As a result, I decided to order the chainmail, for which materials are readily available.

　However, since chainmail is labor-intensive - to put it simply, it's a pain in the ass - the delivery time seems to be quite long.

　I decided to have Toya's shield made of attribute steel as well, and ordered this as well. This should be done relatively soon.

　As for the other parts of the shield, it is not so easy to make, as it requires good leather materials.

　I could have made a better one than the current one if I had the leather of the orc leader that I died before, but I have already sold it and don't have it.

　It's not an easy thing to get, so I left it to Mr. Gantz to figure out what to do.

　As for the under armor, it is more in the category of sewing and alchemy, so Haruka and the others will think about it. When asked what they wanted, I told them that I wanted something that wasn't too hot if possible, but I'm hoping that ...... alchemy can help.

Now that we have a lot of money to spend on this project, let's make the last spurt.

That's right. We'll only be able to cut down a few trees this season.

　Even though we'll provide the materials, we're sure to lose thousands of gold coins.

　I'm not sure if it's because I'm a poor man or because I'm a poor woman.

I also bought a new weapon. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
...... Well, I'd like to see you come out for a bit.

　When you get something new, you can't help but want to try it out, right?

　Especially shadow ghosts .

　You may be able to feel the effects of other demons, but if you're going to use it, you want to experience being able to defeat an enemy that had no effect on you at all.

　At the same time, I want to test the results of my training in [Searching for Enemies].

　Natsuki's [Concealment] and my [Searching for Enemies] have trained each other, and our levels have risen. Perhaps now we might be able to detect the Shadow Ghosts.


　--It took us about a week to finish the logging. The skeletons appeared once, but the shadow ghosts did not show up.

　　　　I've been enjoying my latest obsession.

　One thing I've been enjoying lately is watching the growth of plants in my garden.

　When I walk around the garden after my early morning training, I am happy to see that the corn and rape blossoms are growing fast.

　The green leaves on the trees in the garden are increasing, and the herbs are sprouting, but it's good to be able to see clearly how much the corn and rape flowers have grown.

　However, Yuki and her friends seem to have some doubts about the growth.

"Hey, the corn is growing fast, isn't it?
"Oh, you think so too?　The rape blossoms seem to be growing like that, too.

　We planted corn and rapeseed a little over a week ago.
　The corn and rape seeds I planted a little over a week ago sprouted and grew quickly, and are now about 15 centimeters tall.

　I thought they would grow pretty fast, but they seem to be growing too fast for Yuki and her friends.

"I only watered it when I planted it. ...... It's pretty strong, isn't it?
Yes. Is it the variety?

　I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but it's a good thing.

　The only maintenance I've done is to pull out some weeds. Even so, they are growing well.

Does it usually grow more slowly?
"From my point of view, I'd say half ...... or even a third of this.
It's possible it's because they haven't been bred to be that way. ......

Native species. It is possible that even if you sow a garden seed, the target flower will not sprout, but only the weed will grow rapidly.

　Yuki twisted her head and nodded her head with an ambiguous expression, as if she was not convinced by Natsuki's words.

　It's true that there are abandoned farmlands, and there are also places where you can find horsetails and silver grass growing all over, so it's not impossible if the conditions are right.

If this is normal in this world, food production will be easy, right?
"There is a possibility of fast growth but low yield, right?
Yeah, that's possible. If you haven't improved the breed.

By the way, how many stalks of corn can you get?
One.

　Four or five?　When I asked, Yuki's reply was heartless.

"...... What?　I'm sure you're not the only one.

I'm not sure. I've grown sweet corn in Japan, and that's what I'm talking about. There are many fruits, but if you don't thin them out, they don't grow to the size you see in stores. By the way, the thinned corn is called "young corn," which is used in dishes such as "eight treasures.

"Really?

　I was surprised that I could get only one corn from a corn that I had an image of growing very big, but I was also surprised that the young corn was really corn.

　I thought it was just young corn in name, but it was something else.

Corn takes up a lot of space, but the yield is small. If you grow it in your garden, you can harvest it in one go. ...... It's fresh and delicious, though.

　They say it's a pity that the amount of corn harvested is small compared to the amount of time it takes to grow it and the area it occupies, and that it can be eaten in an instant.

　On the other hand, it is said that you can get a lot of peppers from a single seedling, close to a hundred if you're lucky, but the joy of harvesting them is a little less pleasant. Just the peppers.

　I understand how you feel.

　I'm not a child who says, "I hate green peppers! I'm not the kind of kid who says, 'I hate green peppers,' but they're not the kind of vegetable I'd enjoy eating.

Yuki, if this is a normal growth rate, it's fine, but if it's not, then what's causing it?

