After that, about a week passed with similar days.
Depending on the weather, the afternoons were spent either hunting or farming.
In the end, we managed to go hunting three more times, bringing the total number of wild rabbits caught to over two hundred.
Meanwhile, the cultivation of Kuroaosou in the shed showed enough growth to be certain that it was due to Rinus’s Blessing of Light.
It seemed like it would be ready for harvest in just a few days.
My brother discussed with Vessel-sensei and the village adults, making plans for constructing a new cultivation shed and passing on the cultivation techniques.
On the way back from the fifth hunting trip, my brother listened to Dimo’s prediction, “It looks like it’ll start snowing soon. This might be the last hunt of the year,” and nodded.
Though they seemed a little disappointed, everyone, including Ahim, was satisfied with our accomplishments so far, and nodded cheerfully.
As we returned to the outside of the protective fence, something caught my attention.
I tapped my brother on the shoulder.
“Eh, yeah?”
“What is it?”
Careful not to let Dimo notice, I quietly pointed to the side.
We walked over, and in front of a cluster of still-green plants, my brother crouched down.
“What’s this?”
Dimo replied: “Oh, that’s Tsubukusa. It’s a weed that grows right back even if you cut it.”
“It’s a weed? Is it edible?”
“It produces tiny black seeds, and, well, they’re not poisonous if you eat them. But they’re neither tasty nor filling, so no one bothers eating them.”
“I see.”
“I’ve tried eating them myself before, but they weren’t good at all.”
“Right. So, does something about it interest you, Lord Wolf?”
Hearing Ahim and Dimo’s continued words, my brother shook his head.
“No, I just remembered the name from our grandfather’s records, so I was a bit curious. Hm. Well, finding it here might be some kind of fate? Maybe I’ll pull a couple and take them back.”
Almost as if on reflex, my brother looked at my face, then pulled out two stalks of the plant.
When he straightened up and turned around, Ahim was grinning for some reason.
“What’s up?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. It just looked like Lord Wolf was consulting Lord Rudolf for advice, so I thought it was a little funny.”
“Did it?”
“It’s happened a few times before, too. I kept thinking, ‘Ah, Lord Wolf really cares about Lord Rudolf.'”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
My brother gave a wry smile and shrugged his shoulders.
But seeing that Dimo and the other boy seemed to think the same, he steeled himself.
“Well, honestly, I guess I’ve been doing that on purpose.”
“You’ve been consulting Lord Rudolf?”
“Not exactly. It’s just that, since we’ve been together a lot lately, when I pay attention to his mood or expressions before I act, things seem to go better. So, it’s kind of a good luck charm or a superstition, I guess?”
“Ah, I see.”
“To tell the truth, even the first time I hunted wild rabbits, I wasn’t confident. But then, at that moment, I felt Rudolf tap my shoulder, and when I dashed out at that timing, it went well. After that, things kept going right whenever I watched his reactions. But—don’t tell anyone else about this, it’s embarrassing.”
“Haha, understood.”
Looking satisfied, the three of them exchanged amused glances.
“That explains it. I always wondered why you’d carry Lord Rudolf even when it was dangerous.”
“Seriously. Sometimes, when there were a lot of rabbits, I thought it’d be easier to aim over here, but Lord Wolf would go for the other side. That was Lord Rudolf’s guidance, huh?”
“Well, I suppose so. Though, it’s not like he’s a god or anything.”
“Hahaha.”
Everyone seemed convinced, and that was a relief.
In truth, this explanation from my brother was something we had cooked up together the other day.
We figured sooner or later, we’d have to explain why he always carried me on his back and why, no matter how we tried to hide it, it sometimes looked like he was consulting with me.
“Superstitions aren’t just for farmers and hunters—I heard even knights have them.”
“Yeah, I heard that kind of thing at training camp, too. I guess any job where you put your life on the line ends up that way.”
“That’s how it is, huh.”
Laughing with Dimo, we made our way back toward the village.
The Tsubukusa we brought back, when shown to the cook Lansel he replied, “Never seen this before. I have no idea if I could make it edible.”
For the time being, we decided to collect and dry the seeds, just in case.
Also, I had something else I could ask Lansel for.
The next day, after lunch.
Having finally reached a stopping point with something I’d been preparing in my brother’s room for a while, I talked things over thoroughly, and then, carried on his back, headed to the kitchen.
My brother carried carefully a cup with a small plate covering it.
In the kitchen, besides Lansel, Westa and Bettina were chatting.
Westa’s daughter, Carin, was sleeping soundly in the cradle nearby.
When my brother said, “We’d like your help to test a cooking method we found in an ancient document,” it was the cook’s wife and the babysitter who showed interest first.
“A cooking method from an old document, is it?”
Tilting his head, Lansel nevertheless got ready to help.
The ingredients to prepare were Black Wheat Flour, a little salt, and warm water.
That was it.
By the way, salt was quite valuable and expensive in this region, so I hesitated to use it.
But since the purpose of this attempt was to re-examine the value of our ingredients, I decided to use a little to see if it improved the taste.
And then, what we took out was the magical liquid prepared in the cup.
“We need to strain this and use the liquid part. I’m not sure about the amount, but let’s use about half of what’s here for now.”
“I see.”
Mixing the liquid into the flour in a wooden bowl.
Adding water, kneading it to a workable firmness.
Adding salt, kneading.
Then kneading, kneading, kneading, endlessly kneading.
Taking it out onto a wooden board, kneading, kneading, kneading, endlessly kneading.
Slamming it against the board, kneading, kneading, kneading, endlessly kneading.
Since it’s Black Wheat Flour, the dough was brown, and its surface started to get a bit glossy.
“Is this about right?”
“Lord Wolf, this is basically bread, isn’t it? I bake it all the time, but I’ve never kneaded it this much before.”
Sweat dripping, Lansel’s wife handed him a towel.
Bettina had been cheerfully cheering him on from the side, “Do your best, Lansel!”
“Normally, you let the bread rest after kneading, right?”
“Yes, for about two koku.”
“This time, check on it for about four koku. Cover it with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out, and place it somewhere warm—maybe near the fire while you prepare for dinner.”
“Right.”
“Please take care of it for about four koku.”
“Understood.”
At this time of day, when my brother was usually with me, Bettina would help with the cooking.
Leaving the three of them in the kitchen, my brother and I went to the martial arts room to kill time.
Since the instructions for the next steps were a bit complicated and my brother might not remember them all, I thought I’d summarize them on a stone tablet ahead of time.
After that, I checked various plans using plant encyclopedias and maps.
About three koku later, I thought, we heard a scream from the direction of the kitchen.