NOVEL NEXT 22: Goodbye, Ren
The next day, Grandpa called me.
I wondered what it could be about as I trotted to the reception room, where Father and Grandpa were waiting. In the corner of the room stood Burton and Grandpa’s attendant. Grandpa’s attendant is a cool old man. He’s always smiling, but I suspect he’s secretly devious. If you accidentally make eye contact, he might steal your soul. So, I avoid looking at him!
Today seemed to be a serious conversation. Had I done something wrong? I could think of plenty of reasons… My heart pounded as I sat down next to Father. Usually, Grandpa would pat his lap and tell me to sit on it, but today he sat across from me with a serious expression.
“Haku, this is a request from the Marquis family. We would like you to provide us with some magic-repelling grass. We will pay you and formalize the agreement with a contract.”
I looked back and forth between Grandpa and Father.
“It’s up to you, Haku. Father can’t decide this on his own,” Father said with a gentle smile.
I felt relieved that I wasn’t in trouble, but this matter did concern me.
“I can make the magic-repelling grass, but how will you transport it? Will you use a magic bag? Transporting it by cart in the summer might kill it, and planting in the heat isn’t good either.”
We hadn’t finished planting in the Radcliffe territory yet. We were still planting along the road after finishing around the village. We were taking a break for the summer and would resume in the fall.
“We have more than enough stock of magic-repelling grass seedlings, so that’s not a problem. But they won’t thrive without a high concentration of magical energy.”
Despite its name, magic-repelling grass needs magic to grow—one of the world’s mysteries. Not that it’s surprising in a magical world.
“We’ve considered that. In Ragnard, we plan to plant it around the dungeon and the dangerous areas bordering the great forest. We won’t do it all at once, but in sections.”
Both the Marquisate and the Radcliffe territory border the same forest, though our estate sizes differ greatly.
I guessed the area around the dungeon was to prepare for monster stampedes. They happen more often there than in the forest. The dungeon’s surroundings are surprisingly close to urban areas, and some places even have dungeons in the middle of towns. I’ve heard that the two highest-level dungeons in the Ragnard Marquisate are several kilometers away from the city to prepare for stampedes.
We’re neighbors with danger, just like our house. So, I must lend a hand! I’ve always been dependent and haven’t repaid the favor.
“Then, come get the seedlings when it cools down. Whether by cart or magic bags, it’s fine. I’ll include compost and fertilizer. I’ll also give planting instructions.”
I told them to come in spring and fall as often as needed.
Father and Grandpa could handle the contract and payment. Burton nodded firmly. Yes, leave it to him.
Two days later, Ren and Grandpa left for Ragnard. I didn’t care about Kyle; he could stay away forever.
This year, I didn’t cry when we said goodbye. Instead, Ren looked dejected.
“Send me letters, and Riol will reply!”
Riol looked at me with a straight face, but writing long letters is hard for a child like me.
Please, help me.
Goodbye, Ren.
See you next summer.
Afterward, Riol demanded a reward every time he helped me write letters!
Please be a bit kinder to your cute little brother!?
In August, we sold melons and watermelons like crazy.
The melons were packaged elegantly for the nobles, and the watermelons were priced affordably for commoners.
A trading company with a branch in Luke Village helped with the sales. It’s surprising that a trading company has a branch in such a remote village. Luke Village has a population of just under two hundred, so it’s not strange to have a store there. At least there’s no bartering system.
They seem to be doing good business with the hides, meat, and magic stones of magical beasts, which is why they opened a branch in such a remote and dangerous place. They bring food and sundries from neighboring territories and sell them to the villagers. Since there’s no competition here, they can sell at high prices. Eventually, we’ll have to get along well with the merchants too.
And so, the intense summer passed. The summer in a cold region is short. It goes by in a flash. Spring is a sprint, summer is a dash, and autumn is a blink of an eye. By the way, winter is a crawl.
We’ll let the harvested fields rest for a while, then plant autumn vegetables. Recently, the villagers have been helping, so we can probably ask them to do the farming. I just need to prepare the compost, fertilizer, seeds, and seedlings.
What autumn vegetables can we plant in a cold region? Daikon is good. It’s too late to sow carrot seeds, but we can force them with magic in the garden. Spinach and bok choy will grow too. What else? Was it watercress and garlic chives? Oh, and the staple of hot pots, chrysanthemum greens! But without soy sauce or miso, we can’t make Japanese-style hot pots. What is a Western-style hot pot? I can only think of pot-au-feu or stew. We don’t need chrysanthemum greens, do we?
Oh, I have to plant an Onshu mandarin tree in the botanical garden! We’ll eat mandarins in winter. Even without a kotatsu, mandarins! Mandarins are a winter essential!
Next year, we should officially hire people. How about the children leaving the village orphanage? I’ll talk to Father and Burton about it. Yes, let’s do that.