The Bezel Great Forest, which separates the Kingdom of Lordberg and the Western Kingdom of Lancel, is vast in both width and length, but it does not cover the entire border between the two countries.
As one moves south, the forest narrows and eventually becomes a region dotted with small forests and low hills. These areas are sufficiently passable by military forces and have become conflict zones in recent years as relations between the two countries have deteriorated.
The village where Edgar lived was located near such an area. This small village, carved out of the southern edge of the Bezel Great Forest, was one day attacked by forces from the Kingdom of Lancel, who forcibly crossed the forest.
The villagers resisted, but their opponents were regular soldiers. Inevitably, the disparity in strength led to the men being killed and the women and children being sold into slavery.
Amidst this, Edgar, ordered by his father, the village chief, fled the village with some of the villagers.
Days of walking north along the Bezel Great Forest followed. Fleeing with barely any possessions, the refugees, including Edgar, succumbed one by one to exhaustion.
However, no town or village was willing to accept dozens of refugees. Repeatedly turned away at the gates, Edgar and the others finally drifted to the northern edge of the western kingdom, to a town called Retvik.
“Alright everyone, it’s finally time for the first harvest festival of the Earlkvist territory!”
Gathering the villagers in front of the first field he had cultivated in this settlement, Noein announced in high spirits.
It had been two months since Yuri and the others arrived in this territory, and roughly three months since Noein and Mathilda entered the forest. The day to harvest the first potatoes they planted had arrived.
“Oh, this is great.”
“Hey, come on, get more excited! This is a historic day!”
“Lord Noein, I am truly happy. Today will be a day remembered in the history of the Earlkvist territory.”
“Thank you, Mathilda. It’s been three months since we entered the forest together, and now this day has finally come. It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“Yes,. It truly is a splendid thing.”
Ignoring Yuri and the others, Noein began talking sentimentally with Mathilda.
Indeed, it was a momentous occasion and the villagers felt celebratory, but the harvest was from Noein’s own field.
If it were their own fields, they would be much more moved, but it was hard to share the same level of excitement as Noein and Mathilda for this event.
While they were interested in seeing how potatoes grew in the soil, they were more eager to get on with the harvest.
“We’re happy and all, and we’ll celebrate properly, but just hurry up and dig them out.”
“Got it. Make sure to watch carefully, alright?”
With that, Noein, unusually using his own hands instead of a golem, began to dig up the soil.
From beneath the removed soil, numerous plump potatoes emerged.
Removing the surrounding soil, he grasped the base of the stem and pulled, revealing seven or eight potatoes hanging there.
Staring at them with deep emotion, Noein let out a strange laugh.
“Couldn’t you have a more proper reaction?”
“Let me enjoy it my way.”
“Fine, do what you want… These grow in an interesting way. They look quite different from when they were just green lumps when planted.”
The green lumps with sprouts they planted had looked inedible, but now they seemed acceptable as food.
“If you leave them in the sun, they turn green and sprout, making them suitable for planting. Conversely, if you keep them in the shade, they can be stored for quite a long time.”
“I see. They’re like big beans.”
“They look like that, but they’re actually vegetables where the stem has swelled with nutrients.”
Yuri didn’t know of any vegetables where the stem became a lump like this, but if Noein said so, it must be true.
“If they’re this easy to grow and can replace bread as a staple food, I can see why they’re called the ‘salvation crop’.”
“Right? If we keep increasing these, we won’t have to worry about famine in our territory. I’m so happy. The first crop from the Earlkvist territory.”
With a dreamy look, Noein brushed the soil off the potatoes, looking at them like a child with a treasure.
He might be twisted, but seeing him like this, Yuri thought he had a certain charm appropriate for his age, though he didn’t say it out loud.
Even after the harvest festival ended and Yuri and the others returned to work on their fields, Noein continued to harvest the grown potatoes with Mathilda, making strange noises like “uhihi” and “uhoo”.
At night, Noein proposed trying the harvested potatoes.
“We cook them like regular vegetables, right?”
“Apparently. Just make sure to remove these sprouts as they can upset your stomach if eaten, then boil or roast them to cook.”
Following Noein’s instructions, Pence, with a knife in hand, asked.
“Understood. Bart, Mai, help me out.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
The three quickly finished removing the sprouts from the potatoes, then following Noein’s instruction, they put the potatoes in a pot filled with water.
All that was left was to place the pot over the fire and wait for the potatoes to boil.
They planned to eat two potatoes per person, totaling fourteen. The majority of the harvest would be saved for the next planting.
After gauging the right timing—though Noein wasn’t sure of the exact cooking time, he guessed—they pulled the potatoes out when they seemed sufficiently cooked and served them, cutting them in half.
“Oh, these look delicious.”
“Right? They look good, don’t they?”
“But you’ve never had them before either.”
“Ahaha, well, yeah.”
The hard potatoes had become soft and fluffy from the heat, with steam rising from their cut surfaces, giving off a somewhat savory scent.
“Lord Noein, the grilled meat is also ready.”
As Mathilda said this, she cut the sizzling Gratony Rabbit meat on the grill into portions.
Since just potatoes would be insufficient in both taste and quantity, Noein had asked Mathilda to prepare the meat.
“Thank you, Mathilda. Let’s eat then.”
Each plate was served with potatoes, Gratony Rabbit meat, and some pickled vegetables from Retvik.
“Lord Noein, please start.”
Sitting next to Noein, Mathilda invited him to begin. Noein nodded and reached for a potato.
To celebrate the first harvest, they had luxuriously sprinkled expensive pepper on the boiled potatoes.
“…Heheh. Hmhmh.”
“Stop making weird noises and say something about the taste.”
“It’s delicious. Amazing. It’s fluffy and dense. A new taste experience. Everyone, try it.”
Prompted by Noein, everyone reached for their own potatoes.
“This is my first time eating something like this, but it’s very tasty, Lord Noein.”
“…It certainly has an interesting texture.”
“It’s different from bread and meat.”
“It’s an unfamiliar taste, but it’s good.”
Despite the varied comments, the consensus was that the potatoes were delicious.
“They’re satisfying and seem like they’d be filling.”
As Bart said, the potatoes were dense and made one feel like they had eaten well. It made sense that they could be a staple food.
“I wonder if there are other ways to cook these.”
Mai muttered, and Noein responded.
“In a book I read from the south, it said you can mash the boiled potatoes into a paste.”
“Interesting. That sounds easier to eat than biting into them whole. Adding ingredients to it might be tasty too.”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s try that next time. Also, you can slice them thin and fry them until crispy.”
That would go well with alcohol, Yuri thought.
Enjoying the taste of the potatoes and discussing cooking methods and future cultivation plans, the night passed.
