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Olga the Tomato Farmer
After I finished making furrows and sowing the seeds of spring onions and rough potatoes, I decided to go for a walk as a change of pace. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
It hasn’t long since I came to Howling village and since I’m unfamiliar with the terrain around here, I find some time to go for a walk like now and familiarize myself with the land.
「I guess I will try going this way today」
Walking through the central public space where Leroy lives, I continue heading north.
The number of houses clustered together continued to decrease rapidly and the number of fields began to increase.
This is also something that happens in the countryside.
As I was gazing at the numerous wheat fields lined up, I came across what appeared to be tomato fields on my walk with their supports and nets hanging.
Such a familiar method of cultivation and that clearly red fruit is unmistakably a tomato.
That vivid color of red looks so attractive and shines brightly among the thick green leaves, moving my feet there as if drawn by it. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Ooh! Such tomatoes with pretty shapes and colors!」
When I tried to get closer and looked at it, I saw that there were big, red tomatoes.
But, these tomatoes. The shape is a little different from the normal plump tomatoes I know.
It’s shaped like spring onions, with a slightly pointed at the end.
It looks like a red spring onion, it’s kinda cute.
When I tried running my finger on its surface, I noticed it was quite smooth.
「I’m sure its juicy fruit contains sourness and sweetness 」
「……oi, you over there. Try touching it without permission any more than that. I’m going to prosecute you for being a tomato thief」
「Eh? Me?」
When I looked back, I saw a young man with red hair and sharp eyes over there.
He’s wearing overalls casually and black pants.
He looked like the typical yankee at a glance, but the resident of this world generally has flashy hair color and the adventurers in the royal capital have far more frightening looks so he wasn’t that scary.
And he’s also wearing a straw hat, giving the impression that he’s a person with firm character.
His age is about the same age or a few years younger than me, I guess. This might be the first time I met a villager closest to my age in Howling village.
「Yeah, that’s right」
「I’m sorry. I just found the shape of the tomatoes to be strange so I unintentionally touched it」
「……you, don’t think I’ve seen you before? Are you from this village?」
「Yes, I just moved here from the royal capital, my name is Kureto」
「Aah, you’re the eccentric man moving in from the royal capital, huh?」
The man nodded in understanding, it seemed like the fact that I was an immigrant from the royal capital had gotten through. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Why an eccentric man?」
「It’s strange for someone to move here from the royal capital where you can live a convenient and affluent life there, right? And you’re not a retired old man, but someone not that different from me in age」
Certainly, moving to the countryside at this age might put me in a strange category of people.
Oh well, strictly speaking, I live a dual-based lifestyle so it’s not a complete move to the countryside.
「It’s precisely because life in the royal capital is affluent that it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better, you know? There are a lot of people and buildings, there are not a lot of nature」
「Hmm, is that how it is? You, it’s surprisingly easy to talk to you considering you came from the capital. I don’t get any bad vibes from you」
「That’s good to hear then」
Apparently, he doesn't like the people who came from the royal capital he had met before.
Just because I live in the city doesn’t mean I will assert my dominance and look down on you, so you can rest assured I won’t do that.
「I just don’t like that respectful manner of speaking. How old are you?」
「I’m 27 years old」
「…………that’s surprising considering your face」
「Leave me alone」
Even Andre and Stella were surprised at that, as expected, from the perspective of people living in this world, I must look younger. Oh well, it’s better than looking older though.
「I’m Olga, the tomato farmer here. I’m 22 years old, but since we’re close in age, how about using casual language?」
「Right. I also wanted some friends around my age here. Pleased to meet you」
Olga held out his hand while suggesting that so I firmly shook his hand while using casual language.
I’m not so small-minded that I will get angry just because someone younger than me is not using honorific language.
Even back in my previous life, there were times when I was overworked by some elite man, younger than me after all.
More than anything, I’m happy I get to know someone of the same gender and close in age.
After letting go of his firm hand, I found out that there was a quite amount of soil on my hand.
