Chapter 201

Hands on her hips, Harnier looks down at me.

Her axe eyes are extremely fierce. Cold sweat trickles down as if she’s about to slice me in half.

“Ca. Re. Se. In? What time is it now?”

“…It’s 2 PM.”

“Then what should we do?”

I grit my teeth and try to answer.

“Have lunch… Yes. We should eat.”

“Alright. Shall we go eat quickly?”

Reluctantly standing up, I find myself being dragged by Harnier with her arm hooked around mine as we walk.

Sure, I could shake off this arm, but due to a big mistake I made in the past, I can’t refuse.

*Sigh*… Why did this happen?

What a pathetic guy. I can’t help but sigh.

Even now, thinking back, all I can do is sigh.

*Recalling* The moment I saw the status window, I knew something was off.

Thinking back, I clearly met Harnier at Flora’s birthday party. After that, I gradually wanted to pull away while listening to an incomprehensible story.

And then, wouldn’t you know it.

A certain window appeared.

▶Due to a specific condition, ??? Recurs!◀

▶Status Ailment: Old Fatigue Level 4 has occurred.◀

▶Status Ailment: Insufficient Sleep Level 4 has occurred.◀

▶Status Ailment: Fainting Level 5─◀

▶Status Ailment: Hypothermia Level 5─◀

…

…

▶Various Status Ailments cause the eyes to close.◀

▶Cannot resist. Forced to sleep. May die if exposed to danger.◀

Suddenly, for no reason, I collapse due to a sudden ailment.

I regained consciousness the next day when I opened my eyes and saw a familiar, or rather, ceiling-like large object right in front of me.

Without much thought, I lifted my upper body.

-Squish-

“What’s this?”

I thought it was the ceiling, but it was warm, soft, and had a peculiar texture. Out of curiosity, I touched it several times, which turned out to be a huge mistake.

“Ca, Car-se-in…?”

“Yeah.”

While fidgeting with the strange sensation, suddenly the real ceiling appeared, light flooding in. Harnier, who had been crouching, looked at me with a flustered expression.

This setup felt oddly familiar.

My gaze looking down, her gaze looking up.

Her thighs were under my head.

The ceiling was blocked by a large mass, which turned out to be a desk, unnoticed until now because she was crouching.

Only then did I realize something was wrong.

After that, nothing changed.

“…”

“Um, that… It wasn’t intentional, right? I thought it was the ceiling because the light wasn’t coming in─”

-Splat!

Yeah. As expected, another bright red handprint appeared.

This is why.

Because of a big mistake, I ended up being tightly held by my fiancée.

*Sigh*

*I recall* When I scratched my head, memories of Ji-eun came flooding back.

-Mi, Min-hyuk, you…

-Huh? Oh, Seo Ji-eun. I didn’t mean to do that! Really, really!

Hmm. After that, I still got very red handprints on my body.

*Funny thing* I mistook the feeling of lying down and thinking it was the ceiling, only to find out it was Ji-eun’s chest.

Oh my. To think I’d get caught twice for mistaking someone’s chest for the ceiling.

*No.* This isn’t the only similarity.

This incident itself is not so different from when Ji-eun collapsed.

-How can you say it’s okay? It’s definitely not okay! How can you look like that…

Like Harnier, Ji-eun had also said the same thing, holding my face.

She said pain should be expressed as pain, and difficulty should be expressed as difficulty.

It seemed like she said it shouldn’t be okay if it wasn’t.

Now thinking about it, it’s quite regrettable, but I remember taking her somewhere to rest when she suddenly collapsed.

And…

“…”

“What are you thinking? If you’re planning to skip meals, I won’t let you. You remember collapsing, right?”

Like before, she kept an eye on me, wide-eyed, for several days, making sure I was healthy.

After I collapsed, I don’t remember anything that happened.

What happened, what problems arose—it’s only Harnier who knows. Just like Ji-eun.

Harnier said she carried me here with great effort after I suddenly collapsed. Ji-eun said she was surprised when I suddenly fell and tried to catch me, but couldn’t get me up, so she took me to her room.

Oddly enough, there was an overlap between Ji-eun and Harnier.

But I couldn’t help but think…

“Harnier, do you know what the national anthem is?”

“Huh?”

*Her reaction tells me* She doesn’t know.

*Yes.* That’s right. There’s no way she would. Even if I look at her, she seems like a person from here.

She should be living her own life.

“Ca. Re. Se. In?”

Looking at me with narrowed eyes, she’s probably getting ready for more nagging.

“Of course not. Let’s go eat.”

***

-Clink. Clink.

Just another mealtime. As always, the sound of utensils clinking spread as I moved. But today, there was another utensil sound mixed in.

-Tap.

A single pea was pushed into my dish right in front of me.

“…”

“Hm, hmm. Since you fainted, you need to eat more nutritious food, right?”

Yes. Given how I suddenly fainted, it’s not unreasonable to think there might be a problem with nutrition.

So, I need to eat more and consume more nutrients. That makes sense.

But,

*It’s* definitely picky eating.

Yet, she tries to act concerned by pushing the pea towards me.

“Why are you laughing all of a sudden? Did something get on my face?”

“No, nothing.”

How cute.

Every time, I feel this about Harnier.

She seems meticulous, but she misses things here and there.

I’ll pretend not to notice.

*Rather*… It’s time to move.

