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Vol 01 Chapter 05-2: Agriculture and Livestock

Livestock is crucial for crop rotation farming. The advantage of this method is that livestock can be raised even in winter.

Furthermore, to restore the soil’s fertility, clover alone isn’t enough. Grazing livestock on clover fields turns their manure into fertilizer. That’s the key part.

「That’s why I’m thinking of bringing in some livestock.」

When I told this to the children. The kids looked unimpressed, probably not understanding much.

「Won’t it be tough to get livestock in the middle of a famine?」

「We’ll negotiate with the country of King Rosais in the east. They don’t have the technology to work with iron, right? If we bring about ten swords, we might get one or two cows in exchange.」

Having cows will make plowing much easier. In our current situation, where children are our only laborers, having at least one cow is desirable.

「Will they trade their much-needed food for them?」

「If I were the village head, I’d exchange the cows for the swords and then offer those swords to the country to get an exemption on taxes.」

A cow or two won’t make much difference in the number of people they can feed. Many would choose to use the iron swords for warfare to take food, which would fill more bellies.

「But there’s one problem.」

「What is it?」

「I don’t know how to handle cows.」

The children were taken aback.

◇

「Um… I can handle them a bit. My parents used to raise livestock.」

「Really? Then I’m counting on you.」

It’s a bit of a mystery why someone who had valuable livestock had to abandon her daughter, but there must have been various reasons. I won’t pry too deeply.

「I need one more volunteer.」

「Then I’ll go.」

Ron-kun volunteered, as expected. Ron-kun and Soyon-chan always go together.

「Let’s go, Tetra-chan!」

「Why me again…」

「Tetra-chan is knowledgeable, right? We might get deceived, so come with us.」

Incidentally, Ron-kun and Soyon-chan are from the village where we previously exchanged swords for farming implements. They felt awkward about going back, so they didn’t. On the other hand, Roswald-kun is from the village we’re heading to now.

I don’t know where Tetra-chan is from. She won’t tell me. The only thing I know is that she’s quite knowledgeable.

「So… are we only getting cows?」

「Actually, one cow is enough. Instead of another cow, we’ll buy goats.」

Goats provide poor quality meat and milk, but they survive on meager food. Ideally, I’d like to buy a male and a female.

「How many iron swords will we take?」

「Let’s take fifteen, just to be safe. That should be enough, right?」

Ten would probably suffice, but it’s better to be cautious. Making the trip back and forth is a hassle.

「Let’s go then.」

As I said this, Tetra-chan let out a weak laugh.

She really doesn’t seem to like this.

◇

「So, how about we make a trade?」

I proposed.

「Um, we’re short on food…」

The village head hesitated. That was expected. I kept my smile.

「Why don’t you offer these iron swords to the country in exchange for a tax exemption? I’m sure the high-ranking officials in the country would be desperate for iron weapons.」

The country of King Rosais lacks iron smelting technology. They import iron through trade with the northern countries. Iron is essential for both warfare and agriculture. Naturally, they’re charged high prices, and there must be restrictions to prevent King Rosais’ Country from becoming a powerful nation. They could also trade them for food with the countries currently at war.

Each of these iron swords was brought by would-be heroes trying to defeat Griffon. They’re made of high-quality iron. In normal times, they would be eager to trade for such items.

「Hmm… that might be a good idea…」

The village head started to ponder, shaking his head back and forth.

You’re taking too long to decide. Hurry up.

「If you don’t want to trade, it’s fine. We can just try another village,」

I said, making a move to stand up. The village head suddenly became anxious.

「I’ve decided! We’ll trade. What do you want?」

「I’d like one cow, and five goats. How does that sound?」

I began the negotiation boldly.

Honestly, three or four goats will suffice. With five, there’s a worry about whether we can raise them all.

「Five goats… that’s a bit much… How about two?」

「Then, I’ll add two more iron swords, and in exchange, can we make it four goats?」

The village head nodded deeply. It seems he was satisfied with the deal.

We were able to increase our labor force and add nutritious milk to our diet. With this, we should have it a little bit easier.

◇

「Alright, this should be good enough.」

I looked at the goats and the cow inside the fence.

The fence I made is a makeshift one, not very sturdy. It will need reinforcing later. It would be a problem if they escaped, so I asked Griffon to intimidate them a little, and he threatened to eat them if they tried to escape. While at first, Griffon said he couldn’t threaten innocent animals, he seemed to have fun doing it.

Well, the cow and the goats aren’t for eating anyway. They are getting free meals, so they shouldn’t complain just for a little scare.

What, you think that the grass in the fields is already free, so they don’t need to feel indebted to us? Well, that’s… If they live with us, there’s less risk of being eaten by predators like wolves and the like, right? Probably.

「Was there really a need to rush to get goats? It’s just trouble,」

Tetra-chan grumbled.

I understand her complaints. Goats don’t seem necessary compared to cows, which are a great labor force. From now on, we have to plant and take care of the fields, and with this, we have the added task of caring for the goats.

But I have a reason to hurry.

「Goat milk is nutritious, even if it doesn’t taste good.」

Tetra-chan looked puzzled.

「All Griffon brings is nuts and meat, right? We lack calcium. Without calcium, bones become brittle. I think that’s fatal in this world. That’s why I went to the trouble of getting goats.」

「Hmm.」

「Do you understand?」

「I understand that you’re worried about us.」

Tetra-chan smiled when she said that.

It’s the first time I’ve seen her smile.

「Hey, what should we name them?」

Ron-kun asked while petting a goat.

He seems to like them a lot.

「The goats will be number one, two, three, and four, starting from the right. The cow is also number one.」

「Eh… That’s too simple! Poor things.」

Soyon-chan protested, pouting.

「Poor things? They’re livestock, not friends, family, or pets. There might come a time when we have to eat them. If we name them, they become pets, not livestock. It’ll only make things harder.」

In Japan, hitting a pet like a dog is considered animal abuse. But slaughtering pigs or cows isn’t a crime.

It’s obvious, but pets and livestock are different.

Livestock is a tool for humans. We shouldn’t get attached. If we name them, they become pets, not livestock.

It might be impossible to tell the kids not to get attached, but at least I wanted to avoid naming them.

「So, we might eat them…」

The children looked at the goats and the cow with sad faces. The atmosphere turned funeral-like.

It’s not like eating them is confirmed…

「Well, goat meat tastes bad, so unless something drastic happens, we won’t eat them. And the cow is a valuable labor force. Let’s work hard on farming so it doesn’t come to that.」

I raised my voice to change the kids’ mood.

「For now, I want to deal with the weeds growing in what seems to be the fields… It’s faster to have the goats and the cow eat them than to cut them. Let’s move them to the fields.」

We guided the goats and the cow to the fields.

Whether it’s thanks to Griffon’s threats, Soyon-chan’s guidance, or simply their desire to eat grass, the cow and the goats obediently enter the field.

The field isn’t very large. Judging from the number of pit dwellings, the original village was small, with perhaps around a hundred villagers. Once the animals have eaten a fair amount of the grass, we plan to start tilling the field.

Since it’s an old field, I expect the soil to be relatively soft, but we’re relying on children’s strength. We’ve managed to acquire some pickaxes, but I wonder how effective they’ll be…

Well, I’m not expecting much harvest in this half year. We’ll have Griffon’s support for at least three years. Rushing is unnecessary.