CH 12

Vagabonds — Part 2

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

We hurried back to the estate building and entrusted the doctor I had called to treat him. And when I explained the situation to Father and Mother at the dinner table afterward, they laughed and allowed me to take the boy into custody. Enjoying my after-dinner tea with plenty of milk, I bow my head to my parents once again.

「I apologize for the reversal of order earlier. It was an emergency situation.」

「Don’t worry about it, I’ve heard about it from my predecessors. More importantly, did you have fun out there?」

「Yes. I also found some improvements in the cultivation of the land.」

My parents roll their eyes at my words. However much they thought I was a smart kid, it was natural for them to be surprised by words that they could hardly have expected from a five-year-old. But they both listened to me without laughing at my childish nonsense or being creepy.

「Eliza, what was it about it that caught your attention?」

「First are the farming tools. Sickles were made of sturdy iron, but most plows and hoes were made of wood. It was brittle and will break down soon. It’s also not suited for deep plowing to improve fruitfulness.」

「But in order to reach the many farmers who work, we have to pay for things like that.」

In answer to Mother’s question, Father looked a little troubled. Certainly it would not be practical to give iron farming tools to all farmers today.

「Yes. It will be difficult to do it the way it has been done so far, which is with a large number of farmers. But with horses and the right farming equipment, we can get more harvest with less manpower.」

「That sounds like a dream come true, but a horse? Those things move fast, but they are not as strong as cows. I don’t think they are suited for farm work either…」

「No, horses are not without stamina. But because of the harness that just pulls them, the horses are not reaching their full potential. That’s about right… Emily. Come here for a moment.」

I called Emily, who was waiting in the corner of the cafeteria. I then asked her to squat down, put my arm around her from behind and laced my fingers in front of her neck.

「This is the current harness, albeit a simple one. Emily. Try to stand up slowly as you do this. If you feel any pain, squat down right away.」

「Understood.」

Emily slowly stands up as she is told. The hand around her natural neck left me hanging by her neck for support. After standing there for about 10 seconds, Emily wouldn’t squat, so I asked her to let me down, saying she had had enough.

「How about that, Father, Mother. Didn’t Emily look a little distressed?」

「No, not much……」

「Eliza is well loved.」

I wonders about my parents’ strange response and looks down. There was Emily, breathing heavily, looking ecstatic and muttering something to herself.

「That Princess spoiled me, hanging on like a child. Ahh, too adorable, Princess…」

「Emily. Don’t complicate the story. I know it was painful having your hands around my neck.」

「Hah–!? E–Excuse me! Y–Yes! I felt a little suffocated!」

Emily, who came to her senses when she was called, stood upright and continued to explain the words she had uttered.

「The horse is thus strangled, so it cannot exert its full strength. The horse is then forced to work harder and harder, and making it not reach its full potential. However, the following method will allow the horse to exert several times its full potential without tiring it out. Emily. I’m sorry, but could you squat down again, please?」

I stands behind Emily, who has crouched down again, and this time grabs her by both shoulders and forces her to stand up.

「How about it? You must be a lot more comfortable now than you were earlier.」

「Yes. I have no problem at all.」

I couldn’t see it from me hanging on to her back, but there was no harsh sound in Emily’s voice. After she drop me off, I appeal to them both to make this difference.

「This way, the more force is applied to the shoulders, the more forceful the pull will be.」

「So it’s like a backpack.」

「Yes. That is correct.」

I nodded deeply in agreement with Mother’s words. Father was deep in thought. He was trying to figure out how to make a harness that would pull on the horse’s shoulders.

「Father. I’ve already thought of the shape of the harness.」

So I asked Emily to prepare something to write with, and when I drew a diagram, albeit a poor one, the color of Father’s eyes changed.

「I’ll get a craftsman on it right away. Is this big collar-like piece made of leather?」

「Yes. But we put a cloth on the inside so the horse doesn’t hate it…」

The harness meeting was quickly and smoothly decided. The introduction of the new harness『shoulder collar』and the iron harrow『heavy-wheeled harrow,』which were made by the flexible attitude of Father, would have a great impact that would change the agricultural industry. It was not only about increasing yields, but also about the shape of the fields, how they were managed, and the formation of strong village societies.

◆

The following day. The boy, protected by Eliza and others, woke up in the guest room of the Clanetta estate. At first, he thought he had finally died and come to heaven. The bedding he lay on was soft and warm, very different from the straw and rags of his parents’ home, and the interior of the room was far more magnificent than the most luxurious building he knew, a church.

And the main reason he was so mistaken was because he saw the unreal beauty of a blonde-haired child girl who entered his room after he woke up.

