Intermission 2: Researching a Certain Line of Research (F)

"We were certainly able to make fast-growing plants. Those plants had two

special qualities: growth and proliferation. We were able to eliminate just the

proliferation, which meant that the area would no longer be engulfed in green."

"You were able to control them? Isn't that a success, then?" Poncho asked,

seemingly mystified: but Ginger shook his head with a wry smile.

"We were carrying out this research in the hopes of increasing food production

and making the deserts bloom, but... from the results of our research, we learned

this won't be of any help with either of those things. Genia's spell only speeds up the

growth of plants. Sir Poncho, do you know what is needed for plants to grow?"

Poncho thought for a moment, then replied, "Fertile soil and water... as well as

sunlight, yes."

Ginger nodded. "Yes. Of those, the sun is no problem. With some work, the water

issue can be managed well enough, too. The problem was fertile soil. Though we've

accelerated the plants' growth, the quantity of water and nutrients they require

from the soil hasn't changed. Madam Genia must have known that, too, because her

spell included a function for sucking water and nutrients out of the soil."

With that said, Ginger pointed to the dried and cracked field. "This is what the

field looks like after we harvested our fast-growing wheat."

"...It's almost like a sandy desert, yes."

"No matter how much we can accelerate the plants' growth, fertilizing the soil

takes a lot of time," said Ginger. "As a result, the plants suck all the nutrients and

water out of the soil, leaving it dry and cracked like this. Nothing will grow in soil

that's ended up like this."

"Is there no way to provide a steady supply of nutrients to the soil?" Poncho

asked.

"I doubt it. Water, maybe. But continuously supplying fertilizer at a rate that

matches their growth just isn't realistic. I mean, we have a limited supply of

fertilizer, anyway. If we exhaust it to raise growth speed, we may not see any growth

in productivity at all."

"Well... That's no good," Poncho said.

If the plants that grew were allowed to rot, they would return their nutrients to

the soil, but they couldn't do that with crops that were meant to be eaten. They

couldn't possibly have people return all of the excrement from what they'd eaten to

the field, after all.

"That's why we determined it was a poor fit for growing food," Ginger said. "Now,

as for making the desert bloom, there isn't the water there to begin with, so it's

impossible. Even if we were to install aqueducts, the speed at which the plants grow

would present another bottleneck. They're just as fast to rot, you see."

"We can't always get our way, I suppose, yes..." Poncho slumped his shoulders.

With the high hopes he'd had for this research, he couldn't help but be disappointed

that there had been zero payoff for it.

But Ginger shook his head again. "No, it's not like we have absolutely nothing to

show for all our work. Look at the field next to it."

"...I'm not seeing anything other than soil in it, though?"

"Yes. The only thing here is ordinary soil. We've made it into ordinary soil."

Ginger bent down and scooped up some of the soft soil in his hands. "This soil was

brought from a dungeon inhabited by many undead monsters. Naturally, when we

first brought it here, it was contaminated by the miasma that undead monsters

release."

"D-Did you say miasma?!" Poncho cried out despite himself, his voice unsteady.

Just by existing, undead monsters like skull dragons and zombies gave off a

miasma that was harmful to living creatures. Miasma caused disease to spread and

things to rot, making it impossible for living creatures to live in that area. What was

more, it would get into the soil and stay there for a long time. Because of that, lands

where a skull dragon had gone on a rampage or where a horde of zombies had

appeared would become unproductive lands where crops wouldn't grow for a long

time.

However, Ginger had picked up a handful of that soil, which should have been

dangerous, without any hesitation.

Poncho looked carefully at that soil. "Is this soil... safe?"

"Yes. The miasma is completely gone from it now."

"How did you do it, yes?"

"It was an applied use of those fast-growing plants we were talking about earlier.

There are flowers that bloom only in dungeons with a lot of undead-type monsters."

Having said that much, Ginger had Sandria go and fetch a single flower. That

flower was reddish-purple with greenish-black spots; colors that screamed it was

poisonous. It wasn't the sort of flower you'd want to receive on a celebratory

occasion, not even by accident.

