The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.

Chapter 45 The reason why Earl Hardis was busy

When Count Hardis Woodcliff finally welcomed his long-lost daughter into the mansion in the capital, he first instructed his sister-in-law to prioritize her education in academics and etiquette, forbidding her from social gatherings until her debut as a debutante. The purpose was to keep Julia’s identity as a “Green Spirit Master” hidden from the public eye. However, he never imagined that this decision would be misinterpreted as neglecting his daughter’s well-being.

Hardis regretted not allowing Julia to freely venture into town. Instead, his sister-in-law forbade Julia’s outings while sending her to the morning market every day to purchase groceries, a clear act of mistreatment and harassment.

Even the household staff were ordered to make the young lady buy food, an unbelievable act. Despite the circumstances, Julia didn’t seem to resent this as it provided her with the only opportunity to leave the mansion. Hardis found this to be frustrating.

Adding to the injustice, Julia was served meager leftovers by the staff, barely enough to satisfy her hunger. Even in her desperate hunger, the proud Julia couldn’t bring herself to steal. For her, the daily trips to the morning market must have felt like torture.

Learning of these circumstances, Hardis’ eyes turned red with anger. He had never felt such fury towards others before. And to his surprise, this anger was also directed towards himself.

* * *

After returning from the Western nation, Count Hardis Woodcliff found himself busier than ever before. He truly wanted to return to the mansion and see Julia’s face, to live with her. However, he had caused several complications, and it wouldn’t be wise for his daughter to draw the attention of the anti-government factions from the Western nation or the rogue ‘Black Spirit Masters.’ With this in mind, he chose not to approach the mansion and instead resided in a chamber within the royal palace. It seemed best to avoid any unnecessary contact.

Additionally, due to recent events, he discovered that agents from the Western nation had been operating in their country for quite some time. Hence, as the Defense Minister, leading from the royal palace was more convenient for Hardis.

First, Hardis promptly arranged Julia and Romand’s engagement. He knew the Crown Prince had set his sights on her, and he would have preferred to marry them immediately. However, he didn’t want to take away the enjoyable time of engagement and prevent possible resentment in the future since Julia also needed time to prepare emotionally for marriage.

Baron Romand, who became Julia’s fiancé, turned out to be far more capable and caring than Hardis had expected. It pleased him immensely that Baron Romand genuinely cherished his daughter. Robert, Baron Romand’s secretary, was also quite a sharp individual, though Hardis had known that for some time.

For matters concerning the mansion’s vicinity, he entrusted the secret service, while Baron Romand and his secretary, along with the patrol unit, were responsible for internal matters within the Woodcliff estate.

Julia’s guard was assigned to Ruffie. His ability to discern a person’s race and nationality made him the perfect choice to protect her from suspicious individuals.

Though Robert seemed suspicious of Ruffie, Hardis had unwavering trust in him, both as a person and in his abilities. That’s why, the day after Julia met Baron Romand, when he received a message from Ruffie, Hardis was taken aback.

In the desert nation of the West, Hardis was confronted with an unexpected truth, one that filled him with rage towards his sister-in-law, nephew, nieces, servants, and even Ruffie.

However, a few weeks later, it was Hardis who found himself admonished by Baron Romand and the others after they came to know Ruffie better. It turned out that Hardis had misjudged how he instructed Ruffie.

* * *

For the past few years, Hardis had been investigating a significant case. It originally started as a local patrol unit handling a simple fraud case, assuming it was just about swindling money from unsuspecting victims.

However, it gradually became evident that it was part of an elaborate plan to seize vast agricultural lands. The scheme involved selling supposedly fertile fertilizer with enticing phrases like “Exclusive 20% Off, Only for You.” At first glance, it seemed like a typical scam.

But soon, it became clear that this wasn’t a mere financial fraud; the fertilizer had detrimental effects. When spread on the land, it contaminated the soil, withering crops and preventing any new plant growth.

If there were “Green Spirit Masters” or possessors of the “Green Thumb,” even if it took some time, they could have purified the polluted soil. However, such abilities were not widely known at the time.

As a result, small-scale farmers, without access to “Green Thumb,” fell victim to the fraud. Unable to provide the contracted produce, they were forced to pay breach-of-contract penalties, leading to an increase in cases where farmers reluctantly sold their lands.

Even more intriguing was the fact that despite the contaminated soil, there were buyers willing to purchase the land at incredibly low prices. After one or two years, the same lands would be resold, now purified, at a cheap cost – almost like a fire sale. However, the value of agricultural land didn’t skyrocket during this time.

