The village of Colliat is exuding an air of buoyancy, as the wheat harvest is almost upon us.

　The wheat is gradually turning from blue to gold, which makes people's expectations even higher.

　My summer has come again.

　I sowed the seeds of wheat last October, and this year's harvest will be from August to September.

　There are four seasons in this world, and the climate is similar to that of Japan. In spring, colorful flowers bloom, in summer the temperature rises, and in autumn the leaves change color. In winter, there is a small amount of snowfall.

　The changing of the seasons is a reminder of the passage of time.

　Some of the villagers don't change their clothes from summer to winter, but I wonder what is going on with them. Especially with the old man in Roland.

　The men wear clothes made of heavy linen and long pants.

　The women are dressed in a dress-like garment, which is tied around the chest or waist with a cord. Maybe it's the loose-fitting construction that makes it hard to look at sometimes, but I think that's great.

　Now, as persistent as it sounds, the season is summer. Today is the day the traitor comes.

　The traitor was, at one time, a like-minded person with me and Bartolo. Past tense. Past tense.

　Death to the traitor. Let me show you what I've seen.

　It was past noon when it came in. Saara called me and Bartolo to meet him in the yard.

　We go out the front door and see three large carriages lined up in the yard.

　I'm surprised at how many carriages there are. When he came last year, there were at most one carriage, two maids, and a mercenary to add to the load and manpower.

　You can hear the cries of horses pulling carriages even from outside the mansion, as if they have carriages to do their business in Koliat Village.


They're here again this year! Master Alfried!

　The guy spreads his arms wide open, familiar but happy to see us again.

　I see. And he tells the maid that I ratted her out.
　You seem to have forgotten.

'Hey Tory. I'm glad you're here again this year.

　Translation: "How could you show your face in front of us?

'Good to see you! Toriela!

　Translation: "I've been waiting for the day I can beat the shit out of your face.

Oh, really? I'm happy to see you too.

　Toriela is a little wary of our black aura, perhaps sensing our black aura.

　As expected of a merchant. Your instincts are keen. But it's shallow of you not to understand your mistake.

''We've come so far, haven't we? Come into the mansion.

　As I say this, Bartolo opens the door and invites Triella into the mansion.

　It's amazing, Bartolo. That flowing, quick movement to read your master's thoughts is like a butler. I don't have a butler in my house, so I don't really know what he is.

　Maybe he's a bodyguard.

"Huh? Well then, I'm going to have to go.

　Did I make you wary of being more polite than usual? It's always Mel or Saara who does this kind of thing.

　Triella looks at us and the door and enters the mansion with some hesitation.

　Death to traitors.




　Woohoo!

　A man named Triera is a man who has been doing business with a small village recently, since about the time I was born.

　Until then, it seems that Triela's father was running the business. As he got older, he began to hurt his back more often and let his son, Triela, take over.

　Unlike her father, Triella is very light. She is always accompanied by a 'sss' at the end of a word, making her look like an unreliable soldier.

　She is twenty-two years old. He has unkempt blond hair and green eyes. His face is on the flat side, more of a pretty face than a cool one.

　He used to be dressed in a slouchy, sober-looking villager's outfit, but now he wears a fine white shirt and a green jacket. He's wearing a solid black belt and a pair of green seventy-five trousers.

　Probably my idea of reversies and spaghetti to make money.

　Triella is an unreliable looking guy who could forget something in three steps.
　That's why I call her Tory for short.

　Something about the end of the word makes me say, 'Sss! Sss! And it seems like a bird that chirps.

　But Tory's intuition is keen. When she met Celia, she said these words to her.

It's a good thing that the women of this village are in trouble if you make enemies with them.

　I didn't realize in one shot that it was a Tory habit. He must have gone through a lot of shura. I've heard rumors that there are noblemen living in the royal capital who are scheming. The royal capital ... a terrible place.

　Moreover, the ideas that come out of Tory's mouth are so original that they can suggest the unexpected. That's why I sold the rights to Reversi.

　We've known each other for a long time and I can trust him, so there's no problem.

　Well, I don't have any intentions of becoming a merchant and struggling to make it up as a merchant, so it's fine.

　I'll just deliver foodstuffs here and there with transfer magic, and I'll have enough money to pay for it.

''No, thanks to Reversi, I was able to open a store in the royal capital.

　As soon as Tory arrived in the parlor, he sat down with a thud and stretched.

