We left the house and walked through the village, heading towards the apple orchard in the east. Along the way, we encountered several people working in the fields and children playing chase. They all greeted us. "Everyone seems so lively," I said. Monika replied, "That's because our food supply has stabilized, and we've established a clear direction for the village. Everyone's becoming healthier and is full of motivation." "Beeing village chief is a big responsibility alrigth..." I muttered. At this point, there was no way I could abandon them. I had to see this through to the end. "You can leave those matters to Daryl-san and me. Right now, Daryl-san is gathering requests from the villagers," Monika assured me. I knew for certain that without Monika and Daryl-san, I'd never be able to manage this place. I decided to increase their wages. Well, the village didn't have any income yet, but still. "How will you handle the governance? Taxes? Tributes?" I asked. "We'll have to deal with that eventually, but let's focus on such details later. First, we need to decide on the village's direction. Do you have any thoughts, Tatsuya-sama?" "To be honest, I'm not confident in running it if the village grows too big. Keeping it at a reasonable size shoudl be for the best," I admitted. After all, my goal was a laid back life. "Well, Tatsuya-sama's main occupation is being a great archmage. I understand. I'll factor that into our plans. Ah, there's the apple orchard," Monika said, raising her finger towards it. In the direction Monika pointed was indeed the place where we had planted the apple saplings. However, the saplings had grown into magnificent trees, bearing red fruits. "Apples, meow!" Miriam exclaimed. I looked over the apple orchard, impressed. "This is amazing." "It really is" Ruri agreed. That Super Fertilizer was truly incredible. "I took a look as soon as I got back, and I must say, it's remarkable," Monika chimed in with high praise. As we were admiring the apple trees, Cody-san noticed us and started walking over. "Hey, Yamada-san... I mean, Village Chief," Cody-san corrected himself as he approached us. "Yamada is fine," I assured him. "That's right. Tatsuya-sama will soon be called 'Your Excellency' rather than Village Chief," Monika added. No, I definitely won't be. "Let's stick with Yamada-san then as a change in title would be annoying. So, Yamada-san, as you can see, the apples have grown magnificently," Cody-san explained. "Wasn't it difficult?" I asked. "Not really. We had instructions, so it wasn't too challenging," he replied. Ah, he must be referring to the notebook with Ruri's illustrations. "That's good to hear. Were you the one managing it, Cody-san?" I inquired. "I was just the overseer. Everyone pitched in." So Cody-san had become the manager. "Cody-san, please give your full report to Tatsuya-sama," Monika instructed him.

"Monika, you've changed so much it's startling... Anyway, we've been testing the effects of that fertilizer - Super Fertilizer, was it? - on this apple orchard and the fields," Cody-san began. So they kept the name "Super Fertilizer". Well, it's not like we're going to sell it outside, so I guess it's fine. "How's it working out?" I asked. "First, the effect on the fields. We already knew it significantly reduced the time to harvest, but when we planted seeds immediately after harvesting, they didn't sprout. After leaving the soil for about 10 days, the growth picked up rapidly. So I think we need to use a certain interval." I see. "Understood. Please harvest the vegetables and apples with that in mind," I said. "Yeah. I think we can harvest about 150 apples," he replied. 150 at once? That's impressive. "Everyone can have an apple as a bonus. After all, you all grew these apples together," I told him. Since we had an apple orchard, they all might as well have their fill with apples until they got tired of them. "Is that so? Actually, everyone was wondering about it. Sorry about that," Cody-san said, slightly embarrased. "No, no, it's fine. By the way, are there any issues with the food supply?" "There's one thing. We have enough vegetables, but wheat, our foundational food, might be a problem. Wheat doesn't grow in this forest. We actually tried it, but even the Super Fertilizer didn't work. So we'll have to buy wheat from town. Until now, we managed with aid, but if we're going to officially run as a village, that'll be crucial. Well, you should ask Daryl-san for details. He's been collecting petitions and opinions on that matter." That's what Monika had mentioned too. "I understand. I'll go talk to Daryl-san about it. Please take care of the apple harvest. I'll go to town and look for potential buyers," I told him. "Got it. I'll go gather some people then," Cody-san said as he ran off towards the village. "Shall we head to Daryl-san's place?" I asked. "Yes, this way," Monika replied. I knew where the place was, but Monika guided me anyway, like a proper secretary. "By the way, has your house been renovated?" I asked, remembering they had been rushing to build it. "Yes, it was quite surprising. That old shack has been transformed into something beautiful. And for some reason, it's even equipped with magical tools. Why only my house, though?" Oh... I could see the guilt on everyone's faces in the village. They must have hurriedly prepared it for her. "It's because Monika-san is Tatsuya-san's secretary and second-in-command," Ruri chimed in, trying to cover for the situation. "I thought Daryl-san would be in that position..." Monika replied, sounding a bit confused. Understandable. "It wouldn't make sense for an older man and a young woman to be together in that position," I said. Monika replied, "Hmm... I suppose that's true? I just wish we could quickly prepare houses for everyone else. I feel a bit uncomfortable about this special treatment." Everyone else was feeling uncomfortable too... They had forgotten about Monika earlier. "Once we start making money from the apples, the first thing we'll do is improve the housing situation for everyone," I assured her. "You're right. Let's work hard towards that goal." As we continued our conversation while walking, we arrived at Daryl-san's house.