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Frontier Lord Chapter 037 – Setting the Field

After breakfast the day following the departure of Camalotte from Irk Village, I moved with Grandma Chirch, Grandma Tala, Francis, and Francois, who wanted to visit. We chose a spot a bit farther from Irk village, situated to the south of the village. There, we began working in the fields.

「Young Dias, you need to get a good grip on that.」

I firmly grasped the handle as Grandma Chirch continued to give me instructions.

「After that, you push down. That’s how you stab the blade into the ground. If the ground appears hard, place your foot on that bulky part over there and press with your whole body.」

I followed her guidance, manipulating the handle and driving the oddly shaped blade into the ground. The tool was similar to a hoe, but it was so badly made that it was hard to liken it to one. 

「Atta boy, that’s how you do it. Just make sure that you apply the right amount of pressure on the blade so that it doesn’t pull out in the middle. If the blade gets stuck on something, don’t rush. Simply lift the handle and extract the blade from the ground. When you’re all done you can tell the White Ghee to begin moving. It seems to be used to pulling the plow, so I’m sure that it’ll handle the rest without any hiccups.」

「O-Okay. Alright! You’re up!」

Following Grandma Chirch’s guidance I called out to the White Ghee. It responded with a resounding Moooo before gradually beginning to move forward. 

Then, the plow linked to White Ghee’s body through a leather belt was drawn forward, and the plow blade, stuck in the ground, lifted the soil and neatly turned it over.

The plow, featuring a substantial wooden frame with a handle, two wheels, and a large, misshapen hoe, was recognized as a farming implement employed in this manner. Its performance was truly impressive.

As the plow moved ahead, pulled by White Ghee, the soil was flipped, and the surface grass was incorporated into the earth, removing the need to trim the grass beforehand. All one needed to do was move with the plow while spraying water and scattering the Leaf Manure Stone dust over the soil so that the plow’s blades could incorporate them into the soil.

Following a few rounds of plowing while adjusting the blade’s depth, the plow was prepared to till the soil. I couldn’t help but be surprised at the speed with which it was completed thanks to the plow. If one had to do this by hand it would’ve taken forever.

「Get a grip and walk normally!」

I heard the words of encouragement from Grandma Tala, who was operating another plow. She appeared to manage the plow skillfully despite not being exceptionally strong. It was quite remarkable, to be honest.

If the work progressed at this pace, it seemed plausible that we might conclude plowing this area before lunch and proceed to sow the seeds later in the day.

「The soil lifted by the plow needs to settle for a few days, so we’ll sow the seeds in three days,」

Grandma Chirch informed me, seemingly perceiving my thoughts from my expression.

(Well, yes, the sooner the task gets done, the better. Given the current pace, we’ll likely have plenty of energy left, and given that we’ll be planting the seeds in three days’ time I might as well extend the field a bit in the afternoon…)

「After we’ve finished turning the soil, I’m planning to have you dig a hole in order to create a reservoir. There’s no point in giving ourselves more work for now.」

Grandma Chirch interjected with a playful smile on her face, as if she could read my mind once more.

Per Grandma Chirch’s explanation, the amount of water in the stream originating from the northern mountains, flowing past Irk Village, barely qualified as a river.

She warned that this scarce water supply would likely run dry in the summer, which is why it was necessary to build a reservoir as a precaution.

While daily water needs could easily be met with the help of the wells, agricultural irrigation was another beast in of itself and the wells would likely not be enough.

Thus I’d need to dig a pond which I’d connect to the creek through a channel. The pond would thus gradually fill with water from the creek, creating a reservoir in due time, and preparing for the summer.

Grandma Chirch had proposed that the southern area, downstream from the village, should be utilized as a farm precisely because she’d been afraid of the water source running dry.

(I used to think that a field would yield the same results regardless of its location, but now I’ve come to understand the importance of the site.)

「After you’ve finished turning the soil, dig a pond during the soil’s resting period. When you sow the seeds, create a reservoir while you await their germination… and so forth. I still remember what you told me about crops not growing here, Young Dias. But let’s first try it and see what the outcome is before making any concrete decisions.」

(Well, if the knowledgeable and experienced Grandma Chirch says so, then there’s no doubting it.)

