The Fake Wife of the Strongest Husband Wants to Survive - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 39
The warehouse at Count’s Castle brimmed with Webus purchased in bulk.
Dozens of carts had delivered them in succession, and the accumulated Webus lay in layers of green leaves and stems, forming hills against the stone walls.
When the warehouse door swung open, the interior glowed entirely verdant, as if one had stumbled into the heart of a deep forest.
The soldiers who saw this fell silent, their mouths hanging open.
“By all the gods—they mean for us to plant all of this……?”
One soldier muttered in shock, and the others around him stirred, exchanging uncertain glances.
“All of it? Surely not.”
“I thought we were only planting trees……”
“Now medicinal herbs too?”
Their deflated voices didn’t dare show openly, yet frustration threaded through them nonetheless.
One of the soldiers voiced a grim suspicion aloud.
“If this is all our work, it’ll take months……”
“They might as well be asking us to die.”
Their anxious murmuring filled the warehouse in seconds.
Then, light footsteps sounded through their ranks.
It was Pesha.
She spoke with an amused expression, as though she’d just heard a foolish joke.
“I’m afraid this isn’t your work at all.”
At the appearance of their lady, the soldiers hurriedly lowered their voices, though the discontent that had filled the air moments before remained palpable.
Yet she seemed utterly unbothered by it.
“Every person in Swarf will be mobilized.”
Her voice, clear and ringing, silenced the murmuring soldiers at once. They paused, as if weighing the meaning of her words.
Even Rebecca, who typically took most things in stride, looked startled.
“You mean to deploy all the territory residents for this task?”
Pesha nodded with quiet confidence.
“Yes. Not a single person will be spared.”
How could that possibly work?
For the territory residents, immediate livelihood mattered far more than abstract ideals like Land Purification.
No matter how forcefully one commanded it, compelling them to plant grass unrelated to their survival would provoke open revolt.
Rebecca couldn’t think of any way to mobilize everyone without causing unrest.
“Surely you plan to pay them wages? Even after the large sum earned this time, the expense would be substantial, wouldn’t it?”
Pesha answered with a quiet laugh.
“Pay them?”
At that smile, Rebecca hesitated.
“Why should I pay them?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Her counter-question seemed naive at first glance, but examined closely, it was utterly firm, brooking no argument.
Rebecca’s mind grew troubled.
“Then how do you intend to move the people? A simple command alone cannot……”
Pesha stepped toward one corner of the warehouse and lifted a neat bundle of small Seed Pouches.
“Look.”
The seeds in each small pouch were no larger than a fist, yet if planted, they could transform an entire field.
“I’ll distribute these Seed Pouches to every household in Swarf. There’s no limit. People may take as much as they wish.”
“But won’t they simply sell them, or leave them untended?”
“That won’t happen. There’s a condition.”
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed as she studied her.
“What condition?”
“For those whose land is confirmed to be purified after planting the Webus, I’ll grant them Tenant Rights to that land for five years.”
“……I’m sorry?”
“It’s land they purified themselves. Of course I should reward them. For five years, that land belongs to them. They’ll be free to harvest and sell the harvest as they please—provided they pay their taxes properly. I already have the Lord’s permission for this arrangement.”
This time, Jane’s eyes widened.
The people of Swarf had spent years risking their lives mining ore near the Deep Abyss.
For them, “profit without danger” had been beyond imagination.
To survive, they’d always been forced to wager their lives, and that had become simply how things were.
Yet the notion that things might change now was hard to believe.
Once a structure formed where those holding more purified land grew wealthier, planting grass would naturally become the territory residents’ new livelihood.
“It’s simple, isn’t it?”
Pesha tossed the Seed Pouch she’d been holding to Rebecca.
As Rebecca caught the pouch by reflex, Pesha winked at her and spoke.
“People will cultivate their own territories willingly, without any force. That’s the way I envisioned it.”
* * *
The oppressive heat of late summer had begun to retreat.
The vast sky grew clearer with each passing day, announcing autumn’s approach.
On a fine afternoon, a single carriage rolled slowly down the broad, well-maintained stone road toward the Square of peaceful Swarf.
The carriage door bore the crest of Namoi County, though in truth, only one person made regular use of it.
Their lord preferred to travel on horseback whenever possible.
“Isn’t that the lady’s carriage?”
At someone’s call, the people gathered along the carriage’s path turned their heads in unison.
The roadway leading into the Workshop District erupted with sudden energy.
Merchants fluttered their garments and craned their necks, miners brushed dust from their knees and waved their hands, and even children who had been carving wood pieces abandoned their work and rushed to the roadside.
“It’s the lady! The lady is coming!”
At the child’s brief cry, the people’s movements quickened further.
Someone hurriedly plucked flowers and fashioned a small bouquet, while another straightened their clothes and waited for the carriage to stop.
As the carriage drew near the entrance to the Square, Pesha carefully pulled back the curtain to listen.
Peering outside, she saw dozens of territory residents turn toward her with bright smiles and cheers.
“My lady! Thanks to the workshop, we can barely keep up even with twice as many hands!”
“Every market day, we can afford to buy twice as much grain now!”
“My child no longer worries about tuition thanks to you, and goes to school without fear!”
At the liveliness and genuine warmth reflected on every face, Pesha felt her shoulders rise slightly, embarrassed.
“This is all rather embarrassing…”
Yet at the same time, she felt something stir deep within her chest.
They were truly joyful.
The crowd had grown so dense that the carriage could scarcely move, so Pesha ordered it to halt.
At this, her maidservant Audrey asked with concern.
“My lady, shall you step out? We were headed to the workshop, after all.”
“A few moments’ delay is fine. These people won’t let the road clear unless I greet them.”
Audrey reluctantly signaled the driver to stop and opened the door.
The moment Pesha’s feet touched the ground, someone stepped forward from among the throng, holding out a Flower Bouquet.
“A small token of our gratitude, my lady.”
Among soft, white wildflowers, a single scarlet bloom had been nestled.
Humble in its homemade quality, yet all the more sincere for it.
Pesha gripped the bouquet firmly and held it to her chest.
Beyond her shoulder came the laughter of children, the murmur of adults, the calls of merchants—all changed, all transformed by the changes that had come to pass.
“My lady, my husband has found work at the gem workshop. Now every market day, we can buy two bags of grain and dried fruit!”
“My son is learning the craft too. He used to fight and cause trouble, but now…”
As praise poured down upon her, Pesha smiled yet felt strangely awkward.
She had never imagined that one small idea born of necessity alone could transform the lives of so many.

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