The Hidden Genius
"I have come to see Lady Selene."
"She is currently taking tea. Would you mind waiting a moment?"
The tea excuse was obviously just that—an excuse. Like the Prince of Gold, Adran, the Princess of Grace, Selene, despised me with every fiber of her being. She had even tried to assassinate the Emperor, her own father, after Karia slaughtered the rebels, and when that failed she had come for me as well, only to be executed for the attempt.
As expected, the tea lasted an absurdly long time. Half a day passed and Selene still refused to show her face. Karia, waiting beside me, grew visibly furious.
"I am terribly sorry, but Lady Selene is feeling unwell. Please come again tomorrow."
"How dare you speak to us like that!"
I accepted Selene’s polite yet unmistakable dismissal. Karia exploded in anger, but I calmed her down. I had no intention of giving up. If I left now, there would be nowhere to house the flood of peasants pouring into Elrond, and Karl Hansen’s warning about slums would become reality.
Elrond was a cold place. Slums there would mean countless deaths from exposure. I could not afford that loss when the Golden Plains were about to be turned into precious farmland.
"Would you please deliver one more message to Lady Selene? Tell her that if she continues to refuse me, thousands of peasants seeking work in Elrond will freeze to death. She will bear clear responsibility for that outcome."
The maid bowed and went to relay my words. I knew Selene hated me, yet she genuinely cared for the people.
Along with Adran, she was the only sensible, good-hearted character in this wretched novel.
Sure enough, my warning worked. Five minutes later Selene changed her mind and agreed to see me. Karia and I were led to her chambers.
The moment the door opened, a dazzlingly beautiful woman fixed me with a haughty glare. Selene, Princess of Grace—blessed with both beauty and keen perception.
She wore an extravagant dress and held complete control over the Empire’s alchemists, scientists, and the Magic Tower. A genius among geniuses. Yet even her vast knowledge had failed to stop the ambitious Landor and Karia.
In the end she had been burned at the stake, and every mage, alchemist, and scientist who followed her had shared her fate, their heads displayed in the square. It was considered the most horrific blunder Landor ever committed against the Empire.
"It is an honor to meet Lady Selene—"
Before I could finish, she answered in an icy voice.
"Spare me the empty formalities. I have no desire to receive greetings from you."
The Princess of Beauty and Observation also dominated the capital’s social circles. Having navigated high society for years, she delivered her elegant yet cutting remarks with perfect precision.
"Sister, if you show Landor any more disrespect—"
Karia growled and reached for her sword, but I stopped her. I desperately needed Selene’s help. Fighting was not an option. If she demanded I kneel, I would kneel.
"I will skip the formalities. It is obvious you dislike me, so I will get straight to the point. Would you look at this?"
I took out the soil and weeds from the Golden Plains I had carefully brought with me. Selene, who had clearly expected bribes and jewels, looked momentarily flustered at the sight of grass and dirt.
"What is this?"
"It is soil and weeds from the Golden Plains beyond the Raco Mountains trade route on the western continent. The peasants who arrived in Elrond analyzed it and said the land has the right soil, weather, and humidity for crops, but lacks nutrients. They said an enormous amount of fertilizer would be required."
"And why are you telling me this?"
"Because I need your help. Every day, a huge number of peasants are coming to Elrond looking for work. In three months the population will exceed what Portu Commercial City and Elrond can handle. I intend to develop the Golden Plains into farmland."
She had clearly not expected that answer. Given my reputation, she must have assumed I would offer bribes and jewels like any other treacherous minister. Instead I was talking about farming and the people.
Still, she maintained her regal composure, hiding her surprise as befitted a queen of high society.
"So why did you come to me?"
"Traditional methods cannot produce enough fertilizer to cultivate the entire Golden Plains. We need new technology. You possess the greatest intellect in the Empire, and countless scientists, alchemists, and mages serve under you. I came hoping you might have a solution."
Selene burst out laughing.
"You shameless man. Do you plan to clear the Golden Plains just to exploit the peasants?"
She clearly believed I was up to no good.
"Why should I help you? From the peasants’ perspective, the only change would be that their exploiter shifts from the nobility to you. Even if my technology turns the entire plains into farmland, the only guaranteed beneficiary is you. There is no proof the peasants would benefit at all."
"I own the Golden Plains. I will lease the land to the peasants and return ninety percent of the profits from the crops to them. I will take only ten percent as tax."
"What guarantee do I have that a villain like you would actually do that?"
"I am already the richest man in the Empire without exploiting peasants. The merchants in the capital earn in a year what I make in a day or two. I have no reason to exploit the peasants."
