Some time has passed since then: ......
　Hercule is now seventeen years old.

　One day, he said to me.

　"How is it?　Does it taste good?
　"Yes, ...... well, I think it's good, but ...... it's a condiment, not something to be eaten by itself, right?
　Well, yeah.

　What Karolina is eating is the tomato sauce that Hercule had his cook make.
　Now that she has tomatoes, she can't help but make it.

　Tomato sauce can be used for basically anything, so there's a lot of variation in the dishes.

　"Yes, it's delicious. ......
　"Well, it's good, but ......
　What's wrong with this?
　"Well, it's good.　That's not the end of the story, is it?
　No, Your Majesty doesn't make that kind of sense. ......
　Wait, wait, wait. His Majesty?

　You guys are so rude.

　Like Carolina, six people were summoned by Hercule and made to eat tomato sauce: ......

　Galfis, Christos, Loukanos, Edmond, Oscar, and Darios take a bite of the tomato sauce and then sneak off to talk.

　I'm not sure if you've ever heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

　So, do you have an agenda?
　"Of course not. What's so sad that I have to eat tomato sauce with old men?

　Hercule said, standing up and smiling ......
　He smiles.

　What's wrong with that?
　"...... discomfort?

　Karolina tilted her head.
　The six of them looked at each other.

　It's just tomato sauce.
　That's what the seven of them thought, including Karolina.

　Hercule nodded his head in satisfaction.

　"Okay, okay, ...... is fine.
　"Did you find anything in the ......?

　Karolina asked Hercule.
　Maybe there was some kind of poison in it that was testing them?

　Karolina thought.
　That's what Hercule would do.

　......, revealing a certain lack of faith in Hercule's character.

　No, it's just tomato sauce. It's just tomato sauce.

　Hercule laughed.

　"Except it was made five months ago (・・・・).

　Hercule spoiled it with amusement.
　And ......
　The seven looked at each other and then at ......

　"Hey, Your Majesty!　What are you feeding them?

　Karolina approaches Hercule.

　"No, not that rotten stuff!　It'll kill you if it's not ......
　"It wasn't rotten, was it?

　And then ......
　The seven realized.

　Yes, the tomato sauce was not rotten.

　The Elves have more senses than the Humans.
　That's why they can see things at a distance and distinguish between high-pitched and low-pitched sounds.
　Their skin is highly sensitive to pain, but they can notice small vibrations and irregularities that humans cannot.

　And ......
　Its sense of smell and taste allows it to sense the delicate smells and tastes of food.

　Even poison. ......
　Unless it's a tasteless and odorless product made for the long-eared elves, they can definitely detect it.

　In addition, it's a piece of cake to tell if something is rotting or not.

　So ......
　If the tomato sauce was rotten, Carolina would certainly be able to detect it.

　But ......　
　Can tomato sauce last for five months?

　If it's salted, smoked, or fermented, for example, ......
　Tomato sauce is simply a paste made from stewed tomatoes.

　There is no preservative treatment.
　And it hasn't gone bad in five months?

　So, ......

　"Don't tomatoes go bad?
　"Yes, they do.

　Hercule simply denied the answer that Carolina had given.
　Karolina frowned.

　I don't like the way ...... His Majesty talks about things like that, as if he were testing people.
　"It's just your nature, .......

　Hercule smiles and reveals the truth.

　I put tomato sauce in a jar, covered it with a cork and then hardened it with wax. Then I heated it at a high temperature for a long time. That's it.


　"...... That's it?
　"That's it.

　Not only Carolina, but even Loukanos looked confused.

　There is nothing strange or unusual about what Hercule did.
　The container is sealed to prevent microorganisms from getting inside, and then heat is used to kill the microorganisms inside.

　Since microbes are the cause of spoilage, the tomato sauce inside will not spoil.

　At least, not unless the container is damaged and the microbes from outside get inside, right?
　"...... microbes?

　More confusion ensues.

　Rather than microorganisms ......, it took the invention of the microscope to make it generally known that there is a world that cannot be seen by the human eye.

　If you can't observe it, it doesn't exist.

　And ......
　To prove that the microorganism is one of the causes of decay and disease, ......
　Many experiments will be needed to prove that microbes are one of the causes of decay and disease.

　It is also necessary to reject the theory of spontaneous generation of organisms.
　The theory of spontaneous generation of organisms is simply the theory that organisms can arise from inanimate objects, and it is widely accepted in this world.

　The Japanese expression "maggot gushes" is a theory of spontaneous generation.
　It clearly expresses the idea of the old people that maggots do not come from flies, but naturally appear in decomposing and dirty things.

　And ......
　The science is not important at this point.
　What is important is that bottled food can be preserved for a long time.

　The important thing is that it is bottled and can be stored for a long time. "This will last for two or three years, depending on the life of the container. It will also improve the military's food situation.
　I don't know how it works, but if it can be stored for a long time, I can't think of anything more useful.

　Galfis looked at the jars with interest.
　He seemed to have already realized its usefulness.

　Basically, the food in the army is not good.
　This was because it was difficult to secure food in the first place, so they could not be particular about the taste.

　Also, if the food is salted for long-term preservation, it becomes salty, and if it is dried, it becomes hard.
　The only thing that is better is dried fruit.

　The only thing better is dried fruits. Most of the soldiers have to fight on a diet of stone-hard bread and a little meat that tastes like salt.
　This will not raise morale.

　Improving the food situation is a problem that directly affects the ability of soldiers to continue fighting.

　"But, Your Majesty, won't the ...... bottle break?
　I know you think so, but I have another good one.

　If you're not sure what to do with it, you can always ask your doctor.

　The same treatment was applied to the canned ...... metal container with food in it. It weighs less than a bottle. The only drawback of ...... cans is that they are difficult to produce.　Also, they're heavy, so you can't carry a lot of them.

　Besides, ......
　Hercule took out a chisel and hammer and worked hard to remove the lid of the can. ......
　Finally, the contents were revealed.

　"Well, the metal lid is thick. I can't open it without a chisel and hammer. I'll have to improve this one in the future. ...... Well, anyway, try it. It's mackerel in olive oil.

　Hercule clapped his hands and had a servant bring out a number of forks.
　He took one, stuck it into a piece of mackerel, and brought it to his mouth.

　'Yes, it's good. It's three months old. You guys should eat it soon. ...... The emperor himself poisoned it, you know.

　The vassals had no choice but to eat.
　The seven men took the mackerel into their mouths with trepidation. ......

　...... It's not rotten.
　I told you so.　...... There's one last piece left, Carolina, ahhh.
　Aah!

　Hercule brings the last remaining slice to Karolina's mouth.
　She chewed and swallowed it without hesitation, having already eaten a piece and being assured that it was safe.

　It's delicious. ...... By the way, did you come up with this, Your Majesty?　Or was it ...... a pagan scholar?
　"Hmm?　Hmmm, ...... God's will, you know.

　Hercule muddled through.
　It was Hercule who brought canned food into this world, but it was not Hercule who thought of it.

　I came up with the idea, isn't that great? Hercule is not so brazen as to say that he thought of it.

　But he did think it was a great idea that I brought it to him.

　And ......, well, we have the canned goods produced here. All that's left to do is to prepare them in the food depot ...... we're building on the military road.

　Deploying the food on the road in advance would reduce the amount of food to be carried and speed up the movement within the country.

　Speed up the advance whenever possible, and think about resupply.

　This was the military policy of Hercule.

　"Ah, yes, ...... three days later, gather again at the palace. We're going to check the performance of the new bow that Hupatia and her team have developed. Understood?
　""Yes!

　The military power of the Lemurian Empire was being steadily strengthened.