"The adventurers who go dungeon crawling call these miasma flowers. They say

that if these flowers are growing somewhere, it's proof that undead-type monsters

are active there. That's why, when they find these flowers in a dungeon, they know

to take precautions against miasma."

"Hm, so there are flowers like that out there," Poncho said. "I never knew."

Poncho knew a lot about edible plants. He also knew a lot about plants that were

similar to edible ones, but that weren't edible themselves. That was because

Poncho's knowledge was rooted in his appetite.

That was why, when it came to plants like this one, which was and looked

blatantly inedible, he had no interest in them, and wasn't that well informed about

them.

Ginger chuckled. "These miasma flowers, like their name might suggest to you,

are nourished by the miasma. That's why they grow in clusters in dungeons where

there are undead monsters. If we use Genia's spell to accelerate plant growth on

these miasma flowers and plant them in contaminated soil..."

"Oh?! I get it! They quickly suck all of the miasma out of the ground!" Poncho

clapped his hands.

If the growth-accelerating spell was used on regular plants, they rapidly sucked

the nutrients out of the soil. However, the miasma flowers only sucked out miasma.

Ginger nodded. "So we only have to harvest them when they finish growing and

dispose of them in an incinerator. They've already used up the miasma for their

growth, so when we burn them, all that's left behind is ash. If we do two rounds of

that, it goes back to being this sort of ordinary soil."

"Th-That's an incredible discovery! With this, we can curb the effect that undead

monsters have on our fields and crops, yes!" Poncho reacted excitedly.

Not only had the research he'd had such high hopes for not been in vain, there

was even a useful application for it! Then a thought occurred to Poncho.

Come to think of it... When he recruited me, His Majesty said something, yes. That

"we will decide if something's useful or not." He may have meant to say that there

aren't many things in this world that are completely useless. Like how even I, a person

whose only talent is for eating... was able to help this country somewhat...

Poncho was able to feel a little more confident in himself.

While Poncho and Ginger were having a lively conversation like that, Serina and

Sandria looked on in exasperation from a short distance away. The two men didn't

so much as glance in their direction, having fun exchanging opinions about research.

The two maids had no doubt they'd ceased to exist in the men's minds.

While looking at her master, Sandria asked, "...Do you suppose all gentlemen are

like this?"

"You might be right about that," Serina said. "I've often seen the princess

watching His Majesty anxiously like this. I feel like when His Majesty is applying

himself to the work of governing, she must find it both reassuring and frustrating to

watch him."

"How is it for you, Serina?"

"Me?"

"Do you feel anxious and impatient right now?"

"Hm? My mistress is the princess," Serina said without batting an eye. "It's true

that I am close to Sir Poncho, but I would never feel anxious and impatient because I

saw him talking to someone."

Sandria thought about it for a moment and then asked, "...Then, how would you

feel if Lord Ginger were a woman? If it were a woman that Lord Poncho was having

such a good time talking to right now, would you still not feel the least bit anxious

about it?"

Having asked that, she stared hard at Serina.

In response to the question, Serina looked at Poncho and Ginger. What if, right

now, Poncho were talking to a woman instead...?

Having pondered the question for a while, Serina finally opened her mouth to

answer. "No matter who he was talking to, I don't think I would think anything of it."

"...You're sure?"

"Yes. ...However, if Sir Poncho were to let that person do all of his taste-testing...

well... I wouldn't like that. Even if it were someone like a member of his family, or his

wife, a person it was perfectly natural for him to be doing his cooking with... I might

still be upset by it. Now, that is odd. I wonder, why would I feel that way?"

Judging by her expression, it seemed even Serina didn't understand her own

feelings. Sandria was a little surprised, but she didn't ask anything more.

Even Serina herself wasn't sure if her words just now had come solely from her

gluttony. She placed her hand over her chest, which was filled with pent-up

emotions.

When I get back to the castle, I will have to have him make me the toasted

sandwich he promised. That will help dispel this hazy feeling, I'm sure.

Those were Serina's thoughts.