Chapter 152: Isn’t the Situation a Bit Uncomfortable? (1)
Everyone stared silently at the wheat field for a while.
I confirmed that the sprouts had grown before heading to the capital.
But seeing this vast field sparkling in golden light made me realize how incredible Ghislaine’s achievement was once again.
Moreover, it’s not even the harvest season yet, and it shines like that. The growth rate is astonishingly different from ordinary wheat.
Ghislaine inspected the wheat carefully and nodded.
“We should be able to harvest soon.”
There were still some slightly green stalks that weren’t completely ripe, but overall, it was at a level where immediate harvesting posed no problem.
Lowell responded with a smile.
“Yes, it seems we can begin the first harvest soon. The preparations are already complete.”
“Great, make sure to generously share with the territory residents. We have a lot to do, so they need to eat well.”
“With this amount, we can give all of it to the territory residents and still have leftovers. You won’t have to worry until next year. Plus, we can harvest again in a few months, so we won’t have issues for years.”
Ghislaine chuckled at Lowell’s confident words.
“Don’t think about saving it; just focus on feeding them well. We’ll need to increase the farmland several times over.”
“Why is that?”
“There’s a thing. I’ll tell you when we get back to the castle.”
Ghislaine turned her gaze to Claude.
“Claude, have the retainers summoned immediately. We need to explain the overall situation and discuss any deficiencies and the work ahead.”
“Understood.”
While Lowell was appointed as the chief officer, there were inevitably some shortcomings.
After all, he doesn’t yet have the authority of a lord or chief officer.
On the way back to the castle, Claude asked Lowell casually.
“Hey, bro. Did you take care of what I mentioned?”
While Ghislaine and Claude were in the capital, the transactions with the merchant group were also entrusted to Lowell.
Claude had left, urging him to subtly negotiate prices and pocket a few gold coins.
But Lowell hesitated at Claude’s question.
“Oh, how could I do something so wicked?”
“Come on, you’re the bad guy! You exploited the territory massively before; why pretend to be good now? Suddenly want to live righteously?”
“I’m not doing those things anymore! I did all that before because the previous lord ordered it, and I had no choice.”
“Wow, I really was the bad guy. I thought just pocketing a little allowance after 20 years of unpaid work wasn’t that terrible!”
“……”
Lowell ignored him and chose not to answer. It’s not worth arguing with this guy.
Sighing heavily, Claude composed himself and remarked.
“Well… still, you’ve worked hard all this time, so you should at least get a reward.”
Lowell, who had been holding back without responding, was intrigued by the mention of a reward.
“What reward?”
Claude smirked and raised his fist.
“A fatal wound.”
Gah!
“Ugh!”
“Ah! Why are you hitting me?!”
When Claude smacked him on the shoulder, Lowell jumped in surprise and took a defensive stance, textbook style.
The problem was that in doing so, he accidentally jabbed Claude right in the chin.
“Ouch! Did you hit me? This is treason!”
“Uh? I’m sorry. Can’t we just say I gave you a little bump?”
“Like heck! Come here. You’re dead.”
The two of them flailed their fists around in the air.
Belinda, watching like a spectator at a paper-doll show fluttering in the wind, gave them a look of utter disbelief.
“What are you two doing? You can’t even fight properly!”
Hearing the bickering from behind, Ghislaine couldn’t help but chuckle.
He loved this raucous, comfortable atmosphere that only a territory could offer.
*
As all the retainers gathered, they reported the progress of their respective duties to the long-returned lord.
First up was Lowell, who served as the Chief Officer delegate.
“The wheat has fully grown, so food supply issues should proceed without a hitch. The anticipated harvest is massive, and we’ll be gradually decreasing the amount of grain we’re buying from the merchant group.”
After Lowell finished speaking, a proud look spread across the faces of the retainers.
This territory had barely managed to feed its few residents in the past.
From a place so impoverished, they had now secured a food supply that anyone would envy.
Belinda, who had been quietly listening, tilted her head and asked, “So how much is that, exactly?”
“With just this harvest, we’ll have a yield comparable to several other territories in the North combined.”
“Come on, the other territories in the North are all poor, right? They barely have any farmland and rely on imports for food; how much could we actually gain by adding them together?”
