I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 44

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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 044

44. Goblin

Elimis Merchant Guild.

Using the name of a noble family was a double-edged sword.

Sometimes they would face sanctions when relations between families turned sour.

That’s why they also served as diplomats.

“When dividing the Yusta Peninsula into north and south, the north is split into two factions: the Serfal Viscount who rules the prosperous Serfal, and the Platice Count’s family who aims to advance into the homeland.”

Count Platice.

That name was familiar.

It was Count Platice who had interfered even in his own war.

“Perhaps that’s why the Platice family wants to trade with us.”

“Why?”

“While practical things might be more important in the Yusta Peninsula, don’t they obsess over beautiful things when it comes to the homeland?”

Cliff nodded as he heard those words.

Though he had lived in the Duke’s mansion, the pinnacle of central nobility, such things had little relation to him. Art pieces were luxury goods. Luxury goods couldn’t have had a good relationship with him.

But now the situation had changed.

“…Is there a high possibility our pottery will sell to them?”

“The reason they sent knights to this war might be similar. They probably wanted to take away the craftsmen in our domain.”

It was a pleasant story, as if his domain was being recognized.

Though this could also make him a target for others. That fact was somewhat uncomfortable.

‘If they had seen this battle directly, they might not think that way.’

Cliff glanced sideways at Jaide.

His expression was bright.

If the perceptive Jaide was like this, there must have already been some kind of contact with the Platice family.

“So they want to purchase our pottery?”

“They already bought the three pottery pieces I had taken for 60 gold, 50 gold, and 45 gold respectively.”

An income of 155 gold had been generated.

Cliff showed a bright expression at those words.

“And…”

He would have been happy if Jaide hadn’t had something additional to present.

Cliff looked at the scroll he was offering. He had experienced this feeling before in the past.

‘Right. It was around this time last year.’

Cliff stared blankly at the object in Jaide’s hand being offered to him.

He couldn’t bring himself to unfold it.

“You must give an answer in some way.”

“…That’s the ‘that’ I’m imagining, right?”

“It probably is. It’s a portrait of the Count’s niece.”

“Hah.”

Cliff sighed.

“…Don’t they know I’m married? No, wait. Since they know that, they sent a collateral female instead of a direct one?”

“Still, she’s the female closest to the direct line.”

“She’ll become more distant in future generations anyway.”

The distinction between direct and collateral bloodlines.

Direct line refers to those in a straight line from the family head. This includes the family head’s children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on.

Even if their mother was a concubine, all descendants of the family head are included in the direct line.

‘Illegitimate children are a bit… ambiguous though.’

Illegitimate children, even if they are direct line, are subjects whose ‘bloodline’ is questioned.

Though Cliff had declared himself a direct bloodline of the Duke on his first day in the domain, that was just boasting to domain residents who knew nothing anyway.

None of them could investigate his origins anyway.

If the lord said so, they would just accept it.

Setting that aside, most of this direct line becomes collateral when generations pass.

The family head’s siblings are collateral.

Similarly, the family head’s nieces and nephews are also collateral bloodline.

‘…I should at least take a look.’

Cliff, who had sighed, unfolded the portrait.

Wasn’t this much better than the woman who had suddenly visited last time saying she’d become a concubine?

“Hmm.”

The girl drawn in the portrait certainly looked lovely.

Yes, she looked lovely.

“…How old is she supposed to be?”

“Fourteen years old.”

14 years old.

It was exactly the right time to circulate a portrait.

Only someone like him would think it was still early.

He examined the appearance in the portrait again. A girl with short green hair was gazing at him from within the portrait.

“…Would we become uncomfortable with the Count’s family if I refuse?”

“It doesn’t seem like things would become comfortable.”

“Whew.”

This wasn’t a marriage proposal but some kind of threat.

“What will you do?”

“There’s a saying I know.”

“?”

“Even if you enter a tiger’s den, you just need to keep your wits about you.”

“Tiger…?”

Incidentally, tigers didn’t live in this area, including the Yusta Peninsula.

They said there were tigers in southern countries, but he hadn’t seen them directly yet.

“There is such a thing.”

Cliff said that and then answered.

“This time I’ll need to take some time. So Count Platice… wants to advance not to the Yusta Peninsula but to the homeland?”

“Yes, that’s right. If his ambition had been to develop immediate reality rather than the homeland… there would have already been war between him and the Serfal family.”

“…He’s like my father-in-law.”

Cliff muttered after hearing those words.

“His domain also… has many problems like the Elimis family.”

“…?”

“The Platice domain consists mostly of mountains.”

If there are many mountains, are there many resources?

“There are quite a few. But more than those resources, the many monsters are the problem.”

The Shadow Wolves, Cyclops, and Serpents that had been in the Elimis domain were relatively quiet.

They didn’t deliberately attack human villages. Only the Shadow Wolves occasionally appeared near commoner homes, and aside from that, there were no problems unless their territory was invaded.

But the Platice domain was different.

“Goblins.”

Goblins. A monster that sounded infinitely weak just by name.

But if you looked down on them like that, you’d be in big trouble.

