Claude bit his nails as he followed Ghislain at the front.
'No way… are there really sprouts?'
Ghislain's reasoning had been oddly convincing, which left him with a nagging feeling of doubt.
He'd felt reassured by Ghislain's lack of any farming or magical experience, assuming his ideas were just guesses!
'No, this has to be a mistake. If those really are sprouts, I'll end up a slave who can't even protest! The observer must've been mistaken!'
Hiding his unease, Claude walked briskly with an exaggerated swagger.
The closest farmland to the castle was already crowded with people.
Word had spread quickly, drawing workers from other parts of the estate, even some of the mages.
Gathered in stunned silence, the crowd stepped back as the lord arrived, parting to make way for him.
Ghislain walked up to the field, his heart pounding with excitement.
"Oh, impressive!"
Seeing the green shoots sprouting up across the farmland, he couldn't help but gasp in admiration.
The wheat shoots stood in perfect rows and columns, almost like a well-ordered army.
While Ghislain smiled contentedly, the others watched him in shock.
To see anything sprout so soon on land that had been as good as dead was astonishing!
Alpoi, standing nearby, turned bright red and clenched his fists.
The calm he'd achieved from his recent "enlightenment" shattered as turmoil surged within him.
Pointing at the fresh sprouts, he ranted angrily.
"Why are you even growing there?"
No, this must be a dream—a nightmare, really.
A slave? He, the heir of the Magic Tower, a slave for ten years, and unpaid?
The mana surrounding him grew unstable, spiking as he struggled to accept the gap between his enlightenment and reality.
The shock of this unpaid servitude cut deeply into his pride.
Trembling, Alpoi began to cough up blood and collapsed to the ground.
"Cough!"
Ghislain, watching with an amused look, clicked his tongue.
"What's his deal now? Was that really enough to trigger a mana backlash? How long did that enlightenment last, anyway? Strange guy. You there, get him to bed and make sure he rests up. Can't have my precious slave falling ill."
The crowd rushed to carry the fallen Alpoi to a bed.
But the shock Alpoi felt was nothing compared to Claude's despair.
'No way… this actually worked?'
All his previously held beliefs crumbled in that instant.
'It actually doubled the yield? The lord did this?'
No place on the continent had ever attempted farming with this method.
This meant Ghislain had thought it up himself.
Thinking up ideas was one thing, but if they actually worked, that changed everything.
Claude couldn't accept that Ghislain, whom he'd believed to be utterly clueless, had succeeded like this.
"Did I lose? I, a graduate at the top of my class from Seiron Royal Academy? No way!"
Claude began to deny reality altogether.
"I must have overworked myself and weakened my spirit. I'm seeing things. Oh, Anna… I miss you…"
"Oh, Claude!"
Ghislain grabbed Claude by the shoulders and shook him urgently.
"Are you alright? Snap out of it! You're not someone who'd end things here!"
"…What?"
"You've got ten years of work ahead of you, so you can't afford to fall apart already!"
"…"
Claude almost felt touched, which only made him even angrier.
With a smirk, Ghislain clapped him on the shoulder.
The final confirmation broke Claude entirely; he foamed at the mouth and passed out.
Luckily, Wendy caught him with a gentle hold.
"Make sure he rests today. He'll be a lot busier starting tomorrow. I've got plenty lined up."
"Yes, my lord."
Wendy bowed, dragging Claude away.
"Now, shall we take a look around at the other fields?"
Whistling cheerfully, Ghislain strolled around the estate.
Though each field varied slightly based on when the seeds had been sown, they all showed signs of sprouting.
Smiling, Ghislain returned to the castle, thoroughly satisfied with the results.
Though he had borrowed future knowledge, he'd successfully tackled the estate's biggest need: food production.
With this, the estate was set to develop rapidly. Food was the foundation of any estate's growth.
"Young Master! How did you know this would work?"
"Well… if the seeds absorb mana and grow stronger, they can handle the increased soil fertility."
Belinda bombarded him with questions, but Ghislain brushed her off with vague answers.
Honestly, even he couldn't fully explain the process.
This wasn't something he'd come up with, but rather a method devised by future mages and scholars.
He only knew the outcome.
Neither he nor Belinda could fully grasp the explanation, but they let it go, assuming it was either a family secret or too advanced to understand.
Ultimately, the mechanics didn't matter.
What mattered was that food production had truly increased.
***
After confirming the wheat was growing well, Ghislain shifted his focus to other matters.
To him, this success was just one part of a long-term plan, a necessary step along the way.
The bet with Claude was just a small bonus.
But for the people of the estate, this was life-changing.
"Are crops really growing this well in our estate? It's unbelievable even when I see it."
"Our lord is blessed by the god of agriculture! We should follow him wholeheartedly!"
The residents were genuinely overjoyed.
Throughout Fenris, people couldn't stop singing praises for the lord.
Though they'd appreciated his generosity, there had always been a lingering worry.
Improving the estate was wonderful, but they knew it required money.
