I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 28

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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 028

28. Triangular Alliance

As Nigel had expected, Cliff came out to the dining room late at night.

And he was able to have the meal that Nigel had prepared for him.

“This is soup made with Serpent meat. I believe it will greatly help with recovering your strength.”

To Cliff, who had just finished exerting himself, these words sounded quite suggestive.

“Yawn. You’ve worked hard. It’s delicious. May God bless the chef who prepared this delicious food for me at this late hour and the maids who reheated the cooled soup, and I shall enjoy this meal.”

“I didn’t know you could use such expressions.”

“Of course. I’m a noble too.”

It was an expression he hadn’t used often before.

But he should practice it from now on.

I bless you in the name of God.

He would need to spread such words around, so that those blessings would return to him as well.

‘I shouldn’t spare blessings within our estate.’

Blessing (Lv. 6): Blesses the target in the name of God. As the level increases, the success rate and effect of the blessing become stronger.

Cliff made this resolution while recalling the skill he had raised.

Nigel opened his mouth.

“Actually, there is someone who has been waiting for you to come out, my lord.”

“Tom, right?”

“Did you know he would be looking for you?”

“He’s not someone who will stay on the estate for long.”

Tom, who had promised Barton that he would cut ties with Cliff.

So staying on the estate for more than a day would be awkward for him. Once dawn breaks, he’ll want to leave the estate immediately.

‘There might be Barton’s spies among the trading guild members.’

So he would have been anxiously waiting during these late hours.

Wondering if he could greet Cliff, and though some connection had been reestablished, he was probably still anxious.

“Bring him here. I was thinking of meeting him once anyway.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Tom thus joined the late dinner.

Tom, who came inside, bowed his head first.

“I think I’ll have to leave the estate early tomorrow morning, so I wanted to greet you before then, my lord. If there’s anything more you’d like to entrust or instruct me with, please let me know.”

Actually, he could have traveled with him to Serfal.

It would look good to meet the siblings he recommended in his presence. But he decided against it, worried about someone who might dislike this.

“Since their will is important, it would be good if you could ask about their intentions. I’ll also go to Serfal before a month passes after you leave, so I hope you can also provide the cost for those two to stay in Serfal during that time… would that be too greedy of me?”

“They are children I’ve been taking care of. I would have taken care of that much even without you asking.”

“Then…”

Cliff trailed off while looking at Tom.

There was still a dark expression on his face.

It was a look of regret or conflict about his own choice. Cliff spoke about him.

“Your judgment wasn’t wrong.”

“…!”

As if he hadn’t expected to hear such words from Cliff, Tom’s eyes widened.

Cliff continued.

“Anyway, Tom, you’re an old man like our Nigel, aren’t you? Tom can be active on the front lines for at most 10 years… probably even if you don’t rest in God’s embrace within that time, such vigorous activity as now would be difficult.”

“That’s… right.”

While agreeing, Tom looked puzzled.

He couldn’t tell if Cliff’s words were meant as comfort or sarcasm.

“For that period, it’s right to receive Barton’s assistance.”

Tom flinched.

But from Cliff’s following words, he could understand what he was thinking.

At the same time, he felt Cliff’s capacity in a different sense than during the day.

‘This person… has such a broad heart.’

Cliff had no hurt feelings or uncomfortable emotions about Tom’s decision.

So he could understand Tom’s position and say such words now. Yet he was also confident.

It was a statement showing his confidence that after 10 years, meaning in his children’s generation, he would be better than Barton.

That was indeed what Cliff thought.

Rather than confidence in himself, he was considering the Duke’s circumstances.

‘No matter how much Barton is the Duke’s legitimate son… he’s not on the level to compete with the older brothers above him. After 10 years, Barton’s influence in the Duke’s house will be infinitely smaller and more pitiful than now.’

It might have been different if Barton were good at politics.

Or if he had great talent in swordsmanship and became a Sword Master, the story could change. But as far as he knew, Barton didn’t have that level of talent.

Then being just the Duke’s son would be all there was to it.

‘Once succession begins in the Duke’s house, Barton in his ambiguous position will be quickly sorted out.’

But there was still time until then.

Based on when he left, the Duke was still in good health.

So Cliff even wished Tom well.

“I hope Tom’s trading guild, which is our trading partner, does well in the homeland. Baron Barton is truly the best partner for Tom.”

“The best… partner, you say?”

“Yes. I’m feeling grateful to Baron Barton right now. Probably… Tom will feel this too after completing this trade and reporting to Barton?”

Cliff spoke with a smile.

Tom tilted his head. He still didn’t understand what Cliff meant. And this was an unavoidable limitation due to not knowing Barton well.

‘That pride-filled Barton would… give Tom any help he can provide to someone who followed his words.’

What Barton could provide for Tom now was quite substantial.

He was the Duke’s son and also the nephew of a Marquis who controlled the central military.

Was that all?

Just as he himself had married, Barton had also married.

Unlike himself, Barton’s in-laws were respectable central nobles.

