The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Introduction of Chickens and Pumpkins

“As for raising chickens, it’s fine to keep them individually as you have been, but if you rear them in a chicken coop, I will buy the manure from you. For now, there will be no limits on this.”

“What!?”

Lutz’s eyes widened and his body trembled, causing the chair he was sitting on to rattle. Cedric, standing behind him, reacted with a twitch, and Lutz paled, shrinking back.

“I apologize for my rudeness. I was just so surprised…”

“The chair is a bit wobbly. Don’t worry about it.”

Melfina raised her hand lightly to calm Cedric, letting out a sigh.

Neither of them liked sudden movements. Lutz was fearful of the nobility, and Cedric naturally reacted to any suspicious movements in front of his charge.

“So, um… you will buy the manure?”

“Yes. If you build a designated chicken coop with a specified floor area and keep a certain number of chickens in it, I’ll buy the manure along with the old rice husks used as bedding that you replace periodically.”

For a farming village, cash income was vastly different from its urban equivalent. The ability to choose the quantity and quality of purchases was significantly altered by the form of currency used.

For Melfina, chicken manure was an urgently needed material, and she desired it in large quantities.

Chicken manure has the highest phosphorus content among livestock fertilizers and is highly effective. It was something she desperately needed.

—Although it has a high risk of causing fertilizer burn, this land is just beginning to be cultivated. Most importantly, the rainy season is approaching. I need to apply the fertilizer before the heavy rains start.

After burning the wild land, it was crucial to create nutrient-rich soil. In the sparsely populated Enker region, there were already few materials available for making fertilizer.

Spreading human waste everywhere was unsanitary and unpleasant, but more importantly, it felt wasteful.

—This is another issue that needs addressing soon. Beyond the smell and filth, the unsanitary conditions can lead to epidemics.

But for now, I must finalize the arrangements regarding livestock.

“Chickens are very useful poultry, so I want to actively increase their numbers. Eventually, I plan to introduce cows as well, but since the initial investment is quite high, I intend to build a ranch and livestock facilities under direct control of the lord and hire caretakers.”

“Yes, understood…”

“Marie, please arrange for craftsmen and laborers to build enclosures and pigsties on the designated site for the pig farm.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll inform you of the detailed specifications for the chicken coop later. And then…”

Lutz looked like he was about to cry, as if there was still something left to discuss.

“Don’t worry, this is the last thing.”

“I-I see, my apologies.”

“I didn’t see any dogs in the village during my inspection. No hunting dogs or guard dogs?”

“While stray dogs occasionally come down from the forest, there are no domesticated dogs in the village.”

“So you don’t use dogs for hunting. Do you have issues with pests targeting crops?”

“On occasion, large animals like bears come down from the forest. If they’re weakened, the men of the village will deal with them, but if they’re strong, we request a hunting party from the magistrate who governs the nearby villages.”

It seems that other wild animals like foxes and weasels also roam the area. Guard dogs would be very useful for dealing with these pests.

“Is there a reason you don’t introduce dogs?”

“Hunting dogs are very expensive. Dogs reproduce rapidly, so there’s a risk of mutts proliferating and becoming feral in the mountains or contracting hydrophobia. Therefore, settlers were forbidden from keeping dogs by the lord of the pioneering village.”

“I see…”

Pioneering groups settle in precarious locations where disaster could strike at any moment. Throughout history, there have been countless tragedies in these settlements.

If humans disappear, leaving dogs behind, those dogs may revert to the wild in the mountains and become a nuisance to the humans who later reappear to settle.

Given the conditions of the Enkar region—rich forests, a central lake serving as a water source, and vast uninhabited land—it’s conceivable that dogs could survive and return to the wild.

“Is there anyone in the village who has experience handling hunting dogs and is still actively hunting?”

“We have one person. He’s elderly, but he goes hunting with his son and grandson and is still active.”

“If he’s not out hunting today, could you call him in for the afternoon? It’s village-related, so Lutz should also be present.”

Lutz looked despairing at the prospect of this continuing into the afternoon.

It’s said that being disliked comes with the territory of being in charge, but seeing people so afraid made Melfina feel a little lonely.

After finishing lunch and calculating the budget for animal husbandry with Marie, Cliff, who had been taking care of the horses, came to inform them of a visitor.

