I Raised the Northern Grand Duke as a Farmer Behind My Father’s Back Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“How many houses are there in Bethel Village?”

I nodded vigorously.

“If you include the homes the old servants used to live in…… maybe around thirty?”

Grand Duke Basil answered.

“Oh! That’s a lot!”

“We worked our asses off building them to attract residents. These days, aside from the houses the knights live in, most of them are abandoned…… Why?”

A long finger poked my nose.

“Planning to reserve your house in advance?”

“W-well, kind of……”

“Take your time. Nobody’s coming for a while.”

“They might! We can farm now!”

“How would anyone even know that and come all the way out here?”

The Grand Duke replied cynically as he bent down.

Pop!

A tiny mushroom shaped like a pig’s nose came up in his hand.

“Well…… once Brad’s team gets back, I should probably tell them to make new promotional flyers.”

I couldn’t lose either!

Pop, pop, pop!

[Pig-Nose Mushroom Gathering (3/5)]

We were in the small forest behind Bethel Village.

Partly to look around the village—

and partly to gather mushrooms!

It’s too small to get much lumber from, but there are tons of mushrooms and berries!

Especially these Pig-Nose Mushrooms.

They were extremely rare.

They had survived even after the ground stayed frozen for two whole years, so their vitality alone was special!

“Anyway, why did you suddenly want to pick mushrooms? They don’t even do anything.”

“They’re tasty!”

And if I pick five, I get divine power!

“This tastes good?”

“Yes. If you clean the stem and leave it over low embers, it can taste like meat pie.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

In truth, the mushroom didn’t have any special effect.

Maybe it gave you a little energy?

“And how do you even know it tastes like meat—hah, forget it. Obviously you learned it in the slums.”

Basil muttered as he snatched my bag and slung it over his shoulder.

I didn’t learn it in the slums, though.

This one……

someone really had taught me.

I squished the mushroom softly between my fingers.

Back when I ran away from the Klein Ducal House.

“If you roast this mushroom properly, it tastes like meat. You didn’t know?”

Ah……

It was coming back to me.

My dark past.

Before this regression—

I’d gone through a slight rebellious phase(?) and couldn’t stand the suffocating life at the estate anymore, so I ran away.

Naturally, life as a runaway hadn’t exactly been easy.

And then I happened to meet a boy who taught me about this mushroom.

Seeing this mushroom reminds me……

My eyes grew distant.

I wonder if he’s doing well……

The only person my age I had ever met across both my previous and current lives……

His name was probably……

Pop……

I absentmindedly pulled out the final mushroom.

[Errand completed! (Requester: God of the Forest)]

[Would you like to receive your reward?]

“Yeeees……”

Even my answer came out wistful.

“Hey, brat.”

“I’m not Brat…… I’m Haniel……”

Even my backtalk was wistful.

“I’ll feed you real meat pie soon.”

My eyes snapped wide open.

“Huh? Really?!”

Only then did I notice the new sticker.

A bright green tree-shaped sticker!

[Haniel’s Sticker Book (For Children)]

• Divine Power Stickers in Storage: 280

• Collected Sticker Types: … [New] Call of the Forest, Polite Scales, (Not Obtained), (Not Obtained) …

“Yeah.”

The Grand Duke had already gathered an entire sack of mushrooms.

“Brad’s team should be back soon.”

“……!”

I felt like I had suddenly grown as tall as a mushroom stalk.

Sir Brad!

“Anyway, let’s head back. Hah…… Luden and the others are completely wiped out, so land reclamation has slowed down.”

The Grand Duke sighed.

That was right.

The reason we were gathering mushrooms right now was because Luden’s team had collapsed from overwork.

Well, even if they’re strong knights, there’s no way clearing that much land with only six people would be easy.

I stored the sack of mushrooms in the warehouse and headed down to the farmland with the Grand Duke.

In the distance, I could see the spot where a red flag had been planted.

“We’ll cultivate up to here this year.”

Basil had declared that while driving the flag into the ground.

Butler Camilla had stared at him like he was insane.

“……That looks like at least two extra-large training grounds’ worth of land. About two hectares.”

