The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 6

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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 6

* * *

Some time later.

Brisa once again gathered the knights at the training grounds.

The knights, excluding the Potato Squad, reluctantly assembled once more.

They had no choice. It was because of Alpheus’s order to ‘follow Brisa’s commands when I’m not here.’

Brisa stood on the platform again and asked.

“Is there anyone among you who is skilled with sword aura?”

When the word sword aura was mentioned, the knights’ postures straightened. Something that required drawing their swords had surely come up.

‘This is different from the Potato Squad!’

‘This time it’s really dangerous!’

After the war ended, they thought there might never be another chance to fight.

Could it be that a territorial war they’d only heard about was about to break out?

Everyone tensed up and flexed their muscles.

“I’m the best among us.”

A large knight stepped forward with determined strides and raised his hand. His expression was already resolute.

“I’ll take the vanguard.”

Seeing the worried look on the young lady’s face, everyone stepped forward one after another.

Just like recently on the battlefield, they all willingly risked their lives.

“To have another chance to draw our swords! I’ll charge at the very front!”

Only then did Brisa show a relieved expression.

“Thanks to you all, it seems the territory will be able to escape from crisis.”

With solemn faces, they all followed Brisa in a group.

Behind Brisa, the maids were sniffling and crying again.

Brisa had warned them with her eyes, so the maids kept their mouths shut, but they couldn’t stop the tears that fell endlessly as if the world had collapsed. It was certainly a tremendous crisis.

They were determined not to let any enemy get away with it.

But when they had walked quite far following Brisa’s quick steps.

What spread before their eyes was not some mysterious enemy army, but olive trees.

“Now.”

Brisa declared solemnly.

“Everyone cut down the trees. As quickly as possible.”

Then all the maids collapsed and wept.

“No, miss…”

“This really can’t be done…”

Brisa stood resolutely with her arms crossed in the middle of it all.

The head maid wailed as she spoke.

“The First Marquis Sears planted olive trees on this land to express his love for his wife. As you know, the First Marquis Sears’ wife’s name was Olive Sears…”

“Right. So he planted olive trees in the plain closest to the Sears Marquis Estate.”

Brisa replied indifferently.

“In the place where carrots and corn were originally planted.”

She said to the Guild Leader who had followed her.

“If we provide this much timber, we can not only pay off our debts, but also cover two months’ worth of grain, right?”

In the end, it meant cutting down the olive trees to pay off the debt.

At least she had raised it from ‘one month’s worth of grain’ to ‘two months’ worth of grain.’ Though even that would probably run out in about a month since the household in the Marquis Territory had grown.

The Head Maid kept sobbing.

Since she couldn’t dare voice opposition to her master, she only selected ‘neither right nor wrong’ words to mutter.

“It’s truly a beautiful expression of love…”

Of course, her merciless master didn’t let it slide.

“That’s a wrong expression.”

“It’s such warm sentiment that nothing could replace…”

“It’s misguided sentiment.”

“These olive trees feel like they symbolize the peace of Sears…”

“That’s a mistaken feeling.”

But Langsi was hesitating for a different reason.

‘Isn’t this just a drop in the bucket?’

The idea itself was fine, but when on earth could they harvest the next olives?

“Um, Miss.”

Langsi carefully opened his mouth.

“Shouldn’t we think about this? How long it would take for the olive trees to grow back to this size…”

Brisa immediately answered.

“300 years on average.”

As Langsi jumped up in shock, Brisa’s words continued.

“The youngest trees are about 200 years old, and those big trees over there are over 500 years old.”

He urgently offered advice that cutting down these trees was too temporary a measure.

“So we won’t be able to eat Sears-grown olives again for another 300 years?”

Even so, he had no expectation that it would be accepted.

Because whenever Langsi voiced his opinions passionately in crisis situations, everyone ignored them.

Usually they wouldn’t even respond. But Brisa answered seriously.

“That’s not it. It would take about 20 years for production to stabilize. Fruit harvesting is most active between 50 and 150 years. By that measure, we’ve already passed our prime.”

Hm?

Langsi and the Guild Leader were speechless at the knowledge flowing out.

“So it’s better to cut them down and plant more suitable crops on this land.”

“More… suitable… crops?”

Langsi, who had stupidly asked back, realized something. At some point, he had completely stopped thinking of Brisa as ‘the leader of nonsense-spouting maids.’

It seemed the Guild Leader felt the same way.

“Usually lords don’t know much about the crops in their territory, you know? At most they know the prices?”

The Guild Leader whispered.

“But this young lady is remarkable. Actually, based on my knowledge, the age of these olive trees seems about right.”

Brisa continued speaking coldly.

“Crops to cultivate should be decided based on knowledge, not sentiment. Why do you think the quality of Sears mountain olives was so poor? The crops that farmers planted on this land long ago based on experience were probably the right answer.”

After that, she pulled out a small rod from her pocket.

“Olive trees grow well in neutral to slightly alkaline soil.”

She continued speaking while inserting the rod into the ground.

“Of course, it could be due to other variables, but considering this was originally a carrot and corn field…”

When she quietly cast a spell on the rod, it turned red.

“As expected.”

Brisa nodded her head.

“The soil of this land is slightly acidic.”

Langsi couldn’t understand what any of that meant.

But the Guild Leader’s eyes widened.

“That each soil has suitable crops is indeed a basic principle of agriculture! But what kind of rod is that?”

“A magic tool that measures acidity and alkalinity… It’s used for potion-making practice at the Academy, but it’s quite expensive. It’s hard to obtain easily.”

Langsi realized.

That must be one of the ‘supplies’ that Brisa had purchased with the massive debt she incurred when going to the Capital Academy two years ago.

“Anyway, I think other crops would grow better on this land than olive trees. For example…”

Meanwhile, Brisa narrowed her eyes.

Beyond the hill, at the end of the winding path, she could see a group of people approaching. It was the Potato Squad, including Philip.

They were pulling a cart. The cart was full of seed potatoes.

* * *

“Potatoes… you want to plant them here?”

Philip looked bewildered. Even he hadn’t expected them to plow up the perfectly good Olive Plains.

“I naturally thought you would plant these seed potatoes in the garden and courtyard…”

Those words couldn’t continue.

The maids began protesting with fierce glares.

“Plant potatoes in the garden?”

“Good heavens, potato flowers blooming in the Marquis Manor garden? Not pansy flowers? Do you think that makes sense?”

“Absolutely not! The garden is the face of the mansion! It’s not a place for something like potatoes!”

The ‘Sword Aura Group’ that was cutting down trees caught only a few words from afar and joined in.

“That’s right! The Potato Squad cannot be the face of the Knight Order!”

“They look too much like potatoes!”

The Potato Squad nodded in bewilderment.

“Ah, ah, I see… ah, I understand…”

Brisa also didn’t take the Potato Squad’s side.

“The garden has other uses.”

Thus, Brisa steadily proceeded with the felling of the olive trees. And the Potato Squad began loading timber onto the cart that had transported the seed potatoes.

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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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