The visitor was an elderly man with white hair like Lutz, who introduced himself as the hunter Godot. Despite being short and wrinkled, he had a sturdy build, typical of an active hunter.

His arms, visible from his short sleeves, bore numerous deep scars, indicating his experience as a seasoned hunter.

“Welcome, Godot. I’m glad you came.”

“I’m here to help. I heard from the village chief that there’s a discussion about hunting dogs.”

“Yes, since Lutz mentioned that you used to work with dogs, I thought you might be able to train a new hunting dog for us.”

“I can’t pay for a dog.”

Marie stopped taking notes at his blunt response, while Lutz clutched his stomach next to Godot.

“Godot, listen to what Lady Melfina has to say until the end.”

“But listen, Village Chief, hunting dogs cost as much as a gold coin. And on top of that, dogs retire from active duty in six or seven years. A hunter’s earnings can’t possibly cover that.”

Godot seemed reluctant to discuss dogs, but beneath his stubborn demeanor, there seemed to be a hidden attachment… affection for dogs.

Dogs have always been humans’ best companions.

If one has worked with dogs before, they would know their usefulness, reliability, and the longing they evoke.

Even in this world, there are breeds of dogs specialized for hunting.

In the western regions where sheep are grazed, there are sheepdogs, and in the royal castle, guard dogs are released at night.

These are managed by specialized breeders and even puppies are traded at high prices.

As the Enka region is planning to cultivate many lands and make fields, dogs were eagerly wanted to protect these fields.

“Godot, what I want to ask is, can I entrust you with training if I were to get a puppy? I’ll pay you a training fee while they’re being trained, and once the puppies are born, I’d like you to continue raising them. When the dog grows up and becomes capable of hunting alongside you, how about you pay me one-tenth of the dog’s earnings?”

Since hunting is not taxed, it shouldn’t be too heavy a burden.

In essence, Godot would be employed as a trainer for hunting dogs for a while.

“…Are you sure about this? I don’t see how this arrangement benefits you, milady.”

“I told Lutz as well, but the Enka region will soon prohibit free-roaming livestock. If livestock gather in one place, wild animals are sure to come for them. Dogs are absolutely necessary to protect the village from external threats. Please train them to obey humans well and protect the village from crop-damaging pests.”

Godot seemed bewildered at first, but eventually, he clenched his trembling fist on his knee.

“…I’ll get to live with dogs again.”

With a trembling voice, he said so, deeply bowing his head. Seeing this, Lutz, who was beside him, announced that he would inform the villagers of today’s discussion during the village meeting.

It felt like the meeting was coming to an end. Trying to recall if there was anything else forgotten to discuss, Melfina remembered something.

“Oh, one more thing.”

“Is there… something else!?”

As Lutz raised his voice in surprise, Cedric cleared his throat almost simultaneously. Seeing Lutz’s face turn ashen, as if he were about to be strangled, Melfina calmly addressed him to calm down.

“This isn’t an order, but if you don’t mind, would you consider planting pumpkins in the fields where sweet potatoes haven’t been planted yet?”

“Pumpkins, you say?”

“Yes, I love pumpkins, so I’d like to have plenty of them grown in Enkar Village.”

“If it’s just pumpkins that the Lord can consume, then the existing fields should be sufficient…”

Currently, sweet potatoes are the main food for farmers. It’s not easy for the village chief to readily agree to reduce their cultivation. Melfina didn’t intend to push too hard on this matter.

The idea is to simply encourage voluntary cultivation of something other than sweet potatoes.

“I’ll buy all the pumpkins harvested from the fields where sweet potatoes are no longer planted.”

“That will surely please many!”

Dubbed the “If there’s no sweet potatoes, just eat wheat with the money earned from pumpkins” strategy.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you.”

It’s uncertain how many people will agree, but reducing the area of sweet potato cultivation even a little would be enough. For Melfina, the last proposal was just something she hoped some people would agree to.

Moreover, there were quite a few in Enkar Village who were interested in trying out the new policies of the new lord.

At the harvest festival held for the first time in the Enkar region that fall, there would be plenty of chicken and pumpkin dishes served.

It was a moment when the unshakable positions of sweet potatoes and pumpkins in this world unexpectedly wavered.