"I do not believe you. You want the technology to create new farmland. Ha! Your stated reason sounds noble, as always. But I have no confidence you will use that technology properly. You never have before. Behind every pretty excuse you offered was unimaginable malice."
Selene glared at me with burning eyes.
"Send the peasants flocking to your territory to the capital instead. My brother and I will take care of them somehow. I cannot trust you."
"How dare you—how dare you speak to Landor like that!"
Karia finally lost control and drew her sword halfway. Selene’s knights drew their blades at the same time, but their faces were tense.
They knew full well that even if every knight here attacked together, they stood no chance against Karia, the Empire’s strongest swordsman and commander.
I quickly grabbed Karia’s hand and pushed the blade back into its sheath.
Selene’s distrust ran deep, and understandably so. She had watched from the closest vantage point as I used my silver tongue to completely win over the Emperor and Karia, slowly rotting the Empire from within. No amount of persuasion would erase that distrust in an instant.
I looked Selene straight in the eye. She stared back without yielding an inch, even knowing I could order Karia to tear everyone here to pieces.
She was truly a woman of strong will. That was why most readers had liked her and felt sorry when Landor had her burned at the stake.
I understood her distrust. But I needed her help, and the one who is thirsty digs the well.
I stared at her for a moment, then suddenly dropped to my knees and pressed my forehead to the floor.
"Landor!"
Karia rushed toward me in alarm, but I kept my head bowed low. It was the most humiliating, groveling posture imaginable, yet I did not care.
I had to change the bad ending. What good would pride do if clinging to it led to being quartered and dismembered?
"Please help me. I understand why you cannot trust me. My faults are great, and I accept that. But even if you hate me, please help for the sake of the business I have built and the people it has saved."
"Landor, stop this!"
Karia tried to pull me up, but I kept my head down.
"I will bring Prince Adran’s officials to my territory. I will entrust the administration of Elrond and the Portu commercial district to them. They can monitor whether I am oppressing the people or truly working for their benefit. I will take only the amount I promised—ninety percent of the income from the Golden Plains farmland to the peasants, ten percent as tax."
I lifted my head slightly and looked at Selene. Even the queen of high society, who had seen everything, could not hide her shock at the sight of me discarding all pride.
Landor had been defined by his cunning, ambition, and pride. He would never throw away his pride for someone else. He was the villain who sacrificed others for his own ego and desires. Seeing such a man kneel to beg for fertilizer technology clearly shocked the princess.
"I want to create a world where the people are well-fed and smiling, Your Highness. I cannot do it with my strength alone. I need your help. I want to turn the Golden Plains into a land that truly produces gold, not just in name. Please help me."
"Landor!"
While Karia fretted helplessly beside me, Selene remained silent for a long time. She needed time to process the shocking scene.
"Stand up, Landor."
After a long while, Selene finally spoke. I rose to my feet and saw that her expression had softened considerably, though she still looked bewildered. She had apparently decided to help.
"There was once an alchemist and scientist who developed a technology to produce fertilizer for clearing land. I will introduce him to you."
"Really? Thank you!"
When I bowed in gratitude, Selene spoke firmly.
"I still do not fully trust you. I will be watching. The moment you show even the slightest sign of corruption, I will take the technology back without hesitation. You must spend the rest of your life atoning for everything you have done."
"Of course! Of course! Haha! Thank you, Your Highness! May I meet the technician now?"
Selene studied me quietly for a moment, then stood and led Karia and me to the Magic Tower.
There I met the alchemist.
"My name is Leofric. Haha. I am not from a noble house—I was born to ordinary peasant parents."
The unassuming man in his thirties looked exactly like the picture of a scientist.
"These days the trend among mages, alchemists, and scientists is processing magic stones to make teleportation cheaper and more widespread. I focused on something a little different. That is why no one here recognizes me. Hahaha."
True to his profession, he chatted away without being asked and guided us to his laboratory.
"This is it—the technology I developed. I created it in my spare time, thinking it might help since my parents are farmers. Well… no one in the tower acknowledges it, but I wonder if it will be useful to Lord Landor…"
He showed me his equipment and the product it could produce, speaking hesitantly. After listening to his entire explanation, I grabbed his hand tightly.
"You… you are a genius! Leofric! A true genius! Do you even realize what you have developed?! Wahahahaha!"
My wild laughter and joy left Leofric, Selene, and Karia staring in stunned silence.
It did not matter. Thanks to watching science YouTube channels in my previous life, I recognized exactly what Leofric had created.
A method of synthesizing ammonia using an iron catalyst at 200 atmospheres and temperatures between 400–500 degrees.
What Leofric had developed was the chemical process of the Haber-Bosch method—the technology that enabled mass production of the fertilizer that fed humanity.