‘He’s someone connected to the names of three noble families.’

Now he couldn’t use the Duke’s name.

Compared to himself, who only had the name of the Elimis family from a corner of the provinces, there was no comparison.

For Tom, who would do business in the homeland, there were few who could provide as much support as Barton.

Cliff opened his mouth.

“First, he’ll let you open a shop in Central. And… probably you’ll also get the right to supply some military goods to the Central Army and the right to do business with various tax benefits in the territories owned by his in-laws.”

“He would… give that much?”

“Of course. Barton is a noble who’s desperate to appear generous.”

A person with extremely high pride as a noble.

That was Barton.

Cliff opened his mouth.

“His in-laws produce good iron. So Tom will be getting that and supplying it to the Central Army from now on.”

“…!”

“Shall I tell you even better news? Barton doesn’t have a good memory. He gives things and then doesn’t manage or supervise them separately. He has absolutely no talent for supervision or such things.”

“That, that means…?”

“It means that as long as we meet through representatives rather than directly, he doesn’t care who those representatives are.”

The tendency to persistently investigate others?

Others might not know, but Barton didn’t have that.

He would probably forget all about himself too.

“What’s even more interesting is that the moment Tom gains Barton’s backing, he’ll appear like Barton’s representative to his in-laws. But Barton himself won’t care at all. So what do you think will happen?”

Tom wavered.

“It means that even if Tom commits an appropriate level of corruption or abuses power, there will be no one to stop him.”

“Gasp.”

“But don’t actually do such bad things. You never know what might happen. However, if you ask for something from that territory, they’ll grant almost anything. There’s no problem with doing business by taking care of things that way.”

“…What about you then, Lord Deputy?”

“Right. I’d appreciate it if you could distribute the iron from there to me at a cheap price too. I’ll need to look into it a bit more, but no mines have been discovered in this domain yet.”

The Ellemis Domain probably had no mines.

However, among the skills he possessed, there were some related to minerals.

‘If I raise those, would minerals that didn’t exist before appear?’

He hadn’t tested it yet.

But from Cliff’s perspective, developing mines was still premature.

Even if mineral veins were discovered, he would have to keep them hidden. First, he lacked the technology and manpower to develop them, and even more so, he lacked the military force to protect them.

So if he could receive good iron at a cheap price, it would be a tremendous benefit.

“I guarantee it. Even if we trade like that… after about 10 years or so, even if we meet and trade openly in broad daylight, Baron Barton won’t know. He’s that kind of person.”

There was no one to report their meeting to him either.

Even if there were, by that time he would have forgotten his name. Just that Baron Ellemis met with merchant Tom.

That would surely be all.

In other words.

‘What a grateful big brother. Looking out for various benefits for his younger brother who went far away.’

It meant he could smile like this.

He would think that Tom was stolen from him, but that was far from the truth.

Rather, there was a high possibility that he would secure various profits for himself through Tom.

“So Tom should work hard to grow bigger in the homeland, riding on Baron Barton’s influence. The bigger Tom’s trading guild becomes, the greater the chance that our trading guild, which has no connections or influence in the homeland, will benefit, right?”

It was a win-win situation again.

Tom would win by growing into a great merchant of the homeland.

He would win by being able to borrow that great merchant’s power when starting his business.

Barton would win by maintaining his dignity(?) as a noble.

No one would lose in this triangular alliance.

“Heh, hehehe.”

Tom let out a hollow laugh.

He didn’t know if Barton would really act as Cliff said.

But when Tom reunited with Barton, he realized there wasn’t even an inch of error in Cliff’s words.

He gave him exclusive trading rights for the iron from that domain using his in-laws.

He also naturally arranged contracts to supply this to the military.

“Do you feel it now? That choosing me over that lowly bastard brings you much greater profit.”

“Of course. I am overwhelmed by Baron Barton’s grace. I will serve Baron Barton loyally until the moment I draw my last breath.”

“Hahaha. Enough. What would I do with loyalty from someone like you? This isn’t grace but natural compensation, so you should enjoy it.”

A noble who wanted to appear magnanimous.

He laughed and dismissed Tom. And afterward, he never once asked about or looked for Tom.

It was exactly as Cliff had predicted.

It was time to gradually create a trading guild.

The Elimis Merchant Guild.

For this, Cliff first had carts made.

“The problem is that there are no horses, oxen, or donkeys in the domain to pull the carts.”

Horses and oxen were expensive livestock to begin with.

Donkeys were less valuable but the same.

‘This means people will have to pull them…’

Of course, there was a candidate that seemed capable of pulling carts well.

Kyuuung…

-The guardian beast cannot leave the domain.

Kyuung, who had jumped into the lake and fought the Serpent within the domain!

But once outside the domain, it was just a snowball.

So Kyuung couldn’t think of leaving the domain.

It was truly regrettable.

At that moment, a report came in.

“Lord Deputy, Shadow Wolves have been spotted in the foothills!”

Could those wolves possibly be tamed?

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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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