Now then, this time, we used a special method to accelerate their growth. Therefore, the work I would like you to do today is harvesting.”

“““““Whaaaaaat!!!!”””””

The farmers raised voices of surprise. No one had ever heard of harvesting the seedlings they had planted the day before on the next day. Everyone could only be surprised by this.

Kent, Caro, and Al had come to this place before the time when the farmers were supposed to gather. Then, using Al’s growth acceleration ability, they had made the sweet potato seedlings grow until they could be harvested. Kent had thought of this method after seeing Al and Catherine making a home vegetable garden in the yard of his house. The issue was how wide an area Al’s ability could influence, but according to Al herself, individual differences existed in ability, though as a rough guide, lower fairies could affect around a building and its grounds, middle fairies could affect around a village, town, or small territory, and upper fairies could affect up to a medium-sized country. Since the power dropped when the range was widened, it was apparently important to balance that as well. The reason the farmland was divided into multiple smaller areas this time was partly to spread the risk in case of a poor harvest, but also to activate that ability effectively.

Basically, the farmers had come with one person from each household mobilized, but apparently harvesting was a different matter, and the whole family would take part. The farmers hurried back to their homes, and everyone who could move, including children, gathered. Thanks to that, more than enough people gathered, and they were able to carry out the harvest work smoothly.

“Even so, that is an amazing amount.”

Kent said that while looking at the harvested sweet potatoes. However, today’s work would not end with just this. If they wanted to continue cultivating them, the important part began from here.

“Now then, I will teach you how to propagate sweet potatoes using what we harvested, so from now on, I would like all of you to do this yourselves.”

Kent selected seed potatoes from the harvested sweet potatoes and taught them how to make seedlings. Sweet potatoes were said to be a crop that did not suffer from continuous cropping damage caused by repeatedly cultivating the same variety. If they repeated this, they should be able to harvest sweet potatoes stably, so he thought the food situation would improve considerably.

“Al, then could you advance only this pile by ten days?”

“Understood.”

Finding an opening, Kent gave Al an instruction. As instructed, Al prompted growth acceleration on one of the piles of sweet potatoes, putting it in a state as if ten days had passed.

“Now then, regarding the harvested sweet potatoes, they should be stored as they are for about one to two weeks. However, I do not think all of you know how to eat these tubers, so I will teach you a cooking example. Please use that as a basis and think of various things yourselves.”

Saying that, Kent prepared for cooking.

“Now, here we have a pot and stones, and this time we will use charcoal, but firewood is also fine. Like this, spread the stones in the pot and place it over the fire.”

He placed the pot over the fire, and in the meantime, he moved on to the next task.

“These sweet potatoes have been matured for about ten days using a special method. Wash them thoroughly with water and remove the sand. Then put them into the pot…”

He heated them for about an hour while turning the sweet potatoes from time to time.

“Yes, they are finished now. There is enough for everyone, so please try some. Be careful when eating them, because they are hot.”

After saying that, Kent and Caro divided the finished food into small portions and handed it out to everyone gathered there. The people who brought it to their mouths raised voices of surprise.

“What is this? I have never eaten anything this sweet before.”

“It’s delicious. I feel like I could eat any number of them.”

“To think such simple cooking could bring out this much flavor.”

Judging by the farmers’ reactions, it seemed to have a good feel.

“Kent-san… It is delicious. This seems like it will become a popular item.”

Caro, who was tasting it together with the farmers, also seemed satisfied.

“Then the pile here has already been matured, so everyone may take it home. As for the portion you take home today, by the Acting Lord’s intention, it will not be collected as tax, so please rest assured. Tomorrow, we will cultivate another crop, so I look forward to working with you again.”

Carrying many sweet potatoes, the farmers returned to their respective homes looking satisfied, since they had secured a new food source.