Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

The autumn harvest had begun.

Everyone worked silently, but what stood out most were the Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machines, Arti-Horses.

First was Klim, riding the smaller Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machine, Siegfried, to harvest crops.

It could dig faster and across a wider area than human hands, making it a huge help during harvest.

That's the power of heavy machinery for you.

It was also designed not to damage the crops, which was a great feature.

Meanwhile, the four regular-sized Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machines operated by the mountain elves were transporting large quantities of harvested crops around the fields.

Well, since there was a limit to how fast the crops could be harvested, the machines weren't all running at once, they worked in alternating pairs.

Either way, they were a major force in the harvest.

And it was good to see them being put to proper use.

Some people had been treating them like toys like me or the mountain elves, after all.

-0-

Since it was autumn, the other villages were also in the middle of their own harvests.

The produce meant for sale was arriving one after another at Big Tree Village.

And here, the ice monster was playing a huge role.

Inside large sheds, they created multiple icicles to turn the space into a refrigerated storage.

Amazing!

What's more, when the ice monster stayed inside, it even turned into a freezer.

Wonderful!

But… are you bored?

Are you doing all right?

Thinking through number puzzles?

Ah, I see, you're carving them into the ice while thinking.

I'll bring you some paper or boards you can use to record things.

Also, if you ever want to go outside, don't hesitate to say so.

We're not trying to lock you in.

Besides, this place is just a temporary storage facility for crops.

At most, they'll stay here for two weeks.

-0-

Yuri came to help with the harvest.

She took turns with one of the mountain elves and rode one of the Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machines, and, as expected, she was great at piloting it.

I could tell which machine she was in just by the way it moved.

Her skill was on par with Klim's.

Because of Klim's efforts, the other children were motivated not to fall behind and worked hard.

We'd already made it a practice to have them help with the harvest instead of just focusing on studies during this season.

That came from the local parents' belief that children should help with their families' work, not just study.

Well, it wasn't exactly a field trip, but helping with the harvest was still a valuable experience.

Better to have done it than not.

And they all seemed to be enjoying themselves out in the fields.

-0-

The harvest was complete.

From here on, I left things to the civil servant girls, while I focused on preparing a small winter crop.

Klim had asked to do some farming using the small Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machine, so I put her in charge of a portion of the land.

Of course, I made sure to till it first with the AFT.

Without it, crops wouldn't grow properly in this area.

I'd need to work just as hard so I wouldn't fall behind Klim.

…

She'll need seedlings or seeds for her field.

I should get those ready.

-0-

Once the harvest was done, next came the martial arts tournament.

Preparations for that had begun throughout the village.

I wanted to help with that too, but I had to stay in Big Tree Village to handle Village Five-related work.

Well, most of it was just approvals and reviews.

「Sorry for the extra trouble」

No, no.

I could've gone to Village Five myself, but this time Nana came here instead.

It really helped.

「Ahaha. If Village Chief showed up in Village Five during this season, everything would spiral out of control」

…Really?

「It's harvest season there too, and the produce from Big Tree Village is piled up as well」

That's true.

「In short, everyone's sitting on huge amounts of trade goods. The Goroun Company and Dalfon Company know the system since they have a direct route, but all the other merchants have been flooding us with meeting requests」

Ahh.

A while back, when I asked if I should show my face more often, Youko told me the current arrangement was fine, that must've been why.

「Right now, we're keeping things moving by pretending the Village Chief isn't available, so if you suddenly show up…」

Got it, got it.

I'm not trying to cause chaos.

Besides, even if I did go and meet with people, all I'd say is, "I left it to Youko", or "Talk it over with Youko".

「Thank you. Also, there's the matter of security」

Security?

Wouldn't Gulf, Daga, and Reginleif be enough?

「Leaving everything to Gulf-san and the others while Village Five do nothing would also raise concerns」

I see.

If I show up during this busy harvest season, it means manpower has to be diverted for my security.

「Exactly. So please let us handle it from here」

Understood.

Let's wrap this up quickly so Nana can return to Village Five soon.

I picked up one of the report boards.

-0-

After reading through several reports, I brought up a question for Nana.

The companions of the Third Princess of Gozlan Kingdom.

