Volume 6 Chapter 32 Glutton Baron’s Asparagus Plan
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ugh, my back…”
Chaa, the local butcher, groaned as he worked the soil where Munin’s house used to stand. He’d been thrilled at first—getting free land thanks to Laken’s assignment sounded like a sweet deal. But of course, nothing in life is that easy.
Lately, a royal agricultural advisor, directly appointed by Baron himself, had been visiting Toyata Village almost daily. The man used to be a chef, apparently, but even so, for Laken—just a humble village head—it felt like receiving orders from someone leagues above.
The plan was simple but ambitious: use all the newly cleared land around the village to grow asparagus and kickstart a full-scale farming business.
Across the swamp, the so-called “original” Toyata Village had developed rapidly. The people who moved there were now making big profits selling fresh produce in the royal capital. This new asparagus project was Toyata’s attempt to ride that wave—or perhaps, to fight back.
Laken couldn’t let go of his pride. The idea that a village with no history dared to call itself the “original” Toyata boiled his blood. Even he, long past his prime and content to stay in his lane, couldn’t ignore it anymore.
And for Chaa, it didn’t matter what the village head thought. When the order came directly from the lord/him, there was no room to argue. Still, the fact that half the profits would go to the villagers made it a worthwhile gamble. Fired up by the chance to outdo the prosperous “original” village—now closely tied to the quail Hero—those who had stayed behind began working with renewed determination.
Despite only getting started just before noon, Chaa was already slumped on a stone by the roadside.
Every day, he pulled up wall barley, dug deep into the soil, and carefully planted asparagus roots granted by the Baron. It was tougher work than he’d imagined.
For someone who had never worked up a sweat before, it was torture. And the worst part? The real profits wouldn’t come for another two years.
”This is gonna kill me…”
He’d thought about making his two slave girls do the work instead. But the idea of their delicate skin burning in the sun, or their pale, dainty fingers developing blisters—he just couldn’t bring himself to let that happen.
”Damn it… I’ll show them what a real man’s worth!”
Grumbling, he stood up and rubbed his aching lower back.
The labor was brutal—but not without rewards. Meals tasted better after a hard day’s work, and his body, once sluggish from inactivity, was feeling lighter. He’d lost a bit of weight, and muscle was starting to show. The girls would shower him with exaggerated praise, which, for Chaa, was a completely new and oddly satisfying experience.
Watching the asparagus field expand little by little each day filled him with a quiet sense of pride. In some spots, the first green shoots had already broken through the soil, growing faster than he’d expected.
”Kukuku… In two years, this place will be sprouting money. I’ll turn every last inch of this village into my personal field.”
Of course, he wasn’t the only one with that idea. Even the laziest folks had suddenly become competitive, each trying to claim more land than the next. The advisor checked their work daily, so half-hearted effort wouldn’t cut it—but that also meant hard work would be rewarded.
”Asparagus is a noble’s food—it’ll fetch a great price. And when the villagers finally get their hands on money they’ve never seen before, what’ll they spend it on? Meat. From my shop. Hahaha… Hahahaha!”
Not just Chaa, but even the loafers and ruffians of the village were starting to move, eager to secure their own patches of farmland.
In two years, they’d finally get to show up the ones who had left and gotten rich. It was a strange sort of rivalry—but for those left behind, it was their version of justice.
And so, thanks to the gluttonous Baron’s asparagus plan, Toyata Village was beginning to burn with a quiet, persistent fire.
Notes:
• Munin – 22-year-old genius leatherworker, trained in the royal capital. Tall, handsome, but volatile and jealous, especially about his wife, Flare. Top-class craftsman by human standards. Married to Flare, whom he accuses others of trying to seduce.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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