A series of events occurred one after another, including Christy’s “re-education,” Noein’s Eldo fever, and Damian’s relocation. Once those matters had settled, Noein returned to peaceful days, steadily continuing the development of his territory.
Thanks to the vassals and slaves, many of the miscellaneous tasks had been taken off Noein’s hands, significantly reducing his workload. Now, his main duties were expanding the flatlands by clearing forests, interviewing prospective immigrants, and making decisions as a lord concerning the development of the territory.
“Lord Noein, I’ve come to report on the potato cultivation experiment!”
That day, the one who entered the lord’s office was Christy, who assisted Anna with finances and administrative work, while also conducting crop cultivation experiments.
“Thank you, Christy. Let’s hear it.”
“Yes. This time, we divided the cultivation into twelve patterns based on whether or not we removed the sprouts and the amount and frequency of fertilizer application—”
Noein had learned about potatoes from a memoir that introduced the southern continent, and he understood from the start that potatoes were an excellent food source. However, his knowledge of how to cultivate them was quite vague, limited to “exposing the potatoes to sunlight to sprout, cutting them, and planting them.”
Thus, Christy’s role in ensuring efficient cultivation and harvesting was significant.
“—so, as a result, we concluded that properly removing the sprouts and applying fertilizer twice, rather than once, would lead to better growth. The serfs also suggested that we should mound the soil regularly as the potatoes grow. Here’s the data showing the specific changes in the harvest amounts.”
Noein looked over the table Christy handed him, confirming the tangible results, and then said,
“…Yes, I understand. The visible results are clear. Let’s compile these findings into a proper procedure for potato cultivation.”
What began with just one barrel of potatoes had now grown into a sufficient supply for daily food after the spring and autumn plantings last year and the spring planting this year.
Noein intended to spread potato cultivation beyond the Arkquist territory in the near future, and in preparation for that, he aimed to systematize the cultivation procedures. Thanks to Christy’s work, that goal was now within reach.
“Excellent work, as expected from you, Christy.”
“Ah, thank you very much! From now on, I plan to record long-term data on issues like soil depletion based on past experiments. As for the soybean cultivation experiment, I think I’ll be able to compile the results once we have the first harvest.”
“I see. I’ll be counting on you to continue. But don’t overdo it, okay? You’ve been working nonstop recently, haven’t you?”
After her “re-education,” Christy had become a very loyal slave, but she had developed somewhat of a workaholic tendency.
As a lord who cherished and cared for her, and as a master who had invested heavily in purchasing her, Noein couldn’t help but worry about her overworking and damaging her health.
“Y-you’re right. My body is also Lord Noein’s property, so I’ll make sure to get proper rest and sleep!”
“Yes, please do.”
Noein smiled at her and watched her leave the room.
Not long after, the next visitor arrived—another workaholic, none other than Damian.
Bang! Bang! Bang! There was a loud knock on the door, almost as if it was about to be broken down, followed by an overly energetic voice, “Lord Noein! It’s me, Damian! May I come in?”
With a wry smile, Noein granted him permission to enter, and Damian practically leapt into the room.
“Lord Noein! Prototype No. 4 of the crossbow is ready! It’s much more powerful than No. 3, and I’ve adjusted the angles of the parts, so the accuracy should be improved! Please, you have to test it out right now!”
In the beginning, Damian used to barge in without even knocking, so by that standard, his behavior had improved significantly, now much more befitting of a vassal.
Though his restless attitude might come across as rude to some, and Mathilda, standing by his side, didn’t seem particularly pleased, Noein had decided that Damian was fine as he was.
In fact, he was concerned that if he forcibly corrected Damian’s boisterous behavior, it might stifle his passion and creativity as a craftsman.
“I see. Let’s go test it right away. I was just thinking about heading outside.”
Spending too much time cooped up in the office made one’s mind feel stagnant. For Noein, these kinds of experiments and inspections around the territory provided a valuable opportunity to clear his head.
………………….
“Yuri, let’s play.”
Noein knocked on the door of the steward Yuri’s house as he called out. Behind him stood Mathilda and Damian, who was excitedly holding the fourth prototype of the crossbow.
