Chapter 39: 40

I listened to them talk with a smile, but I knew that if I couldn’t show myself as trustworthy here, everything would become meaningless.

This was a so-called test. Would the sudden arrival of the young noblewoman really solve the long-standing problems of this region, or was she just bluffing?

To judge whether I really had the ability.

I gestured at Sein. The sensible vassal promptly unrolled the trade contract that the top merchant, Firenze, and our territory had agreed upon before us.

There were also other contracts with larger amounts written on them, but I deliberately showed only reasonable ones. Because I don’t want to walk too carefully at night.

After carefully reviewing the contract, the two men finally raised their heads and looked at me with a convinced expression.

“For technical issues, we will seek help from magic engineers. My vassal, Sein……”

When I pointed at the gray-haired man with my eyes, Sein bowed politely.

“……He is well-acquainted with his colleagues as he has expertise in the field of magic engineering. If this doesn’t work, I’m going to consult from various places through the connections of my family, Catlan. Would this make you less worried?”

Of course, I don’t want to be indebted to Catlan for this kind of thing.

The two Barons cleared their throats when I talked about my family with a smile, which seemed to be effective.

“I see, I see. The Lord must have an idea. Wow, this must be the spirit of a young person. I’m looking forward to the future, hahaha!”

As opposed to Baron Elrod who nodded and laughed loudly as if he acknowledged everything, Baron Peloche, who seemed to be of the opinion that I had been kicked out of Catlan, muttered with a slightly displeased expression.

“No, but…… isn’t it still a fact that there’s a burden of risk?”

“Well, Baron, I’d never imagined you were that pessimistic.”

As if he had completely made up his mind to take my side, Baron Elrod looked at the man and said.

“It seems like Lord is determined to complete the task, but you won’t support her. Is that something that would kill you? Wow, really. When I was……”

Is criticizing those who offer help with difficult tasks now the right thing to do? If you want to become a big man with a broad mind like me… such words were intended to make the listener’s ears tingle.

Baron Peloche was looking at him with a completely worn out expression.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt, but can we get back to the main topic?”

As I softly interjected between them, Baron Elrod, who was getting worked up, gave a light cough and clapped his hands.

“Right, we were talking about the debt contract, weren’t we? Baron Elrod. What do you think?”

“……what do you mean by that?”

“No, it’s an open fact that Ensis has borrowed a certain amount of money from the surrounding territories. Is there any possibility that the contract held by Peloche is incorrect?”

It was the same as saying that Baron Peloche had just committed fraud. As a result, the face of the man who heard this became subtly distorted.

“Are you implying that there was an error at the time of the writing of the contract when I personally witnessed it myself?”

“Well, even if it’s not the Baron, the person below may have made a mistake in writing the contract, right?”

“…….”

“Is it really worth getting worked up about a neighboring territory just because of such a small amount of money? Huh?”

Because of Baron Elrod who bet on me and defended me with all his heart, I did not interfere and simply watched as the two men squabbled.

As expected, watching a fight is the most exciting thing in the world, and if that fight is one that I am a part of, there is no greater thrill.

In the end, Baron Peloch, defeated and crying, wrote a document acknowledging that all debts between Peloche and Ensis had been settled.

I even received confirmation from Baron Elrod, who was a witness, and handed it to Sein.

With this, we could end things amicably and continue to live well as nobles in the same region. But I had a slightly different opinion.

To be honest, I found Peloche a bit unpleasant.

Judging by Albert’s meticulous nature, it is likely that he borrowed money from the Baron following proper procedures.

But what about the man in front of me? Simply because Albert’s status is low, or because I, who have not been in office for long, he ignored the contract with the official seal, thinking that someone like me could be easily defeated.

If the situation changes suddenly, I don’t want to be with someone who could backstab me at any time, and I don’t have the desire to have a good relationship with him in the future.

Then I should cut it off before it’s too late.

Not surprisingly, although Baron Peloche may appear a bit dissatisfied, he has a satisfied expression. This is because he knows that the tunnel project will bring in bigger profits if it succeeds.

