Chapter 14
The sight of the small dragon holding a red jewel in its mouth was quite cute—but seriously, that gem must be worth a fortune…
Sensing my hesitation, Kkaman spoke again.
[If I eat the jewel, I can gain new power.]
“New power? Like what?”
[For example… creating a cup of water.]
“A cup of water…”
[Or instantly freezing water…]
“That’s something I can just leave outside for an hour.”
Spring was approaching, but it was still cold enough as it was.
What is this? I thought I got a jackpot pet, but is this actually a dud?
Give me back my expectations.
“Anything else?”
Kkaman fidgeted anxiously with the jewel still in its mouth.
“What did you mean earlier about knowing the weather?”
Kkaman suddenly lifted its head.
[I am a divine beast sensitive to water and cold.]
“Huh?”
[You said it yourself earlier, Master. I can tell how much it will rain and how cold it will be. That falls under my domain. But my abilities are still useless… I can’t control water or summon blizzards yet.]
Kkaman drooped its head in discouragement.
“Useless? This is exactly what I need right now!”
I lifted Kkaman up in excitement.
No more headaches worrying about things!
No more fear that this year’s harvest might fail!
I’ve basically gained a meteorological office!
“Eat it! Kkaman, eat it!”
The moment I gave permission, Kkaman began crunching the red jewel like it was candy.
“By the way, do all divine beasts grow by eating gems?”
[No. I’m unusual. Normally, we can use all our abilities upon contracting, but I only awakened partially—I’m still sealed. Gems are a way to break that seal.]
“So if you eat more gems, can you break all the seals?”
[No. Only certain gems containing specific energies work—ones tainted heavily by human greed or rare magical power.]
“…Those must be insanely expensive, right?”
[Probably. Normal diamonds don’t work, but diamonds soaked in human greed and bloodshed can help growth.]
“Ugh, capitalism.”
Great. Now I not only have land to manage, I also have to raise a pet.
I apparently pulled a lottery-level luxury pet, but I have to level it from level 1.
And through cash.
I stroked Kkaman’s head.
“After you finish eating that, write down exactly what you can do on paper.”
I need to get my money’s worth.
Suddenly, I became curious how much that gem Kkaman was eating cost.
Maybe I should’ve asked Naol first before feeding it…
…Can this thing at least earn back its own food costs?
* * *
At least I succeeded in acquiring a pseudo weather bureau.
Weather is crucial for farming.
If farming goes well, I can probably cover Kkaman’s gem costs.
I casually asked Naol and nearly regretted it—when I heard the gem Kkaman ate was worth 30 million marks… but it was already done.
What’s done is done.
When Kkaman heard “30 million marks,” it glanced at my expression.
Then it picked up a pen and paper with its tiny paws and began scribbling in a corner.
Please, Kkaman… let your abilities become a jackpot.
I immediately called Ron and George from the Agricultural Department.
When I summoned them, they came rushing in.
“Lady! You called for us!”
They had clearly been fighting again—buttons near their collars were torn.
I cleared my throat.
“Ahem. Have you two thought it over?”
“I have nothing more to say to this man!”
“What? That’s my line! I’m wasting my time talking to a good-for-nothing like you!”
“Lady, what do you think?”
Just as expected.
Sometimes it’s easier to convince the side with no conclusion.
“Actually… I can kind of predict the weather.”
“Pardon? How?”
Right. They don’t believe it. I know that.
But I pressed on shamelessly.
“By reading the sky. I can’t predict every single day, but I can roughly tell the weather for the year. It’s a method that came from across the sea and is slowly spreading, but it hasn’t fully reached here yet.”
“Ah…”
They nodded as if convinced.
For once, it was fortunate that the ducal family of Velfruga had fallen behind on information.
If it had been the old days, they would’ve dismissed it as nonsense.
“Of course, if both of your opinions matched, I’d follow that… but—”
I looked at their disheveled state.
“Neither of you are willing to compromise, right?”
“Yes!”
“Of course not!”
