Farming Life in Another World

I keep thinking it should be spring by now, but winter still seems to linger.

Even if that’s how I feel, spring always arrives all of a sudden.

Better to ask Nyunyudaphne.

「Just a little more winter.」

Hmm.

-0-

Thanks to the Floating Gardens, Village Four has been able to expand its farmland significantly.

Even before the expansion, the villagers here kept up some degree of farming throughout the winter.

With the entire village surrounded by a magical field, it’s like a giant greenhouse—a bit colder than that, though, so not quite like an endless summer.

However, Village Four has encountered two minor issues.

One of them is a water issue.

Some of the Floating Gardens were modified as a water reservoir, but the water level seems to be depleting faster than expected.

It’s not an immediate risk, but whereas we thought refilling every few years would suffice, it now looks like we might need to refill two or three times a year.

Could the expanded farmland be consuming more water than anticipated?

「No, the water usage for the fields is within calculations. The cause of the shortage is due to changes in our lifestyle.」

Bell explains this to me as I come to check on things in Village Four.

「The devils and dream demons who used to live in rooms in the castle now have the opportunity to own homes in the Floating Gardens.」

Yes, I encouraged that.

The castle isn’t small, but living communally in enclosed quarters could feel cramped.

For those who wanted, we provided houses.

「A fair number have left the castle and moved into houses, but about half chose to remain in the castle.」

It’s not easy to adapt to a new place, after all.

Some things can’t be helped.

「There is a gap now, though, between those with houses and those without, isn’t there?」

Indeed.

But I heard that Kuzuden, the acting village chief, along with representatives of the dream demons, were working to balance that gap.

I heard that Bell and Gou have put in considerable effort as well.

「Yes. We took steps to balance it. As part of that, we opened the castle baths to improve the quality of life for those who stayed.」

Baths?

I didn’t even know you had that.

「Village Four… the Sun Castle, after all, was originally a royal family vacation villa.」

I suppose a bathhouse would be expected.

Though I don’t remember seeing it during my inspections around Village Four…

「It had been converted into farmland until recently.」

Ah, I see.

With the land expanded, we moved some of the castle fields outside.

So, the bathhouse was restored in the process.

And this bathhouse—is it the cause of the water shortage?

「It’s a significant factor. We initially intended for it to be used about once every five days, but the devils and dream demons took a liking to it and are using it almost daily. The dream demons, in particular, have become dedicated to maintaining their natural beauty, using it to hone their charm.」 ȑаNỖ₿Ëş

So, dream demons are naturally clean freaks?

「We make sure it doesn’t interfere with farm work.」

Yes, well, just try not to be too strict.

「Understood. However, about the bathhouse… well, as a royal facility, it’s unnecessarily spacious and consumes a lot of water.」

I guess it does.

「And then, when those with homes heard about the castle bathhouse, they went ahead and built a communal bath outside… which further increased the water consumption.」

Is it too difficult to let those who own homes use the castle bathhouse?

It was meant to address the gap in quality of life, after all.

「They were notified that they could use the castle bathhouse after we noticed the water consumption issue, but now the ones who stayed in the castle are the ones going to the communal bath outside, so it hasn’t helped much.」

Hmm.

「And once people start taking pride in their own cleanliness, don’t they start wanting to make their clothes and homes cleaner as well?」

So now water is being used for laundry and cleaning too.

「Yes. Gou, for instance, has been using a lot of water to clean the castle walls… We’ve got the castle’s filtration system working at full capacity, but it’s hard to keep up with the demand.」

Well, at least the castle is looking spotless.

It’s gleaming.

Also, by outfitting the universal ship with a floating garden with a water tank, they’ve managed to stabilize the water supply.

Finding a lake or pond to draw from, though, is no easy task.

We can’t keep drawing from the same source, as it would be disruptive to the area.

There’s also the option of purifying seawater, but we’d need to increase the number of water tank floating gardens to do that.

Considering emergencies, it may be wise to add more water tank floating gardens.

