Chapter 72
<72> Farming Work Is Also a Battle
A saint is an existence of revelation. Whether one desires it or not, once it manifests, it cannot be reversed.
In contrast, a hero is a kind of honorary title.
Unlike a saint, who requires special abilities, a hero is simply someone whom people believe to be a hero.
And the current Pope of the Trinity Church wishes to be able to appoint a hero himself.
If the one who appoints someone as a hero is recognized by all, it effectively means that person governs public
opinion and the collective psyche of humanity.
‘I’ve spoken out of turn as an envoy of the Papacy. It is the Pope’s decision—what right do I have to judge who is or
isn’t worthy of being a hero?’
Fiona realized her mistake and fell silent.
“Hmm. For now, it would be best if we could secure both of them.”
Lorenzo’s eyes gleamed with desire for both Idenia and Mari, as if he had not taken Fiona’s slip of the tongue to
heart at all.
---
Idenia, seeing Mari stand out, unconsciously straightened her posture and felt pleased.
‘This is Mari of Astraea! At last she’s showing the kind of presence befitting a saint candidate.’
Watching her, Bolson tilted his head in confusion.
“You seem to be in a good mood, Lady Idenia?”
“Ah, yes. I’m not in a bad mood. Mari is my roommate, after all.”
“Is that so? Even so, you seem quite pleased.”
“My friend is doing well, so I feel happy too.”
“……”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Oh, no. I see. Friend… so that’s what friendship is.”
Bolson gave a wry smile after hearing Idenia’s words.
---
During Sadia’s earlier illusion magic class, when Bolson had been teamed with Idenia, Eirik—the chief trainee of the
Black Iron Warrior Unit of the Duchy of Ansbach and one of Karl’s closest aides—had called Bolson over.
“So, you were shaking hands with Lady Idenia. What happened?”
“Ah, yes. Well… Lady Idenia told me to please take care of her going forward.”
“Hmm?”
“She called me her friend.”
“Friend? Hey, what kind of friend are you to the royal house of Betelgeuse, a ducal family that has even produced an
emperor, and you—a lowly soldier among lowly soldiers? Does that even make sense? That side is royalty. She’s
basically a princess.”
“R-right…”
“Don’t forget. Your House of Bolson is one that fled the battlefield and stained its name with dishonor. Frankly, you
lack talent, and your father committed serious crimes. The only reason someone like you was admitted to this Dunaise
Academy is thanks to Lord Karl’s mercy. Even though our retainers opposed it, Lord Karl saw value in you and let you
in.”
“Yes. I am well aware.”
“Then you must be even more mindful of your position and repay that kindness with absolute dedication.”
“…Yes.”
“But if Lady Idenia called you her friend, then this is a good opportunity. Extract as much information about her as
possible.”
“Understood. Then what kind of information should I ask for?”
“…Ah. Hmm.”
“Pardon? What should I ask…?”
Eirik looked around.
“Hey, uh… what should one ask a lady?”
“Maybe ask what weapons she prefers? Whether she likes swords, axes, or maces…”
“Or what brand of weapons she favors.”
“……”
No matter how he looked at it, that didn’t seem right.
Although they were from the same northern region, Bolson didn’t have the courage to ask Idenia such things, so he
quietly waited.
“Anyway, just figure out how to ask her smoothly and sensibly. Got it? That’s your mission, Bolson.”
Eirik issued the order.
‘I have no idea what I’m supposed to do… “figure it out yourself”…’
---
‘She calls me her friend, but she doesn’t know what kind of dishonor my family and I have committed. Even if she did,
she simply wants to enjoy her school life, whereas for me this place is a battlefield. I must devote myself until I
atone for my dishonor and fulfill my duty.’
Thinking this, Bolson watched Idenia’s activities.
After completing her assigned plot of land, Idenia stood in thought.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Ah, I was thinking about how to cultivate a small garden properly.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
Bolson was puzzled.
The sole daughter of the Duke of Betelgeuse cultivating a small garden? That alone was surprising enough—but to
actually contemplate and study it further? Was she planning to take up gardening in earnest? But she shouldn’t have
accumulated that many house points yet.
‘She intends to cultivate a garden. Reporting just that much would already fulfill my duty… Ah, how wretched I am. She
calls me a friend, yet I am trying to preserve my position by selling her story.’
Bolson felt miserable, yet still asked her about the garden.
Then Idenia asked in return.
“Ah, Bolson. Are you interested in wizard ball?”
“Uh… pardon?”
---
Having already learned telekinesis magic, not only Idenia’s team but other students were also quickly mastering
excavation magic and beginning to dig the ground.
Though mana consumption made it tiring, it was far easier than digging with shovels, and they overturned the fields in
an instant.
The problem was having to walk on the soil while working the fields.
Many students found the sensation of the dirt unpleasant.
“Ugh… walking through mud instead of paved roads…”
“Eek! A bug!”
“What is that? A mole?!”
As they overturned the soil, countless creatures emerged from beneath—worms, field mice, moles, and more.
“Ugh, I hate bugs. But moles are kind of cute.”
Isolde Polchen chuckled softly as she looked at a small mole. At that moment, the owner of the field approached her
and suddenly handed her a shovel.
