Chapter 17
Chapter 17
* * *
I knew this would happen.
I looked at Baron Hawin's servants gathered at the potato field.
They stood there holding torches, looking utterly at a loss.
"Were you planning to throw torches into the potato field?"
I asked calmly.
"Don't throw them. I'll let you use them to roast potatoes instead."
The servants' breathing grew ragged.
"Even if you throw them, you're surrounded, and the fire will be put out right away."
Around me, buckets were filled to the brim with water. It had been drawn from the river in advance.
"Well, you'd still ruin a few potatoes. The outcome is already decided, so all you have to do is choose."
I said flatly.
"Whether you just ruin them or eat them, we've already accepted that we'll take about that much of a loss either way, so I don't care how it happens."
The truth was, I had expected the potato field might be in danger. Knowing the Hawin baron's character, I didn't think he would leave it alone.
So every night, I had water drawn into buckets and placed here and there around the potato field.
'It's water for the potatoes the next day anyway, so the labor wasn't wasted.'
Labor had to be conserved. It all came from what we ate, after all.
And I increased the number of knights patrolling at night. If arsonists came, they were to immediately show them the water buckets, surround them, and contact me.
Tonight, word finally came, and I was called out in the middle of the night.
In front of the hollow-cheeked servants, I gestured with my chin to a maid.
The maid held out several plates with a clack.
"Salt is here, and I've also prepared chilled tea brewed from lotus root."
The starving intruders surrendered at once.
"W-we'll eat!"
"We'll eat!"
I knew it. Because they're human.
We handed each of them three large potatoes.
Watching them roast the potatoes over the torches made us feel peckish too, so we each roasted one as a late-night snack.
A warm, fluffy potato dipped in salt, eaten with cold lotus-root tea, was very good.
Of course, Wendy couldn't eat any.
I had brought along several escort knights, and one of them was Wendy.
She wasn't starving. She just couldn't eat potatoes. But in our territory's current situation, that meant she couldn't eat the staple food. Being unable to eat while everyone else did was especially painful.
"Good heavens, it's really fluffy and delicious. Wendy, this is really delicious."
"It's warm and soft. How long has it been since I've tasted something this soft? Though Wendy will have to wait even longer."
The knights even enjoyed eating potatoes in front of her and teasing her.
"Wendy, keep a kind heart. It's because of your character that you can't eat such delicious potatoes."
"Right. You go eat dried fish and eggs. It'll help your character grow."
At this point, it was hard to tell whether the knights had good character or not.
Anyway, Wendy was always suffering. Then a few days ago, she knelt before me and begged for forgiveness.
But I did not lift the potato ban.
"Now, then."
After the late-night snack was over, I signaled to the knights with my eyes.
"We should take you to Baron Hawin."
The knights immediately tied up the intruders with rope.
The intruders blinked cluelessly and mumbled.
"Huh? W-we can go on our own......"
"Do I look crazy enough to just let criminals go?"
I said indifferently.
"I have to make Baron Hawin pay the price."
"......Huh?"
"Come on, let's go."
I headed for the Hawin Baronial Residence with a group of knights, including Wendy.
It was the middle of the night, with no moon.
"Um, my lady."
One of the intruders, grown docile after being fed potatoes, spoke.
In fact, until not long ago, they had been territory residents who had known Sears as their lord.
"But there really is nothing in our territory. How do you plan to collect the debt......."
"There's probably nothing left at the baronial residence but a few ears of corn. Besides, our baron isn't the sort to hand anything over willingly......."
"He'll probably never admit it was his order. He'll pin it all on us!"
Then Philip shouted angrily from behind me.
"How dare you thieves speak to my lady!"
I hadn't brought a maid along to the baronial residence, but I almost felt as if I had one with me.
"She is so noble that the likes of you aren't even fit to look her in the face!"
Philip glared at them and threatened them.
"Bow your heads! Walk properly! If even a speck of dirt gets on my lady's hem because of you, know that that day will be the day your blood stains my sword!"
The intruders quickly bowed their heads. Though it seemed they were more frightened by Philip's size than by his words.
Then Philip came up to me and whispered, looking pleased with himself.
"This is the way of the nobility, isn't it, my lady? I'm good at it now, right?"
The truth was, it was the maids of Liente who were excessive; even the nobles of the capital didn't act like that.
Philip had learned the wrong lesson.
"You're good at it."
Still, by Liente's standards, he had done well. The problem was that Liente had fallen.
I answered haughtily.
"Let's record it in the history books."
For the first time, Philip was satisfied with that remark of mine.
* * *
'What in the world is going on here!'
Baron Forman thought as he returned to the Hawin baronial residence once more.
'To have to come back again!'
The old intelligence agent's joints ached from moving in secret.
In the middle of the night, Brisa dragged the intruders along and barged into Baron Hawin's room.
No one could stop her, accompanied as she was by well-fed knights.
"Hm."
Faced with Brisa's complaint about the intruders, Baron Hawin fiddled with his mustache and spoke.
"I know nothing about this, Brisa. Why would I ruin my niece's field?"
As expected, he played dumb.
Brisa asked sharply.
"Then why would these people come in the middle of the night, wasting valuable labor, to set fire to our field, which is heavily guarded by knights, if it wasn't on your orders, Uncle?"
At that, Baron Hawin feigned indifference and said,
"Well, this is a delicate thing to say in hard times, but...... it seems they were simply envious of you."
"You should have been careful with your words."
Brisa shrugged.
"The intruders' expressions don't look good."
Indeed, the bound intruders were glaring at Baron Hawin as if they wanted to kill him. They had expected this, but they still resented their master for cutting them loose.
"Brisa, for your sake, let me give you a piece of advice. Don't take it the wrong way."
"That means I'm going to feel bad the moment I hear it."
"You really are rude to your elders. Did your mother teach you that? To come to your elder's house in the middle of the night and argue so disrespectfully?"
"As expected. I was right. Because now I feel bad."
"I clearly remember, three or four years ago, when I last saw your mother......."
"Saying 'three or four years' means you don't clearly remember. Since it's imprecise, I won't listen."
Brisa said haughtily, arms crossed.
"More importantly, I'd like you to take responsibility for this matter."
"Responsibility? Why should I?"
Baron Hawin reacted violently to the word "responsibility."
"Can a lord manage every single resident of his territory?"
"Then what should be done about punishing these people? May I handle it myself?"
"Well......."
As Brisa pressed him with questions, Baron Hawin's eyes darted around in confusion.
"Still...... they're my territory's residents, so the final decision should be mine. Isn't that right? That's the principle."
In principle, a lord had the right to punish the residents of his territory. No matter how much Brisa protested, there was nothing she could do.
Then Brisa asked calmly.
"Then how about selling them off?"
At that moment, the elderly intelligence agent listening outside the door, Baron Forman, nearly fainted.
Sell them...... off? What did that mean?