Chapter 197


    TL/Editor: raei


    Status: 5/week mon-fri


    Illustrations: none


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    Ian let out a dry chuckle. He couldn''t believe it.


    ''I knew it. Those damn nobles.''


    Even though they were bound within the confines of the Holy Empire, nobles fundamentally adhered to the principle of every man for himself. Lords were expected to resolve issues that arose in their own domains. Even between a monarch and vassal bound by feudal contract, a request could be refused if deemed inappropriate.


    Here, an ''appropriate request'' meant one that benefited oneself.


    Duke Araz had clearly concluded that it was fine for Talian to starve. After all, when a vassal''s power weakens, the lord''s power grows stronger byparison.''And yet they want to hoard the dragon for themselves, is that it?''


    Dragons were undoubtedly terrifying monsters, but sessfully hunting one could yield enormous profits. For one, dragons had a habit of hoarding treasure. Just look at how the ck dragon Predius murdered the Mountain King and stole his treasure.


    ying a dragon meant acquiring the vast hoard of riches it had amassed. Not to mention the dragon''s blood, meat, hide, and bones could all be put to use. As a bonus, the glorious title of [Dragon yer] came along with it.


    It was understandable why Duke Araz''s eyes had rolled back in greed.


    "...The way they''re treating their vassals isplete bullsh*t though," Ian muttered.


    The other nobles tacitly agreed with his sentiment. No matter what, this was a vassal''s plea for help. When a vassal bound by feudal contract was desperately sending out an SOS, to ignore that and go dragon hunting instead? Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, it was despicable at the very least.


    "Looks like you''ll have to go see the Duke yourself, Lucy."


    "...Me?!" Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise, but Ian ignored her.


    It seemed that sending some country baron''sckey had resulted in being ignored. If Lucy went up there to petition in person, the Duke wouldn''t be able topletely disregard her.


    "Good timing. You can see the Duke''s face while you''re at it. Pretend to be chummy and all that."


    In the past it wouldn''t have mattered, but now Lucy needed to acquaint herself with the nobility. She even had vassals under temporary contract. She needed to make her face known in advance to avoid issues when managing her domainter.


    "I was thinking I''d have to meet the Duke at some point, but..." Lucy seemed a bit scared.


    In truth, Lucy''s fate was quite twisted, if you thought about it. Her parents were murdered by her former fiancé, she became a fugitive, then ended up bing the ruler of a domain with someone else''s help. On top of that, she wound up with other barons as her vassals because of the dragon.


    Lucy hadn''t been educated on how to be a ruler. But ready or not, she had be the representative for Talian and its vassals.


    Ian lightly patted Lucy''s shoulder. "Don''t stress too much. I''ll go up there with you."


    "...Really? You''lle with me, Ian?"


    Ian nodded. Of course he had no intention of sending Lucy alone. Who knew what kind of ident might happen there. Plus, if he yed his cards right, he might be able to weasel his way into the dragon hunt.


    ''I''ve got a bad feeling about this though.''


    Ian wasn''t too keen on joining the dragon hunt. The rumors from outside were too strange. The sudden news of the dragon being repelled was odd enough. The rumor that some Margrave had dealt a fatal blow to the ck dragon reeked of fabrication.


    For now, his primary goal was to squeeze some resources out of the Duke.


    "Yeah. Let''s go see the Duke."


    Lucy looked up at Ian''s face as she spoke. On her own, she would never have been able to leave her domain. But with Ian by her side, Lucy could set out on a journey without hesitation.


    ---


    ---


    "The Duke wants to hunt the dragon, you say?"


    "That''s what I hear."


    Upon hearing the news Ian brought, Salvador and the Knights of Santiago reacted with disbelief. And rightfully so. After the Margrave of Haltramm had repelled the dragon, now they wanted to go hunting? Anyone could see their tant intention to steal the kill!


    "...My apologies, Ian. We must hurry to the Duke."


    Salvador apologized, but Ian didn''t mind at all. These people came to y the dragon from the start anyway. They only helped out briefly because Talian was in shambles. Since they were knights, not mercenaries, there was no reason to hold them back. If anything, Ian was grateful they had fought for free up till now.


    "Lucy and I were nning to go up there too."


    "You as well?"


    "The Duke says he can''t help Talian because he has to hunt the dragon."


    At Ian''s words, the Knights of Santiago could not hide their anger.


    "Is that not too shameless?"


    "To ignore starving citizens and chase after glory right in front of them..."


    "What a foolish bastard!"


    Ian tried to calm the knights as he spoke. "I n to bolster Talian''s food supplies a bit before setting out with Lucy."


    "Bolster the food supplies, you say? How?"


    The knights blinked in confusion, unable to understand Ian''s words. The idea of increasing non-existent food supplies was nonsensical by their standards. In fact, it was nonsense. In the medieval era with its pathetic food production capabilities, how could one possibly increase food supplies?


    But Ian was a wizard. The power to make the impossible possible. That is magic.


    "I intend to borrow Mani''s power a bit."


    Some knights still looked confused, but Salvador understood Ian''s meaning. He was a knight familiar with magic.


    "Then we''ll wait until you''ve finished your work."


    "Thank you, Sir Salvador."