▶Episode VIII. The third agent is ongoing.◀

▶Move to the House of Rilfetten in the Empire’s west and meet with the count.◀

Even though it’s overshadowed by Flora’s birthday, to proceed with the next episode, I need to meet with Count Rilfetten and convince him to become an agent.

“After finishing the meal, it’s time to get up.”

“You’re going to work already? Why not have some dessert and rest a bit more?”

Harnier narrows her eyes again, trying to make me take a break.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not going to work.”

“Huh?”

“My next plan is to explain specifically how the farming method went wrong. That means not just planting dozens of crops, but working the entire field.”

“…You’re planning to secure labor from outside the territory. The residents still deeply distrust you, so they won’t cooperate in solving the issues in Sha-tren.”

“That’s correct.”

She quickly understood my intentions.

“But wouldn’t there be strong opposition from the residents… Are you sure? They surely won’t like outsiders coming to their land.”

“Well, I have a card to play. The residents of Sha-tren also use underhanded methods to trade externally.”

“The residents are disobeying your orders. You want to use that to argue.”

“Yes. If I point out that they bought high-grade fertilizer or sourced foodstuffs from external territories, they won’t have any excuses.”

There’s one more thing, but I don’t need to mention it.

“In any case, I’ll be heading out for a bit.”

Since the meal is over, it feels like the perfect timing.

But.

“Hold on a moment.”

Harnier suddenly stands up and grabs my arm, hooking her arm around mine.

“If you’re going, I’m going too. Who knows if you’ll suddenly collapse while walking? Tsk.”

“…No, that was just a coincidence─”

“What?”

Harnier stretches out her words.

Her gaze sharpens like lightning.

“Lying there collapsed. What? What? Does it seem like a coincidence to you?”

“Of course it was a coincidence…”

Harnier presses her index finger against my lips to stop me from speaking.

“Camila heard everything! She said you haven’t been eating properly!”

*Ah.*

Camila. Betrayal at a time like this.

“Sometimes you barely eat a little or nibble on jerky, just to quench your hunger. Sometimes you don’t sleep properly and just lie down without doing anything. Camila even wrote me a letter about it!”

Still, was it really a coincidence?

When I collapsed, could it be that I was ignoring the damage to my body and focusing solely on work?

So, I had to endure Harnier’s nagging again.

In the end, what was the conclusion?

“No way. I’m going with you. Otherwise, I won’t allow it.”

She won’t allow it unless she goes along.

Because the destination is in the west. If an imperial noble like you visits, it might cause trouble.

“But everyone in the west knows about the Merchant Guild of Plesia, right?”

Plesia Merchant Guild has long traded with Pollox.

Realizing that Harnier, who is likely to be warmly welcomed as the most favored imperial noble in the west, made this arm loop even harder to break free.

Or maybe it’s not that.

“Surely you don’t want to leave your fiancée behind and go alone, causing suspicion about our relationship? The Marquis House of Teresia is lit up like this! Do you want to leave me here alone?”

…She’s making every excuse.

At this point, there’s no other choice but to go together.

“…Fine. Let’s go together.”

Only then does Harnier’s sharp gaze soften again.

“But, we can’t go right now.”

“Huh?”

*Mana was used to enhance hearing.*

*Tap, tap, tap.*

“I have a prior engagement.”

Harnier tilts her head again, puzzled, when guests arrive immediately.

“I can’t hold it anymore!”

“How can you call yourself a lord like this!”

*Residents’ dissatisfaction reached 80%.*

*It’s a value that needs to be addressed even if they flee.*

*The Clue and Prove Event will be forced to proceed.*

***

Well, it’s about time.

Though overshadowed by the important third week event, Flora’s birthday, I forgot, I am currently in the middle of a symposium.

Since I imposed a closure order last week, raising their dissatisfaction, it was only natural for them to come eventually.

And.

“Enjoyed playing at the birthday party, huh?”

“While we’ve been working hard under the blazing sun to save this land, you nobles think it’s okay?”

“Yet, you force restrictions on farming methods, causing losses! What are we supposed to live on?!”

As expected, they brought up the birthday party.

Enjoying the party, while the territory fell apart in the meantime.

How do you plan to recover this, and what’s the meaning of these restrictions on us?

Questions fly in.

In the form of a Clue and Prove Event.

And the main question is:

“At the very least, show us evidence that proves your farming method is correct. Explain how our farming methods differ and justify it.”

*The topic to prove has been decided.*

[You must provide evidence supporting the new farming method I implemented, overturning the old one.]

That’s it.

*Actually, there’s only one way to break it.*

I need to prove it through the Clue and Prove Event provided by the system.

This trigger activates three days after Flora’s birthday.

I need to explain directly to them what was wrong with the farming method and what issues arose.

Three days.

It seems tight, but actually, it’s even shorter.

Considering the time spent returning, sleeping, trading, and attending lectures, the available time is halved.

Due to this tight schedule, I’ve experienced numerous bad endings where I failed to solve this within the game, resulting in the loss of my position as lord of Sha-tren.

But, I’ve already prepared for this situation.

*Inventory*

◆Data Scroll ver. 1

[A magic scroll that allows you to carry data. When used, it unfolds to create direct charts, graphs, etc.]

*Item used!*

“Data Scroll…?”

“These fields have names written on them.”

“They seem detailed, divided by area with numbers…”

A large table and graph appear like an Excel program, organizing everything.

The residents don’t seem surprised since they’ve seen Data Scrolls before.

But,

“What is this?”

“pH…?”

Yes. This must seem unfamiliar.

This knowledge isn’t even mentioned in this era, let alone established.