Chapter 25 (2/2)

“H, hey, that’s the Colonel’s scythe—-”

The new recruit from earlier, unable to stay idle, approached. It seemed he misunderstood that Katarina was weak. The other soldiers tried to stop him, but their warnings didn’t reach the new recruit’s ears.

With a mischievous and cruel smile, Katarina ordered the new recruit.

“Good. Carry the Colonel’s scythe back to the barracks. Do it by yourself. You’ll go without food until you’re finished carrying it. By all means, if you find it impossible, come crying to me.”

“Understood! Even a child could do something like that!”

“……I see. I look forward to it.”

The new recruit proudly drew near the scythe after subtly insulting Katarina. Able to imagine the outcome, Katarina lightly sighed and headed to the barracks afterwards.

The new recruit… would come crying to her three hours later.

Cyrus Fortress Courtyard. Several fields were plowed squarely in a corner. There, was planted the seed of the Wealth Potato that Schera had brought home from the Empire as a spoil of war. Taste aside, it grew quickly, was strong against disease, and could be cultivated without regard to environment. Even in this mountainous area of Cyrus, it was sprouting favorably.

“……Sprouts are coming out. This many. I’m really looking forward for them to grow up.”

Stooped over, Schera was gazing zealously at the small sprouts. A soldier coming to water them called out to her.

“Welcome back, Colonel. If you want, do you want to try planting one too, Colonel? It is kinda noisy over there with everyone trying to plant all the remaining ones so.”

“……But, I, farmwork—-”

A hazy memory flashed in the back of Schera’s mind for only a second. A poor lifestyle, an all-consuming hellfire, a brandished naked sword, scattering fresh blood, the smell of impending death, a brigand with a vulgar smile, Death’s scythe on her thin neck.

Then what? She…

A nearly heinous sense of hunger assailed Schera. She frantically endured while trying not to let it show on her face.

“C’mon, it is just burying a seed potato. …….Hey, are you okay, Colonel? Your complexion—-”

“…….I’m fine. I’ll also go try planting some then. Be careful so I don’t accidentally eat one.”

“Haha-, it is not like you will get poisoned eating it, but please do not eat them if you can help it! If you persevere, one will multiply to dozens afterwards, and we will take them home!”

“Indeed, I’ll be patient as much as I can.”

Joked the soldier, and Schera lightly brushed her hands and stood up. She threw the last vegetable from the pouch at her waist into her mouth. At first, it had a dull, flour-y taste, but it gradually exuded a sweetness. It seemed to be a fruit pretending to be a vegetable. A dried apple. Since it was dried, so she couldn’t judge if it had been red or green. It didn’t look to good, but the more she chewed it, the more delicious it became. Schera chewed the dried apple slice to her heart’s content.

Her sense of hunger abated a little.

“Hey hey, say what you like, but you’re crowding them too much. Do it more like this, evenly.”

“We’re making a potato field inside a fortress; that’ll only make the military police mad. Shouldn’t we make it as small as we can?”

“Hmf, and just what’s wrong with a self-sufficient fortress? If they have complaints, I’ll kick ‘em around. C’mon, spread them out! The earth’s nutrients won’t spread to all of them!”

“Jeez, don’t go too far or you’ll bring trouble for the Colonel, wait, C, Colonel!?”

“S, salute Colonel Schera-!!”

“Welcome back, Colonel Schera!”

A youthful man, noticing Schera, hastily stood up and saluted. The surrounding men covered in mud followed suit.

They raised their voices, and welcomed their superior officer’s return.

“At ease. Continue your work. Actually, I thought you’d allow me to plant potatoes too.”

Schera pointed at the wooden box with seed potatoes inside. There were still a few dozen left.

“Sounds great! With the Colonel’s divine protection, they’ll to grow up properly I bet!”

“After we harvest them, let’s call them ‘Death Potatoes’ and sell them to the guys in other units.”

Joked in a low voice a young man while cheerfully whistling.

“The Colonel can hear you, you big retard-!!”

.The youthful man pushed that carefree man. Laughs leaked out from the surrounding men. When the youthful man glared at them, they frantically shut their mouths.

“I said ‘at ease’ right? So don’t worry about it.”

More importantly, Schera urged him to hurry and hand over a seed.

“Hehe-, then Colonel, please take this.”

“Thank you very much. ……Like this I wonder.”

Schera was handed a seed potato from the young man and buried it in a small hole in the field. The soldiers gently covered it with soil.

“Perfect, Colonel!”

Elated, Schera steadily planted the seed potatoes, and an hour later, had used up everything in the wooden box.

“Fuu, well done, Colonel. We’re done with the seed potatoes now. They’ll be fine if we reliable take care of the field afterwards. From what I heard though, these potatoes will grow fine even if we leave them alone.”

“……I see, it was very interesting. It might not be bad to grow one’s own food.”

“I’ll say. But the fun part is after a few months. Cooking something you grew yourself, and then eating it with gusto together with everyone. That is when it feels most worth it.”

While excitingly smiling, the youthful man actively shook off the mud on his hands.

“Well, that’s if they aren’t all taken away by the higher-ups. Really, there’s nothing good about being a farmer.”

The young man gave a bitter smile while scratching his own head. The crops they raised themselves would all be theirs–there was no such happiness.

No matter how much they produced, their crops would be taken away as tax. After the terrible harvests, they would all be taken away during tax collection time. The reason the man enlisted was because of food troubles. If someone didn’t earn money, his family couldn’t live.

For the peasants of the Kingdom, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call these few years hell. Even so, that they somehow hadn’t starved to death was because everyone had their secret fields. As this final amount of food was given with priority to the workers, there wasn’t anything given to the useless.

It was very much like Schera’s former condition.

“These are our spoils of war, so they’re all ours. We just have to take care that the military police don’t take them.”

Muttered one soldier while glaring at the military policemen peeking over at them. Later, there was the danger of having their field dug up and cleared.

“……I see. I know, let’s make a notice so no one will dig it up.”

Using a nearby piece of scrap wood, Schera created a simple sign. The cavalry members were watching, interested.

“Colonel, what will you carve?”

“That it’s our field, and in a way that even idiots will understand, I think.”

Schera took out a small sickle from her waist and carefully etched on the wood. After several minutes, she stood the signboard ostentatiously in front of the field.

[Field of Schera’s Cavalry. Damage it and I will kill you.

Colonel Schera Zade]

“—-How is it I wonder?”

Schera turned around to the soldiers while putting away the sickle. She took the opportunity to viciously smile and murderously glare at the military policemen. Their faces paled, and terrified, they dashed away like escaping rabbits.

“I think it is great! Very much like the Colonel. It is super easy to understand, and yeah, truly fine.”

“Certainly. There won’t be any idiots who’ll meddle with it. Whether it be bugs, birds, or sticky-fingered, evil military policemen, they’ll restrain themselves for sure I think.”

Said the man, laughing as he looked back at the place where the military policemen were.

After the men busily cleaned up, saluted, and left, Schera sat down in front of the field.

The sun set, and not losing interest, Schera earnestly continued to gaze there at the earth’s surface, until Katarina would come to call her.