Our Village Farm Is on a Different Class
The physical toll was brutal. Honestly, this was far more exhausting than actual farming. I hadn’t broken a sweat, but after endlessly stroking and massaging the spirits, my hands had gone completely numb. Just playing with kids is tiring enough, but these spirits boasted infinite stamina as long as their magic power didn’t run out.
Thanks to my unique ability to sense and touch mana, I’d succeeded in winning the spirits’ favor. But this… this was way too much. There was no end in sight!
That’s when a voice came to my rescue.
“That’s enough, everyone!”
Ilena had arrived and was scolding the spirits.
“Aww~ Why? We want to play more!”
“Just look at this man. Can’t you see his hands are shaking from exhaustion?”
“Whoa, it’s true! His hand’s all wobbly!”
One of the spirits balanced on my trembling hand, giggling brightly as it played.
“This isn’t something to laugh about. You’ve played with him plenty. It’s time to stop now!”
“Okaaay~”
After being told twice, the spirits obediently backed away from me.
“Ughhh……”
The moment I realized it was finally over, my legs gave out. Ilena examined me as I collapsed onto the soft grass.
“Are you okay, dear?”
“No. I came here to rest and ended up doing even harder labor.”
“But it’s because the spirits have grown so fond of you. Right, everyone?”
“Yes!!”
The spirits answered in perfect unison. Hearing their bright, cheerful reply brought a warm smile to my face and offered at least a little comfort. Even the sight of Tiphereth watching with a sulky expression was entertaining.
“Then let’s show him! How wonderfully you all work here!”
At Ilena’s words, her fist pumped enthusiastically, the spirits scattered into the sky at once and began their respective tasks.
“Over there, go over there! This grass is still too young—it needs to grow more! Hurry!”
Several spirits chased away the livestock trying to nibble on the young shoots, then began singing beautiful songs right where they stood. A spirit’s song wasn’t just lovely to hear; its very tone carried powerful magic. The young grass, enchanted by the melody, shot up rapidly until it had fully matured.
The livestock that had gotten dirty from grazing across the wide fields were cleaned with water magic…….
“Hey, you two, stop fighting!”
“Get off! Get off!”
For the animals that had started brawling, the spirits doused them with cold water to give them a shocking jolt and separate them.
“Birds, let’s have a tasty lunch. Come on!”
“Everyone, over here!”
This time the spirits sang another song in front of the feed troughs. The birds scattered across the wide field all flocked to the troughs at the sound. Once the birds were lined up waiting, the spirits used telekinetic magic to lift a huge sack of feed and pour it into the trough.
It was an adorable, wondrous sight you’d never see anywhere else in the human world. A contented smile naturally formed on my lips.
“What do you think? Aren’t they all just too cute?”
“They really are. They work so well that I can see why you’d have nothing left to do.”
“Right? All I do is feed these children magic power.”
“Do you run farms like this in the Demon Realm too?”
Ilena shook her head at my question.
“It would be wonderful if we could. But you know how it is. Just having this many spirits together is incredibly difficult. We owe a lot to Tiphereth for helping.”
“Makes sense, since she’s the Spirit King.”
From behind us came a small “Hmph” as Tiphereth snorted.
“And most importantly, the land in the Demon Realm isn’t suited for farming or raising livestock.”
“Ah…… right. That really is the biggest problem.”
When I crossed the border as a member of the hero’s party and entered the Demon Realm, I still remembered that horrifying sight. The ground overflowed with mana but lacked life force, creating an extreme environment where only the strongest plants and animals could survive. It was only natural that demon magic had reached a higher level than human magic. They had to squeeze every drop of efficiency out of that barren soil.
“Still, we’re making an effort.”
“An effort?”
“Tiphereth, could you show him your laboratory too?”
Ilena asked with a bright smile, but Tiphereth answered coldly and curtly.
“No.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. Roen is a good human even the young spirits have acknowledged, isn’t he?”
“I haven’t acknowledged him.”
Tiphereth turned her head away completely. Even though she was the Spirit King, she seemed quite jealous that the young spirits liked me more than her.
“Aww……”
Ilena couldn’t hide how disappointed she was either.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to show you, but Tiphereth won’t allow it.”
“What exactly do you research in that laboratory?”
“We’re improving crop varieties. Finding ways to grow Demon Realm and human world plants in the opposite environments.”
“Such profound research… in a little rural village like this……?”
Everything I heard made my head spin. I couldn’t believe how such an incredible farm had ended up in our tiny village. The more I listened, the more curious I became. So…….
I decided to ask for permission myself.
I cautiously asked Tiphereth, who was still looking away.
“Tiphereth, couldn’t you show me just once?”
“No.”
“As someone who’s experienced both worlds, I’m really curious.”
“Go away.”
“Sigh……”
It didn’t seem like pressing Tiphereth any further would help. In that case, this time I’d…….
“Kyaaa~”
After a short wait, the spirits who had finished their work came flying back in a group.
“Did you see us working?”
“Wasn’t it cool? Wasn’t it?”
“Praise us! Praise us right now!”
My hands were still tingling, but I gathered what strength I had and stroked the spirits.
“I watched very carefully. Your work ethic is truly extraordinary. You’re all much better than most veterans.”
“I did good? Then I’ll show you more!”
The spirits, delighted by the praise, flapped their wings even faster. A few even flew back to various parts of the farm to show off more of their impressive work.
Even though most of it was done with magic, I couldn’t help but envy their boundless enthusiasm and stamina.
“Ehehe……”
“Feels so good……”
And when the spirits were completely absorbed in my touch, I decided it was time to put my prepared plan into action.
