Kays Translations

Chapter 20: Allocation to residents

　

When I went to greet the refugees in the room where they were eating, I caught their gazes.

“I hope everyone enjoyed the meal.　Hey, aren’t you looking a little too energetic?”

“It’s the power of your potatoes isn’t it? It restores magic, so it should also restore your physical condition right?”

“No, that’s not the case…”

When I listened to Vigna, I responded as if she said something ridiculous.

Even though they were on the verge of starvation until a while ago, they were now looking really well. Agni looks so muscular. It was as though he evolved from a skeleton to an orc.

“This potato is amazing, it’s got a lot of energy and my body is back to its old self. Could this be a special kind of potato? Thank you for giving such a precious thing to us!”

Agni thanked me with a happy expression. No, I don’t know. What’s with that effect? Scary!

No, I thought it would cheer them up, so I chose the best one grown with ancient fire dragon fertilizer I could find. 

Regaining my composure, I said to the refugees.

“I’m glad you like it. Then let’s decide on land allocation and professions first. What do you want to do in my territory? Tell me and I’ll grant your wishes as much as possible.”

“Eh? Can we decide our profession? Aren’t you supposed to tell us what to do?”

“Wait, you’re giving the land? To us? Are you saying we’re not tenant farmers but self-farmers?”

The refugees shouted in disbelief at my words. Some of them pinched their cheeks as if they were dreaming. I couldn’t help but grin at the unexpected response. It was just a quick way to gain their loyalty, but it seems to have been more effective than I expected. I guess we don’t have to worry about treason for now.

“Hey, is this really such a big deal? We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“It’s a big deal, Vigna-sama! I can’t believe we’re not only allowed to live here, but we’re even given land! It’s like a dream.”

“Land can only be bought by paying a lot of money so you can work for generations and obtain a remote land that’s even worse than this. Thank you so much, Grace-sama!”

The two young men who responded to Vigna’s words were Johnny and Alfred. From what I could find with the World Library, they had both been farmers in their previous villages, so they seemed to understand the importance of receiving land. They were so excited that they were crying.

Hahahaha, you should be more grateful and respectful. To be honest, If I don’t give it, I’m only going to have a surplus of land on my own and if word gets out that people can get land if they come to our territory, we’ll definitely get more people. This is a stepping stone for that.

“So they can’t they really choose their professions freely? For example, a child picked up from an orphanage becoming a knight of the Kings guard.”

“You can’t do that realistically, that only happens in hero stories. In general, the eldest son of a farmer inherits the farm and the second and younger sons become peasants. You can’t get a job you like. By the way, if you’re picked up from an orphanage or if you’re not a nobleman and you get hired by a nobleman, you’ll probably be a servant or a comfort thing at best. It wouldn’t be possible to become a knight of the king’s guard unless the person is recommended by a powerful aristocrat.”

“Hmm, I see. Thank you.”

When I thanked Agni, who answered with a strange expression on his face, Vigna stared at me with a face that seemed to be amazed.

I didn’t want her to think she owed me, so it was just revealed after I’d been hiding it all this time. When this talk is over, I’ll pretend to be drunk by drinking some wine.

“So what do you guys want? I’ll be glad to change it if you think it’s not suitable for you later on. Just tell us what you want.”

“Well, then, may I be allowed to be a carpenter? I’ve been training with a master in my previous village. I think I’m pretty good.”

“We want to be farmers! We’ll get our own land and work hard.”

“Yeah, our family has been farming for generations and if we can get land, we’ll do our best.”

“Oh, Agni can be a carpenter in our territory. There’s a village site a little further down the road, you can work on it for a while. Johnny and Alfred can decide on a plot later. We’ll be using a special kind of farming method, so listen as I explain it later. After that… What do Neil and Noel want to do? We’ll do our best to accommodate your wishes.”

I call out to the rest of the guys, younger than me, who are keeping their heads down with a difficult look on their faces. I know what they really want to do, but it’s hard for them to say.

“I want to do farming, too. I want to earn enough money to feed Noel.”

“Big brother”

It was Neil who opened his mouth. Hmm, did he choose farming because of his sister?  But what he really wants is to be a warrior who can protect his sister. However it’s difficult to say that, I’ll give him a boost.

“I understand that farming is good, but I would like you to work as a guard in our house. In the meantime, I’d like you to learn how to use a sword from Vigna.”

“Oh, you don’t mind? I’m just a commoner.” 

“That expression… you really wanted to learn to use a sword, didn’t you?”

He opened his eyes at my words. He chose to become a farmer, not because he wanted to, but because it was a more stable career choice for his sister. I’ll let Vigna decide if he’s suitable.

“Obviously, you guys have come this far even though you don’t know if it’s the truth or a lie. You’re my memorable first residents. I can afford to do anything I want to do. And even if you get that much, I won’t make a loss..”

“Okay, I’ll do my best!”

Neil nodded strongly. I’m he’s motivated. And then there’s Noel. She’s a cook I believe. It may have been difficult to say what she wanted before since her brother said he wants to be a farmer. 

“And Noel, you’ll be a maid in our home. We have one maid, but we’re short on hands, I’ll introduce you later.”

“Eh?”

At my words, Noel looked at me with a puzzled expression as if she couldn’t believe what I was saying. Looking at Vigna, she sighs and holds her head for some reason.

What’s with this atmosphere? Did I do something wrong?

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter