Chapter 21
Chapter 21
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Territory Conferment Ceremony (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*Time passed. Kandoria's alchemy facility.*
"Hmm... Let's see. With anchovies, capers, and black olives..."
As usual, immersed in developing new menu items... no, alchemy.
"Jonathan! Jonathan!"
"Hm?"
A familiar clear voice called from behind me.
Turning around, I saw my childhood friend and fiancée, looking a bit urgent.
"Erika, what's up?"
"Ah, Father and your father are coming here!"
"Hm? Suddenly?"
"It's not sudden! Really!"
Hm, thinking about it, it wasn't that strange.
After all, the princess had come as an envoy with the Tower Lord's granddaughter and the Saintess, and we'd signed exclusive contracts with the Imperial Family and the Papal Court.
If anything, the past few weeks might have been the unrealistic part.
Just a few days ago, imperial alchemists had stopped by to inspect the sauce production facility before heading back. I wondered when I'd be summoned to the capital.
Lost in thought, Erika grabbed my arm and tugged.
"Anyway, no time! We have to get back to the castle quick."
"Wait, why? When are they even arriving?"
"They've just arrived, son."
"Something smells amazing, dear."
"Hm?"
Turning toward the voices, two men came into view.
One had black hair like mine and a sturdy, soldierly build. My father, Count George Valerius.
The other had Erika's golden blond hair and a calm demeanor. My future father-in-law and head of House Argentis, Count Peter Argentis.
Both their gazes were fixed precisely on the pan in front of me.
"Ah, Father! Jonathan! Greet them properly!"
Erika, flustered, practically shoved me forward. I tried to play it cool and bowed to them.
"Father, Count Argentis. What brings you to Kandoria?"
Father barely acknowledged my greeting, sniffing the air as he approached the pan.
"Good grief, boy. So this is why you insisted on learning territory management in Kandoria instead of Valentia..."
"Ahaha..."
Scratching the back of my neck awkwardly, I watched Father casually grab a spoon and taste the sauce, just like always.
He might not say it outright, but he couldn't resist something delicious.
As I stepped back from the cauldron, Count Argentis approached me.
"Ah, Count. Did you have something to say...?"
"Father-in-law."
"Pardon?"
"No need to be so formal."
I froze for a moment, then bowed with a soft smile.
"...Understood, Father-in-law."
Satisfied with my response, Count Argentis gave a warm smile.
"Thanks to you, this workshop—a thorn in our side—has become the Empire's treasure trove. My daughter's eye for people is as sharp as mine."
"Father!"
"So, got anything for your father-in-law? A noble should know how to share with his people."
"Ah, yes. One moment."
At my future father-in-law's leisurely jest, I quickly brought over some warmed white bread and sauce. He accepted it with a pleased smile.
Father, who had naturally fallen in behind him, took some bread too and sat at the makeshift table nearby.
Soon, the two counts silently savored their meal.
"Hm... Not bad. More bread. And that sauce."
"This one too, dear."
They had their dignity, so no lavish praise, but asking for seconds seemed like a win.
The two middle-aged men ate on in silence.
After finishing two bowls each, they even rinsed their palates with the grape wine I'd set aside for potion brewing.
Father used the last bit of bread to wipe up every drop of sauce from his bowl, then leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh.
"Whew... Your daughter will eat like a queen for life, Argentis."
At Father's gruff compliment, my future father-in-law chuckled warmly in response.
"Haha, a man who cooks in this day and age? A noble, no less. Your son's one of a kind."
"Can't argue there."
As the two sipped their wine leisurely...
Come to think of it, why were they here? Surely not just to taste sauce.
"Father, uh, so what brings you...?"
"Ah, this was so good I nearly forgot the main point. Sorry, son."
Father cleared his throat with a cough and set down his wooden wine cup.
"Son. I've heard how your deeds in Kandoria have shaken not just the capital, but the entire Empire."
His words made Erika and me hold our breath.
Father set his cup down and fixed me with eyes more solemn than any battlefield commander.
"Even the scandal caused by that wastrel from House Merenes, and how you took the lead in cleaning it up."
"You're an adult now, so I figured you'd handle it fine—and you did, better than I imagined."
"We got word from the imperial messenger and dropped everything to come here."
My future father-in-law added calmly.
