In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 238

Chapter 238: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Food Run

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After finishing the executive meeting, I left the lord’s manor and visited one of the residences located in the center of Carrera City. Though it was called a residence, this was rural Liseben. The house was nothing particularly grand. It was about the same size as my family home in the royal capital… In other words, no different from the manor of a poor knightly house.

“Oho, you came.”

Despite the modest gate, the person who greeted me in the reception room was quite a heavyweight. Roswitha von Diesel. The former Countess of Zudenberg, and the biological mother of my stepsister Karina. In short, a former countess.

She had retired from the countship following Zudenberg’s defeat in the Liseben War and relocated to Carrera City as a hostage to ensure compliance with the peace treaty. Originally, she had been living in the lord’s manor, but lately my residence had been overflowing with elves and crows. It was completely over capacity, so I had purchased a nearby residence and asked her to move there.

From Roswitha’s perspective as well, living in her own private manor—even if small—was probably more comfortable. Besides, she had summoned her husband and servants from her former territory, and her household had grown quite large. The timing worked out nicely. Of course, she was still technically a hostage, so knights were stationed under the pretense of guards to keep her under watch…

“It has been a while.”

“It really has. Not long ago, we were seeing each other every day.”

Though we had once been enemies, we had gotten along reasonably well thanks to being fellow drinkers. Before things got busy with the elf situation, we often drank together. Lately, however, there was no time for that.

Despite being a hostage, she was treated as something like a liaison for the Diesel Countess House. The current Countess Diesel was her eldest daughter, and even after stepping down as head of the family, Roswitha still wielded considerable influence within the house. If one wanted to negotiate or trade with Zudenberg Territory, going through Roswitha was the quickest route.

“So, what business brings you here?”

Unlike her daughter Karina, Roswitha stood well over two meters tall, a true giant of a woman. She looked exactly like a burly warrior, and her personality matched that image. She was straightforward and blunt. She skipped pleasantries and demanded the point immediately.

“I was hoping you might be willing to supply us with grain from Zudenberg Territory.”

The territory she once governed was a major grain-producing region. With vast fields and advanced agricultural methods, it produced quantities of grain one—or even two—orders of magnitude greater than Liseben. Despite being neighboring lands separated only by a mountain range, the disparity was astonishing.

“I see. Well, I had more or less guessed… This is about those elves, isn’t it?”

Sipping her bean tea, Roswitha spoke casually. The cup was the same size as the one Dalaiya had held with both hands yesterday, yet in her grasp it somehow looked like a sake cup. She really was enormous.

“Yes. We’ve decided to provide them with food aid.”

“Hmph. Quite the eccentric choice. To feed barbarians, of all things.”

She shrugged her massive shoulders with a wry smile. Though not as remote as Liseben, Zudenberg was still a frontier land. She had surely fought barbarians many times before.

“I judged that grain would be more effective than lead bullets against them. As a commander, one should choose the appropriate weapon for the enemy.”

“I see… Very well. So how much do you need?”

“This.”

I handed Roswitha a sheet of paper. She glanced at it, raised an eyebrow, and let out a low grunt.

“That’s quite a lot. Even for us, gathering this much at once would take some effort.”

“I thought as much…”

The elves were numerous, after all. Feeding all of them would require a significant amount of food. Of course, I had no intention of sourcing all of it from Zudenberg, but even so, the requested amount was large.

Even for a major producer, collecting and transporting this much wheat at once would be a serious undertaking and would likely affect other trade dealings. Roswitha would never agree to this unconditionally. So I pressed the attack.

“I’m aware I’m asking a lot. Including compensation for the trouble, how about a price thirty percent above market?”

Given the volume, even a thirty percent markup meant a hefty sum. But anticipating this, I had recently sent a letter to Chancellor Adelaide demanding money rather bluntly. I had received a fairly favorable response, so a wooden crate filled with silver coins would likely arrive soon. It really paid to have a weal— I mean, a reliable superior.

Besides, the revenue generated by Liseben Territory would eventually flow into Chancellor Adelaide’s pockets anyway. If stabilizing Liseben benefited her directly, she had every reason to open her purse.

“Hmmm…”

After a brief hum, Roswitha drained her bean tea. She asked an attendant for a refill, then looked back at me.

“…What if I said I’d sell it to you at ten percent below market instead?”

“……”

I fell silent. Even for the wealthy Chancellor Adelaide, funds were not infinite. Cheaper was, of course, welcome but offers like this usually came with strings attached. I couldn’t simply rejoice.

“What are your conditions?”

“A protection contract. Simply put, we want Liseben to protect us.”

“…What?”

Zudenberg was a neighboring territory, but it belonged to the Holy Orto Empire, the sworn enemy of the Kingdom of Galea. What exactly did she mean by asking us to protect them? My brow furrowed.

“The Liseben War wiped out the count’s military strength entirely. When that happens, neighboring lords start to get greedy. Our wheat fields are quite tempting, you see.”

“…As far as I know, the only foreign territory bordering Zudenberg is Liseben. Does that mean other imperial lords are targeting your land?”

“Yes. Unlike the Kingdom of Galea, the Holy Empire is rife with internal wars between its own lords. The empress only intervenes when an external enemy attacks. Internal disputes are fair game.”

I had heard rumors, but the Holy Empire really was terrible after all. So internal strife wasn’t exclusive to elves. Despite calling itself “holy,” it was more a loose federation of territorial lords than a true nation. They cooperated only when facing a common enemy. Otherwise, they were strangers.

That said, nobles—especially ruling nobles—were like that everywhere. Even in Galea, a powerful noble had nearly launched a major rebellion just recently. We weren’t exactly in a position to criticize.

“The current count’s house has neither soldiers nor money. Frankly speaking, it’s a hopeless situation. There are no kind-hearted nobles in the Holy Empire willing to help a fallen lord. We’re desperate.”

“I see…”

This was bad. I sipped the dark bean tea with an indescribable feeling, lacking the mental leeway to appreciate its coffee-like flavor. The Diesel Count House must not fall. Precisely because they were weakened neighbors, we could focus on domestic affairs and dealing with the elves. If Zudenberg were conquered by another lord, that premise would collapse. Worse still, our carefully built trade routes would be ruined. It was the worst possible outcome.

“Having crossed spears with you once, we understand the strength of Liseben… No, of House Blondin. Some within the Diesel family are even suggesting we abandon the unreliable imperial house and side with Blondin instead.”

Roswitha said this with a sly grin.

No, no, no! What am I supposed to do with this? The elf problem alone is already a nightmare. Don’t dump even more trouble on me!

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