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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Bobto
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After receiving the summons from my father, Marquis Kreutel, I left Varso in the territory and headed to the Kreutel Marquisate by carriage with Ella.
The distance from Windheim, where I was, to the Kreutel Marquisate took about two days by carriage, so honestly, it couldn’t be called a close distance.
Upon arrival, I immediately went to the mansion to meet the Marquis.
The Marquis was sitting in the office with the most solemn expression he could muster, with only a desk and chairs for him and me.
Towards such a Marquis, I greeted with the utmost respect as a noble.
“Ciel von Kreutel, the lord of Windheim, has come in response to the summons of His Excellency Marquis Kreutel.”
The Marquis slightly raised his right hand to receive the greeting and replied with a smile.
“You’ve worked hard to come. Ciel.”
“Thank you.”
“So, how is it governing a territory for the first time?”
“There are many difficulties, perhaps because I still lack experience. However, I am fortunate that the peasants of the territory are following me well, seeing me doing my best.”
The Marquis seemed satisfied with those words, nodded his head, and said,
“I see. As expected of my son.
To be honest, when I sent you to the territory, I thought that about 100 out of the 2,000 peasants in the territory would not survive this winter.
Because they wouldn’t have had anything to eat until summer due to the exploitation of the bailiff.”
That’s true.
Even though I returned the property that the bailiff had taken from the peasants of the territory, he had exploited them so much and already used it up, so there was no food to last until summer.
Usually in such cases, even if the lord lifts the restriction on gathering in his hunting grounds or reduces or exempts various taxes, people still end up starving to death.
Because these things existed, that guy named Malthus used the term “Malthusian trap” and said, “If the number of humans increases, there will be a shortage of food and they will all die, so humans in the future will be doomed.”
“Nevertheless, when I received a report that the people in your village were not only not starving to death, but were actually living better than the peasants of other territories, I doubted my eyes.
Because even I, no, any lord in the empire, would not have been able to achieve the same results as Ciel von Kreutel in that situation.”
For a moment, I thought about modestly declining the praise.
But the results I created were so overwhelming that it would be ridiculous to decline.
And this feudal society was an era when boasting appropriately within the limits of not crossing the line was considered a virtue.
I should just accept it moderately.
“It is an honor.”
This must have been the right answer, as the Marquis said in a happy voice with a satisfied smile,
“Yes, it’s good to see you being confident without being too arrogant or servile!
This is how a son of Paul von Kreutel should be!
Until now, you seemed a bit timid, so I was worried, but now that you are showing a confident demeanor, it is truly pleasing to see!”
“Thank you.”
And after a brief silence, the Marquis asked again in a serious voice.
“So, my son. Let me ask you straightforwardly.
Is this farming method possible to spread throughout our entire marquisate?”
“Of course. However, if it is simply conveyed through writing or words, it will be difficult for the peasants to understand, so we need to directly send a few peasants and village chiefs who have learned this farming method in Windheim to teach them.
Otherwise, there may be a great crop failure.”
“I see. Is that all that needs to be done?”
“No. In addition, you must promise on your honor as a noble to reduce or exempt taxes for the peasants if they fail at farming using this method.”
Hearing those words, the Marquis began to look at me strangely.
But it makes sense because for a noble, honor is sometimes more important than life.
So much so that even if a noble is deceived and promises to give money, he will sell his own house to pay that money in order to keep the honorable promise of a contract.
Therefore, telling them to stake such honor is equivalent to saying “Give a guarantee” these days.
However, in order to overcome the impending crisis and save the many starving peasants in this territory, this farming method must be spread throughout the entire marquisate as soon as possible.
I continued speaking in a calm voice.
“Because for peasants, a year’s farming is a matter of not only their own lives but also the lives of their families.
So unless it’s unavoidable, peasants try to farm the same way they succeeded yesterday, rather than trying a new method today and risking a loss.
Because the moment they suffer a loss, their families die.
Therefore, to make them move, a definite promise to compensate for losses is needed.”
Hearing those words, the Marquis nodded and replied,
“Indeed, if His Grace the duke tells me and my retainers to go to a dangerous battlefield when going to war with another territory, we would go after receiving a definite promise of the reward.
Those peasants are the same.”
“That’s right. And please think about it.”
The Marquis heard those words and asked with a curious expression,
“What do you mean?”
“Marquis, no, Father. Imagine the scene where the farming method that you, the lord, personally started by staking your honor achieves tremendous success.
How would your peasants and your retainers view it?”
The Marquis closed his eyes for a moment as if lost in thought.
And soon he smiled and laughed silently.