There was no monster as frightening as goblins.

‘Cunning creatures with strong reproductive ability…’

He had heard about cockroaches on Earth.

If you see one, there are already several more living in that house. Goblins were like that. If even one goblin was discovered, there was already a goblin den nearby.

The problem was that finding that goblin den was difficult.

And even when found, the dens were full of traps. The dens of small-bodied goblins were specialized for them.

‘The height is so low that humans have to bend their backs to move around… there’s no way proper combat would be possible.’

Their vision was also low due to their habit of digging tunnels.

Moreover, since they made their burrows like mazes, it was easy to get lost, and you never knew where goblins might appear. They also create traps.

Meanwhile, these cunning creatures thoroughly targeted only the weak.

Going around villages, they targeted women rather than men, or children. They would capture women to breed and build their forces before attacking villages.

‘And they only attack when they’re certain the village’s strength is inferior to theirs.’

No village that suffered a goblin attack has ever survived.

The goblin horde that devours a village actually grows in numbers even faster.

Even when subjugation forces are sent accordingly, it’s difficult to catch goblins hiding in tunnels for the reasons mentioned earlier.

“And there happen to be many of those goblins?”

“Yes. They’ve managed to hold out this long only because the estate’s knights and soldiers patrol frequently, and the militia is active.”

“Even so, from the count’s perspective, it must be tiresome.”

Count Platice didn’t like his own estate.

Cliff nodded.

“It can’t be helped. Even with powerful military force, this is why Count Platice hasn’t been able to conquer Serfal until now.”

And the nobles of Yusta Peninsula generally hoped to have estates in the homeland.

The late Baron Ellemis and Count Platice were just typical cases.

‘…Right, I did hear it was a place with many goblins.’

Cliff frowned.

He had never seen a goblin before. Only the small green dwarf monsters he’d seen in comics and games from the past.

Creatures with hunched backs, long pointed ears, and large noses.

He had definitely heard about them.

“Grrr.”

The Shadow Wolf carrying Cliff bared its teeth and threatened the opponent.

Keruk.

Kerruk.

But the goblins had no intention of running away.

For cowardly goblins to hold their ground even under the Shadow Wolf’s threat, there had to be a good reason.

They had judged themselves to be stronger than their opponents.

“…It seems their numbers are greater than we thought.”

“Perhaps there might be mutants as well?”

“…Yes.”

Mutants.

Also called Hop Goblins, they were superior specimens compared to regular goblins.

They were slightly larger in build, and most importantly, Hop Goblins possessed combat power stronger than decent orc warriors.

At that level, in human terms, they were specimens that only knights could defeat.

“Keruk!”

Soon one of the goblins sent a signal.

Goblins began swarming toward Cliff and the others. They were truly confident in their numbers, rushing from all directions.

These were goblins Cliff hadn’t even detected.

‘So they were there.’

Unlike Cliff, the Shadow Wolf with its keen sense of smell had been on guard from earlier, making him wonder what was happening.

“How dare you!”

Teobaldt shouted as he drew his greatsword.

Against simple regular goblins, there was no need to draw out his aura.

Just swinging the massive greatsword like a windmill was enough to crush the goblin bodies on its own. Cliff frowned and covered his nose.

Now even he, with his ordinary sense of smell, could feel the stench vibrating from all directions.

Awoooo.

Several Shadow Wolves also rushed out with howling sounds.

Their claws and fangs bit and clawed at goblins, bringing them down. Regular goblins were definitely weaker than Shadow Wolves.

The problem was their numbers.

“Kiyak!”

“Keruk!”

Hidden goblins appeared and swarmed Teobaldt.

They targeted not only Teobaldt but also the carriage.

“Silafe.”

Finally, even Leticia stepped forward to summon spirits, and only then did the goblins filling all directions begin to diminish.

Soon the goblins started to flee.

However, Jaide, who was accompanying Cliff, had a dark expression at this phenomenon.

“…There’s a village nearby.”

The reason for his dark expression soon became clear.

It was rare for goblins to act in groups like this near villages.

In such cases, there was only one possibility.

“…Have the goblins decided to attack the village?”

Cliff asked with a frown.

“Most likely…”

Jaide couldn’t deny it.

The Platice Family had been controlling the goblin population and protecting the estate in their own way, but eventually a goblin den large enough to cover an entire village had formed.

And unfortunately, this goblin outbreak coincided with his route.

‘This wasn’t intentional, was it?’

When goblins attack a village, it’s extremely terrifying.

First, they surround the village with enormous numbers and hide in the bushes, moving little by little.

“It would be best to turn back the way we came. If the goblins have already begun their operation, it’s impossible to defend the village, and advancing from here would be like walking into the goblin encirclement ourselves.”

Cliff understood what Teobaldt was saying.

They had just broken through one part of the goblin encirclement. If they left the way they came before this encirclement was reformed, they wouldn’t be attacked by goblins.

So changing direction here was the right choice.

-A Quest has been generated.

The possibility that it was a Quest telling him to return for survival was… probably not, right?

Cliff learned a new fact.

Quests could be generated even outside his own estate.

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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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