Rising Prices (2)
Rising Prices (2)
Grain prices are rising?
'Has the news of the imperial farmlands' imminent nitrogen depletion already spread?'
That's the first cause that comes to mind, but the rebuttal that the impending depletion couldn't possibly be known yet blocks that theory.
I chose a more realistic line of reasoning.
"It's probably because of the maintenance costs for the Northern Coalition Expeditionary Force. The amount of grain going into that is no joke."
-Is it that much?
"Think of it as pouring dozens of tons of rye into producing just 1 kilogram of one-horned rabbit meat."
-Isn't that a bit of an exaggerated calculation?
"Nuna, first, there's the amount that the mages, mana knights, and soldiers consume every single day. And the construction materials and costs for building their quarters, amenities, and the pioneering base are astronomical."
-Hmm....
"Also, a 7th-class Wind Mage personally transports the rabbits alive in cages all the way to the Empire. You have to factor in the total cost of building and operating the pioneering base."
That massive base was built and is operating solely for hunting rabbits.
So my calculation of dozens of tons of rye per kilogram of meat is definitely not an exaggeration, you see?
"The Empire is trying to breed the live rabbits, so the actual unit cost will eventually drop, but anyway, this is how it is for now."
-Then it must be correct that grain prices are rising because of the costs of establishing the expedition base.
"Wouldn't that be the realistic view?"
-To think the entire continent is in this state just because of that one gamey rabbit meat. I don't know what the world is coming to.
Well, wouldn't Elenoa have taken a spot in the expeditionary force by now if I weren't around?
-Is the North alright? Should we send you some rye?
"Ah, we're fine. But it seems you have some to spare?"
-Even if we didn't have spare, we'd have to squeeze it out for our little brother's territory.
Elenoa let out a low laugh.
-You know our territory has always had good farmland. We've never once bought Southern Soil.
"Southern Soil? What's that?"
-Ah, you wouldn't know, Piel. It's an imperial export. Just sprinkling a little on the field makes the crops grow well. Nobles with large farms buy and use it every year.
So it's soil dug up from the imperial farmlands.
It must be rich in dissolved nitrogen compounds, serving as a natural fertilizer.
'Since there's still several years' worth left in the Thunder Dragon's land, the nitrogen depletion wouldn't be known immediately. As expected, it's because of those nobles mad over rabbit meat....'
The nobles' luxury intensifies, causing shortages of commoners' necessities—well, it's a standard medieval cliché.
"The North is fine, so don't worry at all. If we don't have rye, we can just eat meat."
-You're coming next week, right?
"I have to go."
I had decided to visit the family home regularly at least once or twice a month.
I had to complete my three-month stay as the Dispatch Unit Commander, and I also need to look after my fief next to Count Anbelrum's territory.
-Piel, then I'll see you next week.
"Yes, I'll cook you something delicious again."
-I love you, my reliable little brother.
"I love you too, Nuna."
After ending the communication, I saw Luna looking at me with a strangely beaming smile.
"You two are siblings, but you're awfully close. It's not usually like that between a legitimate noble child and a bastard."
"Maybe it's because we have a common enemy in our father? Nuna has doted on me since we were little, too."
"Do you remember by any chance? The raw chicken...."
"You want to stop eating mint choco, don't you?"
"Kyaaaak! I was wrong! Please forgive me!"
I lightly gave her an angry flick on the forehead.
Then we simply grilled and ate some steak.
"When I get promoted, I'm thinking of starting a larger-scale territory development project."
"In what way?"
"First, I'll overhaul the water supply and sewage systems, and build public bath facilities."
Most of the territory's residents drank low-alcohol beer instead of water.
That's how difficult it was to get clean water.
It would be too hard to climb up and down the mountain carrying water buckets every time just to get a drink of clean water.
'There's a reason the rebate beer is worshipped.'
The beer they brewed would spoil quickly, but the rebate beer came in sealed kegs and would last for weeks even after opening.
This maximizes drinking water convenience.
'But you can't wash with beer.'
The girls and I wash ourselves at the barracks with large bottled water containers.
There is water, but the sterilized bottled water is much cleaner.
"I, for one, dream of a future where our Northern standing army alone exceeds 2 million."
"Eek, that's such a grand ambition! But can you really sustain such an army?"
"I can. The hardest part is increasing the numbers; once you increase them, it all falls into place."
I shot up from Second Lieutenant to Colonel like a bullet.
But Brigadier General, just a one-rank promotion, is taking longer than all that time combined.
There's a reason they call it the league of stars.
'When I made Colonel, I unlocked the rebate supplies. When I make Brigadier General, I wonder what....'
"But Luna, did you say your growth stopped when you reached the 7th class?"
"Yes, both my growth and aging stopped when I was 14."
"Hildea-nim also became a Master at 15, but didn't she keep growing?"
"A Master pursues physical optimization. So even if you achieve it at a young age, you continue to grow, and then aging stops in that state."
"So mages are different."
"Yes. I'll have this face and this physique until the day I die of old age."
Suddenly, I found myself wondering if she menstruates.
Hildea's ovaries hadn't been active due to calorie deficiency....
"But since I achieved that realm after starting menarche, I can still carry on the Rosenberg family line. It's really a relief."
"I-is that so."
Did she somehow notice my curiosity?
My face heated up for no reason, so I quickly changed the subject.
"Isn't it uncomfortable having an underdeveloped body? Isn't there any way to fix it?"
"Well, maybe if I keep raising my class, it'll be possible someday? It's not something I'm particularly desperate about, so I don't really know."
It's so comfortable being with Luna like this.
With Hildea and Rebecca, the atmosphere keeps getting sticky....
I'm a man too, so it's not that I dislike it—I do like it—but controlling the skinship progress consumes a huge amount of mental energy.
