Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 380

“The existence of these hidden fields hasn’t been officially confirmed within the domain…”

“No, they definitely exist,” I answered Claudio’s doubt with absolute certainty.

Wherever there is a domain, there will always be hidden fields.

“I think so too,” Sara agreed, nodding at my words.

At that moment, Zion hesitantly interjected with a question. “Um… what exactly are hidden fields? And why do they need to be eliminated?”

I see. Given that Zion has spent his life as an artisan in the city, this concept is probably unfamiliar to him. Many of the new officials also lack knowledge about the realities of rural life, so it’s best to explain it clearly now.

“Hidden fields are farmland that villagers cultivate outside the village fences, beyond the lord’s jurisdiction. In most cases, poor farmers who don’t have enough land within the fences plant grains and other crops there—either to evade taxes or simply to survive.”

“But… the area outside the fences is far less secure than the city walls, isn’t it? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“Yes, it is dangerous.”

“If they plant crops outside the fence, wouldn’t wild animals and monsters destroy them? It would also be difficult to maintain, wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly. If something happens, the fields get ravaged. Even if the soil is fertile, maintenance like weeding is difficult, so you can’t expect a good harvest.”

“Then why go through all that trouble…?”

“Because they are poor.”

In the end, it all comes down to that single fact.

“To put it in terms of an artisan’s work, imagine training under a guild master but not earning enough wages to support your family. What would you do in that situation?”

“I’d negotiate with the master or appeal to the guild to be reassigned.”

“Right. But farmers are bound to the land even more strictly than artisans are to their guilds. They can’t simply move to another master. That’s why, even knowing it’s illegal, they have no choice but to take on side work to survive. Wouldn’t you do the same in their position?”

“I would never do something like that!”

“Of course not. Someone like you, Zion, wouldn’t think of taking on a side job outside the guild’s rules.”

“That’s right. We’re skilled at crafting, but we’re not good at selling. If it became known that our work was illegal, buyers would take advantage and drive down the price. It wouldn’t be worth it.”

“Exactly. Doing something illegal simply isn’t worth the risk.”

“But then… how are you going to fix it? Weren’t there past attempts to eliminate hidden fields that ended in failure?” Sara was referring to a previous attempt to get rid of hidden fields in the village, which ultimately didn’t succeed.

“This time, it’ll be fine. My position and authority are different now.”

“So how do you plan to do it?”

“It’s simple. We’ll expand the village’s farmland to include the hidden fields.”

If the problem is that the fields are outside the village, then the solution is to incorporate those areas into the village itself. By extending human settlements, the issue will disappear naturally. And at the same time, the village will prosper.

“That’s ridiculous…” The new officials stared at me in disbelief.