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We grandly called it the “Agricultural Equipment Knight Investiture,” but there was nothing much to it.

-“Mr. White, will you diligently follow the safety rules I explained to you?”

-“Yes! Of course I will…!”

-“Good. Work hard.”

And that was it.

…Well, it wasn’t as if we needed to have him kneel in some grand cathedral while I tapped his shoulders with a sword and made some stylish declaration. Do they do that when you get a heavy equipment operator’s license? I’ve never seen it.

In any case, after I taught White the other safety rules and explained how to maintain and use the power tiller and related equipment, the entirely ordinary “investiture” came to an end.

-“I will… work hard!”

…For some reason, though, White’s eyes were red with tears.

I wondered why, and only realized after seeing Walter Raleigh dabbing at his eyes right beside White.

Ah. A knight was a noble, wasn’t he?

Come to think of it, Raleigh himself had been born a commoner and, after an incredible amount of hardship, had received a knighthood and then a barony. I hurriedly added to White,

“Ah, well, this isn’t a hereditary title or anything like that. Think of it as a kind of license…”

“Even so… it is an honor. You saved my daughter’s life, and now you grant me such glory… I will live my whole life devoted and obedient to you.”

This reaction was… quite a bit different from what I had in mind.

I could only hope no problems would come of it.

For now, starting the next day, I brought White and the others to my farm in Croatoan and hurriedly trained them.

“By some chance, I have ended up appointing the first… knight, but from now on, Agricultural Equipment Knights will be selected only through thorough training and verification.

It will not be hereditary, and I will grant that honor only to those who are qualified.”

“Oooooh…!”

“U-understood!”

“Amazing…!”

Something still felt strange.

Had I made the name too grand for no reason?

No. Until now, I alone had been the one operating farm machinery, so in a way, this was a matter of sharing my “authority.” If so, it was actually right to be thorough and give it due prestige.

Of course, even then, I had no intention of teaching them how to use things like the Damas or the brush cutter, which could become lethal weapons.

The things I did most here were plowing fields, cutting trees, spraying pesticides for pest control, and spreading fertilizer.

If I recklessly taught those methods to others and that person caused an accident, my authority would decline. And if my authority declined here? This community would collapse.

And if this community collapsed, my daily life would be over as well. This community was maintained by my authority and resources, and my daily life was maintained by this community’s loyalty and awe.

To begin with, Agricultural Equipment Knights weren’t something to be looked down on. Even in twenty-first-century Korea, becoming a heavy equipment operator is hard without connections, and the daily pay is high.

Anyway. I’ve gone off topic.

“From now on… I’ll explain how to use the fertilizer spreader and what to watch out for. It will smell, so let’s put on masks before we work.”

At that, the thirty or so people gathered here—including Eleanor Dare, John White… and various others—each put on masks and hurriedly lifted the fertilizer sacks. Oh dear. If they worked with their backs like that, they’d wreck their spinal discs.

“First, everyone, tear open these fertilizer sacks here and pour them in. After that, we’ll haul it to the vineyard.”

“Understood!”

And so work began, and naturally, since I had extra hands helping me, the job was finished faster than usual… as if.

“N-no, you can’t pull it that way! Keep the direction straight!”

“I… I told you, didn’t I? When spraying pesticides, pressure control is important.”

“Be careful when using the sprayer. If you use pressure above 40, it puts strain on the sprayer. You must set the pressure only after closing all the ball valves, and then use it.”

Because I was teaching them while working, even with over ten people, it took two or three times longer than usual.

Still, the fortunate thing was that even if something broke, it would be fixed after a day anyway.

Warnings like, “If you want to use this for a long time, you shouldn’t use it like this!” or “If you keep using this this way for several days, it will definitely break!” didn’t apply to us.

There was also no need for cleaning, tightening, oiling, or maintenance. Even if we ground it to pieces like mad with the intention of using it today and throwing it away, it would be perfectly restored by tomorrow.

So there were only two things I needed to teach them.

