"They say Earth Potatoes were specially chosen by the God Emperor as the staple food for the Gallop Kingdom. Back then, the entire kingdom was plagued by Magic Turbulence. Neither divine arts, magic, nor Magic Fairies could effectively increase grain yields, so the God Emperor selected several root crops for the Gallop Plains that could be eaten. Earth Potatoes were among them. After more than a hundred years of cultivation, red, white, and purple potatoes had proven to be the most suitable food crops for the plains." Albert watched the Mana-Less people working on the grassland as he explained it to Landen.
"Wait a moment. Didn't you just mention something you've never told me about before? Magic Fairies? What are those?" Landen was very interested in the term, which he had never heard in his previous life, and which Landen Gallop himself had never encountered.
"They're elemental life forms born from the Magic Web. Since you grew up on the Gallop Plains, naturally you've never seen one. Not only are there none in Gallop Territory, but there aren't any in Rothe Territory or Blue Magpie Territory either. They're only found in Bristle-Wolf City and farther inland, in the heartlands of the Human Race," Albert said casually.
"Magic Fairies can encourage specific magical elements in specific areas, but they're extremely rare. Some great nobles trade them among themselves, but they're very expensive. Don't even think about it before you become a Viscount."
"Fair enough. It's too early to be talking about that anyway. I think we should look at these Earth Potatoes first." Landen accepted reality easily.
Every few days, the territory had to move east. After each migration, the Territory Residents found more Earth Potatoes. Only after mutton, grain, and potato starch became their shared food sources had Landen's territory escaped the threat of hunger. It was only October, and the Gallop Plains had yet to freeze over. After October, things would only get harder.
The Mana-Less people from the Left Camp and Right Camp, whom Landen valued most, now lived around his main tent. Several Butlers, Makoto, and the Mana-Less people who could play instruments all stayed in the round tents once used by the Wandering Badger Tribe.
Makoto lived in a tent with several singers and dancers. She was now Landen's secretary. Every day, she counted the horses, pack animals, and Long-Haired Sheep, as well as the children and craftsmen in the two camps. She also tallied and recorded Landen's Gold Coins and Magic Crystals, and noted the tasks he assigned to each person in charge.
So Neil could only see his mother, Makoto, at dinner. He would tell her everything that had happened that day, then wait for her advice.
"Lord Landen really likes you all, and he likes children, too. Have you asked Fang if he wants to stay by Lord Landen's side?" Makoto was very perceptive about what was going on around her.
"We talked about it in private. Fang really wants to follow the chief, but he's the only Mana-Wielder among his father's children, and their Knight's territory still depends on him."
"Are all his younger brothers and sisters over sixteen?"
"No, he still has several younger siblings. They're all pretty young."
"Next time you go to play with Fang, bring some Magic Beast Meat for his younger siblings."
"Huh? ...All right."
Landen had finished eating. Before returning to his tent, he stopped by to see Makoto. "Oh, Neil's here too. Then I'll just say a few words. Makoto, write me a notice. I want to hold a literacy contest in the territory. The residents who couldn't read before, and children under fourteen, can compete to learn the most characters in a month. The winners will receive four meals with meat dishes.
"Anyone who wants to compete should register with the person in charge of their group tomorrow. Once you've collected the sign-up list, check each person's current reading level.
"Once everything's settled, let them go home and study on their own. Apart from Nancy, find two more people to teach the adult residents to read in the evenings. Divide everyone competing into two groups, under fourteen and fourteen or older. Give prizes to the three people in each group who learn the most characters."
"All right, my lord. Please wait a moment." Makoto worked quickly and finished the notice in just a few minutes. Landen looked it over and, satisfied, told her to give it to the Butlers tomorrow.
Every night, Landen asked Albert to tell him family stories beneath the stars.
As far as Landen was concerned, Albert wasn't much of a storyteller. The family tales he told were all very matter-of-fact. Even the battles and honors were recounted in a flat, straightforward way.
It wasn't just the way he told them. Every member of the family had the surname Gallop, so there were plenty of people with the same name. The names that weren't repeated were especially hard to remember, which frustrated Landen.
"After the Gallop Kingdom fell for the first time, our ancestor, Prince Charles Gallop, was exiled to the Imperial Capital. At the time, he wasn't highly regarded by the family. Though he was a Great Knight, at seventy-three he was considered too old to fight and unfit to rule Gallop.
"It was the late emperor who overruled everyone and insisted that the Empire help Gallop restore its kingdom and avenge its humiliation. As soon as the God Emperor ascended the throne, he immediately invested His Majesty Charles as King of Gallop. He even made an exception and allowed both of Charles's sons to attend the Imperial Magic School."
Today, Albert was telling the story of what had happened to the Gallop Royal Family in the Imperial Capital after the kingdom's first fall, a thousand years ago.
If Landen hadn't heard that the Empire paid Charles a stipend on the scale of a prince, paid his two sons on the scale of dukes, and even built them a small palace to house the three members of the royal family and their seventy-two concubines, he really would have thought they'd had a miserable time.
By the end of the story, Albert was even lamenting that after restoring his kingdom, Charles hadn't returned to the Gallop Plains to rule, but had stayed in the Imperial Capital instead, nearly earning the God Emperor's displeasure.
If it were me, I wouldn't go back either. What kind of place is this? Magic Turbulence blows through every day, and Barbarians roam around. The Imperial Capital, on the other hand, is a wonderful place where you're taken care of. Charles was already showing respect for his ancestors by not saying, "How happy I am here; I've forgotten my home." Landen's inner grumbling nearly slipped out loud.
"Landen, that's all for today's family story. There's something I want to ask you." Albert took out the notice Makoto had just written. "You want all the Territory Residents to learn to read?"
"Not everyone. We don't have enough teachers to teach them all, so we can only teach whoever's interested and reward whoever learns the most," Landen replied casually. "I know it won't be very effective this way. If I'd worked all day, I wouldn't want to go to night school either, so I'm using a contest to encourage them."
"Have your Knights raised any objections?"
"Objections? No. I haven't announced it to everyone yet. What would they say?"
"Wouldn't they think this was inappropriate?"
"What's there to object to if I teach my own Territory Residents to read? The Mana-Less can do their jobs better if they can read. The Mana-Less serve the territory, and the Mana-Wielders defend it. Doesn't that sound fine?
"If they're unhappy, they can stop eating my food and go face the Barbarians on their own." Landen didn't think there was anything wrong with teaching his own people to read in their homes.
Landen didn't know that many lords and Knight masters in the border territories monopolized knowledge to safeguard their families' interests.
"Mm. In that case, tell the Territory Residents tomorrow."
"Of course I'll tell them. Today, I'll talk to the Knights who have children first and have their kids sign up. They've already got a decent foundation. They might even win themselves some meat."