Published at 28th of April 2023 12:58 am

Chapter 314: Tomato Harvest

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

「Yosh, Al. We’re going to the next place!」

After we finish eating the cucumbers, and as I’m searching for what kind of vegetables to eat next, Torr calls out to me and says.

「Ehh? Didn't you say you’re gonna let me eat summer vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, and such?」

Don’t you think this is different from what you told me back in the mansion’s courtyard?

I want to eat summer vegetables other than cucumbers though.....

「That’s not it. We’re going to a better place with more delicious things」

「Right right」

「……a place with more delicious things?」

「Just follow us for now!」

Saying that Torr starts to move along with Asmo, so I follow them along while tilting my head in confusion.

The place where Torr and Asmo head to is a place somewhere on the outside of the village compared to the previous fields.

There was a vast field over there, with a lot of vegetables growing in there, such as tomatoes, corn, cabbage, bell pepper, and pumpkin.

Apparently, they mass-produce vegetables over here.

「The tomatoes and corns from this place are especially delicious y’know. Shall we harvest them now」

「Eh? Wait a minute. This place is someone else’s field, right?」

I stop Torr and Asmo from continuing to enter the field.

Torr and Asmo said earlier that they only grow a small number of vegetables. So no matter how I think about it, this field shouldn’t belong to the two’s families, right?

「What are you talking about, Al? All the people who live in Koryatt have been living here since a long time ago, and everyone has been living by helping each other」

「The villagers who stuck together through thick and thin are like family already. And since we are all one family, it's natural that we share food with each other」

「I see, so it’s the village’s culture then――no way I can believe it. Let’s just call them and ask for some normally」

After I said that, Torr and Asmo fold their arms and start thinking

「……indeed, if we have the noble - Al - here, we can boldly eat from the front」

「As expected from Al. Using his own authority as a noble to get what you want so openly.....」

「I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding you guys are having right now, but I plan on buying them with money like a normal person」

I will receive it if the villager were to give it to me, but I’m not gonna rush in and extort them to hand it over to me for free.

「Excuse meー」

「Ahh? Oh, isn’t this Alfried-sama? For you to come all the way here, what can I help you with?」

There is a villager who is harvesting on the tomato field and when I call out to him, he takes the trouble of coming to us, I guess he noticed me.

「I’ve heard that there are delicious tomatoes and eggplants here, I was thinking if you would like to sell some to me?」

「Ah, so it was like that! Then you can freely take them, I just harvested them」

「Yeahー! I knew it will be different this time since we have Al with us!」

「Igma (イグマ) is usually so stingy though」

When Igma - the villager who owns the fields - said to take freely take the vegetables, Torr and Asmo raise their voices in joy.

The moment he saw that, Igma’s expression was changing to that of an annoyed look.

「However, Torr and Asmo have to pay with money」

「What the! Don’t joke around!」

「It’s not nice to discriminate against people」

「It’s not discrimination, it’s differentiation. If you really want to eat them then by all means, help harvest them. If you do that then I will give you a little」

「「Booーbooー!」」

「Go away if you’re complaining, you darn brats」

Torr and Asmo were voicing their dissatisfaction, but Igma make a gesture to drive them away with his hand *shoo shoo*. Maybe, he would give them one or two vegetables without saying anything in particular, if they were both good kids. This kind of response is probably due to Torr and Asmo’s usual behavior.

「Now now, let’s help with the harvest so he will give you some vegetables, all right」

「Chi, can’t be helped」

「Then, shall I also quickly help harvest them?」

「Eh? Alfried-sama doesn’t have to work like these guys, though.....」

「It’s fine, I would also like to try harvesting the vegetables so I’ll help」

I said that I don’t really like the idea of having it for free anyway, so it’ll be somewhat deplorable if I were the only one who gets it for free

And besides, I haven’t done any harvesting before so I’m feeling genuinely curious and want to try it. We also have a kitchen garden in the mansion’s courtyard but, it looks like it’s still quite a long time before we can harvest them.

「Well, if Alfried-sama is fine with it then please go ahead」

And so, it’s time to harvest the tomato quickly.

Led by Igma, Torr, Asmo, and I enter the tomato field.

Then, Igma bends down and shows us the ripe, red tomatoes below.

「Please pick the one that has turned really red until the top of the calyx or the one where the top of the calyx has curled. Those are the ripe tomatoes ready to harvest. After that, please also take a look at the stalk since it might be easy to pick from the calyx as they show whether they are fully ripened or not」

「Okay」

I thought that it’d be okay to just pick the tomatoes that have turned red, but it looks like there are quite some points to recognize. I replied while impressed with that face, but Torr and Asmo had natural expressions.

「It’s cause both of our families grow them so we know about that」

「It’s obvious, isn’t it? Rather, I will still know about it even if we don’t grow them」

「How come?」

When I ask that, Asmo says - while nodding in agreement to Torr’s words.

「It’s so we can obtain something tasty by bartering, even if a little」

Aah, I see. The village is mainly doing barter, so they will want to get something delicious - even if a little - from bartering foodstuff.

As expected from Asmo. He has an obsession with food that doesn’t seem to be coming from a kid.

「After that, it is in order to eat the most delicious thing when we get a little bit」

Saying that, Torr plucks off a red tomato and eats it.

That tomato has a beautiful red color and the calyx has properly curled up. It looks like he has quite the eyes for choosing tomatoes around the many other tomatoes without hesitation.

「Hey! I told you you can have it after harvesting them all, didn’t I!」

「Hei hei, I know. I’m gonna harvest them properly」

Torr grabs a glove and starts running off even while being scolded by Igma.

Good grief, what a hateful guy.

「Then, please harvest them with that in mind, all right. If you’re not sure about something, you can ask me or those two」

「Understood」

After saying that, Igma hand me a pair of gloves and a scissor so Asmo and I quickly went to harvest the tomatoes.

After putting on the gloves and scissors, I immediately start walking toward the rows of tomatoes in front of me.

「Ah, Alfried-sama. You forgot the basket for the harvesting」

Oh, shoot. I guess I was only thinking about picking the tomatoes since I completely forgot about it.

I put the harvest basket away from me to be under my control with my magic power using the non-attribute magic Psychic then slowly move it toward me.

「Waー, how convenient」

Perhaps it’s because he’s not familiar with Psychic magic, Igma lets out his impression while being taken aback.

Fufufu, non-attribute magic is convenient, right? As long as you have Psychic magic, you don’t need to walk toward the basket or bring the basket with you.

「Al’s magic feels like it can reach the itchy parts of our bodies, isn’t it」

「You were probably praising me, but that expression doesn’t make me happy one bit」

「I’m going to be near Al for now. I don’t have to bring the basket with me if I’m close to Al」

Saying that, Asmo came closer to my side.

Oh well, it’s reassuring to have someone experienced close to me so I guess it’s fine.

Let’s harvest them for now. It looks like the tomatoes that turn red at the bottom are due to them being at their harvest time, I observe them while crouching.

I move the thickly growing leaves out of the way and look through them, and I saw several bright red tomatoes. The shining tomatoes that reflect the sunlight are so pretty.

Firstly, they are entirely red, but I wonder if it’s also red all the way to the edge of the calyx? And I also have to check whether the calyx has curled up or not.

I gently touch the tomato to check it.

「The color is good, and the calyx is also okay. We can harvest this one, right?」

「Un, no problem」

Since Asmo - who was behind me - said it was okay when I showed it to him, I use the scissors and cut off the stalk.

「Ah」

「What do you mean ‘Ah’? Was there something wrong?」

It’s scary when you said it like that at the timing as I cut it.

「No, you have to cut it at the tip of the stalk near the calyx so it won’t be left there. It’s gonna damage the other tomatoes when you put it inside the basket if you don’t do that」

After saying that, Asmo showed me a tomato.

The stalk had been cut to the very edge close to the main body and there was almost no stalk remaining on the tomato.

Certainly, when the other tomatoes bump into something this long then it will stick to them.

Understanding what Asmo meant, I remove the remaining long stalk until the very edge of the main body.

And then, calmly nodded and returned to his own place to harvest the tomatoes.

He nimbly finds a tomato and continues to cut it with his scissors with a snap.

I have to keep on harvesting as well.

After placing the tomato I cut into the basket, I continue to check whether the tomatoes have turned red or not - one by one - and harvest them.

It’s a work confirming whether the condition for harvesting them has been met or not by moving the thick leaves and stalks out of the way.

It’s kinda exciting and fun each time I was able to find a bright red tomato after monotonously pushing aside the leaves. This is only how it feels to harvest tomatoes from another person’s field. If it were something we grow from the beginning, the excitement and happiness would be much more than others.

Right now I entrusted most of the kitchen garden in the courtyard to Bartolo, but I think I will help them for a little bit.

here

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