Chapter 3
(Kyle Calendar
Year 496-498: Age 3-5)
The Beginning
of Change
Translator : PolterGlast
Alright, the rough
sorting is done.
But what should I do
next?
I'm still just a
three-year-old. No one will trust what I say, right?
Even if I talk about
something seven years in the future, they'll probably just find it creepy or
think I'm a slightly strange kid. That's likely the best-case scenario.
I have no choice but
to gradually gain their trust, dole out knowledge little by little, and take
responsibility for any modifications myself (kind of like a template).
After much thought, I
prioritized arming myself with as much theory as possible and gathering
knowledge about this world.
To that end, I
devoured every single book in the lord's mansion, and even begged my parents to
let me read virtually every book that could be found within the domain.
My parents were
delighted by my talent, which seemed unbelievable for a three-year-old, and
they kept giving me books one after another.
Once I had read a
considerable amount, I asked my father to borrow or procure books from the
traveling merchants who frequented our lands.
Being the son of a
powerful and prosperous baronial family with thriving trade was extremely
beneficial.
The traveling
merchants, eager to please my father, their trading partner, would present
various books, precious and expensive in this world, as gifts.
With this, even if I,
as a child, made some inappropriate remarks, I could forcefully maintain the
pretense that it was all knowledge gleaned from books.
Even my usual way of
speaking, which would slip out if I wasn't careful, and my mature tone,
impossible for a three-year-old, could be passed off as mimicking something I
read in a book.
Two years later, the
study in the baronial mansion was overflowing with books.
I went around asking
everyone in the household, from my parents and older brother to the steward and
all the servants, about anything I was curious about or didn't understand.
At first, I was
secretly called the "nosy second son" and was often seen as a
nuisance.
However, by the time I
turned five, I had come to be known as the "child prodigy of the Solis
family."
By the way, I had
almost no memory of the events that occurred within the domain during my early
childhood in the previous timeline, especially anything related to governance.
In the previous
history, no information about the territory, internal affairs, natural
disasters, or man-made calamities ever reached me during my childhood.
Furthermore, I had no
opportunity to think about such matters myself.
Therefore, it was
incredibly helpful to be able to obtain useful information from the Solis
barony's history (historical records).
Upon investigation, I
discovered that even before the five disasters I was aware of, which would
begin five years later, a considerable number of problems had already occurred.
There was no way I
could afford to wait until five years later (Kyle Calendar Year 503: age 10).
The misfortunes
plaguing the Solis barony were already upon us.
I was stunned to learn
about them.
I pondered how to
avoid these disasters.
The events that would
occur from now (age 5) onwards were...
Four years before the
flood (1 year later): A bumper crop leads to a sharp drop in the price of wheat
and other grains, causing a significant decrease in revenue from the main
produce.
Three years before the
flood (2 years later): A volcanic eruption and ashfall in a neighboring
country, followed by a drought, resulting in widespread crop failure.
Two years before the
flood (3 years later): Neighboring lords, impoverished by natural disasters,
experience growing discord and deepening rifts with the two viscount families.
One year before the
flood (4 years later): In a battle accompanying an invasion from a neighboring
country, the Solis forces fight valiantly but lose 40% of their participating
soldiers.
This is what was
written in the historical records.
Each of these would
inflict considerable damage, but the Solis barony still possessed enough
economic power and manpower to somehow overcome them.
However, although not
fatal, it seemed that all the accumulated reserves would be exhausted here.
And after these
events, the five fatal disasters that would follow would seal our fate.
First, I had to avoid
losing our current reserves before the first major flag (the great flood) that
would occur in five years. I had to do something about that.
After much
deliberation, I decided to focus on crafts.
My first move was
crafts...
If they think it's
just child's play, it will be easier to move forward.
In this world, when
you talk about making things, you think of blacksmiths and woodworkers.
Pretending to be
interested in crafts, I asked my parents for a favor one day.
The favor I requested
was permission to visit a woodworking craftsman's workshop for advice on the
crafts I was currently doing, and the accompanying permission to go out.
