Everyday Is Enjoyable
The first stop was Helios Village.
I collected some of Goosh’s fur and took a bit of rice enhanced with growth magic.
Brother Chris wants to bring the rice to the royal capital.
He said we could send it in the autumn, but he wants to secure it early just in case something happens.
The Duke Clondale’s family has also started cultivating, and since I’ve requested it in our territory this year too, we should be able to secure quite a lot. Either way, I decided to collect it while I was there.
“Saphid, has village life settled down?”
“Yes. Thanks to the money from selling Lucas’s scales and the troll magic stones, we have plenty of leeway.”
“Is it true you stopped the tax exemption?”
“Yes. We can pay taxes with the money from the sales, and paying taxes strengthens our feeling of ownership over the village.”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“It’s fine.”
“How’s the shearing of Goosh going?”
“Very smoothly, thanks to the exchange with Lux Village.”
“Have the people who went to the Duke Clondale returned?”
“They came back once, but they had lots of questions, so in the end they stayed until the rice harvest at the duke’s estate.”
“Didn’t they have any bad experiences?”
“They were surrounded by kind people, so it’s fine.”
“Were there any minor issues?”
“Just whispers from afar. Nothing directly.”
“I see. Raul and Natalia are also working as guards here, so there’s no shortage of manpower.”
“No need to worry. Everyone has learned a little magic, so farm work has become much easier.”
Rice cultivation requires water. Water magic must be very useful.
Even with soil magic, loosening the soil or digging makes weeding much easier.
Wheat fields, rice paddies, vegetable gardens, shearing Goosh, taking care of Cocotte… managing all that with about 30 people really shows the potential of Beastkin.
I wonder if other beastkin are like this too.
When I was guided to where Goosh was, around twenty of them were eating the leaves of the trees planted near the village, which Goosh likes.
Meanwhile, fur-shearing slimes moved across Goosh’s back, depositing the fur into nearby wooden boxes.
Looking closely, the number of slimes had grown to four—double the previous two. Their division is fast.
“We can’t eat Goosh’s meat anymore. Are we okay on that front?”
“If we go a little deeper into the forest, we’ll encounter orcs, so we won’t have any problems. Also, we increased the number of Cocotte and started poultry farming.”
“Not just for eggs?”
“Yes. The dishes using Cocotte at the exhibition were delicious, so many wanted to start poultry farming, and I approved it.”
“You went to the exhibition?”
“Yes. We went with the people from Shinana Village, divided into the preliminaries and the main exhibition, to the capital.”
“You managed to get accommodations?”
“Yes. We were allowed to stay near where Nat lives, splitting up to accommodate everyone.”
“Isn’t that the back of the market? It must have been tough.”
“It was fun to participate in such a big event with so many people.”
“Good. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Brother Gerald didn’t say anything, but I suppose he didn’t notice because it was so crowded.
Before forgetting, we went to the rice paddies, used growth magic to get the rice ready for harvesting, then Brother Chris and Meyer, along with others who can use wind magic, began the harvest together.
Beastkin who can use wind magic came to watch, murmuring things like, “Amazing,” “Wow.”
When the harvest was done, they gathered the straw in one place with wind magic and let it dry further.
From there, the beastkin handled threshing.
“Wind magic is so convenient. Once these children can fully use it, harvesting wheat and rice will be much easier. They’ll be motivated to keep practicing magic too,” Saphid said, smiling.
“It’s been nearly a year and a half since I came here, and this is the life I dreamed of back in my homeland. I’m truly grateful.”
“We still need more rice, and Goosh and Cocotte need to be increased too. There’s so much to do.”
“Yes. But every day is enjoyable.”
While talking with Saphid, the threshing finished. We collected the rice and returned to the village together.
“The bath is ready. Everyone, please come in.”
“Thank you. It must cost a lot of firewood.”
“Edd and those who can use fire magic heat the water first, then use only a little firewood.”
“Edd is working hard, isn’t he?”
“Yes. Using magic every day is helping him improve. Visiting Lux Village also inspired him. He says he wants to use earth magic to build walls.”
“The earthen walls Logan made are incredible—like a fort.”
“Everyone who went to Lux Village was excited and shared what they learned,” Saphid said, sounding cheerful.
The room at the meeting hall we usually stay in has improved too, with shelves for clothes and storage for luggage.
The money from selling Lucas’s scales must have given them some leeway.
Also, slowly, they’ve started interacting with other villages, and the beastkin seem to enjoy it.
What do you think about this chapter?
