Chapter 229

The announcement of Carsein’s statement made the ears of the defeated participants perk up.

‘As for rumors…’

‘Yes, there was that rumor!’

‘No matter how good the content of the announcement is, it cannot be without flaws!’

With already bottom-of-the-barrel grades,

Arshien and Florence have pointed out every flaw, resulting in significant deductions.

But here, Carsein, who should have been at the bottom, was at the top, causing immense jealousy and envy.

Those who should be at the bottom must remain at the bottom.

Finally cornered, the hyenas bared their fangs.

“Princess Arshien. Prince Florence. We request a Defense Time!”

Although they had warned that only those with sufficient grades could attend the Defense Time, now that they couldn’t pull Carsein down, there was no turning back.

Moreover, this issue is closely tied to the residents’ harmony, which is a key part of the grade. Thus, anyone could speak, making it different from other issues.

Upon hearing this, Princess Arshien began a short conversation with Prince Florence.

“I permit it.”

Soon after, the Defense Time declaration was passed.

‘It worked!’

Now that the Defense Time was declared, they could finally bare their teeth and attack.

‘This time, we’ll definitely bring him down!’

‘We need to exploit this loophole and cut him down significantly!’

‘A commoner daring to score higher than us? No way!’

The opportunists who had been hiding behind Carsein’s shadow now poured out their grievances.

“We all know this.”

“Why are rumors about Shatren’s residents fighting spreading?”

“The rumors have spread so widely that many don’t even know who started them.”

The key point is the rumor.

It all starts with a well-known rumor outside the territory.

***

Indeed, the moment the word “rumor” was mentioned, those who had been silent sprang into action.

Considering their own scores, speaking even one word seemed impossible, but since this particular item allowed some leeway, everyone stood up.

Though they couldn’t improve their own grades, they couldn’t stand seeing Carsein above them.

This sight seemed ridiculous to Princess Arshien and Prince Florence, but they still allowed the Defense Time.

“Prince Carsein, nothing is more important than the relationship between the lord and the residents.”

“If you do not stop residents from fighting, isn’t that a disqualification as a lord?”

“Even if you identify problems in Shatren and try to fix them, if you don’t understand the internal situation, it clearly shows your incompetence as a lord.”

Ignoring Carsein’s flawless aspects,

they emphasized elements that could lead to significant deductions.

“Don’t forget, harmony with residents is also part of the score.”

“And if you delay your report until the final presentation, you will receive double the deduction.”

Using Carsein’s own promise against him,

this would drastically lower his score.

As the nobles began to chuckle, foreseeing Carsein’s downfall,

he subtly smiled, knowing what was coming.

‘Sure enough.’

‘I knew he had something planned.’

Princess Arshien and Prince Florence noticed the slight change and felt relieved.

“Hmm. All your points are valid. The rumors about residents fighting in Shatren are spreading. Such rumors shouldn’t exist.”

“Do you admit your mistake?”

One of the participants, with an exaggerated expression, tried to seal the deal.

Once the rumor was recognized, he would have nothing left to say.

It was time to act as expected, showing stubbornness and causing a commotion.

“That’s not it.”

“Oh, we shouldn’t be stubborn.”

“Are you trying to deny that you failed to manage the residents properly?”

“Even if you are the lord, failing to control the residents means you haven’t fulfilled your duty of managing the territory.”

“Imposing policies without the residents’ consent is nothing but tyranny!”

The nobles stood up again, fiercely attacking Carsein.

“Of course. But when did I ever admit the rumors were true?”

“What?”

“Just because rumors are circulating doesn’t mean they’re true. Why dismiss the possibility that exaggerated stories reached your ears?”

Carsein calmly continued.

“Rumors said that recently, there were talks about strawberries and grapes in Shatren being monsters or poisoned fruits. You all remember that, right?”

“That… That…”

The nobles shuddered.

They thought this could be used to lower Carsein’s score if handled well.

But this revelation worked against them. They had to intervene immediately.

“Hold on! That has nothing to do with this!”

“There is plenty of connection. Keep going.”

Before they could separate the two incidents,

Princess Arshien quickly intervened.

“In fact, the crops in Shatren do contain mana. So what? As long as they are prepared correctly, there’s no problem. The fruits of Shatren are safe enough that they don’t even need preparation. However, rumors spread that they were poisonous.”

The nobles, now in a difficult position, grumbled.

Carsein seized the opportunity.

“Even people drinking snake venom can eat fruits containing mana without any issues. This proves that rumors are just rumors. Here too, the rumors you heard are false.”

Now, the mystery of Shatren was solved.

“How can these rumors be false?”

“Even if you claim they’re false, facts don’t change, do they?”

Yet, the hyenas wouldn’t let go of their grip.

“You clearly heard it. The residents of Shatren fighting over fertilizers.”

“They were arguing about which fertilizer to use and why they chose to betray the territory by using them.”

