CHAPTER 72
Farming Is Also a Profession
A Saint is someone chosen by divine revelation. Whether they want it or not, once they are revealed, it cannot be undone.
In contrast, a Hero is more of an honorary position.
Unlike Saints, a Hero doesn’t need special powers. A Hero is simply someone whom people believe to be a Hero.
And now, the Pope of the Trinity Church wants the right to appoint a Hero himself.
If the Pope can appoint someone as the Hero and everyone accepts that decision, then he becomes the ruler of public opinion and belief in the human world.
“As someone acting on behalf of the Papacy, I’ve spoken too carelessly. It’s for His Holiness to decide. Who am I to judge whether someone is fit to be a Hero or not?”
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Fiona fell silent.
“Hmm. If possible, it’d be best to have both of them,” Lorenzo said, his eyes gleaming with desire for both Idnia and Marie. He didn’t seem to care about Fiona’s earlier mistake.
When Marie began to stand out, Idnia was visibly happy and proud.
“This is the real Marie of Astraea! Now she finally looks like a proper candidate for Saint!”
Seeing this, Bolson looked puzzled.
“You seem happy, Lady Idnia?”
“Ah, yes. I’m not in a bad mood. Marie is my roommate.”
“Really? You seem very pleased.”
“Of course. When a friend does well, I feel happy too.”
“…….”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing. So… that’s what friendship is like.”
Bolson gave a bitter smile at her words.
Previously, in Sadia’s illusion magic class, Bolson had been paired with Idnia. Afterwards, Eirik, top trainee of the Black Iron Knights of the Ansbach Duchy and loyal follower of Karl, had called Bolson out.
“So, you shook hands with Lady Idnia. What was that about?”
“Ah, yes. She just said she looks forward to working with me…”
“Hmm?”
“She called me her friend.”
“Friend? You, the lowest of low soldiers, with a princess from the Betelgeuse royal family that once produced an emperor? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“R-right?”
“Don’t forget, your Bolson family was disgraced for fleeing the battlefield. Honestly, you have no talent, and your father was a criminal. The only reason you’re even in Dynaise Academy is because of Lord Karl’s mercy.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
“Then you should know your place and work yourself to the bone in gratitude.”
“…Yes.”
“Still, if Lady Idnia called you her friend, that’s a great opportunity. Get as much information out of her as you can.”
“Understood. What should I ask her?”
“Uhh…”
“Yes? What do I ask…”
Eirik looked around.
“Like, what should we ask again?”
“Maybe ask what weapon she prefers? Sword, axe, mace…”
“Or what brand of equipment she likes?”
“……”
Bolson knew that didn’t sound right.
Even though they were both northerners, Bolson didn’t dare ask Idnia something like that. He just stood there quietly.
“Ugh, just figure it out. Be smooth and smart about it. That’s your mission, Bolson.”
Eirik left the order like that.
“What the heck does he expect? Just figure it out…”
“She called me a friend… but that’s only because she doesn’t know what disgrace my father brought on me. Even if she does know, she probably just wants to enjoy school life. But for me, this place is like a military base. I’m here to cleanse my family’s disgrace and complete my mission.”
Thinking this, Bolson watched Idnia work.
She had just finished plowing a section of field and seemed lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Ah, I’m trying to figure out how to make a good garden patch.”
“Huh? What do you mean…”
Bolson was confused.
A royal princess wants to start a garden?
That was already surprising. And now she wanted to study and improve it?
Was she serious about farming? But she didn’t even have enough shop credits yet to start one…
“If I just report that she wants to make a garden, that should be enough to fulfill my mission, right? Ah… how pathetic I am. She calls me her friend, and I’m selling her words to keep my place.”
Feeling ashamed, Bolson still asked about the garden.
Then Idnia suddenly asked:
“By the way, Bolson, are you interested in Wizard Ball?”
“Uh… what?”
Since they had already learned telekinesis magic, not just Idnia’s team but many students quickly learned digging magic and started turning over the soil.
Using magic drained their energy, but it was still much easier than digging with a shovel.
The problem came after the soil was turned: they had to walk on it.
Many students were disgusted by the feeling of dirt under their feet.
“Ew… we’re walking in mud, not on paved roads!”