“Well, once Brad’s team gets back, it shouldn’t be impossible.”

Even so, compared to the number of workers, it was enormous.

Of course, compared to all the wasteland surrounding Bethel Village, they were cultivating only about one-twentieth of it.

Hmm. According to the Imperial Encyclopedia of Agricultural Common Sense……

If an ordinary farmer worked without livestock such as oxen—

they could cultivate roughly an area measuring fifty adult paces across and fifty paces long.

About 0.1 hectares.

But that’s based on an ‘ordinary’ farmer!

The well-trained knights of Vertus could work about twice as much as ordinary farmers.

And the Grand Duke had practically inhuman strength, so he alone did the work of five farmers.

But…… it’s still true that we don’t have enough people.

Even Luden’s tough team eventually collapsed after pushing themselves too hard.

So land reclamation had temporarily stopped.

But that’s okay!

“This is a problem. We need to finish clearing the land before March if we want to sow the seeds on time.”

“Don’t worry!”

I waved both arms and smiled brightly.

That……

would be solved soon enough!

“Mister Paaaaauuuul!”

Haniel went patpatpatpat! and sprinted forward.

“Haniiiiiieeeel! Oh my goodness!”

A bearded man came running from the distance just as fast.

Basil stood crookedly to one side and watched.

Come to think of it……

he had heard Haniel had traveled with someone for part of the way.

A companion who had come with her all the way from the capital.

“This is Mister Paul! My traveling companion!”

She was delighted.

Absolutely delighted.

Not long after they returned to the village after touring the farmland—

some hairy middle-aged guy had appeared.

With tears and snot flying everywhere, he scooped Haniel into his arms.

“I was wondering how you were doing out there! And you even made lots of friends while I was gone! I’m sooo proud of you! I’m so happy to see you again, Misteeer!”

“Oh, of course, of course! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?”

“Hng, really? Mister Paul, you’re the best!”

“Mister’s the best, right~?”

“The absolute beeeest!”

“Look at these two having fun……”

Basil muttered with a deep frown.

His hand naturally rose to his hip.

His eyes narrowed too.

Even his lips seemed to twist slightly……

What the hell was wrong with his body?

Why was he acting like someone sulking?

“Hm? Hani, who’s that man behind you with the right face and body but the terrifying expression?”

“Ah, that’s His Grace the Grand Duke!”

“……”

Paul immediately dropped flat to the ground.

“I-I greet Your Grace the Grand Duke!”

Tremble, tremble.

His back shook.

Basil was just about to say something when a group appeared in the distance.

Over a dozen people were approaching under Brad’s team’s escort, some on horseback and others riding on baggage carts.

“What?! It really is warm!”

“The moment we entered the village, it turned into spring!”

“Farmland! There really is farmland!”

The newcomers chattered noisily.

“……”

Basil’s expression became strange.

“You didn’t come alone?”

“G-gasp, yes, yes…… We…… came to…… immigrate here.”

“……What?”

Seriously?

“They give us a house…… and land too……”

A familiar line.

Paul blinked.

“And we heard…… we can farm here too……?”

“How did you……”

Basil hadn’t properly explained the situation to Brad because he’d thought it was too early.

So Brad couldn’t have gathered these people himself.

Then Basil felt an unbearable aura of ambition beside him.

“Hehehe.”

He stared at Haniel’s twitching cheeks—

then picked her up.

“You again?”

“I only sent Mister Paul a survival letter!”

Haniel glanced around furtively, then cupped her hands around her mouth.

Basil immediately perched her on his shoulder so she could whisper into his ear more easily.

“I-I did the p-pillar…… thing, so…… while I was at it…… I told him that too.”

Apparently, she couldn’t bring herself to say the word purification in front of Paul.

“When we rode the public carriage here, there were lots of people wandering around without homes, looking for somewhere to work. So…… I thought it would be nice if they came too……”

“……”

Basil had to admit it.

She might actually be better than me.

Ability.

Drive.

Planning.

Sociability.

Charm.

She was superior in basically everything.

“U-um…… can we…… live here?”

Paul asked cautiously.

The people who had gathered behind him were now staring up at Basil with nervous, frightened eyes.