第１５５９堀：農業の価値 (Part2)
"Say, come to think of it, Agil and Light didn't stay behind at the church, did they? Why is that?"
The two of us ended up asking different questions at the same time.
"Hm? Oh, I'm just cross-referencing the maps—the ones taken from the air by drone against the ones generated by dungeon skills—to make sure there aren't any discrepancies. As for why Agil and Light are here..."
"Injuries don't exactly choose their time or place, you know. And it seems there are some folks quite curious about our activities."
"Indeed. While the main hub of activity will certainly be the church, there’s a chance casualties might arise here as well, so we were dispatched as a precaution. We are soldiers, after all."
I see. It stands to reason that soldiers are more capable in a fight than clergy. Perhaps Lilishe, Hilen, and Senal are just the exceptions to the rule.
"Oh, and by the way, is it alright for you to still be out here?" I asked, checking in with Enola. She had been sent here specifically to observe the situation.
"I suppose so. I was just thinking of heading back, but Yuki, is there anything in particular you’d like me to relay to Lilishe and the others?"
"Let's see... just tell them the fields are coming along well for now. Tell them I'll give a full progress report once I return."
"Understood. Well then, everyone, I’m heading back to the church, but please, don't push yourselves too hard."
With that, Enola departed, heading back into the royal capital alongside John’s subordinates who were serving as her escort. Under normal circumstances, one might feel a pang of worry, but this is Enola we’re talking about. She was already adept at fighting with maces and her own fists, and her physical prowess as a Spirit Priestess is exceptional. To top it all off, she received training from Deryu—the so-called Demon Lord who also favors fisticuffs—placing her combat ability among the very best of us.
Well, we haven't exactly had a formal duel, but she is undeniably stronger than either myself or Mikos. Convinced that she wouldn't be caught off guard even if the dark guild thugs tried something, I turned my attention back to the specifics of the agricultural plan.
"So, Yuki, Kaya, what exactly do you intend to plant in these fields?"
That’s right—we’d cleared the land, but I hadn't heard what was actually going to be grown. I knew about wheat, but that alone wouldn't be enough to satisfy the people living in the old capital. There would surely be crops for sale as well, meaning a wide variety of things would need to be planted. I wanted to understand the criteria they were using to decide.
"I haven't really set anything in stone yet. It depends on the soil, and honestly, I'm still an amateur when it comes to farming. What do you think, Kaya?"
All eyes shifted to Kaya and her team.
"...To be honest, the condition of the soil was better than I expected."
"Better?" we all echoed in unison.
I suspect everyone else was as confused as I was. It had looked like a total wasteland to me.
"Ah, I see. It was overgrown with weeds, yes, but it was essentially just abandoned farmland."
"Abandoned farmland? Isn't that the same as a wasteland?" Ria asked on our behalf.
"...Not at all. A wasteland—though often confused with abandoned land—is soil that has been contaminated or trampled, requiring significant time and effort to restore for cultivation. But this place was a wheat field that was simply left behind when the civil unrest drove the people away. It wasn't ruined; it was just left to sit. In other words, the weeding and the tilling we did earlier were almost enough to bring it back to a viable state."
"Exactly," John added. "Since it's in such good shape, we have a fair amount of freedom in selecting our crops, which makes things much easier for us."
I see. It had been choked with weeds, but that was the extent of it. There wasn't any debris or refuse scattered about. It makes sense that restoring it would be straightforward—though, I doubt it would have been this fast without them.
"...As for the crops we'll be growing here, I've been consulting with Seraria, Eris, Ratz, and Milly, and to start with..."
And so, Kaya began to explain the planned harvest. Food is power. Truly, there is nothing stronger.