Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

Near the end of spring.

The crops in the fields have ripened.

Thanks to the AFT, being able to harvest regardless of the season is a huge blessing.

The only downside is that it makes one’s sense of the seasons a bit strange.

Well, I shouldn’t complain.

Because of it, we never have trouble with food.

I harvest together with the villagers who have free time.

Even Loo and Tier, who usually stay in their rooms doing research, are helping out.

That’s a big help.

…….

By the way, I appreciate the help, but…. Tier isn’t bringing out her golems?

I remember before she summoned a large number of golems to help with the harvest.

「I won’t.」

Tier says that with a smile and continues working.

?

As I tilt my head in confusion, Loo quietly explains.

Apparently, the last time Tier used golems for harvesting, I praised the golems a lot more than I praised her.

No, no, I’m pretty sure I praised Tier properly too.

If praising Tier was one, then praising the golems was three?

I…. don’t think it was that much?

But I did praise each golem individually since there were several of them.

That part is true.

They worked hard, after all.

Since Tier was the one who summoned them, I should at least praise her as much as I praised the golems?

I…. see.

I’ll be more careful about that.

For now, harvesting comes first.

……

No, I should apologize to Tier first.

She’ll probably say she’s not angry, but still.

I wasn’t considerate enough.

And the next day, Tier started summoning her golems again for the harvest.

That’s a relief.

-0-

Big Tree Village is busy with the harvest, but unusually, Ann isn’t there.

She’s gone to Village Five.

And in Village Five, a group 「job observation」 event organized by the Royal Capital’s Gullgald Noble Academy is currently taking place.

It’s called an observation, but in reality, it’s job hunting for the students.

Normally, job hunting is something done individually, not in groups.

After all, an academy is a place that provides education, not employment.

On top of that, students of a noble academy rarely struggle to find positions.

Most of them are connected to nobility, and even those who aren’t still have the money, connections, or ability to attend such an academy.

And yet, job hunting is being conducted.

In groups, no less.

Why?

Before explaining that, there’s something you should understand.

It’s about the circumstances of students who attend, and have attended, the noble academy.

While the academy is a place of learning, the real goal for many students is to identify and join a faction.

This is especially true for nobles from rural regions.

The Demon King’s Kingdom is vast, and the quality and quantity of information available vary greatly depending on the region.

There are also divisions caused by differences in race and culture.

To safely protect one’s family within the broad framework of the Demon King’s Kingdom, access to information and connections in the royal capital, the political center, is essential.

That’s where factions come in.

By joining a faction and becoming part of it, students can maintain a flow of information even after returning to their distant homelands.

Even if they have no interest in power struggles in the capital or royal court, having access to information is always beneficial.

Furthermore, having connections with those working in the capital makes it easier to file petitions or appeals.

Ideally, the heir belongs to the same faction as their parents, but for others, it’s not necessary.

In fact, being part of different factions increases information channels and provides alternative lines of contact in case of trouble.

That’s how regional nobles and influential figures think, which is why they send their children, or the promising children of their retainers, to the noble academy.

Of course, they also expect the students to learn properly, and for those without engagements, there’s hope they’ll find suitable partners as well.

Students from the provinces carry all these expectations on their shoulders, but….

Half…. no, forty percent…. thirty percent….

I don’t know the exact numbers, but it seems only about twenty percent of them properly return home after graduation and perform as expected.

The rest, however, don’t go back.

They avoid returning.

The main reason is the gap in living standards between the provinces and the royal capital.

Especially when it comes to food and sanitation.

The academy understands this to some extent…. but having graduates linger in the capital without working is problematic in many ways.

Yes, those who don’t return home aren’t working.

Because the idea that they won’t struggle to find employment only applies if they return to their hometowns.

If they don’t go back, they have nowhere to work.

An even bigger issue is that some parents in the provinces, unable to understand why their children won’t return, may resort to force, claiming the academy is keeping them.

Apparently, this has already happened.

Twice, no, twelve times.

The principal was lamenting about it.

And so, the academy came up with this 「job observation」 event, a group job-hunting initiative.

Whether or not they return home is a personal matter, but this is an attempt by the academy to at least provide graduates with some form of employment.

For the graduates, instead of insisting they won’t return because life in the capital is comfortable, it’s easier to say they can’t return because they’re working at a proper job.

If that convinces their parents, it may reduce the chances of force being used.