"Luna, is it really true that a Sword Master gets pregnant 100% of the time with just one union?"
"Yes, but wouldn't it be okay even if Hildeng got pregnant? We have Master Dvil now too!"
"Th-that's not what I was talking about."
"I understand your deep concerns, Colonel. You don't want to be tied down as a father at your age, right?
And you wouldn't want to see Hildeng and Rebecca, puffed up with the status of a mother, nagging you."
"...Let's just eat."
"Heehee, did I hit the nail on the head?"
Actually, there are condoms in the PX supplies....
***
I went with Luna to visit the neighboring region.
It was the expeditionary force base pioneering the north of the Oridan Kingdom.
While I hadn't seen it, the exterior of the base was nearly complete.
"So that's the might of the Empire."
"Wow, it's really amazing. To think they'd cover the whole area with a lid."
The expeditionary force had built a domed city.
That would keep the interior well-insulated and block the frosty winds.
When we went inside, the domed ceiling was filled with bright magical lights, making it look like broad daylight.
"Luna, did I say it was dozens of tons of rye per kilogram of rabbit meat?"
"I think you could up that to several hundred tons per kilogram at this rate, Colonel."
"I never imagined it would be this much. But the lid seems too thin. Can it hold the weight of the snow like that?"
"They can just clear the snow right away so it doesn't pile up. If the lid is too sturdy, wouldn't it fail to support its own weight?"
At first, I thought it was a mysterious Colosseum that far surpassed modern construction technology.
Looking closely, it's closer to a super-sized plastic greenhouse.
Just not transparent.
'Even this is impressive for the medieval era. As expected, if you grind up mana soldiers and mages, they can roughly build large-scale structures pretty well.'
They connected long iron pieces to make the arched frame of the lid.
They attached sturdy cloth to the frame.
It seems like it'll need regular maintenance often, but just being able to block the cold wind is a huge help for keeping warm.
"Welcome, Duke Rosenberg."
Count Yunes politely greeted us.
Seeing his attitude, which was distinctly different from the meat buffet, he must have heard of our activities in the Empire.
Of course, the great military merit of the airborne troops we dispatched also played a part.
"The achievements of the dispatched knights are truly astonishing. Each one does the work of several dozen men."
"Of course. My knights have very good eyes. Distinguishing between snow and rabbits is nothing to them."
Luna replied nonchalantly.
In reality, it was thanks to the thermal scopes that they instantly pinpointed the rabbits' locations.
There are several reasons for dispatching airborne knights.
If the Dragon appears again, they can report immediately, we can grasp the expeditionary force's internal affairs, and the dispatch pay is quite lucrative.
The more gold coins, the better, unconditionally.
"We have been hunting other monsters besides rabbits—specimens we've never seen before—and tasting them, but not a single one is fit for human consumption."
Count Yunes sighed.
"Where in the world could that meat we tasted at the 3rd Army barracks back then be?"
"Count, it's useless to probe like that. You didn't report it to His Majesty, did you?"
"Rest assured. Those among the expeditionary force 'who know the taste' keep the secret firmly."
The nobles, amusingly, are said to be keeping their mouths tightly shut about the tastes they experienced at the buffet.
'No wonder the Emperor didn't demand anything other than lobster. The report itself never went in.'
I saw many familiar faces.
They were the very nobles I had driven to despair at the meat buffet.
They all flinch when they see us, but each and every one of them politely greets Luna.
"Luna, if it gets out that you've reached the 8th class, won't everyone worship you even more?"
"We must avoid leaking our military strength. Who knows when the Empire might become our enemy."
Luna firmly believes that if the Emperor learns of the existence of samgyeopsal and mint chocolate, he will start a war to occupy Ainshuvan.
Nobles with familiar faces quietly tail us from behind.
Not that there's any dropped samgyeopsal to pick up.
"Count Yunes, you're breeding quite a lot of rabbits here at the base too."
"That's because the scale of our breeding farms is insufficient due to a shortage of Ice Mages."
"Ice Mages? Ah, that's because one-horned rabbits would quickly die of heatstroke in the warm Empire."
Count Yunes guided us around and showed us various parts of the base.
Since we're a neighboring army standing against the elves together, and we even dispatched knights.
"Count-nim, my handmaiden hasn't contacted me at all since we parted ways in the Empire. What could have happened?"
"...!"
When I casually asked, Count Yunes became quite agitated.
I'm curious how he'll react.
"Ahem, that child has too many assets left in her homeland to settle, so it's taking time. The living expenses agreed to be provided annually will continue as they are, so you need not worry."
So Count Yunes knows too.
That Yuzel is being detained at the Imperial Palace.
***
The expeditionary force had even built a fairly large-scale rabbit ranch outside the base.
It looks like they're going into rabbit farming in earnest.
I clicked my tongue at the sight of the mountain of fresh hay and vegetables piled up.
'This won't just make grain prices jump; hay and vegetable prices will skyrocket too, won't they? At this level, isn't it practically sweeping the entire market clean?'
In a medieval fantasy, when food prices rise, everything else rises too.
All goods are made with labor, and people have to eat to work.
"Luna, this isn't good. We need to empty our pockets of gold coins and start hoarding too."
"Huh? But we have plenty of food, don't we?"
"Not food, the other supplies. I think prices will keep going up."
"By other supplies, what do you mean?"
"Everything except what's produced in the North."
"Isn't the only thing produced in the North the iron ore from Rebecca's land?"
"...."
"Ah, now a lot of World Tree twig lumber for construction is coming out too, I suppose."
How truly barren we are....
'If I jump in too, it'll make the continent's prices run wild, but it can't be helped. I'll stock up as much as possible before shortages hit.'