My parents granted
permission on the condition that I remember my status as a noble and that Anne,
a maid who would serve as both bodyguard and guardian, always accompany me.
Anne was the daughter
of the head maid and had been strictly educated to become a maid since
childhood. Furthermore, she had been thoroughly trained in self-defense by her
father (the captain of the guard).
She seemed to have a natural
talent for martial arts, reaching a level where several ordinary soldiers
wouldn't stand a chance against her. A fearsome combat maid...
As befitting an
excellent maid, at the young age of fifteen, she had just recently become my
personal maid, promoted from trainee.
In the previous
history, the last time I saw Anne was when I was executed. At the age of
thirty, she had become the head maid of the lord's mansion, taking the place of
her deceased mother.
Initially, she served
as the exclusive maid and bodyguard for my older brother, Darek, and I remember
that the two of them got along very well.
Being masters of
swordsmanship, I vaguely recall them often practicing and training together in
the courtyard when I was a child.
After my brother's
death in battle, she then served as the exclusive maid and bodyguard for my
younger sister. When my sister passed away from illness, having lost two
masters in succession, she was deeply despondent.
Huh?
It seems I might have
already changed something in history...
Anne, a red-haired,
stunningly beautiful but taciturn woman, initially didn't get along with me.
Whenever I behaved in
a way unbecoming of a noble or was impudent, she would always scold me with a
calm but sarcastic remark.
Looking at her, the
word "ikezu" (maliciously teasing) came to my mind.
She never directly
reprimanded me, being of higher status, but her "ikezu" was a form of
damning with faint praise, dealing a sharp blow to my heart.
The Ice Woman Anne,
that's what I called her in the beginning. In her presence, I would invariably
shrink back and become quiet.
I, who was always
running wild and behaving in a way unbecoming of a noble, would probably stay
quiet if Anne were keeping an eye on me.
Moreover, her skills
as a bodyguard were impeccable. My parents likely felt a sense of security in
that as well.
"This is not a
place befitting a young noble like yourself, young master."
The first time I
visited the workshop, I was immediately taken aback by this blunt remark and
froze in my tracks.
Gail-san, the
stern-faced master craftsman who ran the workshop, was a typical artisan,
paying no heed to the other person's status.
He probably thought I
was just a noble brat playing around, and I was immediately intimidated.
"Well... feel
free to look around as much as you like, just don't get in the way of the
work..."
The moment an
incredibly murderous aura emanated from Anne standing behind me, the master
craftsman's forced smile tightened, his attitude changed, and he agreed to let
me observe.
Despite his stern
appearance, I bet he was the type who was henpecked by his wife and couldn't
argue with her. I chuckled at my own assumption.
Inside the workshop,
the master craftsman's booming voice flew around, and anyone who was
slow-witted, whether apprentice or craftsman, would get a smack before a word.
It was a super rough-and-tumble, all-male world.
Well, the black
company I was in back in my previous-previous life was similar, so I quickly
adapted.
From then on, my
visits to the workshop began to the point where even my parents frowned.
"Master, I won't
get in the way of your work, so please take care of me again today~"
"Oh, young
master! You're working hard~"
I had become
completely friendly with Master Gail.
Well, at first, as an
ignorant amateur asking strange questions, I was probably a bit of a nuisance.
"Which wood is
hard?
Which wood is light
and strong?
Which wood is
flexible?"
I went around asking
about the characteristics of the materials...
"How do you make
a round shape? I want to make this shape out of wood...
However, I want to
make it out of a wear-resistant and strong wood."
I would say things
like that, creating parts that no one had ever seen before.
As we interacted more,
every time I came, Gail-oyakata seemed to have his craftsman's spirit
stimulated by seeing me desperately working to create something unknown,
something even he didn't know about.
"Today, our Karl
has some free time. If there's anything, please have him help you."
Even tasks that couldn't be done with a child's crafts were now being assisted by the craftsman Karl, under the master's instructions, and the level of completion improved dramatically.
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