The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 38

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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 38

 

“Then we should first send messengers to each region to find out if there’s any information about the Dark Mage.”

 

At that, Baron Forman, who had been standing beside Hilberry, grinned and volunteered.

 

“Please send me as the messenger to the Central Region.”

 

It was a contact to ask the remaining four families to ‘provide regional information.’

 

Sending a brief letter or an inappropriate messenger would be impolite. Usually, they would send the family’s key retainers.

 

“I’ll take the opportunity to learn about the new Marquis Sears as well.”

 

Not much was known about Alpheus Sears.

 

A mercenary with maid’s blood mixed in, who grew up among commoners.

 

The eldest son that Marquis Sears had searched for his entire life.

 

He had caught the Second Prince’s attention during the Northern war with his fearsome skills.

 

According to rumors that circulated, he was said to be quite handsome.

 

‘Other than that, there’s not much information.’

 

For now, he had become Brisa’s guardian.

 

How he would treat a twelve-year-old child with nowhere to go was uncertain.

 

Hilberry chuckled and replied.

 

“Didn’t you say you were retiring?”

 

“The potatoes in that region are delicious. I’m going to eat them.”

 

Baron Forman smiled elegantly while suppressing his worry.

 

Since the Warp had started operating, Alpheus must have returned from the Capital as well.

 

He had said he went to receive war reparations, but the Second Prince was also absent from the Imperial Palace. Naturally, he wouldn’t have been able to bring anything back.

 

Meanwhile, when he faced the territory that Brisa had been supporting…

 

‘He’s bound to be wary.’

 

Baron Forman thought with extremely aristocratic reasoning.

 

‘Brisa Sears has grown up as the heir until now. She has influence in the Central Region. Moreover, her favorability with the territory residents has increased due to this incident.’

 

From Alpheus’s position, being half commoner blood, it would be very burdensome.

 

However, Alpheus had military force. The Elite Unit that left with him had skills comparable to Imperial Knights.

 

If he seized control of the territory by force, Brisa would have no choice but to do as her elder brother commanded.

 

‘Count Joachim Territory is the wealthiest in the Central Region. If he tries to match her with that count’s son and receive grains…’

 

Just thinking about it made the potatoes he had eaten a month and a half ago feel heavy in his stomach.

 

That’s why he had volunteered so quickly.

 

He planned to arrive around the same time as Alpheus and observe that person’s character.

 

If things seemed really bad, he would bring her to the Western Region…

 

‘If there’s no other way, I’ll have to adopt her as my late-in-life daughter.’

 

Of course, it would be a secret from Leopold.

 

Thus, Baron Forman hurriedly took the Warp. Normally, sending a servant first would be proper protocol, but he didn’t have that luxury.

 

‘Young Lady of Sears, if you’re confined and being mistreated, I’ll rescue you!’

 

In his imagination, Brisa became increasingly pitiful. That young lady appeared far too small and fragile.

 

Brisa, locked in her room, eating only one piece of potato a day.

 

Brisa, being forced into marriage with Count Joachim’s family.

 

The Marquis Manor, with all the maids driven away and taken over by Alpheus’s Elite Unit.

 

Only the knights who followed her secretly bringing her one egg at a time…

 

As his imagination continued, even the fish he ate a month ago came back up.

 

It was when Baron Forman arrived at the Marquis Manor in such a hurry.

 

“Uhahahaha, is this how you do it? I’m really good at this, right? Huh? Peek-a-boo, look here, our Ice Princess!”

 

He saw a young man diligently doing pickaxe work in the garden of the Marquis Manor.

 

‘…Platinum hair?’

 

An incredibly handsome young man was making a fuss.

 

“Peek-a-boo, look here! Our beloved angel! Give me orders, your honorary farmer!”

 

Unlike the boy Leopold with his cool appearance, this was a handsome man with a pure and clean feeling.

 

That build, those muscles, that appearance, those beautiful sky-blue eyes…

 

Baron Forman stopped with an expression of disbelief.

 

He raised his gaze to see who the handsome man was acting cute for.

 

On the second-floor terrace, Brisa was elegantly drinking tea.

 

“With strength like a blazing sun, I’ve already plowed all the way to here! My pickaxe stretches out just like my heart toward my little sister!”

 

The handsome man winked while making a crude comparison.

 

Brisa, who saw this from among the mountain of books piled up, shuddered and pointed out:

 

“Winking is forbidden.”

 

And glaring at his twitching thumb, she added:

 

“Giving thumbs up while making ‘hoot!’ sounds is also forbidden.”

 

The young man wasn’t discouraged. He simply raised his eyebrows with an amused expression.

 

Then Brisa jumped up and shouted in horror:

 

“Forbidden! ‘Hehe, how cute…’ Absolutely forbidden!”

 

* * *

 

According to the original story, Alpheus should have been wandering around with nowhere to go right now.

 

This was because his uncle, who had devoured all of Sears Marquis Territory, coveted the marquis title and wanted to kill Alpheus.

 

‘But right now, uncle is locked up in Central Court prison.’

 

As soon as Warp started working, we sued all three members of Baron Hawin’s family.

