第１５５９堀：農業の価値 (Part1)
**Chapter 1559: The Value of Agriculture**
**Side: Kagura**
I was stunned by the sheer spectacle of it.
I understood what they were doing, of course. They were weaving together various magics to forge a field in the blink of an eye.
That said, Kaya and the others had spent time examining the soil, whispering back and forth, pulling various bags from their item boxes to scatter over the earth, and tilling it all together—so it wasn't quite finished yet.
“...That’s a startling way to use magic,” I murmured.
“Indeed. Truly. Agil, did you never consider using magic in such a way?”
It seemed Agil, standing beside me, was just as taken aback by this reckless application of sorcery.
“Ah, no. I’d never thought to repurpose it for agriculture. At most, I’ve used it for construction—and even then, only for makeshift earthen walls.”
“Right, I’ve done the same. But that magic Lady Faide used... anyone could learn it with enough practice, couldn't they?”
What I found most compelling was the method Lady Faide used to till the land. It wasn’t a technique exclusive to her status as the Goddess of Agriculture. No, if it were that simple...
“I suppose so,” Agil replied. “It would require a certain degree of visualization, but I’m certain those studying magic in Weed could master it, regardless of the scale.”
“Exactly. If they had that... wait, is Kaya sharing this with other nations?”
That was the thing—Kaya, or rather, Weed as a whole, had no hesitation in making such techniques public. They understood that by enriching other nations, they were effectively reducing the potential for conflict.
Enola, who had appeared at my side at some point, chimed in.
“It seems so. Lately—or rather, ever since the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance was established—I haven’t seen them much at work, so I assumed they were busy. But I never imagined it was to this extent. And Kagura, hasn't Carrie been mentioning something to you about agriculture?”
“No, agriculture is handled by Micos’s family, so I’ve kept my hands off it. The Haiden region—or rather, the Haiden territory—only recently joined the alliance, so we haven’t put much effort into agriculture yet. Not after everything that happened.”
“...That’s true, I suppose.”
The Haiden region was beginning to settle down after the chaos of the Mad God incident involving Weed, but it hadn't truly found its footing yet. Consequently, Weed’s technology hadn't fully permeated our lands.
It was true that the Kingdom of Cysypho, the Findar Empire, and my own Kingdom of Haiden were beginning to recognize Weed. But it was only at the level of *recognition*. The upper echelons understood their overwhelming military and technological prowess, but the lower-ranking nobles didn't grasp it at all.
Part of the problem was that Weed was simply too anomalous. A nation whose name they had never even heard of, claiming to be treated as an equal by us—the Great Powers—was a hard pill for them to swallow. They couldn't comprehend that we possessed technology like Gates, which didn't even exist in fairy tales. They remained convinced that we, the Great Powers, held the natural advantage.
In times of peace, that stance was correct. If a Great Power’s minor noble were to grovel before a small nation, it would only invite disrespect toward the Great Power itself.
But these were not ordinary times. It might sound strange coming from the one who summoned them, but Weed’s national power already eclipsed that of the Great Powers. Every nation had acknowledged this, and because such misunderstandings could lead to catastrophic problems, we had established the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance and the International Exchange School. We were in the process of sending our nobles there to have their perceptions corrected.
Even so, we were still a step short of pushing through agricultural reform in Haiden. If we were to do it...
“We’ll likely move after the International Exchange School concludes,” I said.
“...I see. Once the current students and their families return, the perception will settle. I wonder what Carrie will do once she brings this information back?”
“Don’t even ask. She’ll start preparing immediately. Or rather, there’s a high probability she’s already doing it. The Princess was far more capable than I had given her credit for.”
I truly missed the days when she acted like a sheltered flower during our time in Baide. That was difficult in its own way, but this was something else entirely.
“In other words, is your next job going to be related to that?”
“The Princess, yes. Though, even if she passes that task to me, I’m not in a position to supervise agriculture within Haiden. The most I could do is act as a liaison to Kaya.”
“Ah, right. I suppose you can’t exactly go around telling people how to run their farms in Haiden, can you?”
“Exactly. Besides, every piece of land has a lord. If I were to issue orders over their heads, it wouldn't just be criticism directed at me—it could be seen as an act of defiance against the Ducal House.”
“Well, you are Yuki’s wife, Kagura. I suppose that’s just how it is.”
“Indeed. Still, looking at these results...”
“You’ll likely be told to do it anyway.”
As Enola and I spoke, I realized they had already begun cultivating three separate plots. Furthermore, seeing John’s subordinates using the same magic Lady Faide had demonstrated confirmed that our suspicions were correct.
While we were astonished, the sisters were even more frozen in shock.
As for Yuki and his group, they had somehow set up a table brought out from a surveillance container house built by John’s subordinates, and were currently spreading a map across it to assess the situation.
“For now, let’s go look at that map with them.”
“...Agreed. It’s important to see how they plan to lay out the farmland.”
With that, Enola and I approached the group gathered around the map.
“I honestly thought you’d make the fields inside the dungeon,” I said.
“Indeed,” Ria added. “I was of the same mind. Why here, of all places?”
“Ah, well, the people here don’t know about Dungeon Master skills, right?” Yuki replied. “If we used methods they didn't recognize, it would only cause confusion and suspicion. Besides, I want them to grasp that this can be done with learned techniques. I don’t want them to be unable to do it once we’re gone.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
“You’ve thought this through quite well.”
Some of the members were nodding in agreement, but while I understood Ria and Deryu, I couldn't help but wonder why Agil and Light had followed us here as I called out to him.
“Yuki. How is the progress? Does that map show the schedule?”