Caesar was pouting.
It was so obvious that he wasn’t actually sick.
Lying comfortably on my lap, he even adjusted his position like he was settling in for a nap.
I held back a laugh.
“He’s sulking again.”
It was just like when we were younger. Whenever he was upset but didn’t want to say it outright, he’d pull something like this—pretending to be sick or exhausted so I’d pay attention to him.
I sighed and gently patted his hair.
“Your Majesty, I think you’ll survive.”
He peeked up at me through half-lidded eyes.
“You don’t know that.”
“Oh? Do you need me to call the royal physician?”
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
I smirked.
“Then should I leave so you can rest alone?”
As I started to pull away, Caesar grabbed my wrist—fast.
“No.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What do you want me to do, then?”
He hesitated, then mumbled.
“…Just stay like this.”
For a moment, I said nothing.
Then I smiled softly and continued stroking his hair.
“Alright.”
Caesar’s grip on my wrist loosened, and after a beat, he sighed contentedly.
I didn’t mind.
If he needed a moment like this, I would give it to him.
****
After that day, I busily traveled back and forth between the capital and Summerhill. I purchased land to cultivate crops for export from Summerhill and recruited territory residents.
Since there wouldn’t be any immediate profits until exports stabilized, the residents were temporarily hired under our household.
Everything proceeded smoothly. If we cleared the land by next spring, exporting by the following year seemed entirely possible.
Of course, all of this was based on the assumption that Baron Gobet wouldn’t be able to meet the export volume. We believed that Summerhill would become the designated summer export site.
And for good reason—Baron Gobet showed no particular signs of taking action. As time passed, we became increasingly convinced that his claims were nothing more than empty bravado.
Two months went by. Just as we were settling into a structured farming system—distributing the acquired land and setting target yields—
“This… This is ridiculous!”
As I was discussing various matters with Caesar in his office, I let out an almost scream-like shout after reading the document that Duke Bryden had brought in.
The document detailed the expected harvest volume from Baron Gobet’s territory.
“Is this document real?”
In response to my question, the duke shook his head.
“Given our previous discussion, I decided to look into it in advance. If he plans to export next summer, then this winter’s harvest should already be increasing. But…”
I carefully reviewed the document once more.
It stated that Baron Gobet had purchased far more seedlings than the previous year and that the farming process was proceeding smoothly, leading to an expected harvest volume twice as large as the previous year.
“Just buying seedlings isn’t enough. Where is the land to plant them? And what about the territory residents? There’s only a limited number of people available to farm…”
I was so dumbfounded that I blurted out my thoughts. Caesar, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.
“Maybe the document was forged.”
“But why bother forging something that will be exposed in just a few months?”
“…Perhaps to buy time?”
Duke Bryden interjected in our conversation.
“I don’t think that’s the case. I sent someone to verify the seedling purchase records. While we haven’t confirmed how the farming is actually progressing, it’s unlikely he would buy such a large quantity of seedlings just to stall for time.”
‘Is this real? Did he really manage to increase the export volume in such a short period?’
The self-assured demeanor of Viscountess Krauss flashed through my mind. She must have orchestrated something behind the scenes.
At this rate, getting Summerhill designated as an export site would be impossible. The thought of all the money and time we had invested made my stomach churn.
And this wasn’t just a matter of losing an export site.
Many nobles had already heard about Caesar and Viscountess Krauss’s discussions during the meeting. If rumors spread that she had devised a scheme and even ensnared the emperor in it, it could cause serious complications.
The last thing we could allow was giving the declining noble faction a foothold for a comeback.
‘And on top of that, our Chester Barony would become the laughingstock.’
I couldn’t just stand by and let that happen.
“This won’t do.”
“Hmm?”
Clenching my fist so tightly that the document crumpled, I declared,
“I need to go to Baron Gobet’s territory myself and find out exactly what’s going on.”
****
A week later, I headed to Baron Gobet’s territory.
Caesar wanted to come with me, but of course, it was impossible for an emperor to leave his post so freely.
Instead, he repeatedly insisted that I take Alvin as my escort knight. However, since Alvin was the emperor’s chief aide, I couldn’t just take him away for my own use.
