Chapter 221 Most Likely A Flag
Sara noticed that a vague feeling was swirling inside her.
"Hey, tell me, Noir. Did Odel really use fairy powers to invade other countries?"
"It's not as simple as just saying 'invade.' Conflicts between countries are complicated. It's a fact that Odel used fairy powers in war. If you call it an invasion because they attacked first, then yes, Odel did invade other countries with fairy powers. Records are kept by the winners. Unpleasant truths tend to get buried over time."
While gently stroking Noir's head, which was closed in exhaustion, Sara thought about the long years this black wolf had spent with Odel.
"Humans like to claim values like 'good and evil' or 'justice' and want to justify their conflicts. But fairies can't understand those human values. There was a king of Odel who spoke of wanting to enrich his country for the sake of his people as a noble cause, yet he invaded other countries. The fairies who were his friends lent him their power, staining themselves with human blood. Of course, I did too. This act would be what you call an invasion using fairy powers, right?"
"That's true."
"Many humans claim that invading other countries is evil, but that king won the war and was celebrated as a hero, remembered as a good king who enriched his country. I have no idea how to understand good and evil or justice when they change so easily depending on the position or situation."
Noir lifted his face and stared intently at Sara.
"Sara, remember this well. For fairies, a meaningful act is to help someone they love with what they desire. If the person they are connected to cares for their people, then the fairies will care for them too. However, if other humans plead, it won't reach our ears. Even if you humans call it a 'noble act to save the lives of innocent people,' it doesn't give us a reason to act. If other humans get hurt to fulfill the wishes of someone they are connected to, to us, it's just like 'stepping on a flower by the roadside.'."
With Noir's words, Sara finally felt like she understood the difference between fairies and humans. They are part of nature itself, and their feelings and actions have no concept of good or evil. Thinking this way, the friendship of the fairies, drawn to her magic, is truly precious and irreplaceable.
"So, you mean that unless Blaze wants it, you won't help, right?"
"That's right."
"And you're not keen on revealing the secret of Blaze's birth?"
"That's right. I don't understand why Blaze should help those people. Odel has already perished. Blaze has no feelings for the people of that country now. Therefore, I have no intention of lending my power at all. Are you trying to push Blaze into a position like Henri, where he collapses from magic exhaustion over and over again?"
Just then, Pochi, who had been lying close to Noir, fluttered over to Sara's ear.
"Hey, Sara. If we say 'we should solve our own problems,' then Roisen's future should be chosen and decided by Roisen itself. At least the royal family of Roisen chose to import food from other countries, so what you guys should think about is whether to export Grandchester's wheat or not, right?"
"That's true."
"But right now, we don't have the luxury to export Grandchester's wheat, do we?"
"Our stockpiles are gone. We're barely managing to secure enough for domestic distribution to avoid market chaos."
Sara poked Pochi's nose lightly and replied.
"But isn't it bad to publicly say that our wheat stockpiles are gone?"
"That's definitely true. The people would get anxious, and more importantly, the price of wheat could skyrocket, causing economic chaos. If that happens, there might be calls for Grandchester to take responsibility."
"But if the king of Avalon decided to sell wheat and favors to Roisen, wouldn't he be the first to tell Grandchester to sell the wheat he needs?"
"Exactly. That's why I'm worried about what to do. Even if I reduce the amount for stockpiling, I wonder if we can meet the required amount..."
"Then why not hurry up and grow more wheat? I think you can grow at least enough for stockpiling, even if it might drain your magic like the old King Odel."
"Are you saying I should do it myself without pushing it onto Blaze?"
"That's not my intention, but it might end up that way."
Pochi wagged his tail and pressed his paw against Sara's cheek to take in her magic, then transformed the flowers displayed in the room into bundles of wheat.
"Hahaha. Sara, it seems this is your responsibility, not Blaze's."
Noir, who had been quietly petted, suddenly got up and licked Sara's cheek. It looked like the situation had come back to bite her. Sara held her head in her hands.
"I see. I understand what you all want to say. I admit it's a very tempting offer, but can we really manage it with just my magic?"