“Alright. Then I’ll decide. This year will be quite cold. And there will be a lot of snow and rain.”
I turned to Ron, who had insisted on Bdam trees.
“Therefore, Bdam trees—which require warmth—are unsuitable.”
George, who had advocated for Rellong flowers, smiled victoriously.
I expected Ron to protest, but surprisingly, he nodded calmly.
“…Understood. If that is the Lady’s judgment, I will follow it.”
It didn’t seem like he fully believed I could read the weather—it looked more like he was simply tired of arguing.
“Well, that’s for the best. We can’t keep clinging to this forever. If we miss planting season, that would be far worse. Since the Lady can read the weather, I’ll trust it for now.”
“Haha! After all, farming ultimately comes down to faith and prayer, doesn’t it? No matter how hard we try, there are always variables.”
George, pleased, draped an arm over Ron’s shoulder.
Despite everything, it seemed the two weren’t truly on bad terms.
“So what should we plant?”
The answer came quickly.
“Then I recommend Rellong flowers.”
“Rellong flowers? What are those?”
“They are native plants of this territory. The roots are used in medicine, the flowers in magical potions—nothing goes to waste. However, they can only grow in cold, snowy environments because the flowers must remain buried in snow. If the climate doesn’t match, they cannot be cultivated here—but they sell for a high price.”
“Then we’ll plant that! Let’s base this year’s farming on it. But relying on a single crop is risky, so if there’s space, plant other cold-resistant crops as well.”
“Understood.”
“No one knows crops better than we do in this castle.”
Only then did I bring up my original purpose.
“Oh right. Since you know crops so well, there’s something I want you to find…”
After I described a crop that had once been popular in the original story, they looked puzzled.
“What would you even use such weeds for?”
“It exists. Can you find it?”
“Leave it to us.”
“We absolutely must find it.”
Because that item would make this territory rich.
* * *
After leaving the office, Ron and George looked at each other.
George asked:
“So you’re fine with the Lady’s decision? It actually aligned with what I was arguing anyway—but are you really convinced?”
“What else can we do if we’re not?”
Ron shrugged.
“And I’ve started wanting to trust her. At first, I thought discovering Prug’s embezzlement was a coincidence, but success in dealing with Marquis Leholas can’t just be luck.”
“She may look adorable, but she’s incredibly decisive in her work.”
“I never expected someone from an orphanage to be like this.”
“Haha, indeed.”
“We’ve debated for days without resolution. At times like this, maybe it’s better to trust the sky—or rather, our lucky Lady.”
“You’ve finally developed some flexibility.”
“What else can I do? Even the warmth in this corridor is thanks to her.”
“That’s true.”
George stopped laughing and looked beyond the castle walls.
“This is a bit embarrassing, but lately I’ve been thinking…”
“About what?”
“That maybe the Lady could end our family’s endless poverty… and restore the glory of our duchy.”
“…Hey.”
Their eyes grew damp.
They didn’t want their homeland to remain poor either.
“Alright! Now that we have an answer, let’s get back to work! Do you know how much we’ve fallen behind arguing?”
“Right! If we grow Rellong flowers well, we might leave our names in history!”
“And find that crop the Lady mentioned!”
“Exactly!”
The two walked briskly back to their work, almost competing with each other.
* * *
After sending the agricultural managers away, I took the paper Kkaman had written.
The handwriting was messy, but readable.
“Let’s see… what our Kkaman can do… make a cup of water, instantly freeze water… skip those for now…”
Our Kkaman… I really need to raise it properly…
My sentimental gaze made Kkaman immediately protest.
[But I can block any attack.]
“How many seals would that take?”
[…About ten?]
I just smiled without answering.
“What do you mean you know everything about water?”
[Exactly that. I know everything about water.]
I tilted my head, confused.
Kkaman hesitated before speaking.
[It’s hard to explain because it’s too natural for me. I am the divine beast of water. The rain you want, or the ability to know the weather—it’s all because I am the water divine beast. Master… did you know even falling rain is different every day?]