I nodded in agreement, acknowledging her words, and concentrated on operating the plow.

As expected, the task of tilling the soil in the southern strip was completed before lunchtime.

I hung a tub on the plow’s handle and simultaneously spread water and crushed Leaf Manure Stone powder into the tub. The field I plowed consisted of soil mixed with Leaf Manure Stone powder and water. On the other hand, the area Grandma Tala worked on was soil mixed with grass, ash, and water.

I learned that in Grandma Chirch’s family’s village, they used to prepare soil using grass and wood ashes. They wanted to experiment with that approach as well, so we decided to implement it.

After completing the soil tilling, the next step was to excavate a hole for the reservoir. As it was nearing lunchtime, we decided to take a break. We joined up with Francis and Francois, who had been observing our efforts from a distance while grazing and returned to the village.

En route, we paused at the stables, conveniently situated halfway between the field and the village. We allowed the White Ghee to rest within, and as for the plow… well, we would likely need it again soon, so we decided to leave it near the stables.

As I gently placed the plow by the stables and wiped away the soil clinging to the blade, Senai and Aihan came trotting over from the village.

「Dias! Are you done setting up the field?」

「Dias! You done?」

They rushed up to me, tugging on my pants. I quickly picked up the two of them, one in each hand, before speaking.

「No. There’s still some work to do. The field apparently won’t be ready for a few more days. What brings you two here? Did something happen?」

I asked, to which the two of them pointed towards the village.

「Aruna sent us to bring you back because lunch is ready.」

「Aruna’s calling.」

「Got it. Thank you for coming all this way just to get me.」

With that, I began walking toward the village, holding them in my arms. For some reason, as we walked, Senai and Aihan started fidgeting in my arms, as if they were sharing something and exchanging words with an evident excitement.

As I peered into their faces to understand the situation, Senai appeared to be looking downward, while Aihan had a furrowed brow, as if struggling to convey something.

Seeing that Aihan clearly had something on her mind I thought about speaking to her first, but before I could do that Aihan hesitantly opened her mouth and spoke.

「Um, Dias. Is setting the field hard? Are you tired?」

「Hm? I’m fine for now. Though what I’ll be doing later will be a bit tiresome… But it’s nothing too scary.」

「Will you be sad if the field doesn’t turn out well?」

「What? No. I wouldn’t say I’d be sad. I’ll do what I can, and if in the end it doesn’t work out, then that was just how it was meant to be.」

(Why is it that only Aihan speaks to me like this when both of them usually approach me together? And just what does she want to ask me?)

These questions swirled in my mind as I met Aihan’s serious gaze and thoughtfully offered my responses.

「……」

「Dias, would you be sad if you knew we were hiding something from you?」

「Hmmm… If it was something bad then I might be sad. But if it isn’t something bad then I think it’s fine… Everyone has secrets. There’s nothing sad about that.」

I found Aihan’s question quite unrelated, and as I answered, Senai and Aihan began to wriggle in my arms.

(Maybe they want to come down?) 

I thought to myself, so I gently lowered the two of them to the ground. Without a single word or even a glance in my direction, Senai and Aihan darted toward the village up front.

「Meee?」

「Mee?」

Francis and Francois, who seemed to have been observing our exchange from nearby, looked at me with puzzled expressions, wondering what had happened.

Even Grandma Chirch and Grandma Tala, who’d also heard us, gazed at me with curious expressions. I, on the other hand, had no clue what had just happened either, so I could only shrug my shoulders in response.

Afterwards I made up my mind to ask Senai and Aihan what they’d meant next time I met them, but even after doing so, I never received a response.

Even when I approached Aruna to inquire if she knew anything about it, she appeared equally clueless. When Aruna tried asking them, they remained tight-lipped. Regardless of what anyone attempted or how many questions were posed, Senai and Aihan never shared any further information about the enigmatic question and our conversation.

It left me with a sense of curiosity and concern, pondering what might have occurred between the two of them. However, as I continued to observe them living their daily lives, their usual bright and cheerful demeanor unchanged… I began to realize that such mysteries were natural for children of their age.

As time passed, it came to a point, where I completely forgot that we’d even had the conversation in the first place.