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135 The
Aftermath of Count Parton's Self-Destructive Incident
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Translator : PolterGlast
The commotion, dubbed
the "Count Parton's Self-Destructive Incident," has been resolved.
The "incident" part is fine, but I don't think
"self-destructive" is right. It's not just me who feels a hint of
malice from the Princess. To be so disliked... what did Count Parton do? Did
that Parton geezer pick a fight with the Princess without thinking? I wouldn't
be surprised, so it's not even funny.
Count Parton was
forced into retirement and was sent to live with a distant relative. Of course,
it seems he won't be seeing the light of day again. It's probably for the best,
since he would cause problems if he were allowed outside.
His heir, Vladimir,
was disinherited and confined to the Parton family estate. He also won't be
seeing the light of day. It can't be helped since he can't understand human
language.
The new lord was a
person appointed by the Royal Family. And he was demoted and became a viscount,
just like me. He will probably dispose of the former lord and the disinherited
son eventually. Their continued existence won't be good for the Parton family.
That's what Gandarvan said. What a harsh world.
The key members of the
Wheat Wholesalers' Guild were also replaced. I had the Duke and the Princess
negotiate with other wholesalers to send people over. Regardless of the reason,
we couldn't just leave the executives who had followed Count Parton's orders.
The guild leader was tortured and then killed. I didn't want them to go that
far, but I want them to do their jobs with a decent amount of integrity. The
executives were all fired.
Also, Viscount Tigarood.
He came with his army as reinforcements, but the war had already ended. He
wasn't of any help at all, but since his presence was what mattered, I sent him
a few items from the royal capital dungeon as a token of my gratitude. He
refused to accept them, but it's the thought that counts. Besides the Duke,
Viscount Tigarood is probably the only noble who is on my side.
I was given the land
south of the Nagare River. I said I didn't want it, but the Princess forced it
on me. Civil officials from the Royal Family and the Ducal family will come
helping me, but I'm sure they're just there to keep an eye on me. But since I'm
getting them anyway, I'll work them to the bone. To be honest, I'm so busy
right now that I'd be happy to have any help I can get. I don't care if they're
spies, as long as they're useful.
I deeply regretted
that I had to assimilate the territory south of the Nagare River. But my
retainers, like Gandarvan and Banarji, are happy about it. The self-sufficiency
rate of Triange was very low, at less than 10%. By assimilating the granary
south of the Nagare River, the self-sufficiency rate is expected to reach
several hundred percent. But the population will also increase significantly,
so it might not be that high. And what's more, the heads of the villages might
rebel again. Sigh.
In Count Parton's
former territory, there were six towns with a population of over 10,000. The
largest one is the capital, Blaughini, but the towns with the second to fifth
largest populations are all south of the Nagare River. In other words, they are
now my territory. There are two towns with a population of about 30,000, one
with 20,000, and one with 10,000. This is expected to increase my population by
over 100,000. It gives me a headache. I feel like I'm going to collapse.
When that happens, the
best thing to do is to take a nap with my head on Anneliese's lap.
"Anneliese. Can I
use your lap?"
"You're in the
middle of working, you know?"
"Just for a
little while."
I sat on the sofa and
patted the seat next to me. Anneliese sat down next to me with a look of
resignation and let me rest my head on her lap. I'm going to take a nap on her
lap, even if Banarji and Laura are giving me a warm look!
Feeling the soft touch
of her thighs on the back of my head, I dozed off. This is my emotional
sanctuary.
"Toi-kun!"
Yamato burst into the
room, opening the door violently. I was in such a good mood, and he ruined it.
Give me back my moment of tranquility.
"What's
wrong?"
I called out to Yamato
without getting up. I don't want to get up.
"The combine
harvester prototype is complete!"
"The combine
harvester, the farming equipment?"
"That combine
harvester!"
He's so excited. But a
combine harvester must have a very complex structure. I'm impressed that he was
able to build one. He must be so excited because he accomplished something so
difficult.
It's hard to part with
Anneliese's lap, but I reluctantly lifted my head. I waved at Anneliese and
went to see the combine harvester prototype. If it's no good, I'm going to
punch him.
"It looks cheaper
than I thought."
It was a small,
push-type combine harvester. I was expecting a bigger one that a person could
ride, so I was a little disappointed.
"This is the best
I can do right now! But it can still harvest, and it's several times faster
than doing it by hand!"
I put the combine
harvester in my item box and headed to the wheat field.
