I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inheriting a Beautiful Wife and Estate Episode 014

14. Charcoal Kiln

[Name: Cliff Elimis]

[Level: 2]

[Dignity: 3]

[Elegance: 1]

[Virtue: 1]

The stat Cliff raised was Dignity.

This was exactly why Teobaldt felt that sense of pressure.

However, neither Cliff nor Teobaldt knew this at the moment. Still, the reason Cliff raised this stat.

‘I’ve organized the soldiers to some extent, but I still lack much dignity as a lord.’

How unfortunate.

If his mana had been overflowing, he would have used a different method.

Still, it was fortunate. An unexpected reward had rolled his way.

Slave Knight.

One who handles mana, and such skills were precious.

They couldn’t be taught to just anyone.

Usually they were only passed down to blood relatives, and occasionally there were cases like this where slaves were taught the techniques.

‘Because slaves have no reason to betray.’

More precisely, because betrayal is impossible for them.

Naturally, the price of such Slave Knights was expensive. Moreover, they were difficult to buy even with money.

The very fact that someone like Bellman possessed such a person was nonsense.

“…The master-servant contract seems to be properly established. But how did Bellman obtain you? No matter how many people he brought and sold from this domain, it would be difficult to acquire a knight like you.”

Slave Knights were precious.

Not simply expensive, but their actual numbers were few.

Yet there were many places that wanted them. An existence with a knight’s abilities who didn’t require separate wages.

Wasn’t that a fantastic military asset just thinking about it?

‘It doesn’t make sense for Bellman to obtain such a person.’

If that were the case, Bellman’s existence wouldn’t be on the scale of this small domain.

“I was previously with a different organization.”

Cliff’s eyes gleamed with interest at Teobaldt’s answer.

A different organization.

It must have been a powerful place to possess Teobaldt.

“Did that place hand you over to Bellman?”

“Precisely, they made an exchange.”

“Exchange?”

Teobaldt had a trading partner.

An exchange meant some kind of deal had been made. A mere loan shark from a backward domain had connections with a larger organization than expected.

And the contents of what was exchanged.

“Since there are Shadow Wolves in this vicinity, it means there are other shadow races as well. He was lucky enough to have captured a young one of those shadow races.”

“Shadow races?”

At first, confusion.

Then Cliff’s expression hardened.

Not Shadow Wolves, but another shadow race. And a price worthy of exchanging for someone of Teobaldt’s caliber.

Something came to mind.

“Don’t tell me… you mean Dark Elves?”

If regular elves handled spirit magic and bows.

Dark Elves used shadows and daggers as their main weapons.

They were a rare race with even fewer numbers than elves, difficult to encounter.

‘Certainly… no matter how precious a Slave Knight might be, it can’t compare to a Dark Elf.’

Teobaldt nodded at his surprised question.

Hearing that, he could understand.

‘So this was a place where Dark Elves lived.’

The mountains surrounding the domain and the forested area beyond them.

The place where Dark Elves lived was probably that forest. There was a Dark Elf village there.

“Have you ever seen Dark Elves while living in that mountain lodge?”

“I have. However, if you’re thinking of capturing and selling them like Bellman, I’d like to dissuade you.”

Cliff frowned upon hearing Teobaldt’s words.

“Are you crazy? I’d rather hunt the lake monster than try to catch those guys.”

Teobaldt had clearly said earlier.

That Bellman had captured a young Dark Elf. That was only possible because the Dark Elf was young.

‘I shouldn’t even think about fighting an adult Dark Elf.’

They were born assassins.

If you encountered them in the forest, it was right to consider yourself dead.

Moreover, the Dark Elves had already lost a child once. They were surely being cautious now.

To prevent children from carelessly leaving the village. So what Teobaldt meant by encountering them was.

‘He met adults, sentries among them at that. How amazing is that? Who would have thought he’d survive meeting a sentry.’

Even better.

“Then what’s at the mountain lodge?”

“Underground there’s a prison to temporarily hold those who would become slaves. And besides that, there’s enough wheat brought from outside to fill two rooms.”

The corners of Cliff’s mouth turned up.

“…That’s quite welcome news to hear.”

Winter was gradually approaching.

Cliff frowned.

‘Weren’t basins supposed to be warm originally?’

Nothing about this domain was good.

Hot in summer, cold in winter.

Every bad condition was gathered here.

So winter was a season of death for the domain’s people.

“How are the winter preparations going?”

“Everyone is preparing firewood, provisions, and clothes. But there are limits to what commoner homes can prepare. The most realistic approach is to huddle together as closely as possible in small spaces and endure winter with each other’s body heat.”

“Huh?”

Actually, this was a method nobles enjoyed using too.

Human heaters.