I smiled widely, trying to lighten the mood.

“Now that the debt problem is solved, my mind feels lighter. I am especially grateful to Baron Elrod for mediating.”

As I directed the credit for this dramatic reconciliation to Baron Elrod, he coughed awkwardly.

But it was natural for Baron Peloche’s face to be contorted, as he was the one who had actually agreed to the plan.

“Since you two have a broad insight and know well about this region, may I ask for your opinions on the project of Ensis that we briefly talked about earlier?”

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“Sure, sure. What good is being neighbors if we don’t help each other out?”

“Hm, hm.”

Despite the eagerness of Baron Elrod, Baron Peloche still seemed tired, but he couldn’t hide his curiosity as he looked at me.

I had Sein lay out the map of the region between us, and then pointed with my index finger to three parts of the mountain range as I had explained to Baron Elrod before.

“Originally, the plan we were pushing for was to dig a tunnel large enough for a carriage to pass through in these three places, but……”

And then I gestured towards the side closest to Peloche with my pointer finger and spoke.

“I’m thinking of not digging a tunnel here.”

“No, why!”

Baron Peloche suddenly stood up and spoke. His response was unbelievably quick as someone who had been worrying about the authenticity of this project until just now.

“I even reduced the debt!”

My eyes opened wide and I said.

“Baron, you reduced it? Didn’t the baron admit that there was a mistake? I’m not sure what the original debt has to do with this project, but……”

Of course there must be a connection.

‘He must have said that he would make way for the mountain range if he wrote off the debt.’

Baron Elrod must have misled him with these words.

At my words, Baron Peloche looked at Baron Elrod as if he was asking him to take his side.

Of course, that old man, acting as if unaware, just looked at me with astonishment on his face.

“What’s going on here, Lord? It seems like the plan is different from when I heard it.”

“It seems that the budget will increase more than expected.”

I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

“This, what…!”

“Well, it’s unfortunate, but isn’t it important that we open a way through the mountain?”

“Yes, of course.”

Baron Elrod, who owns the southern territory that had nothing to do with the direction of the tunnel, nodded and put in a word of support.

After nodding our heads in agreement, I sneakily turned my head towards the man with his mouth agape.

Up until now, Ensis had to watch out for your actions. Now that things are dire, will you step up and take action?

“But if a nearby territory provides funding, well, there might be room for reconsideration.”

I’m not saying I’ll do it, I’ll just think about it.

Of course, Baron Peloche could have just dismissed it as nonsense and left, and the matter could have been resolved by simply wiping away the debt that never existed in the first place.

But the most crucial thing was: ‘will the project really go through?’, ‘if it does, what kind of return can we expect?’, and ‘exactly how much money do I have to offer Baron Ensis to talk her into doing it?’

The decision now lies with this man who keeps worrying about these things.

I smiled brightly at Baron Peloche, who must be calculating hard inwardly.

If you know, you’ll either pay the money and we’ll talk about it, or get lost, dude.

・❥・

When asked ‘won’t you at least have a meal before you go?’, Baron Peloche replied curtly, ‘I’m fine,’ and left without even looking at me.

Baron Elrod must have found it amusing, as he had a silly snicker on his face. As he also said he would be leaving, I bid farewell to the two guests and then walked leisurely to our mansion’s dining room and took a seat.

Because a rewarding meal after work is the best. I was holding my utensils and had my shoulders relaxed while I waited for the food to be served, when Sein, who was sitting to my right, scolded me, saying it was against dining etiquette.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Of course, since I saved money without doing anything. I’m already looking forward to how much Peloche will offer.”

“I thought it would be good if I gained his favor. But in any case, as we are neighboring territories, I imagine we will have many opportunities to interact in the future.”

“That’s why we have to make even more of a mess. So that he will think twice before bumping into us to make trouble.”

The gray-haired man made a strange expression when I spoke.

“I have served you for quite some time, my Lord, but there are still times when I can’t fathom your intentions. Despite how rational you may appear, there are certain aspects that make you very soft-hearted.”

“For example?”

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