At long last, I was able to meet with the local lord, Claude-sama. He was younger than I’d expected. He might even have been the same age as me. "Claude-sama, this is Yamada-dono," Felix-san introduced us. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Tatsuya Yamada, the head of the village to the south. I’m honored to be able to speak with you.” "Yes. My name is Claude," he replied with a nod. "I believe Monica here reported this the other day, but our village in the south has finally established its footing and has been officially recognized as a village by the country. This is thanks to your support, Claude-sama. I am truly grateful." I had no idea what exactly he’d done to help us, but I bowed my head anyway. “It was nothing, really. I’m glad to hear the village is doing well. I’m a servant of the country, after all. I heard that you plan to manage it yourself, Yamada-dono. Is that true?” “Yes. That’s what I intend to do. Fortunately, Monika and the previous village chief Darryl-san are willing to lend their support. We plan to work together to make it a success.” I’ll do my best! “Is that so…? Very well, then. We’re not that far from your village, so if you ever need anything, please let me know. I’ll provide whatever assistance I can.” I was grateful for the offer. “Thank you very much. In fact, there is something I would like to ask of you.” “Go on. I’ve already heard the gist of it from Monika. You want me to introduce you to a merchant, is that right?” “Yes. The reason the village has been doing so well is because we discovered a tree that bears a fruit called an apple, and we now have a stable supply of them. So now we’re looking for a merchant to buy and sell our apples.” “That should be no problem. As the local lord, I have connections with the Merchant Guild, and I know several traders. However, I can’t introduce you to anyone until I know what this apple fruit of yours is like.” Merchant Guild... That must be like a trade organization. “Of course. I actually brought some apples with me today.” As I said that, I took some apples out of my dimensional storage space. “Dimensional magic… You are Tadashi’s grandson, right?” “Yes. My grandfather passed away the other day, and I inherited his position. That’s why I came to this village.” “I see... I see.” So my grandfather was kind of a big deal, huh? “Claude-sama, here are the apples,” I said, placing the apples on the desk where Claude was sitting. He picked one up and examined it carefully. “Hmm… It’s quite firm.” Apples are hard, after all. “It should be possible to transport them without them getting damaged,” I explained. “Indeed. And what does it taste like?” “The best way to find out is to try one yourself.” “You’re right…Felix.” When Claude-sama called out, Felix-san approached and took the apple from him, then left the room. “Yamada-dono, I heard you’re a mage. How skilled are you?” I wasn't really sure how to answer that... “I’m very sorry. I only recently became a mage, and I’m still in training. I became a mage after my grandfather passed away.” “I see... So you've mastered dimensional magic in such a short time. You seem quite promising.” “I'm not sure about that. There aren't many people to compare myself to.” I didn’t know any mages except for Monika.

“Hmm... Ah, that's right. Yamada-dono, now that your village has been officially recognized, you have to choose a name for it.” A name, huh…? “Apple Village?” I checked with Monika. “I think it’s a good, simple name.” “All right, we’ll go with that, then. Claude-sama, our village will be called Apple Village.” “Understood.” As Claude-sama and I continued talking, Felix-san returned with a plate. Naturally, the plate was piled high with apple slices. Felix-san set the plate down on the desk, and Claude picked up one of the apple slices. “Hmm... So this is an apple. Well then...” Clade took a bite. “I see...” “What do you think? We’re hoping to sell it as a local specialty.” “It’s very good. It’s juicy and sweet. I think it’ll sell well. How much can you supply?” “Let me explain that part,” Monika said, stepping forward. “Hmm.” “As for the apples, we should be able to provide you with at least one hundred per month.” With the super fertilizer, I thought we could sell even more, but I decided to leave it to Monika. “Oh? That many?” “Yes. Additionally, these apples stay good for a long time, so we should be able to deliver them all the way to the royal capital.” “Even to the royal capital...” I could see the color in Claude’s eyes change. “Yes. However, as I mentioned the other day, we don’t have any way to sell these apples or any way to transport them to the royal capital. We would be very grateful for your assistance, Claude-sama.” “Understood. And at what price do you intend to sell these apples?” “We don’t yet know how many we’ll be able to supply, so for now, we’re thinking of selling them to wholesalers for about one silver coin each.” Is that expensive or cheap…? I wasn't sure. “One silver coin? For these?” “Yes. We're thinking that's a good starting point. You can’t do anything without first knowing the product.” “... All right. Can you prepare one hundred apples for me right away?” When Claude said that, Monika looked at me. I guessed she wanted me to speak. “Claude-sama, we’ve already brought one hundred apples with us today. Ah, no, make that ninety-nine.” One had already been eaten. “One hundred apples... No nevermind, it's okay. For now, I’ll buy these one hundred apples. In a few days, I’ll send a merchant over to your village. I need to consult with the merchant guild, so I can’t make a decision right away.” With several merchants, and the guild as a partner, discussions and planning would take a while. “Very well. For now, please accept these apples.” “Good. Felix, I leave that to you.” “Understood. Yamada-dono, Monika-dono, please come with me to another room.” At Felix-san's words, we left and followed him to another room.