The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Bean Fields and Oil

As Melfina stepped down from the box-shaped carriage, a cold wind swept past her feet.

Though no snow had fallen yet, the cold was unmistakably winter’s. Despite wearing layers to ward off the chill, the exposed parts of her skin tingled slightly from the biting cold. On bright winter days like today, the cold seemed to seep in even more deeply.

“Lady Melfina!”

Unlike wheat or corn, bean fields had low-growing crops that offered a clear view, so Rod must have noticed the approaching carriage right away. He rushed over first, followed by a group of small children, creating a heartwarming scene.

“Hello, Rod. How’s the harvest coming along?”

“We got a huge haul! Come and see!”

As Rod grabbed her hand and started walking, Nid and other residents of Melto Village took off their hats and bowed their heads.

“These are the beans we harvested just today. This basket is the amount I picked!”

Rod pointed to a large straw basket, and when she peeked inside, it was brimming with green beans still in their pods. Just by looking, it was clear that the plump pods contained well-grown beans.

“That’s amazing!”

Clearly pleased by her genuine admiration, Rod’s sun-tanned cheeks flushed with pride as he beamed at her.

“This winter has given us a bumper crop of beans. We plant them every year, but this is the first time we’ve had such a harvest.”

Nid and the other farmers also wore bright expressions.

Winter beans were a staple crop in this region. True to their name, they were sown in the stubble of harvested wheat fields during the summer and harvested in winter. These beans, important to both peasants and serfs as a food source, resembled chickpeas in shape and taste.

This year’s weather had alternated between long sunny spells and adequate rainfall, contributing to the successful crop. Additionally, their efforts in soil preparation seemed to have paid off.

This was a welcome development.

Beans are grown throughout the kingdom, so they may not fetch a high price. However, if other regions are experiencing similar bean abundance, it might help alleviate the famine somewhat.

In the game, Alexis had anticipated the possibility of economic collapse and had instructed to open the granaries to mitigate famine damage. Until the potato blight is resolved, he would likely direct the cultivation of alternative crops or reduce tax rates to make wheat more accessible to the common people.

Thinking about how the Enkar region can secure enough food until spring makes one naturally a bit more ambitious.

“If only we had oil cake or sugar molasses, we could make even better fertilizer.”

“Lady Melfina, what are oil cake and sugar molasses?”

It was meant to be a monologue, but Rod, who was nearby, apparently overheard. She pondered for a moment on how to explain.

“Oil cake is the leftover residue after oil is extracted from nuts or seeds, and sugar molasses is what’s left after squeezing sugar from sugarcane.”

“Oil cake from squeezed leftovers… And sugarcane is that sugar source grown around the southern parts of the Roman Republic, right? Both are too far to procure.”

Cedric nodded in agreement. Since both are produced in warm regions, implementing them in the consistently cold Enkar region would be difficult.

“Lady Melfina, would the oil cake from beans work just as well?”

“Yes, but beans aren’t efficient for extracting oil.”

“Would oil beans not be suitable for making oil cake?”

Nid’s words made Melfina blink a few times.

“I’ve never heard of oil beans. What are they like?”

Cedric and Marie, also unfamiliar, exchanged glances before turning their attention to Nid.

With all three focused on him, Nid appeared somewhat flustered.

“The oil beans are slightly smaller and smoother than winter beans. When steamed, they have a sticky texture and make excellent snacks when salted heavily. If you crush and press them raw, you can extract oil.”

Upon hearing this, Melfina learns that, compared to winter beans, oil beans don’t yield as much and tend to mold before they dry out for preservation. Hence, they are not grown in large quantities.

“They sell well in taverns, so we take them to town in spring or fall, but during winter, traveling is hard, so we only make a small amount for home use.”

“Can you get some now?”

She asked eagerly.

A steady supply of vegetable oil has been one of Melfina’s desires since arriving in the Enkar region.

Nid took a step back, looking a bit flustered.

“If what we have at home is acceptable, I can deliver some to the manor right away.”

