Chapter 13 - Episode 13: Potato Harvest and Tasting
The Bezel Great Forest, which separates the Kingdom of Roadberg and the Kingdom of Lancel to the west, is vast in both width and length, but it does not cover the entirety of the border between the two nations.
The further south one goes, the narrower the forest becomes, eventually turning into a region dotted with small woods and low mountains. Such places are entirely passable for armies, and in recent years, they have served as battlegrounds for the conflicts between the two countries, whose relations have been deteriorating.
The village where Edgar lived was located close to such a place. The small village, created by clearing the southern edge of the Bezel Great Forest, was one day attacked by the army of the Kingdom of Lancel, who had forced their way through the forest.
The peasants resisted, but their opponents were a regular army. Eventually, they were overwhelmed by the difference in strength, and it was inevitable that the men would be killed and the girls sold.
In the midst of this, ordered by his father, the village head, Edgar escaped the village with some of the villagers.
Days passed as they moved north, walking along the Bezel Great Forest. Having fled the village with almost nothing but the clothes on their backs, the refugees, starting with those lacking physical strength, began to collapse.
That said, there were no towns or villages willing to accept dozens of refugees. Driven away from almost every place as if being turned away at the gates, Edgar and the others finally drifted to a town called Retovik, located at the northern edge of the western part of the kingdom.
.....
"Alright, it's finally time for the first crop harvest ceremony of the Arqvist territory!"
Noein, who had gathered the residents in front of the field he had first cultivated in this settlement, said this in high spirits.
Two months had passed since Yuri and the others came to this territory—or about three months if counting from when Noein and Matilda entered the forest—and the day to harvest the first planted potatoes had arrived.
"Oh, how auspicious."
"What's with that? You could be more excited. This is a commemorative day, you know?"
"Noein-sama, I am rejoicing from the bottom of my heart. Today is a day that will remain in the history of the Arqvist territory."
"Thank you, Matilda. Three months since the two of us entered the forest, and this day has finally come. It's truly joyful."
"Yes, Noein-sama. It is truly a wonderful thing."
Ignoring Yuri and the others, Noein began talking with Matilda with deep emotion.
It was certainly auspicious, and as residents, they felt the desire to celebrate, but the field being harvested belonged to Noein.
If it were their own fields, the emotion would be far greater, but regarding today's event, it would be asking too much for them to be as excited and enthusiastic as Noein and Matilda.
Since he was interested in how a crop like the potato actually grew in the soil, he felt that the preamble was enough and wanted them to just hurry up and harvest them to show him.
"I think it's auspicious, and I'll celebrate properly, so just dig them up already."
"I get it. Then make sure you watch closely, okay?"
As he spoke, Noein, unusually, dug into the soil with his own hands instead of using a golem.
From beneath the removed soil, several plump potatoes emerged, rolling out.
After clearing away most of the surrounding soil and grabbing the base of the stem to pull it out, about seven or eight potatoes were hanging there.
Noein gazed at them with deep emotion, and then—
"...Uhihi."
He let out a strange laugh.
"Don't you have any more decent words of admiration?"
"Let me be free in how I express my joy."
"Well, do as you like... so this is how they grow. They're quite different from the green lumps when they were planted."
When they were green lumps with sprouts growing, they had a look that made him not want to put them in his mouth at all, but these were acceptable as food.
"If you leave these in the sun, the color changes to green and sprouts come out, making them suitable for planting. Conversely, if you keep them in the shade, I heard they can be preserved for quite a long time."
"I see. How should I put it... they feel like giant beans."
"They look like that. But actually, it seems they're a crop where the stem has stored nutrients and thickened."
He didn't know of any vegetable where the stem became such a lump, but if Noein, who planted them, said so, then it must be true.
"If they increase this easily and can become a staple food instead of bread, I can see why they'd be called 'the crop that saves nations'."
