9 – Become a lord (2)

This is exactly what I felt when I first came to this town.

‘Wow, there was no rebellion even after doing this, it’s amazing. Wow, it’s a miracle.’

This is because this village, which was called an affluent field where even the wind stops for a while, is now devastated as if there was a famine.

First of all, this area has been considered a granary in Baron Creutel since ancient times, and it has been considered a rich village in the nearby manor beyond the Baron territory.

In the days when there was no corruption in Bayleaf, it was a good town to live in, rumored to be more hospitable than other towns.

Seriously, did serfs from other territories secretly come over and try to settle down here?

If the lord caught him trying to cross it, his hand or foot could be cut off.

However, in Windheim now, there was not even a trace of such a figure.

The village’s serfs were skinny, and the village’s warehouses, which were supposed to be full of grain, were empty.

On the table of the villagers, only thin porridge with sparse wheat and barley and boiled cabbage without even salt are served.

Oh, I even drink all the water that smells like boiling cabbage because I’m hungry.

In this state, the peasants of the territory will starve to death in large numbers without being able to survive this winter.

No matter how you think about it, isn’t this too much?

“Balts, balts. Why does this estate not have an answer?”

Then Balt next to me smiled and said, as if asking for something obvious.

“Yeah, that’s because the former bailiff has done so many things. Oh well, after returning all the cattle, cattle, and grain to the serfs, the remaining amount is 200 gold coins.”

“…”

I’m speechless. no, no words came out.

One gold coin is roughly the cost of living for a year for one poor serf family, so that crazy bailiff is said to have accumulated a year’s worth of living for 200 families in an area with a population of just over 2,000 people…

It’s amazing, I can’t imagine how crazy this man was for money.

“Wow, it’s amazing that even after doing this, no one has yet died of starvation on a large scale. Right Balt?”

“That’s right. Aren’t we the only ones struggling thanks to that?”

That’s true, but if it weren’t for the messed up territory, there’s no way I would have been given to the 15-year-old me, no matter how much I claim to be the heir of the lord.

Because there are many knights and not enough lands. No matter how dogmatically the baron tried, there was no way he would be able to hand over a territory of this size only to be used as an heir class.

There’s no way. No way!

“Ha, let’s think positively. Balt. Isn’t it because it’s a territory like this that I have a chance to show off my abilities?”

“What would you do if you failed instead? Where do you get the confidence that you will succeed? If we run out of barley and wheat in a few months, 5% of the serfs here will starve to death.”

“Don’t worry, there are alternatives.”

Hearing those words, Balt looked at Ella and smiled.

“Ella, your master is also very carefree. How can you be so calm in a situation like this?”

Then Ella looked at me with confident eyes and said.

“Master, you can do it. Because you’re the owner.. Because you’re the owner who saved me from the bailiffs.. Will the people of this village help you too? My master can do it.”

Balt sighed and said.

“…. Yes, you are right. Your master is an invincible master who slices up a corrupt bailiff with a knife as soon as he goes out for inspection. Cancer, thanks to you, I thought my liver was falling. yes it is.”

As we were chatting in Windheim Square, the village chiefs of the territory began to gather at my mansion.

Well, it’s a mansion, it’s the house that Bayleep used to live in.

“Okay, thank you for coming. Are you the chief of this manor village?”

“Yes, it is. young master.”

And I looked at them and smiled.

“Yes, I am Ciel von Kreuttel. He is the successor of Baron Creutel, the rightful lord of Baron Creutel, and also a vassal who received this Windheim as his territory. I came today to let you know that I have come to rule this place and to convey my policy.”

At those words, the faces of the village chiefs in front of me brightened.

It must be because there was an expectation that he would be kind to them, since a kind-hearted noble who returned the livestock and grain that had been taken away from them before became the lord.

And even if I’m not a good lord, at least I’ll be better than the baileef that managed this place, so I’m sure I’ll be able to live a little longer.

Among the village chiefs gathered, the eldest village chief knelt in front of me and kissed my feet.

“thank you. thank you Thank you for giving us back our grain and livestock. Even though it’s not enough for the next harvest, it should still keep many serfs from starving to death. thank you. Lord…”

With those words finished, the other village chiefs quickly knelt down and bowed their heads to thank me.

There was only sincere gratitude on the faces of all the village chiefs, without any pretense or lies.

