Chapter 10

Wasn’t a Lie 「Enough . . . Impossible . . . Dying . . . 」

Kazura was pulled forcefully by Valetta, running until they reach village . At the village's entrance, near the location where the aqueduct branched into two, he was lying with arms and legs outstretched . (TL: The original Japanese said, in the shape of大 character . See the resemblance? )Kazura succumbed while panting with nausea . Meanwhile, the village children who had an overwhelming energy were still pursuing the water and making a ruckus at the village reservoir . 「So . . . I am sorry Kazura-san . Are you all right?」 The Sparta Girl, Valetta who pulled Kazura forcefully to the village, was surprised when she saw Kazura collapsed . She quickly went back to the mansion to fetch a wooden cup She use it to collect the river water that flowed in the aqueduct and rushed to Kazura . 「Here, water . Please drink it slowly . 」 「Th . . . Thenkye . . . 」 Valetta raised Kazura upper body and supported him with her shoulder, then she brought the wooden cup to Kazura lips so he could drink . Looking at Kazura, who drank the water while gasping, she smile because of the difference from the usual Kazura . (TL: The original suggest Valetta understand the so called ‘Gap Moe’ concept . I also want to say, what a lucky *** *envy* . . . ) 「Fuu . . . I’m saved . . . . ? What’s wrong?」 Seeing Valetta smiling and chuckling, Kazura immediately corrected his posture and put his hand on the ground, while tilting his head . 「Fufu . It’s nothing . Leaving that aside, let’s return to the house and have lunch . 」 Hearing what Valleta had said, Kazura supported his left hand on his knee while extending his right hand . 「A, It’s time already? I see, I will also help prepare it . 」 Valetta took Kazura’s hand and helped him stand . Brushing the dirt and sand that stained their clothes, both of them started to walk toward the house . ✦✧✦✧ 「I am really sorry . I completely forget to tidy up the tools and the pullcart . 」 「No, not at all . It’s okay . It’s something that can be done by just one person . 」 Kazura was helping Valetta prepare the table when he noticed that the village chief has returned with the pullcart packed with tools like shovels and the like . He hurriedly went outside and apologized to the village chief . The pullcart that was left behind could be moved by one person, but there was also numerous other tools and the leftover boards that the village chief had to bring back . It must be a considerably hard task . 「Kazura-san, Father, the meal is prepared . 」 While Kazura apologized to village chief, Valetta had finished preparing the meal . She then called both of them from inside the house . Those two people entered the house and smelled the drifted appetizing aroma that rose up from the steamy pot in the middle of the hearth at the living room . Inside the pot, the potatoes that were gifted from the neighboring villagers’ harvest, and the acorn-like nuts that Kazura and Valetta collected in the forest the other day, was finely mashed and cooked together with rice . In addition to that, was the side dish, made from wild herbs that the two also collected in the mountain and Arcadian Bugs, stir fried with a sprinkle of salt, and then put in each person’s plate . 「Oo, this look delicious . Did you catch these Arcadian Bugs?」 「Yes, but only six of them . 」Kazura saw the Arcadian Bugs that had been distributed equally, 2 for each plate . He was feeling relieved when seeing this large amount of food, and then took his usual seat . He didn't disliked the taste of Arcadian Bug, but as that Beetle Larva shaped bug had the peculiarity taste of a caterpillar inside the mouth, it still caused a feeling that cannot be described .