“Were they calling each other traitors? It was quite intense.”

They concluded,

“If it were just a rumor, we wouldn’t know so much detail about why the residents fought.”

Is this really a non-existent fact?

They knew exactly why the residents fought.

A sharp criticism hit Carsein.

Defense seemed unfavorable, but…

“Ah, that. I ordered it. I wanted them to pretend to fight.”

“What?!”

“The fertilizers you criticized. To investigate them, I needed to divert external attention. So I told them to pretend to fight.”

This might as well be called an Offensive Time instead of a Defense Time.

***

“Princess Arshien. Prince Florence. Let me ask a question. If someone at the Symposium harms another territory and lowers their score, would they be punished according to the rules?”

They exchanged glances.

Their interests aligned.

“Of course, the royal family would severely punish such actions.”

“The purpose of the Symposium is for nobles to gather and solve problems in their territories. While competition exists, actions like those you described are malicious and intended to harm others.”

“It’s unacceptable, but if someone does such a thing, it undermines the very foundation of the noble council. Therefore, they would receive the highest level of punishment.”

Seeing this, Carsein spoke confidently.

“In Shatren, there were people intentionally harming the territory.”

“What?!”

“To give specific examples, some diverted funds from the Bargrand Duke House, while others sold harvested crops to other territories without reporting them. These are just minor instances.”

Carsein, explaining while supporting his chin,

added that it wasn’t the whole story.

“Since Shatren declined from its glorious past, it became very insular. They avoided interactions with outsiders unless absolutely necessary. Yet, the residents clung to something blindly.”

“What is it?”

“This fertilizer.”

A mysterious bag of fertilizer appeared in Carsein’s hand.

“While investigating, I noticed something odd. Why would residents who avoid external influence use external products? Especially when using this fertilizer became a strong belief. So, I had to investigate this fertilizer.”

“What happened then?”

“As I mentioned, soil pH greatly affects crops. This fertilizer intentionally lowered the soil pH.”

“So, you’re saying this fertilizer was designed to acidify the soil?”

“Yes. Using this fertilizer was a strong belief, as if someone exaggerated a rumor. But that wasn’t all.”

“What do you mean ‘that’s not all’?”

Immediately after,

Carsein sprinkled the fertilizer onto a pot he brought.

Then, he added a drop of Pisstella growth solution, revealing another effect of the fertilizer.

-Padddd.

“…”

“This is…!”

With a strange sound, the stem grew abnormally.

As petals opened and hideous fangs appeared, everyone realized what it was.

Carsein swiftly drew his sword and struck the newly born creature.

-Kiieek.

With a ghastly cry, it fell apart.

No one could deny that this fertilizer had serious issues.

“Creating such a fertilizer alone is a grave offense, don’t you think?”

At that moment, a noble from the audience stood up and shouted.

“That’s nonsense!”

Carsein grinned, confident in his victory.

***

Count Retelvik clenched his cane tightly.

If Carsein’s revival of Shatren was hard to believe,

the mention of fertilizer meant he had uncovered something.

“If we don’t cut off this tail here… our lives might be in danger.”

Count Retelvik glared at the noble next to him.

“Hey, you.”

“Yes?”

“You need to stop him.”

The man shook his head, refusing.

“Intervening now is suicide. Besides, we’re sitting in the audience. Suspecting this guy during this symposium…”

“Stop him. If you want to keep the incident from three years ago on Mount Waglew secret.”

“…”

He swallowed heavily under the pressure of the threat.

“Stop talking nonsense!”

The man stood up quickly and shouted.

“Hey, all you’ve been talking about is fertilizer! Aren’t you just trying to deflect by saying they were fighting in their territory?!”

Other nobles, sensing the urgency, joined in, shouting.

Why were they making such absurd excuses?

Wasn’t he trying to cover up by saying the residents were deceived?

But Carsein remained unfazed.

“Hmm. Everyone standing up now seems to be from the Waglew Faction.”

“!”

“What does that have to do with anything?!”

“The Waglew Faction is close to Shatren. In other words, they are in the best position to cause the most damage to Shatren. Since Mount Waglew is nearby, crossing it is impossible. So, they make perfect suspects for the crimes I mentioned. What do you think?”

Hearing this, the Waglew Faction nobles shouted.

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

“How dare you accuse us of being criminals?!”

“It’s just speculation! How could we destroy Shatren?!”

“Just because we’re close doesn’t mean we’re guilty! It seems your habit of blaming others hasn’t changed!”

They tried to force evidence out.

‘Got it. This kid probably doesn’t have any proof.’

In this chaos where the Waglew Faction nobles were making a scene,

there was no evidence to present.

How could this kid uncover their black market for fertilizer?

They failed to ruin Shatren using Marf, but proving this was impossible.

Defense Time seemed to end here.

However,

“Then, we just need to prove it’s not speculation. Princess Arshien, I have evidence to submit.”