"Right? If we keep increasing these, there will be no worry of famine regarding our territory. Still, I'm so happy. These are the first crops harvested in the Arqvist territory."
As he spoke, Noein brushed the soil off the potatoes with an entranced expression. He was like a child gazing at his own treasure.
He's a twisted fellow, but looking at him like this, he does have a cuteness appropriate for his age, Yuri thought. Though he didn't say it aloud.
Even after the so-called harvest ceremony ended and Yuri and the others returned to work on their own fields, Noein continued harvesting the grown potatoes with Matilda, making strange noises like "Uhi!" and "Uhoo!"
.....
In the evening, Noein proposed that they actually try eating the harvested potatoes.
"Is the way of eating the same as ordinary vegetables?"
"Apparently. I heard that eating just the sprout parts can upset your stomach, so you remove those, and after that, you just apply heat by boiling or roasting them."
Noein answered Pence, who asked while holding a knife in one hand.
"Understood. Bart, Mai, help me out."
"Yes."
"Yes."
The three of them efficiently finished removing the sprouts, and following Noein's instruction—"Next, boil these in a pot"—they tossed the potatoes into a pot filled with water.
After that, it seemed they only had to place the pot over the campfire and wait for the water to boil and the potatoes to be cooked.
The potatoes to be tasted this time were two per person, totaling fourteen. The vast majority of the rest would be used for the next planting.
At a reasonable timing... though Noein didn't know the proper cooking time, so it was a guess—at the moment he thought the heat had sufficiently penetrated the center, he pulled the potatoes out, served them on each plate, and cut them from the center.
"Oh, doesn't that look delicious?"
"Right? Looks delicious, doesn't it?"
"You say that, but you've never eaten them either, have you?"
"Ahaha, well, yeah."
The hard potatoes had become fluffy and soft with the heat, and steam rose from the cross-section along with a somewhat fragrant scent.
"Noein-sama, these are finished roasting as well."
As she spoke, Matilda was cutting the meat of Gluttony Rabbits, which was sizzling on an iron plate, into portions for each person.
Since potatoes alone would be tasteless and the quantity wouldn't be enough, these were things Noein had Matilda roast.
"Thank you, Matilda. Well then, let's eat immediately."
Potatoes, Gluttony Rabbit meat, and pickled vegetables bought in advance in Retovik were served on each plate.
"First, please go ahead, Noein-sama."
When Matilda, sitting next to Noein, spoke, Noein nodded and reached for a potato.
To celebrate the first harvest, he bit into a boiled potato that had been luxuriously sprinkled with expensive pepper.
"...Fufu. Nfufu."
"Stop making those creepy noises and how about giving your impressions?"
"It's delicious. Amazing. How should I put it... it's hot and dense. It's a sensation I've never experienced. Everyone, try eating some."
Prompted by Noein's call, each person reached for the potato on their plate.
"It's a sensation I'm experiencing for the first time, but it's very delicious, Noein-sama."
"...It certainly is an interesting texture."
"It's different from both bread and meat."
"Yeah, it's a taste I don't know, but it's tasty."
Their words varied, but the general impression was "delicious."
"Besides, it's satisfying to eat and seems like it would keep you full for a long time."
Just as Bart said, because the inside was densely packed, it gave a real feeling of having eaten. It was convincing that it could sufficiently serve as a staple food.
"I wonder if there are other cooking methods besides boiling."
To Mai, who spoke as if muttering, Noein answered.
"In the southern books I read, it seems they also mash the boiled ones into a paste to eat."
"Heh, that seems easier to eat than biting into it whole. It seems like it would be delicious to put some ingredients in there too."
"Ah, that's a good idea. Let's try that next time. Also... I heard there's a dish where you slice them thin while raw and fry them in oil until they're crispy."
That sounds like it would go well with alcohol, Yuri thought upon hearing that.
Savoring the potatoes and enjoying conversations about cooking methods and future cultivation plans, the night passed.