“Kyaa! A bug!”
“What is that? A mole?!”
Tons of insects, field mice, and moles popped out of the freshly dug soil.
“Ugh, I hate bugs. But moles are kinda cute.”
Isolde Folchen giggled at a small mole.
But then the owner of the field approached her and shoved a shovel into her hands.
“Kill that mole, girl.”
“What?”
“It ruins the crops by digging up roots. You can even make soup out of it—it’s a delicacy. If you want to learn farming, you should kill a mole.”
“You want me to kill that thing? With this?!”
“Hurry. It’s about to burrow again.”
The farmer forced the shovel into her hands.
Isolde hesitated. She couldn’t bring herself to strike the little furry creature.
At that moment, her partner, Christian Dupont, took the shovel and said:
“Look away, Miss Folchen.”
“Okay.”
She turned her head and closed her eyes. Then—wham!—the sound of something getting hit.
“There. Done.”
“Hmph. Strong guy. Unlike the girl…”
“Hey, old man. We’re just here to help, okay? No need to grumble so much.”
“What? You think I should be thankful because you dug a little dirt? If you dig it wrong, I’ll have to redo the whole field! I’m giving you the chance to practice that magic! You should be thanking me!”
“Whatever. We killed the mole, right?”
Christian realized arguing with this stubborn old man was pointless and handed the shovel back.
“Oh…”
Sadia nodded approvingly.
“That was quite a philosophical moment just now. Hoo-hoo. Yes, this is how you sow the seeds of romance… or not.”
Even though Christian killed the mole for her, Isolde’s heart remained with Rudolf, so she didn’t waver.
While Christian helped Isolde, other girls kept screaming.
The turned soil revealed cockroaches, worms, centipedes, rats, and even snakes.
“Kyaah! A cockroach!”
“Nooo!”
Idnia sighed watching the chaos.
Unlike Earth’s gardens, filled with pesticides and pre-cultivated land, this was raw wilderness.
“If I offer garden rights as a reward for Wizard Ball, they won’t accept after this. And if I try to farm alone and use food as bait, it’s too much work for one person…”
The noble kids, who had never touched dirt before, were overwhelmed even after just digging with magic.
The farmer started yelling again.
“What are you doing?! Just whack them with the shovel! Why are you scared of killing pests?”
“But… this is a rabbit. And it’s still a baby…”
“Rabbits are pests too! They dig and eat all the crops! Go on, kill it! If you can’t do this, how will you eat crops at all?!”
Sadia finally stepped in to mediate.
“Hey, farmer uncle. I get the moles, but rabbits? Don’t you raise rabbits as livestock too? You just seem to be picking fights for fun now.”
“What? No, I’m just…”
“Do you seriously think our students blew up your oven? If so, you’re way off. Want to know who really did it?”
“…You know who?”
“Yeah. It was Buremhyde of Lancaster. The Mad Blue Dragon. You know, the one who caused that plague in Albion. He’s now a professor here. Want me to call him over?”
The farmer/baker broke into a cold sweat.
“W-what…”
“Should I call him? Better to talk to the real culprit, right?”
“No, stop…”
The old man backed down.
Everyone smirked.
So, he was only brave in front of students—not in front of a dragon.
Even though the students included princes and heirs to noble families, the farmer seemed to think he could boss them around.
Sadia gave him a final warning.
“This is part of the magical curriculum. Just plow the rows for us and be grateful. I understand and respect your mindset as a farmer, but don’t force it on these kids yet.”
“P-Professor, I just wanted to show them what farming is really like…”
“They’ll get it eventually. But right now, I don’t want to drain their energy on unnecessary things. Let’s move to the next spell. I’ll teach you how to remove pests magically!”
“……”
The students looked at Sadia in a new light.
The farmer wanted to make them kill as a kind of rite of passage.
But Sadia prioritized protecting and teaching them properly instead.
“I thought she was just a trashy demon who spammed Energy Drain…”
“But she’s actually a real teacher.”
Even though she was the most aggressive professor during class, everyone was touched to see she defended them against outside pressure.
“Hmm… is this all staged? Or am I just too cynical?”
Idnia felt uneasy but followed along to the next garden plot, not wanting to ruin the mood.