What if the lord's funds ran out? Would they return to the poverty they'd known? Would he exploit them like other lords?
With no natural resources on the estate, their future felt precarious.
But now, there was no need for such fears.
The elderly, gazing at the fields, were moved to tears.
"We won't starve anymore. My children and grandchildren won't go hungry. Thank you, my lord."
"We must serve our lord well. He's our only hope."
It felt as though the hardships of the past had been nothing but a bad dream. In just a few months, the new lord had resolved all the estate's issues.
The people's loyalty soared.
Sitting in the audience hall with his vassals gathered, Ghislain leaned back, smugly gloating.
"I told you it would work. Anyone else want to bet with me? I welcome the challenge."
The vassals all fell silent, unable to argue.
While it defied common sense, the results were irrefutable.
For now, they'd have to listen to the lord's commands obediently.
Snorting at their sullen faces, Ghislain turned to Gillian.
"The sprouts are just beginning to grow, so we'll need to protect them, right? Station forces around the fields to keep out wild animals or fools who might trample them."
Gillian replied with a grin.
"The townsfolk are already standing guard in shifts."
"Oh, really?"
"They seem to understand what's at stake."
"That's great. Those who want to protect something become strong."
The fact that the people were voluntarily guarding the fields was a great sign.
It meant they all understood that this land was their hope.
Ghislain let out a hearty laugh.
The hope he'd held alone was finally spreading across the entire estate.
***
"So, he detonated the runestones he'd buried in the ground, did he? And the one behind this… Ghislain Perdium, now Baron Fenris."
Count Desmond Harold muttered to himself as he looked over a report.
His voice sounded weary, and he looked far different than before, gaunt and pale.
His hair was graying, and dark circles under his eyes suggested sleepless nights.
"Yes, that's correct."
"…Madman."
At first, Harold hadn't believed the reports.
But rumors from Perdium, as well as confirmation from the Ducal family, left no room for doubt.
Believing it was one thing; understanding it was another.
He couldn't comprehend why Ghislain would expend more runestones than the estate itself was worth just to defend Perdium.
"To think he was such a lunatic that he couldn't even do basic math. No wonder I couldn't predict his moves."
The moment he'd first heard the name, he'd had a bad feeling.
Clicking his tongue, Harold turned to his adjutant.
"What's he doing now?"
"He's tearing up the land to increase agricultural output and either building or repairing infrastructure. He's spending an enormous amount to develop the land."
"…Increasing output?"
Harold rubbed his temples in thought.
When Digald lost the war, its territories had been absorbed into Perdium.
Ghislain had taken half of that.
Even more shocking was the news that he was turning the Fenris estate upside down.
"Why would he do such a thing? He must know that land can't be farmed."
"He's probably trying to improve yield. With careful management, it should be somewhat more productive."
"Even so, this is excessive. He's pouring all the money from the runestones into it."
The adjutant cautiously voiced his opinion.
"It's his first estate at a young age. He likely wants to try various things, regardless of what others think. Some people just have to try things themselves to be satisfied. Considering his past as a delinquent, it's not too surprising."
Harold nodded. It was a fair point.
Many inexperienced lords who hadn't been properly trained made the mistake of overspending to "develop" their estates.
"Seems he's become arrogant after winning that war with a single trap."
Harold refused to acknowledge Ghislain—no, he simply couldn't.
Even if someone changed, it didn't erase their past as a wastrel.
Harold's pride and prejudice against Ghislain blinded him.
Having thoroughly investigated Ghislain's past, it only reinforced his belief that the young lord was nothing more than a lucky fool.
He would deal with him next time, once he'd handled his more pressing concerns.
"Good. We don't have the resources to deal with him now, so let him bring about his own downfall. Leave him be."
"Yes, sir."
"For now, there are more important matters."
After losing the Battle of Perdium, he'd faced severe reproach from the duke.
If not for his previous accomplishments, he might have lost his head.
This mission couldn't fail.
It was far more critical than claiming the Perdium territories.
"The time has come to conclude our business in the North."
The duke had nearly completed his plan across the kingdom, with only the North yet to fall.
To ensure a successful rebellion, the North had to be subdued.
With a steely gaze, Harold addressed his assembled strategists.
"There aren't many holdout territories left. Use any means necessary to bring them to heel. Especially, hasten Amelia's rebellion. I'll handle the strategy for dealing with Lord Rayfold's knight commander."
The knight commander of Rayfold is the North's strongest warrior, known as the North's Finest Sword.
Harold had hoped to counter him with Viktor, but Viktor had died in the last war, so he'd need a new plan.
'Ghislain… If it weren't for you, I'd have taken Rayfold by now. After I'm done with Rayfold, you're next. Prepare yourself.'
The thought of Ghislain made him grit his teeth, but he had no time to dwell on it now.
Both the Ducal family and Harold prioritized Rayfold over Ghislain, believing they could crush Fenris any time they pleased.
Little did they know how rapidly Fenris would rise.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]