History of the Greatest Estate Design - Episode 51
51fury. We have to come together to sell (1)
“Hehe, why did you come to see your father so early in the morning?.”
It was an ordinary breakfast spot..
The menu was the same as usual..
A loaf of homemade sausage on whole wheat bread.
Goat's milk cheese on a little salad and a fried egg.
For an aristocrat, they were a baron and his wife sitting at a fairly simple breakfast table in front of them..
They were looking this way and laughing.
But it's a little different smile than usual.
It's bright, but there's an unknown shadow..
If your usual smile is 100% happiness, now it's about 90 happiness and 10 pain..
Lloyd didn't miss that trivial but small difference..
Without needing to elaborate, I got straight to the point..
“Does your head hurt??”
“uh?”
The Baron paused..
A look in your eyes as if asking how you knew that.
I soon answered the question with an easy smile..
“Hehe, how did you know that? Even so, I had been having a hard time with a headache since early morning. That's not true, ma'am.?”
“yes. Seeing as we're both in pain, I think we need to change our pillows..”
“Hmm, I don’t think it’s just the pillow..”
“Then why??”
“Maybe because we are a couple?”
“Are you talking about something like a couple resembling each other??”
“Hehe, of course. How do you know my heart so well? I think of my wife, and if she hurts because of the way she cares for me, I'm sure she hurts as well..”
“Hey, you too.”
“…….”
In the midst of this, the baron and his wife are proud of their strong ties to the wider region, and in fact, they are indiscriminately taking off salt bombers..
Lloyd couldn't hide his bitter smile as he looked at that scene..
And I was confident in my heart.
‘First of all, everyone in this mansion has a headache..’
He suffered from a huge headache from the moment he woke up in the morning..
At first I thought it was just me.
But it wasn't.
So did Javiel and the maid who brought breakfast..
All three symptoms were the same.
Exactly both temples.
That one was seriously annoying..
From then on, I thought there was something to this..
I thought it might not be just a headache..
So I even skipped breakfast and came here..
On the way to the Baron and his wife.
In the meantime, I also checked the condition of the maids and servants I encountered..
Everyone was frowning.
caught them and asked.
Do you have a headache?.
Then everyone gave the same answer..
He said his head hurt like it was going to explode when he woke up this morning..
And now, the Baron and his wife in front of me were showing the same symptoms..
‘There's something about this.’
This is a situation where everyone in the mansion is suffering from the same headache..
It was definitely out of the ordinary..
But Lloyd grinned..
“Haha, I understand. Then I'll leave.”
“uh? Are you already gone??”
“yes. Because I just came to say hello. There's still a lot to do.”
“Don't push yourself too hard. Do you want to take it easy?.”
“yes. then.”
He retired after being seen off by the Baroness..
Even then, he never lost his bright smile..
There was no need to inform the baron and his wife of this situation..
Because I thought it was too early to do that..
‘Anyway, at this point, even if I told the Baron and his wife about the headache, nothing would change. Because there's no way there's a solution like that..’
Of course, there is no solution.
Rather, from the moment this situation was announced, there was a higher probability that the world's biggest worry contest would break out..
‘First of all, figuring out the cause is a priority..’
If you know the cause, you can find a solution.
It would be appropriate then to inform the baron and his wife of the truth..
With that thought in mind, Lloyd came out into the hallway..
Javiel, who was waiting in the hallway, his eyes lit up..
“How are you two?.”
“As expected. Same.”
“Are you suffering from headaches??”
“uh.”
Javiel's expression darkened..
Lloyd tapped him on the shoulder..
“Why are your ears drooping like a puppy that didn't get a snack?.”
“yes? I'm not a puppy…….”
“let's go. There's a lot to do.”
“yes.”
Lloyd took the lead.
The two left the mansion..
Early morning welcoming fall.
I went down the paved road to the center of the estate..
As it was the place where Young Ji-min visited the most, it was quite crowded..
Farmer going out to work in the field in the morning.
A woman carrying the sheep milk she received at dawn.
A boy chopping firewood for today's use with all his might.
Everyone was greeting their busy day with an idyllic morning scene..
But beyond that, they all had one thing in common:.
The point was that he was slightly frowning..
‘Hmm.’
Wrinkles also appeared between Lloyd's eyebrows..
The expressions on their faces that make my head pound just by looking at them.
He approached a farmer working in the field..
“Hey, strong morning.”
“uh! young master?”
Only then did the farmer pause as if he had seen this way..
A happy expression soon appeared on the farmer's face..
He held my hand and smiled brightly..
“Oh my, what are you doing this morning? How have you been??”
“What are you saying bye? Didn’t we see each other yesterday too? While writing a contract for relocation to the Marez reclaimed land.”
“Oh, that's right.”
“Then will you please let go of my hand now? I'm grateful for the welcome, but it's a bit burdensome.?”
“Ah, ah? Oh my!”
The farmer quickly let go of his hand..
Lloyd looked at the farmer with a meaningful look..
“by the way. Are you dissatisfied with me??”
“yes? Oh my, what is that... … No.”
“But why are you frowning even though it looks like you're smiling??”
“Yeah? It's me?”
“uh.”
“Is it true??”
“huh. really really.”
“Oh my... … . I had a bad headache since morning, so I stopped before I knew it… … . Sorry, master..”
“My head hurt since morning?”
“Yes.”
The farmer shook his head..
“Not only me, but my wife and children were all upset, complaining of headaches from the morning breeze. But what can I do? Last night, my dreams were somehow disturbing..”
“aha. I guess it's because I had a nightmare.?”
“yes. I guess I'll at least pray and sleep tonight..”
“okay. Be sure to do that.”
“Yes, master. Then I'll just leave..”
“okay. Do your best today too.”
“yep!”
The farmer nodded and quickened his pace..
Lloyd's expression, which had been smiling and waving at him, suddenly hardened..
He looked back at Javiel..
“I think it's me too?”
“yes. It seems so.”
Javiel's expression was also stiff..
“If not only that farmer but the entire family were the same, maybe…….”
“Are you saying that not only the people in our mansion but also the residents of the territory are experiencing the same symptoms?.”
It was definitely out of the ordinary..
After that, Lloyd continued to meet the people of the territory..
To help them realize the reality and not become anxious, I subtly and subtly assessed people's symptoms..
The results were all the same.
I was suffering from the same headache.
In other words, all of Youngjimin were showing the same symptoms..
Lloyd and Javiel's expressions became serious..
“This isn't a joke. What is the cause?.”
“Could it be an epidemic?.”
“Hmm, maybe so. Or it could be due to other environmental factors..”
“If it is an environmental factor?”
“Environmental factors that have a significant impact on the entire territory include air and water..”
Lloyd was already weighing the possibility of environmental factors..
His guess was correct..
The two people became convinced of that when they heard the answer from a shepherd boy..
“Yes, my head hurts. But that's not the problem now.”
“That's not the problem?”
The shepherd boy looked perplexed at Lloyd's question..
“My kids haven't been drinking water since yesterday..”
“kids?”
“Overview with sheep.”
“aha. Animals don't drink water?”
“yes. I don't know why. It's just been like that since yesterday. Even if I try to force it to feed it, it keeps turning its head away..”
“……okay? It's not just one or two, it's everyone.?”
“yes. That's why I'm going crazy. Why are you doing that, really?.”
“Yeah, I get it now. thank you.”
“yes?”
Shepherd boy tilting his head.
Lloyd left the boy and walked away quickly..
I walked side by side with Javiel and took a deep breath..
“Phew, I found it..”
“Do you mean the cause??”
“uh. That's a total puppy dog, really..”
“yes?”
“Viscount Lacona. The goatee who rules the southern territory and wants to give up half of the Marez reclaimed land..”
Lloyd gritted his teeth as he walked towards the mansion..
“This is what he did.”
“How did you make that guess?.”
“Any guesses? It's obvious with this much evidence.”
Lloyd chuckled..
Information I knew from reading the novel Iron Blood Knight.
Based on that, I came up with my inference..
“Let me ask you one thing. What was the specialty of the Viscounty of Lacona??”
“Well, I understand it's a beautifully dyed fabric..”
“yes. A fabric with deep and mysterious colors and little fading. But how do they dye the cloth, which is a specialty in the Viscounty Territory??”
“I have briefly heard that radona fruit is used..”
“that's right. To be precise, the juice of the radona fruit is concentrated and applied to fabric..”
“But why…….”
“Ladona fruit used for the fabric. It has some toxins that cause headaches. This is exactly the headache we're suffering from right now..”
“…….”
Javiel's eyes widened slightly..
Lloyd's explanation continued..
“And the Prona River, which flows across our territory from north to south. I know that this river flows into our territory from the south through the Viscounty.?”
“yes.”
“There's an answer. I know what it is?”
“……Yeah, I don't want to believe it, but.”
“that's right. A dye workshop using radonna fruits. The wastewater from there was dumped into the Prona River..”
“Is this on purpose??”
“uh.”
“Why on earth…….”
“It must be for intimidation. Besides, this is an extremely effective threat. There are no neighboring territories to the north of our territory where the river flows. It's just a valley with rough terrain. So, by the time the river reaches another territory far away? The toxicity will already be sufficiently diluted. This means that only our territory will suffer this damage due to the dictatorship. So, let's go back to the mansion first. ASAP.”
Lloyd hurried his steps..
To inform the Baron of this fact.?
It wasn't.
If your guess is correct.
This was because he assumed that the person the Viscount had sent would soon arrive at the mansion..
‘And in cases like this, my strong feelings don't go away easily..’
He hurried his steps towards the mansion..
♣
At the same time, the Baron's office.
The situation there was going as Lloyd expected..
There was already a guest who came to visit the Baron..
It was an article sent by Viscount Lacona..
Although not large, he has a stocky physique..
Stable posture and sharp eyes.
In the past, when the Viscount came to visit Lloyd, it was Sir Cournot, the Viscounty's senior knight, who spoke on behalf of the Viscount..
Lord Cournot was still flashing his impertinent mouth towards Baron Frontera..
“My lord, Viscount, has only one request. We are returning half of the Marez wetlands that your family developed without permission to the Viscounty Territory..”
“What do you mean without permission? nonsense.”
The Baron frowned..
“You must have heard a sufficient explanation from my son the day before, right? Marez Marsh has been abandoned for generations, and this time we invested special funds and manpower to develop the land. In that case, do you still not understand the law that the developer owns the land??”
“The Viscount doesn't really want to understand. So he ordered that the concentrate of radona fruit from the dye factory be thrown into the river..”
“……what?”
“It's exactly as you heard. Didn’t your head hurt like it was going to explode this morning? If that were enough, he would have fully sensed the Viscount's intentions..”
“what is that now…….”
“Listen carefully. The Viscount has declared that he will not stop releasing radona fruit concentrate until you give up half of the Marez wetlands. Anyone of the Baron's level would know this well. What are the effects of the toxicity of Ladona fruit?.”
“…….”
“How do you feel? Are you thinking about crossing half of the wetland now?.”
“Sir Cournot. I only ask one question. Could this be a threat??”
“yes.”
“…….”
The knight called Sir Cournot nodded openly..
The Baron was speechless..
I immediately ground my teeth..
“Such a base threat. It seems your master has no fear of the law. Do you think my son will just hand over half of the reclaimed land he worked so hard to develop??”
“I think that will happen..”
“Before that, I will formally file a complaint with the kingdom's noble court..”
“do it.”
“what?”
“What do you mean?.”
A sneer appeared on Lord Cournot's lips..
“Legal complaint. Well, that's good. If we get to the end, the Baron will probably win..”
“But aren’t you afraid??”
“I'm not afraid. Because you won’t be able to hold out until then.”
“what…….”
“No matter how quickly the ruling comes, it will take at least a year or two. Additionally, the costs of noble courts are notoriously expensive. But do you have the confidence to endure this long??”
“…….”
“It seems like your financial situation has been bad recently..”
The blatant disregard in Sir Cournot's eyes..
The Baron had to bite his lip without realizing it..
‘What the hell is this.’
Is this what it feels like to get hit in the head with a hammer?.
I was angry.
But I couldn't think of a way to respond..
The only counterattack that came to mind was to file a complaint with the noble court..
The other party may have already had that in mind and was playing a trick on us..
‘what should i do.’
I became at a loss.
When I think about it, what they said was right..
His financial situation was terrible..
Recently, Lloyd has been showing off his wits in various ways..
Thanks to this, we are able to avoid paying interest..
Nevertheless, the future was still not bright..
But if you have to pay the legal fees of the noble court here,?
‘I won't be able to endure it.’
I tried to judge as calmly as possible..
But the conclusion that came out was that it was impossible..
In other words, the only conclusion was that there would be no strength to continue a long and arduous legal battle..
‘However, we cannot continue to tolerate this situation..’
I couldn't just endure the headache and live with it..
Right now, the people in the territory are probably thinking it's just an ordinary headache..
But over time, if everyone learns the cause of these headaches,?
‘It's impossible to live without drinking river water. But there's no way I could just endure such a painful headache. In the end, they won't be able to endure it and will move to another territory one by one..’
It was obvious that the new home would probably be the Viscounty territory over there..
In other words, this side had no choice but to be beaten without being able to respond in any way..
But there seemed to be only one way to prevent such a worst-case scenario..
‘I have no choice but to bow down.’
Listening to the other side's demands.
Handing over half of the Marez reclaimed land.
After much thought, it was the only option that came to the Baron's mind..
Crackling!
I gritted my teeth without realizing it..
When I thought about it, I wanted to punch Lord Cournot in front of me..
But I couldn't..
The weak one now is this one.
I'm in a position where I have to listen to the other side's demands..
There was nothing we could do for the livelihood of the people of the territory and the stability of the territory..
‘Yes, it's land that couldn't be used anyway. Let's be thankful that we can save at least half of it..’
I'm angry, but I can't help it..
Let's be satisfied with this.
I got my emotions together like that..
I raised my head.
I looked at Sir Cournot, who was laughing at me..
After hesitating several times, I finally opened my mouth..
“Phew. good…….”
“Don't criticize me and get out right away.?”
Kwaang!
Suddenly, the office door slammed open..
The Baron and Lord Cournot's heads turned towards him..
Thanks to you, the two were able to witness it..
“sorry. I was in a bit of a hurry. This is what I said to that guy..”
I was out of breath as if I was running..
Sweat like rain.
Lloyd pointed at Sir Cournot with a wry smile..
And I said the countermeasure that came to mind while running all the way here..
“There is a way to avoid having to hand over the land to those guys. I'll tell you slowly, so let's kick that cheap guy out first. If possible, just beat it up a bit..”
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