The farmland lay to the southeast of our house. In the past, to protect the crops from monsters, the villagers had built houses around it—forming a sturdy wall of protection.
But now, those houses were gone. Only a wide stretch of green farmland remained, calm and untouched. Because there was a good distance between the houses and the fields, the fire hadn't spread this far.
I gazed at the rice plants. They hadn't reached the harvest season yet; their color was still a deep, lively green. When they turned golden, it would finally be time to reap them.
The next issue was water. The village had always relied on water magic to irrigate the farmland. Since there was no pond nearby, and Lina didn't have enough time to walk across the whole village every day, we needed another solution.
My eyes drifted toward the forest.
(There might be a way...)
It would probably take a while to put that plan into action. For now, I decided to check on the farm animals instead.
The cows were surrounded by wooden fences, with a roof covering half the area so they could take shelter when it rained. The chickens, on the other hand, lived inside a small wooden coop.
The pasture was located to the southwest of our house. From a distance, I could still see a few houses standing—and the livestock were still inside their fences. Just like the farmland, there was quite a distance between the houses and the field. I had to admit, the village chief had been a real strategist.
"How are you doing? Moo moo!"
"Moo~"
Lina greeted the cows cheerfully, and to my surprise, the cows actually responded. For a brief moment, the loneliness of being the only two people left in the village faded away.
But then the cows started mooing louder and louder, until a whole herd gathered around us.
"MOOOOO~!"
"You guys want to play with me?" Lina said with a bright smile.
I tilted my head. (Play? That's… not it, right?)
Then my eyes caught the empty trough and the dry water basin. Not a single drop of water—or a trace of feed—was left.
"That's not it! They're hungry. Give them some water, quick—I'll get the feed!"
"Okay. Water Ball"
Lina chanted a quick spell, and a floating sphere of water appeared, splashing into the trough. Meanwhile, I sprinted toward the small shed beside the chicken coop. That's where the feed was stored.
Inside, I found several barrels of animal feed and stacks of hay bales piled high. I pushed one of the bales over, rolling it outside with a grunt, and finally managed to drag it all the way back to Lina.
"Food's here! So stop yelling, okay?"
"MOOOO~!"
The cows, apparently thrilled by the sight, started mooing even louder.
"Time to eat!" I announced with a tired smile.
I untied the ropes around the hay, and together, Lina and I grabbed handfuls of straw, tossing them into the feeding troughs. The cows immediately rushed in, pushing and shoving each other as they ate.
Once their bellies were full, they turned their backs on us as if we'd never existed.
(...So much for gratitude.)
Next, we headed to the chicken coop. I picked up a bucket of wheat grains—these were originally meant as chicken feed, since no one in the village actually knew how to process them for people.
I stepped inside the coop and scattered the grains across the ground. The chickens immediately gathered around, pecking busily. Meanwhile, Lina crouched outside, giggling as she poked at one of the chickens with her finger.
"Lina, careful! The chicken might peck your finger!"
"It won't—wah!"
Before she could even finish her sentence, a chicken lunged at her hand. Lina shrieked and fell backward onto the ground, eyes wide in shock.
I quickly rushed over, grabbed the offending chicken, and carried it away. Then I helped Lina out of the coop—her eyes were watery, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"I told you to be careful. Did it hurt your finger?"
I gently took her hand and inspected her fingers one by one, making sure she wasn't bleeding. Lina's voice came out small and shaky.
"…No."
I let go of her hand and gave her a little scolding.
"Don't do that again, okay? Chickens might mistake your finger for a worm."
"I know…"
Her shoulders slumped, and she looked completely deflated. I had no idea how to cheer her up. When I glanced up, the sun was already high overhead—it was noon.
"Lina, it's lunchtime. Let's eat."
The moment Lina heard the word "lunch," her eyes sparkled. It wasn't that she was greedy—it was because she could cook all by herself again.
"I have something I need to do. You go back first, okay?"
Lina tilted her head, her expression a mix of confusion and worry.
"What kind of thing?"
"You'll find out later. I'll be back before you finish cooking."
I gave her a reassuring smile, hoping to ease her nerves. But she still looked uneasy—just hearing that she'd be alone seemed to make her anxious.
"…Okay, I'll go first then."
"Lina, I'm really looking forward to your cooked lunch."
I emphasized the word cooked on purpose, trying to shift her focus toward making something tasty instead of worrying about me. Lina seemed to catch my meaning.
"I got it!"
With that, she dashed off toward the house, her snow white hair fluttering behind her. I watched her go, then turned my gaze toward the farmland and began walking in that direction.
Using magic, I dug a trench around the edges of the farmland—deep enough to reach my waist. My plan was to draw water from the river and guide it here, so we could use it whenever we needed.
Then I entered the forest to find a path for the waterway. After walking for a while, I reached the riverside and traced the route in my head.
"Alright... time to dig."
I carved out a wide curve along the riverbank, letting the water flow inward. Then, as I made my way back, I continued digging the water channel.
The depth of the channel matched that of the trench, and the stream followed right behind me, surging forward until it finally connected to the farmland trench.
Water rushed in violently, filling it in an instant. I hurried to deepen the trench even further—now it was about as deep as my own height.
At that moment, I suddenly realized there was no difference in elevation here—the water in the trench would rise to the same level as the river.
If it rained, it would easily overflow. So, I raised the ground level and built a small bridge over it.
Once that was done, the water in the trench finally settled, matching the height of the waterway perfectly.
Seeing the grand sight before me, I placed my hands on my hips and felt a wave of satisfaction wash over me.
At the same time, I remembered that Lina was probably almost done cooking.
"Finally finished! Lina must be nearly done too. I'd better hurry back."
I quickly ran home.
But the moment I stepped inside, I saw lunch already served on the table, and Lina sitting on a chair, puffing her cheeks in anger as she glared at me.