I was embarrassed at the moment that it was something I did just to survive without going to the academy, but it was the fact that I was so grateful and grateful to these people.

However, on the one hand, I was really proud.

Because I had never received such sincere gratitude even once in the decades of my life in Korea.

So I felt a great sense of accomplishment at the same time for what I did.

“no. I was just doing what I was supposed to do as an aristocrat. That’s it, then let me tell you my policy.”

At those words, the village chiefs opened their eyes wide and looked at me, as if they would not miss a single word of my words.

“Okay, first plant turnips in the field where you planted and reaped wheat, and plant beans in the field where you planted barley.”

After my words were finished, the village chiefs looked at each other blankly, wondering if they had heard each other wrong.

In front of me, they exchanged the signal “Yeah, you heard it right” with their eyes, and then started shouting in a loud voice as if they had forgotten that they were in front of their lord.

“Yeah? No, plant crops again on the land you just farmed? If you do, the land will dry out and you won’t be able to farm! young master..”

“Yes, it is. Even though..”

“It’s not that we don’t believe in you, Bocchan, but you need to let the land that you normally farmed rest for at least a year before you can start farming. Then plant turnips on wheat fields and beans on barley fields?”

“It makes more sense to say that the youngest boy in our house becomes a knight! What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

When you think about it common sense, this is correct.

This is because, although it is a concept that is rarely applied in modern times, when farming, if crops are planted consecutively on the same land, the nutrients in the land are depleted and it becomes useless.

Of course, crops planted in succession also fail.

This is what great scholars call ‘repetitive disorder’.

So I spoke softly in a voice that seemed to acknowledge their words.

“Well, yes, you guys are right.”

At those words, the heads of the village seemed to think I was going to cancel my words, and the faces of the village chiefs turned bright.

Right then, I declared.

“But this is an order from the lord of this land. Execute it as soon as I return.”

The faces of the village chiefs turned white this time.

He must have thought of my family and villagers starving to death as the farming collapsed after hearing my order.

“Ah.. No matter how much I think about this, it’s not.”

“You don’t know because you grew up noble, but originally, farming means you have to take a break and build the land. Even Deus told me to farm like that..”

“That’s right. Isn’t it just letting the land rest? young master.”

The village chiefs did their best to overturn my order somehow.

No, they shouted loudly, like the eunuchs of the Joseon Dynasty who risked their lives to remonstrate.

What you don’t understand, no, you really do understand.

Because, I already know the outcome of the order I gave, but for these people, it’s a lottery-level gamble with their lives and their families’ lives at stake.

Even stocks that I have spare money for right now, when recommended by family or friends, make me shudder.

But I spoke without even listening to them.

“Once again, this is my order. Do you dare to disobey my orders as a serf? You’re not going to look easy on me for taking your property back from Bayleef Mars? I believe not.”

Upon hearing this, the peasants, no, the village chiefs, felt their lives threatened and said while stroking their necks with their hands.

“All right. My life instead of the lord…”

However, no matter how good I showed them, it is not good to discipline like this from the beginning.

So I spoke for the purpose of handing them a suitable carrot.

“On the contrary, I’m not a scumbag who doesn’t take responsibility like Mars. If the farming fails, I will buy and distribute food for you until autumn.”

At those words, the faces of the village chiefs in front of me lit up with joy.

Well, compared to other lords, I have the highest level of reliability, so I said that even if I fail, I’ll give you something to eat, and if it goes well, it won’t be bad.

Then I gave them a congratulatory order.

“Then go and do as I command.”

**

While inspecting the estate, I heard the complaints of the peasants who were plowing the fields from afar.

“Is that why the lord told me to plant this radish in the same field where wheat was planted?”

“So, well. Oh my gosh… well, the lord said he would take responsibility if the farming was ruined, but what is this? Since my father’s father, I’ve been taught that fields planted with wheat should be allowed to rest for a year, but to plant radishes immediately after harvesting wheat…”

“Ha, that’s right. I have to plant wheat and barley in other lands besides here..”

“I just got more work to do.”

I went in and laughed and said, ‘What’s wrong with complaining so much?’ I might as well go in.

Interfering like that may look like the battalion commander going in among the soldiers who are good at their work, so I have to put up with it.

And there’s no way they can understand my plan now.

In the first place, what I’m trying now is a way to create a ‘miracle’ that didn’t exist in this world.

Also, this miracle is just a part of my plan to develop Baron Creutel.