Chapter 86
“Now that I think about it, I believe I saw you talking with that old man at the banquet,” Sharon Abner asked, her curiosity clear.
“What were you talking about?”
I made a thoughtful “hmm” sound.
“It was a rather time-wasting conversation. He was trying to get me to reveal the methods for making Rubarina and Rubawen,” I explained.
“Really?”
Sharon Abner frowned as if offended, and I nodded.
“So, about that… Grandmother,” I began.
At the mention of “grandmother,” Sharon Abner’s pupils widened slightly.
I smiled brightly.
“How many new residents have moved to the Abner territory recently?”
The north was cold and dry.
The bright sun could only be seen in summer, and even then, only for about two months.
Abner territory was far from fertile.
Farming was naturally difficult, and winters were harsh.
So, of course, the number of residents was low.
“According to last week’s report, it seems the population increased by about thirty percent,” Sharon Abner replied.
I nodded, as if I had expected that.
“The free distribution of remedies,” I thought.
A new welfare program that the Abner territory had been offering to residents for months.
Rubarina and Rubawen were more effective than the traditional Forentia herbs and simpler to use.
With these remedies being handed out for free, a massive influx of migrants had come to the territory.
Especially in the Longton area bordering the territory, more than fifty people moved in a single day.
“There must be a lot of patients then, right? They came because they needed medicine.”
“Yes. Many came with injuries or sick family members. Reports said they weren’t much help to the territory itself,” Sharon Abner said.
I sipped the orange juice I was holding and nodded.
We had just entered a quaint little café and sat down.
I had subtly suggested to Sharon Abner that we have some juice.
“So… you have some plan in mind?” she asked quietly.
My eyes lit up immediately.
“Yes!”
I set my glass down, almost standing, and began to explain enthusiastically.
“The plains of the Evehill region—the place where Evehill Orphanage used to be!”
The orphanage had been closed after Teacher Ann became my nanny.
As a result, the buildings on the open plains were now empty and gathering dust.
The wide reed fields around the orphanage were similarly abandoned.
“What if we built an herbal cultivation facility there?!” I suggested.
“Herbal cultivation? The idea is good, but…”
Sharon Abner furrowed her brow and added seriously,
“Winter is coming soon. It’s difficult to grow ordinary crops, let alone herbs.”
She seemed puzzled why a clever girl like me would suggest something so impossible.
But I had thought it through.
“No, I think it can work if there’s land!” I said confidently.
It didn’t have to be Evehill.
“Anywhere with unused land in Abner territory should work,” I thought.
I desperately needed a large herbal cultivation area.
According to the head of the pharmacy, the Abner greenhouse and its sponsorship alone weren’t enough to produce enough Rubarina herbs.
Moreover, since the remedies were now being distributed freely to commoners, the supply was depleted quickly.
“Good thing we improved the seeds; otherwise, we would have run out already,” I added, thinking quickly.
“Now that the Master of the Magic Tower is under my command…”
Sharon Abner’s eyes widened.
I recalled what had happened with Theo a few days ago.
Specifically, the transparent barrier he created with a snap of his fingers in the palace hallway.
“It seems Master of the Magic Tower knows how to cultivate herbs even in cold weather.”
A spark of interest appeared in Sharon Abner’s eyes.
“Herbs… in cold weather?”
“Ria read in a book that if you build a greenhouse and put multiple layers of barrier magic, you can grow plants as if it were midsummer!”
Of course, it sounded simple. Anyone could think of the basic theory.
The important part was the technology.
Theo already possessed that level of technical skill.
“If we ask him to make barrier magical tools and set them up in the greenhouse, it should work…”
Sharon Abner nodded slowly.
“That makes sense. But maintaining a greenhouse will require a lot of mana.”
“Then we just bring plenty of mana stones from the Lides Mine, right?”
The northern part of Abner had the Lides Mana Stone Mine—the one I had argued with Coel about.
Thanks to developing a new refinement process with Owen, the mine’s output had been steadily increasing.
The refining process was much simpler, so the pure mana stone production had reached the empire’s top level.
There was more than enough surplus to power the greenhouse barriers.
Sharon Abner was impressed.
“You really are better than your retainers.”
However, she furrowed her brow slightly as if one concern remained.
“Still… even if construction begins quickly, we don’t have workers to bring in immediately.”
I jumped in quickly.
“I thought of that too! The greenhouse will be big, so we’ll need many people.”
Herbal cultivation was directly tied to medicine production.
And developing medicine was the area the Abner Academy was focusing most on.
“They must be verified and loyal to Abner,” Sharon Abner tapped the desk with her finger.
“A method to select trustworthy people…”
Seeing her deep in thought, I spoke up quietly.
“Grandmother, I want to try that.”
Sharon Abner lifted her gaze from the desk.
“Try what?”
“Selecting the people!”
Her eyes widened.
I looked as innocent as possible.
“Now that Master of the Magic Tower is my subordinate, I want to make more loyal and capable subordinates too!”
“…Subordinates?”
“Ria can do anything, so I can select many loyal and competent helpers.”
I looked at her eagerly with sparkling eyes.
“Grandmother… isn’t it okay if I do it?”
“…”
Sharon Abner held her breath for a moment.
Then she drained the drink in her glass in one gulp.
“Do it.”
“Yay!”
“Anyway, since this is the family’s official new project, you’ll need people to assist you.”
I waited with a face full of excitement for her next words.
“Choose from among the retainers when you return.”
“…”
“This will be the first project you take on as the Abner heiress, so choose carefully.”
Sharon Abner muttered sternly but added,
“By the way, you can even select someone of higher status than yourself.”
I tilted my head.
The only people in the family with higher status than me were Jayden and Sharon Abner herself.
“Perhaps ‘higher than you’ was just a slip of the tongue,” I thought.
Then, following Sharon Abner, I finished my orange juice in one gulp.
The sour taste made me squint slightly, but a smile spread across my face.
“Ah.”
I now had a perfect plan for what to do in the duchy before moving to the territory officially.
“Welcome!”
As soon as we arrived in the territory, countless retainers greeted us.
“Your Highness! Is it true that Bella Howell, who isn’t even worth feeding, actually did something insane?!”
Lady Larrien, apparently having heard of the incident with Bella, was already fuming.
“Ah, Lady Countess Larrien. You must understand, our princess hasn’t even recovered from travel fatigue yet…”
“Let go of me! I need to hear it immediately! The letter only said what happened to me, not how I got back at her!”
Unable to contain myself, I dashed forward and grabbed Lady Larrien by her sleeve.
“I reported it to His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince!”
At that, everyone went quiet.
“Reported?”
“Exactly! I told him, and he asked His Majesty the Emperor about it, and then my grandmother scolded Lady Bella as trash!”
All eyes turned to Sharon Abner this time.
“Your Highness called her trash…?”
Everyone seemed surprised that the usually composed grandmother had used such harsh words.
“Yes! She called her trash in front of everyone, and Lady Bella cried her eyes out!”
Finally, Lady Larrien’s anger faded.
She placed her hand on her chest as if taking a refreshing breath and let out a satisfied sigh.
“This is what should have been written!”
Her younger brother was currently working at the imperial palace.
Apparently, he relayed the news from the banquet to her.
I muttered, “Of course my student wouldn’t just take it lying down!” and entered the city.