“Please do. If other households grow them and have a surplus, I’ll buy it all.”

“I’ll ask around in Melto Village. If I say that Lady Melfina wants it, I’m sure everyone will be happy to sell.”

His calm assurance made Melfina a bit embarrassed about her excitement, so she gave a small cough.

“But oil beans… I’ve never heard of them in Soarasonne.”

“Nor have I in the capital.”

Melfina nodded at the words of Marie and Cedric.

For Melfina, who grew up in the capital, vegetable oil meant olive oil. Especially with the Romana Republic, a major producer of olives, bordering the southern region controlled by the Crawford family, a significant quantity and quality of olive oil are imported.

“Oil beans are generally favored by commoners for drinking, but the oil extracted has a strong bean flavor, which even some commoners find off-putting. That’s probably why,” Nid explained.

The mention of oil beans, a local specialty unknown to the city dwellers, piqued Melfina’s curiosity further.

“Even so, crops that produce oil in the north are valuable, so you’d think they’d be more widely known.”

“Um, Lady Melfina, why do you need vegetable oil in the first place?”

Nid’s question caught her off guard.

Vegetable oil has numerous uses.

It’s essential for cooking, but it’s also used for lighting, as a base for ointments and wound treatments, and in the cosmetic field for making soap and hair oils. In her previous life, oil production was actively pursued since ancient times and was even sometimes accepted in place of grain as tax due to its importance.

“For instance, in the cold, dry winters of the north, how do you treat chapped hands?”

“The nobility wear lambskin gloves to prevent dryness, and sometimes apply a small amount of cream made from animal fat mixed with beeswax.”

“And candles are mainly made from… animal fat, right?”

Nobles use magic stone lamps, and commoners usually go to bed early when it gets dark. For cooking, they might use animal fats or fish oils, given that the northern regions also have ports.

Additionally, butter is quite common in this world. It suffices for baking and confectionery.

“Could it be that there are very few uses for cooking oil in the north?”

Marie and Cedric looked somewhat puzzled. They knew that Melfina wanted vegetable oil, but they had never asked why.

Feeling her cheeks flush, Melfina clasped them in her hands.

—I’ve made a mistake.

Drawn by her previous life’s knowledge, she had skipped over explanations more than once before, but this was one of her biggest oversights.

If she had consulted Nid or Lutz sooner, they would have told her about the existence of oil beans. And if she had explained her intended uses for vegetable oil to Marie or Cedric, she might have realized the low demand sooner.

—I mustn’t think I can do everything by myself.

In any case, since vegetable oil and oilcake were essential materials, Melfina decided to secure the promise of getting some oil beans.

“For now, we’ll try pressing the oil beans experimentally this winter. I hope we can extract enough oil to be practical.”

The methods for extracting oil from oil-bearing crops were already established in this world.

One is the pressing method, which extracts oil by applying strong pressure.

The other involves using alchemists’ separation magic for extraction.

Though Melfina hadn’t seen it firsthand, alchemy in this world holds a significant advantage in separation and purification.

“Alchemists are very rare, aren’t they?”

“Some eccentric alchemists may isolate themselves in the mountains, but most are either employed by nobility or hired for jobs in cities.”

“They wouldn’t come all the way out here like craftsmen, would they?”

Alchemists are more like philosophers or researchers than mere technicians.

It’s hard to imagine them responding to a request to come to the edge of the country just to try oil pressing.

“If you like, I can reach out to my contacts.”

While discussing with blacksmiths Roy and Carl about making a screw press might take some time, Cedric muttered thoughtfully just as she considered methodically trying the pressing approach.

“I have a personal acquaintance who is studying alchemy. Though moving here might be difficult, he might consider a contract for a month or two.”

“If possible, I’d appreciate it. But please, don’t force it.”

“He’s a capricious man, so I can’t make any promises, but I’ll send a letter.”

This was an encouraging development.

If they managed to successfully press the oil, Melfina decided to consider increasing production.

Determined to learn from this experience, she resolved to seek advice and listen to those around her more in the future.