“So… hold this valve here and look at this gauge…”

Simple usage.

“Obviously, when using this, never point it at a person. Do you understand?”

Safety rules.

There was no need to teach them anything else about maintenance, storage, or disposal. Because of that, even though it took a while for them to become skilled, after some time everyone could at least roughly imitate me.

And so the next day came, and then the day after.

“Eleanor! Take the power tiller!”

“Here, Will! Will! You left the pump over here!”

“Mr. Bennett! This way! Come help carry fertilizer over here!”

…It became comfortable.

Now I no longer had to work through the night all by myself to manage the vineyard, and I no longer had to plow thousands, tens of thousands of pyeong of fields like a madman on my own.

“The dial on the sprayer does not indicate the pressure being fired. You must close the ball valve, set the pressure, and then spray…”

“Refueling the pump must always be done outdoors, and you must not fill it too full with fuel, and, uh, also…”

After about a month, everyone could imitate me to some clumsy extent, and each time they used farm tools, they recited the safety rules I had told them as if chanting Buddhist scripture, staying on high alert.

After about two months, the clumsiness began to fade little by little from everyone’s posture, and while checking them closely, I immediately pointed out and corrected anything they were doing wrong or any mistakes they made.

After about three months, everyone was finally able to proceed with the work on their own.

Yes…

It felt like things were finally running properly.

“What is this?”

“…A valve.”

“Then what is this?”

“That is… hm. It isn’t particularly important.”

“Ah, truly astonishing! I never even imagined such a sophisticated machine could exist!”

Of course, in between, Bacon asked questions about everything like a three-year-old toddler newly born into the world. Even Virginia, who was seven now, didn’t ask this many questions…

“Doesn’t this part seem to prevent backflow?”

“Indeed, Thomas! A brilliant deduction! Lord Nemo happens to be passing by over there, so let us ask whether your deduction is correct!”

On top of that, I don’t know how Bacon managed it, but he had taken all the machine parts apart and, together with Harriot, discussed among themselves what this and that were before asking me if they were right.

I don’t know either. Who takes apart and memorizes every single component when using equipment?

“…Haha, I want you all to figure it out for yourselves. Only then can you grow.”

“Aaaah…!”

“As expected!”

Anyway, at times like this, I could skillfully perform evasive maneuvers like a professor too lazy to prepare for class, saying things like, “Try studying it on your own.”

And so… before I knew it, the “First Order of Agricultural Equipment Knights,” consisting of thirty-two members, was invested.

“Everyone, applause!”

“Uwaaaaaa!”

“You’ve all worked hard!”

As expected, there was nothing grand, and we ended with a simple group meal and applause.

I handed over certificate forms I had roughly made with the printer, made it clear that anyone without one was not to touch farm machinery, and wrapped everything up.

And the next day.

Wheeeeeeng!

“H-hahaha…”

I lifted the chainsaw, savoring a beautiful feeling.

The effort that went into farming had been reduced to a quarter.

Plowing fields, preparing pesticides, spraying pesticides, and all sorts of other tasks had been resolved!

For example, since there were now many people who knew how to handle pumps, filling in the small wetlands around Chesapeake Bay was no trouble at all!

Of course, it was also thanks in large part to the fact that while there was only one original pump and wetlands were everywhere, I had simply duplicated various parts and made stove-slash-makeshift pumps.

If I continued duplicating simple farm tools like this and increasing the number of people who could handle them, the work would become even easier.

Now… I could sleep eight hours a day!

I could play games every day, not just for a day or two every month or two!

My-my quality of life… had returned.

“Now we can even export wheat to England!”

“At last, we can be of help with England’s food shortage!”

“Walter, buy some spices and sugar this time. It would be good if we could make jam from the leftover grapes.”

“Of course! I shall buy enough sugar to pile up a mountain!”

The harvest… had also increased a bit.

Ah.

I should have done this sooner.

Of course, various problems still remained.

