Chapter 122: Dreams of Tomorrow, Bread of Today

Because they couldn’t come to conclusions while staying in a dark room forever, Listille and Claudia went outside and sat side by side on a log that had been flattened on top to make a simple bench.

The spring sunshine was warm and inviting. Listille felt like she might just take a nap right there, but that wasn’t an option.

Soldiers were bustling about a little distance away. What would happen if Listille just gave up and said, “I’m done”? 

It wouldn’t end with her losing trust alone. It would result in something decidedly unfavorable for the country. Listille had personally experienced the actions of abandoned and destitute soldiers, and she knew that there was no option to give up.

While poverty didn’t excuse committing crimes, if the crimes were a result of poverty, then the rulers should share that burden. That was the resolution Listille had imposed upon herself.

“I haven’t neglected the idea of earning money up until now.”

Listille murmured, and Claudia nodded quietly, listening.

“I thought about taking on tasks like guarding merchant caravans to make use of the skills of our veteran soldiers…”

“Your insight was spot on. Why did you cancel that plan?”

Speaking like a tutor, Claudia encouraged the conversation. It wasn’t a bad idea, but it wasn’t the right solution either, and her words carried that nuance.

“Firstly, merchant caravans don’t come here in the first place. Even if they do, they’re only people coming to sell food in this village.”

“You can’t exactly demand an escort fee from people like them when you’re supposed to protect them, right?”

Listille gave a small nod.

“I also considered starting livestock farming, but all the soldiers advised against it.”

“That’s understandable. Livestock farming requires a lot of physical strength.”

She found it odd that they had so much excess physical strength, but Claudia’s intended meaning seemed to be different. Realizing that Listille was looking at her, Claudia smiled and waved her hand.

“Oh, sorry. By physical strength, I mean assets. In other words, the power to keep pouring money out and endure.”

“Money, you say?”

“First, you’d need to buy animals, build shelters, and make fences. Whether you’re raising them to have offspring for meat or to get wool and milk, it takes a considerable amount of time. During that time, you have to feed them and take care of them. You’ll be running at a deficit until you get everything on track.”

“I see, assets is referred to as physical strength. It seems difficult to generate enough to even feed people, let alone providing fodder for livestock.”

“But it’s an idea too good to abandon. Once this village develops into a large farm, you can start a ranch and build a workshop for processing wool and leather. A restaurant that uses meat, milk, and vegetables from here could also work well. That way, employment will be created… meaning jobs will be available, and you can support even more people.”

“That’s certainly a dream-filled story.”

As Listille murmured, Claudia leaned forward.

“Yes, it’s a dream. There’s nothing here on this land, so you’re free to create the town just the way you like.”

“Any way I like…?”

“Everything, as you wish, at your leisure!”

“Can I build lots of pastry shops?”

“Fantastic! Let’s expand the vegetable fields and make sugar from them. Of course, we’ll also produce our own wheat. Determining the water mill’s usage fee is within the lord’s authority, so whether you reduce it significantly or make it free altogether, pastry artisans from across the country will gather, drooling.”

“Oh dear…”

Conversations with Claudia were truly enjoyable and brought a smile to Listille’s face. She never outright rejected any ideas, always leaving room for potential. If she talked about a dream, Claudia would discuss ways to make it come true together.

However, they couldn’t stay immersed in sweet dreams forever. Listille noticed during the conversation that Claudia was talking about the future, not about the bread of today.

Although she felt reluctant to change the topic, Listille tightened her expression.

“Claudia-sama, in order to realize these dreams, we must stabilize our current life. If you have any specific money-making methods, please teach me.”

“Specific methods, you say…”

Even Claudia couldn’t answer that question right away.

Although she now had a thousand gold coins to spare, she hadn’t entered an absolute safe zone. While they was rapidly expanding the fields, if the next year’s harvest turned out poorly, they’d be pushed into a difficult situation. If there were another poor harvest the following year, they’d face bankruptcy right then and there.

There were many soldiers with farming backgrounds among them, but the majority were amateurs. They should consider the possibility of a poor harvest being more likely.

They couldn’t rely on aid from Lutz’s workshop anymore. Although Claudia had casually produced the thousand gold coins, internally, she was drenched in sweat. Even though they had received numerous tasks from kings and nobles, a thousand gold coins was an enormous sum of money.

If it were to be compared, it’s like selling a house to invest. It’s an utterly reckless and, frankly, lukewarm form of self-destructive action. It’s a difficult and challenging proposition to recover from. If it weren’t for Listille, Claudia probably wouldn’t even give it a second thought.

The reason for investing was simply “to support Listille’s efforts.” In other words, it was driven by pure sentiment. It was a course of action that would certainly earn her the title of an unfit merchant.

…Well, there’s no helping it. After all, Listille-sama is so adorable.

That’s the only reason, nothing else to explain. Claudia’s state of mind was somewhat nonchalant.

“I’ve thought about various options, but I believe the only way is to go along with Marquis Eldenberger’s proposal for trade with the Allied Nations.”

“Marquis Eldenberger’s proposal?”

Listille frowned as she listened. She knew that she wasn’t well-liked by the nobles, and Beowulf Eldenberger, the Duke, was one of them.

Once, Beowulf had obstructed Listille from marrying the elderly king of a neighboring country. It wasn’t an act of pity for Listille but a concern that she might be treated as a hostage princess. 

After the peace talks, Listille had gone to thank Beowulf, but his eyes weren’t focused on her as an individual. They were cold eyes, looking at a royal puppet.

Even if she offered her cooperation, she would likely be brushed aside. Despite being a princess, Listille had no diplomatic power.

“Don’t worry, I have a bit of a connection with Marquis Eldenberger.”

Perhaps to reassure her, Claudia acted especially cheerful.

She mentioned how she had been asked by Marquis Eldenberger to create a sword, how there was a connection to Lutz’s father, and even went so far as to say that he owed Lutz for being so impressed with the quality of the sword. As she shared these details, the trace of unease gradually faded from Listille’s expression.

“I’ll take Lutz-kun with me to negotiate with the Marquis. Just put in a word about a profitable deal. If trade becomes more active, merchant caravans will increase, and that will lead to an increased demand for escorts… meaning more people will be looking for that kind of work.”

“Rather than sending people from the Marquis’ territory, it’s more cost-effective to entrust us, who are nearby, right?”

Claudia was impressed by how quickly her disciple grasped the concept, and she nodded in satisfaction.

“If the scale of the trade grows, we might need to improve the roads too. We could have the Duke provide the funds and then take on the task here.”

Listille was amazed by how the ideas kept flowing one after another. However, all of these ideas depended on establishing a cooperative relationship with Marquis Eldenberger.

“Claudia-sama, about the negotiation with the Duke, would it be alright if I also attended?”

“I don’t mind… though I don’t think it will be a very pleasant experience.”

Marquis Eldenberger saw Listille as a nuisance. Claudia was well aware of that.

“I am the representative of this village. I can’t just run away for the sake of the future.”

“… I quite like that about you, Listille-sama.”

Claudia whispered in a gentle voice.

While the word “like” probably didn’t carry any special meaning, hearing it said directly made Listille blush and lower her head.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter