Chapter 2 — New Land and a Vegetable Thief

Part 1 — Exile, Then Saving the Nation

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"S-So cold..."

The words slipped out before I could stop them. It was spring, so it wasn't actually freezing, the atmosphere just made it feel that way.

Because of a broken wheel here and a bandit attack there, it took a full thirty days to reach Norwald. When I finally arrived, there was nothing. The place sits at the foot of the northern mountains, the so-called Impassable Range that marks the border with our neighbor. It's lush, scenic, and untouched.

Despite sharing a border, the mountains are so rough that neither side even wants to try crossing. There are no strategic or economic motives either, and in all the campaigns I know, no army has ever marched over them. Maybe that's why there are so few people and the air feels pastoral.

Anyone would take one look and call it a literal backwater.

The land I was assigned apparently belonged to a baron about a decade ago. He fled after failing to pay his taxes. I'd clicked my tongue when I first heard it, sure this meant the land was hopelessly barren, but then it hit me—I'm just another free citizen now. I owe no allegiance to the kingdom, and there's no lord to pay. No taxes means I only have to grow enough for myself.

Last week I finally set up in the vacant house he'd left behind. Calling it a manor would be generous; it's really just a slightly fancy farmhouse.

Since then, the first thing I did was file a change-of-residence notice with the Adventurers' Guild. If I plan on selling monster materials or anything else in the future, the paperwork is mandatory.

My guild card now lists a fabricated background stripped of my name and order. The palace clerks invented it with a hum. State power is terrifying. I'd really prefer never to deal with it again.

The guildmaster took one look at the redacted record and immediately tried to bump me up to B-rank, even finishing with a "please." I refused with everything I had and kept my F-rank.

Apparently B-rank is the highest level a local branch can grant on its own. If I let him do that, I'd be obligated to accept official kingdom assignments the moment they came in. Requests like that probably won't reach a frontier like this, but drawing attention would be the worst possible move. I can't have that.

After that I borrowed a plow and a horse from the neighboring farmer, tore through the nearby plot, and planted corn. If I plant now I'll harvest by summer, and it practically takes care of itself. Since I'm on my own, I want crops that demand as little work as possible.

While I was turning the soil, it hit me that the freight horse just doesn't have the muscle for it. I'll need a draft breed soon, and milk, so I'll buy a breeding pair of cattle. I could borrow a bull, but I want my herd to grow. Might as well purchase one outright. Besides, lending out a bull makes it easier to join the local community.

That's why I came into town today to look at livestock, but the market was oddly loud. A lively bazaar is fine and all, yet this was something else entirely.

"How many times do I have to say it?! It wasn't us!"

"Who else would it be, you little thieves?"

A grimy boy who barely reached my waist was thrashing around as the farmer, my plow lender, held him by the scruff.

"Please believe us! We'd never do something like that!"

Beside him, a girl around the same age had her hands tied behind her back. She was dirty too. Street kids, abandoned by their parents, if I had to guess.

Getting involved with this is nothing but trouble. Granddad always said so. Best to look the other way. I tried to radiate disinterest, muttered "just passing through," and attempted to slip by. Then the boy shouted something that made my ears ring.

"I swear on my name, I didn't steal a thing!"

Swear on his name? That's how a knight or noble talks. Looking closer, their clothes were dirty but fairly fine. I kept watching, trying to make sense of it, and of course the farmer noticed me.

"Oh, Dan. Doing some shopping?"

"Yeah. Thanks again for the plow the other day. ...Something happen?"

I didn't want to ask, but ignoring it now would have been stranger. Just my luck.

"These brats tried to steal vegetables from my field, so I'm taking them to the watch."

"We never meant to steal anything! We were framed!"

The fatherly farmer explained that a man had hired the kids to collect the vegetables he'd ordered from that field.

"That's shady as hell. Kids..."

"I'm not 'kid.' I have a name. It's Bill!"

Bill protested like a snapping cur. Loud little thing.

"Fine, fine. Bill, how were you supposed to hand over those vegetables?"

"...He said he'd be waiting in an abandoned house on the edge of town."

He looked away as he spoke. No way he didn't suspect something was off.

"How is that not suspicious? Try using your head. Anyway, where's the produce they almost took, sir?"

"Right here. Look at this stuff. Kid knows quality celery when he sees it."

He dragged a basket over to show me. The celery inside really was beautiful. How did he grow it like this? I'll have to ask later.

Wait. If I solve this, he’ll probably share the method gladly. More importantly, if thieves are targeting the farm next door, my field could be next. My vegetables aren't even sprouting yet, but it's best to nip threats in the bud. Hah... maybe I'm a genius.

"All right, I'll buy it. How much?"

I put the asking price straight into his hand, then turned to Bill.

"Take this to the meetup. I'll be shadowing you."

"...You trust us?"

"For now. But if you're lying, I'll drag you to the watch myself. Nothing wrong with that."

"And once we bring it... what are you going to do?"

"What do you think? I'm going to grab him."

I moved here to live quietly, and not even a week has passed before trouble comes knocking.

So I've decided: anything that threatens my slow life gets eliminated. ...Not that I'm uninterested in learning how to grow celery like this.

Either way, it's settled.

----- End of chapter -----