Not just Penris, but other territories in the North were hardly in great shape. Raybold was unusually well-off.
The northern territories had managed to survive by utilizing resources from mountains, forests, and rivers rather than farming.
As Belinda pointed this out, Lowell nodded in agreement and explained more concretely.
“With just a bit more farmland, we could rival the Great Territory of Raybold. Our overall yield is still slightly lacking, but our per-unit production capacity is probably the best in the kingdom.”
“O…oh…”
Belinda’s eyes widened in admiration at those words.
Raybold, overseen by Amelia’s father, was home to the largest plains in the North.
Thanks to the incredible amount of food produced there, Raybold had become a Great Territory.
Yet, comparing the harvest of the much smaller Penris to Raybold’s production capacity was staggering!
Though they were still not quite at Raybold’s level, that was just due to their smaller land size.
With that realization, Belinda finally relaxed, releasing the tension from her shoulders.
“Wow, our Young Master is really something! How did he even know about all this?”
She had been worried sick while watching Ghislaine these past days.
Though all his endeavors had been successful, looking back, nothing about them seemed conventional.
But now that the food issue was resolved and money was steadily coming in from cosmetics, she figured he wouldn’t be making any weird moves anymore. Her worries were over.
“Penris just needs to keep developing like this. And if we inherit Perdium, our Young Master could even become a Great Lord, right? Ah, how pleased would our late Lady be to see this? Look at how well I raised the Young Master. Hohoho.”
Like Belinda, other retainers also began to relax a little.
Though they were currently busy managing things as the business was still finding its footing, time seemed to promise that they could live without big worries soon.
However, the relieved retainers were taken aback by Ghislaine’s next words.
Everyone was taken aback by Ghislaine’s words.
“What are you talking about? Why reduce food imports? I told you to keep buying until I say it’s sufficient!”
Seeing Lowell’s shocked expression as he tried to counter Ghislaine’s incredulity, he replied, “Huh? We have more than enough right now! With the recent support, it can’t possibly be lacking. Once the harvest comes in, we’ll have a huge surplus!”
“No, it’s not enough for me. So just keep bringing it in, no breaks, until I say to stop.”
“Got it!”
Lowell nodded, albeit awkwardly, in response to the firm command.
It was hard to understand the reason behind the frantic food accumulation, but having a solid stockpile wasn’t a bad idea, so he decided to let it slide for now.
If it starts overflowing, he can always stop it then.
The retainers exchanged glances, thinking similarly.
Ghislaine continued with a nonchalant expression, “How’s the construction of the additional residences going?”
Lowell glanced at Alfoy and the Mages before answering. “We’re slightly behind schedule, but it should be completed within a month. We’ve prioritized connecting the existing village roads and waterways first.”
“No accidents?”
“Nope, the mercenaries have been patrolling in shifts, so public order hasn’t been a problem.”
The number of territory residents wasn’t high, and no one wanted to face the hardships of their previous life again, so they lived carefully, staying aware of their surroundings.
Anyone who might cause trouble was already being managed by the neighbors. So, even if someone wanted to stir up trouble, they couldn’t.
“Any other issues?”
“We need to raise the living standards of the territory residents, but there are still many things lacking. We’re currently coordinating with the merchant group to purchase basic necessities. We’ve also planned to gradually increase welfare facilities like hospitals and libraries by bringing in specialized personnel.”
Just gathering food and providing housing wasn’t enough; now they needed items and facilities that could improve the quality of life.
Lowell smiled, looking unbothered. “With all the supplies the lord has managed to gather, we shouldn’t face major issues for a while. This part is bound to take time anyway.”
Once the overall report about the territory’s situation concluded, the retainers eagerly started detailing their own tasks.
“Though the Runestone was a bit costly… maintaining the pastures hasn’t posed any problem. We’ll be able to start breeding horses soon.”
“The workshop, grain storage, and bakery are almost completed.”
“As you mentioned, we’ve also built government offices in each village to handle public affairs.”
The retainers were excitedly chattering away.
The territory, once thought to be beyond recovery, was gradually coming back to life.
Even though they had only managed to reach a level similar to other territories, the retainers were satisfied with that alone.
