Chapter 87 - Chapter 86: Let's Strengthen the Territory
The end of July, the height of summer. In Noeina, the capital of the Arqvist Baronetcy, a regular meeting was being held.
The lord, Noein, his adjutant Matilda, Clara—who had become Noein's wife—and all the retainers gathered in one room to listen to reports from each department. This was the first meeting Clara had attended.
"—Next, I will provide the activity report for the Arqvist Territory Women's Association."
Mai, whose turn it was to report, stood up.
"As I mentioned last month, we have asked for the cooperation of Dr. Selfers-sensei and women with childbirth experience to regularly hold seminars providing advice to pregnant women. Additionally, we have started consultation meetings for women currently raising children. I believe this has greatly reduced the anxiety felt by the women."
Because the Arqvist territory had many refugees who had drifted there after losing their families, there was a need for an environment where one could seek advice on pregnancy and childcare in place of a parent. Thanks to the efforts of Mai, who had become a mother herself, that environment was gradually being established.
"Also, we have established a mutual aid society so that when women with infants go to work, other households can look after the children. It is thanks to this that I can leave my son in someone's care and attend this meeting."
"I see. I'm glad the Women's Association seems to be functioning well... The peace of mind women feel regarding childcare is essential for the development of the territory. It's a big help."
Upon receiving Mai's report, Noein responded with a satisfied look.
"Alright, next person."
"Then, I will report on the agricultural side."
Saying this, the one who stood up to replace Mai was Edgar, the coordinator for the farmers.
"The harvesting and threshing of wheat this summer ended significantly faster than last year. The fact that the threshing process was considerably streamlined was a major factor. This is thanks to the thousand-tooth rake devised by Damian-dono."
"Hehehe, well, hearing that makes it worth having built."
Damian grinned bashfully upon hearing Edgar's report.
The thousand-tooth rake he devised was a tool where thin iron rods were embedded in a base, lined up like a comb. By passing bundles of wheat through this, the ears fell off easily, allowing the threshing work to proceed with overwhelming efficiency compared to conventional methods.
The mechanism was simple, but that was precisely why mass production was easy, and it was effective for anyone to use. When he saw the prototype, Noein had been impressed by Damian's ingenuity.
As for the circumstances of its development, the maid Kimberly testified that one day in the dining hall, while Damian was struggling to scoop up stir-fried julienned potatoes and onions with a fork, he suddenly stood up shouting "This is it!" and ran to his workshop, abandoning his meal...
"Because threshing ended quickly, subsequent farm work could proceed with more leeway, and we were able to further advance the land reclamation with the extra time. Agricultural production from this autumn onward is expected to increase even more than predicted."
"Thank you. Good work to Edgar and all the farmers. Damian, you've done a great job too."
Noein praised Edgar and spoke to Damian, who was laughing sheepishly.
After that, Anna, who was in charge of finances, stood up to report. What she conveyed was the balance of payments for the mine development, which was currently the most important project in the Arqvist territory.
"As has already been reported from the mining village, veins of iron ore, copper ore, and a second vein of lapis lazuli raw stone have been found. As the scale of the mining village expands, the amount of extraction should gradually increase, so I believe we can recover the investment in a year at the latest."
The mine development being led by Victor could be called a great success so far.
Not only was another vein of lapis lazuli raw stone—the source of funds—found near the existing vein, but becoming self-sufficient in iron and copper within the territory was also a major achievement.
"Regardless of the state of society in the Kingdom, being able to use as much iron and copper as we want is a big deal," Noein said with a look of relief.
The surge in prices of iron and copper accompanying conflicts is a blow to those on the importing side, but for those on the exporting side, it turns into a merit instead.
"Finding such abundant resources was only possible because of the size of the Arqvist territory."
Nodding at Noein's words, the Chief Retainer Yuri also voiced his impression. The Arqvist territory, which was originally nothing but a forest, had been granted an area by the royal family comparable to that of a high noble, and the area of the adjacent Lestio Mountains was also large.
The meeting continued, and once everyone's reports were finished, Noein asked as he always did.
"—Alright, finally, if anyone has a proposal, please."
The one who responded was Yuri.
"...May I say one thing?"
"Yes, Yuri."
"This is a personal opinion based on information I've heard from Bart and Philip, who frequently deal with the outside, and Victor, who was outside the territory until a short while ago..."
Pointed to by Noein, Yuri began to speak with a serious expression.
"To put it bluntly, war is near."
"Is that... with the Kingdom of Lancel?"
The Kingdom of Roadberg had been in a long-standing conflict with the Pallas Empire to the east, and in recent years, it had entered into a conflict with the Kingdom of Lancel to the west. There were clear effects on public order and the economy.