So, I brought Olche as my escort knight. Olche was the chief officer of the royal palace’s back gate and Alvin’s closest friend. Alvin assured me that, while she might seem a bit carefree, she was a reliable person and an exceptional fighter.
“I never expected to meet you again, my lady.”
Olche scratched her head as she greeted me at the back gate of the palace.
She had short black hair and violet eyes. Her droopy eyes and perpetually uninterested expression made her look somewhat sluggish, but the well-toned muscles in her frame suggested otherwise.
“Neither did I. If His Majesty hadn’t ordered it himself, we wouldn’t have had to see each other again.”
At my words, Olche clamped her mouth shut.
‘It’s working.’
Alvin had told me this trick. Olche was weak to authority and power, so if she ever got cocky or lazy, I just needed to act high and mighty.
“Well then, let’s get moving.”
Olche and I boarded the carriage.
The journey from the capital to Baron Gobet’s territory took over a full day by carriage. After traveling non-stop and arriving at the barony late at night, we checked into an inn.
Exhausted from the trip, I collapsed into sleep and didn’t wake up until noon the next day.
After getting ready quickly, I went down to the first floor of the inn, where Olche was waiting, and we had a simple meal together.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
Olche asked.
“Are we just going to check if they’re really farming properly?”
“That’s the idea.”
My plan was simple. I needed to identify any irregularities in the farming activities within Baron Gobet’s territory. If they had truly planted several times more seedlings, there had to be noticeable changes.
To do that, I had to speak directly with the farmers and hear their stories.
If the baron was pushing an unreasonable scheme, they would know better than anyone.
But simply walking up and asking what was going on wouldn’t get me any answers. I needed to approach them naturally.
‘That means I need to prepare a bit.’
As I studied a map of Baron Gobet’s territory, Olche, who had been loitering nearby, spoke up.
“My lady, aren’t you hungry? Work is important, but how about a meal first?”
“What? You just ate breakfast.”
“That wasn’t breakfast, that was rabbit food! I need real food to maintain these muscles!”
Olche declared confidently. I stared at her in disbelief before finally folding up my map.
“Fine.”
“Huh?”
“I was planning to visit the market anyway.”
“Really?”
Olche’s eyes lit up.
“But why? Do you have business there?”
Instead of answering, I simply grinned and stood up.
We soon arrived at the market, which was just a short walk from the inn. The area was bustling with restaurants and various shops.
“Let’s eat first.”
“Great idea!”
Leading the way, Olche walked briskly, somehow managing to pick out a decent-looking restaurant without hesitation. Without even asking for my opinion, she ordered two meals and two ales.
“Ale?”
I asked, incredulous.
“You need a good daytime drink to build muscle.”
Was this the real reason she wanted to eat? Now that I thought about it, when I first met Olche, she had been on leave due to a hangover.
‘Sir Alvin, are you sure this person is reliable…?’
With a sigh, I glanced around.
Since we were already in a restaurant, I wondered if I could gather any useful information.
In bustling places like this, there was always someone with a loose tongue—someone who knew all the local gossip.
And sure enough, after a brief scan of the room, I spotted a man animatedly chatting away. He was sitting right behind Olche.
“Sir Olche.”
“Yes?”
“Switch seats with me.”
“Why?”
“I prefer sitting on the east side.”
“…What?”
“Just do it.”
I took out the emperor’s insignia from my pocket and held it up. Olche hurriedly switched seats without further question.
Leaning back slightly, I listened in on the man’s conversation.
“Hey, have you noticed Rick with the red roof? Lately, he’s been growing a lot more hair.”
“Yeah, yeah! Do you know something about that?”
“It’s all thanks to the medicine the baron sells, apparently.”
The men started chatting enthusiastically about hair growth. Disappointed, I straightened up.
It would have been strange if I’d just happened to walk into a restaurant and overheard someone talking about how this year’s crop yield had suddenly doubled.
“My lady, aren’t you going to eat?”
Olche, who was already shoving food and ale into her mouth, asked. It was still summer, and though I hadn’t felt particularly thirsty before, seeing the ale in front of me suddenly made my throat dry.
Just as I lifted my mug, the man behind me spoke again in a low, meaningful tone.
“Have you guys heard the rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“You know… about the wandering alchemist.”
A wandering alchemist…? It didn’t sound related to farming at first glance, but the topic piqued my curiosity.
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