Sincerity or Jest

The representative led us to the southwestern section of the rapeseed cultivation area.

Apparently, differences in sun exposure and other factors caused variation, but this area was already ripe for harvest.

Today, we'd be collecting rapeseed that had already flowered, specifically for pressing into rapeseed oil.

When rapeseed was harvested for eating, it was cut before the flowers bloomed.

Once it flowered, the buds and stalks hardened and became too bitter for food.

That said, as the representative mentioned, it could still be eaten in a pinch as emergency rations even after flowering.

"Here, take these."

Everyone was handed a sickle.

They were well-sharpened, the blades polished to a mirror finish that reflected our faces.

A farmer standing next to the representative explained the work to us.

"Um, aim for about here and cut with the sickle."

The man crouched down in front of a rapeseed plant and cut the stalk at roughly two hand-spans up from the base.

He grabbed the cut portion and loaded it onto a cart.

He showed us the whole process from start to finish.

"The remaining stalks and roots will be cut up last and mixed into the soil as fertilizer, so don't worry about those."

"That's it? Seems simple enough."

"It is. Even children can do it, but precisely because of that, please be careful not to hurt yourselves. I'll start from over there, so if you have any questions, come find me."

"Understood. Thank you for your help today."

"Likewise! More hands means the work gets done faster, so we really appreciate it."

The farmer laughed heartily and headed off to his own section.

Nothing complicated about the instructions. Might as well just get to it.

"Just doing it normally is boring. Why don't we make it a competition to see who harvests the most? With a little wager on the side."

"I don't mind, but… what are the stakes? I'll tell you now, if it's anything weird or for big money, I'm out."

Azu nodded emphatically.

"Oh, then let's say the loser buys the winner a drink from one of those stalls in the Royal Capital. That should be fine, right?"

"Sure, I'm good with that. Right?"

"Yep. I can manage that with my allowance."

"I'm in too. It sounds more fun than just harvesting normally."

"Then it's decided. Nothing tastes better than a drink someone else is buying."

Princess Yupe already seemed to think she had it in the bag.

But however active she might be for a princess, she was still castle-raised.

She'd probably never done farm work in her life.

"Then let's begin. Start!"

To get even a one-second head start, Princess Yupe declared the start herself.

We scrambled to keep up and began working.

"Just don't rush and hurt yourselves!"

"Okaaay!"

Three voices answered in unison.

Good to hear they were in high spirits.

The work was simple: crouch in front of a rapeseed plant, take aim, and cut the stalk with the sickle.

That was all there was to it.

Going back to the cart after every single cut would be a huge waste of time, so I decided to stockpile a decent amount before carrying it all over.

I liked this kind of simple, repetitive work.

My body moved without having to think.

Normally, I had to constantly think about all manner of things, and it had been wearing me down.

I kept pushing through out of sheer determination, but moments like these were a balm.

The tools were well-maintained and gave me no trouble.

I checked on Azu and the others to see how they were doing, and they were faster than I expected.

That Azu was fast was no surprise.

Before she became a slave, she'd been forced to help in the fields without food or water, and it showed in how practiced her movements were.

Elza seemed accustomed to this sort of thing too, moving with no wasted motion.

She cut one stalk after another with brisk efficiency.

Princess Yupe wasn't as practiced as the other two, but she might have been the most enthusiastic.

Speed in work like this came with experience, but having passion made you even faster.

Even when it had absolutely nothing to do with glamor, she could still throw herself into it like this.

I felt like I was seeing an unexpected side of her.

She really wasn't a bad person.

"Ah… wai…"

It seemed her momentum had gotten the better of her. She'd lost her balance while crouching and fallen on her backside.

"Ow. Went a bit too fast there."

She looked around nervously.

Her eyes met mine, and she turned away in embarrassment.

I walked over and offered my hand.

"Here you go, Princess."

"You saw my embarrassing side."

"There's nothing embarrassing about it. Would you laugh at someone working their hardest?"

"I wouldn't. It's admirable."

"Exactly."

"Smooth talker."

I gripped her hand and pulled her to her feet.

Princess Yupe dusted off her backside with both gloved hands.

"I was wondering why we needed gloves, but they come in handy at times like this."

"Yes. Even with plants, you can cut your fingers bare-handed. I've heard that touching soil with a wounded finger can even lead to a fatal disease."

"From just that?"

"I've only heard about it myself."

There were adventurers who'd lost arms from trivial injuries, supposedly.

That was why I always took care with Azu and the others' equipment.

Though when it came to healing injuries, having Elza around made it a non-issue.

"Can't be standing here talking. If I don't hurry, the gap will only widen. Thanks, Yohane. I won't be falling on my behind again."

"I'd appreciate that. I'd hate for you to get hurt."

From there, we continued the harvest in focused silence.

As the sun climbed higher, the sunlight grew fierce despite it still being spring.

It felt like the middle of summer.

The strong sunlight was why the rapeseed grew so well, but for us humans, it was brutal.

"Let's take a break."

I called out loudly and brought everyone's work to a halt.

Then I gathered them together.

All three had beads of sweat on their foreheads from the continuous work.

The same went for me.

If we kept going like this, heatstroke was a real risk.

So we stopped for water, and then I pulled something out of my supply bag.

Straw hats.

I'd brought them in case we needed sun protection, and it seemed they'd get their chance.

Princess Yupe put one on and tilted the brim up to look at me.

"This is cute. I think it might be my first time wearing one… How do I look? Does it suit me?"

"Too good for royalty, honestly. It suits you perfectly."

"Oh my. Then maybe I should become a farmer."

"I'm sure you'd make a fine one."

"Heh. Hey, if I said I'd give up everything and asked you to go somewhere together… would you say yes?"

She whispered it so that neither Azu nor Elza could hear.

I looked into her eyes, thinking she was teasing me, but Princess Yupe was also a skilled actress, so it was impossible to tell how serious she was.

We'd grown closer, I thought, but surely not that close…

While I struggled to read her true intentions, she slapped me hard on the back.

Ow.

"Just kidding. Kidding. But if you'd answered right away, I might have taken it seriously."

"You're the one who brought it up, Princess Yupe."

"Ahaha, I already forgot! Forget what I said too, Yohane. Now then, we've had our water, so let's get back to it. At this rate, Azu's in first and you're in last. New rule: last place treats everyone."

She turned her back to me.

Understanding all of her true feelings was still a long way off.

A princess tossed about by royal authority, huh.

We kept at it until noon, finishing the area we'd been assigned.

I ended up in last place after all, so I'd be buying everyone drinks, but they all seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I'd let it slide.

First place was Azu, second was Elza. Third was Princess Yupe, who looked quite annoyed about it.