'Thanks to Tory's efficiency in selling and spreading the word, we're making money too. And the village is getting richer.

　By the way, Reversi has been incorporated into the Slowlet family budget, and I don't know how much is in it.

　I don't know how much sugar and salt they have been able to purchase in the village and house, so they must be getting rich.

　They also buy cows and chickens and let the villagers raise them. I'm sure Tory has been making a lot of money as well.

Alfried-san has been a long-time customer of mine, and there's also the matter of Reversi. I want to keep in touch with you for a long time to come!

　It's a win-win situation for Toriela and the Slaulet family. All I have to do is come up with an idea and they sell it well, so I'd like to keep asking for help.

　But I can't accept your betrayal of me and Bartolo last time.

　Me and Bartolo's sweet cooking life has been ruined by Torrie. We have to spend a bittersweet week.

　I'm going to make Torrie bitter as well.

　I'll never forgive you for that!

Well, I'd like to have a business meeting then, but I haven't bathed in the water due to my long trip...

　There are no hotels in this world, and if you don't have a water source on your journey, you may not even be able to bathe all the way through.

　You can avoid camping out in the field by going through the village, but there are no baths. As a Japanese man, the trip seems impossible for me.

Sure, we're in no hurry. "Sure, we're in no hurry. We've got it all ready for you.

As expected of you, Alfried. The baths here are even better than at the luxury lodges in the royal capital.

　Tory cheerfully gets up from his chair and smiles.

　'Let's play a prank in the bath.

'Oh, by the way, Master Alfried told me, Comet? The one you said...

Hey! Sit down and talk to me! Come on, come on!

　Rice? Rice!

Ugh.

　He's pulling back a little on my swordsmanship, but I don't care. I don't mind being called a pervert for the sake of rice.

'So? Do you have it with you?

Er, yeah. I've only got a few.

How many pounds? Tons? Will that be enough...?

　Rice is one of the staple foods of Japan. Rice is also called our soul food.

　We can't help but look for ingredients that go well with rice.

　However, very few people know how much rice we Japanese eat in a year.

　The amount of rice we eat in a year is equivalent to a bale of rice.

　A bale of rice weighs 60 kilograms.

　But I don't think that applies here because we live on earth, but it's probably about 60 kilos, or even 80 kilos depending on the individual.

　Of course, the rice is grown in the rice paddies.

　So, how big of a rice field do you need to have to be to grow the rice you eat on your own?

　The unit of measurement in growing rice is one reactionary pace.

　One reactionary pace is 31.5m x 31.5m, 992.25m2.

　From this unit, if there is a good harvest, about 8 to 9 bales can be obtained.

　In other words, a single crop of rice paddies could feed seven or eight people for a year.

　In concrete terms, we can harvest enough for about half a tennis court.

　Even if I, a six-year-old boy, were to eat it, I'd want forty kilos.


"Well, Mr. Alfried? Do you hear me?

Oops, sorry, I was just thinking about something.

They were so serious.

And how much? A ton?

No, it's impossible. The only thing I managed to get was about a hundred kilos.

'Less! I won't last two years!

No, I'll get it again and bring it to you.

Tory it was nice to meet you. Come on, go take a bath. Then I'll treat you to a nice cold ale and a hamburger.

　Maybe at this moment I must be wearing the best smile I've ever had on my face in this world.

　Maybe I don't care about the betrayal or any of those little things anymore. As long as there's rice, everyone is happy. There will be no more wars.

Ugh, shit. Thank you. I'm glad to meet you.

　I walk down the hallway with a big smile on my face, and Tory walks behind me with a bitter smile.

'Come on, come on, lick some candy.

Hmm? What? This?

'It's sweet and delicious when you lick it. Lick it if you think it will take away your fatigue.

　I smile and hand him one candy wrapped in paper. It's cooled with ice magic, so it won't melt even in summer.

Thank you.

　I laughed as I looked at Triella, who was eating her candy and rolling her eyes in delight.



　ーー.


　I returned to my comrade, and politely led Tory to the bath.

　I go to the kitchen where my collaborators in this project are waiting.

　Hmm, can you stop getting back at him or something because the rice is here? And I wonder if Bartolo would agree with that?
　And it was Bartolo who was the hardest to deal with.

'Master Alfried,'

Hmm? What?

　I'm walking down the hallway when Meena stops me from behind.

'I overheard from Triela-sama earlier that Alfried-sama had some sweetness for you.

　Oh, I'm in no-man's land.