In particular, the conflict with the Kingdom of Lancel was gradually intensifying, and it was being said among the nobles of the northwestern faction that they would enter a full-scale war before long.
"That's right. Though, this is nothing more than my intuition as a former mercenary, based on the external situation I've heard from various sources."
"...That's fine. I want to hear the details."
Noein urged him to continue.
"...First, from what I heard from Bart and Philip, the surge in wheat prices outside the territory shows no sign of stopping. Furthermore, according to Victor, who was in Retovik until recently, the surge and flow of iron prices resemble those just before a war. When prices move like this, war usually follows."
The gut feeling of Yuri, who had traveled across the Kingdom as a mercenary executive, and the view of Victor, who as a long-lived dwarf likely knew of past wartime conditions. For Noein, who lacked such intuition due to his youth, neither could be ignored.
"The outbreak of war will be next year, or the year after... if that happens, the Kingdom's economy and public order will deteriorate further. Depending on the duration and scale of the war, the post-war chaos will be prolonged. That chaos will likely ripple even into the Arqvist territory. I feel we should start preparing for that now."
It was merely a premonition. However, the words of Yuri, who had seen the process of society falling into chaos and order collapsing many times as a mercenary, carried weight.
"...I understand. As the lord, I accept Chief Retainer Yuri's proposal. From now on, I will take various measures to prepare for war and the accompanying chaos. I may ask for everyone's cooperation regarding this, so I'll be counting on you then."
With that, Noein concluded the day's regular meeting.
.....
As the meeting ended and the retainers stood up to bow, Noein and Clara left the room. Matilda followed behind them as an attendant.
Of the retainers left behind, some, like Damian, quickly left the room to return to work, while others remained on the spot to engage in idle chatter.
"...In the end, one way or another, Noein-sama and Clara-sama seem to be getting along well."
The one who muttered this among the chatting group was Pence.
"When I first heard that Noein-sama was taking a wife, I wondered what would happen, but it seems they've settled in nicely as a trio, including Matilda."
Bart, who was next to him, responded to Pence's mutter.
"Clara-sama and Matilda have different positions and personalities, so they don't clash and have achieved a good harmony, most likely."
The one who showed such delicate analysis, contrary to his appearance, was Radley.
Matilda, who clung closely to Noein as a long-time lover and always supported him. Clara, who shared Noein's burdens as a wife and tried to support him devotedly.
Because their personalities, positions, and types as women did not overlap, they were able to build a good relationship even while sharing the same man... this is what everyone around them thought.
"...You guys, you shouldn't gossip so much about the Master's relationships with women."
"Even so, the stability of the Lord's domestic life leads to the stability of the territory. Let's just call this an important discussion as well."
Yuri gently admonished them, but Bart smoothly brushed it off. Since that argument wasn't entirely without merit, Yuri found it difficult to refute.
"Besides, the Chief Retainer is a bit curious too, aren't you?"
"Well, a little, I suppose."
Even Yuri had been worried when he heard Noein was getting married. It would be a lie to say he had no interest in this topic.
"...I wonder how things are in the bedroom."
"Maybe it's a shift system?"
"Wha—you guys, that's... truly disrespectful."
Yuri hurriedly tried to stop Radley and Bart, who had started drifting in a vulgar direction. However,
"Ah, basically Matilda and Clara-sama take turns every other night. Sometimes they're both together... apparently. They're way too close."
With those words from Pence, everyone, including Yuri who had been trying to stop the conversation, was enveloped in shock.
"Both together!? That's quite... a luxurious arrangement."
"I wonder if Noein-sama doesn't get tired from hugging them like that..."
"Don't be stupid, Noein-sama is seventeen. At that age, he's inexhaustible... wait, that's not the point."
While accidentally joining the conversation, Yuri interjected.
"Pence, why do you know about such things?"
"Since I go in and out of Noein-sama's mansion for reports, I often end up chatting with Rosetta-san. She told me then... I don't know why, but lately I've been running into Rosetta-san a lot."
" "..." "
That was likely because Mary or Kimberly were pulling strings to make Pence and Rosetta bump into each other. Even though they thought this, neither Yuri, Radley, nor Bart said anything.
Yuri and the others had heard from their respective wives that the women were executing "Operation Match Pence and Rosetta." Pence was the only one who still knew nothing.
"Pence, I hope you can get married soon too."
"Huh? What's with you all of a sudden. I don't have a partner, so there's nothing I can do."
Pence responded, looking perplexed as he failed to understand the meaning of Yuri's words. It seemed he hadn't noticed Rosetta's affection.
As he cut the chatter short and left the room, the three of them, including Yuri, watched him go with eyes that saw something pitiful.