Chapter 355
My Villains Episode 355
60. end of winter(6)
Keybor was a settlement that was created by combining several small farming villages. Since it is surrounded by ample flat land, which is rare in the vicinity, it seems to serve as the granary of the plateau in its own way..
And, unfortunately, it is Baron Boanen who refuses Princess Theodora's benediction.
“We apologize to you, but we completely agree with your opinion..”
“All the gentlemen of Keivor will do that..”
This was the response of the knights, magistrates, and landowners who received Prince Ulkar's call..
The village centered around the manor house naturally belonged to Baron Boanen, but the surrounding farmland was a little different. The baron owned only about 20%, and the rest was owned by those who called themselves ‘gentlemen’.
all.
Most of them were people who had received manors from great lords for meritorious achievements in the past, and there were also some landowners who had been granted farmland that originally belonged to the cathedral..
“……Surprisingly.”
Ulkar, who was expressionless in front of Baron Boanen, could not hide his disappointment at their rejection..
“The land on which farming would not have been possible without the ritual of consolidating the land is Gyeongdeul’s farmland. After harvesting the winter rye, it is obvious that your intellect will decline and the results will be disastrous, so how can you refuse without even thinking about it??”
“We are faithful Gwangmyeong Christians. It is impossible to make the Lord angry with just how much you produce..”
“I'm shocked. It is the Lord who blesses me through my niece, so who can be angry??”
Ulkar was especially disappointed because some of the people gathered here were his former comrades..
This happened nearly 10 years ago, when a war broke out on the western border, similar to this one. King Lionel III went out with all his sons and met the forces of Mitergeland. It was at this time that Ulkar showed off his martial arts skills for the first time..
Of course, the knights and magistrates of Keivor also participated in this and rode along with Ulkar. As a prince, I can't help but feel frustrated because people like that are telling such obvious lies..
Unlike Ulkarwan, who remained silent out of frustration, Lord Ankir glared openly at the knights and magistrates..
“Yes, you can be so noble. Even if there are several years of poor harvest, we will not starve.” People tried to avoid their eyes, but the giant knight's growl continued..
“And what about the serfs? What are you going to do with those people who are borrowing on your land? If there is a bad harvest, most people will not be able to survive even a year, let alone several years.!”
“……I don't think it's Lord Ankir's concern. It is the owner's responsibility to manage the manor..”
“what! this-”
“Stop, stop..”
Ulkar, who stopped Lord Ankir from saying something in excitement, sent the 'gentlemen' of Keivor away without being able to hide his stiff face..
We rented an inn near the permanent residence, a grocery store next to it, and an entire barn attached to it as our lodgings..
This is because they were only staffed with cavalry, so they were unable to bring tents. Well, even if there were tents, it would not have been possible to find a suitable vacant lot because of the refugees who filled the entire village..
The knights are people who try to let their war horses sleep in a warm place, even if they themselves have to spend a lot of time sleeping in the open. It would not have been a waste of money for Ulkar, who valued the morale of his subordinates, to spend some gold coins for this purpose..
“I should have brought the Margrave's son with me..”
Sir Gisella, with her lips pouted, handed her a tin cup filled with thick beer, and Ulkar, who took the cup, smiled..
“Why do you say that??”
“If there was someone who would one day become their master, wouldn't they have treated them like this? We also provide lodging for those who are about to go to war to protect their homeland.
I can't believe you didn't give it to me……
“Oh my God, this is unthinkable in Marva,” she grumbled, and Ulkar leaned back with a wry smile..
“……well. Even if Lord ‘Gawin’ had been around, nothing would have changed much..”
“Why??”
“It seems to me that the nobles of Kaybor, including Baron Boanen, are loyal to the Church of El Ganor. “Not the Axodbrook family.” The High Lord of the Highlands is the Margrave of Landry of the Axodbrooke family. And it is a well-known fact that he is actively cooperating with Prince Ulkar - effectively acting as a subordinate. I even heard a story about it in Longville a few months ago..
The nobles of Keivor will also know that their lord Landry has a close relationship with Ulkar. But even so, they are so harsh..
“Those damn priests ran away right away... … . They are foolish people.”
“Don't blame them. Responsible for leading believers astray
For those who.”
“Nobles are also a problem. I can't believe the writers called Knight and Incense Sara are such pathetic things. Even in High Castle right in front of us, war clouds are in the air..”
“Since I paid the shield tax, I guess I fulfilled my duty. In fact, the supplies and livestock they sent are helpful to the defenders, so there is nothing to blame..”
After saying that, Prince Ulkar took a mouthful of beer and closed his eyes. Then I slowly swallowed the beer and opened my mouth..
“They are the ones most in need of a congratulatory ceremony. I guess they are afraid that the church will return someday and take revenge, so they refuse to do anything..”
Sleepy, half-glazed eyes turned to the knights and soldiers gathered around the round table..
“I just want to go back to High Castle like this. However, I am worried because Kavor is different from Longdale, where commerce is booming..”
When asked for opinions, the prince's subordinates opened their mouths one by one..
“Damn it, beating that guy up-”
“The beer is very good, so take a taste, Lord Ankir. I think you'll like it.”
“How about giving a blessing at night??”
“The light that comes from performing the blessing ceremony is also a problem, and since it is not something to be ashamed of, there is no reason to act secretly. Also, I can't have my niece do that..”
