184. The Second Agent (5)

It was still the early dawn.

I stepped outside, stretched lightly, and then sat down on a comfortable rock, coming to a spot with several potted plants.

This was where the villagers, harboring complaints, had come looking for me a few days ago.

-You may have taken over the land’s authority, but to exploit us as well, that’s a different story, isn’t it?

-We still don’t trust you. We fear you’ll ruin this land!

-Even if you have the authority───

The villagers, still clouded with deep suspicion.

I quelled their complaints with just one sentence.

-I have no intention of forcing anything other than planting the usual crops. However, if you do not comply with even that, I’m not sure what will happen next?

A flicker of affinity shone from the villagers, but from their perspective, this was the minimum point of agreement. They couldn’t ask for more since I wasn’t ordering anything else and only wanted to use the remaining land as I wished, while they could use the existing crops however they wanted.

Thus, the affinity and recognition came to a halt, and I could move on to the next choice.

“Maybe I should have pressed them harder. After all, those people, they don’t trust me anyway.”

If being cursed and criticized is a given, I sometimes think it might be better to commit tyranny and firmly grasp the authority. After all, I no longer receive wounds anyway.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. This comes first for now.”

▶Potatoes are planted. The expected harvest grade is B+.◀

▶Carrots are planted. The expected harvest grade is A-.◀

▶Cabbages are planted. The expected harvest grade is───◀

Approaching closer, the crop management window becomes visible.

This window displays information about the crops planted to the player.

It was displayed as such because, in the management of the domain, it is the land of agriculture.

I first saw the crop management window just a few days ago when the villagers came to me.

Passing by the fields, this window, which informs me of what crops are planted, prompted me to identify an issue and conduct a test.

And that test was these potted plants.

The pots I had personally planted and checked.

“Hmm. The fast-growing ones are already harvestable. And it seems that the rest will be ready in just a few days.”

It’s an unrealistically fast rate.

How could the crops be fully grown in just a day or two? It was a speed that shattered the common sense I knew.

Yet, this disconcerting growth rate was exactly the test I had conducted.

“This must be… that thing. A game setting.”

From noble mtl dot come

I dispelled my doubts and turned to the status window.

It still wasn’t there.

Even after three days had passed.

Just before the villagers arrived.

I was already questioning it.

The sub-episode window that was still up.

The main episode window that was instructing the hiring of agents.

The lord’s UI window that could manage the fields.

The symposium status window connected to the s*xual trigger.

And all the other windows that should be up, like system messages and progress indicators, were there.

However, there was just one that was conspicuously absent.

I couldn’t hide my perplexity.

I thought it would reappear over time…

But it didn’t.

Even after meeting with the villagers and arriving at the fields, that window did not pop up.

[ 1. The crops in this world generally grow several times faster, and although the yield decreases, it’s possible to harvest multiple times a season. ]

[ 2. There are crops that grow even faster when imbued with mana. Therefore, the fertility of the land includes the amount of mana. ]

[ 3. For crops that consume a lot of mana to grow, the harvest cycle lengthens depending on the amount of mana they absorb as nutrients. ]

Frankly, from the player’s perspective, that window was utterly useless.

It was hardly meaningful to use in the choices, and even trying to get hints from it was futile. Time just flew by because of the skip scenes.

Just spending weeks and months in the game, and there’s no progress. It seems the game developers deliberately inserted different common sense from reality and tried to accelerate the pace to resolve the slow development.

But what about now?

As of the present, it’s no longer just a game setting.

The settings of this world are no longer mere game mechanics but a reality I must confront directly. So, the game probably didn’t want to give me those setting hints anymore.

“Phew. It’s a relief I figured it out before it was too late. There are only three lines, but I remember them all…”

If I hadn’t addressed this, who knows what would have happened later.

Just the thought sends shivers down my spine.

Now that we’ve secured the necessary provisions, it’s time to observe how things unfold.

“Yawn. Huh…?”

“You’re up?”

Ferdi, still drowsy, emerged in a half-awake state.

“Why are you up so early…? Don’t you ever get a full night’s sleep?”

“I’ve slept and woken up.”

“What? It’s still dawn.”

“I woke up after sleeping for five hours.”

