Chapter 32

It has been nearly four years since the Ogarite rights scandal.

Sora, whose seventh birthday was just a few days away, clicked his tongue at the letter from his parents in the capital.

"What's this about coming to the capital? Now is not the time for that."

As he put down the empty cup, Lazzette poured tea into it with practiced ease.

"By the way, Lord, you haven't been here since the year before last. Is Sora-sama being called to the capital related to that?"

"No. It's for the Crown Prince's tenth birthday celebration. They're gathering children from baronial families and above, ranging from five to fifteen years old, for a grand event. I guess the real intention is to meet the children of influential nobles."

I'm just there for show, Sora thought to himself, self-mockingly.

Lazzette smiled wryly, exasperated.

Looking back on these four years, how many heirs as promising as Sora could there be?

"How much does Father understand about the current situation?"

He tapped the wooden box by the desk.

It was an intricate inlaid puzzle box, about the size of a human head, made by a stubborn craftsman who had been pushed to his limits.

The box could only be opened by sliding the panels in a specific sequence.

Inside were a large number of pearls. There were about fifty, which, in monetary terms, were quite valuable, enough to live a life of leisure.

"Thanks to Luly."

All the pearls were cultivated over these four years.

Sania and Luly were sent to Lazzette's hometown village with Zess to cultivate the oysters.

Enduring the villagers' strange looks, they cultivated the oysters, which were harvested three times over four years, as it took a year for the pearls to grow.

They secured fifty pearls in three harvests, with eighty percent coming from the oysters Luly had implanted with nuclei.

On the other hand, Zess and Sania were deemed unsuitable as they quickly ruined the oysters.

Instead, they produced distilled spirits year-round, supporting the village's economy.

They distilled alcohol and sold alcohol lamps, which were preferred by restaurants because they didn't smell like candles.

Traveling merchants came to Zess and the others, but following Sora's instructions, they were made to visit the villages in sequence without setting up a store.

The plan was to get the merchants to buy goods from the village along with the alcohol lamps, essentially to attract customers.

Despite being only three people, the profit they generated was considerable.

It was only natural that the pig lord would take notice, but Sora had managed to avoid it by having Geist "ask" Zess and the others to mislead him.

This allowed Sora to secure a financial foundation.

The pig lord was still unaware of Sora's movements. Although a few capable retainers were tracking the flow of funds, they hadn't fully grasped the flow through Geist, disguised as donations to the church.

Sora looked down at the town from the window.

Lazzette stood beside him, gazing outside as well. Her squinting in the autumn breeze reminded him of a cat basking in the sun.

"The price of foodstuffs is staying high, especially vegetables."

"Vegetables are a problem."

Sora sighed.

Unlike fish, vegetables were in short supply. He had been relying on imports from other territories, but a political issue stood in the way.

The Kleinzelt family's territory bordered two noble territories.

One was the Bartz family, a noble family of mages who were in opposition to the church-aligned Kleinzelt family.

The other was the Trynen family, a noble family of warriors who were politically neutral but had a poor relationship with the corrupt Kleinzelt family.

Importing vegetables from any of the neighboring territories would result in exorbitant tariffs, making normal trade impossible.

This situation, brought about by the actions of the former and current heads of the Kleinzelt family, greatly troubled Sora.

He could offer benefits and talk directly, but he couldn't leave the territory to outmaneuver the pig lord. Without a platform for negotiation, he had no options.

He was at a dead end.

And a more critical issue was occurring.

The salt export volume had significantly decreased over the past two years.

Salt was the most important commodity in trade between the Kleinzelt territory and others. The fishing village had barely managed to survive and the territory's economy had functioned because of salt exports.

However, salt exports were now stagnating. The cause was still unknown, but this meant that the income source for the fishing village and the Kleinzelt territory was cut off.

Moreover, the Kleinzelt territory had to import foodstuffs.

Currently, the Kleinzelt territory was running a trade deficit, and the villages within the territory were on the verge of economic collapse.

Sora was desperately trying to keep things afloat, but the limits were approaching.

"Lazzette, prepare for a trip."

Sora commanded as he sat down in his chair.

"Travel is such a hassle, you know?"

Lazzette, already looking tired, made Sora chuckle.

"There's no choice. It's a summons from Father. Besides, it's not all bad."

"What do you mean?"

When Lazzette asked, Sora continued.

"Simple. The lords of the neighboring territories will be at the celebration, so I can negotiate to import vegetables."

Moreover, he might be able to get what he desperately wanted in the capital.

After five years of hard work, whether he could finally obtain a magic book and become a mage was his greatest concern.

Lazzette looked at the unusually excited young master with curiosity.

"Really, travel is an unimaginable hardship, you know?"

Sora had never left the manor in his seven years of life due to the high risk of assassination.

Thinking that Sora might be dreaming of the outside world, Lazzette tried to dissuade him, but he paid no attention.

Swinging his feet rhythmically in the air as he sat in the chair, Sora looked like a child before a picnic.

Lazzette, deciding that any attempt to dissuade him would be futile, thought about passing the preparation work to a colleague.

Sora, who had started humming, suddenly looked up at Lazzette.

"By the way, I'll take Sania and Luly with me."

Lazzette gave him a questioning look.

Sora's cheerful demeanor from earlier had turned serious.

"Probably, I can't prepare the necessary personnel in the capital. I want to bring as many of my allies as possible. It's not good to have limited options in an emergency."

This cautiousness hadn't changed since the betrayal by the maid Minan five years ago.

"What about Zess?"

"I'd like to bring him if possible. But he's responsible for selling the alcohol lamps, so a long absence won't work."

Sora leaned his elbow on the desk, looking troubled.

Zess was highly capable, especially as an adult male. Unlike the twenty-one-year-old Lazzette, the seventeen-year-old Luly, and the eleven-year-old Sania, he could act independently.

His strong arms, honed from years of fishing, were a deterrent to any troublemakers.

He was a reliable man for Sora at the moment.

"Probably, I can bring him."

Lazzette, who had been deep in thought, brought good news to Sora.

"Really?"

"Yes. I think we can temporarily entrust the sales to the church. With the current inventory, Zess should be able to move for about six months."

Sora, genuinely relieved, said so, and Lazzette smiled happily.

"He's a man who acts when he needs to."

"Are you bragging?"

Sora teased, and Lazzette blushed slightly and laughed.

Chapter 3 begins.

The update frequency will not change.

Eleven chapters are planned.

Revised on November 8

Revised on December 14