“So, the princess is using this opportunity to convert?.”
There were no very interesting opinions. Well, among Ulkar's subordinates, the only ones who act as tricksters are Sir Ariad the 'Viper' and Sir Hylterre the 'Painter'. But since both of them are not here, there is no way for me to have any great opinions..
I sat quietly eating a pancake, then looked at Theodora sitting next to me. Perhaps because of the back and forth conversation, his expression wasn't very good. I tapped her arm with my elbow..
“……kyung?”
“Have you tried it? It's really amazing..”
When I whispered that and held out a bowl full of pancakes, Theodora blinked for a moment and then made a mysterious expression, like a frown or a smile..
When I tapped the rim of the wooden bowl, she cleared her throat, said 'hmm, hmm,' and lifted her fork. Theodora, who tasted pancakes made by mixing sourdough with flour, eggs, honey, milk, etc. and baking them in pork fat, widened her eyes as if surprised..
“It's delicious?”
“Well, indeed..”
“It had a unique scent, so I asked the clerk and they added dried saffron grown in the garden..”
“Saffron?”
“yes. That's a lie, right? What kind of saffron is grown in a village like this?.”
Theodora pursed her lips and shook her head slightly..
“It doesn't seem like a lie. It smells like saffron.”
“Is that so? I heard it was an expensive spice, but was it possible to grow it in a place like this?.”
“'Bülsruhe' in the west is also famous for its poor soil and inclement weather, but it grows many precious spices. Just because it's a plateau doesn't mean you can't grow spices..”
“okay… … . I think the boss here was overdoing it by saying the prince came. It's a shame, everyone can't even tell whether it's saffron or a street flower leaf anyway..”
After taking a quick look at the princes and knights who were having a meeting, he said, 'Right?' As she whispered, Theodora finally burst out laughing..
All of a sudden, all eyes gathered, and the princess pretended to clear her throat with the nape of her neck dyed bright red. It was a good response, but Prince Ulkar looked back at me with a slight smile..
“It seems Lord Phoenics has given his niece an ingenious idea. will you tell me too?”
“Um, would you mind??”
“Why not??”
It may have seemed like I was doing something else, but I also had something similar to compound eyes, so I was able to open my mouth easily..
“Fill yourself with money.”
“……with money?”
“yes. What you're worried about now are the serfs, not the rich nobles. If the harvest goes on for a long time because they are unable to perform the ritual of fertilizing the land, the nobles will also suffer, but the serfs will literally die out..”
Ulkar rested his chin on his silver prosthetic hand and narrowed his eyes..
“There are more than 2,000 serfs in Keibor. It is nearly impossible to find a way to support them ahead of the battle, and even if we do, it will not solve the problem of those who have fled..”
“You can do it here..”
“here?”
“yes.”
I shrugged my shoulders and said.
“Buy farmland.”
“……buy farmland?”
“Isn't the land going to die in as little as 5 to as long as 10 years if you don't do the ritual of consecrating it anyway? Let's tell those new people to sell it cheap because it's going to be a burden to them..”
“You're telling me to buy land and build soil..”
“yes. What would anyone say if I said I would build soil on my own land? Even if the Baron teases you, you can probably ignore it. Because my strength was originally overflowing and I even had a cause..”
The knights and soldiers who had been talking nonsense opened their mouths as if they had heard a scathing story..
“This is ridiculous..”
Of all the dogs, it was Sir Gisella who came to her senses first and spoke..
“Although it is not comparable to the fertile soil of Antrum, Trosher, or the direct territory, the land nearby is rare farmland in the highlands and is not small in scale. Moreover, knights and magistrates are proud landowning nobles, so buying land from them will not be easy. I would have to forfeit more than half of the gentleman's gold.,”
“If buying doesn't work, borrow..”
“••••••What?”
I scratched my eyebrows as I looked at the clueless female knight..
“1Wouldn't it be much cheaper if you only rent for one year? The nobles won't have any complaints since they won't lose any land..”
“It's like covering your eyes and shouting. If the church knows,”
“no.”
Sir Gisella continued to retort, but Prince Ulkar stopped her..
“Good opinion..”
“yes? Yes, your majesty.”
The prince tapped the table and nodded..
“It would be a good excuse to say that we would build Dunjeon (毛田) in preparation for a prolonged war. If only the residents here keep quiet, the church won't even think that they rented the land for construction..”
He muttered that and looked at me with his eyes sparkling..
“Good advice, Lord Phoenics..”
“However, my question is this:.”
“ question?" "yes.”
I pursed my lips for a moment and then sighed and asked a question..
“Why do you have to do that??”
“……what does that mean?”
“Isn’t the prince trying to do something that neither the village nor the church wants, even spending money?.”
“I didn't tell you already. If you do not perform the ritual of consecrating the soil, you will have a bad harvest.,”
“If there is a poor harvest, the lord and the church are responsible..”
“Sir, your words are not over.!”
Lord Ankir shouted lowly, but the prince only slightly lifted the prosthetic hand that was resting on his chin..
“Why does the prince want to take responsibility for everything? Aren’t the enemies coming to High Castle what’s important now? I don't really understand why you're pushing yourself so hard..”
In response to the question that had been buried all along, the prince remained silent with a stern expression..
After some time the audience had become quiet, Ulkar slowly opened his mouth..
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