Chapter 208: The Pot Calling The Kettle Black
After I easily finished pulling the weeds using Earth magic, I made an instant chair and parasol with Earth magic at the edge of the field and sit on the chair.
「Come to think of it, Asmo also hadn’t finished with his work yet?」
「Yeah, that guy has also fallen into a situation such as mine. He usually just tells others that he’s going to take a break instead of his kaachan. So Dorothea-kaachan’s was quite angry at him and he’s still being punished」
Torr answers while swinging his hoe after hearing my question.
There’s Torr who takes a break directly in front of me, but for Asmo to not tell others to rest, he really has a warped personality.
But, I don’t hate their attitude of trying to avoid unpleasant things.
「Then, I wonder if I should go check on Asmo nowー」
「Aーhh? You’re going to leave me? Why don’t you just help me rather than head there and make fun of him?」
「Still, it’s impossible for me to help you in physical work plowing the field, I’ll get tired so I don’t wanna 」
I mean, a seven years old kid who never really worked in the fields shouldn’t have enough strength to use a hoe right?
And I think it’s going to be tiring - unlike weeding - so I don’t want to do it. And rather than doing that, it’s much more fun to stay here and find fault on Torr.
「If that’s the case, use the magic you used before, that *bam bam* thingー. Like, can you manipulate the hoe using the magic you used back when we have that snowball fight?」
The magic used when we have snowball fight?
……aah, that Psychic magic. It might be possible to use the hoe and plow the field if it’s using Psychic.
Due to my curiosity regarding magic, I spread my magic power inside the hoe in Torr’s hands.
「Uwaa!? The hoe is floating!?」
Having fallen under my control, the hoe floated in midair, as if reacting to my will.
I checked on the ridge Torr plowed before, then swing the hoe using Psychic, striking the hoe to the ground.
「……like this?」
「Uuoooohh!? You can do it, can’t you!? But, you only use the hoe to strike the ground. Wait here a minute!」
Excited after seeing my magic, Torr return to his house and then brought a new hoe here.
Is he going to show me an example of how to use a hoe? Torr then beckons me, so I have no choice but to get up from my chair and head toward the ridge.
After that, Torr explained the manner of which to plow the field with the hoe.
「……I’ll plow the field again. You don’t do it from just one side, but uniformly, see!」
「……I see」
I fully observe Torr’s movement as he skillfully plows the field with the hoe.
Then I swing my hoe with Psychic as if to imitate his movement.
「It’s fine if you don’t have to raise the hoe that much, y’know?」
「I’m using magic, see, so I won’t be able to plow the ground deeply if I don’t do this much」
「Oh, I see. So it actually feels different from how people use it by themselves, huh」
Well, it’s fine once you get used to it.
「Something like this?」
「Right, right, then you mix it all up like you’re trying to let air inside」
「Like this?
「Yes, that’s it」
So I start to plow the field using magic, imitating the way Torr moves his hoe.
Once I receive Torr’s approval, I just have to repeat the action after that.
This might actually be difficult for the person doing it himself, but simple repetitive tasks are something that magic can take pride in.
I continue to swing the hoe without thinking of anything using Psychic.
The appearance of a hoe moving by itself to plow the fields is a little surreal.
「O, ooohhhhhhhhh! Amazing, the field was being plowed so fast! The hoe is moving freely and the field is plower! It’s like I’m dreaming!」
Your dream is becoming an adventurer and being recognized by Eleonora-neesan, you know.
Oh well, anyone would think like that if they’ve been swinging their hoe every day I guess……
As for me, I always thought that it was so troublesome that I have to walk, so I always wonder if the ground will be able to move on its own.
I kept using magic to move the hoe while thinking like that for a while. What was normal soil has now turned into neat ridges.
Then Torr - who is the one supervising me - makes a final check on the field.
「Yosh, there’s no problem with this!」
「……you know, I can’t accept the fact that - for some reason - Torr is simply checking things while I’m doing all the work」
This is, like a boss exploiting their subordinates and taking the subordinate's achievements for themselves.
While I was thinking about our situation with a solemn look on my face, Torr put his hand around my shoulder.
「Now now, don’t worry about it! I manage to finish my work early anyway, and now we can play, right?」
「Asmo is still not done though」
He hasn’t come to our meeting place, Torr’s house. I’m sure Asmo is probably still working right now.
「Haha! You’re right! Let’s watch and make fun of his sweaty, working figure then!」
「Yeah」
I was also watching Torr with the same mood before though.
