A Flat-Chest Believer Reincarnated in a World Where Women with Small Breasts Aren't Treated as Women ~ I Ended Up with a Flat-Chested Harem. - Chapter 23

We were in a village within Kolibe, where farmers and soldiers resided. In one of the rooms of the manor at the center of the village, we were receiving a report from the village chief.

The village chief, though holding that title, was actually a retainer of the Gustique family, serving as the leader of their directly managed farm. Given that he was entrusted with overseeing the cotton fields, he was one of the family’s senior retainers. He was about forty years old, slightly overweight, but with sharp eyes.

“I report as follows. The five detainees have been separated and are being interrogated individually. So far, all of them have testified, ‘We were hired for money, told to steal cotton seeds and soil, and don’t know the identity of our employer.’ In response, we have been threatening them by saying, ‘The other detainees are giving a different account, and the interrogation will continue until all testimonies align,’ to keep the interrogations ongoing.”

I nodded. Of course, the “interrogation” being referred to was torture. It wasn’t a pleasant topic, but it was a necessary one.

“What about the arrangements for handing over the goods if the theft had been successful?”

Even if it were true that they didn’t know their employer’s identity, they would still need to hand over the “seeds and soil” after a successful theft.

“They testified that they were instructed to deliver them to Toneriz in the Kingdom of Thier.”

Thier was a friendly nation, but Toneriz was a particularly problematic area. It was notoriously lawless, and its local lord had a terrible reputation. Sending people in would be a risky task.

“…Tracing it from that end would be difficult. They claim they were hired for money, but where and how were they approached for recruitment?”

“All of them testified that they were recruited in the city of Karzalba, where they are originally from.”

Karzalba was a mid-sized city in the western part of the Rolique Kingdom. It was somewhat distant from Gustique territory and happened to be within the domain of a Manjula faction noble, making it challenging for us to investigate. While sending a small team to investigate wouldn’t be an issue domestically, conducting a full-scale investigation to identify the recruiter could easily be construed as overstepping jurisdiction—ammunition for political opponents.

What an unpleasant situation. Measures had been taken to ensure that even if the bandits were caught, the trail would end here. That said…

“The three who infiltrated Kolibe might be one thing, but the two we captured on the other side of the river reacted too skillfully for mere hired thugs. Their testimony seems questionable.”

The way they smoothly retrieved and threw those chili powder bombs the moment we tried to apprehend them was too polished. I had a feeling that the capture of the two across the river was unexpected even for whoever was behind this.

“Understood. We will conduct more thorough interrogations.”

“Let me know if you need healing.”

This wasn’t out of mercy. Using healing magic would simply allow the torture to continue at an increased intensity.

“If we could have some Holy Water, it would help immensely.”

“Got it. Bring me a container, and I’ll make some right away.”

As I said this, a soldier standing in the corner of the room left and quickly returned with an empty water pitcher. I filled it with Holy Water.

“Thank you. This will help reduce risks. Additionally, I doubt the people behind the bandits will give up so easily. I’m considering suggesting to your father that we strengthen Kolibe’s security.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll report the current situation to my father as well.”

“Thank you. That concludes my report.”

“Understood. Good work. You may go.”

With that, the village chief left the room. The door closed, leaving only Risty, Rita, Mariel, and me inside.

“Phew. Sorry, Risty. It hasn’t been long since we got married, and there’s already so much chaos.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. But… managing the cotton fields seems like quite a challenge.”

“Yeah. The Gustique family keeps its methods for domestic cotton cultivation a secret, and we’ve also spread some misinformation to make it seem like the cultivation process and soil are highly specialized. But in reality, it’s just cold-resistant plants. If they manage to steal them, they’d be able to replicate it.”

I let out a sigh.

“Cold-resistant… so there’s cotton like that?”

“Well, more like we created it. In Gustique, we call it ‘selective breeding.’”

“Selective breeding?”

Risty tilted her head in curiosity.

The “cotton” we cultivated was a result of magical selective breeding conducted by the Gustique family.

The term “selective breeding” didn’t yet exist in this world. While farmers often sowed seeds from the best crops, effectively improving crop varieties over time, the process wasn’t done with much awareness of what it entailed.

“I’ll explain in detail once we’re back at the Gustique estate.”

I had no intention of hiding anything from Risty, but it would be easier to explain while showing her the actual process.

“All right. I’ll look forward to it.”

“Rita, Mariel, thank you for your hard work as well. For now, let’s stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the fields before heading out.”

Before long, the servants brought us dinner.

The menu consisted of fried river fish, boiled vegetables with sauce, and meat-filled barley porridge. While not lavish, the river fish was fresh, caught from the rivers surrounding Kolibe.

I sat across from Risty at the table. Since fried food tasted best when eaten fresh, Rita and Mariel sat at a nearby table and ate at the same time.

Saying “Itadakimasu,” I brought a piece of the fried fish to my mouth. It was crispy, bones and all, and absolutely delicious.

Risty seemed to enjoy it as well, smiling as she ate. For a princess, her broad culinary preferences were truly admirable.

“It’s just fried and salted, but it’s delicious. I wonder if the way it’s prepared or the frying technique makes a difference.”

While it was true that the cook’s skill played a role, I personally believed that the simplicity of the dish was precisely what made it delicious.

Although the incident had slightly disrupted our plans, there was no pressing urgency. We could afford to take our time.