Oh, no, not again!

Oh, I see. I'll report to Lady Elinora.

'Joke joke! No! Just kidding! It's a joke! Meena! I've got three pieces of candy left in here!

　He turns on his heel and offers Meena three candy bars.

　When Meena looks at them, she frowns slightly. I think she's thinking, 'What a shameless guy.

''Alfried-sama.''

Yes?

Bounce on it.

Hmm?

　Patterning. Katya, chirp, gasa.

There's more.

Oh, yes, I'm sorry. That's the last one.

　As soon as Meena took it, she put a piece of candy in her mouth, melted her face into a helpless mess and left.

'It's a mugging!

　No one else had seen the scene of my damage.

　My anger at Triela was building up again. I've been mugged for saying something unnecessary. Meena is a maid, right?　I'm a nobleman. How did this happen? No, before I was a maid, Meena was a woman and I was a man, a nobleman...

"Oh, boy. Just in time to make a hamburger steak with a lot of akara seeds!

　Acara berries are very hot, slightly shriveled, cherry tomato-shaped berries. If you add a little bit of it, it makes a nice tangy snack, but if you use the wrong amount, it's incredibly spicy.

　This time I was going to feed Tory some of the berries.

''You can't do that with Akala meat...''

'Oh? What's the matter with you? That's what the kid said, right?

"A hamburger with a single akara seed in it isn't enough! Because of Tory, Meena found out about the new example!

What the f*ck?

　Bartolo looks at me with a shocked expression.

　I'm sorry, Bartolo. Maybe it was a mistake to let that guy off the hook even a little bit.

　Tory!

Well then, this hamburger is too lukewarm for him. I'll put more Akara nuts in it! And make sure the mushrooms are spicy as hell!

　Bartolo's expression turns to anger and he produces another hamburger with a crisp movement.

　It's amazing how Bartolo can up the ante. It's terrifying to have a grudge against food-related grudges. Anyway, what shall we do with this hamburger?
　The prototype hamburgers were placed on the kitchen table. It's quite uncomfortable, disguised with carrots to avoid showing the redness of color, which is a characteristic of the Akala fruit in one shot.

　I'll give it to Brother Silvio later.

　That's what I thought. I ducked over the edge of the table and got to work on my food.


　As soon as the seeds of the hamburger steak were ready, I began to cook them one after another.

"Wow, that smells great! It's a hamburger! I like this!

　Then sister Elinora walks into the kitchen, probably caught by the good smell again.

　I wonder if Sister Elinora is a dog?

Sorry, I'm just making hamburgers.

　I'm almost done grilling, I can't take my eyes off it. I'm still very picky about the meat in this one.

'Hmm, it's boring. I'm a little hungry, can I have some? I had sword practice in the morning.

　I wonder if she saw me being serious and knew she couldn't be bothered. Elinora sister puts her elbows on the platform as if she is bored.

''Hmm? Or there's a hamburger there that you can eat.

The one Al made?

Yeah, I do.

　I just want them to eat quickly and leave quickly.

'Then I'll take the one on this end of the table...'

Okay. Come in. My lovely brother, Alfried, made this for you as a token of his appreciation.

Oh, hey, kid. The one at the end of the...


"...hmm? The edge? Huh? Ah! Ta-da!

　Before hearing our reply, sister Elinora unmannerly grabs the hamburger directly with her hand and puts it in her mouth.

''Spicy ah! Wow! Eeek!

　Sister Elinora raises her voice loudly and then yells something in a hysterical voice. What did she say at the end?

　I don't know what you're talking about, but I can tell that you're very angry.

　After about five minutes of sipping water and other things, Elinora has calmed down and is staring at me with reddened eyes.

　Her tongue still tingles or her breathing seems to be hard. Only the spicy ones.

'I see, I understand exactly how Al feels.

　I'm very afraid of a good smile. Is that it? Does sister Elinora look like mother Erna?

'No, I mean ... that ... that ... to me, sister Elinora is the spice of life, or Akala's fruit, or ... oh, yes! He's a bitter man to me!

　I turned my shaving gaze back to look at my sister Elinora.

　At that moment, a hamburger was twisted into my mouth. And my mouth was violated by Akala's fruit.

　I don't really remember what happened after that.
　The next thing I knew, the time was night, and I was asleep on the bed.

　I think I should have gotten down on my knees quickly and not said anything unnecessary at that time. I don't know if I would still be allowed to do so.