Chapter 51
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: We Must Unite to Sell (1)
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“Heh heh, what brings you to visit your father so early in the morning?”
It was an ordinary breakfast table.
The menu was the same as always.
Whole wheat bread with a house-made sausage.
A bit of salad, fried eggs, and goat milk cheese.
The baron and baroness sat before a rather modest breakfast spread, even for nobles.
They smiled at him.
But it was a smile slightly different from usual.
It was bright, yet somehow shadowed.
If their normal smiles were 100% happiness, this one was about 90% happiness and 10% pain.
Lloyd didn’t miss that subtle difference.
He cut straight to the point without beating around the bush.
“Is your head hurting, by any chance?”
“Huh?”
The baron froze.
His eyes flashed as if to say, how did you know?
He soon responded with a hearty laugh.
“Heh heh, how did you know? My head’s been throbbing since dawn. Right, dear?”
“Yes. Seeing us both in pain, we might need to change our pillows.”
“Hmm, I don’t think it’s just the pillows.”
“Then what could it be?”
“Probably because we’re husband and wife?”
“You mean that saying about how couples start to resemble each other?”
“Heh heh, of course. You always know my heart so well. I think of you, you cherish me, so even the pain we feel together.”
“Oh, you.”
“…….”
Even in this moment, the baron and baroness flaunted their rock-solid marital bliss—no, they launched an indiscriminate salt bomb barrage.
Lloyd couldn’t hide his wry smile at the sight.
And deep down, he was certain.
‘For now, everyone in this mansion has won the headache lottery.’
He had woken up that morning plagued by a massive headache.
At first, he thought it was just him.
But it wasn’t.
Haviel had it too, and so did the maid who brought breakfast.
All three had the exact same symptoms.
Precisely at both temples.
That’s where it throbbed intensely.
That’s when he sensed something was up.
It might not be a simple headache.
So he skipped breakfast and came straight here.
On the way to see the baron and baroness.
He checked the states of the maids and servants he passed.
Every one of them was frowning.
He grabbed some and asked.
If their heads hurt, by chance.
They all gave the same response.
Since waking up this morning, their heads felt like they were splitting.
And now, the baron and baroness before him showed the same symptoms.
‘Something’s definitely going on.’
Everyone in the mansion suffering from identical headaches.
This was no ordinary situation.
But Lloyd smiled brightly.
“Haha, got it. Then I’ll be off.”
“What? Already?”
“Yes. I just came to say hello. Still got a lot to do.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. Take it easy.”
“Yes. See you.”
He withdrew with the baroness’s send-off.
He kept his bright smile until the end.
He didn’t tell the baron and baroness about the situation just yet.
He felt it was too early.
‘Telling the baron and baroness about these headaches right now wouldn’t change anything anyway. And it’s not like a solution would magically appear.’
Not only would there be no solution.
The moment he informed them, the odds were higher of sparking the world’s greatest worry-fest panic party.
‘First things first: identify the cause.’
Know the cause, and you can find the solution.
He’d tell the baron and baroness when the time was right.
With that thought, Lloyd stepped into the corridor.
Haviel, waiting in the hall, lit up.
“How are the two of them?”
“Same as us. Identical.”
“They’re suffering from headaches too?”
“Yeah.”
Haviel’s expression darkened.
Lloyd patted his shoulder.
“Why droop your ears like a puppy who missed snack time?”
“Pardon? I’m not a dog…….”
“Let’s go. Lots to do.”
“Yes.”
Lloyd took the lead.
The two left the mansion.
An early autumn morning greeted them.
They descended the paved road toward the territory’s central district.
As the most trafficked spot by residents, it was fairly bustling.
Farmers heading out for morning field work.
Women carrying fresh milk from dawn milking.
A boy vigorously chopping firewood for the day.
Everyone welcomed a busy day in this pastoral morning scene.
But they all shared one more thing in common.
They were all slightly furrowing their brows.
‘Hmm.’
Wrinkles formed on Lloyd’s brow too.
Expressions clearly enduring throbbing headaches.
He approached a farmer heading to the fields.
“Hey, strong and mighty morning!”
“Oh! Young Master?”
The farmer startled, as if only now noticing him.
A delighted expression soon bloomed on the farmer’s face.
He seized Lloyd’s hand with a bright smile.
“Whoa, what brings you here so early? Been well?”
“What do you mean ‘been well’? Didn’t we see each other yesterday? Signing that Marez Reclaimed Land relocation contract.”
“Oh, right.”