    It was for the sake of the starving people. The Knights of Santiago offered their support, saying they would wait until Ian''s work wasplete. Ian expressed his gratitude and went to meet Mani.


    "Mani!"


    Mani was leisurely brewing coffee and enjoying tea time with Ian''spanions. A true wizard''s nonchnce.


    "I heard. You''re going to meet the Duke?"


    "Want toe along, Mani?"


    "Oh my. I detest such troublesome affairs!"


    As expected, Mani had no interest in meeting nobles. Instead, she observed the aspiring young wizards before her with fascination. Kira met Mani''s gaze with a rxed smile (100% fake), while Maria looked on indifferently.


    Ian quickly grasped what Mani had chosen as a conversation topic.


    "Who has talent for botany?"


    Mani must have been assessing the potential of the two fledgling wizards.


    His guess proved correct as Mani answered with a smile. "No! That one is favored by fire, so nts dislike her. And that one doesn''t seem particrly interested in other types of magic."


    Mani spoke without any particr emotion. It was perfectly normal for a wizard to specialize in just one type of magic. The more attention one receives from the mysteries, the more powerful a wizard one bes. And as one works as a wizard, it naturally bes clear which mysteries favor them. Of course they would grow closer to the mysteries that show affection first!


    In that sense, Ian was an extremely odd fellow. He wasn''t the capybara of the wizarding world or anything. How on earth did he manage to be on good terms with all sorts of mysteries?


    "Mani. I have a favor to ask."


    "I know, you brat. You want me to make the crops grow, right?"


    Ian nodded. That was a request Mani had more or less anticipated. She couldn''t have failed to notice since setting foot in Talian.


    "I''d like you to rapidly grow the crops nted in the fields."


    No sooner had Ian finished speaking than Mani let out a deep sigh. Make the crops grow. This was the most burdensome request one could make of a botanist.


    "Ian. I asked these kids earlier, but..."


    "?"


    "What do you think farming is?"


    Ian pondered for a moment. Answering by medieval standards, the answer would be [food replication]. You nt one grain of wheat in a field, and next year it''s grown into bundles, right? Wow! Food gets replicated! Y''all better nt quickly!


    Naturally, medieval people didn''t have profound philosophies about farming. At most, it was an act you''d starve to death without? Like it or not, they had to do it anyway, so there was no reason to think deeply about it.


    ''But that''s a wizard''s question.''


    However, Mani was a wizard. Unlike farmers, she was part of the medieval privileged ss who didn''t need to struggle with farming just to survive. When life affords you leisure, idle thoughts tend to arise. Mani likely had far more opportunity than medieval farmers to seriously contemte the concept of [farming].


    ''It''s not a theological question...''


    If the correct answer was something like [It''s the process of heaven''s grace blossoming on earth!], Mani would have be a cleric long ago.


    Probably a somewhat more scientific answer. Ian''s science-brain began to slowly turn. With the addition of a wizard''s unique artistic sensibility, of course.


    "I suppose it''s the exploitation of nts for human benefit."


    "Oh ho?"


    Kira, who had been listening, was startled. Ian''s answer was... so incredibly wizard-like! Even the words were unfamiliar.


    ''nt exploitation? What''s that?''


    It was a notion that Kira and Maria, true medievalmoners, could never have conceived. No, it was a bold concept that one couldn''te up with without proper education as a botanist.


    Kira was genuinely impressed. As expected, a properly trained wizard is different!


    At the same time, Mani was impressed for a different reason. While botanists naturally develop feelings of care and love for nts, generally, (medieval) people didn''t particrly value nts. Well... unlike animals, nts show no reaction when abused! People who cherish animals but not nts are rare.


    "Exin in detail. How are nts exploited?"


    That''s why Ian''s answer was music to Mani''s ears. Ian was already treating nts as if they had personhood. An open-mindedness difficult to possess without being a botanist!


    "Well, nts are living things too, aren''t they?"


    Ian was someone who had lived in modern civilization where PC culture runs rampant. It''s a ce teeming with vegetarians who can''t eat meat because they feel sorry for animals. Of course there were people who felt sorry for nts. Especially science students who received education on "research ethics" to prevent them from acting like mad scientists.


    "They grow densely in cramped plots ofnd. Humans selectively breed their seeds. Being cut and chopped up for better production is their daily life."


    The issue of nt ethics isn''t addressed as actively as animal ethics. People understand. Animals are pitiful when killed, but nts are not. However, nt ethics undeniably exist.


    Ian dredged up old memories to exin the act of [farming]. To medieval people, it would have sounded like nothing but madness. What? You feel sorry for nts growing densely in fields? I, who dig up roots to eat when crops fail, am a hundred times more pitiful! You bastard!


    But Ian''s exnation struck a chord with Mani.


    "...100 points."


    "Pardon?"


    "A perfect score, Ian. Someone like you should be learning botany!"


    "..."


    In Mani''s view, Ian was clearly someone who [understood the hearts of nts]. He was more than qualified to befriend the mysteries of nts.


    "Follow me, Ian! I''ll teach you the magic of [Rapid Growth]!"


    "Oh."


    Mani happily decided to show Ian her magic. Ian followed Mani towards the wheat fields.