CH 263

Part 3: A New Oath Between the Moon and Stars I

Prologue: Ludwig Takes Flight

Mia quickly left Ganudos Port Country after three days of rest and recovery at the Greenmoons’ villa. Even though she didn’t think Ganudos would try to kill her in front of everyone, she still left quickly because it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Aah… Is it just me, or did the weather decide to get hot just as we’re about to leave the coast?”

It was strange that the day they left was the only really hot day of a summer that had been mostly cool. Sion and Abel had left early for their own kingdoms, so she was stuck in her poorly ventilated carriage with only Ludwig and Anne. She was sweaty and tired.

It’s so hot, ugh… And we were just at a cool place to get away from the summer heat. I almost wish we could have stayed there for another two or three days… That reminds me, Chloe said something about how even in the summer, the northern countries are cool. Hm…

She said, half-stupid from the heat, “Aaah… I want to go north…”

That made Ludwig frown in a thoughtful way right away. After being quiet for a while to think, he nodded to show he understood and said, “I see… So that’s it… Brilliant.”

“…Eh?”

She turned her head just enough to give him a confused look.

He gave her a smile that made her feel better.

“If the first emperor’s plot is true, then the most likely suspects are the older, more powerful houses. The longer a noble’s family tree is, the less you can trust them. On the other hand, newer noble families, such as the outcounts, are more trustworthy and easier to convince. Am I right in my thoughts so far?”

The Tearmoon Empire began as a group of noble domains that surrounded Lunatear. Over time, the empire’s borders grew to the north and south. The new land that was bought as a result of this growth was called the “outlands,” and it was a natural result of the growth. Since Outcount Rudolvon was in the south, they should look for their next possible ally in the north…

Ludwig told her this to make sure.

“Have I gotten any of your points wrong?”

Yes… He had, indeed. In fact, everything, from the first word to the last.

“…No, I was thinking pretty much the same thing. Good for you. You knew what to do. I had faith in you, Ludwig.”

This is Mia the wave rider. But Mia wasn’t going to say anything about it. No matter how small the wave was, she would lie down and let it carry her. She had finally learned the best move, the back float. Now that she had this, it didn’t matter what kind of wave was coming, because she couldn’t drown. She didn’t have to do anything as long as someone else was in charge.

“In that case, I think it would be best to bring along someone who knows a lot about this… Taking into account the time it takes to write letters, could I have…about three days to get ready?”

“Certainly. I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

So, it was decided that Mia’s company would take a detour that was very important.

—

“I must respectfully say, Your Highness, that I’d rather know ahead of time if I need to make such plans.”

Balthazar was sitting in an inn in the capital of Gildan Outland County, which was in the north of the empire. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. In fact, it was three days.

Ludwig looked his friend in the eye and said, “Get used to it.” His guess had been right on the mark. After cruelly putting an end to Balthazar’s hopes for a less stressful future, Ludwig got right to work.

“Okay, let’s listen. What should we know before we go?”

“Outcount Eerikki Gildan. He is 28 years old. The domain was given to him by his father, and he is trying to give it new life. Like most of his peers, he has been taught by the central nobility to be against farming.”

Balthazar scratched his head and said, “It sounds like he wants to use his farmland to build things like amphitheatres and playhouses. He is thinking about building a bunch of fun places and turning his domain into a place where nobles can go on vacation. I’ve tried to talk him out of it a few times, but I don’t think I’m making much progress.”

That caught Mia’s eye.

“Now, really…”

This place isn’t too hot or too cold. It’s a pretty good place for a summer vacation. Even though there is no sea nearby, it is much more comfortable than Lunatear. I like this guy’s way of thinking…

Mia thought that if there was a place where she could stay out of the heat and still have fun, she would be more than happy to spend the whole summer there.

“So, he is trying to keep the local economy going by turning the domain into a resort for tourists. It might be the right thing to do in a place where there are no natural resources like ores, but…”

Ludwig’s brow furrowed for a few seconds as he thought, and then he shook his head.

“Whatever the case, let’s first meet the man and hear what he has to say.”

—

When Mia got to Outcount Gildan’s manor, she was taken to the room where guests are greeted. Some time later, Eerikki Gildan appeared. Mia looked at him.

Hm, my first thought isn’t bad. Nothing about him really bothers me… He didn’t show off his wealth by wearing too many accessories, like the nouveau riche did, and he didn’t wear the strange clothes that pagan tribes wore. Instead, he looked completely normal, almost to the point of being boring.

Obviously, this shouldn’t be a big surprise. Even though the area was still called “the outlands,” it was part of the empire before Mia was born. It would be silly to think that people still wear furs and pelts around here.

I guess that when you hear the word “outland,” you think of certain things…

“Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to be in your company. My name is Eerikki Gildan, and as an Outland Count of the empire, I have had the honour of running this land.”

“I’m happy to meet you, Earl Gildan. Thank you for letting us come so quickly.”

Mia smiled like a princess and curtsied her head.

“As vassals, it is our rightful duty and highest honour to do what Your Highness asks of us. We Gildans are happy to do our jobs. But I have to ask: How exactly can I help?” asked the outcount, sounding confused.