They would sleep holding women who had bathed in hot water to gain warmth. But they also prepared plenty of warm winter gear like cotton blankets and fur. However, there was a problem.

“But those are precious in this domain, aren’t they?”

“Yes. The only nearby beasts are Shadow Wolves, and they…”

“Don’t leave hides behind. I swear I’ll definitely skin those mutts someday.”

Cliff clicked his tongue along with an impossible vow.

At least the 50 geese Tom had brought at his request were hope.

Still, it was only 50 birds.

Since breeding season had already passed, the numbers decreased rather than increased.

‘If only there had been more time.’

Currently there were 48 geese in the domain.

There were no other livestock raised separately in the domain.

Those geese had molted recently and quite a bit of feathers had been collected, but still not enough to distribute to the domain’s people.

‘I need more geese. And besides geese, there should be more livestock suitable for raising in the domain.’

This had been a concern from before.

But there was something even sadder than this.

“Most importantly, the trees that grow here emit toxic smoke when used as firewood. Accidents from poisoning by that smoke occur frequently.”

It was precisely the absence of firewood.

“Huh? I didn’t feel anything like that?”

“That’s because the manor uses blackwood.”

“Blackwood?”

Cliff asked back.

“It’s firewood made by processing wood once. It produces less smoke and the heat lasts much longer, making it useful as firewood. After processing, it turns black, so we call it blackwood.”

He thought he knew what that blackwood was.

‘Isn’t that charcoal?’

In fact, Cliff had always lived as a noble since coming here.

Since he never had occasion to examine firewood directly, even when he occasionally heard reports about it, he paid less attention. He couldn’t feel it firsthand. But now he was being told that all of this was because the manor used charcoal.

“Then couldn’t the commoners also use charcoal… no, that blackwood thing?”

“That would be the case, but…”

Nigel trailed off.

“The production of blackwood isn’t very high. So the previous lord established a law that only those who received the lord’s permission could use blackwood.”

Hearing this, Cliff realized the inefficiency of this era.

‘Right. This was a world with a class system.’

And one where the lord’s word was law.

Here, blackwood (charcoal) was under the lord’s special management. So only the lord could use it, and only those who received permission from the lord could use it.

‘In other words, they could have sold this right to obtain various things.’

For example, someone like Bellman would have used charcoal.

But it meant that ordinary commoners were restricted from using charcoal.

“Tsk.”

Cliff clicked his tongue.

And orders made by predecessors like this were difficult for even a lord to overturn carelessly, no matter how much authority the succeeding lord had.

Still, it was quite fortunate.

‘At least there’s a loophole.’

Cliff opened his mouth.

“I’ll grant permission. As the lord’s proxy, I’ll permit all the people living in our estate to produce and use blackwood.”

“…!”

Nigel’s pupils widened.

His expression seemed slightly moved.

However, he was also worried.

“There are limits to the production of blackwood.”

“Do you use kilns?”

“Kilns… you mean?”

He tilted his head.

Cliff clicked his tongue.

“I asked because I don’t remember seeing any while touring the estate extensively. There are no charcoal kilns here.”

“That’s correct, but what exactly is that…”

In fact, even Cliff didn’t know in detail.

But that was fine.

This was an estate that already had experience making charcoal, as well as the knowledge and skills.

‘If I roughly explain kilns, they should be able to figure out how to do it.’

In Cliff’s common knowledge, charcoal was born in kilns.

But even without these kilns, it was possible to make charcoal using more primitive methods by covering with earth.

It just had a high failure rate and low production.

“Let’s try it once. Call Anton and Ben.”

Those two were skilled craftsmen he had selected early on.

Cliff had them make a kiln.

The estate at least had plenty of clay. With that, they built walls and made a kiln with a small chimney.

They put wood inside and sealed it.

They lit a small fire to keep it from going out, while controlling the oxygen and beginning charcoal production.

‘This has to succeed…’

The charcoal kiln they had just made was one prototype.

Charcoal production took time that was long if you considered it long, short if you considered it short.

Most importantly, the kiln had to be well-made, which was worrying. As Cliff watched over the kiln like that, his eyes brightened.

‘Blue smoke!’

Usually when burning wood, white, grayish smoke came out.

That smoke color had changed to blue.

This meant charcoal production had succeeded.

“It worked!”

Cliff raised his arms and cheered.

And at the moment they produced charcoal like this, something he never expected happened.

-[Environment] category level increases.

Even though he hadn’t done anything, the category level went up.

-Estate experience increases by 100.

-Estate level has increased.

And then estate experience was accumulated as well.

That’s when he realized.

That he could raise the estate level even without quests.

‘I was just feeling disappointed about having no quests!’

-A new Quest has been generated.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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