Chapter 511: No Amount of Praise Would Ever Be Enough
I processed the wood and built a simple pulley. Even something like this should be quite useful. I quickly attached a wooden bucket to a rope and set it up. It seems Rosalia had never seen a pulley before — her eyes sparkled as she stared at it, fascinated, probably wondering how it worked.
“Now drawing water should be a little easier.”
“Truly… thank you for everything.”
The nearby villagers bowed deeply. I told them it was nothing much, just something I did while on inspection, and had them give it a try.
One of the buckets tied to the rope was tossed into the well. With a splash, they began pulling the rope on the opposite side.
The bucket rose smoothly, filled to the brim with water. The pulley had distributed the weight, making it much easier to lift. The villager pulling smiled in delight.
“I don’t even know how to thank you. This is wonderful — fetching water has become so much easier!”
The villagers rejoiced. Seeing that, Rosalia said she wanted to try it herself. It’s good for her to experience things firsthand, so I let her try — with Lionel and me standing by to assist, of course.
“All right? First, try pulling it up without the pulley.”
“Understood! …Oh, i-it’s heavy! I can’t pull it up at all!”
Rosalia gave up almost immediately. Well, that was expected. Next, I had her run the rope through the pulley before trying again. This time, it should lift a little more easily.
“Okay, all set. Go ahead and try again.”
“Here I go… Huh? It feels lighter than before! Ah, it’s moving — I lifted it a little!”
She must have felt the difference, because Rosalia began to cheer excitedly. Mira joined in, clapping and laughing beside her. Even Fabienne, watching from the side, looked intrigued by the pulley.
“Would you like to try too, Fabienne?”
“Yes, I’d love to.”
I let Fabienne experience it as well. Normally, a noble lady wouldn’t be doing such labor, but she looked like she was having fun, pulling the bucket up with effort. Watching her made me smile too.
“How is it? It should feel about half as heavy now.”
“It really does! How strange… Farmers must always go through this much work, don’t they?”
“That’s right. That’s why we should never forget to be grateful when we eat.”
“Yes, you’re quite right, Julius-sama.”
“I’ll make sure to eat with even more gratitude from now on.”
“Kyuu!”
What a fine response. With this, even Rosalia, who’s not fond of vegetables, might start eating them properly. If that happens, this inspection trip will have been well worth it.
After making another pulley for the second well, we headed to the next installation site. By then, word had spread through the village that I was digging wells, and the village chief came rushing toward us in a panic.
“Julius-sama! I hear you’re digging a well for us!”
“This area can’t draw water from the main canal, and it’s far from the existing one too.
So I decided to dig wells instead. This way, water will be easy to access.”
“I don’t know how to thank you enough…”
“Think nothing of it. Doing what I can for the people is my duty as the son of the lord.”
The chief’s eyes glistened with emotion — and not just his. Many villagers were looking at me with the same expression. It was a bit embarrassing, so I decided to focus on digging the well.
Since it was my second time, I had no trouble at all. Having gotten the hang of it, I used magic without hesitation — stabilizing the surroundings, raising the edges, and digging straight down to the intended depth. Done in one go.
“Lionel, I’m going to attach the pulley next. Build the wooden base, please.”
“Leave it to me.”
The knights moved swiftly, and in no time the pulley was installed. Just like before, we tossed in a wooden bucket to test the water quality. Good — no problem there.
“It’s still a bit cloudy, but it should clear up in a few days.”
“Huh? Ah, thank you—wait, what?”
The village chief looked back and forth between the completed well and us in disbelief. I guess we finished it too quickly. Can’t be helped — I wanted it done before lunch so we could all play together in the afternoon.
The villagers gathered around the new well, murmuring in amazement. Most of them looked like they couldn’t believe it. Will this become a rumor, I wonder? No, probably not — this farming village is quite far from the capital, and the roads aren’t well developed yet. Word likely won’t spread.
That afternoon, we decided to explore the nearby forest together. There might be materials I’ve never seen before lying around. I held Fabienne’s hand as we walked, while Rosalia rode atop the now-larger Mira.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be leaving this village and heading back to the capital. How was this trip for you?”
“It was full of discoveries and very enjoyable. I learned how hard farmers work to grow vegetables… and felt ashamed that I never truly understood that before.”
“Thanks to the all-purpose plant nutrient Fabienne created, life for the farmers should get easier — and their crops better, too. Everyone was so happy. It’s all thanks to you, Fabienne.”
With easier living and higher-quality produce, they’ll be able to earn more. The farmers’ lives will surely improve. I really think Fabienne created a wonderful potion — no amount of praise would be enough. When we return, I’ll make sure to tell Father and the others proudly: It was my Fabienne who made it happen.
“It wasn’t just me, Julius-sama. You built water channels and dug wells too, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes, but in the grand scheme of things, I only helped in a small part of the territory. Your accomplishment far outshines mine.”
I raised both hands in surrender. Fabienne laughed when she saw it. If this helps her feel a little more confident in herself… I couldn’t be happier.