When Valetta started to serve the rice meal to the two people, a knocking sound could be heard from the door . (TL: Rice meal is translated from 炊き込みご飯 Takikomigohan . It means cooked rice that was mixed with other ingredient . ) 「A, Let me see who is it . Father, I leave this to you . 」 「Yes . 」 Valetta hand over the ladle of the rice meal to village chief and went half running towards the front door . When Kazura received the rice-meal from the village chief in his bowl, Valetta return in a panicked state . 「Father, it’s Nelson-sama’s messenger Isaac-san . . . . . . . 」(TL: The word used is tsukai (使い), I had asked history stackexchange, let's see what they will said) 「Hm, is that so . Kazura-san, I’m sorry, please excuse me or a while . 」 When village chief hear Valetta’s word, he put down the ladle and immediately went toward the house’s entrance . 「Nelson-sama . . . . . . Is he the noble that governs this land?」 「Yes, and his messenger has come . . . . . . Ano, I’m really sorry but, would you mind going to the inner room until I call again?」 Hearing Valetta’s sudden request, Kazura was confused for a moment . But, to the Valetta that request while apologizing he replied, 「A, yes, I understand . 」 He left his seat and went to the inner room . After Valetta made sure that Kazura had gone to the inner room, she put away the pot with rice-meal that was in the hearth, Kazura’s share of side-dish and bowl in a different room, before she returned to the entrance again . ✦✧✦✧

「I had expected that the village was also troubled by prolonged drought, but . . . . . . There is water in the reservoir also there was some kind of water channel, what had happened in here?」 「The water was accumulated in the reservoir because of the recent fortunate rain, while there was water remained, everyone cooperated in digging the water channel . 」 When Valetta had arrived at the entrance, the young man in light leather armor – Isaac – was talking to village chief . He held sheets of parchment and a cheap piece of charcoal in his hand, a long sword sheathed in his waist and a round shield that was reinforced with bronze in his back . Isaac height was about 180 cm, his tense muscled body contained no useless fat . His blond hair was cut short and his good-looking face was eye-catching . He could be called an attractive man . Tied to a tree that was a little bit further away was his mount, an animal that resembled a horse . 「Is that so . . . . . . I see . Regarding the crops for tribute, is it possible to harvest it about 2 months from now?」 「Actually . . . . . . Before the rain, most of the crops had already withered . I don’t believe the villagers will able to give the usual tribute of tenth parts . Would you want to tour the fields?」 Hearing the village chief apologetic words, Isaac expression become clouded as if he was going say 「as expected」 . 「Yes, thank you . Actually, the situation at the other village was also the same . It was so bad that there were people starving . . . . . . But I’m glad to see that the condition in this place is not that bad . Do you had enough food to eat?」 Isaac said while looking at the surrounding fields . In the numerous fields that surrounded the village, a lot of villagers were diligently working the fields, while the children play near them . There is no pitiful scene of people starving to death that he could see . 「Yes, by gathering the wild herb in the mountain we can somehow stay alive and fed . Although we no longer worry about the water situation, we can’t expect a harvest in 2 months . But I think that we can harvest the beans as usual in 4 months . Until then, we expect to start planting another quick growing plant for the village food needs . 」 「I see, it nice to know it . . . . . . . . . Oh yeah, something smell nice in there . Is that the meal?」 While Issac writing something in the parchment on his hand, his nose twitched because of drifting scent from inside the house . 「E? A, yes . It just cooked a moment ago . After this we will eat and . . . . . . . 」 「Fumu, Is it like that? Excuse me a little . 」 Isaac said that and then pushed aside village chief and Valetta who was standing at the entrance . He entered the living room in a rude manner . The village chief was still dazed by Isaac who enter without permission, while Valetta still had her composure . Isaac, who arrived at the living room, take a look at the side dish of stir-fried wild herb and Arcadian Bug on the plate, said ‘I see’ and nodded . 「This is . . . . . . Arcadian Bug isn’t it? This reminds me, it can be caught in the mountain around here . 」 「Yes, not so many can be caught lately, but because it is nutritious, somehow, we can live with it . 」 This is the first time Valetta spoke her words .

