Results of Training ④

“That reminds me, didn’t Lain mention earlier about having found an efficient method of farming?”
“Ah, yeah. I didn’t think I would be particularly useful so I desperately searched for it.”
“So, what is it?”
“I’ll explain that now.”

I was practically helpless when it came to matters related to sorcery.
Even in regards to cooking, I couldn’t even manage what I could in my previous life.
It’s understandable that I would be vague on something I did more than 10 years ago, but even things like julienne, or round slices were impossible for me now.

I think it’s safe to assume this is due to a curse that prevents me from doing anything sorcery-related.
When I tried plowing the land outside of the village as the snow thawed, the hoe would casually slip out of my hand, or if I held it too short it wouldn’t penetrate the ground at all.

Tilling the land, or sowing seeds, are actions that have a high ritualistic-sorcery element to them.
In other words, I am of no help when it comes to agriculture, which is this village’s most important occupation.
No matter how well I teach them magic, this makes me useless to the other five.

Whenever I think of doing something, I get reminded of my anti-demon aristocrat days.
In those days, I did simple garden farming outside my home.
At that time, I was able to grow fields normally, and was able to grow crops properly.

So what’s the difference between now and then?
The biggest difference lay in whether the land was demon land, or land controlled by humans.
Controlling that which is under human control is within the range of magic.
This is also mentioned in magic textbooks, which leads to the fact that soil-type magic cannot be used much in the Demon Forest or enemy territories.

Leaving that aside, if the land is already tilled, then I can manage to do something with it using magic.
I had already experimented this with Reno, so there’s no doubt about it.

Explaining it so far, Aria stared at me mysteriously.

“Knowing that Lain can use magic only after the land has been tilled doesn’t mean much, does it?”
“If the problem is with land outside the village not being under human control, then all we have to do is to change that.”
“? What do you mean?”
“In other words, if we cover the farmland outside of the village with walls and a moat, and bring it under human-control, then farming would become a lot easier, and I could partake in it as well.”

Creating a great wall and a moat, and covering the land with it.
That was my idea.

It’s difficult making a wall and moat on unused land.
Even if you tried, it would take a crazy amount of magical power.

However, by claiming ownership of the soil, and making the magic in it belong to humans, you could make buildings on it using architectural magic.
First, architectural magic is made on the premise of using the magical power of the land.

Then, as to what that means, the part surrounded by buildings used by humans and the area around it gradually becomes human land.

Once we have a farmland created in the shape of a large circle, we can create walls and moats using magic, isolating it from the outside world. Then it will no longer be magical land.
At least, I won’t be shooting hoes into the air.
In fact, when I tried to shred and chop vegetables without any magic, I was able to do it rather well.
Well, the ingredients without any magic were barely edible, but at least I could cook with them.

Besides, if it stops being magical land, there is no danger that the land itself will be eroded, and the labor of agriculture as a whole will be reduced.
Truthfully, it seems that the most difficult part of farming near the Demon Forest is to monitor and maintain the cultivated land so that it is not influenced by the forest.

“…I see, in that case Lain could also participate.”

Aria agreed, but this was her unsure reaction.
I’ll have to explain properly later.

“Umm, I have a question, if it is alright?”

However, Milia apologetically raises her hand and enters the conversation.

“What’s wrong? Milia.”
“If you make a wall and it stops being magical land, then you may be stopping the inflow of magic, but won’t the leftover magic prevent Lain from working on it?”
“Eh?”

At the unexpected opinion, I raised a stupid voice.

“Even during cooking, you were hopeless when it came to our harvest, and were only capable of it once the magic was drained. Similarly, won’t you be unable to farm on the land till it is drained of magic as well?”
“T-that’s-“
“Even if the magical power of the land is lost, the crops would still grow well and agriculture would be successful because magical power is abundant near the forest; but if that magical power is removed, isn’t that the end of the story?”
“Ah!”

I couldn’t make a pip.
Indeed, it’s just as Milia says.
As I drop my shoulders, Aria places her hands on them.

“Leave the farming to us. You’re already doing enough by lending us your name. You even trained us in magic, thanks to which we are a lot stronger now, you know?”

Certainly, Aria and the rest have become much stronger due to increase in their magical power.
A normal human’s magic would be around 2, but theirs is as high as 30.

If they cultivated the same amount of land as last year, it would take less than half the time, despite there being only a fourth of the members compared to back then.

Well, it feels wrong for me, the only man here, to not take part in any of the work, but I suppose it only looks bad.
That too, only to me.
The five were looking at me with warm eyes.

“…I leave it all to you.”

Squeezing that out, I bowed to them.

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