Chapter 298 The New Elma
Since Rihito and Amelia kept saying, "Stay quiet," Sara had been holed up in Maiden's Tower for 5 days after waking up.
Whenever she tried to work for the merchant guild, Maria would take the documents away with a very scary face. She managed to convince them that she couldn't just abandon the merchant guild, and they let her off the hook as long as Sophia's golem came to report to her at Maiden's Tower after closing.
Of course, this was also a chance to replenish Sophia and Thomashiina's magic power. When Sara woke up, Rihito had already returned the job of replenishing magic power to her, as if he was done with it.
While touching the two golems' chests to replenish their magic power, she listened to the report from Sophia and gave instructions if necessary. In case of emergencies, they were supposed to contact her through Thomashiina, but so far, there hadn't been any urgent messages.
'Hmm. Sophia's golem... too capable.'
On the third day, feeling completely bored, Sara decided to read a book written by Robert while rolling around on her bed. She remembered that she had been given a first edition as a sample when she was in Sophia's form. She thought it might cause problems if she just took it home, so she had tossed it into her storage and forgotten about it.
Sara took out the book and started reading, but as she read, she felt a bit uncomfortable.
'...No good. The hero is too obsessed with the heroine. What is this... this overly romantic novel with too much girly thinking!'
The author is Robert, but the story is more like a romance novel aimed at women. Sure, there are some intense scenes that might be too much for kids, but basically, the hero is totally devoted to the heroine, and it's pretty sweet.
'Hmm. This is a TL novel.'
The quality of the novel is quite high. It has the messy politics of the court and national conspiracies, changing settings and characters, and the side characters are interesting too. Because of that, there are many popular spin-off stories featuring the side characters.
'It would be fun if father wrote a story about a villainous noble girl. He probably wouldn't think of something like an otome game, so maybe a classic time leap?'
That said, after reading just one book, she felt like she had eaten too much sugar, so Sara tossed the book into her space storage and sat up cross-legged on her bed. It's not a very ladylike position for a noble girl, but honestly, just lying around reading in bed is already a no-go.
'Oh, by the way, Rihito told the fairies that he can understand what's in the storage with his no-attribute magic. If Rihito can do it, then I can too.'
Remembering what the fairies had told her, Sara quickly imagined the magic to understand the contents of her space storage. After a few minutes of trial and error, Sara succeeded in displaying the contents like a game window in front of her.
'Oh, I did it. But it looks kind of messy and hard to understand. Plus, I can't tell how much time has passed in the space storage at all.'
Sara imagined a list in her mind. She improved her magic so that it could display items in various ways, like by space or type. She also added features like search and extraction to make analysis easier.
Wanting to try different extraction conditions, she started adding more attributes to each item stored, such as "type," "quality," "when it was stored," "where it was stored," and "how much time has passed since it was stored." It was especially important to know how much time had passed in the storage space since time moved differently in each area.
'Oh, this is turning out to be quite useful. Yeah, I should make this display window adjustable in size. Oh, it might be handy to switch views with tabs for comparison...'
Muttering to herself, Sara continued to customize her magic. By the way, Rihito was also doing similar customizations to his magic. However, his classification method was quite different from Sara's, resulting in a magic that looked very much like something a researcher would create.
Once Sara was satisfied with her magic for understanding the storage space, she realized that an enormous amount of crops was stored in her space, and she buried her head in her hands.
'This is way more than I need for the next 5 years!'
The fairies must have completely forgotten that wheat was being harvested from various regions, including Grandchester, during those 5 years. If she put this wheat on the market, the prices would drop drastically.
'I guess I have no choice. I'll keep it for the famine. Time is stopped, so it won't spoil, and that works out perfectly.'
Sara took out one of the Elmas that Pochi made and used water magic and wind magic to wash and cut it, then arranged it on a plate made with earth magic. She thought it might be rude to bite into it whole, but sitting cross-legged on the bed was already not proper.
'Ah, this Elma is sweet and really delicious. The ones used for making alcohol are harder and more sour, but this one tastes like the fancy apples I used to eat in my past life. It's full of honey too. Wait, this Elma is a different type.'
It seemed that Pochi had made several varieties of Elma.
'Hmm... does it have self-incompatibility like the apples from my past life?'
"Pochi, are you nearby?"
"I'm here!"
Pochi popped out from the air.
"Is it true that having 3 types of Elma means that one type alone doesn't produce fruit easily?"
"Yes, that's right. So I planted multiple varieties that bloom at the same time."
"What about pollination? Do we have to do it by hand?"
"Ah, you might want to take the bees from the Secret Garden. They understand what people say and are generous with sharing any extra honey."
"Really?"
"They'll even share royal jelly if you ask."
"Isn't that for the queen?"
"Those bees love to work just like you did in your past life, so they can produce a lot."