◆
We are now at a field area some distance away from Torr’s family field.
Today too, there are a lot of villagers plowing the field, occasionally, you can see some villagers who are planting seedlings, or harvesting crops.
In one plot of land in that area, we can see Asmo’s figure dripping with sweat as he is swinging his hoe.
「Oh, oohh, Asmo is working!」
Seeing Asmo, Torr laughed while talking loudly like a gangster.
Since his face already looks like a Yankee, his manner of speaking really suits a thug now.
「……at any rate, they’re also making ridges here」
「Well, it’s hard to do it all alone. So it’s the perfect job for a punishment」
「I see」
And it would also be quite hard to repeatedly plow a vast plot of land by yourself. I tried to swing the hoe as an amusement before, but it needed considerable strength to swing the hoe.
As I was thinking about such a thing, Torr approaches Asmo while still laughing.
「Yoo! Asmo! Still haven’t done with your work yet!?」
「Oi oi, how could you finish your work earlier than me? Even though Myula-san said that she gave you a great workload and it should take more some time for you to finish them」
「Oi, what the heck? I also heard the same thing from Dorothea-san y’know? She said that she gave you a lot of work that it might take a while for you to finish it………」
The two of them stare at each other’s faces and stiffened.
The two of them were probably immersed in a sense of superiority this morning, knowing that the other party is having a lot of work to do that they gloat over the other’s misfortune.
’Though the field work is hard, there is someone nearby who has a more severe workload than me’.
By making them believe in that notion, it would be able to keep them motivated, I guess.
「……pfftt, in other words, the both of you are - in a manner of speaking - being tricked by Myula-san and Dorothea-san」
Torr and Asmo yelled in shock 「Naaa!?」, perhaps Asmo and Torr realize it after I said that to them while laughing.
「Dang itー! So dirty! Those people!」
「Being accomplice and toying around with our heart like that and, that’s mean……!」
「Maybe, it’s precisely because Torr and Asmo’s minds are dirty that this was acceptable technique」
「「Shut it!」」
They hit me just because I told them the truth.
Though it’s a little trick that won’t work without someone having a dirty mentality of accusing someone, even though they themselves are also at fault.
Right now, the two of them are being tricked by their mother. So they are probably feeling irritated right now.
Let’s not say anything any more than this then.
「Darn it, I’ll pay them back when I have the chance. Maybe I should take the Royal Feed but make it so she won’t notice it……」
「I will slightly reduce the amount of food for kaachan when distributing the food」
……you guys really have nothing better to do huh.
「So, have you finished your work, Torr?」
「Of course!」
After hearing Asmo’s question, Torr throw out his chest and said that as if it was all his own doing.
「……wasn’t it due to Al using his privilege as a noble and stopping you in the middle of your work, or was it because Myula-san take Al’s presence into consideration?」
「I wouldn’t do that you know」
「Kaachan, y’know, did you really think she will show me such a kind consideration」
Well, she didn’t say something like Torr finishing his work earlier when I come. But, she paid attention to me and told me exactly to rest at their house you know?
「That might be true, but I can’t believe Torr manages to finish his work early……」
Asmo probably thought that he should be able to finish his work earlier since he’s stronger than Torr. It feels like he’s a little skeptical.
「Hahaーhn, that’s just because I work faster than Asmo!」
「……gununu! At most you just had Al helped you……no, why would Al help someone doing the tiresome fieldwork since he will find such things troublesome? At most, he would probably just help in weeding to kill some time」
Truly, such a close friend who understands me. It’s as if he was watching us from before when I help Torr.
However, he forgot to take the existence of magic into consideration.
This time I was curious to try to use magic for fieldwork so I unintentionally helped Torr.
「That’s right! And I finished plowing a field as wide as this one earlier than Asmo, y’know?」
「……strange. For Torr who has no stamina, strength, or willpower, you’re saying he’s faster than me…… Something’s amiss」
These two, they are still fighting on their own even without the trick their mother used against them.
They are very easy to take advantage of and tricked.
「Hehe, say whatever you want! Al and I will watch Asmo’s sweaty figure working in the field together alright!」
「You’re free aren’t you, so why not help me!」
「Come one, let’s go, Al. Make some chair like the one before」
While giving a sidelong glance at Asmo, Torr took me to the edge of the field.
It’s better to sit since I’m going to watch him anyway, and so I make a parasol and chairs - for me and Torr to use - using Earth magic.
Next, I make a small earthen table and small cups.