“Then mind letting go of my hand? I appreciate the welcome, but it’s a bit much.”
“Ah, oops! Sorry!”
The farmer hurriedly released his grip.
Lloyd eyed him meaningfully.
“But hey. Got any grudge against me?”
“Pardon? No, heavens no…….”
“Then why smile while grimacing?”
“Pardon? Me?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Yup. Totally real.”
“Oh dear…… My headache’s been bad since morning, so I didn’t realize…… Sorry, Young Master.”
“Headache since morning?”
“Yes.”
The farmer nodded vigorously.
“Not just me—my wife and kids too. Whole family’s been complaining of headaches since the crack of dawn. But what can you do? Last night, my sleep was all restless dreams anyway.”
“Ah-ha. Nightmares, huh?”
“Yes. I’ll pray tonight before bed.”
“Good. Do that.”
“Yes, Young Master. Then I’ll be off.”
“Yeah. Have a good one today.”
“Yes, sir!”
The farmer bowed and hurried away.
Lloyd waved with a smile, but his expression had hardened.
He turned to Haviel.
“Same as we thought, right?”
“Yes. Seems so.”
Haviel’s face was grim too.
“If not just that farmer but his whole family has it……”
“Then it’s not just the mansion folk—the territory residents are suffering the same symptoms.”
Definitely no ordinary matter.
After that, Lloyd went around meeting more residents.
To keep them from panicking upon realizing the truth, he subtly and nonchalantly probed their conditions.
The results were all the same.
All enduring the identical headache.
Meaning the entire territory was showing the same symptoms.
Lloyd and Haviel’s faces grew serious.
“This is no joke. What’s the cause?”
“Could it be a contagion?”
“Hmm, maybe. Or some environmental factor.”
“Environmental factor, you say?”
“Something affecting the whole territory would point to air or water.”
Lloyd was already leaning toward an environmental cause.
And his hunch was right.
The two confirmed it upon hearing from a shepherd boy.
“Yes, my head hurts. But that’s not the issue right now.”
“Not the issue?”
At Lloyd’s question, the boy grimaced in distress.
“My animals haven’t drunk any water since yesterday.”
“Animals?”
“Sheep and dogs.”
“Ah-ha. The livestock won’t drink?”
“Yes. No idea why. It’s been like this since yesterday. Even when I force-feed them, they turn their heads away.”
“……Really? Not just one or two—all of them?”
“Yes. Driving me crazy. Why, seriously.”
“Yeah, I get it now. Thanks.”
“Huh?”
The boy tilted his head.
Lloyd left him and quickened his pace.
Walking beside Haviel, he let out a deep breath.
“Whew, found it.”
“The cause?”
“Yeah. That viscount’s a real puppy, I swear.”
“Pardon?”
“Rionero Racona Viscount. The goatee who rules the southern territory and demanded half of Marez Reclaimed Land.”
Turning back toward the mansion, Lloyd ground his teeth.
“This is that bastard’s doing.”
“How did you reach that conclusion?”
“What conclusion? With this much evidence, it’s obvious.”
Lloyd chuckled dryly.
Information he knew from reading the novel *Iron-Blooded Knight*.
Based on that, he recalled his deductions.
“One question. What’s Rionero Racona Viscountcy’s specialty product?”
“Hm, beautifully dyed fabrics, as I recall.”
“Right. Deep, mysterious colors that don’t bleed much. But how do they dye those fabrics in the viscountcy?”
“I’ve heard they use radona fruit.”
“Exactly. They concentrate the radona fruit juice and apply it to the cloth.”
“But why bring that up…….”
“That radona fruit used for dyeing? It carries a mild toxin that causes headaches. Exactly like what we’re suffering now.”
“…….”
Haviel’s eyes widened slightly.
Lloyd continued.
“And the Prona River that crosses our territory north to south. You know it flows from the south, through the viscountcy, into our lands?”
“Yes.”
“There’s your answer. Get it?”
“……Yes, hate to admit it.”
“Right. The dye workshops using radona fruit. They’re dumping their wastewater straight into the Prona River.”
“You mean deliberately?”
“Yeah.”
“Why on earth…….”
“Blackmail, obviously. And it’s the most efficient kind. There’s no neighboring territory north of where the river passes through ours—just rugged canyons. By the time the water reaches distant territories? The toxin will be sufficiently diluted. Meaning our territory takes the full hit alone. So let’s head back to the mansion. As fast as possible.”
Lloyd hastened his steps.
To inform the baron?
No.
If his guess was right.