The population was steadily growing, and the farmland that needed to be reclaimed and the forests that needed to be cleared had to increase rapidly as well, but there were limits to what one power tiller, one excavator, and one chainsaw could each accomplish…

Well, those problems could be solved later.

In any case, the urgent problems had roughly been resolved, and harvest season had come, so it was time to do something else.

“Walter, you must place the freshness of the grapes above all else. Can you reach England within a month?”

“Of course.”

If we made it, we had to sell it.

I wanted to be self-sufficient in most things, but our village still lacked far too much.

Starting with the residents’ clothing, then muskets and various equipment for hunting wild animals, and even tools for the blacksmiths and various craftsmen to use.

In order to secure those things, we could not stop trading with England.

We loaded a huge amount of grapes packed in Styrofoam boxes, and beside them, we loaded the wine we had aged and stored for two or three years this time. Wine that had not even been fortified with spirits was being sent across the Atlantic. What a remarkable achievement.

Naturally, since White had originally intended to grow food crops and sell them to England, we also loaded wheat and potatoes.

Lastly, the ornaments made by the settlement’s precious metal and jewel craftsmen from the aluminum and various gems I had given them were carefully wrapped and packed in cloth.

With all sorts of medicine to be delivered to Margaret loaded as well, the ship departed.

Across the Atlantic, to England.

***

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Saintess? Saintess! It is time to wake up!”

“Mmm… Is it already six?”

As “Saintess” Margaret Lawrence said that and opened her eyes, the sound of bells rang from afar. It was exactly six o’clock.

When she rubbed her eyes and rose, the maids soon surrounded her in her nightclothes, changed her outfit, and groomed her.

Originally, she had said she would do it herself, but the maids had stubbornly refused, and this was the result. Margaret had realized over the past two or three years that further arguing was pointless, so she did not bother stopping them.

And so… a court dress, still unfamiliar to a woman from the slums who had not even had family, was placed upon her body. Margaret waddled out the door.

“Her Majesty?”

“She has already risen and finished her morning prayers and meal. She is only waiting for you to arrive, Saintess.”

“Thank you.”

Thus, attended by the maids who had come with her when she moved into Whitehall Palace, Margaret stood before the door leading to the queen’s private chamber.

Soon the door opened, and the queen, tightened into a wooden corset and dressed in a black-and-white gown, was waiting for her.

The maids were moving about, tapping her cheeks and neck with sponges dabbed in things called “foundation” and “concealer.”

Originally, the queen had used a whitening cosmetic made by mixing lead and vinegar, but when Lord Nemo heard that, his face had literally turned white, and he had brought new cosmetics.

On the dry parts of the skin, they applied a mixture of “water cream” and “foundation,” then mixed “pearl” and “blusher” and tapped it onto her cheeks, forehead, and the like.

Then, after applying various cosmetics to match the queen’s so-called “personal color,” the complexion of the woman who had entered her sixties brightened as if by magic.

Seeming to gain confidence from looking in the mirror, Elizabeth turned to Margaret with a cheerful expression and said,

“You are… slightly late today.”

“Ah… I apologize.”

“I am not reproaching you, so come here. My teeth have been hurting of late…”

“Did you brush your teeth?”

“I do so after every meal.”

“And the toothpaste?”

“…The taste is unfamiliar.”

“No. You must use it. Absolutely.”

After prescribing a mild painkiller (medicine with the exotic names “Bu-x-fen” and “Ty-x-nol”) and various nutritional supplements to the queen, who loved sweets so much that she suffered from toothache, Margaret changed out of her dress and back into comfortable work clothes before setting out.

At once, the soldiers guarding the palace gathered around her carriage. When Margaret emerged from the palace, the citizens waiting as always cheered and waved to her.

The place she arrived at was Southwark. A place where London’s largest pleasure district and slums mingled together.

Originally, filth had filled every street, but thanks to Baron Raleigh mobilizing even the guardsmen to clean the slums throughout London, sanitation had improved greatly.

When she reached the clinic near the docks, the day finally began in earnest.

