The time passed quickly and, it was half a month since Sheryl begun the construction of the village.
It was August according to the calendar.
The lines on wooden houses took shape.
As of now, they were busy plowing the fields instead of completing their houses.
Iris relaxed using Punigami as a chair as she watched the hardworking villagers.
After all, she was the Guardian Deity.
That’s why it was probably one of her duties.
Having judged that there was no need to directly help them, she was idle.
Iris’ laziness absolutely wasn’t the reason for that.
「Iris-sama, you have nothing to do today as well」
Sheryl, who came running up the hill, said impudently to Iris’ face.
「I’m not free. I watching over the development from here. Ah, so busy, so busy」
「I see! Iris-sama is so diligent!」
「…….I apologize. I lied」
「I know!」
Sheryl displayed a carefree smile.
「……Your faith keeps getting weaker day by day. Even though you were so polite at the beginning…….maybe I should leave this place and settle somewhere else」
Joked Iris as Sheryl’s face turned blue.
「Wait, wait, wait! I will apologize! I’m deeply regretting my misconduct, please don’t go anywhere! The water in the lake is good, the trees in the forest are sturdy, mushrooms are plentiful……all of these exist without a doubt thanks to Iris-sama’s magical power! Here, I brought a cookie! It’s delicious, if you stay here, all kinds of sweets will come your way!」
Saying that, Sheryl took out a cookie from her usual basket and tossed it inside Iris’ mouth.
「Munch munch……」
「Is it good?」
「Tafty」[1]
「I’m glad. With this, the Silverlight barony is safe!」
Laughed Sheryl as she took a cookie cramp from Iris’ cheek and licked it.
「Puni」
「Does Punigami-sama wish for a cookie as well?」
「Punipuni!」
「Yes, here it is」
「Puni!」
Once Sheryl put a cookie inside Punigami, he trembled in happiness and digested it in a blink of an eye.
His color changed to cream, like that of a cookie.
「Since when can you understand Punigami’s words, Sheryl?」
「No, I didn’t understand a thing, it was just a feeling. Somehow I can understand what he thinks by just looking at him!」
「Just by looking…….does she understand or not」
「Punii?」
「Ah, Punigami-sama said that he wants another cookie!」
「Wrong. Punigami asked『What are you going to cultivate of that field?』」
「Un…….I was almost right……」
「Not even close. You were completely wrong. That last time was just a coincidence」
「So I was seen through……」
In the end, that was a limit of Sheryl’s intuition.
「Punipuni」
「So, what are you planning to cultivate?」
「Ehh, potatoes at first. It only takes three months to grow, if we plant it right now it would be possible to taste our own potatoes by the end of the year」
「Hee. Can’t wait. What else?」
「After potatoes we are going to plant wheat. In we plant it at autumn it should be possible to harvest it about the same time the next year」
「Punipuni」
「Then it would be cabbage, tomatoes, green pepper, and so on!」
「How greedy……maybe you should start with only potatoes and wheat?」
「Yes.I’m hoping to do just that in our first year. This land is full of Iris-sama’s magical power, I’m sure that it would give birth to very delicious potatoes and wheat! I would definitely sell well!」
「Will it really go so well?」
When you try to stretch yourself too thin, you can easily fail at everything.
Especially considering that it was Sheryl’s first year as the Lord.
Since Iris accepted the title of the Guardian Deity, she wished for Sheryl to find success.
「If you fail and go bankrupt you can always pluck more elixir grass around here」
「Thank you very much. However, sustaining myself only on the elixir grass……besides, its market price will inevitably fall if I sell too much」
「I see. There is such a problem about rare goods」
When Iris went to sell the elixir grass, she only brought ten stalks with her.
However, the amount of money required to sustain a territory is of a completely different scale.
In case Sheryl won’t be able to succeed, there would be a need to buy food from the outside.
Adding to that, Sheryl has great ambitions.
She even mentioned winemaking in one of their previous conversations.
It would require all kind of equipment.
Trying to cover the cost with only the elixir grass…..will definitely cause the market to collapse.
「We’ve already sold about a hundred of them」
「Yes. Thanks to that, I was able to purchase the food, clothes, and tools for my people. I can’t express my gratitude enough」
「I didn’t do anything…….I just slept and the elixir grass appeared…..that being said……is it about fifty people? You did well finding so many. Do you have some sort of connections?」
「It’s not about connections. I just went around the capital’s bars asking for people willing to live in a new village. Travelling mercenaries about to settle down, those who lost their homes, or those who just want to change things for themselves, you can always find these kinds of people!」
「…….Sheryl. You sure have guts」
「Maids can’t live without guts!」
Said Sheryl with a composed expression as she pounded her chest.
「No, aren’t you a Lord right now instead of a maid?」
「Wa, I almost forgot! I seem to lack awareness of that fact」
She muttered as she stuck out her tongue. [2]
「Bu despite that, you have a proper development plan for your territory」
「Of course. I dreamed innumerable times about reclaiming my ancestral land! My delusions are complete! All that’s left is turning them into reality!」
「So it was like that….I hope for your delusions to become real one day……..」
「There is no need to worry. There was no such a cute Guardian Deity as Iris-sama or your kin, Punigami-sama, in my delusions. In other words, the reality is even better than my fantasies」
Having said that, Sheryl embraces Punigami and Iris from behind and fell on the grass.
「Puni?」
「My my. Never did I expect to participate in a territory’s development…….」
Iris voiced her complaints.
However, there was no trace of her desire to leave this land any longer.
That being said, she won’t go down the hill to interact with other people any time soon.
