Chapter 28
I took a deep breath of the frontier’s cold dawn air.
The sun was slowly rising red on the horizon.
In the center of the village...
I had lined up all the large barbarian children.
Zakan.
Malko.
The teenage warriors.
Even the younger children.
Every member of the Rock Tribe had been summoned without explanation.
They stood there looking at one another in confusion.
Of course...
Our outside workers were no exception.
Merchant Topu.
Carpenter Jack.
Even the beetles had been summoned.
“Um... Shaman?”
Jack held a hammer in one hand and a plane in the other.
He looked confused.
“What is this about?”
Zakan was equally curious.
“Izak. What happened?”
Raise front leg.
The beetles also raised a front leg, demanding an explanation.
Topu scratched his messy bedhead.
“Shaman? Why’d you call everyone out before sunrise?”
He yawned.
“Do you have something to tell us?”
Hehehe...
Why did I call you?
Because it’s finally time to expose your naked hearts.
Yesterday...
When I advanced to Intermediate Farmer...
The Tenant Land system had been unlocked.
It was a miraculous system that allowed me to appoint people belonging to the Rock Tribe who had sufficient Trust toward me as Tenant Farmers.
Then I could delegate farming to them.
That way...
I give them Tenant Land.
They plant potatoes.
I become rich.
And eventually...
I turn all of them into a Hercules Barbarian Army.
Perfect!
I swallowed my evil laughter.
I had summoned every child in advance so I could appoint them immediately and put them to work.
Now then...
Let’s look inside the hearts of my adorable children.
Honestly...
My expectations were sky-high.
Just think about everything I’ve done for them.
I had given miraculous potatoes to starving children.
Helped them survive the Red Moon.
Defeated the vicious Varg.
And now...
I had even recruited skilled workers to rebuild the village walls.
They probably respect me like crazy.
What if they thought of me as some incarnation of the Ancestor Spirits?
Fanatical followers can be exhausting.
I suppressed my swelling ego.
Then gathered strength in my stomach.
“BARBARIAAAAN!”
Malko immediately frowned.
“Izak definitely went crazy because of Goblin Armpit Grass.”
He glared suspiciously toward the pile of dried Manong stacked beside my tent.
It smells great, idiot.
Ding!
[Tenant Land System activated.]
[Searching for targets who meet the requirements for appointment as Tenant Farmers...]
A translucent system window appeared.
I smiled contentedly.
Surely a huge list of people who practically worshipped me would appear.
[Search complete.]
[Current targets eligible for Tenant Farmer appointment: None.]
“...Huh?”
I stupidly rubbed both eyes.
None?
Zero?
Not even one person?
Impossible.
This had to be a system error.
Refusing to accept reality...
I pointed directly at Zakan and tried to appoint him by force.
[Appointment Failed! Insufficient Trust!]
“Izak. Why are you looking at me like that?”
Insufficient...
Trust?
Zakan...
I thought we had something!
We fought together during that deadly Red Moon.
We risked our lives defeating the Varg.
We had even traveled together through the monster-filled northern forest to collect Steelwood.
Was I the only one who thought we were close?
Fine.
You bastard.
“Bad person.”
“...???”
I turned away from Zakan.
My heart filled with betrayal and sadness.
Fine. Sure.
He’s the Chief.
Maybe he was simply separating personal feelings from his responsibilities.
Yeah.
Zakan had always been rational and cold.
But the next person would be different.
Didn’t this guy swear his loyalty to me because I fed him potatoes?
I slowly turned toward my loyal subordinate Malko.
[Appointment Failed! Insufficient Trust!]
I staggered from the shock.
I almost collapsed.
N-No.
It’s too early to be disappointed.
I don’t even need Malko anyway!
He can barely count past twelve!
My children!
My little ones who always followed me around!
Surely they were different.
Children didn’t lie.
My miraculous farming.
My cooking.
My wisdom.
Surely their pure souls had been deeply moved.
I selected all the children standing in a row.
[Appointment Failed! Insufficient Trust!]
“...”
You little...
I slowly closed my eyes.
Then bit my lower lip.
This is driving me insane.
I sighed deeply.
My pride had been shattered.
And worse...
My perfect plan to automate the potato farm had hit a wall before it even began.
I turned toward the confused outside workers.
First...
Jack, the human carpenter who owed me his life.
Then Topu, my transporter and representative.
[Appointment Failed! Insufficient Trust!]
Damn it.
There isn’t one person in this village I can trust!
Finally...
I glanced toward the beetles twitching their antennae on Jack’s shoulder.
My pride had already been destroyed.
So with nothing left to lose...
I tried selecting the beetles.
[Appointment Possible! However, these individuals are unsuitable for agricultural labor instructions.]
“...Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped me.
I stared at the beetles.
They proudly raised one front leg.
Then danced.
Yay! Yay!
...The bugs trust me.
The barbarian children I had fought beside didn’t trust me...
But the creatures with the highest Trust toward the Rock Tribe’s Shaman...
Were insects.
The meaning of this was devastating.
There was nobody in the village capable of becoming my Tenant Farmer!
That means I have to personally work all one hundred farming slots!
And what if I kept leveling?
What if I reached two hundred slots?
One thousand?
Would I spend my entire life planting potatoes until my back permanently bent?
Just as despair began consuming me...
“Potato?”
Gamjadori sat on my shoulder.
Its short legs dangled.
It noticed my depressed mood and shouted bravely.
Ah.
Right.
Gamjadori.
With the desperation of a drowning man grabbing a straw...
I selected Gamjadori.