To the Valetta that forced her smile, Isaac who was showing his sympathy expression said, 「Is that so . . . . . . ?」 「I’m sorry to enter the house without permission . Actually there is other villages that reported a small harvest . There also similar event that were coming into the light several days ago . . . . . . 」 In short, because of the possibility of manipulating the harvest report so that the tribute could be decreased as much as possible, the Noble side was highly concerned about this, even more so in the time of famine like this . 「Such thing is . . . . . . We were grateful that Nelson-sama always worried our livelihood . For someone to betray him is . . . . . . 」 Valetta said it as if it was a fact with a sorrowful countenance . 「I am sorry for suspecting you . Please don’t take offense for it . 」 Isaac apologized while slightly bowing . The village chief panicked and replied to the bowing Isaac . 「No no, Isaac-san only performed his duties . Please lift your head . 」 Hearing that, Isaac lifted his head and thanked Valetta and the village chief . 「Then, let’s start the touring of the village with haste . Valin-san, accompany me please . 」 「I understand . 」 Seeing that Isaac left the house with village chief accompanying him, Valetta breathed a little in relief and went to the room where Kazura was waiting . ✦✧✦✧ 「Hmm . . . A noble’s messenger huh? I like to see what kind of appearance he has . 」 Kazura was waiting in the inner room, just like what Valetta had requested, and was just obediently lying in the room . Listening about the noble Nelson's messenger, he was interested in what kind of appearance he had but he can’t refuse Valetta’s request . After all, even until this day, Kazura was wearing casual clothes from Japan, like the T-Shirt that had a large print of: 「HUNGRY!?」 he wore today . If that Nelson's messenger guy Isaac saw him, Kazura certainly would be considered a suspicious person . Valetta also must be worried about this . 「Kazura-san, I’m sorry I kept you waiting . You can come out now . 」 While indulging in pensive slouching, Valetta called Kazura . 「The Messenger had went home?」 「No, he is now touring the fields with father . So, until my father return then . . . . . . . 」

「A, it’s okay . I won’t make any sound . . . 」 Kazura replied with a smile to the apologetic Valetta . To Kazura’s smile, Valetta was also relieved and smiled back while thanking him . 「Then, shall we eat? Although I’m sorry for father, the food is tastier when it is warm . 」 Because the village chief was still touring the fields and the village, he won’t be ale to come back for a while . 「Is that so, shall we eat then?」Kazura said while getting himself up, and together with Valetta, went to the living room . ✦✧✦✧ At that time, Valin and Issac were touring the village and the fields . The villagers that working at the field, stole a glance here and there at those two people . They ploughing the field with hoes, and manually uprooted the weeds that grew around the budding vegetables . No one carried the new farming tools that Kazura had granted to them . 「Fumu, the sprout are growing well . Because he reservoir is full and thanks to the water channel's irrigation, the drought isn't influencing the crops too much . 」 「Yes . It’s all thanks to everyone's hard works . 」 Hearing village chief, Isaac traced the aqueduct with his eyes . To make this intricate water channel throgh the village, he can’t imagine how much hardship that the villagers endured while building it . A deep respect burst out from his heart . The resident of this village was less than 100 people, so the number of people who can be assigned to dig the water channel was an even smaller . When he saw the situation of food, practically nonexistent, in the village chief house, he couldn't imagine how this level of public engineering works was possible . Well, the truth is, it was all possible because of the large amount of food and tools that Kazura brought . That made the work progress smoothly . But Isaac had no way of knowing this fact . 「Everyone, really do their best . . . . . . . Then, on the matter of the crops tribute at the next 2 months, after seeing that the prospect for harvests is grim, I think that the tribute will have to be timber, like the previous time . 」 Isaac, that observing the aqueduct, changed his topic to the taxation issue . Even though his worries about water shortage had gone after charmed by the aqueduct, the crops would not grow instantly . Isaac judged that the entire village had severe food shortage from what he saw at the village chief's house, so he decided that the tax this time was to be changed from crops into timber . 「Because it’s seems impossible to provide the timber amount like before, how about we change the amount of timber to 8 tenths of the previous tribute?」 「I understand . This time, the tribute amount will be only 8 tenths from the previous tribute amount . I will definitely accept it . 」 Isaac heard the village chief’s answer and smiled . 「Then, I will come back in 1 month later to confirm the situation . Though, it might be difficult in the future, I hope for the best cooperation from everyone in this village . 」 Isaac said it while firmly shake his hand with village chief .