CH 39

“…….”

In the meantime, the loyal knight who was standing at my side instead of Sein, who had left his seat, was silently looking at the front as firm as a rock even as I talked.

Wow, this is awkward.

If it were Sein, he would have gracefully told me that I am worrying over nothing and even asked me the meaning of my words.

I, who have foolishly become a person who speaks nonsense in the air, faked a cough and pulled out a letter from my pocket.

The sender is Miller Firenze.

Miller and I rarely, if ever, exchange letters in an official manner. The contents of the last letter were nothing more than adjustments to the supply of the magic stones and the timing of payment settlement, which were business-related matters.

I was writing to him about the current state of affairs in the kingdom, as if I was writing about the weather, writing that I would not sell the rest of the magic stones I had and that I would stop trading for the time being

The letter in my hand is a reply to that.

[The kingdom is currently suffering from attacks by monsters. It is still the same.

I know the Baron has experience with it, but recently, it appears you’ve been too busy and have forgotten about it.

Furthermore, I am worried that there may not be anyone else who can provide this kind of information, as unfortunately, the informant is no longer with us.

It would be nice to spend one’s life comfortably in a place with fresh air and clear water, but as a Lord, it is necessary to at least be aware of the minimum state of affairs for the people of the territory.

In addition, I was somewhat relieved by the fact that there will be no trading for the time being.

As I’m going to be busy too.

Hopefully we can have good trading opportunities again at other times.]

Are you asking me because you don’t know such obvious things? No one told you? Don’t you think you should be aware since your territory has been attacked once? And I’m actually busy, so thank you for cutting the deal?

……It was a very precious letter that can be summarized as such.

Yes, thank you for providing me with high-level information. Break your nose when you’re on your way, Miller.

“Sir Ted, I’m sorry, but please dump this in the incinerator on your way.”

“Understood.”

After ordering the loyal knight to expunge the letter with my curse on it, I idly gazed over my castle and my territory beyond.

I did not ask Miller about the current situation not because I truly did not know.

As I said to myself, which Sir Ted did not accept, it only bothered me that Ensis was too peaceful compared to other regions.

Simply put, our territory had not experienced the kind of random disasters that occurred elsewhere, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was just the way things were.

“…….”

I thought it was suspicious, but maybe that’s just me.

But, to be honest, the more leisurely time I had, the better

Soon, the first milestone of the monumental project of drilling a tunnel through the mountain range that traverses the territory will be completed, and ways to shoot down the enemy in the sky with the remaining magic stones will also be developed.

Additionally, I had plans to ask magic engineers to create artificial devices that would allow for natural circulation within caverns of a size that people could live in, and to find out if they could dig them.

I wanted to do everything I could to implement the contents of countless fantasy and science fiction novels that I had read in the past as a modern person.

At first, I thought that this place was just a world from a book, and that the apocalypse was inevitably coming. Although I was terrified by the plot of the sequel where the world was destroyed.

After learning that someone who had transmigrated here in the past had changed the predetermined future of the world being destroyed…… Even if we can’t stop it, maybe we can avoid it.

That’s what I thought.

And I also realized that this was not the time to look at my husband who unconditionally trusts me. I was determined to find a way to live safely with Hisch.

I guess this is why people get married.

The thought of having to protect my family in any way somehow instills a sense of purpose in me.

“Sir Ted……. this is really out of the blue, but I wonder if you can listen to me.”

At my words, the brown-haired man behind me asked in a serious voice.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, I just thought about something.”

“Yes.”

“I think Hisch is so kind and cute.”

At my words, Sir Ted was silent for a moment, and then replied in a low voice.

“Is that so?”

“I never knew until I actually got married, but it’s really different from what I thought it would be. Should I say it’s a sense of belonging? Is it correct to say that I feel like I have found an absolute supporter of mine?”

“Yes.”

“Look at Hisch. Can you see how caring, how diligent he works, and how kind-hearted he is?”

“Indeed he is.”

