"Well then, we'll leave that matter to Monica, and let's get moving ourselves, shall we?" "Indeed. Please put the farming tools and fertilizer outside. I'll round up the villagers." "Understood." After leaving the house, the village chief went off to summon the villagers. In the meantime, we took out the full set of farming tools and fertilizer from the spatial magic storage and decided to wait. After waiting for a bit, the villagers began to arrive one after another. Finally, the village chief came back with the last married couple. "Everyone, Tatsuya-dono has provided us with farming tools and has also graciously offered special fertilizer." When the village chief told the villagers this, a resounding "Oh!" filled the air. "Cody, I'm counting on you." "Understood. Everyone, take the farming tools and fertilizer. We're heading to the fields." As the village chief entrusted Cody, who was knowledgeable about this fertilizer, Cody took command of the group. Then, while expressing their gratitude to me, everyone picked up the farming tools and fertilizer and followed Cody to the fields. "Tatsuya-dono, let's leave the field to Cody." "Right. Let's go create an apple orchard. Where do you think is a good spot to plant the trees?" "Well... I'd like to use the area you expanded before for farmland, so perhaps the eastern side would be better." The village chief made his suggestion while pondering. "Got it. Then, let's expand in that direction." "Much appreciated." We then parted ways with the village chief and headed off to explore the eastern part of the village. Apon arriving, we saw that the forest indeed was thick with trees. "I wonder how deep this forest really is?" I ask while touching one of the trees. "Actually, we don't know. The forest is that deep, and exploration hasn't made much progress." "Starting to develop such a place from scratch, huh..." It's really starting from zero. "On the flip side, it's completely pristine. Just by developing it, it'll become my own territory." "For the Yamada Kingdom, meow." That's kind of lame... Hmm well, it is my name, i guess. "I wonder if a kingdom would be good... I can't manage it if it's too big. A moderate size is best for a slow life." "That's true. So, how many apple trees shall we plant?" Ruri steered the conversation back to the main issue. "Well... since the deal isn't set in stone yet, how about we start with 20 or so? We can always expand later, especially since there's only about 30 people in the village." "That's a valid point, considering the issue of labor. We'll need to think about attracting more people in the near future."

People, huh... As the village grows, people will naturally come, so the question is whether to wait for that or actively recruit. Well, I'll discuss that with the village chief and Monika. "Alright, for now, let's start with cutting down the trees." I went on to cut down the trees with magic, just as I had done before. Once again, I'm in a suit, but I've gotten used to it. "The trees keep accumulating in my pocket space dimension... How much can spatial magic actually hold?" I ask while continuing the logging work. "It depends on the magic power of the practitioner. Tatsuya-san, given your high magic power, you should have plenty of capacity." "Hmmm... But won't it end up being all trees?" "The trees will be turned into lumber, which I expect the villagers will use. They'll need firewood for the winter, too." They likely don't have heaters, so they have to go with that plan. Perhaps there are magical tools for that, but I can't afford them just yet. "Should I provide some?" "That would be a good idea. Plus, we might want to consider improving the villagers' homes." Indeed... "Should we buy prefab houses?" How much would that cost? "Prefabs are conspicuous and expensive. If the villagers have saws and logs, they might just build their own, right?" A saw sounds good. It'll be handy for processing. "Maybe I'll buy saws and files. They're not too pricey." "That's a good idea. Tatsuya-san, please bring out the cut trees. I'll strip the branches for you." "I've got some free time, so I'll lend a hand, meow." It seems Miriam is going to help as well. "Well then, please." I decided to entrust the task to the two of them, and as I brought out the previously cut trees, Ruri dropped the branches, while Miriam went about collecting the logs and branches. I, too, returned to the task of logging and kept cutting down trees. After a while, we had cleared enough space to plant around 20 apple trees. "Does this look about right?" "We're done over here, too." "Meow." Looking around, what was once a forest now looked like pristine farmland. "Magic really is incredible."

I doubt you could clear land this quickly even with modern technology. "The incredible one is you, Tatsuya-san." "Yeah yeah, meow. Let's get those apple trees planted quickly, meow." Cats are always so true to their desires. "We'll need to buy saplings before we can plant anything." And we'll need saws, files, and fertilizer as well. "Alright, let's head back and make our purchases, meow." "So, shall we head home for today?" After saying goodbye to the village chief, we made our way back home. Once there, I quickly ordered 20 apple saplings, 10 sets of saws and files, and fertilizer before taking a well-deserved break. "Tatsuya-san, may I should buy this book on how to build a log house too?" While relaxing in the living room, Ruri looked up from her tablet. "A book? Sure, but can the villagers even read?" Only Monica and the village chief are literate. To be more precise, Monica is the only one who can read the characters of this world since she's a magician. "I'll create illustrations to make it easier to understand." "Isn't that a lot of work?" "It's fine. I have nothing else to do, and I'm quite skilled at drawing." Maybe it's a hobby of hers? "Then, by all means, go ahead. Books aren't too pricey, so buy whatever you like." "Thank you very much." Ruri expressed her gratitude, tapped on her tablet, and pulled out a notebook. She then started sketching something while glancing at the tablet. "Oh, are those e-books? They sure are handy. Maybe I should pick up some colored pencils?" They have them at the stationery shop, don't they? "Would that be alright?" "Colors make things clearer, right?" Just black and white is a bit dull... "Alright, I'll head out to shop. I need to pick up some ingredients for dinner anyway." "Do you want me to join you?" "Sure." Ruri seems happy. Extremely cute. "I'm going too, meow!" Miriam emerges from the cardboard box. She's also incredibly adorable.