It seems the bees in the Secret Garden are workaholics.
"There should also be honey from the new Elma flowers in storage, so make sure to taste it later."
"Thanks for that."
"Make sure to thank the bees."
"I will. By the way, Pochi, have you gained a little weight?"
"Excuse me! It's just that Sara's magic power is overflowing. I have no use for it right now!"
"Oh, I see. Sorry about that."
"Really, there was an incredible amount of magic power spilling out! It was really tough!"
"Then I guess you don't need any more magic for a while."
"If I get any more, I might burst!"
"Why don't you just create some plants?"
"If I do any more, it might affect the ecosystem."
"I see..."
"I thought about doing it in other territories or countries, but it might be a bother if I do it without permission."
"That's true. So, when Father and Mother officially get married, should we do something in the Viscount Astley territory? I think we can do something by next year."
"That sounds fun. I guess I'll just stay chubby until then."
"You're cute just the way you are."
"That's not really a compliment..."
Pochi looks a bit dissatisfied.
"But you know, this Elma is really delicious. I'm thinking of selling it as a luxury item in the capital."
"I'm glad you like it. I tried crossbreeding a few varieties to create a new one."
"Is that so? It feels really nice!"
By the way, the Elma Sara just ate was a different variety that was firm, had a strong sourness, and a nice aroma. Sara thought it would be good to make jam or pie with this Elma. Since they have plenty of wheat, they shouldn't have trouble securing materials for pies or bread.
'Oh, I need butter and sugar too. Personally, I want to look for cinnamon and vanilla.'
"Hey Pochi. Next, I want the raw materials for sugar and various spices! And plants that can produce oil!"
"Sara, you're still so greedy. Avalon is growing beets domestically, so there should be a place for making sugar. Growing sugarcane is probably only possible in the far south. As for other plants, each has its own ecosystem, so it's hard to say for sure. But shouldn't we think about how farmers will grow and maintain it, instead of just me doing it all by myself?"
"That's true, but..."
"The new Elma that Sara ate, it won't be harvested unless there are people to take care of the Elma trees. If you think delicious fruits will just grow by leaving them alone, you're mistaken."
"Yeah, I get that."
"I'm glad you understand, Sara. First, let's decide how to maintain the Elma trees I created, and then we can move on to the next thing."
"Y-Yeah, that's right."
As usual, Pochi gently scolded Sara, who was about to go off on a tangent.
'Oh, I remember when I was Sarasa, I had seniors and bosses who would scold me like this too. They often told me not to rush ahead on my own.'
However, the truth was that Sarasa's powerful work, which seemed like a runaway train, was backed by detailed data, and she was never just acting on impulse. The reason she always stayed at the top was that she spent so much time researching that her bosses would tell her to take a break.
Many clients liked Sarasa, and it wasn't uncommon for them to request her specifically. One time, a male colleague made a sarcastic comment in front of others, saying, "It's nice to have a girl who can use her feminine charms." But Sarasa just smiled at him and replied, "Oh, does that mean your 'male charm' only works in the bathroom? That's unfortunate."
A lot of people witnessed the scene, and from the next day, that man started being called "the little guy." What exactly is small about him isn't very important, but it's clear that he's small as a person.
"For now, we have no choice but to consult Tonia. It would be great if someone from Harlan Farm could send someone to the settlement."
"I think getting an expert's opinion is important."
"I'll ask Teresa to pass on the message later. Since we're at it, maybe I'll have her bring some new Elma too. I want to hear Tonia's opinion."
"Sounds good!"
"Can I ask you about the bees, Pochi?"
"Got it! Well then, I'm off right away."
Saying that, Pochi left quickly, surprising everyone with their speed despite their chubby figure.
'Hmm. First, I should offer the new Elma to the royal family. If I can get someone from the royal family to name it, it might gain some prestige.'
Later, when Sara called Teresa to her room, she learned that she was planning to visit her family at the same time Fran was going home, so she entrusted her with the message for Tonia and a basket with the new Elma.
When she heard that she would visit Fran's family together, she briefly got her hopes up, thinking, "Did Fran finally propose!?" But she was disappointed to find out that they wanted to place a large order for additional tools and equipment because the farm was thriving with Elma brandy and cider.
That night, after eating the Elma that Teresa brought, Tonia was amazed by its taste and texture, and the very next morning, she decided to visit Maiden's Tower with her son's wife.
The story of "the little guy" is a true story.
She is usually a gentle woman, but on bad weather days, she often gets terrible migraines. When she tried to leave early with her boss's permission, it seems that someone came all the way to her desk to say something rude.
The person was called "the small one," but she was also said to be "the one you don't want to anger," so in a way, it might be fair for both of them.
...But the damage might be bigger for the small one (;'∀')b
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