Drawn Mochi Volume 6 Chapter 3: Forest, Village, And Wall*2

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　The forest in the middle of Redgarde territory is getting in the way of Redgarde territory. This is too bad, and I want to do something about it.

　…However, it’s not something I can do right away, and I have to think about various things carefully… I’ll put it on hold for now.

　And above all, people who want to settle here are already coming.

“Ah, uh, nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

　When I greeted them, the ten farmers whom Fay had hired through the Redgarde family looked at me quizzically. Yes, I could understand if it was Fay’s father or brother, or even Fay himself, who greeted them, but it was me.

“I’m Tougo Uezora. I manage this forest together with the Redgarde family. If you have any questions about this forest, please ask me. Also, I don’t know much about agriculture, so if you think of me as a person who solves the inconvenience of your food, clothing, and shelter…” (Tougo)

　When I said that, they gave me a strange look.

“‘How can such a child manage a forest?’ It’s a face I know. Yes, I know how you feel.” (Tougo)

　…However, some of the farmers looked a little surprised when they saw me, and then responded very politely.

　After the greetings, I had a meeting with the representatives of the ten groups of farmers (for those who came alone, it was the person who came, and for those who had moved in with their entire family, it was the head of the household), or rather, I asked them about their needs for food, clothing, and shelter. I set up a place to listen, but there were some people who treated me like a noble. Well, two out of the ten people.

　…Those people said, “Oh, by any chance, are you the Spirit of the Forest?” So, I answered, “No, I am not.” Then, one of the two said, “Then, are you the dragon…?” Again, I said, “No. I am not the dragon.”

　The remaining eight people looked at me strangely, but no one made fun of me or expressed dissatisfaction with my response. That was good.

　If anything, the response was more like, “It must be difficult for a child like this.” …Maybe I look younger than my actual age. Since I’m Japanese, I guess I have no choice but to give up on that to some extent… Hmm.

　Thus, the field by the forest began to receive work.

　Seeds to be sown in early summer are quickly sown, and in 10 days, sprouts will start to appear from them.

　The field is a field, and the water for the farmland is to be used by the water flowing out of the forest.

　…For this purpose, water was needed to spring. A spring is made to overflow a little downstream from where the dragon lives so that if water overflows from the dragon’s crystal lake, it will mix with it. It seems that magic power is also effective as fertilizer for crops, so I hope it will help the crops grow better.

“Are things going well?” (Fay)

　The fields have sprouted, and the farmers are thinning and weeding, and Fay is here to observe.

“Yep. Everything’s good.” (Tougo)

　The fields are doing well. It’s going too smoothly. …When I was talking to the farmers, I was told, “As expected, this is really a territory where a dragon lives. The crops are growing fast!” I was told. Apparently, it’s early.

　… Maybe the reason the indigo grew so thick and fast is because the forest is a land full of magic. Oh, by the way, after the indigo was harvested, it grew again and was used for Lila’s indigo dyes. Lila was happy to know that the indigo kept growing on and on.

　Because indigo is an important grass to her. I’m also happy that they are growing up well.

“I see. That’s great. If there’s anything you’re in need of, please let me know. Don’t work so hard alone, okay Honorable Spirit?” (Fay)

　Fay said with a bright smile and slapped me on the back. It hurts a little, but I don’t mind it because it is a nice feeling.

“Hmm… if I had to say anything about what I need, it would be the number of people.” (Tougo)

　After thinking about it for a while, I answered.

“It looks like we can expand the field a little more. So, if there are more people, there will be more fields.” (Tougo)

Right now, they are planting tomatoes and other seeds, but in a little while they will start planting potatoes and carrots. And some greens I’m not sure about. …Many vegetables from the otherworld are a bit confusing. Mysterious potatoes. Mysterious greens. But it’s OK because they taste good.

“I see. Then, shall we try recruiting some more?” (Fay)

“Yep. Please do.” (Tougo)

　When I said that, Fay smiled and agreed. He said that he would advertise more in the Royal fiefdom and other areas. …If there are people who are having trouble growing crops, we’d love to have them come here. It’s mutually beneficial.

“Then, as for the terms and conditions of employment, are they the same as the ten groups we hired earlier?” (Fay)

“Yeah. I think that’s good.” (Tougo)

　Laocles said that “the salary would be higher than the market rate”, but I would like to keep the salary a little higher. …The reason is that it takes a lot of courage to leave the land where you used to live and come here. I want to pay a salary that is commensurate with that. I have money here from selling jewels.