It's the compost. I just planted it. I don't think it's possible that it's growing faster because it's not getting enough water.

Right. If it only grows faster, then there is no problem. ......



　Yuki says simply, and Natsuki agrees.
　Natsuki agrees with Yuki, who says simply, "Since we didn't do anything else, we've almost identified the cause.

Let's do a control experiment for now. Soil mixed with compost and ordinary soil. Does it make a difference?

"Oh, I'll make a flowerpot then. The conditions should be the same. I'll also check if the amount of compost makes a difference. Nao, can you help me?

Okay.

　I'm going to help Yuki make a flowerpot with soil magic, and Natsuki is going to fill it with soil from the garden and mix in compost in different proportions.

　Yuki plants ten rapeseeds in the pot.

You plant ten seeds?

Because there are differences in germination rates and growth of different seeds. I chose seeds of similar size, but you need a certain number to get an average.

I see.

　If you only have one seed, it may not germinate, if you think about it.
　The reason why they use rapeseed instead of corn is because they can plant more of it.

Well, I can't wait to see the results!

　Yuki smiled as she placed the watered flowerpots on the sunny wall of her house.

　It's going to be a while before we see the results, but we'll see.

　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

　One week later.
　The first corn I planted was already above my waist height.

That's crazy.
Yeah.
Yeah. I guess it is.

　I can understand why it's growing so fast, only half a month after planting the seeds.

But let's fertilize for the time being.

　"But for now, let's fertilize," said Natsuki, digging a hole in the side of the corn plant and burying the fertilizer.

　Normally, they don't fertilize at such intervals, but considering the degree of growth, not the passage of time, it seems that the plants are big enough to need fertilization.

This one is probably close to the original, and I'm sure it can grow without fertilizer, but let's try to grow it the same way we grew it in the past.

　In her vegetable garden, she fertilized three or four times before harvesting.

Do I need to do it often?

Yes. Yes, because corn is a fertilizer eater. It needs to be fertilized in order to make the fruits bigger and sweeter. At this rate of growth, you might want to fertilize about once a week.

Is that how it is?

Perhaps?　There's always the chance of failure. ......

Well, we're not farmers, so it doesn't matter, right?

　Even if all the trees die, we won't be in need of food.

　It's not a big problem, but if it's an annual plant, you can just plant it again. It's not a big problem.

The one in the flowerpot is also ...... clearly different.
Yeah. Obviously the fertilizer is making a difference.
Yes, honestly, it's crazy.

　Rape blossoms planted in flowerpots last week.

　The one without fertilizer has only sprouted a few buds, while the one with fertilizer is over 20 cm tall.

　The concentration of fertilizer does not seem to have much effect on the growth of the plants, and there is no difference within the range of the experiment.

So there is no difference in the amount of fertilizer?

No, I think we used too much in the biggest pot.

Yes. The second one is a bit affected, too, isn't it?

Hmm?　Is that so?　It looks fine.

Look at this leaf. They're a little curly, aren't they?　Probably from too much fertilizer.

　If you ask me.
　But to a layman like me, it's really a matter of opinion.
　If you hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have noticed it.

But your tolerance is much higher than I thought.
"Yes, it is. Considering the amount of fertilizer I used, I thought half of it would die.

Will it die if I use too much fertilizer?
Yes, it does.　Yes, especially with chemical fertilizers.

This compost needs only about the same amount of fertilizer as a chemical fertilizer, yet it has little effect even if you use a lot. Is it slow-acting?

It's too fast-acting to be called slow-acting.
...... What's that supposed to mean?
In a word, it's a very useful fertilizer.

　I don't really understand it, but Yuki put it simply for me.
　Yes, if it's useful, there's no problem, right?

"It's too easy, but you're right. If it's slow-acting, you can reduce the number of times you need to add fertilizer, so you might want to experiment with it.



But if it's so effective, you won't be able to consume as much. If we don't, we'll just keep accumulating.

It would be better if I didn't make them. ......

"It's a waste of time to make a magic tool, isn't it? --Hmm?　What about this one?

　Next to an unfertilized flowerpot. Next to the unfertilized pot, there was another pot with only a few buds. Did I make two of these?

Oh, that's from the fertilizer available in the city. I added them later, so they're a day apart.

If there's not much difference, does that mean our fertilizer is more effective?
That's right. Strangely enough.

It's not strange. It's the ingredients, I'm sure.
Well, I can't think of anything else.

　The difference between the fertilizer sold in the town is whether it is made from leftover food or the corpse of a demon.

　To be honest, this result makes me wonder if it's safe to eat crops grown with this fertilizer.