The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 16

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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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Chapter 16

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Baron Forman was startled by his own words even after speaking them.

But those were words spoken from his heart, not his head.

As he tried to somehow salvage the situation, a maid shouted angrily.

“How dare you!”

The maid who had been clearing the bowl grabbed Baron Forman by the collar.

“Miss, I’ll clean up this thing before the bowl. The Miss took such care to feed you, and this ungrateful, lacking wretch doesn’t know his place and spouts nonsense!”

“Good heavens, how dare he say such words lacking in manners, foundation, and shame to our Miss!”

A knight who had been guarding the kitchen also came running. Then he shouted solemnly.

“Miss, shall I behead him and exterminate his clan to answer for this crime?”

Wait, isn’t this knight one of the northern mercenaries that Alpheus brought?

Why is he using a similar tone to the maids?

“The crime of daring to covet the Miss, we cannot just let this pass quietly!”

I didn’t covet her!

As Baron Forman stammered in confusion, Brisa spoke elegantly.

“That’s right, Philip. We certainly can’t just let this pass quietly.”

The girl maintained a calm expression throughout.

“It wouldn’t be right to send a guest away empty-handed. Tell the kitchen to pack some potatoes and radish sprouts for his journey.”

This can’t be.

As soon as he heard those words, another phrase burst out of Baron Forman without passing through his head.

“Please become my grandson’s daughter-in-law!”

Now the maid and knight were no longer angry.

They quickly exchanged glances and then quickly withdrew. Instead, when he was leaving, they packed potatoes, radish sprouts, and even eggs for him, and quietly said this at the door.

“Our Miss is generous to crazy people. Now I understand why she took you in and fed you.”

“She recognized at first sight that you were mentally unstable… Oh, poor Miss.”

Baron Forman blinked slowly.

Then he realized. They were now treating him as a crazy person.

He slapped his knee and laughed.

“Ahahaha, you’re quite good at joking.”

But he was the only one laughing.

“Ahahaha… huh?”

Even when he tried laughing again, the faces of the maid and knight remained serious.

“Aha?”

As Baron Forman blinked awkwardly, the maid sighed deeply as if troubled.

The burly knight called Philip sighed and then spoke.

“In this mansion, we don’t joke about calling someone crazy, so keep that in mind.”

Baron Forman frowned.

So was he saying that he was really crazy right now?

Philip lowered his voice even more and whispered.

“At least if you carelessly say that in front of the Miss…”

Baron Forman hugged the basket containing potatoes, radish sprouts, and eggs tightly and unconsciously tensed up, waiting for the next words.

“…she won’t give you potatoes.”

Good heavens.

Baron Forman’s shoulders trembled once.

‘She had a more cruel side than I thought.’

He now knew how terrible that punishment would be.

Meanwhile, the maid and knight were having a conversation.

“But still… it would be nice if we had grains, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah. I want to eat bread.”

“The Miss says we’ll have wheat soon… I have no idea how she plans to get wheat.”

Baron Forman’s ears perked up.

“Right. Wheat isn’t something we can cultivate right now. There probably isn’t a single grain left in the Central Region. But the Miss will manage it, won’t she?”

“Of course. She’s the last bloodline of Riente who speaks five languages and was second in the Academy. She’ll definitely succeed.”

Even speaking ten languages wouldn’t seem to make it possible.

Baron Forman frowned and tilted his head. Whatever else might be possible, wheat was impossible.

But why…

Somehow it seemed like that calm girl might actually pull it off…

‘Soon?’

Baron Forman unconsciously swallowed.

He had been longing so much for warm bread made from wheat.

* * *

Ten days later.

Soon the potatoes came into season. Large, plump potatoes came up in rows.

“Wow… this one is really as big as my fist!”

They harvested potatoes every day.

For the remaining month ahead, it was enough to feed not only the Marquis Manor household but all the territory residents as well.

‘Thank goodness.’

Brisa breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, the people of Sears Marquis Territory hadn’t been eating abundantly during this time either.

But now that they could start adding plenty of potatoes, the story was different. At least there would be no more hunger.