 

The court sentenced both Baron Hawin and his wife to prison. Dahlia also couldn’t escape punishment since she actively participated in the crimes.

 

“Minor Dahlia Hawin shall spend time in repentance at Offen Monastery until she reaches adulthood.”

 

In other words, the current Alpheus had no one to hate or seek revenge against.

 

His rightful territory was safe, and his comrade the Second Prince had safely returned to the Imperial Palace alive. Therefore, he was peaceful throughout.

 

Of course, I wasn’t peaceful. Because I was still consistently anxious.

 

‘The days when the entire Empire lived abundantly are now a thing of the past.’

 

Warp probably wouldn’t be without problems like before either.

 

‘The Magic Tower is operating it for now, but the Southern Region keeps causing trouble.’

 

The Southern Region produced the second-largest amount of grains after the Western Region. But their distribution network would likely continue to be problematic.

 

Moreover, the abundant harvests in the west would likely come to an end at this rate. So our territory also needed to work toward achieving a certain degree of self-sufficiency.

‘We can’t go hungry… People become desperate.’

‘You can’t let people go hungry… They become heartless.’

Sebon was targeting me.

 

In the original story, my uncle betrays me, but when starving, anyone could have sold me for 50 sacks of wheat.

I had no faith that Alpheus, whom I’d only recently met, would protect me to the end. So my goal was clear.

 

‘Even if someone tells them to hand me over, all the people around me need to be well-fed so they can’t do it.’

 

That’s why I decided to make the Elite Unit do farming.

 

So I decided to have the elite unit do farming.

“Now, what do you think is lacking here?”

 

“Now, what do you think is missing here?”

“Um, more variety of vegetables?”

 

“Meat… not chickens or fish though.”

 

“Hmm, more variety of vegetables?”

At those words, Wendy’s eyes sharpened as she spoke.

 

“I wish the bread were a little softer.”

One of the Elite Unit members retorted.

 

“Have you dug them up?”

 

“Those who’ve never dug up a single potato with their own hands sure have a lot to say.”

“I almost died, not just my mouth but my stomach too, when I didn’t dig them. If you want to keep that well-fed mouth of yours alive, listen carefully to the Young Lady. Got it?”

 

“Did you figure her out?”

So it was easy for me to command them.

 

“Well then, let’s fill in what’s lacking from now on.”

 

“I almost died from my mouth to my stomach because I didn’t eat. If you want to keep that mouth of yours that loves to eat so much alive, you better listen to what the lady says. Got it?”

Alpheus, who had been watching them farm, eventually picked up a pickaxe himself.

 

So it was easy for me to command them.

“Don’t do it. There’s no need for a marquis to step forward. The Knights are enough.”

 

“But they’re working like slugs, so frustrating! How long do I have to wait for all that?”

 

However, there was a significant variable here.

“That?”

 

I was horrified and tried to stop it.

“Watch carefully, Brisa. This is how you use your body and blade.”

 

Alpheus, who couldn’t hold back and stepped forward, indeed showed ridiculous speed and precision.

 

“But they work so sluggishly, it’s so frustrating! How long are we supposed to wait for all that?”

Seeing me with my mouth agape, Langsi whispered.

 

“That thing?”

The Knights weren’t surprised at all. Alpheus had originally earned respect through his leading-by-example attitude.

 

“The captain originally does the work of ten of us. It’s only natural.”

 

“Watch carefully, Brisa. This is how you use your body and blade.”

In the end, Alpheus, who couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward, indeed displayed incredible speed and accuracy.

“Even on the battlefield, when we buried one person, you buried a hundred, my lord.”

Rangsi whispered as she looked at me with my mouth hanging wide open.

“Whether it’s seeds or corpses, isn’t burying things in the ground essentially the same?”

The knights were not surprised at all. Alpheus had always been respected for his leading-by-example attitude.

“The captain originally does the work of ten of us, so it’s only natural.”

“You got frustrated with the mercenary group and stepped up, eventually becoming the leader. It’s not surprising at all.”

Alpheus personally wielding a shovel or pickaxe didn’t diminish his dignity. Rather, it inspired awe in others, including myself.

 

“Y-yes….”

 

The seed planting that I had estimated would take ten days was completed in just one day thanks to Alpheus’s presence. I absolutely couldn’t bring myself to say ‘nobles aren’t supposed to do this kind of work.’

 

‘That ability… that talent….’

 

Even if Alpheus had been growing melons as Mother said, he definitely wouldn’t have remained an ordinary farmer.

 

‘By now he’d probably be a melon tycoon throwing money into the air.’

 

Such tremendous labor power was nothing short of a miracle for farming.

 

In the end, I succumbed to that temptation.

 

“Then let’s move. We need to plant the next seeds.”

 

I had no choice. Not using that body just because he was a marquis would be too inefficient. That would be a waste of resources, like not using my own brain.

 

So when Baron Forman arrived, Alpheus was in the middle of farming.

 

‘I didn’t expect the outsiders to visit again right after Warp became Warp?’

 

I was quite surprised.

 

Baron Forman’s visit was that unexpected. And the news he brought was also beyond my expectations.

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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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