'Alright, Al. Let's get to the next place!

　I finish the cucumbers and am rummaging around for what vegetable I'm going to get next when Thor calls out to me to do so.

'Yeah?　Didn't they feed you other summer vegetables like tomatoes and water eggplant?

　This isn't what I was talking about in the courtyard of the mansion.

　I want you to feed me other summer vegetables besides cucumbers........

''Wrong. We're going to a better place.''

Yeah, yeah.

...a better place?

Just follow me anyway!

　Thor says that and starts to move with Asmo, I follow him, tilting my head.

　The place where Thor and Asmo are headed is more outside the village than the field we just visited.

　There was a large field where many vegetables such as tomatoes, corn, cabbage, peppers and squash were grown.

　It seems that they produce a lot of vegetables here.

The tomatoes and corn are particularly delicious here. Let's harvest them right away.

'What?　Wait a minute. This isn't someone else's field, is it?

　I stop Thor and Asmo as they walk into the field normally.

　Earlier, Thor and Asmo said that they were growing vegetables in a small way. The fields here are not their fields by any stretch of the imagination.

What are you talking about, Al? All the villagers who live in the village of Coriat have lived here for a long time, and they all help each other out.

Villagers who have shared hardships with us are like a family. They're family, so it's only natural for them to share food with each other.

I don't see how I can explain the unique culture of the village. Why don't we just talk to them and ask them to share?

　When I say that, Thor and Asmo cross their arms and think about it.

''........I see, if Al, who is a nobleman, is here, he can eat it proudly from the front.''

That's Al. To use your power to take it so brazenly...

'I don't know what you're getting wrong, but I'm going to pay you like a normal person.

　I'll take it if they give it to me, but I'm not going to come in here and ask for it for free.

"Excuse me.

'Oh?　And isn't that Alfried-sama? What's wrong with you, even here?

　There was a villager who was just harvesting tomatoes in the field, so I called out to him, and he noticed me and came all the way over here.

I heard that they have delicious tomatoes and water eggplants, and I was hoping they would sell them to me.

'Oh, I see!　Then I've just harvested some, and you're free to take it.

Yeah!　It's still different when Al is around!

Usually, Igma is such a cheapskate.

　When Igma, a villager, said he was free to have it, Thor and Asmo squealed with joy.

　The moment I saw that, I saw Igma's expression become annoyed.

'However, Thor and Asmo, you must pay for it.

Hey, that's it!　You've got to be kidding me!

Discrimination is not good.

It's a distinction, not a discrimination. Help me with the harvest, if you must. And then I'll share some of it with you.

"Boo-boo!

You got a problem with that, go away, you little bastards.

　Thor and Asmo voice their discontent, but Igma makes a gesture of shooing his hand away. Maybe if they were good kids, they could have gotten one or two without being told anything in particular. It's probably because of Thor's and Asmo's usual behavior that they're being treated this way.

''Oh well, let's just help them harvest and share here.

f*ck it.

Well, why don't you go down and get your crop.

'What?　Master Alfried doesn't need you to work like these guys....

No, I want to help you pick.

　I made it sound like I don't often get things for free, so it's kind of pathetic that I'm the only one here to get them for free.

　Besides, I've never done much vegetable harvesting, so I just want to try it. I have a vegetable garden in the courtyard of the mansion, but it looks like we're still a long way from harvesting.

''Well, if it's okay with you, Alfried-sama.

　So let's get to harvesting the tomatoes.

　Me, Thor and Asmo walked into the tomato field with Igma.

　Then Igma bends down and shows us the red tomatoes underneath.

The ones that are red all the way to the bottom and the ones that are bent upward," he said. These are the ones that are ready for harvest. Keep an eye on the stalks as well, as they may be easily removed from the stalks, which indicates they are ripe.

Okay.

　I thought I could just harvest the ones that are red, but there seems to be a good point to tell them apart. I replied, impressed, but Thor and Asmo looked at me as if it was only natural.

''The two of you know this because you grow them at home too.