“…Only five hours?”

“Yeah. A whole five hours.”

Is he saying the same thing as Harunie? With a mountain of work to do, spending five hours on sleep is actually quite a lot.

“You’re not going to get hurt or anything, right…?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not the type to need much sleep. Besides, I just want to change your territory a bit faster.”

“…”

What’s there to get hurt about?

It’s just a few hours of sleep.

If I were to get hurt, it would be because of the crazy women tormenting me at home, not because I didn’t sleep.

I should save even a little bit of this time to escape from a household just like that noble family. Tsk.

“So. What happened to that girl?”

“Huh?”

“The girl you secretly brought into your room yesterday.”

“!”

“I’ve been stretching and training my mana. When I amplified my hearing, naturally, I could hear everything.”

In the early morning, while everyone else was asleep, I stepped outside to improve my mana skills.

When I enhanced my hearing, I heard a noise.

It came from the very place where Ferdi was staying.

He had brought someone into the small cabin I had given him.

“Brother, I didn’t mean to hide her, but… that is…”

“Let’s talk about that later.”

“Me?”

– Thud, thud.

The sound is clearly heard by ears enhanced with mana.

The distinctive sound of shoes worn only by the guards.

“A guest has arrived.”

– Ding!

▶ Dyke has come looking for you. ◀

▶ An agent-exclusive option has appeared. ◀

***

I knew nothing of Dyke’s background, but Memorial had informed me of all this information.

Helketa I, a rare disease. It’s what Dyke’s younger sister is suffering from.

It’s terribly painful and if too much time passes, it can lead to death… but it’s not without a solution.

A medicine made from special ingredients.

With it, Helketa I would wash away as if it never was.

However, this special elixir requires Chatren strawberries.

There was no way he, a mere commoner, could easily obtain the scarce supply of Chatren strawberries. That’s why he must have applied for the Chatren guard position, hoping to get a chance to buy them.

No matter how much he applied for the Chatren guard, the goods never appeared.

If he really wanted to secure them, he tried to save money according to the merchant’s method of reservation purchase, but it was nowhere near enough.

A year passed like this.

Dyke hadn’t even laid eyes on a Chatren strawberry in all that time.

That was the content I saw in Memorial.

Regrettably, even if he were to return to the present, there’s no hope for him. Continuing the episode, Dyke would be in a position where no matter what he did, he couldn’t obtain the Chatren strawberries on his own.

No matter how much money he saved, the price would rise, and the reservation cost would increase to unimaginable levels, and it would take far too long for him to realize that he couldn’t buy them with his own hands.

He would have to be persuaded over and over again, choosing options and being convinced, until he finally came to his senses and sought me out.

That usually happened around the end of the third week.

‘But now, it’s only been 3 days.’

The groundwork and notebook had apparently been a big help in quickly informing him of the truth.

Even if he came to me, unable to believe it and shouting in denial, that wouldn’t happen.

How could I say he hadn’t given up, seeing that look on his face?

He had faced the reality he had wanted to ignore head-on.

In the third week, I had never chosen this option before, but in this situation, it seemed like the better choice. I selected the newly emerged option without hesitation.

[ 5. Do you understand now? ]☑

“Have you finally come to your senses? No, rather, have you cleared your mind?”

With a somewhat stern tone, to ensure he understood me correctly, I deliberately swung a sharper whip.

Upon hearing this, Daik licked his lips and, with his head bowed, responded.

“…Yes. The rising price’s surge was unbelievably high. It matched exactly with the increase you had calculated and noted in your notebook. And I deliberately eavesdropped to confirm… The D-grade strawberries I need are indeed priced so exorbitantly that only nobles could afford them.”

So he had checked that far.

It must have been quite disheartening.

“But, sir. If you’ve seen through all this… I assume it means there’s a way?”

Daik hesitated, then revealed his true feelings with a tight fist.

He didn’t finish his sentence, but I could guess his feelings.

He must be desperate to grasp at straws.

That’s enough for me.

“This isn’t the time to ask that. I am the very person who brought shame upon this territory of Chatren.”

“…!”

“Whether there really is a way. Whether it’s a method that can truly help you. Whether I’m just lying as I did in the past. Isn’t that what you should be asking?”