What was the true motive of these buyers?

Of course, after the exposure of this fraud incident a few years ago, warnings were given to farmers, and no one seemed to be falling for such dubious fertilizers anymore.

As time passed, reports of this fraud diminished, and eventually, the culprits were never caught.

* * *

However, two years ago, by sheer coincidence, Hardis stumbled upon discussions about the same fraud case. It turned out that the root cause of Plant Baron’s family decline was related to the fertilizer scam.

This revelation unveiled that the victims weren’t just small-scale farmers. In fact, Plant Baron’s family had avoided selling their land thanks to Romand’s “Green Thumb” purifying the soil.

In other words, the fraudsters managed to deceive people with their toxic fertilizer, gaining some petty cash and polluting the soil. However, their ultimate goal of land acquisition failed. It seems they learned that attempting to target large farms with “Green Thumb” possessors meant their contaminated plots would be purified, causing them to give up on such endeavors.

Thus, the Plant Baron’s family became a turning point in this fraud case. Hardis was convinced of that.

The fraudster’s description matched the testimonies of victims from other fraud cases, describing someone with long, ash-colored hair tied at the back, wearing robes – appearing as a foreigner.

When Robert Santos shared this information with Hardis, it reminded him of the Western country.

Corrupting green and polluting the soil…

Indeed, it was something anyone could easily do, not restricted to “Black Spirit Masters.” For instance, spreading herbicides to eliminate competitors was a common story.

However, if the fraudulent group required the withered plants and polluted soil for a more specific purpose…

Fertilizer production?

No, the soil examination revealed the presence of highly toxic substances, making it unsuitable for ordinary fertilizer.

Then was it for the sake of producing fraudulent fertilizers?

No, such products were inexpensive, unlikely to yield substantial profits. Perhaps they were producing something more valuable within the polluted soil. What could that be?

As Hardis pondered over these questions, the international affairs department’s representative provided him with some information.

It turned out that poor-quality “Black Spirit Gems” had begun circulating in markets worldwide. Upon hearing this, Hardis had an epiphany. The raw material for “Black Spirit Gems” was corrupted plants. However, it normally took an extended period of time for them to mature.

I see. The rogue “Black Spirit Masters” from the Western country must have teamed up with anti-government factions to produce fake “Black Spirit Gems” within our nation. It was an outrageously insulting act against our country.

But why would they undermine their own nation’s value and lose trust from other countries? Even if they managed to rise to power, once their nation’s trust was lost, it would be nearly impossible to regain.

Perhaps they were aware that without trade, their nation’s citizens couldn’t survive. Were they intentionally digging their own graves? They were tightening the noose around their own necks.

Of course, the previous government’s handling of the situation likely had its share of problems.

Hardis instructed the Knights and Patrol Corps to investigate the affected lands once again and conduct discreet inquiries in the surrounding areas. There was a possibility that individuals from the Western country were covertly operating within the nation. Moreover, there might be traitors assisting them, so it was crucial to keep them off guard.

Furthermore, Hardis made the Knights purchase a section of the fraudulently acquired land under the pretext of a training ground. Upon deep excavation, they were surprised to find that it was actually sandy soil, a type of land that shouldn’t exist in their country. Later, a “Green Spirit Master” from the special forces confirmed the presence of a small amount of “Black Spirit Gems” in that sandy area. This solidified the link between the fraud case and “Black Spirit Masters.”

During the investigation, it was discovered that large amounts of soil had been brought in to cover the contaminated land. Locals assumed it was to conceal the polluted soil’s surface, but in reality, it had been mixed underground along with decomposed vegetation.

Several years later, it was revealed that a significant amount of goods was being transported out in covered wagons, most likely counterfeit “Black Spirit Gems.”

In the Western country, they imposed strict customs regulations to prevent the circulation of counterfeit “Black Spirit Gems.” However, since those gems were being produced in other countries, there was no way to completely stop their spread.

Hardis reported the uncovered facts to the Prime Minister, who, in turn, informed the Western country and neighboring nations. The Western country preferred to keep the matter discreet, but as counterfeit “Black Spirit Gems” were only part of the issue, it was deemed necessary to share information with other countries.

The decision proved to be correct. The Eastern country was producing “Black Spirit Tears,” and the Northern country had “Black Spirit Fragrance.”

As the problem escalated into an international issue, the Western country provided information about anti-government factions and “Black Spirit Masters” they had secretly investigated within their borders.

Typically, the nation’s Spirit Masters were a top-secret matter, but facing the growing threat, they were forced to make the difficult decision of sharing information to protect their own country’s interests.