Put ice into the cups with Ice magic, and fill them with fresh water with Water magic.
「Here, water」
「O, ou. Thank you」
After handing his cup to Torr, I stir up my cup and drink the cold water.
The weather is good and warm today, so having a cold drink is great.
Though the parasol is blocking out the sunlight, as expected, the summer temperature is still hot. Let’s turn the temperature around us into a more suitable temperature using the cold air from Ice magic then.
「……hey, Al. Why don’t you marry my neechan, then we can be a family」
「I can’t help but be surprised at your ulterior motive. Besides, what I felt toward Ema-oneesama is respect and affection, not love 」
「Some unintelligible things again. Haa……I want one person like Al in my family」
「Well, I’ll just take that as a compliment and you being clever」
Even if a guy asked me to do something, they won’t move my heart.
While watching Asmo desperately swinging his hoe, Torr and I are leisurely drinking cold drinks at a moderate temperature.
The ice made *karan* sound inside the cup,
「Haa……not working is the best isn’t it, Al」
「Right? So Torr has come to understand my feelings, huh」
After saying that, Torr and I laugh.
I felt that our friendship has deepened by cooling ourselves like this.
「……oi, what are you doing cooling yourself in my plot of land」
On the other side, Asmo is desperately doing his manual labor and is displeased with our situation.
「It’s made in a place where it won’t disturb your work, isn’t it? More importantly, swing your hoe properly will ya! Your posture is not stable, y'know? Everyone won’t be able to play together if Asmo didn’t finish his job, right?」
「Gunununu……being so cheeky even though you’re just Torr……」
And thus, Asmo fixed his posture of holding the hoe with a frustrated expression on his face after hearing Torr saying that.
After that, Asmo raises his hoe high and forcefully swung it down.
*zash* a satisfying sound as the hoe gouge the ground resounded.
I think he hit the ground with frustration in his heart. Torr is probably being bashed with a hoe in Asmo’s mind.
「Al, give me more waterー」
「Hoーi」
Since Torr presented an empty cup to me, I use Water magic to refill his cup.
Magic is indeed a wonderful thing.
Normally, you would have to go and draw water from the well, or the kitchen where people usually store water, but for me who has magic, I don’t even need to move a step from my position.
As expected, magic is indispensable in order to have a comfortable slow life.
As I was thinking about such a thing, I can see Asmo - at my peripheral vision - looking at Torr with a suspicious look in his eyes……
「……hey, could it be that, Al helped Torr do his fieldwork with his magic?」
「Tha, that’s not the case――」
「Of course」
I said to cover his words, while Torr is denying Asmo question in panic.
「Haa!? Wa, you idiot! You don’t have to tell him anything!」
I mean, it’s not like I’m only on Torr’s side, right. I will tell them the truth as much as it needs if it means that it’s going to be an interesting situation.
Guessing things from my answer and Torr’s impatience, Asmo grins.
「Does Myula-san know about that?」
「Hey, you!」
As Torr leaned toward me to try to cover my mouth in a hurry, the chair he was sitting on crumbled.
Immediately after that, Torr falls down on his butt splendidly.
「She doesn’t」
Asmo mouth curved after hearing what I said.
Then he approaches Torr who was falling over and says,
「Torr, you better start plowing if you don’t want to be killed by Myula-san」
「Ah, Al. Use your magic like *pa pa*, just like when you used it with me――」
It’s a punishment game the person himself has to do. If Myula-san knows that he made a noble like me do his work and made it easier for him, then Myula-san will definitely get angry.
Torr - whose expression turn pale after hearing Asmo’s threat - nervously turned around to look at me and asked.
「Ahー, my magic power is not enough, I mean, I made chairs and water ー」
「You liar! You used such flashy magic back when we have that snowball fight, right!」
「Noー, it’s impossibleー. I can’t exert any strengthー. Torr has been working me too hardー」
「This rascal, you were holding a grudge against me because you pulled the weeds back then huh……!」
No no, it’s not like I held a grudge because you are the one who forced me to help right? I mean, you don’t feel any dissatisfaction somehow when you were helped in doing your field work, right?
「Come on, you can it right Torr? What, you don’t want to? Well, you can just watch me from there if you don’t want to though? But I don’t know what would happen to you later」
After saying that Asmo held out his hoe to Torr,
「……I’ll do it」
and Torr politely received the hoe.
In the end, the days ended without us doing anything as we were just messing around with each other like that.
But you know, spending my time like this occasionally is also not bad.
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