The Price of Efficiency

Survival in a rural village is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no simple feat. Whenever the village faced hardship, the residents would gather at the village hall to share their burdens. "Miroa, please come with us!" It was Gwen, the red-haired girl who aspired to be a knight. She was always the first to step forward for any labor-intensive task in the village.

"You wish for me to accompany you as well?"

"It will only take a moment, I promise!"

Miroa hesitated for a brief second. 'The Master instructed me to observe the public sentiment and build connections with the people.' Recalling her master’s intent, Miroa headed toward the village hall. Indeed, the new Lord’s intentions were spreading rapidly among the residents. There was no rush to repay their debts. For now, just focus on surviving. The people’s reaction was, naturally, one of deep emotion and gratitude.

"I can hardly believe it."

"To catch this many fish all by himself..."

"He is a mage, after all!"

"Does he use magic to fish as well?"

Miroa stood like a statue in the village hall, listening to the stories. From time to time, words of gratitude were showered upon her as well. As a maid whose sole purpose was to assist her master, she was unaccustomed to receiving such praise. Helping the village was also her master’s order, so it was only right to attribute the credit to him, yet she could not help but feel a sense of pride as his representative.

'I have confirmed the village's reaction enough.' She thought about excusing herself, but then—

"Excuse me, Lady Miroa."

"You are the village chief, correct? I believe your name is Stefan. Is that right?"

"Yes, that is correct. But I have a question I wish to ask..."

The chief cautiously brought up the subject of the Lord. "Might I ask how the Lord is faring?"

They only heard news of him; the Master had never truly interacted with the villagers. It was only natural that the residents' curiosity would grow. At that, other villagers chimed in one by one.

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"That’s right. No matter how much magic he uses, fishing all day must be exhausting."

"If he’s fishing, he has to go all the way to that lake deep in the mountains, doesn't he? Climbing those mountains can't be easy."

"As residents of this territory, we were worried, so we wanted to ask carefully."

"On top of that, he always sends Lady Miroa to the village instead. Is he really doing well?"

The villagers knew. They knew that just because he was a Lord, it didn't mean his life was affluent. Logistics here were poor. Expecting outside support was difficult, and even if they had money, there was nowhere to spend it properly. It would be a relief if he had brought some food with him, but...

'The Lord even accepted the rock-bread through me.'

They said the new Lord had Miroa collect the rock-bread as well. If his meals were sufficient, there would be no reason to touch the preserved rations, which meant, at the very least, his situation was far from comfortable.

'It might be presumptuous of me to think so, but is he truly alright?'

Among the residents, Gwen was the only one who had actually encountered the Lord. And even that was just a fleeting glimpse in front of the bathhouse. The villagers were genuinely worried about a Lord whose face they hadn't even seen properly.

"I worry that the Lord might fall ill."

"This place is incomparably more inconvenient than the city; how can a noble person..."

The village elders and the women all spoke in unison. Gwen nodded vigorously. "Exactly!"

Miroa nodded in her heart as well. 'That is exactly what I mean!!'

If she could, she would pour out every detail. How much the Master thinks of the villagers, how he sacrifices himself, and how much he suffers. He says it's comfortable, that it's healing, that it's for the sake of profit, but—

'No.'

She knew better than anyone that it wasn't true. 'The Master is!'

Master Rii was more noble than anyone else. He had been that way during his Academy days, and even long before that. Why did no one recognize it? However, Miroa maintained her expressionless face, revealing none of her inner thoughts. It was partly habit, but mostly because she understood her master's will. Boasting of one's achievements to the neighborhood was not the way of a noble. To silently take the lead and shoulder noble duties—that was the true nobility a Lord should possess. And as for recognizing a noble's sacrifice and raising his name? That was the duty of the commoners who had received his grace.

As his representative, Miroa could not speak of it. However, she felt she could leave them with this much.

"The Master has not ceased his fishing so that the villagers may have proper meals."

This much was already known to the villagers. But they did not know the rest. That the Master had been skipping meals for days, trying to survive on nothing but rock-bread, and that he handed over every decent ration he acquired to the village while he buried himself in work.

"He does not intentionally hide himself, so if you are truly worried, it would be well to confirm it for yourselves when the opportunity arises."

Miroa spoke in a calm voice as she observed the villagers. She could not explain everything, but she could let them find out for themselves. This much she could say.

"Now, I shall return to the Master."

Miroa left the village hall after her farewells. Her movements were light, her steps graceful, and her tone composed. The villagers, who had been momentarily overwhelmed by her cold elegance, began to talk among themselves.

"But what did she mean by confirming it ourselves? Does that mean we can meet him if we search the fishing spots?"

"The only fishing spot in this village is deep in the mountains. It would be difficult unless we went out of our way to find him."

"Goodness! Are we going to chase after the Lord and spy on him?"

"Ah, no, that's not it, but still..."

"She said 'when the opportunity arises,' so I don't think it's right for us to chase after him."

"Yes. I thought so, too."

The next morning, a light drizzle fell. It was a spring rain that made one's body feel sluggish, but Gwen ran out of her house today as well. 'If I start making excuses about the weather, I'll never become strong.' As an aspiring knight, she had to train consistently. That was why she was climbing the mountain hard today to build her stamina.