“I heard you might cut down on your farmland to make room for new buildings,” Mia said, getting right to the point. “I came to ask about that.”

“Ah…”

Gildan took a quick look at Balthazar, who was standing behind Mia, and smiled because he knew what was going on.

“I thought that might have something to do with it.”

He stood up straight, put his hands together in front of him, and stared right at Mia.

“I don’t know if Your Highness already knows this, but because my domain is in the north of the empire, it is cold here, which makes it hard to grow crops. So, I’m going to turn all the land that can’t be used for farming into vacation villas or at least use it to start some new businesses. I’m trying to get the locals to agree with me right now.”

I think it’s about half true and half a lie.

Mia calmly thought about what he said. Most likely, it was true that it was hard to grow crops. Most likely, he really didn’t think this land was good for farming. But the ideas of other nobles who were against agriculture probably had a bigger effect on his thinking.

“Mmm. I understand your intention. But I must say, shouldn’t you preserve such a unique trait of your domain? So much farmland has been given to you. It would seem silly not to use it.”

The reaction to her idea was cold.

“What a strange idea. What good is it to have a lot of farmland if the empire doesn’t value it?”

So there you have it. I knew it would show its ugly face. Ugh…

She fought the urge to put her hands on her head in anger. Anti-agriculturalist ideas had taken root all over the empire, and it was amazing how strong their roots were. This problem would not be easy to solve. Even so, she kept going.

“A fair point. But worth can change quickly. How much are big, fancy buildings worth if nobody ever goes inside? Not any more than the dirt that was taken from farmlands to build them. Are you sure that people would come even if you built all these big stone structures like amphitheatres and playhouses? If they don’t, you’ll have ruined all your farmland and stopped being able to grow crops, leaving you with nothing but piles of useless rocks. That would be a terrible thing to see, and I don’t want to see it.”

She knew that Gildan hadn’t just started this project on a whim. He had done his homework and knew the right way to get people to visit his site and make them spend money.

But his idea wasn’t a new one. Many other people were also doing the same things. Even if he spent a lot of money to build a tourist attraction way up in the north of the empire, would anyone come? Come all the way out to what was basically the middle of nowhere just to see some sights?

Mia used this line of reasoning to try to shake him up a bit.

It was a bit of a “devil’s advocate” move, but you can bet that if there was a place where it wasn’t too hot and there were amphitheatres and playhouses, Mia would go there every summer.

A nice, cool place with a lot of fun things to do? That sounds really great! If I could also find some ice candies there, it would be the best place in the world.

Even though she really wanted to hang out at Gildan’s planned resort, she had to force herself to take the other side in this argument.

Like a real leader, she gave up her own feelings for the good of the group.

“So, if you want to turn your domain into a resort and make it more appealing to tourists, I’d rather you do that while keeping your current level of farming.”

“…And how would I go about doing that?” he asked, and the look in his eyes made it clear what he meant: Okay, if you’re so smart, tell me what your plan is.

“Good question. Let’s see… For example…”

Mia suddenly saw a picture of Saint-garden Noel’s in her mind. All of the flowers there were beautiful because Rafina took such good care of them. She thought that Tearmoon nobility was a little hypocritical when it came to doing things with soil…

If she could persuade Gildan to plant flower fields, at least the land could still be used for farming. In the end, Mia’s goal was to buy time.

She only had to keep the land farmable until next year, when the famine would hit. Once people had a taste of that, they wouldn’t go out of their way to get rid of farmland.

In light of this, she suggested, “Why don’t we plant some flowers?”

“…Huh? You say, ‘Flowers?’”

She gave a strong nod to the surprised Gildan, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

“There is a beautiful garden at Saint-Noel Academy. It would be well worth the trip just to see it. I have to stop myself a lot of times from telling everyone I meet about it. What if you made a garden here that was just as beautiful? One that everyone would want to share with their friends and family? You wouldn’t have to destroy the land.”

“But…would that really be enough to get people to visit the domain?”

“I suppose it would depend on how pretty the flowers you plant are… I’m reminded that the Central Orthodox Church says that when we die, we go to heaven, which is full of beautiful flowers as far as the eye can see. People might be interested in this domain if you advertised it as a summer retreat for people who want to feel like they are in heaven on earth.”

Gildan fell into a pensive silence. Then he looked up at her all of a sudden.

“I have one question for Your Highness. Why are you going to such trouble to keep this farmland from being built on?”

Mia had trouble coming up with an answer for a moment.

I can’t just tell him that. I know there will be a famine soon, so I don’t want to lose any farmland.

She had told people like Ludwig about her premonition in the past, but Outcount Gildan was a different story. You couldn’t expect him to believe something so crazy.

That gave her only one choice.

She made her face into the most haughty smile she could and said, “Because, of course, I want a garden as beautiful as Miss Rafina’s! What else do I need to do it?”

She used “selfish princess” as an excuse.

The card still worked because it was the first thing most people thought of when they thought of her.

Hah, it’s easy to get someone to agree to something like this.

When the princess wants something, she gets it. Bow down to her title’s power!

Gildan watched as Mia walked up to him with her chest puffed out.