“And how cute he is too. He is really too good a companion for me. When I see Hisch when I wake up in the morning, I naturally think that I should cheer up today……”

“Please refrain from expressing your affection while holding onto poor Sir Roelich, my Lord.”

I quickly turned my head to the familiar argument, and as expected, the vassal with an unpleasant expression was looking at me. At that moment, the brown-haired man shook his head.

“No, my Lord. Seeing you talk about your husband with such happiness brings me joy as your vassal.”

Waah! The best vassal of this year! As I looked at Sein confidently, the man looked at Sir Ted with an expression of disbelief. It was like looking at a creature he couldn’t understand.

“Sir Roelich, I’m telling you this just in case. No matter how much you flatter my Lord, it will not benefit you.”

No, that’s ridiculous. How can my aide criticize me like I’m some protagonist in a romance fantasy who always brags about his beautiful lover!

……Huh? Could it be?

“……But Sein, what’s the matter?”

Before he could continue talking about my appearance, I asked him to get to the point and he slowly lowered his head and said.

“Important guests have come to visit and requested to see you, my Lord.“

Important guests? I tilted my head.

As soon as I entered the drawing room, two men greeted me in different ways.

The first person I noticed was Baron Elrod, who had left in a huff not long ago.

He was stroking his well-groomed mustache, and when he saw me, he stood up with a visibly pleased expression.

The man sitting next to him also stood up and looked at me.

Unlike Baron Elrod, who had a plump body, the man with a sullen face was looking at me with disapproving eyes.

Although it was our first time meeting, I could tell that he was Baron Peloche, who had recently sent me an unexpected contract through his knight.

After a simple introduction, I smiled and opened my mouth.

“Baron Peloche, Baron Elrod. Thank you for coming to see me. I was surprised by your sudden visit.”

I still said it, even though I knew what kind of answer would come. From here on, it was like a play where we both knew each other’s moves and spoke accordingly.

Sure enough, Baron Elrod said, pounding his chest.

“Well, it’s best to resolve this big matter as quickly as possible. That’s why I hurried to mediate between the two of you.”

While Baron Elrod was speaking very faithfully, Baron Peloche looked at him with a scowling expression from the side.

I covered my mouth with both hands, feeling touched by Baron Elrod’s words, and thanked him for his consideration.

In truth, whether my covered mouth was smiling or not, no one in this room would have paid any attention to it anyway.

Baron Elrod first suggested that we sit down instead of standing and talking, and I quickly accepted, so I sat opposite Baron Peloche with Baron Elrod in between us.

Soon a servant brought tea to each of us, but no one reached for it.

While Baron Elrod and I were excitedly exchanging pleasantries, the man who had been sitting there like a lump of barley, staring at the steam rising from his tea, finally spoke up.

“It seems like the two of you are very close to each other. Anyway, Lord, I would like to get to the main topic.”

Of course, the man, who was expected to talk about the debt contract, proceeded on to say this.

“But there’s something I want to hear first. I heard that you’re planning to pave a road through the mountain range that crosses Ensis. Is that really possible in the first place?”

“What do you mean by really possible?”

“Whether you have a feasible business plan in place, and whether you really have that much capital secured. I mean things like that.”

Baron Elrod, who was smiling at Baron Peloche’s words, also looked at me quietly. I blinked my eyes and soon rested my arms in the armrest with my chin resting on my hand.

“It is actually a planned project and construction is scheduled to start soon, but……”

Then I said with a mischievous smile.

“You two gentlemen seem to be very interested in that matter?”

Of course, there would be a great interest in that. I knew that, and so did the two men in front of me.

However, nobles never speak directly. Sure enough, Baron Elrod, with a sly glint in his eyes, arched his eyebrows as he spoke.

“It’s because Baron Peloche and I are worried, Lord. That mountain range is really perilous and there’s a possibility of wasting a lot of capital.”

While doing so, Baron Elrod gave really condescending advice, such as ‘you’re still young’, ‘you have no experience’, and ‘you haven’t been here for very long’.