They were said to have worked in domestic affairs back in Gozlan, so why haven't we recruited them as civil servants?

Even if there are concerns about them being foreigners, I feel like they could at least be assigned to areas with low confidentiality.

「About that… they themselves declined, saying they lacked the necessary ability」

Is that so?

「Yes. Gozlan Kingdom had a reputation for strong domestic governance among neighboring countries. But that was only in comparison to those neighbors…」

Even so, they should still be better than complete novices, right?

「If we were to say they're 'better than novices,' then hiring them during such a busy season would be a risk for both sides」

I see… that makes sense.

「Youko-sama is planning to have any interested individuals receive on-site training during a less hectic period」

Got it.

-0-

Alright, next topic…

About the single-seater airships. Weren't those meant to be prototypes for larger airship construction?

Why are there now plans to mass-produce them?

「Because they were extremely well-received」

Really?

「Yes. For those who can't fly on their own, it's an entirely new experience」

Ahh.

「Members of the village council lined up to enjoy the skies. I rode one myself. It really is something special」

I-I see…

Though, there's concern over the fact that they can't be accompanied by escorts…

「Yes. Establishing safe flight routes has become an urgent matter」

An urgent matter, huh.

「Yes. There have been several proposals submitted regarding flight paths as well」

Nana pointed to one of the report boards she hadn't checked yet.

Ah, this one?

A light transport route limited to the airspace over Village Five, and a sightseeing route connecting Village Five with Shashaato City.

「The light transport route is a test run of the mail delivery project you proposed. For now, it's focused on delivering letters within Village Five to see how it goes」

I see.

「The sightseeing route is focused more on recreation. Since flying solo would be dangerous, the idea is to travel in small groups」

Makes sense.

Still, wouldn't using a larger airship be more practical in that case…?

「What people like is the freedom of piloting alone」

Well, I get the appeal.

Still, if we're increasing production, we'll need to expand the docking area.

「There are proposals for that too…」

Ah, over here.

A revised plan for securing land for airship operations within Village Five.

Compared to the previous version, this one calls for a larger area.

「It also accounts for accident prevention. We received input from the mountain elves that takeoff and landing are the most dangerous times」

That's true.

In that case, when you have time, could you ask the Kissinley couple for their advice on airship operations?

「The Kissinleys…」

Ah, sorry.

I forgot that the Fogumas, like Nana, have some history with them.

I wasn't being thoughtful enough.

「It's fine. Right now, we both work for Village Chief. To be honest, I can't say all the resentment is gone, but there's no need for you to worry about it」

Don't push yourself.

I'll ask Miyo myself.

No guarantee it'll be a useful conversation anyway.

「Thank you」

Don't mention it.

-0-

So… a duel between Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machines at the special venue, the stadium, huh.

This was probably pushed forward thanks to Yuri's behind-the-scenes efforts.

But right now, it's just not possible on our end.

「Not possible?」

The problem is repair parts.

Some components can't be replaced, and once they break, the whole unit stops functioning.

That happened with the first unit, Siegfried, before Klim's soul came into contact with it.

No matter how cautious we are, a clash between two ten-meter-class machines is bound to cause some sort of malfunction.

If we had more parts or additional operational machines, we could reconsider…

But as things stand, it's tough.

And besides, we barely have any capable pilots.

Klim might not be able to handle anything beyond the small model, Siegfried, so realistically, only Yuri could be counted as a true pilot.

The mountain elves' piloting skills are still too clumsy.

Training pilots, producing pilot suits…

Given the current limited number of operational units and how restricted their use is, both efforts would likely end up wasted. I have to say it's just not feasible.

Still, for something like a parade or a public event, I think the Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machines could be put to use.

「I understand. That's unfortunate」

Oh? So you wanted to see them fight?

「Absolutely. Watching machines of that size collide? It would be an incredible spectacle, no doubt about it」

Yeah, I agree.

If I had the chance, I'd want to see it too…

But I can't risk our four functioning units breaking down just for a show.

If only we had a true expert in Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machines.

Though considering how old these things are…

Maybe ancestor-san or someone Versa knows might be able to help?

I'll try asking them next time.