“Urgh! I-I feel like I’m going to die!”

“This doesn’t seem to be the Black Death.”

“Disinfect the wound and apply ointment around it!”

The clinic, now treating not only the Black Death but all sorts of illnesses, had grown more complicated and busier despite the decrease in patients.

Only after sweating profusely all morning did Margaret finally see the patients’ line disappear and gain a moment’s breathing room. But for Margaret, rest would not come until after evening.

“The soup kitchen is open!”

“H-hurry, get in line!”

That was because the free soup kitchen, which had begun operating not long ago, opened after lunch. As a rule, one-tenth of the profits earned in England was spent on running clinics and soup kitchens like this.

Today’s menu, as usual, was soup boiled with potatoes and onions. The volunteers carried the potatoes Baron Raleigh had brought back to London not long ago and peeled them, while others were busy boiling the soup and serving it.

“Miss Lawrence.”

“Baron? When did you get here?”

“I’ve been right beside you peeling potatoes since forty-seven minutes ago. You didn’t notice?”

“...”

“I suppose you didn’t.”

So intent on her work, Margaret had not even noticed Baron Raleigh approaching. Baron Raleigh set down the knife he had been using to peel potatoes and spoke to her.

“So, will you not be coming today either?”

He was speaking of the banquet being held at his mansion. Margaret shook her head and said,

“Well... I may be living in the palace, but places that splendid really don’t seem to suit me.”

“If you came, the number of people who’d say they would donate on impulse in the banquet hall would increase. Tsk, what a pity.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“No, no, what is there to be sorry for? I’m the one putting pressure on you. Then I’ll be off for now to prepare for the banquet.”

“G-good luck!”

With that, Raleigh boarded his carriage and departed for his mansion, Durham House... and evening came.

Yet the area around Durham House was still brightly lit. Countless prominent figures had gathered for the banquet.

All manner of famous nobles, wealthy merchants, and gentry from distinguished families had come, each adorned in splendid ornaments.

Every one of them... had come wearing aluminum brooches and necklaces, which had been in fashion in London for several years now. They gathered like statues in Durham House’s resplendent banquet hall, whispering among themselves.

“Thank you for waiting, everyone! Today’s ingredients are now being presented!”

Then, alongside the host of the banquet, all kinds of fish and meats were displayed in the banquet hall. The guests could not help but marvel at that moment.

“My goodness... do you see that?”

“How many are there?”

It was not because of the fresh raw vegetables, fish, and meat brought in from all over England.

It was because of what they were packed in, filled with ice...

Styrofoam boxes.

“Even the Duke of Norfolk could only mobilize fifty Styrofoam boxes!”

“My goodness... it looks as though every Styrofoam box in England has been gathered here!”

The reason ice sellers had rapidly increased around London, and the cause of the culture of boasting fresh ingredients before banquets.

Thanks to Styrofoam boxes, the freshness of high-end ingredients circulated in England had risen dramatically.

Also, as a way of showing off that one enjoyed precious Shine Muscat, Ruby Roman, and Black Sapphire grapes, Styrofoam boxes were traded as valuable goods.

The gathered nobles sat at their respective seats, holding aluminum tableware as they stared greedily at the ingredients placed in the Styrofoam boxes.

“Here, today’s wine has been replaced with one from Virginia instead of Bordeaux! Everyone, please have a taste!”

“Not Bordeaux? You mean it was transported across the sea?”

“No matter how fast Sir Raleigh’s ships are, that’s a bit...”

Gulp.

“Ooooh!”

“A-a flavor I’ve never experienced before!”

Aluminum tableware instead of silver... American wine instead of French... Styrofoam boxes on the dining table...

“Where did you say Sir Drake is right now?”

“Most likely off the coast of the Caribbean, happily plundering Spaniards again!”

Margaret had avoided this banquet, saying it was too splendid.

But in truth, depending on how one looked at it, it was the most frugal banquet in London.

At any rate, that was how it was.