Chapter 131 — The Story Hidden From You (2)
If we went to Spros, we could register at the Adventurers' Guild.
Of course, I'd need a well-forged identity plate first, but there's no need to worry about that. After all, I roamed even the back alleys during my Hero (Player) days.
If I entrusted a search request to the Guild or the Temple, I might handle the matter far more efficiently than wielding my power as emperor in Evirgio, or having the Count act as a grand lord.
The Count clenched a fist tightly, her eyes trembling.
"It's strange, isn't it. Whenever I hear Your Majesty's words... I get the feeling I might really be able to find that child. Ahaha...."
The Count laughed with her head hung low.
He seemed to be trying to laugh as usual, but the subdued voice didn't cooperate with his heart.
Roan simply looked at the Count with gentle eyes.
When the silence had stretched on for quite a while.
The Count spoke in a very small, choked-up voice.
"...Thank... you......"
Suddenly, explosive emotions welled up through 'Attentive Hearing'.
Roan felt dizzy.
Roan, who had rested his chin on his hand, twitched his eyebrows slightly.
Sadness. Probably memories of his younger sister.
Gratitude. Toward Roan.
Relief. It must have been the relief of finally disclosing a secret he'd never told anyone for a long time.
Confusion. A sliver of emotion, wondering if he could really trust the emperor.
All those emotions bottled up inside the Count burst forth as tears.
The Count, who had shed just a single tear in the greenhouse, now began to cry profusely.
"Th... thank... you...? Huh? Huhh...?"
The Count herself seemed flustered by the sudden flow of tears.
"Why won't this, why won't this stop...??"
To the Count, who was flustered and didn't know what to do, Roan silently extended a handkerchief he had taken from his pocket.
The Count wiped away the tears in a panic.
Amidst this, the affection stat, which rose with a flashy sound, stopped at +42.
'Why did that appear now, of all times?'
Roan swallowed a sigh internally.
Did it appear because I recognized as a woman someone I hadn't thought of as one until now?
But if I got involved with someone I worked with, who wasn't even a romanceable target...
It would become a hassle to sort out.
For that same reason, I didn't see Shwikviena as a romantic partner either.
While Roan was shaking his head slightly to himself,
someone knocked on the office door.
"Your Majesty. The grand lords of the West Blood Territory and the East Yellow Territory have called."
"Mm. Bring it in."
The Count, as if nothing had happened, hid the handkerchief in her hand and swung her legs just as she had at the beginning.
As soon as the magic orb was placed on the office desk, a voice immediately rang out.
"Your Majesty. Was it a success!"
The urgent voice belonged to the Lord of the West Blood Territory.
Usually, he spoke in a slow, heavy, booming voice,
but today, there was no sign of dignity in those words.
"Grand Duke."
In the end, he was reprimanded by the Lord of the East Yellow Territory.
"Your Majesty. I was contacted."
"Has the magic bird not arrived yet?"
"No. It will probably take a few more days."
"I need to see that. It's a magnificent sight."
Although it was the Count and Helen who had cultivated that field, Roan felt oddly proud of himself.
"The crops, from wheat to potatoes, beans, and corn, are all growing in a healthy state. There was even a cherry tree."
"A cherry tree...."
The Lord of the East Yellow Territory murmured in admiration.
"It is all the achievement of the Lord of the North White Territory."
The Count, hearing Roan's words, rounded her eyes and looked intently at the emperor.
As Roan shrugged playfully and smiled, the Grand Duke's voice was heard.
The excitement was vividly transmitted even through the magic orb.
"Remarkable, Count! I was very worried, but I am greatly relieved!"
"As the Grand Duke says, it is a tremendous achievement. Count. It will be a matter of gratitude not only for me but for all the people of Evirgio."
"Uh.... Uhh.... Th... thank you?"
The Count's reaction to the praise was lukewarm.
Tilting her head, the Count offered her thanks for now and then continued.
"You didn't react like this on the battlefield, though...?"
"Well, when you're smiling while telling a human soldier to open a human knight's belly, stomp on it thoroughly, and then put it in his mouth and swallow it... It's a bit hard to just offer praise, isn't it?"
"Mm. There are too many unnecessary steps. It's a waste."
.......
So the content was that graphic....
"Ah, aha. A waste. So that's what it was! I understand. I'll keep it in mind. Anyway, thank you. Hahah, yes, Your Majesty and Your Majesty's human knight helped a lot, but. It wouldn't have worked without me, of course! Ahah☆."
The magic orb suddenly fell silent.
A faint muttering sound was heard from afar.
"...Grand Duke?"
"......It's nothing. Your Majesty."
I feel like I just heard him curse me....
"Then, Your Majesty. May we assume that full-scale cultivation will begin this spring?"
The Duke, the most rational one at least, asked a normal question.
"Although the research was successful, it's questionable whether the crystal powder is in sufficient quantity to send to each territory. And there's no knowing what will happen in actual soil rather than here in the greenhouse in Basel. There's still a long way to go."
"Is that so."
The Lord of the East Yellow Territory's low answer sounded a little dejected, so Roan hurriedly replied.
"Count. I intend to conduct the next experiment in the East Yellow Territory. Can you discuss the schedule with me?"
"Hmm. What region, what the climate and soil quality are like. How large the area is.
There are many things to consider, so if I calculate those and prepare the powder, it will take one week."
"With that, can we cultivate an area in the East Yellow Territory about the size of the field we saw?"
"Huh?"
The Count, who had retorted to Roan's words in confusion, grinned.
"What do you mean, Your Majesty! If it's an experiment, shouldn't we consider all sorts of conditions? Besides, it's a field experiment!"
The Count's eyes sparkled.
