Chapter 42

This is not something that can be solved by human power.

Even after the priests, mages, and alchemists came and stirred up the territory under the guise of research, they all shook their heads and left, saying that this place was cursed with an unsolvable, deep curse.

There is probably no one among the residents who still hopes that the territory will return to its former state.

"Haha. Still, who knows, maybe the heavens will be moved by the sight of the lord and send some rain?"

"Uncle."

Gordon suddenly called out to him, who was self-mockingly thinking that it was impossible, with a stiff voice.

"Uncle!!!"

"Hey, you! You're going to make my ears fall off!"

"Didn't... didn't a raindrop just fall?"

At those words, Freeman frowned.

"This brat, what kind of nonsense is he spouting..."

As he got up with a stiff body and stuck his head out of the wooden watchtower, it happened.

Thud...

Something cold fell from the sky and hit his forehead, refreshing and scattering.

"Wh-what?"

The two of them froze as if they had made a pact.

"..."

"..."

A long silence ensued.

Thud.

When a cold raindrop fell from the sky again, Gordon rubbed his eyes and opened them wide.

At the same time, without anyone telling them to, the two of them knelt and bowed their heads, raising their hands dramatically as if worshipping a deity.

"Forgive us, these foolish ones who did not believe in the Saint!"

"Oh... My lord, I believe. Amen..."

As they shouted, the sky began to drop raindrops as if it had been waiting for this moment.

Like the end of the severe drought that had been killing the territory.

Thud... Thud... Ssssshhh!!!

It was a fierce downpour accompanied by thunder, as if releasing all the pent-up frustration.

18. Plow! And! Plant!

"The situation is dire."

"It's the worst-case scenario. The information has fallen into the hands of the Viscount Faltris. If we don't take action, it's only a matter of time before the unity of the noble faction falls apart."

In the reception room of the Barrietta Dukedom, known as the kingdom's power broker, four or five men were frowning with worried expressions.

"Indeed... of all people, the Viscount Faltris..."

The Viscount Faltris was someone they couldn't easily provoke.

He was the one who, despite being alone and in opposition to the noble faction, had held his ground without a single step back.

One of the few loyalists left in the kingdom.

However, because he maintained a neutral stance on the surface, the noble faction had not touched him.

If they were to fight properly, one of them would certainly disappear.

But the remaining side would also have to bear enormous losses.

That was the current situation.

But what if he had the card to strangle the life out of the noble faction?

"Is there any way to prevent those pieces of evidence from being used?"

Barrietta's close aide, the Earl Forum, asked with a worried expression, and the long-bearded noble next to him sighed.

"Frankly, I don't think there is."

"He's pressuring us as if he's been waiting for this moment. He's already started purging the lower nobles as an example."

"Because of this, the hidden opposition is starting to show their heads."

Without a clear pretext, they couldn't stop his actions.

That's why it was driving them mad.

The lower nobles who supported the noble faction were important sources of funds and manpower.

No matter how outstanding someone was, they couldn't do everything alone.

"Whoever it is, they've taken all our secrets, that's a fact."

Everyone's gaze turned to Barrietta, who had remained silent until the end.

As an information guild, they were the safest.

Their ability to conceal was so great that it wasn't something that could be stored in a certain individual's mansion or secret space.

From the best information guild, the Black Moon, to all other information guilds, they were all stripped clean in a single night.

Some information guilds were so severely damaged that they were barely able to function, while others were barely holding on.

That's not all. The information they thought was mixed with dummy data and would never be discovered was clearly organized and pieced together like a puzzle, ending up in his hands.

Was it the work of Viscount Faltris? No.

The Viscount Faltris that Barrietta knew was an excellent Swordmaster, but it was beyond his level to strip information guilds so silently and in a single night.

That's why he had been at ease.

"We need to find the audacious one who attacked the information guilds and punish them."

"Indeed... if we could, we wouldn't be in this predicament, it's frustrating!"

"The information guilds have sent word that they will completely withdraw from this matter. Even if we pressure the damaged guilds, do you think Viscount Faltris will blink? It will only give him a reason to catch us."

One of the nobles frowned as they exchanged opinions.

"By the way, what will Her Majesty the Queen do?"

"Her Majesty the Queen?"