“You must kill those moles, girl.”
“…Pardon?”
“They tear up the entire field and damage the roots so the crops wither and die. Some people even cook them into
soup—it’s quite a delicacy. If you’re going to learn farming, you must kill moles too.”
“You’re telling me to kill them? With something like this?”
“Quickly. Look, it’s trying to burrow back into the ground.”
The farmer forcibly placed the shovel into Isolde’s hands.
Though she took it, she hesitated, seeing the wriggling mole.
To strike down such a soft, furry creature with a shovel?
At that moment, her partner, Christian Dupont, stepped in, took the shovel, and warned her.
“Turn away, Miss Polchen.”
“Yes.”
Isolde turned her head and closed her eyes. A dull thud followed as something was struck.
“Is it done?”
“Hmph. The boy’s got some backbone. But the girl…”
“Hey now, old man. We weren’t the ones who blew up your oven. We’re simply trying to help out of goodwill. Isn’t this
a bit much?”
“What? Do you think digging a bit of soil is you doing me a favor? If you dig it improperly, I’ll have to redo the
entire field! I’m the one giving you the chance to practice that magic of yours! And after all these years of feeding
you people…”
“That’s enough. In any case, the mole is dead, isn’t it?”
Christian Dupont realized arguing with the old man’s stubbornness and paranoia would only waste time, and returned the
shovel.
“…Ah.”
Sadia nodded as she watched.
“That was actually a rather philosophically good scene. Hehe. Yes, this is how affection begins to sprout… or does
it?”
Since Isolde’s heart was already completely taken by Rudolf, even if Christian Dupont had killed the mole for her, her
feelings would not waver.
---
While Isolde and Christian handled things in their way, the other female students were still screaming.
As the soil was dug up, moles were the least of it—cockroaches, worms, centipedes, field mice, snakes, and more kept
pouring out.
Screams echoed everywhere.
“Eek! Cockroach!”
“Nooo!”
Idenia, watching this, sighed.
Unlike the neatly maintained gardens of Earth that had been treated with pesticides and continuously farmed, these
fields were essentially untouched wilderness.
‘At this rate, even if I suggest using a garden plot as a benefit in exchange for playing wizard ball… no one would
agree.’
Trying to cultivate a garden alone and use food as bait would only increase her workload far too much.
The noble students, who had never even touched soil, were already overwhelmed just from using magic to overturn the
ground.
Their exaggerated reactions displeased the farmer, who complained loudly.
“What are you all doing! Smash and kill them with the shovel like this! Why are you hesitating to kill pests and
vermin?!”
“But these are rabbits. They’re still young…”
“Rabbits are pests to farmers too! They dig burrows and eat crops! Kill them! If you can’t even kill this, what kind
of crops will you grow…!”
The farmer demanded that the students kill animals as well.
Seeing this, Sadia stepped in to mediate.
“Hey, old farmer.
Setting moles aside, you do raise rabbits yourselves in hutches, don’t you?
It looks like you’re just enjoying picking fights with the students.”
“What would I have to enjoy? I’m simply…”
“Do you really think our student was the one who blew up your oven? If so, that’s a grave mistake. I’ll tell you who
the culprit is.”
“…You know who it is?”
“Yes. The tyrant of Lancaster—Bulemhyde. You know him, right? That blue dragon. The mad dragon who once caused the
great plague of Albion. And now he’s a permanent professor at our academy.
Now that I’ve told you the culprit, why don’t you go confront him?”
When Sadia named Bulemhyde as the culprit, the farmer and bakery owner broke into a cold sweat.
“What are you saying…”
“Ah, shall I summon him now? If the person involved isn’t here, it’s better to call them directly.”
“P-please stop.”
The old man refused.
Everyone watching chuckled quietly.
So dragons are scary, but students are not?
Yet among these students were a crown prince and the heirs of several ducal families.
Still, the bakery owner and farmer seemed confident in his rural stubbornness, believing even those in power couldn’t
easily wrong him.
Sadia issued a warning to him.
“Since this is part of the magic curriculum, be grateful just for having the rows dug for you.
I understand and acknowledge your stance and mindset about killing pests while farming, but don’t expect these
children to adopt that mindset at this stage.”
“Ah, Professor. I was only trying to teach them proper farming practices—”
“They’ll learn all that in due time. Just leave it for now. I’m teaching students here, and I don’t want to exhaust
them with unnecessary steps.
Now, let’s move on to the next magic. This time, I’ll teach you how to eliminate pests!”
“……”
The students looked at Sadia with new eyes.
The farmer had wanted to force them to get their hands dirty as a kind of rite of passage, but Sadia had instead
stepped forward to protect and shield the students, insisting such things were unnecessary at this stage.
‘We thought she was just some trash demon spamming energy drain.’
‘But she really is an educator.’
Everyone’s perception of Sadia changed.
Although she was the most aggressive toward students—attacking them directly with energy drain during class—when
external pressure arose, she prioritized protecting them.
‘Hmm, it almost feels staged… maybe I’m the one being twisted?’
Idenia felt a slight sense of unease, but chose not to break the mood and followed Sadia as they moved on to the next
field.