CH 37

When I first took office here, there were three people who sent a letter to Hisch.

The first was Baron Peloche who brought a conspiracy theory, saying, ‘Have you been left out by the family?’ and the second was the unscrupulous Baron Callif, who asked, ‘How about my niece as a mistress?’

And the last one was Baron Elrod, who showed off his old-fashionedness by saying, ‘I’ve been a native here for five generations.’

And Ensis was indebted to all three of them.

I interrupted the vassal’s explanation about the creditors, and said with a mischievous smile.

“Should I guess before you talk? Baron Elrod and the other two nobles are at odds. What do you think?”

Sein smiled and nodded at my words.

“You are indeed the Lord.”

Usually, when a nobleman receives a certain territory, it is common for him to cultivate it from generation to generation.

There were frequent cases of the family ruling the territory, such as Ensis, being cut off, the territory being sold, or the title being forfeited due to various circumstances.

Therefore, surprisingly, there were few nobles who could be said to be native to the area, and the more people who put forward such things, the more they were certified as 'kkondae' [1] and did not get along well with the surrounding territories.

“It just so happens to be good. He’s even one of the beneficiaries of our territory business. I’ll write him a letter.”

“Even if you don’t do that, no matter how great the differences in status between the contracting parties are, there is plenty of room for a fight in court under the laws of the kingdom.”

Sein said in a calm voice.

“In the absence of the master of Ensis, the words of Baron Peloche may have been accepted in practice, but now, the young lady…… the Lord is here.”

As Sein said, despite my failure to stay in Catlan and return to the countryside, no matter what my position within the family was, I was still the daughter of a Duke.

It was not good to say this because it made me sound like a dirty gold spoon, but if the local baron mentioned his status in the trial, I would have an advantage.

Of course, the fact that the contract was written before I came would be a hindrance, but if the other person persists with his position, then I too have a standing that is simply second to none.

“Well…… There must be several ways. But it’s a bother to get there, and in fact, it’s better to just give the money than go through a trial. Time can’t be bought with money.”

Thinking about what was ahead, it was better to focus on other things than to waste time for just a few pennies. But I don’t want to be a pushover, so I’ll have to carry out my best.

Sein nodded in agreement, and after a moment, he said.

“And my Lord, as I mentioned last time…… the report on Mr. Hisch’s abilities is roughly complete.”

With that, I set aside the file I was flipping through for a moment and accepted the paper that Sein held out.

Sein said that during my time in the capital, he briefly experimented with the power of Hisch.

At first, I was angry that Sein had pushed ahead without Hisch’s permission. Sein was also a wizard who couldn’t help himself, and thinking about it made me feel bitter.

Unexpectedly, however, Hisch had complied and had given him permission to find out as much as possible with the consent of the person himself.

Perhaps Hisch had been curious about his power all along. That’s what I think.

“……To add a little bit of an idea, Mr. Hisch’s power is amazing. Should I call it phenomenal?”

A cursory glance at the report showed that it was indeed the case. There was no penalty, and the results showed that he could use his abilities not only by touching, but also by thinking strongly within a certain radius.

It suddenly occurred to me that these people with great power in Evertail’s diary were usually gentle people.

Just as giraffes evolved long necks to pluck leaves from higher places, snakes chose to hibernate to conserve their energy.

Perhaps that gentleness was the world’s arrangement to ensure that those with great power did not somehow break the balance.

If someone with a wicked heart wielded that power at will, this world would not have survived.

“But as strong as it may be, it is a dangerous power. What if, for example, an inanimate object like an arrow or a magic bullet flies in from a distance?”

“I think we can defend that part with a lot of powerful artifacts.”

“What if someone wants to cast mind-manipulation magic like brainwashing, hallucinations, or auditory hallucinations?”

“I’m thinking of using up enough mana in the magic stone to cast powerful defense magic on Mr. Hisch. It would be difficult to defend permanently, but at least a powerful spell that would take about a month to destroy.”

I nodded, as the methods Sein suggested made sense.

As I listened to him silently, I suddenly looked up at the still rational but enthusiastic Sein.

“It’s an ability that shows endless possibilities depending on how you use it. Since the Lord has recently been very interested in improving the military power of the territory, I think this ability of Mr. Hisch will also be a great help to Ensis.”

For some reason, his eyes seem to be burning. As a researcher, of course it may be a burning passion.

I shook my head at him as he said to use Hisch quite naturally.

“No, I don’t intend to. And discard this report after you have memorized it completely. Write down another fake report.”

“You have no intention of doing it?”

Sein said, dumbfounded by my words.

“It is a great power. After all, Mr. Hisch once used this power to save the territory. There has been a lot of trouble in the kingdom lately, and Mr. Hisch’s presence will definitely be of vital importance in the future.”

“Yes, you’re right, but I don’t want to force Hisch to do that.”

Perhaps Sein has no idea what I am talking about.

If this was a novel and I were a reader, I might have thought like Sein.

With such power, why suffer with it so much? The writer is just forcing sweet potatoes [2] .

You can just get rid of anything you don’t like. No need to be serious. What’s the problem with that?

It’s a novel anyway.

“…….”

The upcoming apocalypse may also be solved very easily with Hisch’s power.

Maybe me, too. When the moment of desperation comes, I might eventually cling to Hisch for help.

But no. My husband could take such an easy way, but he took the long way, going round in circles.

The man, who could just destroy what he didn’t like and perhaps reign like a demon lord in a fairytale, found happiness there by silently tending to trees and flowers.

There must be a reason for that.

Hisch must have hidden this ability from me for some reason that I, as a stranger, could not simply judge.

“I’m not going to tell Hisch to do this. If Hisch wants to use it, he can. He can also not use it.”

At my words, Sein frowned.

“It’s inefficient.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…… I don’t understand.”

“I can’t explain it either.”

It may be the worst decision for a ruler, but I personally believe it is the right decision.

But on the other hand, I was amazed at myself for making such a decision.

In order to live in peace, I married him and moved to this countryside territory.

For my original purpose, I had to either seek Hisch’s cooperation and use his power to escape the situation, or I had to hide his power thoroughly so as not to get caught up in useless things.

But neither side tempted me.

I no longer desire to move Hisch at my will just to achieve my purpose.

I held the report in both hands and looked at Sein once, and the man nodded, even though he looked displeased.

Seeing that, I tore the paper I was holding in half without hesitation.

“It’s just that I cherish Hisch so much that I am acting recklessly.”

Sein just bowed his head, without answering my words.

The letter I sent to Baron Elrod, the kkondae of the three, worked surprisingly well, and he visited Ensis the very next day in response to my letter asking for advice.

He was indeed a middle-aged man who liked to give advice, and as soon as the man with the mustache got out of the carriage, he began to point at the Lord’s castle.

“Oh my, this is so poorly managed. You can’t manage it like this. No touch of an expert [3] at all……”

“…….”

It was a bit funny to see Albert, who would be saddened by being second in meticulousness, not saying anything and just listening with an upset expression.

After looking at him for a moment, I deliberately pretended as if I had just arrived, and approached the man with my arms outstretched.

“Baron Elrod! Thank you for visiting.”

The man, who had been clicking his tongue at my appearance and was admonishing me about the management of the mansion, looked up and down at me.

The rude look made Sein frown, but I continued without removing my smile.

“I made a sudden request, but I didn’t know you’d come here at once.”

“Ahem. Well, although the reply to the letter was a little slow, the Lord must have been busy adjusting to an unfamiliar environment, so it is not something that I would not understand.”

Yeah, yeah, I was actually just gonna read your letter and ignore it.