-Thump!

Daik knelt on both knees.

“I… I came after the poor harvest, so I don’t know about such things. I was only focused on acquiring the Chatren strawberries.”

-Ding!

▶The condition has been met.◀

▶You can now designate this NPC as an agent target. The decision will be made through a choice.◀

“You might not believe me, but… I didn’t pay attention to any conversations. No, it would be more accurate to say I didn’t hear them. That’s why I won’t ask you, sir. Because I know those statistics are real!”

-Thwack!

“Please… save my sister…!”

Daik bowed his head even lower, making a request instead of asking a question.

It was a posture of absolute, unquestioning submission.

▶How will you respond to Daik’s question?

“You might have heard, but I currently manage a third of the Chatren territory. I can’t use the land within the territory for edible crops, but on a small plot of land, I can grow Chatren strawberries myself.”

“That, that means…!”

“I only said you could try, no guarantees. The grade of strawberries you desire might not be produced.”

“…Isn’t this more likely than something you can never grasp?”

You seem like a wise guy.

This is the last option.

[ 2. In return for following me, I promise to give you strawberries of sufficient grade if they are produced. ]☑

“Are you prepared to follow me?”

There’s no need for such long-winded words.

Will you follow me? Or not?

That’s enough.

“Yes…! If there’s a way to save my sister… I’ll do anything!”

▶You have enlisted Dyke as an agent!◀

[ Chatren Estate Agent List ]

[ 1. Ferdi ]

[ 2. Dyke ]☑

***

[ Dyke ]

[ Affinity: 0% ]

Dyke, now an agent, no longer showed me the grey boxes.

A clearly visible white box.

Affinity at 0%.

With this, I can now use the agent abilities that Dyke possesses.

[ 2. Dyke ]

▶Rank: B

▶Performance Ability: Controller

[ You can check the visitation and entry records of the Chatren Estate, and if your rank is high enough, you can also control and block visitors. ]

Dyke’s ability is that of a Controller.

Being able to check all the traders who have entered the Chatren Estate means any external interference can be detected.

Although the rank is slightly lacking, it’s possible to control commoners, small-time peddlers, and wandering merchants, but dealing with nobility is impossible unless the will of the estate’s residents is with you.

Still, this should be enough.

I already hold the grounds to block any outside interference.

“First, the key is to plant strawberries.”

The fact that it’s not a game means I have to plant them myself, which is quite a headache.

“Should I use Ferdi’s abilities as an informant to gather some information first?”

As I was pondering this.

The two I had forgotten about came to visit.

-Tadadadak!

“Hey, hey! Trisha!”

“Brother. You’re planning to plant strawberries in the spare field, right? I can help you with that!”

“What?”

Trisha swallowed her saliva and continued.

“Brother. You asked Ferdi recently about the market price for Chatren strawberries and Chatren grapes, didn’t you?”

“…How do you know that?”

“Those prices, I wrote them all down for you!”

Finding out the trading prices for Chatren strawberries and Chatren grapes was part of the groundwork for accepting Daik.

It was to create a chart, draw a graph, and present more convincing statistics directly to the eyes.

But Trisha wrote down all those prices?

“No. Wait a minute.”

Isn’t that actually more correct?

How did Ferdi find out the value of Chatren strawberries and Chatren grapes?

Chatren strawberries and Chatren grapes are currently monopolized by the nobles, with separate trading posts established.

It doesn’t make sense now that Ferdi, a widely known thief in Chatren, could have found this out. No matter how good an informant he is, he couldn’t have found out just by eavesdropping.

The answer came quickly.

…Those prices were indeed given by Trisha.

But how does Trisha know this market trend?

Even as an informant like Ferdi, and with a lower rank, how did she find out?

Information isn’t something that’s easily obtained. The more detailed it is, the more someone’s effort is behind it. And someone with this level of sophistication is…

-Snicker.

From noble mtl dot come

“I think I know why Ferdi did that.”

Trisha has always been friendly towards Karsein. She is the one who cherishes this domain more than anyone else.

So, Trisha wasn’t hidden by Ferdi.

You must have come to help me on your own accord.

“You’re Brem’s granddaughter. Trisha.”

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