Chapter 246: Sunflower |
What would happen if you left your body covered in sweat, saliva, and semen overnight? The answer is obvious.
Earlier this morning, Cynthia apparently took a morning bath with my permission. I was half asleep, so I didn’t remember much of what was asked or what I answered.
That’s why when I woke up, Cynthia was not naked, but in a monk’s robe, waiting for me with a refreshed face.
It was so bland that I didn’t feel like doing it again in the morning, so I had no choice but to take a bath in the morning.
After getting ready and having breakfast, I returned to my room. It is said that my grandfather left Newnelly early in the morning and returned to the front line. I was planning on having breakfast together, but we couldn’t. I’m sure he’s concerned about the war situation, but things are quite hectic.
When I returned to the room, I expected that I could start flirting while looking back at last night’s play… but instead it was a lecture.
Cynthia probably thought that I needed time to reflect on the story since it ended halfway. Somehow, she is a girl whose senses are slightly out of sync.
[…Due to the circumstances, I used simple tools and procedures yesterday. I’m thinking about setting up a full-fledged venue in the future.]
Cynthia seemed excited and was looking forward to the next real-life practice learning experience. There’s probably no falsehood to those words. I don’t think it’s a roundabout expression of wanting to be held by me again.
[Yes. For example, holy oil is said to be best made in the fall.]
One of the ingredients for the massage oil used in yesterday’s ceremony is sunflower oil, which was made from seeds harvested last year.
[Sunflowers grown in areas that are not shaded produce high-quality seeds that benefit from the full sun.]
Sunflowers also exist on the Eruo continent, but it’s a bit interesting that here too they are considered a plant that evokes the image of the sun. This may be a natural result since the flower does feel and look like the sun based on its nature and appearance.
In Zethism, sunflowers are a very cherished plant. The fact that they grow in full sunlight is interpreted as having received the blessings of the great spirit of the sun.
That is also the purpose of yesterday’s ceremony. It has a religious significance in that it involves applying an extract rich in the divine protection of the Great Spirit and incorporating it into the body.
Considering these reasons, I can understand Cynthia’s request to prepare the freshest oil harvested that year.
[Also, I’m very sorry, but I’d also like to acquire some gold leaf…]
Maybe it’s because it’s a story about faith, but she insists exactly what needs to be said.
The authentic massage oil used by high-ranking priests, or holy oil in other words, is made by blending sunflower oil, clean water, perfumes and plant extracts, and a very small amount of gold leaf or gold powder. This is because gold is also considered to be a mineral that harbors the power of the great spirit of the sun.
[Gold leaf aside, sunflowers? I wonder if there are any grown within the territory.]
The sunflower oil I prepared this time was made by purchasing seeds and pressing the oil. I don’t know where it comes from.
[I heard that the Lydia Plains, which has a lot of flat land and abundant water, was once a major producer of sunflowers.]
The interior of the Quordenze territory is roughly divided into north and south. It can be roughly said that the south side mostly consists of the Lydia Plain. Naturally, that includes the city of Newnelly.
[Maybe it was like that in the past, but what about now? Well, I don’t think it’s gone to zero… Hey, do you know?]
I tried checking with the civil officer waiting inside. However, the answer I got back was that they didn’t really know. Although they are concerned about the area under cultivation for important crops such as wheat, it seems that sunflowers are not included in this consideration.
[I remember seeing some fields last year.]
It was Cynthia who spoke out to follow up on the civil officer’s answer. It’s a little interesting that even though it’s a story within the city, my woman, an outsider, knows more about it than me.
[It wasn’t very big, but…]
She looked a little depressed as she said that.
[There’s almost no demand here to begin with. Sunflowers aren’t used for vegetable oil… Do they have many uses in the Holy City other than rituals?]
[Of course. Sunflowers are often used in liturgies, but they are also used for a variety of purposes, so they can be said to be the most familiar crop for the commoner. For example, in the church in the Holy City, sunflower bread is baked. This is made by grinding sunflower seeds and grains in a stone mill, mixing them with flour to make bread…]
It is said that once a week in the Holy City, there is a day set aside for eating sunflower bread. For this reason, they sell them to citizens or give them out as alms to the poor.
When I learned about the Zeth Church Holy High Society, I only saw the aspect of it as a governing organization, but apparently it was also doing activities similar to a religious organization.