After all the reports wrapped up, Ghislaine nodded a few times, as if it were only natural.
“Well, it seems we at least have the basics in place.”
While the changes so far seemed miraculous to others, Ghislaine found it utterly unsatisfactory.
Everyone was wrapping it up nicely, but the reality was that they had only touched the city with the lord’s castle and a few nearby villages.
Even in terms of infrastructure, they had just secured the bare minimum necessary for people to live.
It was only just beginning to resemble a functioning community.
‘Not enough. Far from enough. At this rate, we won’t last long.’
Objectively speaking, the Penris Territory was still a small, poor, and cute little territory.
If there were any positives to mention, it was that they had increased food procurement rates using magic, perhaps?
While others seemed satisfied comparing it to the past, that was not how it should be.
From here on out, everyone needed to move in unison according to the goals Ghislaine would set.
Everyone had to move in unison.
“Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Before discussing the future plans, let me share the results we obtained from the capital.”
Everyone had just confirmed that Ghislaine returned with an enormous fortune.
The people looked at Ghislaine with eyes full of anticipation for recognition and rewards for their hardships.
“…So, Marquis Branford has agreed to be our guardian. My father and I have also become members of the Crown Prince Faction, so keep that in mind.”
“Whoa!”
The retainers couldn’t hide their admiration at this unexpected good news.
The Marquis Branford is a noble with such powerful influence that his reputation stretches even to this rural area.
If someone like him claims to be the lord’s guardian, then no one would dare to recklessly interfere with the Penris Territory in the North.
This was truly joyful news for the retainers, who were increasingly worried that territories like Perdium might attack as the territory developed.
“…Moreover, the Marquis Branford’s young lady has invested 300,000 gold into the cosmetics business. Cosmetics are also gaining great popularity in the capital, and they will soon spread throughout the kingdom.”
“Whoa!”
As if that wasn’t the end, Ghislaine continued speaking.
“Shortly, there will be a large-scale migration of people to the Penris Territory. These are the ones supported by the Crown Prince Faction for our territory.”
“Whoa!”
The retainers were overwhelmed by the successive good news.
As the foundation of the population and military strength, it is no exaggeration to say that the most important resource in the territory is “people.”
However, as important as the population is, it is also a resource that cannot easily be increased in a short period of time.
‘To receive such a large-scale support of that resource!’
One of the retainers asked with an excited voice.
“So, how many immigrants are we expecting?”
“At least over 50,000.”
“Hahaha, I hope that’s true.”
The retainers laughed, thinking that Ghislaine was joking as usual. It was too large a number to believe as truth.
But both Ghislaine, Claude, and Belinda had serious expressions, showing no signs of humor.
One of the retainers felt an ominous premonition and, sweating coldly, spoke to Ghislaine.
“Um, um…… Is that really true about 50,000? That’s nonsense.”
“What doesn’t make sense?”
“Our territory can’t handle that many people right now.”
“It’s not like they’ll all come at once, so it’s okay. They’ll come in thousands at a time.”
“Even so, we can’t handle that. There won’t be enough houses for them to stay in, and food will be scarce.”
Ghislaine nodded as if it was obvious.
“That’s true. Then you know what we need to do next, right?”
The retainers looked at Claude, as if to urge the lord to intervene.
As the attention was focused on him, Claude cleared his throat unnecessarily and stepped forward.
“You all must be very surprised by the sudden news, right? I understand that feeling well. However, what’s done is done. There’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
Seeing Claude speak as if it were someone else’s problem, the people began to wonder the same thing.
‘Why is the Chief Officer of the territory so carefree?’
Regardless of the glares from everyone, Claude shrugged his shoulders and continued.
“Well, it won’t be much different from now. It’s just… the scale has increased a bit… a lot. We’ll just have to build new houses and expand the cultivation areas… and build more facilities for welfare… What else is there to do, right?”
Claude turned to Ghislaine, seeking agreement.
Ghislaine nodded and replied.
“That’s obviously what must be done. Along with that, there’s something else we need to proceed with.”
“Huh? What’s that? Is there anything else besides this?”
“Yes, we need to prepare for war.”
At those words, the expressions of the people turned strange.
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