"Yes, frankly, I don't understand. Prince David has manifested a stigmata? Even so, he's just a kid who can't properly handle divine power. They say the stigmata is unstable and different from the usual stigmata that appear on the wrist, making it a defective product."

"Viscount Lartis."

"Even if he has manifested a stigmata, so what? The Holy Kingdom is already on our side. Will they recognize him? No. He has no power. Her Majesty the Queen is paying too much attention to such a half-baked prince."

"The ones we should be paying attention to are His Majesty and Viscount Faltris."

The others silently agreed with Viscount Lartis.

They were all annoyed by Queen Liness's excessive attention to David, a character who had been built up over years.

Their unity, which had been solidified over years, was beginning to waver because of a single prince.

In their eyes, Prince David was a weak prince who had been abandoned by the king and had no power.

"Be careful with your words, Viscount Lartis."

"That's what I mean. It's just... sigh..."

Barrietta took a short breath at the man who was pounding his chest in frustration.

"No matter how capable Viscount Faltris is, he can't break our unity overnight. We must fight back, even if it means some losses."

"You're right. However, we need to find a way to recover the highly confidential information."

Viscount Faltris is, in layman's terms, currently gauging the noble faction's kill angle.

Rash movements are too dangerous.

"In the worst-case scenario."

The only option left is one.

The secrets that kept the noble faction safe are now choking them.

"We must be prepared for a civil war, Viscount Lartis."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"How is the preparation coming along?"

"We can prepare immediately upon your command."

"Prepare secretly. We must not give them any pretext until it's perfect."

Viscount Lartis quietly nodded at his words.

'You're underestimating that prince too much.'

Barrietta frowned as he watched the nobles quietly conspiring.

Prince David had changed a lot since he woke up, to the point where even he was surprised.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what has changed, but his decades of experience as a chancellor scream that something is different.

Moreover, the assassins from the Black Moon, sent to assassinate him, didn't just disappear quietly. It was more likely that they were silently eliminated.

I wouldn't have known before, but if my suspicions are correct, Prince David will show his teeth without hesitation the moment he gains power or a base.

'However, if it's the Haines territory, even he will be at a loss.'

That place was becoming a unique land of death, where even the continent's many mages, alchemists, and priests couldn't determine the cause.

No matter what unknown power he possesses, he won't be able to do anything there.

'What can he do in such a remote place where it doesn't even rain?'

He didn't know what David was doing in the Haines territory because he couldn't send anyone directly.

* * *

It started to rain.

The residents, who knew what it meant, stopped what they were doing and came out into the streets, looking up at the sky with expressions of disbelief.

And when they realized that the drops falling on them were rain, they soon cheered in unison.

Most of the young people had left, leaving only a few young people and mostly the elderly, but the rain that had fallen after several years made everyone as happy as children.

To them, the rain was not just a means of supplying water, but a hope that the dying territory might come back to life.

Indeed, the land had been dying due to the long drought.

The rain, which continued for several days, finally stopped after thoroughly soaking the parched earth.

While the residents were immersed in a festive mood, I had other regions to deal with, so the week passed very busily.

Ssssshhh!!!

Only after changing the code in the last area, the northwest ruins, did I feel a sense of satisfaction as the rain poured down.

"Finally, everything is resolved."

With a very sleepy face, she nodded quietly, and I silently stood in the rain falling from the sky.

Though it might seem strange to stand in the rain like that, the truth is, after being in such a dry place for days, I was craving this cool rain.

After a few days, the steward Bernil and the vigilante captain Monmither, who had gone to the commercial city of Helium, returned.

Bernil, whose expression was always the same, showed no particular reaction to the current state of the territory, but Monmither was different.

He was shocked to hear that it had rained in the dying territory and that I had led a small group of vigilantes to exterminate all the goblins in the area right after they left.

Or rather, he probably rushed back upon hearing that it had rained.

While the state of the territory was already bad, the extermination was a surprising result, but what seemed even more surprising was that there were no casualties and the kidnapped residents were rescued without injury.

Of course, he still doesn't fully trust me, but it's a natural result for someone who has struggled to maintain the territory for a long time.

It's not easy to raise the approval rating from negative to max in just a week.

Still, he'll be even more surprised when he hears what I did.

After successfully normalizing the climate in the last area, I remained silent for nearly a week.

If you think I was just resting, that's not the case.