She had reached nearly halfway up the mountain. *Whoosh—*

Suddenly, the raindrops grew thick and fast, and a thought struck her. 'At this rate, a landslide could happen again.' The mountain had collapsed only a few weeks ago. If it kept raining like this? The same thing could happen again. The water pipes the Lord had painstakingly repaired might break once more.

'I have to check it, at least.' Even if it was dangerous, she had to inspect the area near the water source. Only then could the village prepare.

She had long passed the hot spring bathhouse, and after climbing a little further, the pond that served as the water source appeared. *Crunch.*

The moment she pushed through the trees and climbed a bit higher—

"Ah..."

Gwen, the aspiring knight, stopped in her tracks. Near the small pond at the top of the mountain, the Lord was fishing. He didn't seem to have any intention of avoiding the rain or escaping the danger of a landslide. His figure, gazing only at the surface of the water where he had cast his line, looked simply noble.

On a rainy day like this, there was no way fish would bite properly. 'The Lord was already here.'

Risking the danger of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠landslide, he was keeping his post to monitor the state of the water pipes leading to the village. The story she had heard from Lady Miroa yesterday flashed through her mind. *'It would be well to confirm it for yourselves when the opportunity arises.'*

The Lord had not revealed himself to the people. This was what she had heard just before that. *'He does not intentionally hide himself.'*

Gwen thought deeply, and it felt as if she had finally realized something. The first time she had encountered the Lord was at the hot spring. She had seen him when she went to fetch water early in the morning for the villagers. And this was their second meeting. This time, too, it was when she had climbed the mountain to check the state of the water pipes near the summit for the sake of the villagers.

Gwen muttered softly. "When the opportunity to cross paths arises..."

The Lord wasn't hiding himself on purpose. But he didn't give just anyone the chance to cross paths with him. The condition was devotion to the village. And sacrifice for others.

'It was impossible not to cross paths.' The noble always moves first. A knight is one who silently follows that path and sacrifices themselves. The Lord was testing their qualifications.

But at the same time, she felt a little doubtful. Perhaps everything was just a coincidence, and she had simply thought about it the wrong way? It was at that very moment.

*Rustle, rustle.*

Lord Rii, who was fishing some distance away, bent his waist and pulled something out from the ground. 'Food? Is it bread?'

Looking closely, it was soggy bread. The insane, rock-hard bread made for preservation. Usually, one would boil it with water to make bread porridge, but with the wind blowing so hard in this weather, it seemed difficult to light a fire. If so, how did the bread become so soggy?

It didn't take long for her to realize.

"Ah..."

The Lord was soaking the insane, rock-hard bread in the rainwater. In a situation where a landslide could occur at any moment, he couldn't leave his post for even a second for the safety of the village. He hadn't even used magic to block the rain or light a fire. To prepare for a massive disaster, he must not have been able to waste even a single drop of mana.

His body was soaked in the rain. There was a shelter to block the rain, but the wind was fierce. His eyes were visibly hollow. His complexion was pale, as if he hadn't been eating properly. His gaze remained fixed on the fishing rod. Yet, he was scooping up the soaked bread from a metal lunchbox and eating it.

It was a sight that should have been wretched, but to Gwen's eyes, it looked more beautiful than anything else. And noble. A truly noble person saves the capable without needing to be asked, and a knight finds them and pledges loyalty without a word being spoken.

Lady Miroa was standing by the Lord's side, getting rained on together. As if to say she would always follow her master's will and never reveal herself. *Whoosh—*

Could I one day become a knight like that? Hiding behind a tree, Gwen offered a silent bow, with no one to watch. In the heart of the aspiring knight returning to the village, a heavy, solid goal had taken root.

* * *

*Splash—!*

I pulled the fishing rod with all my might and shouted. "Caught another one!"

What was attached to the end of the line this time wasn't an ordinary bass. It was a completely different species.

It’s a catfish. Not just any catfish, but a Mild Catfish. According to the lore, it has no fishy smell and is very mild. It’s a precious body that falls into the expensive category among fish that can be caught in spring. It’s also a fish that can only be caught on rainy spring mornings. I really don't know how much I've waited for this day! Do you know how disappointed I was when it didn't rain?

This is also a verification of the Healing Farming Game. The fish you catch change according to the season, weather, region, and day/night cycle. 'A pond deep in the mountains on a rainy spring morning.' This is where you can catch even more expensive fish. The harvest is as sweet as the conditions are difficult. Money is practically printing itself, so what’s a little rain?

'Hehehe.' I'm happy. The rain is so refreshing. Of course, Miroa, who was next to me, didn't look like she felt the same way at all. She didn't show it, but after being together for a long time, you start to see things. *Droop.* I can see that Miroa is very dejected. She doesn't say it outright, but it's definitely true. Then, Miroa finally managed to say one thing.

"Master. Wouldn't it be better to use a fire-starting spell?"

Oh. 'That's true?' I had that thought for a moment, but it doesn't matter.

"No. I'm going to focus on fishing."

Using magic drains my stamina, you know.