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144 The Result of the Choice – Part 3

「You underestimated Altora’s twisted pride, Remonde Vehl. If he had to become a puppet to kill me, he’d rather destroy everything. That’s who he is.」

「Altora, that incompetent fool!?」

「We’ll continue this conversation later. Hey, you with the green hair over there.」

「Wh-What? Me?」

「Don’t look Marge in the eye!」

I called the green-haired youth who had come to report—Remonde’s subordinate. Unlike Remonde, who had carefully avoided meeting my gaze, the young man reflexively turned toward me. Our eyes locked.

「Visual confirmation established. [Placebo Master’s Golden Spoon], activate.」

「U-Ugh…?」

「Remonde and I are having a confidential discussion. All of you, leave the inn and stay away from this room. Do not pry. Repeat it.」

「…Mom is having a confidential discussion with Marge. All of us are to leave the inn and stay away from this room. Do not pry.」

「Pass that along to the other members.」

「I’ll pass that along to the other members.」

「Wait! Snap out of it!」

「Too late.」

The young man turned on his heel and left. Remonde, flustered as she tried to stop him, let the glass slip from her hand.

Once the suggestion disrupted the chain of information, the rest was simple—go for the head.

「[Cocytus]」

「Ngh—! My limbs!」

「Chilled liquor tastes better. Especially the sweet kind.」

Before the glass hit the floor, I froze Remonde’s limbs solid. Bound in shackles of ice, she could no longer move. And even if she shouted, no one would hear her—her men had all left the inn.

「Now, shall we begin our confidential talk?」

◇

A few bells earlier – Werewolves’ Hidden Village

「How are the seedlings doing?」

「Ah, Shizuku-sama. So far, they’re growing well without any signs of disease.」

The Werewolves’ Hidden Village’s rice farming had entered another busy season.

Two days had passed since Marge and his party departed for the Leon Enagoris Mountains. Though the village had been preoccupied with the dungeon incident and the medicine affair, they were now back to caring for the rice crops as they entered the heading stage.

Keeping track of progress and encouraging the workers was part of Shizuku’s duty as a leader. When she visited the rice fields and addressed one of the middle-aged werewolves nearby, he looked up. Though covered in sweat and mud, his face showed clear satisfaction from tangible progress.

「I see. Last year we had serious trouble with weeds. How’s that looking this time?」

「It’s visibly improved compared to before, ma’am!」

「Looks like the measures are finally working.」

In their first year, they’d been tormented by an overwhelming amount of weeds. Once the soil was tilled and fertilized, it became a perfect home not only for rice but all sorts of other plants. As summer approached, it became an endless battle—pulling weeds only for more to sprout the next day.

「I never imagined weeds would be such a menace.」

「There was even a time when we thought we could just spread more fertilizer to compensate. I must confess, there was a moment when I cursed Asagi-sama for ordering us to pull them by hand…」

「And yet everyone obeyed. If we’d slacked off then…」

「The field likely would’ve become a paradise for insects, overrun by something neither quite rice nor quite weeds.」

「I’d rather not imagine that.」

Weeds don’t just steal nutrients from rice. Various kinds attract various pests and diseases—some of which can infect the rice as well. A single disease could force them to burn down the entire paddy, which would be fatal to the harvest.

Even worse, wild relatives of rice naturally grow throughout the region.

Such weeds could crossbreed with their rice, creating unpredictable hybrids. It was possible for their fields to end up dominated by these hybrids or even turned entirely into weed fields.

To prevent that, the village had taken countermeasures—to kill weeds not after they sprouted, but before they could.

「We just keep tilling the fields every year. Just as Marge discovered.」

「Yes, what was the name of that process again?」

「‘Tilling’ and ‘Puddling,’ I believe.」

Before each year’s planting, they had to loosen the soil using hoes and spades—a process called tilling. Deep tilling buried weed seeds, preventing them from sprouting in spring.

Then, just before transplanting, the soil was leveled in a process called puddling. This further buried weeds and helped suppress them—a double defense.

…It’s easy to explain in words. Actually doing it was another matter entirely.

「Shizuku-sama, if I may say…」

「What is it?」

「In hindsight, it truly was a blessing that Gelli-dono arrived during the first year…」

「Agreed. Even if Marge could lend us [Strength Enhancement] and [Slash Enhancement], that’s only to one person at a time.」

Every part of rice farming was hard labor, but if asked what was physically toughest, many villagers would likely say tilling. The earth, hardened by winter, had to be broken by hand, removing stones and roots step by step—a slow and grueling process.

With no oxen or horses to help, everything had to be done manually. It was physically and mentally exhausting. Nothing breaks the human spirit like endless toil without visible results.

Fortunately, thanks to Angelina barging in just before the summer of the first year, golems had taken over most of the work. Tireless and strong, the earthen dolls had proven their worth.

「Worst case, I imagine Marge would’ve helped too.」

「Still, having the king we chose till the fields himself would be…」

「Using [Asura’s Six Arms] to control six hoes and plow the field… I kind of want to see that.」

「I won’t deny the image is interesting, but I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, Shizuku-sama.」

「It’d be something, wouldn’t it? Hoes spinning through the air, swoosh-swoosh-clang!」

「…A magnificent sight, I’m sure.」

As they pictured Marge in the late winter working with six arms, both Shizuku and the werewolf looked up at the blue sky. In that direction lay the deep green mountains—and beyond them, faintly visible, the snow-capped peaks of the Leon Enagoris range.

A breeze swept through. Shizuku turned on her heel.

「Sorry to interrupt your work. Even though the rice is coming along, there’s still much to do. Everyone depends on your efforts—keep at it.」

「Yes, ma’am! We’ll have fine rice to show you come autumn.」

「I’ll be looking forward to it.」

As they watched Shizuku walk away, the werewolves murmured to one another. To this small village, Shizuku was not just a ruler, but someone they’d watched grow up since infancy—a leader and a granddaughter both. Their eyes held warmth and sternness in equal measure.

「Shizuku-sama has really grown, hasn’t she?」

「She used to be so tense and unsteady. That’s why we all felt we had to support her.」

「Now, she seems much more at ease. She’s inherited Asagi-sama’s dignity—it’s reassuring.」

「She’s also gained Kasumi-sama’s gentle nature. And with Marge-sama’s wisdom added to the mix, I can’t wait to see how she turns out.」

As they admired Shizuku’s inner growth, a shared regret surfaced.

「If only her body would grow, too…」

「Didn’t Kasumi-sama have a bit more, uh, fullness at that age?」

「Hmm… Is it the food? No, she eats better than Kasumi-sama did back then…」

「What nonsense are you spouting!? That’s exactly why she needs to grow up eating our rice!」

「R-Right! If we grow better rice, Shizuku-sama will grow too!」

「No time for idle chatter! Let’s get to work, everyone!」

Spurred on by this bizarre yet heartfelt determination, the villagers picked up their tools.

While the Abik Domain and even the nation as a whole were wracked by the drug crisis, this village alone remained untouched—because they had sensed the danger early and taken swift action.

「…Huh? Do you smell that?」

Because their days remained so unchanged, they were quick to notice even the slightest shift.