Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 7: Territory Competition

Sprout!

A shoot burst forth from the ground.

Pale light-green leaves shyly peeked out from the soil, spreading sparsely between the dirt.

"Ah, you little thing. That's right. The fresh air outside feels nice, doesn't it?"

Jimmy, a farmer of the Duchy of Axen, greeted each sprout as if he were taking care of a child.

‘Truly admirable.’

The soil above it must have been terribly heavy, making it far from easy to push through and emerge into the world…

Yet, this tiny life managed to accomplish such an incredible feat.

How could he not find it praiseworthy? Especially because…

Swish.

Just as Jimmy was witnessing, it was still the ‘dead of winter.’

‘This is really strange…’

Indeed, by Jimmy’s understanding, what was happening now made no sense.

First of all, he couldn’t comprehend this bizarre technique that allowed crops to grow in such a cold winter…

And even more baffling was the way the Grand Duke personally took part in installing this so-called ‘greenhouse.’

It was no wonder he was confused—after all, rulers like the Grand Duke or the lords of various territories rarely showed much interest in the well-being of their people.

Most of them were focused on raising powerful armies, managing knight orders, or competing for business interests across the continent.

‘People like us wouldn’t even cross their minds…’

But the Northern Grand Duke actually took an interest in the farmers’ ‘farming techniques.’

Simply put, while other nobles only cared about managing their knight orders, they never thought about where the crops feeding those knights came from.

Let alone realizing that the farmers growing those crops were actually starving themselves.

But Johan Kraubitz…

“Alright, let’s have a great harvest this winter.”

“We planted mostly fast-growing vegetables, so we should be able to harvest soon.”

“Everything we harvest will be distributed to every household. Of course…”

“We’ll properly compensate the farmers who worked so hard to grow them…”

“I will personally purchase them with my own money, under the name and funds of Johan Kraubitz, the Northern Grand Duke, and distribute them to everyone.”

He was funding the farming himself, and after the harvest, he planned to share it with all his people.

Never before had such an absurd policy been implemented anywhere on the continent.

Surely, the Northern Grand Duke was also a man who desired wealth…

So how could he give it away so easily?

On top of that, it was said that the material used to create the greenhouse came from a dragon’s shed skin.

It was the spoils of a raid Johan Kraubitz personally led against a dragon’s lair with his knights…

‘No matter how formidable he is… that was a life-threatening endeavor.’

What kind of lord would risk his own life just to secure food for his people?

On top of that, the blacksmiths said that when designing the arched iron pillars for the greenhouse, the Grand Duke personally brought the blueprints and sat with them, working on it himself.

Naturally,

It was only a matter of time before this news spread throughout the entire territory.

A lord who risked his life to feed his people. The response to him was nothing short of explosive.

‘He is a protector…’

‘We are safe under the protection of Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz.’

Fwoosh.

Once again, the warm sunlight filled the greenhouse, and the warmth magic cast by the priest encouraged the growth of life.

Though it would still take some time before the vegetables Johan Kraubitz planted would fully grow…

Within the hearts of his people, a strong and unwavering tree had already taken root.

He was pleased.

Leaning against the window of the ducal castle, Johan gazed at the steadily growing ‘plantation farm.’

Sparkle!

The greenhouse he had built glistened under the sunlight.

It was excellent.

A vast farmland with no worries about rent, an abundant supply of cheap labor, and on top of that…

Cabbages and radishes growing robustly.

With this, the first phase of his kimchi-making project had successfully begun.

Ssssk.

“I’m already salivating. The ingredients in this world are generally high quality…”

How delicious would they be?

Just imagining it made him happy.

The Grand Duke chuckled to himself while admiring the wonderful sight of labor at work.

“Ugh!”

He had laughed too much and clutched at his aching mana heart.

This was… troublesome.

Just the slightest emotional fluctuation or strain on his body resulted in this condition.

Particularly after expending mana in battle recently, the symptoms had worsened.

So, in any case,

“Mana defibrillator.”

He would soon need to test the performance of the new mana defibrillator he had recently acquired.

Swish.

Johan Kraubitz turned his gaze toward the direction where the defibrillator lay dormant.

As he had scribbled down in his notes, he planned to conduct various experiments with it.

The one he had mentally filed under ‘Mana Defibrillator’—Erina Trotsky—

Shiver.

For some reason, she suddenly felt an ominous chill.

“Oh, why don’t you join us for once?”

Just as Knight Commander Victor was about to head out on a territory patrol, the burly Krum approached and said this.

And soon after,

“I’ll go as well. Since it’s a rare occasion.”

The sharp-eyed Mangala also joined them for the patrol.

Heh.

Victor spoke while looking at the two, who had somehow already risen to the ranks of Experts.

"Come to think of it, it's been a while since the three of us went on patrol together. Alright then, let's take this chance to go out together."

In the first place, there was no real need for three Expert-level warriors to patrol the territory together, so it was quite rare for the three of them to go on patrol.

Yeah, if someone saw this scene, they would probably think the three of them were heading out on an assassination mission.

Even the pickpockets and petty thieves on the streets might want to be more cautious today.

By the way,

"Ah, but."

Victor suddenly asked as if he had just remembered something.

"Krum, Mangala. Which one of you is older?"

Mangala immediately answered.

"We're the same age. We were both born in the Imperial Year 836."

"Really?"

At that answer, Krum exclaimed in surprise.

"Wow, Mangala! When did you find out my birthday? I thought you were just a cold-hearted guy… but it turns out you were quite interested in me."

At those words, Mangala simply smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders.

