[The latter half is from a third-person perspective.]
It was time to sow the winter wheat.
Father issued a proclamation throughout the territory, saying, “We’ve developed a new strain of wheat that’s highly resistant to drought. It will be distributed to everyone, so please sow this new wheat.”
The sacks of the new wheat, which had been stacked up in the workshop at Northernford, were loaded onto carts and carried to various parts of the Fairchild Family domain.
The security within the territory was good, but there were still those from other lands who had fallen on hard times, and it wasn’t as if bandits didn’t exist.
That’s why the carts loaded with wheat were always escorted by knights.
“The wheat developed by Lord William is crucial for preventing famine caused by drought. We won’t let it fall into the hands of thieves.”
The knights were full of enthusiasm.
Later, as autumn drew to a close, it finally rained, but compared to other years, the rainfall was much less.
Perhaps the drought would continue still.
Soon, the cold winds began to blow, heralding the arrival of winter.
Winter was a harsh season, but also one to spend with family.
When everyone gathered by the fireplace, sipping hot tea or soup, it felt as though even the heart was warmed.
This year, Teo was among us as well.
I’d heard that Teo’s parents got separated from him while fleeing the Great Forest.
However, both Father and Mother thought there was very little chance they’d survived.
The deeper you went into the Great Forest, the more powerful the Demon Beasts became.
No matter how well the Dwarf Clan knew the Great Forest, if they became separated, it would be almost impossible to survive.
That’s why Father and Mother said they would treat Teo as family.
I truly respect that about them.
Teo was terribly reserved at first, but little by little, he’s gotten used to it.
Even though he tends to stay at the edge, he sits with us by the fire and drinks something warm together.
Especially Mother, who often talks to Teo, and Teo answers with a smile.
When I told him I wanted him to think of me as a brother, he said, “You’re my master,” but I still want to become closer to him.
By the way, though not as much as in the Northern Region of the kingdom, the West usually gets some snow as well.
Children making snowmen and playing is a typical winter scene.
But this year, no snow had fallen.
The dry weather continued, leading to an increase in fires.
Father was worried about spring.
“It’s nice not having to deal with snow damage, but this means there’ll be less snowmelt come spring. If this keeps up, next year’s drought could be even worse.”
“It’s a good thing we have your new wheat, Brother.”
“I wonder… I rushed to develop it, after all. I just hope it bears fruit properly.”
“Ufufu, Will, you’ve done more than enough. Even if it doesn’t work out, that’s the adults’ responsibility.”
“That’s right. Will, you’ve done well.”
As expected, both Father and Mother are kind.
They’re careful not to let me shoulder all the responsibility.
With the risk of drought growing, all I can do is pray that the new wheat will grow safely.
***
Deep Within the Great Forest.
Those who live deep within the Great Forest are not only Dwarves.
But now, those people were facing a crisis.
“If the Demon Beasts increase any further, we might not be able to protect the village.”
“Yeah… I wonder if we’ll survive this winter.”
“But we have a duty. No matter what, we must protect the World Tree.”
“I wish, as foretold, the Savior would appear…”
Indeed, their mission was a heavy one, but at this rate, the whole clan might be doomed.
Their chieftain was beginning to think that if the worst happened, they’d have no choice but to flee the Great Forest with a sapling of the World Tree in hand.
Recently, they’d heard that the Dwarf Clan could no longer protect their homeland from Demon Beasts and had escaped to the Great Forest.
However, beyond the Great Forest lay lands controlled by the humans.
Humans were greedy and not to be trusted.
Even if they escaped, it would be a hard life.
They worried about whether the Dwarves were all right.
“Someone who’d gone beyond the Great Forest has returned.”
To get out of the Great Forest, you had to pass through the territory of powerful Demon Beasts, but for those skilled at using magic to hide their presence, it was possible to slip by unnoticed.
That’s why, in order to obtain things unavailable in the forest, they would sometimes go on barter missions, keeping their identities hidden.
They avoided interacting with humans as much as possible, but humans did make useful goods.
“Oh, you made it back. Were the Dwarves safe?”
“Yes, they seemed to be doing very well.”
“Really? They fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs, so I thought they’d be struggling. I just hope they haven’t been caught and treated poorly by the humans.”
“No, actually, it seems a human lord helped them, provided them with houses and food, and even exempted them from taxes.”
“Is there such a kind lord among the humans?”
“I was surprised too, but I actually sat with the Dwarves in their home, warmed myself by the fireplace, and drank hot soup together with them.”
Could such a thing really be possible?
If it were true, perhaps it was time for us to make a decision as well.
Their chieftain fell deep into thought.