And the news that the potato harvest was abundant inevitably reached Baron Hawin’s Territory.

Now the people of Baron Hawin’s Territory secretly exchanged Erenta with the potato people.

Increasingly, the people of Baron Hawin’s Territory envied the Erenta people who remained in Sears.

“This… Miss Brisa taught them all of this?”

“Yeah. The chickens there lay one egg each day.”

Two months into being isolated without any production capability, the people of Baron Hawin’s Territory were now stripping and eating tree bark.

Meanwhile, dark mages from the Sebon Kingdom across the sea had installed an illegal warp. It was a warp that connected directly to the port. They said they would give wheat sacks in exchange for selling people.

“Good heavens, aren’t they insane….”

Baron Forman clicked his tongue.

“Without the Magic Tower’s surveillance, dark mages are running wild. Using people’s hunger to do such things?”

But Baron Hawin’s thoughts were different.

Though he didn’t inform Baron Forman, who was an outsider, he was already planning to sell the territory’s orphans to the dark mages.

Because his precious daughter, Dahlia, was growing thinner and thinner.

“Father….”

Dahlia muttered in a lifeless voice.

“I’m tired of dried corn now…. I want to eat fresh vegetables or meat, things like that….”

“Yes, yes. I’ll take some from the territory residents. Salt should be enough. Just wait.”

Baron Hawin plundered various things from the territory residents’ warehouses. The food merchants on Jezel Street had quite a lot of preserved food inventory.

Of course, after more than two months, those foods were also running low.

Even the corn that had been piled up in the Baron Estate’s warehouse was now running out. It was because the dairy cows had eaten a lot of it at one point.

He knew that if they could endure just one more month, the warp would normalize, but each approaching meal was frightening.

‘There’s no way.’

The relatively prosperous Count Joachim Territory was adjacent, but monsters were spread throughout the mountains and hills that formed the territory border.

Communication with that place was impossible.

So there was only one place they could reach.

“Go to Sears and steal some.”

Finally, Baron Hawin, whose nerves had become sharp from a poor diet, gave the order after hearing news of the potato harvest.

“Secretly dig up a few!”

But they failed without even being able to attempt it. Knights were guarding the potato field.

Baron Hawin shouted at the servants who returned empty-handed.

“…Then at least ruin it before you come back!”

“Th-the knights are guarding….”

“There’s no choice.”

Baron Hawin gasped for breath.

“Set it on fire. Even if pulling out potatoes is difficult, you can at least do that much and run away, right?”

So that night.

Several people from Baron Hawin’s Territory secretly snuck into the potato field.

‘Good heavens.’

Baron Forman was shocked when he heard the news belatedly and jumped up from his seat.

‘Is that even human?’

It wasn’t that he particularly liked Baron Hawin and was staying here. He was just staying as a guest because Hawin’s lord was older than Sears’s.

But… even so, did he have to continue staying in the mansion of such a human scum?

‘He must clearly know that the territory residents are enduring hunger by smuggling potatoes!’

Burning that potato field meant ultimately destroying the food ingredients from land where trade was possible.

‘…This bastard, this won’t do.’

He had no intention of getting involved in Central Region affairs, but…

Baron Forman’s eyes gleamed ominously.

But the gleam faded. All his connections and power were in the Western Region.

‘Let’s see in a month. Once Warp becomes available…’

But right now, he was in a situation where he had nothing but his body.

Baron Forman changed into shabby clothes and pulled his hat down low. He also skillfully hunched his back.

Then he began running toward the potato field. He had to warn them somehow.

However, no matter how much he ran, the old man’s body wasn’t fast.

It seemed too late to chase after Baron Hawin’s servants who had gone with torches.

Moreover, he had to take a much longer route using secret paths to avoid being discovered.

‘No… No!’

The moment he arrived at the potato field, panting heavily.

In the pitch-black night, the potato field that should have been dark was bright with flickering torches. Between those flames, a cold face was visible.

‘…Brisa Sears?’

Baron Forman stopped dead in his tracks.

‘How on earth…?’

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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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