Though, in many cases, that alone probably won’t be enough, but it’s better than doing nothing.

In any case, having graduates actually working is not a bad thing.

This 「job observation」 has been well received by those graduates who chose not to return home.

It’s also been accepted by students who are about to graduate.

As a result, quite a number of both students and alumni are participating.

By the way, the reason they don’t simply call it 「job hunting」 is to save face in case things don’t go well.

Students of the noble academy are, after all, connected to nobility.

Appearances matter.

So they call it 「job observation.」

If it’s just observation, there’s no issue even if they don’t get a job.

And if they do get one, they can say they were recognized for their talent during the visit and were earnestly invited to stay.

In reality, they’re the ones begging to be hired….

….but it’s better not to point that out.

-0-

The 「job observation」 program is being held in three locations: the royal capital, Shashato City, and Village Five.

Those skilled in administrative work gather in the royal capital.

Those interested in trade head to Shashato.

And those capable of farming or subjugating monsters and demon beasts gather in Village Five.

The program is scheduled to last between ten and thirty days in each location.

In practice, observation takes only a single day, the rest is hands-on experience.

The participating students commute from the academy in the capital to their assigned sites.

Thanks to teleportation gates, even locations outside the capital pose no problem.

The ones who ‘do’ have trouble commuting are the graduates.

Since they’ve already graduated, they can’t use the academy dorms or housing.

As a result, their living situations are scattered.

Some are even sleeping outdoors.

That makes coordinated group activity difficult and leads to various problems.

So the academy set aside an emergency budget and planned to build temporary lodging facilities in each location.

They formally requested construction in Village Five as well.

The principal even came to Big Tree Village together with the Demon King to smooth things over with me in advance.

Well, even without that, there’s available land on the southern side at the base of Village Five, so permission would have been granted anyway.

In fact, approval was given before I even had a chance to say anything.

And thanks to Ria and the high elves, a large lodging facility was built in a remarkably short time.

While they did consider larger races, the academy mentioned that it wasn’t necessary to account too much for noble-class users, so the rooms are standard-sized.

There’s almost no decoration.

Even so, it can accommodate around two hundred people comfortably….

….as long as beds and furniture are provided.

And that’s the problem.

Furniture like that can’t be prepared immediately.

Even in Village Five, such things tend to be in short supply.

It seems the people staying there are building what they need themselves, so they’re doing their best to manage.

And since Ria and the high elves handled the construction, the sanitation facilities, especially the toilets, are perfect.

That alone has made the guests very happy.

As for meals, the academy secured ingredients with the plan of providing food at the lodging….

….but there are no cooks.

That said, most of those who came to Village Five for the job observation belong to the faction led by Torain.

In other words, they’re originally from the same faction as Alfred, Ursa, and Tiselle.

Having been trained by Alfred and the others, they can cook reasonably well.

They ‘can’ cook, but preparing meals not just for themselves but for all the residents requires someone who can oversee and coordinate everything.

Since many participants are from the same faction, the students turned to Torain, and Torain in turn relied on me, asking if someone from Big Tree Village could be sent to take charge.

Since it was a request from Torain, his mother Ann stepped forward with a resigned 「I suppose I have no choice.」.

Reading the situation, everyone else agreed, and it was decided that Ann would be dispatched as the temporary manager of the lodging.

The assignment lasts only for the duration of the job observation.

She doesn’t stay overnight, she commutes from the village.

With Ann, there shouldn’t be any problems.

After just a few days, she had already settled in to the point that, despite it not being a dorm, people started calling her 「Dorm Mother.」

Also, among the participants, some are interested in managing lodging facilities, so they’re helping Ann while learning the ropes.

According to Ann’s reports, they’re still inexperienced for now, but they show promise.

The principal mentioned that even after the job observation ends, she wants to maintain the lodging as a facility for academy-related use.

For the time being, it will probably serve as accommodation for those who did, and didn’t, find employment.

-0-

As a side note.

When Ann first went to the lodging in Village Five, the Demon King himself came along, accompanied by the Four Heavenly Kings, Beezel, Glatts, Hou, and Randan, as well as the academy principal, and they gave instructions to the lodging residents.

I wasn’t told the details of what was said, but it seems it was taken very seriously.

The fact that graduates of the noble academy aren’t returning to their home regions may be a much bigger issue than it first appears.