「Sorry, that was on purpose」
「You got me there」
Seeing Olga’s smile as if he had succeeded in playing a prank on me, I felt like I could become good friends with him.
◆
「By the way, what kind of tomatoes do you grow here, Olga?」
After washing the hand that Olga dirtied, I asked him something that had been bothering me.
The tomatoes Olga is growing are not normal tomatoes, they have sharp, pointed tips and look just like spring onions.
It is probably a different type of tomato from the ones circulated in the market.
As someone who is barely a merchant, these kinds of unfamiliar things make me curious.
「Even if you ask what kind of tomatoes, I can only say it’s just regular tomatoes 」
However, when asked about it, Olga only frowned and answered in that manner.
Even under normal circumstances, his face already looks like a yankee, so now he appears to be glaring menacingly. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Regular tomatoes have a more rounded shape, isn't it?」
「Is that so? The only tomatoes I know are this type of tomato I grow. Even if I go outside the village, I will only go to the nearby villages and won’t go further than that」
Hm, so Olga personally has not gone that far from the village.
Well, this is a world where there are monsters roaming freely and attacking people. Being a normal farmer, Olga wouldn’t risk going to a distant town, would he?
「Hey, can I have one?」
「Wait a minute. That one isn’t ripe yet, try this one」
When I tried asking while touching the tomato nearby, Olga only looked at it and was able to judge the tomato’s ripeness, then he plucked off another tomato and gave it to me.
Is that something you understand with just a single glance after growing tomatoes for many years? That’s amazing.
「Thanks. Well now, here I go」
I took a sniff of the tomato I received after thanking Olga.
The tomato’s smell is strong, with a hint of raw plant smell to it.
My finger slides smoothly through its surface when I try touching it, that smoothness makes me want to keep touching it.
「Just eat it already」
「O, okay」
As I was admiring the tomato, Olga - seemingly irritated - snapped at me so I bit into the tomato.
The smooth skin burst and the juice and sourness spread. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
The soft flesh dances on my tongue, fully releasing the natural sweetness of the tomato.
「Ooh! It’s sweeter and sourer than normal tomatoes!」
「What does that mean?」
「It means this is super delicious! Better than any tomatoes I’ve ever eaten」
「I was quite confident in the taste, but I guess it doesn’t feel bad at all hearing that from you who used to live in the capital」
Olga’s mouth was understandably raised when I honestly praised him.
I knew it, it must feel nice for the things you grow so hard to be praised.
Judging from its taste and shape, this is definitely different from ordinary tomatoes. The juice and umami contained inside the tomato are on another level. And yet, the umami and sourness keep a good balance.
This is much more amazing than he thinks.
But, the important thing is that Olga never left the area around Howlign village, so he doesn’t know about it at all.
If anything, he even thinks that he grows these tomatoes normally.
Honestly, you can even sell tomatoes with this flavor as a brand-name product.
I’m sure all the high-class chefs would unanimously love to use it as their ingredients.
Just like the spring onions, Andre’s family raises, crops growing in Howling village have their own specialties that set them apart from other regions.
However, maybe it’s because it is in a remote region that everyone who raises them doesn’t realize how special they are.
「I really want to sell these……」
Finding such hidden specialties like this is also the true charm of being a merchant. Finding something no one else has realized, giving them a solid value, and then selling them is exhilarating.
There is quite a distance from Howling village to the capital, so it would be impossible to wholesale it in stores.
However, if I - who can transport it immediately using Teleport - were to do it, the tomatoes wouldn’t spoil in the middle of transporting.
……perhaps it’s just something I usually do, but couldn’t I also contribute to the village with this?
To be honest, I was quite reluctant for Howling village to get involved with my work, but I can’t endure it now that I’ve found something as good as this.
I’m going to transport the amazing vegetables from Howling village to the capital only when I return. Right, if I were to make my own rules, then I wouldn’t end up with a big workload. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Hey, Olga. Why don’t you try selling these tomatoes to the royal capital?」
「Haa?」
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