Chapter 37: The Joy of the First Harvest!
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When Golan heard the Lord's words directed at Laura, his hand tightened involuntarily on his spear until his knuckles went white and the veins on his hand stood out. He tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible, but he failed — so he lowered his head so that no one would notice, especially the Lord.
Golan was not foolish. He had been expecting something like this. He had been watching Laura since her arrival, for he considered her his rival for the title of the soldier the Lord trusted most. But she was truly powerful — and she was always killing more monsters than him. He killed one, and she killed two or three with her arrows that never missed. When they had ambushed Ashbel's forces, she was the one who had killed the most. So he had known she would advance faster than him. But knowing it… and feeling it were different things. He felt depressed. He had been the first to arrive, yet found himself left behind.
In the very moment Golan felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into the dark, a hand suddenly tapped his shoulder lightly. He snapped out of his low mood in surprise and looked up — and found the Lord looking at him with a kind, reassuring smile.
"My lord… I…" Golan muttered incoherently, completely awash with embarrassment. He had shown such an expression at such a moment. What would the Lord think of him? That he was envious? That he was narrow-minded?
But contrary to his expectations, Kaiden's gentle voice reached his ears:
"It's all right, Golan. You too are very close to reaching your maximum level threshold. So don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Golan looked up at the Lord in surprise. He hadn't scolded him or rebuked him. He was consoling him and encouraging him.
Kaiden patted Golan's shoulder again — and this time the pat was firmer than before, practically gripping his shoulder — then continued:
"Promotion is important, that's true. But you must know that it isn't the most important thing to me. Everyone in my territory has a great opportunity to advance. In a few days, all my current forces will reach the Nascent Champion rank — even the militia soldiers who just arrived. So in truth, it doesn't matter who gets there first."
Kaiden hadn't lowered his voice, so everyone heard him. Laura among them — she nodded her head, for she too hadn't thought there was anything particularly special about being the one closest to reaching the rank threshold.
Kaiden drew a breath and finished what he was saying:
"But… what truly matters to me is having a good commander. And you, Golan… you may not feel it, but you are a natural-born commander. No one do I rely on more than you. I am genuinely grateful for your presence in this territory."
Upon hearing the Lord's words, Golan felt tears nearly pour from his eyes. But he controlled himself quickly — and nothing remained on his face but resolve and determination. He knelt on one knee and bowed his head:
"I apologize, my lord. My thoughts were a little clouded. I will give everything I have to meet the Lord's expectations."
"It's all right. Just don't put too much pressure on yourself." Kaiden nodded when he saw his subordinate's spirit returning to normal, then continued speaking:
"In any case, the reason I called you here now is that I want you to retrieve all of the spider carcasses from yesterday's battles — all of them, or whatever remains of them."
There were a great many carcasses. So Kaiden ordered them to take twenty elite soldiers to carry such a large number of spoils.
Kaiden didn't explain the reason to them, and his soldiers didn't ask for one either. All they needed to do was carry out orders as the Lord commanded — nothing more, nothing less.
They all set off. Laura remained inside the territory at Kaiden's request — he had told her to focus on killing monsters more than anything else. After all, the rest of her team members had gone with the expedition as guides, so there was no problem with her staying inside the territory.
After his forces departed on their way, only Casper remained beside Kaiden.
"My lord, I also wish to inform you that the planted vegetables have already ripened. This is the first harvest our farmers will conduct, and it is an important occasion. I suggest that Your Lordship attend in person. The farmers will be greatly pleased by your presence."
"The harvest time has finally arrived? Wonderful! And at last we'll have something to eat besides meat. Of course, Casper — let us go together!"
Upon hearing this news and Casper's suggestion, Kaiden lit up with a smile brighter than the sun. He responded in a voice full of vitality and accepted Casper's suggestion with great enthusiasm. As his subordinate had said, this was the first harvest — and it marked the transition from an unstable reliance on hunting to the age of farming. This would greatly reinforce his territory's food security.
And so the Lord and the Head Steward made their way together toward a distant corner of the territory — toward his farmland.
Even before they arrived, Kaiden could see the green expanse from afar. The place had undergone a radical transformation — from barren wasteland to a lush, ripe, and vibrant field. As they drew closer, Kaiden could even smell the aroma of ripened vegetables.
The field was divided into six uniformly sized plots. In each plot, a different variety of vegetables had been grown.
Standing before the field, the least that could be said about the scene was that it was breathtaking. Six different plots of vegetables — tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant, potatoes, onions, cucumbers — pulsing with life and ripeness. After nothing but barren desert since his arrival, the sight stirred a great deal of emotion in Kaiden.
What was this feeling? It was the joy of the coming harvest.
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— End of Chapter Thirty-Seven —