Father spoke again.
"When I heard you'd proposed a quality certification system to Her Highness the Princess to quell the capital's chaos, I was skeptical. But the results far exceeded my expectations."
"Count Merenes was summoned to the capital by His Majesty and had to witness his son's crimes firsthand. The family's honor hit rock bottom, and the massive debts secured against their territory started strangling that boy."
My future father-in-law continued the explanation.
"Before the creditors could finish him off, the Imperial Family stepped in."
"Under the pretext of loans to illicit businesses tied to crime, Her Highness pressured them into selling Merenes' most fertile pastures for next to nothing. Refuse, and they'd be branded traitors aiding imperial sabotage."
"And that land? It's on Argentis' western border, not far from here in Kandoria."
The pieces of the puzzle started falling into place.
I swallowed dryly, waiting for Father's next words.
He stared straight into my eyes and delivered the conclusion.
"And yesterday, His Majesty's edict came down."
His voice was low, but heavy enough to silence every sound in the alchemy workshop.
"All those fertile pastures acquired by the Imperial Family from House Merenes, plus three villages, are being granted to you in commendation for resolving this chaos and establishing a new order in the Empire."
"!"
This was beyond anything I'd expected.
I'd assumed I'd inherit as Valerius' heir someday, but that was the future.
For now, I was just a noble's son. Overnight, I'd become a real lord—with territory rivaling a decent barony.
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Erika's blue eyes widened in shock as she looked back and forth between me and Father, barely breathing.
"I-Is that true, Father?"
At Erika's trembling voice, my father nodded with a hollow chuckle.
"Yes. My son's no longer just a proxy—he's a proper lord of three villages. Even before being Valerius' heir."
"Oh my god...!"
Erika couldn't hide her joy and clung to my arm.
I was stunned by the unexpected reward, but another thought quickly crossed my mind.
'Pastures... the most fertile pastures?'
Father and Father-in-law, and even Erika, marveled at the land's political and geographic value.
Tales of raising horses and cattle, producing fine wool, oak and beech trees, quality mushrooms, and more.
But other ideas filled my head.
'Merenes pastures... vast south-facing gentle hills. Plenty of sunlight, good drainage—the perfect land.'
Others might think taxes and tenant farmers, but a different vision unfolded before me.
'Put chickens there.'
Chickens running free, digging in the soil, pecking bugs, growing healthy without stress.
The top-grade fresh eggs they'd lay—plump yolks in vivid orange.
'Eggs... with eggs...!'
A smile crept onto my face unbidden.
If tomatoes and spices opened a 2D world, eggs would expand it to 3D magic.
First, creamy white sauces from egg whites. Then yolk-based ones, and more.
And that wasn't all. Beyond what the Black Moon Caravan brought, future ingredients too—
"Son, why the goofy grin? It's tiny compared to Valerius lands, but becoming a lord makes you that happy?"
"Ah, yes?"
Father's amused question snapped me back to reality.
"The boy's scheming something again, no doubt. But first, things to do."
"Things?"
"Can't play lord without imperial appointment, boy."
"Ah."
Right. With the edict, now I had to go to the palace.
For the official investiture and to swear loyalty to His Majesty.
Then another thought flashed through my mind.
- Even so, don't forget to come to the capital and visit me? I'll swing by~
Yeah, the Princess had said that.
After imperial legislation on certification, she'd asked me to stop by for details—and personally to see me. I'd forgotten.
'Whatever.'
As I brushed it off, something was pushed in front of me.
Father held something out.
"What's this?"
"Imperial messenger said to give it to you when word came. And not to open it before then."
It was a richly crimson envelope, sealed with the imperial lion seal.
Taking it, a provocative, seductive rose scent wafted up.
"...No way."
I didn't need to open it to guess the sender and contents.
Breaking the seal intensified the rose fragrance. Pulling out the paper revealed a bold, confident script with a single clear sentence.
[I'll come see you soon, my Jonathan?]
"..."
And at the end, on my name, the red imprint of a woman's lips.
The shade looked familiar—and then a massive roar shook the air.
Outside the window, a giant magic circle and blue light filling the sky.
-KABOOOOOM!
"Kyaa!"
"W-What?!"
"E-Everyone, stay calm! Assess the situation first—"
Ah.
This situation again.