[The residue left after oil extraction, as well as leaves and stems, can be used as compost or feed.]
It seems like there are many ways to use it. It is said that in the Holy City, sunflowers have a solid position as a raw material for vegetable oil and one of the main foods.
[When you think of summer in the Vermana region, the first thing that comes to mind is the vast fields of sunflowers and blue skies…]
Cynthia narrowed her eyes, perhaps feeling nostalgic for her hometown.
Imagine putting Cynthia in a white dress and standing in a field of sunflowers. ……I felt like her breasts were a bit too big and wouldn’t really suit the scene. In my personal opinion, I would like the girl standing in the sunflower field to have small or normal-sized breasts.
When I think about it, Rona, with her black hair and slender figure, seems to suit the scene better. She had this feeling of Miss Sunflower Field. Who would be the most suitable person from the Quordenze territory…?
[A field of sunflowers. I’m sure it’s a spectacular sight. Interesting.]
Under the blue midsummer sky, in the center of a sunflower field, I hug a girl in a white dress, drenched in sweat. Just thinking about it like that made me so excited. As with last night’s play, I still want to focus on the situation. I feel like there is a difference in erection strength and ejaculation volume.
[Interested…? In that case, please leave it to me.]
Cynthia quickly got on board.
[What do you mean?]
[I mean managing the fields.]
Cynthia was feeling excited all by herself. Apparently she interpreted it as me being positive about growing sunflowers.
I asked her for more details, but to put it simply, she was bored. Even though she was appointed as an instructor this time, she basically only comes out when called instead of waiting around me. I see that indeed might lead to extended free time.
Ordinary Nobles don’t care about such things. She’s much more tolerant of having people with free time than I am. Do you feel like it’s okay as long as you do what you need to do?
However, I am poor. It’s the same with Eve, but I feel like it’s a waste to keep someone who has become my pawn for no reason. Especially people like Cynthia who say they have free time. If that’s the case, I’d like to do something even if it costs a little money. It may seem like putting the cart before the horse, but it’s just my nature.
Besides, I want to get even closer to Cynthia. If that’s the case, I think it would be a good idea to do her a little favor.
[If Master would like to lend me your help, I will give you guidance.]
Cynthia answered confidently. It seems that she has knowledge and wisdom based on her experience, from sunflower cultivation to utilization, rural management, and how to mobilize farmers.
[However, I am unfamiliar with the customs of this place. That makes me uneasy…]
Did she just ask for a supervisory role for herself? In a sense, it was a request to lend her land and people, and she probably didn’t want people to think that she was planning something bad.
[Don’t worry. In that case, I can assign you as an expert in the field. Leaving a foreigner to be in charge of a foreign land is something a fool would do.]
Did you hear that, everyone who is waiting indoors? I won’t give away my land just because I’m tied up with boobs.
Cynthia is a former priest, so if you don’t appeal to her in a timely manner, it will cause trouble. I have to be careful.
[However, it is not so easy to give permission.]
To put it bluntly, securing land is a hassle.
Although the Quordenze family is engaged in foreign wars, our territory is basically peaceful. Therefore, the people of a territory often continue to live in the same land for several generations. When this happens, the concept of “ancestral land” naturally arises. This tendency is especially strong in rural villages that have been carved out of undeveloped land.
Be that as it may, according to the logic of the Eruo continent, all land belongs to the Highlords. Therefore, as long as I have my father’s permission, if I say, [From today onwards, this will be farmland under the direct management of Quordenze. Leave by tomorrow], the residents will have no choice but to leave. From the nobility’s point of view, the ancestral land they speak of is nothing more than conceit and fiction. The logic behind this is that if you want to claim the right to reside, you must show strength commensurate with that claim.
In the continent of Eruo, where the threat of demon beasts exists, the responsibility for the land is heavy. In the Quordenze territory, during the time of my grandmother Cassia, a policy of “property protection” was adopted to prevent the unfair deprivation of property from the citizens and peddlers, but land rights were not guaranteed at all under this policy. This is because it is too presumptuous for a commoner, who has no power, to make such a claim.