The viscount’s envoy would be arriving at the mansion any moment.
‘And my bad feelings in situations like this rarely miss the mark.’
He quickened his pace toward the mansion.
♣
At the same time, in the baron’s office.
Things were unfolding exactly as Lloyd predicted.
A guest had already come to see the baron.
A knight sent by Rionero Racona Viscount.
Not tall, but sturdy build.
Stable stance and sharp eyes.
It was Sir Kurono, the senior knight from the viscountcy who had mouthed off on the viscount’s behalf during the viscount’s previous visit to Lloyd.
Sir Kurono was now brazenly yapping at Baron Frontera.
“My liege the viscount has one demand. Return half of the Marez Wetland, which your house developed without permission, to the viscountcy.”
“Without permission? Nonsense.”
The baron scowled.
“Didn’t my son explain it fully beforehand? The Marez Wetland was abandoned land for generations, and we invested funds and manpower to develop it this time. By law, the developer owns it in such cases. Still don’t get it?”
“The viscount has no desire to understand. That’s why he ordered the dye workshops to dump radona fruit concentrate into the river.”
“……What?”
“You heard right. Hasn’t your head been splitting since morning? That should make the viscount’s intent clear enough.”
“What do you mean by…….”
“Listen well. The viscount declared he won’t stop discharging radona fruit concentrate until you cede half the wetland. A baron like you should know full well the effects of radona fruit toxin.”
“…….”
“Well? Ready to hand over half the wetland now?”
“Sir Kurono. Let me ask one thing. Is this blackmail?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
The knight called Sir Kurono nodded openly.
The baron was speechless.
He soon ground his teeth.
“Such a low blow. Your lord fears no law, it seems. Think I’ll just hand over half the reclaimed land my son worked so hard on?”
“I think you will.”
“Before that, I’ll formally sue in the royal noble court.”
“Go ahead.”
“What?”
“I said, do it.”
A sneer curled Sir Kurono’s lips.
“A legal suit? Fine. If it goes all the way, you might win.”
“But you’re not scared?”
“Not at all. You won’t last that long.”
“What…….”
“Even the fastest ruling takes at least a year or two. And the noble court fees are notoriously high. Think you can hold out that long?”
“…….”
“Your finances seem shaky lately.”
Naked contempt gleamed in Sir Kurono’s eyes.
The baron unwittingly bit his lip.
‘What the hell.’
It felt like a hammer to the head.
Infuriating.
Yet no counter came to mind.
The one counter he thought of—suing in noble court.
The opponent had already anticipated even that and was toying with him.
‘What do I do.’
It felt hopeless.
Their words rang true upon reflection.
His finances were in dire straits.
Lloyd had been pulling off feats lately.
Enough to keep interest payments current.
But the future remained dim.
And if he had to bear noble court costs on top?
‘I can’t hold out.’
He tried to judge coldly.
The conclusion: impossible.
No strength for a long, grueling legal battle.
‘But I can’t just endure this indefinitely.’
Couldn’t live bearing headaches forever.
For now, residents chalked it up to ordinary headaches.
But once they learned the cause over time?
‘Can’t live without river water. Nor endure such agony passively. Eventually, they’ll crack and migrate one by one to other territories.’
And their destination was obviously the viscountcy.
Meaning he’d take hits without fighting back.
Only one way to avert the worst.
‘Have to yield.’
Accept their demand.
Cede half of Marez Reclaimed Land.
The sole option after agonizing thought.
Crunch!
He ground his teeth unwittingly.
He wanted to slug Sir Kurono right there.
But he couldn’t.
He was the weak one now.
Had to meet their demand.
For the residents’ livelihoods and the territory’s stability, no choice.
‘Fine, it was useless land anyway. Be grateful for keeping half.’
Infuriating, but inevitable.
Settle for this.
He steadied his emotions.
He raised his head.
Stared at the sneering Sir Kurono.
Hesitated several times, then finally spoke.
“Whew. Fine…….”
“Cut the crap and get the hell out?”
Bam!
Suddenly, the office door slammed open.
The baron and Sir Kurono’s heads snapped toward it.
Thus, they witnessed it.
“Sorry. I was in a rush. Talking to that scum.”
Panting from running.
Sweat pouring like rain.
Lloyd pointed at Sir Kurono with a wry smile.
And voiced the countermeasure he’d devised on the way here.
“We’ve got a way to not hand that land over to scum like him. I’ll explain slowly, so first, let’s chase out that rude bastard. Might as well beat him while we’re at it.”