Chapter 59
Chapter 59 (Illustration)
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There was a reason I had asked Sears to take on this work.
Alpheus was exceptionally good at physical work.
They said that on the battlefield, where one man cut down two, Alpheus cut down a hundred.
Of course, making a marquess do manual labor was absurd, but when time was of the essence, there was no helping it.
'It would be faster to have Alpheus do the work than fifty ordinary laborers.'
On top of that, Alpheus had a good head for work. That was an enormous advantage. Explain something once, and he understood it immediately.
'It really is strange.'
I thought with my arms crossed.
'Why is it that when a marquess picks up a sword with superhuman ability and kills a hundred monsters to save people, everyone cheers, but when he picks up a shovel with superhuman ability and plants crops to save people, they mock him?'
It was a question that had puzzled me for a long time, though I'd never voiced it to anyone.
I simply decided to keep thinking crazy thoughts while I was at it. This time as well, having Alpheus exercise his abilities for the sake of the empire was the best course.
"I promise you double the efficiency."
I declared in front of everyone.
Since Sears was the target of the blame, we had to solve the problem in Sears's name.
'So that, when the continent's productivity grows lower and lower from now on, they never latch onto Sears again.'
But there was a decisive problem.
We had no money.
"Instead, we need equipment to build the facilities."
"Equipment? The Magic Tower has as much as you need. The sla— no, the mages in training can produce and supply it quickly!"
The mage made a swift sales pitch.
"We are also a bit short on funds, you see....... We haven't collected Warp fees for a while, and it has dealt a truly fatal blow to the Magic Tower operating fund."
At that, Baron Forman stepped forward.
"Forman will provide the investment."
He was repaying us for the dinner we'd treated him to two months earlier.
"In exchange, I want fifty percent of the additional yield."
Even so, he displayed remarkable business acumen.
"It is a pleasure to have an opportunity to invest in you, my lady."
Baron Forman said to me with a gentle smile.
"It is not only for the money; thanks to this, my discernment will become known throughout the west."
But behind his benevolent expression, his undiminished craving for recognition still shone through.
"Though I have retired, everyone will learn that I am not some washed-up old man idling in the back room, but a veteran of the intelligence world whose keen eye remains sharply honed."
At that, Alpheus winked and gave a thumbs-up.
"House Sears will always repay your trust. Hahaha!"
It sounded less like a marquess and more like a slogan advertising a labor agency.
I hastily whispered.
"No winking!"
It seemed that a good night's sleep had made his descent into darkness recede.
And so, materials soon began to be transported through the Warp.
Since no expensive materials were used, the cost was not high either.
The nearby river made it easy to dig the channels. Soon the Magic Tower delivered newly made waterproof boxes resembling shallow catch basins.
"Put a shallow slope on the bottom. So the water can flow slowly from one side to the other."
I gave instructions aloud while calculating carefully.
"At this size, one box can hold twenty leafy greens...... and even more herbs."
I even drew on my hazy memories of my previous life.
I couldn't remember the details, but I vividly remembered having seen hydroponic cultivation firsthand in my previous life.
"Raise the boxes a little higher. That way we can work without bending our backs. Install them securely."
From a distance, it looked like a long row of wooden bridges stretching across the plain.
Hilbury had assigned a few laborers, but no one worked as quickly and precisely as Alpheus.
Everyone else was little more than an awkward assistant to Alpheus. Without him, the project would have taken days.
"It's not just about making water flow. We need a nutrient solution."
I requested the nutrient solution from the Magic Tower as well. It didn't require any special materials either.
"You can make it in nature from dried fish, shells, ash, things like that...... but we don't have time right now."
It didn't cost much money, either.
We installed a waterwheel and used the river's current to turn the wooden wheel. Then that rotation drew the water up into an upper reservoir.
By the time the sunset glow settled in, hundreds of cultivation boxes had been placed across the plain thanks to Alpheus's efforts.
By now, all the nearby farmers had gathered to watch. Hilbury's jaw dropped at the speed with which the work proceeded.
Gazing at the spectacle, the mage muttered.
"......That's exactly the Magic Tower style......."
I pretended not to hear. It was a horrifying thing to say.
Harrison, my academy senior who had shown talent in magic, had once said, 'As a rule, any child with free will is fundamentally incompatible with the Magic Tower in spirit.'
"I must report this to the Tower Master without fail. He will surely come to see it."
But if I made a good impression on the Tower Master, there would be many things I could do going forward. Since I could sell my soul at a bargain price, I answered immediately.
"Then I shall have to greet the Tower Master that day as well."
"Yes. He will likely show a great deal of interest in you, my lady. And he will surely reward me as well for reporting this site."
The mage was happy, imagining his own gains.
"Now."
With everything finished, I said to Alpheus.
"You open it."
"Okay!"
Under the people's gazes, Alpheus opened the first gate of the waterway.
The calmly flowing water slowly streamed from the reservoir into the distribution channels, and then into each individual tank.
The water skimmed across the bottom in a very thin film.
"Now, let's set the seeds."
We placed seeds onto the small moss arranged on top of the boxes.
The countless leafy-green and herb seeds that had been packed together were each set in place.
"Wow."
Baron Forman was genuinely impressed.
"Marquess Sears...... how can you sow seeds with such delicate hand movements and keep the spacing so perfectly even?"
The newly acknowledged worker answered cheerfully.
"Well, it's easy if you imagine cutting the necks of enemy soldiers standing in a single-file line! You just match the rhythm, snap your wrist, and apply steady force."
No one could respond to that bright remark.
And so, when night had settled in.
People rolled their eyes and whispered.
"......Will they really grow?"
"There's no soil?"
"I...... I just can't believe it. Where in the world is there a plant that grows like that?"
But three days later.
Transparent roots grew downward like white threads, and green leaves lifted their heads one by one. It was proof that life could sprout even on land officially declared incapable of growing anything.
"......Th-this is...... no, why is it so fast? Is it because of the nutrient solution from the Magic Tower? No, was there such a nutrient solution?"
The farmers crowded around, jaws agape.
"These aren't the kind that sprout this quickly......."
I raised an eyebrow with my arms crossed. I tried not to smile so I wouldn't look frivolous, but seeing the tiny sprouts wriggle upward made joy well up from deep inside me.
Pressing down that joy, I explained.
"There's no nutrient solution that speeds up growth. What the Magic Tower gave us was just ordinary."
"Then......."
"It's simply possible because it's hydroponics. The roots don't struggle to find water, so the growth rate is much faster."
Behind me, Baron Forman whispered to Hilbury.
"Didn't I tell you? She kept the people of her territory fed through isolation even in the resource-poor central region."
Of course, I heard every word of that whisper. He had probably meant me to.
"The land of the west, abundant seeds, ready financial resources, and close cooperation with the Magic Tower."
Baron Forman said vigorously.
"Didn't I guarantee that with all those things supporting her, we'd see remarkable results?"
Looking at the sprouts densely filling the cultivation boxes, Hilbury swallowed dryly.
"If the west does not let that young lady slip away, this is only the beginning."