Before long, the door opened, and Yuri, the master of the house, appeared.
“…The way you call me is embarrassing. Just call me normally.”
“Come on, it’s just a bit of fun.”
Noein answered with a grin in response to Yuri’s awkward expression.
Previously, Yuri had been occupied more than half of each month overseeing the lapis lazuli excavation work in the Restio Mountains.
However, after Noein introduced slaves into the excavation labor, the severe manpower shortage improved significantly. Now, they could meet the monthly quotas in concentrated bursts of work, allowing Yuri to spend more time in the capital of the territory, Noeina.
“You’re off today, right? We’re testing out a new crossbow, so could you lend a hand?”
Though Noein was strong when controlling golems, as an individual, he was weak, lacking in both physical strength and combat skills. He wasn’t fit to test new weapons.
Therefore, Yuri, the steward, was always entrusted with the crossbow tests.
“You’ve already made a new one? I don’t mind, but…”
As Yuri turned back to look inside the house, his wife, Mai, who also served Noein, appeared.
“Hey, Mai. Can I borrow Yuri for a bit?”
“Of course. Feel free to use him as you like.”
“Thanks. By the way, how are things progressing?”
Mai’s belly had become noticeably larger, even through her clothes.
Yuri had informed Noein of Mai’s pregnancy in early spring.
“Thanks to you, both the baby and I are perfectly healthy.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m looking forward to a few months from now. Right, Yuri?”
“Yeah. I never thought I’d be a parent… I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve muttered that to myself.”
Yuri, wearing a sheepish expression, gave a quick word to Mai before stepping out and closing the door.
Noein, Yuri, Mathilda, and Damian headed toward the shooting range behind the mansion, which was just a simple mound of earth with targets placed on it.
Upon arriving at the makeshift range, Damian urged Yuri to pull the crossbow string, load an arrow, and aim straight at the target before pulling the trigger.
With a sharp sound, the arrow flew and struck slightly right of the center of the target.
“How is it!? How is it!?”
“…Well, the accuracy has improved significantly. Here, tighten this part where the arrow is nocked. Just a little more should do it.”
“I see! I’ll adjust it next time! How’s the power?”
“The power is more than enough—actually, it’s a bit too much. The string is too stiff. Even I had some trouble pulling it. A smaller person would find it very difficult.”
Yuri was as strong as any of the larger beastmen, such as lions or tigers. If even he had difficulty drawing the string, it would indeed be a challenge for smaller people.
“I see… Last time, the power was too weak, so I focused on making it stronger, but I went a bit too far, it seems.”
“Also, this part here—if you attach it like this, after about twenty shots, it’ll get loose, and the arrows won’t fly straight. It would be better to embed it into the base.”
“So there’s a durability issue, too… I understand. I’ll fix those things for the next version. Thanks so much!”
Damian was about to dash back to his workshop when Noein hurriedly called out to stop him.
“Wait a minute, Damian.”
In the past, Damian would have ignored such calls, but he had grown enough to stop properly when addressed.
“W-What is it!?”
“I heard from the maids that you haven’t been coming back to the mansion properly.”
“No, I’ve been coming back to sleep! Every other day! And the maids bring me my meals!”
Noein sighed at this response.
“That’s not good enough. If you collapse, crossbow development will stop. And if you overwork yourself to death, you won’t even be able to see the finished product. You don’t want that, right?”
“N-No, I don’t! It’s my invention; I need to see it through!”
“Exactly. So, from now on, make sure to come back every day and sleep every day. If you don’t, I’ll cut your budget and force you to take a break. Understood?”
“T-That would be terrible! I got it! I’ll definitely come back every day!”
“Good. You can go now.”
Carrying the fourth prototype of the crossbow, Damian dashed away, and Noein watched with a wry smile.
“…Honestly. I’ve never had to deal with someone more eccentric than myself. It’s exhausting.”
“He’s certainly a strange guy, but his craftsmanship is impressive. We’re only a few steps away from making the crossbow practical.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
With improvements in farming techniques and the development of new weapons, the industries of the Earlkvist domain were slowly evolving through trial and error.