As they continued walking for a while…

Thud!

Mangala dropped the knight badge he had been fiddling with inside his pocket onto the ground.

"Hey, I'll pick it up for you."

As Krum bent down to pick up the badge,

"Ah, no!"

Mangala, for some reason, seemed flustered.

And as Krum picked up Mangala's knight badge and was about to hand it back, he noticed something strange.

"?!?!?!?!?"

"……"

"Hey, didn't you say you were born in Imperial Year 836?"

Huh?

At that moment, Victor also turned to look at Mangala. Then, Mangala soon regained his composure and spoke.

"I was born in January."

"So?"

"That makes me an early 837-born. We're the same age."

!?!?!?!?!?

Krum, dumbfounded, asked again.

"Early? Early 837-born? What does that even mean?"

Mangala answered nonchalantly.

"Well, the only reason our Duchy of Axen started using the age-counting system was because of Lord Johan's orders, right? But the other day, he said that those born in January and February are considered early-year borns, so they can be friends."

"Then why didn't you just say that in the first place? Why did you claim to be born in 836?"

"Ah, my bad."

Hearing Mangala's indifferent reply, Krum instinctively reached for his sword hilt.

Victor gave up trying to make sense of it.

After all, as someone born in Imperial Year 835, he saw no reason to get involved in a fight between those two youngsters.

So, the group remained silent until they reached the agricultural district on the outskirts of the duchy.

"Oh! Isn't that the new greenhouse installation? Should we take a look?"

The one who broke the silence was Krum, who had spotted the greenhouse.

Naturally, the group followed Krum's lead and headed that way.

And then…

"Oh my, isn't that Sir Victor, Sir Krum, and Sir Mangala?"

From the entrance of the greenhouse, the three of them were greeted with numerous bows and salutations from the estate residents.

"Ah, yes. You're all working hard."

Victor briefly returned the greeting and looked inside the greenhouse. Then…

Woosh. Lush!

A vast expanse of thriving crops filled his vision.

'They're growing fast.'

The combination of the compost created by Johan Kraubitz, the warmth magic provided by the priests, and the insulation effect of the dragon's shed skin was remarkable.

In fact, it made the summer crops look feeble in comparison…

The first winter harvest of Axen seemed to be an overwhelming success.

'He always kept books close. '

As a child, Victor had never understood why Johan spent all his time buried in books, especially given his frail body and shattered Mana Heart.

However,

'Is this what strategy is?'

Now, he felt like he was beginning to understand that man's intentions.

Moreover,

Johan, who once seemed merely eccentric and impulsive, now appeared to be a man of initiative and decisiveness.

'Even if he's a bit peculiar… he always cherishes the people of the estate.'

While Victor was lost in thought,

The noble knights soon found themselves surrounded by estate residents.

"We've heard everything. That you risked your lives to retrieve this from the dragon's lair…"

"Thank you. Truly, thank you."

"Thanks to you, we’ll have a bountiful winter this year."

One by one, the residents expressed their gratitude.

With their hands covered in dirt, they didn't even dare to shake hands with the noble knights, only offering their thanks with sincerity.

Nod.

Victor maintained his usual reticent demeanor.

Receiving their gratitude with a light nod, he quietly resumed his patrol.

And,

As they walked through the streets of the Duchy of Axen once more, the three knights all had the exact same thought.

They realized what all the hardships they had endured, crawling through the dragon’s nest, had been for, and also…

‘A sword….’

Yes,

‘…Fighting with a sword wasn’t the only way to serve the duchy.’

That was what they had come to think.

"…Interesting."

A man, reading through a pile of documents by the dim light of a single candle, murmured in a deep voice.

And then…

Woooooooong.

The energy seeping from the man’s voice filled the vast space.

He had merely uttered a single word, yet the aura emanating from him could almost be called ‘magic.’

Thus…

Gulp.

The chamberlain attending to the man had no choice but to muster his own energy just to endure it.

The man muttered a few more words.

"Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz…."

How should he assess this man who had suddenly appeared?

Once, he had intended to manage him by attaching Erina Trotsky, the impoverished count’s daughter, as if to groom him as a son-in-law.

The Duchy of Axen was certainly an ancient land, but there seemed little reason to pay much attention to a mere seventeen-year-old Grand Duke.

So, he had thought that such minimal oversight would suffice.

But then…

"He intends to step into the world… Is that what this means?"

According to today's report, the Northern Grand Duke had finally entered the competition for dominion.

And indeed, the greatest weakness of the Duchy of Axen, located at the northernmost edge of the continent, had always been its 'food supply.'

Though they commanded fierce northern warriors, they were forever shackled by the issue of food shortages.

That was why they could not recklessly wage wars to expand their territory.

If the neighboring vassal states that exported food to them were to unite in a blockade…

"They would wither away and die."

However, the report indicated that Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz had finally taken his first step toward increasing the duchy's self-sufficiency in food production.

And so, at this moment,

The Emperor of the Prohatska Empire, Freud Pontiac, had no choice but to take notice of his movements.

A report had arrived.

The Northern Grand Duke and his wife had gone missing, and their young son had inherited the Grand Ducal title.

A half-wit who couldn’t even use mana had ascended to a throne far beyond his worth.

Yet…

"They say children grow up fast."

It seemed that yet another force had emerged on the continent.

Balance, prosperity, stability.

These were the goals and duties that an emperor must always pursue.

Thus, Freud Pontiac had no choice but to make a decision in the face of this new hidden dragon.

"Send someone to Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz. It seems the time has come…."

It was the moment when a new variable entered the central politics of the continent.