Chapter: 12
As I closed my eyes and leaned back against the chair, one of the maids spoke with an anxious tone.
“Um… Miss, is the situation really that bad? Are we really going to run out of food?”
Only now did I realize it.
“Yes, it’s kind of like that.”
When I nodded, another maid’s eyes sparkled as she interjected.
“But we’ve got something too! The horses the knights brought!”
Indeed, the Alpheus knights had brought some horses.
“I thought they’d be useless, but we should sell them quickly. If we buy dairy cows, like Miss Dalia said, we can get milk…”
“Absolutely not.”
I cut her off sharply.
If Dalia’s boast was true, Harwin would inevitably fall because of the dairy cows…
“But still, we definitely need more food.”
After thinking it through, I opened my eyes and spoke decisively.
“We need to prepare to reclaim Jezel Street. Let’s go.”
“Huh? You’re going to the potato fields again?”
“No.”
Surprisingly, Philip was already accustomed to potato farming, so the potato field could now be left to the laborers.
“I’m going to Erenta.”
The beautiful village by the river that my uncle had coveted so much.
“So… are we going to survive a month just eating small fish?”
There was more to eat in the river than just small fish.
To move beyond simple hunting and gathering, there were many preparations we had to make in advance.
“We’ll need a few fast knights. Let’s stop by the training grounds first.”
I spent the entire afternoon by the Erenta riverside.
After giving a few instructions to the knights, I was on my way back to the marquis’s residence.
“Ahem, ahem.”
An elderly man in shabby clothes sat by the river with a fishing rod in the water.
“Why aren’t I catching anything? I’ve been at it for hours…”
It was obviously muttered for no one in particular.
“Sigh… how can I not catch even one?”
The empty bucket was dirty as well.
The maids recoiled in disgust.
I stopped and spoke.
“It’s a little strange that you haven’t caught a single fish.”
“Isn’t it? Ah, so you must be a noble lady.”
The old man perked up at my words.
I tilted my head and asked.
“Did you happen to mix poisonweed in the bait?”
“Poisonweed? What’s that? I know of Zionweed, though.”
“Oh, it’s the same as Zionweed. Fish really dislike it—all but marlin avoid it.”
The maids behind me frowned. They were displeased that I was talking to a filthy commoner old man.
But I smiled inwardly.
‘This must be Baron Forman.’
First, locals in this area wouldn’t fish like this in this season.
Second, I looked like a typical arrogant noble young lady: cold expression, proud walk—no ordinary old man would dare talk to me.
Third, after noticing something strange, I baited him right away.
“The ‘Po’ sound should be drawn out a bit longer. Western place names are pronounced closer to the old language.”
There was no poisonweed. As the old man said, the correct term was “Zionweed.”
I simply wanted to hear the pronunciation of “Po” from his mouth.
‘He tried to hide it, but the Western accent is obvious.’
The old man, hiding his identity expertly, had approached me.
He was definitely Baron Forman, skilled in intelligence work.
“Ah… I didn’t know that. Thank you for telling me.”
The corners of the old man’s eyes curved slightly.
For some reason, he reminded me of Leopold.
Baron Forman continued,
“But who are you, young lady?”
Before I could answer, the maids stepped forward.
“Stand up and pay your respects immediately! She’s Miss Brisa of the Sears Marquessate!”
“Can’t you apologize for your rudeness quickly? Thank the young lady for her mercy!”
“Even if he’s a commoner, doesn’t he know manners?”
The reprimands were like frost biting through the air.
Baron Forman’s eyes went wide, and he hurriedly stood and bowed.
“I… I offer my respects!”
“Lower your waist more!”
At the maid’s shout, Baron Forman bowed even lower.
“I am Oliver Hanson, here to seek aid from my distant cousin in Jezel Street!”
Rolling his eyes and bowing excessively, he looked every bit the rural old man.
I watched him and thought,
‘Right… everyone’s struggling to survive.’
He was putting on a thorough commoner act to hide his identity. He probably already knew who I was.
I admired that dignity.
‘To survive, he humbles himself even before someone half his age…’
I looked at him with genuine pity.
The maids from Liente are completely insane.’
Baron Forman sighed inwardly.
He had been a Noghen Duke’s intelligence agent, though retired several years ago.
‘It’s been too long since I did this. At least I wasn’t discovered…’
When was the last time he had disguised himself as a commoner?
Still, fooling a young noble girl he had never met was easy.
Of course, that wasn’t the main problem. Looking at the situation, it seemed he was stuck in the central region. He only planned to stay for about three days and then return!
‘No, I’m too old for this kind of trouble!’
Baron Forman was frustrated. He never expected to get caught in this kind of difficulty.
“Aren’t you bored? Why not travel a bit and see the sights?”
Some time ago, Duke Hilbury, his father-in-law, had summoned him.
Baron Forman replied in the manner of a Western noble:
“Haha, it’s always my small joy to be the Duke’s eyes, but I am too old…”
Even if he observed something, he absolutely wouldn’t take part in something like the Monster Wave.
Hilbury chuckled and said,
“It’s to meet the candidate for the Duchess? Leopold secretly sent her a bouquet recently.”
Thus, Leopold’s secret became known even to his maternal grandfather.
After all, she was Leopold’s partner.
Though Leopold was heir of the Noghen family, she was also his precious granddaughter.
She had done something behind her grandfather’s back? Of course, it had been discovered…
Instantly, he was intrigued.
“Then, I shall go and see her with my own eyes. Who could she be?”
Hilbury raised his eyebrows briefly, then answered softly:
“Brisa Sears. Young lady of the Sears Marquessate.”
No longer the heir of the Sears family, just an ordinary noble daughter.
Baron Forman paused for a moment, then promptly said:
“I will depart immediately.”
So, Baron Forman excitedly warped away.
The central region was relatively free of monsters, so he didn’t bring attendants.
True to his former intelligence-agent self, Baron Forman assessed the situation as soon as he arrived.
Just as he was about to warp back to report that there was nothing of note:
“Uweeeek! Uweeeeeeek!”
Everyone who warped vomited upon arrival.
According to the administrator, the warp was too unstable for elderly people. The mage tower was even discussing temporarily halting warps.
Word spread quickly: the Monster Wave was appearing not only in the west but throughout the empire.
The central region bordered other territories and mountains, and monsters began appearing along these boundaries.
This was the first problem for food procurement.
‘The central region had no monsters before, so trade markets developed, but the actual grain production isn’t much. In other words, self-sufficiency isn’t smooth!’
Thus, Baron Forman was stuck in the central region.