“I understand. If there are any applicants, I’ll ask them to send in their applications, okay?” (Fay)

“Yep. Please…” (Tougo)

　…No, wait. I think it would be better for them to come here directly. Personally, I would like to request another field as soon as possible. I would be happy if I could grow a lot of potatoes and generate income for Redgarde territory.

“No, I’d be happy if you brought the documents with you.” (Tougo)

“Hmm? I see. Well, if that’s the way you want to do it, that’s fine. Shall we send a carriage from our house to the territory under the direct jurisdiction of the Royal Capital and have them ride in it?” (Fay)

　Yep. Please.

　…so that the next group of people may come, and we can expand the fields.

　I thought about it for a minute, and I’ve even grown some fruit trees. It would be nice to have lots of fruit trees if there is someone to take care of them. Since it was just around the time of harvest, I drew a lot of apricot trees and let them grow. And pear, peach, apple, and tangerine trees. …they are my favorite fruits. That’s right.

　And I added a few more houses… that should be enough.

“I wonder if they’ll come soon?” (Tougo)

　When the next people come, I’ll ask them to harvest more and more fruit. I’ve painted and sent them out with the fruit in full bloom, so I need people as soon as possible, and I’ll be glad if they come soon.

“Well, they’re here faster than I thought they would be, Tougo!” (Fay)

“Really.” (Tougo)

　Fay said, “We are looking for farmers in Redgarde territory! If you want to live here, we’ll rent you a house and fields! If you want to live here permanently, we’ll give it to you as is! You will be provided with farming equipment! All the crops you harvest will be given to us, but in return, you will be paid 25 gold coins a month! There is a raise!” Apparently, I heard that they received applications after they put up an ad saying that.

“…I guess that’s the case under these conditions.” (Laocles)

　And when Laocles saw the paper with the advertisement that Fay distributed, he had an indescribable expression on his face.

“How did you decide on this salary?” (Lacoles)

“They did something similar in the territories under the direct control of the royal family. They bought up all the crops and paid wages in exchange. I thought I would try to imitate that.” (Fay)

　Fay said and produced several sheets of paper. Apparently, they were similar job advertisements that appeared in the fields of the royal fiefdoms and other territories.

“See? There is. Something like this… And it seems that there are quite a few advantages. If you get paid, that means you’ll still get money whether there’s a good harvest or a bad harvest, right? Then it means your life is stable, for better or worse. As a farmer, that’s one advantage, right? And it’s an advantage for us, too. There’s less waste if all the crops are distributed together in one place.” (Fay)

　In a way, it’s like hiring factory workers. So, the Redgardes control the distribution, reducing waste and increasing efficiency. I see. That could be quite interesting.

“…That’s fine. But isn’t the salary high?” (Laocles)

　However, Laocles looked at the other job advertisements with a slightly complicated look on his face.

“It’s almost double the market rate.” (Laocles)

　Job advertisements include a lot of words like “13 gold coins” and “15 gold coins”. …Wow.

“Oh, that’s fine. Here. I’m not going to go through all the applicants to begin with. We’ve already chosen the 10 groups that came before them from among the applicants.” (Fay)

　Fay said so with a proud smile.

“If the salary is high, talented people will come. If you gather only those people, you can make high-quality things. Besides, if you want them to live near the forest, they have to be trustworthy. So, don’t you think this is a good salary?” (Fay)

　I see. So, you’re going to do an interview and decide who gets the job. I see. Well, we don’t want people who are not very motivated to come, and we don’t want spies or other strange people to come, so it might be a good idea to make the ratio higher.

“I guess it’s fine. If there is a test, even counterintelligence from other territories will shy away from coming in, and if it’s a big shot who won’t shy away, there’s a good chance I know him to some extent.” (Croix)

　Furthermore, it would be perfect if Ms. Croix acted as the interviewer! No bad person would get through! That’s wonderful!

“Well, we got a few more candidates than we expected, so it’s a little harder to make a selection…” (Fay)

　I see. But I think it can’t be helped if we want to attract good people.

“So, Fay, I wonder how many farmers have applied this time?” (Croix)

　Ms. Croix immediately took out paper and a pen. She is in secretary mode. I can rely on her.

“Hmm? Roughly a hundred applicants.” (Fay)

　…However, as soon as Fay said that Ms. Croix’s pen stopped for a moment.

“……a hundred applicants.” (Croix)

　Seeing Ms. Croix like that, Fay… grinned and answered.

“Hey! A hundred people!” (Tougo)

　…I wonder if the fields need to be expanded further.