However, despite this theory, the reality is that people are attached to the land where they were born and raised. I want to comply with the wishes of my mistress, but trampling on the feelings of the people too much is like putting one foot in the path of a tyrant. What’s more, the land we stole will be used to create a sunflower field that is closely related to the Zeth religion, and the former residents who were exiled and held a grudge are likely to be extremely suspicious of it. Saying the next Head of the Quordenze family is devoted to the Zeth Church Holy High Society…or something. That is dangerous. I’m sure my father will complain too.
No matter how much my position as the next head of the family has been solidified, I cannot afford to be too careless.
[I don’t know, but don’t sunflowers need a lot of water?]
Recently, the amount of money in my pocket has been increasing, so one idea would be to let money dictate and rent out land in a nearby farming village, but that seems like it would be a hassle.
[Yes. They grow well in the summer, so you need to give them plenty of water.]
Which means we also need good water procurement. In this area, water is drawn from the Ovieto River and streams that branch from it, so there is plenty of water, but if we were to consume a large amount of it in the sunflower fields, I’m sure the local farmers would look at us with disgust.
In addition, the farming villages near Newnelly City have been under the rule of the Quordenze family for many years, so they have close ties and many exemplary residents. I don’t want to do anything that will undermine that trust.
[…If I’m going to grow it anyway, I want a field of a certain size. There are a lot of challenges for that.]
If water is to be brought to inconvenient land far from the river, the construction work will be large-scale. If we go that far, it looks like it will become a huge project to create not only sunflower fields but also several pioneer villages. Considering that the food situation in Quordenze territory is currently stable, it is difficult to imagine that the return commensurate with the investment will be obtained.
[I think it’s a difficult problem, but I believe it would be wonderful if we could make it a reality. Once you decide, please let me know.]
Cynthia was smiling. I guess she’s happy that I’m proactive about growing the fields. She may have taken it as me showing favoritism towards the Zeth religion. At this rate, I think I’ll be able to enjoy the next sexual intercourse as well.
Cynthia took her leave just before noon.
Because she was treated politely from start to finish, I was unable to turn the flow of conversation into massaging her breasts. It’s also because I released a large amount last night that I wasn’t feeling horny.
I should have just gone for it, but it was only after I finished lunch and was full that I regretted it.
[Everything nearby is wiped out…]
A civil officer hurriedly investigated, and as it turned out the sunflower farms are in decline outside of Newnelly City. Basically, it seems that farmers are just growing it as if they were growing a home vegetable garden. It is said that there is no place in the territory that is actively cultivating it for commercial or tax purposes.
[It’s common for once large producing areas to decline to such an extent.]
There are several small cities in the Quordenze territory that have sunflower flowers or seeds as their emblems. It is said that these places often originate from pioneer villages that were systematically created as bases for sunflower production.
[Rather than declining, it would be more accurate to say that it was replaced by better crops.]
The civil officer who did the research corrected me.
[In the past, sunflowers were donated to churches and used for vegetable oil. However, after the war, it became an useless product, and from then on, crops were simply selected based on the amount of oil they could produce.]
It is quite an interesting story that agricultural efficiency improved during these turbulent times.
[…Should I exclude nearby areas from the list?]
[I guess that’s alright.]
The farmland near Newnelly City is well-managed, and I knew that if I interfered with it, it would cause trouble not only for the farmers but also for the officials. For better or worse, things around here are stable and calm. Not suitable for large-scale development.
[…But, do we really need a sunflower field? If Young Master wants to give Cynthia-dono more tasks, wouldn’t it be fine to let her do something else?]
This is a perfectly reasonable opinion. Whether it’s aiming to increase Cynthia’s likability, or the white one-piece plan to f**k her outdoors, or building a field just for the sake of fucking her, it’s a complete waste of money.
[If you’re just thinking about giving people jobs, then I guess that’s true. However, I had some thoughts about it. I started to think that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start a sunflower field as an upfront investment.]
[Upfront investment?]
[Yeah. I heard about it in the capital…well, I think I’ll ask the professionals’ opinion on this. I don’t know if my estimate is correct.]
Then, as if at the perfect timing, there was a knock on the door.
[Come in.]
A man entered the room with a slightly nervous look on his face.
I’ve seen his face many times in Nambonan City, but this is the first time I’ve seen him in my room at Newnelly Castle.
[It’s been a while.]
It was convenient that this guy stayed in Newnelly City. Thanks to this, I can listen to professional opinions.
[Yes. How is Koharii doing?]
Kohari’s older brother, Ramon of Nambonan City, nodded silently.