“…I see.”

He nodded slowly, like a person who had just learned something new.

Mia had only made one mistake, which was to think that the man in front of her, Gildan, was just another common noble.

He was, in fact, a very skilled person. He had been trying to find out everything he could about Mia, and he knew that some people called her the Great Wisdom of the Empire. So he read every space between the lines.

Since he already knew what her nickname was, he came to the meeting ready to match wits with her and talk in the careful, foresight-based way that chess players do. He thought about every word she said, trying to get through the layers of surface meanings to find the real meaning.

He dug deeper and deeper until he struck gold. Or reach the bottom. At least he thought he’d found gold.

I see. I’ve heard that Princess Mia is very kind to us nobles from the outlands. She has come to tell me that my domain is in a terrible state and that I need to find a way to make things better for my people…

Gildan had, in fact, been working like crazy to keep everything going. Even with all he did, there were still farmers who didn’t like him, and the smallest mistake could make them never trust him again. Also, the cost of building big things like amphitheatres was astronomical, and he didn’t have anywhere near enough money to pay for them.

So, if he went through with the plan, he would end up with a lot of debt. This would put his back against the wall, and it would be a paper-thin wall with disaster on the other side if he failed.

If I went with a project that was similar to what she suggested, I wouldn’t have to borrow money and the costs would be low. Moreover…

It would let him say that Mia paid for the project so she could compete with Rafina. If he could say that Princess Mia recommended his resort, a lot of people would be interested. Even the Emperor might show up.

The central nobility would have to stop looking down on this domain like they do now. My people would have less to worry about if they just planted flowers in the summer. If that’s enough, this place could become a resort that brings in money from other countries...

As he did calculations, numbers and equations popped into and out of his head quickly.

—

Balthazar, who was standing next to Ludwig, was getting more and more surprised by what was going on. When it was over, he was speechless for a few seconds before he managed to say something in a shaky voice.

“When they aren’t growing wheat, use that time to plant flowers and keep the soil healthy. Is that what she thinks?”

“Hm? What do you mean, Balthazar?” asked Ludwig, who didn’t understand what Balthazar had said.

Balthazar looked at him with wide, excited eyes and clenched fists, as if he was trying to calm down.

“It’s okay that you don’t know. I didn’t know this until recently, but it seems that if you keep planting the same crop in the same place, the soil gets worse and the crops get sick. It’s called monocropping, and it can be dangerous.”

He said what he was going to say in a whisper.

“I heard that’s why they always plant two different kinds of crops on the same piece of land in Perujin Agricultural Country.It keeps the soil from getting that kind of damage.”

“What…?! Are you serious? Then why aren’t we encouraging this in the empire?”

“Unfortunately, farmers tend to be conservative people who don’t like making changes to their farmland. And then there’s our old friend anti-agriculturalism, which made all the noble lords lose interest in agricultural reform. God, I hate that dumb idea.”

Balthazar shook his head and muttered bitterly that this was the kind of situation where a bit of toughness from the ruling class would usually help a lot.

“But then Her Highness comes along with this brilliant idea,” he said, his face lighting up again. “The farmers in this domain have already taken the bitter pill of giving up their farmland. They’ve gotten used to the idea, but you can bet they don’t like it. If you tell them you’ve found a way for them to keep their land and all they have to do is plant flowers between wheat harvests, they’ll sing your praises for days. There won’t be much resistance.”

What about their lord? Even Gildan shouldn’t be against the idea. As long as the proposed “heaven on earth” garden made his domain a good place for nobles to cool off in the summer, he wouldn’t have a problem with it. If the domain was known to have Mia’s official stamp of approval, it would make the deal even better. At this point, it was not likely that he would still insist on giving away his farmland.

“Which means that all that’s left is to find the right flower that can be both the second crop and a lure for all the nobles,” said Ludwig, who nodded and now shared Balthazar’s amazement.

“It makes you wonder… Could Her Highness have planned this so well that she already has a certain kind of flower in mind?” Balthazar asked in a soft, ponderous voice before scoffing at the thought.

“No. She has led us to the water and shown us the way. We can’t ask her to help us drink anything. Now is the time to do something useful. Let me choose the flowers then. I’ll deal with it.”

Ludwig looked at Balthazar from the side. He could see that Balthazar was full of new motivation.

Now that that’s out of the way, Ludwig thought, it’s clear that these northern lands aren’t good for farming, but she still came all the way here. I can only guess that she’s telling the nobility that farmland shouldn’t be cut back, no matter where it is, even if it’s in the cold north…

—

Ludwig’s guessing about Mia’s actions; and thinking he knew what she really wanted set him up for another jaw-dropping realisation in the future. This northern land eventually gave birth to a breakthrough, and two brilliant researchers from Saint Mia Academy, Arshia and Cyril, were able to grow a new strain of wheat that could withstand the cold in its harsh soil.

When he found out about this, he would be so shocked that he would almost fall over.

“How far…,” he’d mutter through the dizziness brought on by surprise. “How far can she see? Are you saying that even this was part of her plan from the start?”

So, he would spread his false beliefs like wings and fly higher and higher into the sky of his own false beliefs.