Then, he opened his eyes and said,
“I see, I would gain the trust and respect of the territory’s retainers and peasants all at once. And the honor of me, Paul von Kreutel, would also rise.
At the same time, with abundant food, we would become that much wealthier.”
“That’s right, you would even gain the title of a benevolent marquis who took care of the peasants by staking his honor as a noble, so even your enemies wouldn’t dare to touch you recklessly.”
Hearing those words, the Marquis grinned.
After that, I had a conversation with the Marquis for about an hour, and then bowed my head to bid farewell in order to leave.
“Then, Father, I will take my leave now.”
Then the Marquis said in passing to me as I was about to leave.
“Ah, Ciel. And a week from now, Your Grace Duke Nantes, our lord, is summoning his vassals, so you have to go.
So prepare yourself as well.”
**
As soon as I left the office, my mind began to get complicated.
Yes, first of all, Duke Nantes is… actually an ambiguous person.
The current Duke Nantes, the lord of Marquis Kreutel, is not a bad person.
No, rather, he treats his vassals relatively well and governs his territory well, so he can be considered an unproblematic figure.
And his personal life is also relatively clean, making him a man of character.
Of course, like other nobles, he had several instances of laying hands on maids or peasants, taking them as concubines, or secretly burying them as if nothing had happened after giving them money.
Nevertheless, in cases where a child was born, although he did not acknowledge them as his own children, he allowed them to live in another territory and supported them so that they were not wealthy but did not starve.
He also did not forcibly create and extort taxes from the peasants unless he was waging a war.
He was a person who was respected by his vassals for being such a lord, and the peasants of the territory did not dislike him.
If I were to find a similar figure in the current world, he would be like an ambiguous king who does not appear much in Korean history books of Goryeo or Joseon.
Thinking like this, there would be no reason for my head to get complicated, but rulers or leaders of this type generally do not handle crises well.
Looking at the content I know, the emperor will pass away in a few years, and a civil war will break out…
While I was lost in such thoughts, I heard Ella’s voice behind me.
“Master, Master.”
“Why did you call me?”
Then Ella looked at me, hesitated, and replied,
“I don’t want to be separated from you, Master.
Do I really have to stay here?
If you go to where Your Grace Duke Nantes is tomorrow, we won’t be able to see each other for a few weeks.”
Ella, who said those words, was looking at me with slightly anxious eyes.
She must be scared of being separated from me, who saved her from being exploited by the bailiff and almost being forced to provide sexual services at a young age after losing her father and mother at a young age.
However, taking Ella, who has not been properly educated as a “maid,” to meet the “duke,” who is our lord, is not a good choice.
In Windheim, where I was, or in the Kreutel Marquisate, even if Ella acts a bit thoughtlessly or makes mistakes, there is no one to point it out since I am by her side.
For them, antagonizing me would be a greater danger than pointing out Ella’s mistakes or harassing her.
However, in the duchy, there are countless people higher than me, so that won’t work, and if Ella makes a mistake, it can make not only me but also the Marquis take responsibility.
Even if I explain these detailed circumstances to Ella, it would be difficult for her to understand.
With the thought of comforting a young child, I placed my hand on Ella’s head, stroked it, and said,
“I will also feel lonely being separated from Ella.
However, I am going to do important work with His Excellency Marquis Kreutel.
And the current Ella can’t help me yet.”
Hearing those words, Ella made a gloomy expression.
“So we have to be apart for a while.”
“Master…”
“However, when I come back, I’ll buy delicious things that Ella likes.
I heard there are sweet snacks in the castle ruled by Your Grace the Duke, so let’s eat them together.”
As if drawn to the mention of sweet snacks, Ella looked at me with a curious expression and asked,
“Snacks? Are they sweeter than honey or fruit?”
“Yes. I wonder if they might be sweeter and softer than honey or fruit.”
At those words, Ella smiled brightly and said,
“They must be really delicious. Master, then you will definitely buy them for me, right?”
“Of course. But Ella has to stay well too.”
“Yes.”
After that, with Ella’s assistance, I changed into clothes for travel and headed to the duchy of Nantes with the Marquis.
I thought I was going to die from the pain in my waist while riding in a carriage for about a week, a distance of 280 kilometers.
They say a man’s life is in his waist, and after experiencing a crisis where that life was almost ruined, I really missed a car equipped with shock absorbers.
While suffering like this and continuing the march that was not a march, the travel that was not a travel, I was finally able to have an audience with the lord of the duchy of Nantes.
“Paul von Kreutel pays his respects to Your Grace Ripenheim von Nantes, the lord of the duchy of Nantes and my liege lord.”
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Nantes became a count again
Fixed