I’ll bring it up with Loo.

「Thank you so much. We’d really appreciate it.」

-0-

Now, the other issue.

Do you remember back when the Sun Castle became Village Four?

The devils were all sheltering that lizard-like monster.

Yes, the one that looked like a chameleon.

Back then, it was small enough to hide behind a little girl. Now it’s about five meters long.

It grew quickly, didn’t it?

「I think it’s another lifestyle change.」

Previously, it was kept in the castle dungeon, so it hadn’t grown much.

But when its owner, the young girl, moved outside the castle, it followed her.

Having more space seems to have caused it to reach this size.

……

It happened, and it can’t be helped.

Well then, is size the only issue?

「The size isn’t the main issue. The problem is the amount of food it eats. We have food, but… for a creature that doesn’t work, consuming over twenty portions daily…」

I see.

The villagers of Village Four are working hard, but it’s still a stretch to say they’re well off.

Then how about returning it to its original habitat?

「I thought the same and had Mio and Youko-sama investigate… but it seems this species of monster was last sighted about a hundred years ago.」

Meaning?

「Mio and Youko-sama’s research suggests it may be extinct, with no habitat left to call its own.」

I see…

I don’t know why it went extinct, but I suppose it survived because it was in Sun Castle.

If I recall, this creature hatched from an egg that was mixed in with the soil thrown at the castle to aid in a siege.

Hmm?

The chameleon-like creature causing all the trouble is looking at me.

It’s got that reptilian, inscrutable gaze.

But somehow, I can tell.

It’s coming across quite clearly, what this big chameleon-like creature wants to say.

『I want a wife』

…………….…

It’s in mating season, it seems.

Ehto… what should I do?

Will I need to hire adventurers for the difficult task of finding a supposedly extinct creature?

『I want a wife』

Understood.

I’ll make the request.

But don’t get your hopes up too high.

In the meantime, though, if you’re going to live in this village, I’d like you to contribute…

What are you capable of?

『I don’t know. But I think my bodily fluids might be useful for something. 』

Bodily fluids?

Indeed, the chameleon creature’s skin has some areas that are slightly slimy.

When I touched some of the fluid…….

My hand disappeared.

Huh?

What is this?

I frantically checked my hand—it was still there.

It was just that the area touched by the fluid had turned invisible.

How strange.

Bell quickly washed my hand with water magic, and my hand returned to normal.

…

I touched the fluid again…

Oh, it disappeared.

And with washing, it comes back.

『I can do this with my body fluid…』

The chameleon-like creature gradually blended into the surroundings… or rather, it was turning transparent?

Incredible.

『But I can’t keep it up for long. 』

Depending on its condition, it can stay invisible for about half a day.

…

Half a day seems like a long time to me.

Also, it can only move slowly while invisible.

I see.

It’s a power made for ambushes.

It’s not blending in, but turning invisible—a very chameleon-like ability.

Then, a thought occurred to me.

If this chameleon-like monster’s species can turn invisible, perhaps they haven’t gone extinct but simply remain undetected?

There’s a glimmer of hope.

However, finding an invisible creature with an unknown habitat… isn’t that virtually impossible?

A sense of despair set in.

Finding a partner for this chameleon-like creature feels like an overwhelmingly difficult task.

Well, I’ll at least consult Michael-san and put out a request to the adventurers.

As for the use of this invisibility fluid, that’s a job for an expert, not me.

Yes, Loo can handle it.

I rely on Loo a lot, don’t I?

But if it’s Loo, I’m sure she’ll figure out a good use for it.

Hopefully, something that can help cover this chameleon-like monster’s food expenses.

「Ano, when it comes to the uses for an invisibility fluid, I can only think of… less than noble purposes.」

I feel the same, but I trust Loo to find a way.

Yes, she will. Surely.

-0-

AN: Sorry for the delay. I’ll try to get back to a regular update pace. Thank you for your patience.

TN: Yeah, sensei was sick so I guess he’s okay now?

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