"If we can grow a forest in the desert of the East Yellow Territory, we can succeed anywhere in Evirgio."
"...Remarkable...."
"A... forest...."
The two grand lords uttered admiration from beyond the magic orb.
"So, it must at least be able to handle an area the size of the imperial garden here, don't you think?"
Roan closed his mouth with a surprised expression.
Seeing the magic orb fall silent, the two grand lords must be thinking the same thing.
The imperial garden was vast.
A place that always flaunted its greenness and grew lush vegetation in this barren and arid Evirgio.
A symbol of strong imperial power.
I'd never asked anyone its dimensions nor measured it, but just by eye, it was a size that could easily fit several soccer fields.
It even had what could be called a small forest,
a huge garden that took dozens of minutes to walk from end to end.
"For your reference, the crystal I consumed for the vegetable garden made inside Your Majesty's greenhouse was 10 grams."
We couldn't hide our constantly surprised faces.
Roan had to work to suppress the corners of his mouth that kept curling up.
What incredible fuel efficiency!
I didn't know how much crystal was inside the cave, but at least that huge cavern that Roan and Aina saw together was completely covered in crystal.
"I do not yet know the exact reserves, but according to my prediction, might it be possible to change the land of the entire Evirgio?"
"Furthermore.... For now, it has been maintained for... 300 years."
"Yes."
"Your Majesty. I cannot... contain this emotion."
"I want to see that miraculous sight quickly. Is this not Your Majesty's gracious blessing?"
The Grand Duke's and the Duke's voices were felt to be trembling with emotion.
In the end, even Roan's exterior failed to hide his joy.
The Count, eyes widening at the sight of the emperor's bright face, briefly forgot her words.
"Uh.... Hmm."
Then, the Count suddenly got up from the chair right away.
"So, I have a lot of work to do! Your Majesty, I will deliver the information separately later. Then, if you'll excuse me!"
The moment he finished speaking,
the Count scurried out of the office as if fleeing and disappeared.
But who would dare stop the Count?
Today, she was a great hero, at least to everyone who knew of this confidential matter.
"...Did he leave?"
"...He left."
"Hoho, really. As unchanging as ever."
The Lord of the West Blood Territory burst into a hearty laugh.
It seemed that even he did not dislike the Count that day.
Although he might have choked up momentarily....
"Where in the East Yellow Territory shall we proceed with the experiment?"
"It would be best to test several places. It would be better if it's near the desert, I think."
"But there must be a waterway, no?"
"Mm."
"I will select a suitable place and inform the secretary soon."
"Do so."
The Grand Duke, who had listened to the exchange with the Lord of the East Yellow Territory, asked,
"Do you plan to make an announcement to the lords once the cultivation in the East Yellow Territory is finished?"
"That is correct."
Then the Duke spoke in a cool voice.
"Once you start planting crops in the East Yellow Territory, anyway, it will spread to the lords in no time."
"It can't be helped. Isn't it unreasonable to tell all the lords to prepare for full-scale farming based on having made one small vegetable patch? We must test it properly."
"Haha. You are always so thorough. With a 300-year-old cherry tree standing proudly, who would dare cast doubt upon Your Majesty's words?"
The Duke of the Desert Blade let out a laugh that sounded like, 'I'll behead anyone who dares to express doubt.'
"And I will go to the East Yellow Territory myself."
At the emperor's sudden announcement of his visit, the Lord of the East Yellow Territory rarely jumped up in surprise.
"Your Majesty. If Your Majesty comes, just that alone is no different from announcing the cultivation. Are you sure about this?"
"I plan to go quietly."
"...Pardon?"
The Duke countered with a rarely flustered-sounding breath, but the Lord of the West Blood Territory held his breath and laughed.
It was because he knew Roan had moved to Basel in an instant using the magic of the Duchess of the Forest Elves.
"I will go there with only a basic entourage. Do not prepare. We will decide the details through the working-level officials."
Anyway, I had to register the waypoint in Raju of the East Yellow Territory.
As soon as deep winter ended, the exploration team found out where all the monoliths in Evirgio were.
It was a simple matter if they could just make contact with the local lords. The only thing the exploration team had to do after that was check the monoliths in person and report them to me in an organized fashion. So, the investigation of the ruins, which had been stagnant for nearly half a year, was finished so quickly it felt almost anticlimactic.
And one of them was near Raju, the central city of the East Yellow Territory, located just past the mountain range east of Basel.
If farming was impossible due to corrupted land, it was hard to guarantee a hundred percent unless we took the crystal directly there and tested it.
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Despite numerous questions, the Lord of the East Yellow Territory gave a crisp answer, and the Lord of the West Blood Territory also exchanged farewells and ended the communication.
That afternoon.
The Count, who had disappeared for the experiment, was being led somewhere by Roan.
"A meeting, Your Majesty? Do you know how much work I have to do!"
"Don't make excuses. I heard the method for making it has already been established."
"...Was it Helen? I trusted her...."
The place the emperor was heading with the grumbling Count, whose lips were protruding in a pout, was none other than the Small Council chamber.
"Count. You must know as well. In any case, the farmlands of the North White Territory are not very extensive."
"That doesn't mean I can just not work, does it?"
"My words mean that. You must think about the next step. Something that is only possible in the North White Territory, and something you have done before."
"...."
The Count suddenly stopped walking and stared at Roan with a blank face.
"...Smuggling?"
Roan ended up chuckling.
"Smuggling is illegal. We should do it openly. There's no need to be mindful of Merde now, is there."
And Roan took the lead and opened the door to the meeting room.
"Your Majesty. Count. Have you arrived."
Grünent, whose internal intimacy toward the Count had skyrocketed since obtaining the contract, smiled brightly at the Count as if glad.