"If it's about half the amount of wheat harvested this year, I think we can manage it by using your magic twice."
'Wait, I can produce that much with just my magic!?'
"The problem is the base plants, but how about we just develop some land somewhere?"
"I don't know... I understand it's a wonderfully efficient idea, but it feels like we're stepping on the lord's toes."
"Sara, you really are a princess with the blood of a fallen nation. It looks like we'll have to use a lot of magic."
Noir teased her sarcastically.
'Tch. I can't retort.'
"By the way, I haven't thought about it deeply until now, but how many types of wheat are grown in Grandchester, and how is each type stored?"
'I should have checked with Mr. Pollux properly.'
"Oh, Sara finally asked about the types of wheat!"
Pochi wagged her tail happily.
Yes. There are various types of wheat. Usually, the hardness of wheat grains is proportional to the amount of protein they contain. Strong flour, suitable for bread, is made from hard wheat that has a lot of protein, while medium flour and weak flour are made from intermediate wheat and soft wheat, respectively.
"About 80% of the wheat grown in Grandchester is the hard wheat I just made. It's a variety that's good for making bread, called Hard Grandchester. This wheat has been improved to suit the climate of Grandchester. The one often used for pastries is White Lady."
"There's definitely a lot of hard wheat."
"Everyone eats bread, so it's only natural. I hear other regions grow varieties better for noodles, but you don't see much of that in Grandchester."
"Hmm. Thinking about it, I really want rye too. Maybe it could be grown in Roisen's soil."
Sara thought a bit while looking at the Hard Grandchester created by Pochi.
"Pochi makes this kind of wheat, right? The one before it's threshed?"
"Yeah. It looks like a big pile with the roots still attached."
"What about the drying state?"
"It might be possible to get it to a state where it can be threshed."
"Even so, it's clear we don't have enough hands."
Just then, Mike popped his head out from the tent.
"How about letting golems do the threshing? Like when we made cider. We could even have them bring it to the warehouse. I don't think it would stand out much if they did it at night."
"The problem is where to do it. Wouldn't it be scary if golems were walking around at night carrying bags of grain?"
"...That would be a bit scary."
"And can I even schedule time to collapse from magic power depletion? I have so much to do."
Then Sedrick licked Sara's face and purred. It was so cute that Sara couldn't help but scratch behind his ears. She noticed that Sedrick was getting cuter little by little, but being weak against fluffiness, Sara was always losing.
"Food won't be seriously needed for a while, and we don't even know how much we need at this stage. More importantly, we haven't decided which young lady will marry Crown Prince Gerhart, and the trade agreement hasn't been officially signed yet, so there's no need to rush to prepare it."
"That's true."
"Also, if the goal is just to secure food, shouldn't we teach them that they don't have to stick only to wheat? In the village that had the ergot fungus incident, they grow various crops, right?"
"I don't think I was close to Sedrick back then, but you know a lot."
"I've been watching Miss Sara all along."
'Uh, no way. That sounds kind of stalker-ish.'
Sara's point is surprisingly correct. Sedrick had been close to her since she was at the Grandchester estate in the royal capital. Even after coming to the Grandchester territory, he often slipped through the fairy paths to check on Sara while gathering information from various estates in the capital. It's almost like stalking.
"It feels a bit creepy, but for now, it's fine. That village does seem suitable for inspection. Instead of forcing wheat to grow in poor soil, they should cultivate crops that are better suited, and they might even produce some special products. I'll suggest to my grandfather that the people from Roisen inspect that village."
Just as she muttered this, Sara was hit by a strong wave of sleepiness. It seemed like the time limit of her 8-year-old body was approaching. Today had been too eventful, and she was completely exhausted.
Tomorrow is finally the opening ceremony and ball for the hunting tournament. Since both events are at night, Sara won't be attending, but she has to participate as Sophia for the first part because it's the debut of the cider and Elma brandy.
For now, Sara decided to go to sleep.
'Please let nothing troublesome happen tomorrow.'
...Usually, this kind of prayer is a bad sign.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)