◆

To check on the boy, I grabbed Emily after breakfast and took her into the guest room, where he was already half up on the bed.

「Oya, you were already awake.」

The blue-haired boy looks at us and opens his mouth with a pout. I guess it is because he does not understand why he is here. When I approached him to explain, an unexpected murmur escaped his mouth.

「O, angel. Am I dead?」

「Angel?」

「Because this is heaven, isn’t it? It’s such a beautiful place, and there are even angels here.」

「This is not heaven. And more importantly, I am not an angel.」

Considering that I was reincarnated by God and sent to save the country, I could be considered an angel in a sense. After chuckling at the fact that this misunderstanding is not as wrong as it seems, I accept a white bread from Emily, who is holding a small basket behind me.

「More importantly, you must be hungry. I brought you some soft bread to eat.」

His belly responded faster than the boy. His face turned red, but he took a fearful bite of the bread he received from me, and the rest he ate up in no time, opening his mouth absentmindedly.

「There’s more to come, so there’s no need to rush. Ah, right. I still hadn’t heard your name.」

「I’m… Claude. Uhm, thank you very. Miss… erm…」

「Excuse me. I hadn’t even named myself yet. Elizabeth. I am Elizabeth Clanetta.」

I offered him a second loaf of bread as I introduced myself, but Claude would not take it.

「What’s the matter? Don’t be shy.」

「Uhm, Is Elizabeth-sama a member of the lord’s family?」

「Yes, I am.」

「Then I don’t want it.」

「Can you tell me why you don’t want it?」

「We will not accept charity from those who rob us of our wheat.」

I asked him why he had suddenly become so stubborn. Then, he began to tell us a story that was hard to believe. He was told that his hometown, a small village on the western edge of Clanetta territory, was heavily taxed in Father’s name. They lacked enough to feed themselves, and Claude came to the city to reduce their food intake.

「That’s not possible! How could the Lord, the Princess’s father, do such a thing–?」

「Hold it, Emily. Let’s hear a little more about it.」

I restrain an indignant Emily with my hand and asks him about the devastation in the village. I then look into Claude’s eyes and vows to save the village.

「I will surely solve this problem and save your village. So for now, please eat this quietly. All you need now is enough food and rest.」

The bread that was offered again was never pushed back.

◆

Two weeks after reporting Claude’s story to Father, the person who had sent him to investigate returned with the local deputy captured.

The local deputy was taking advantage of the fact that the area was remote and inaccessible to the lords, and was lining its own pockets by collecting more taxes. In years of poor harvest, Father also reduced taxes, but it seems that only the area under the jurisdiction of that deputy was arbitrarily taxed more than in previous years.

Furious, Father publicly executed the deputy, its family, and those who had been complicit in the exploitation in Claude’s hometown, thus bringing down the tax burden on those who had been affected. To fulfill my promise to Claude, I asked Father for tax relief for the affected areas and a temporary food supply prior to the execution, which was granted.

「This is how it goes. Claude. Have I kept my word?」

「Yes! Thank you very much… uhm…」

「? What’s the matter?」

At noon the next day after receiving a report that the public execution and food rationing had been carried out without incident. We faced each other at a small table in the guest room, and after Claude heard what had happened from me, he thanked me and began to apologize with a raised voice. He was able to get up after a good meal and a good night’s sleep, and his complexion had improved to the point that he looked different, but the redness of his face now looked like he was ashamed of himself.

「Princess. I am very sorry. I was very rude before…」

「Don’t worry about it. It was just a misunderstanding. What’s more, what are you going to do?　If you want to go back to your hometown and live with your family again, I’ll have them take you back to the village… if you like, you can work here in Amyn.」

I liked Claude’s integrity. He said that even though he could not find work in the unfamiliar city and was about to starve to death, he did not work only to steal.

And even after being protected by Clanettas, I was impressed by his resolute attitude of not accepting charity from the wrongdoers, even if it was from a misunderstanding, and began to consider scouting for him. He responds with his eyes firmly fixed on us, as I did on him, although he is surprised at the suggestion.

「Thank you very much. The Princess saved my life, and I want to thank her for saving my village, so please let me work if I am good enough. But I don’t know if I can be of any help to you, Princess.」

「I have one idea about that. Claude. Do you know any vagabonds in Amyn?」

「Yes. I’ve talked to some of them.」

「Good. That would be a quick story. Follow me. I have to tell Father that I’m hiring you.」

「Yes!!」

Thus Claude, the blue-haired boy, became my direct vassal. At that time, I had in mind the tasks I would entrust him and the other vagabonds with, but I had no idea that he would later grow to become an indispensable figure in the city’s management.