Autumn is in full
swing, so the harvesting is progressing, but not all of it has been harvested
yet. It seems the prototype was completed at just the right time.
The worst-case
scenario is that I can ask Rose to grow the wheat, but since Yamato worked so
hard, I'll give him some credit.
I'm currently building
a workshop for Yamato and Itsukushima-san. I want them to be independent while
still being under my protection. I want them to make a lot of money and pay me
a lot of taxes.
Yamato immediately
started the combine harvester and began harvesting the wheat. The sight of it
smoothly harvesting the wheat left Jojok and the others, who were with me as
guards, dumbfounded.
"Looks
good."
"There are no
problems with its movements. It's easy to operate. I'm going to use it and
check for wear and tear on the parts. I'll start mass production before next
autumn."
If that's the case, I
need to get Yamato's workshop built quickly. He's using a building that used to
be a warehouse in the mansion, so it must be inconvenient for him.
"Jojok. Try
harvesting with the combine harvester."
"Understood."
Jojok listened to
Yamato's explanation and started harvesting the wheat with the combine
harvester. It seems easy to operate. Anyone can use it.
"What's the
energy source for that? It's not gasoline, right?"
"Of course not.
This is a fantasy world. It's magic stones."
So it's magic stones
because it's a fantasy world. You're surprisingly simple-minded.
"Hmm? Were you
thinking something rude just now?"
"...No, not at
all."
Yamato gave me a
suspicious look.
"It's a good
product. I'm counting on you to check its durability for mass production."
I changed the subject.
"Got it."
I'm glad to have
Yamato. The former Parton territory I assimilated has vast farmlands. It looks
like the harvest will be much easier next year.
I'll also sell the
combine harvester to other nobles. If I do that, it should become a viable
industry. I'll start with the Duke and the Princess. They'll be good customers.
Hehehe.
***
"Eight times four
is thirty-two. Eight times five is forty."
I heard the
multiplication table being recited, and when I looked over, I saw my
mother-in-law, Marhaleta, teaching it to the young criminals (controlled slaves).
The boys were behaving well and showed no signs of resistance.
The first-grade controlled
slave boy I entrusted to Marhaleta, whose name is Chale, had such a bright
smile on his face, as if he had been exorcised.
"What
happened?"
To have such a bright
expression. People can change, I guess.
"Apparently,
Chale deeply regrets what he has done."
Anneliese had an
unreadable expression. What Chale has done is not something that can be easily
forgiven. Even if he is reformed, he can't be easily freed.
To be honest, I'm a
little surprised that he was reformed so easily. But he was.
Marhaleta's available
jobs included one called Merciful Mother. Of course, I had her change to that
job after I told her.
This is a rare job, on
par with a Saintess, and one of its skills is Guidance. Thanks to the effect of
that Guidance skill, Chale and the others have been reformed. Chale was a
terrible person, but he was reformed in just six months. That's what I'd expect
from a Merciful Mother.
Does that mean any
criminal I entrust to Marhaleta will be reformed? Unfortunately, no. The effect
of Merciful Mother is only on youths, and that's a very vague category. I'm
still in my teens, so there's a high possibility that I would also be affected
by the Guidance skill, but it probably wouldn't work on Gandarvan. It seems
that whether the skill works or not depends on a combination of factors like
appearance and age. I don't know about age, but what does appearance have to do
with it? Is it Marhaleta's preference? I'll try not to think too deeply about
it.
"It's almost time
to free the fifth-grade controlled slaves. Did your mother say anything about
what they'll do after they're freed?"
"She didn't say
anything, but I think she'll have them work on her farm."
We have our own farms.
I let Marhaleta use one part of it as she pleases. It's not a fertile land, so
the farm isn't very big. There aren't many employees either. It's a very small
farm. She probably plans to have them work there for a while before letting
them out into the world.
Even the twisted Chale
was reformed, so the fifth-grade controlled slaves, who weren't so deeply
involved in crime, must have been reformed in a few days. When I noticed it,
they all had sparkling eyes.
"Our farm isn't
that big, so we can't have too many people working there..."
I could prepare a
large farm in the former Parton territory, but it's probably best to keep them
somewhere I can keep an eye on them.
"If the boys work
hard for us, we can give the people who have been working on the farm their own
land."
The land would be in
the former Parton territory, but if they're fine with that, I'll let them
become independent.
"That's a good
idea. The servants would be happy to hear that they can have their own
farms."
There's still a lot of
land to be cultivated in the former Parton territory. I'm having a map made
right now, so it's not too late to wait for that.
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