'Of course. I mean, even if I didn't grow it at home, I'd know it.

Why?

　I ask, and Asmo, who was nodding in agreement with Thor's words, opens his mouth.

'I'm just trying to get a little something tasty to barter for,'

　Ah, well. Bartering is the norm in the village, and when you trade foodstuffs, you want to get a little bit of good food, right?

　That's Asmo indeed. You're so obsessed with food that I can't believe you're a child.

The rest is for the best food when you get a little bit of it.

　Saying this, Thor plucks a red tomato and eats it.

　The tomatoes are a magnificent red color and the tops are neatly sticking up. It's a good thing that he has a good eye for aesthetics, as he didn't hesitate to choose one of the many tomatoes available.

"Hey!　I told you it was after the harvest!

Hey, yeah, I know. I'll make sure I get it right.

　Thor grabs a glove and walks away while Igma is pissed at him.

　Seriously, that guy is an abomination.

'Well, please harvest like that. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me or both of us.

Okay.

　With that said, Igma handed me a pair of scissors and a pair of gloves, so Asmo and I immediately went to work on the harvest.

　I put on a pair of gloves and grab a pair of scissors, and we walked to the row of tomatoes in front of me.

Oh, Mr. Alfried. You forgot your harvest basket.

　Oops, shoot. I was completely out of it, probably because all I was thinking about was picking tomatoes.

　I used my non-magical psychic to place the harvest basket at a distance under the control of my magic, and then slowly moved it over here.

''Wow, that's handy.''

　Maybe it's because the psychic magic is unfamiliar to him, Igma says his thoughts while dumbfounded.

　Hmph, no magic is useful, right?　As long as you have a psychic, you don't have to go and get a basket, or even have one.

'Al's magic is like an itch, isn't it?

'I'm sure it's a compliment, but I'm not sure I'm happy about that expression.

'For now, I'll stay close to Al. I won't have to carry a basket if I'm close enough.

　Saying that, Asmo comes to my side.

　Well, it's good to have someone with experience, so it's reassuring.

　For now, let's harvest. The tomatoes underneath seem to be turning red when it's time to harvest, so I bend down to watch them.

　I move the leaves out of the way and peer into the lush foliage, and there are a number of red tomatoes there. The tomatoes are so beautiful, glowing in the sunlight.

　First of all, the tomatoes are red all over, and I want to make sure that they are red all the way to the base of the plant. I have to make sure that the stalks are not sticking up.

　I gently touch the tomatoes to make sure they're red.

The color is good. Are these ready to be harvested?

Yeah, no problem.

　I show it to Asmo who was behind me and ask him and he says it's no problem, so I use the scissors to separate the tomato from the stem.

'Ah,'

Oh, and what?　Could I be wrong?

　I'm afraid you're going to tell me when to cut it.

'No, when you cut them, cut them so you don't leave the ends of the tomatoes on the stem. Otherwise you'll damage the other tomatoes when you put them in the basket or something.

　Then Asmo shows me a single tomato.

　It had a stem cut off at the very edge of the fruit, and there was very little stem left.

　It's true that if it's this long, it's going to sting the other tomatoes when they bump into it.

　When I understood what Asmo was saying, I dropped the long remaining stem at the very edge of the fruit.

　Then Asmo nodded hawkishly and went back to harvesting his own tomatoes.

　Quickly, Asmo found the tomatoes and cut them into small pieces with scissors.

　I've got to harvest them with a bang, too.

　I put the tomatoes in the basket, and I check the tomatoes one by one to see if they're turning red and harvest them.

　I move the leaves and stems out of the way to find them and determine if they meet the requirements for harvesting.

　It's monotonous, and every time I rake through the leaves, it's a little bit more exciting and fun to find a red tomato. This is what it's like to just harvest tomatoes from someone else's garden. When you grow them yourself from scratch, the excitement and enjoyment is probably greater than anyone else's.

　Right now, I'm leaving most of the vegetable garden on the patio to Bartolo, and I think I can help him out a bit, too.