“Haa……”
I stopped stroking them and deliberately let out a loud sigh. The spirits immediately looked at me with worried eyes.
“Human, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“Are you tired? Why are you sighing?”
“Well, you see……”
I deliberately put on a dark, bitter expression.
“The truth is, I had a really big fight with Tiphereth a while back.”
“You fought? Why?”
“Fighting is bad!”
“I know. Fighting is bad. So I want to apologize and become friends, but Tiphereth won’t accept my apology.”
As I spoke, I reached out as if to stroke the spirit again. It looked up at my hand with eyes sparkling with eager anticipation.
“Maybe that’s why I feel so down.”
But when I stopped short of stroking it and pulled my hand back, claiming I had no energy, the spirit’s eyes filled with shock at having its expectations crushed. Unable to bear the disappointment, it drooped, then suddenly clenched its tiny fists and began persuading the other spirits.
“Let’s help him! Let’s go tell Lady Tiphereth!”
“But it’s Lady Tiphereth. What if she gets angry?”
A few spirits were still hesitant. So I whispered slyly.
“If you help me make up with Tiphereth, I’ll come visit often and stroke you all the time.”
“Hwaaah……!”
The thought alone seemed ecstatic; the spirits drew in sharp breaths. Then they all flew straight toward Tiphereth.
“Lady Tiphereth! Lady Tiphereth!”
“W-what? Why are you all acting like this all of a sudden?”
A flustered Tiphereth tried to dodge to the side, but the young spirits clung to her persistently with their strong wills and stamina, shouting.
“Make up with the nice human!”
“Make up! Make up!”
“You kids really…… No!!”
When Tiphereth finally shouted, the intimidated young spirits drooped. Still, they had said their piece.
“Why not? He’s a rare good human.”
“He didn’t try to catch us like the bad humans. Instead, he stroked us and made us feel good.”
“You all……”
Just as I thought. How could anyone resist those earnest, pleading eyes from the young spirits? I had been waiting for exactly this moment!
“The kids are right, Tiphereth. There’s no reason for us to be enemies anymore, is there?”
“Roen, shut your mouth.”
Tiphereth was still cold toward me, but I continued shamelessly.
“I don’t know why you hate me, but I don’t hate you.”
“I told you to shut your mouth.”
“There are countless spirits. Among them, the light spirit Shiare and the water spirit Aquerious are famous for their beauty. Even when I saw them with my own eyes, I thought so. But,”
“That mouth……”
“You’re still the best.”
“I said shut…… What?”
I cut off her words and drove the point home, finally creating an opening.
“You’re not simply the Spirit King. You’re the most wondrous, mysterious, and beautiful spirit among all of them.”
“Don’t lie! You swung a sword at me!”
Tiphereth’s body trembled, and wings spread from her back. But there was only half a pair—one wing had been severed. Because I had cut it off during the last war.
“You did this to my wing. Do you think I can forget that?”
“I truly am sorry. But it couldn’t be helped.”
I stood up and walked straight toward Tiphereth.
“Don’t come any closer. Stop right there!”
“I’ve sworn never to hold a sword again. So, to put the past behind us and move forward, I want to ask for your forgiveness.”
“……”
Tiphereth was clearly shaken, but mere hesitation wasn’t enough. I needed a decisive blow. So I held out my right hand.
“What does this mean? If you’re suggesting a handshake of reconciliation, that’s troubling. You don’t actually think I’d accept, do you?”
“Take it.”
“What……?”
With my right hand still extended, I shrugged.
“I’m the one who cut off your wing. If it would bring you even the slightest peace of mind, you can cut off my right hand.”
“You!”
The one who shouted and interrupted was Ilena, who had been watching. Her face, which had been watching with interest, had turned deathly pale at the sudden development.
“What are you saying? I understand not picking up a sword again, but your perfectly fine right hand……!”
“Ilena, I’ll handle this.”
After reassuring Ilena, I took another step toward Tiphereth.
“Do as you wish. I really mean it.”
“Are you serious, Roen?”
“There’s no one who would dare lie to the Spirit King.”
As if she had made up her mind, Tiphereth slowly reached her hand to the side. Moisture in the air froze, forming a sword of ice. Wait, seriously……? She was actually going to cut off my hand? I knew she hated me, but I never expected her to go this far in front of the Demon King Ilena and the young spirits.
“Tiphereth! This is an order—don’t do it!”
The moment Tiphereth created the ice sword, the surrounding mana began to surge violently. Ilena’s expression turned icy as she clenched her teeth and gathered her power. The young spirits trembled with anxiety in the tense atmosphere, and the frightened livestock began fleeing in panic.
Right then.
“Bad……”
One of the young spirits muttered softly. It was Dipe, the one who had told me her name.
“Fighting is bad……!”
In that hair-trigger moment, Dipe clenched her fists. Then, as if she had come to a decision, she flew swiftly between me and Tiphereth.
“Lady Tiphereth, fighting is bad!!”
Dipe spread both arms to block Tiphereth and shouted. A young spirit was daring to defy the will of the Spirit King. As expected, Tiphereth glared at Dipe with burning eyes.
“You seem to have forgotten who you’re standing in front of.”
“Even so, you can’t! This human is kind! You were the one who said we mustn’t torment kind beings, Lady Tiphereth!”
“What? Wait… you’re still a young spirit. How did you come up with such a specific thought? Don’t tell me……!”
At that moment, a faint glow began to emanate from Dipe’s body. Tiphereth’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open at the sight.
“That’s impossible. How on earth!!”
A brilliant light flashed from Dipe’s body, forcing me to close my eyes. And when I opened them again…….
The tiny spirit who had been smaller than my palm was gone. In her place stood…….
A young girl who reached up to my knee.