The Male Lead I Raised Is Obsessed With Me

Episode 39

If it was a fight that anyone could win, I wouldn’t be so worried.

“That’s why we need this war all the more.”

Luc said firmly.

“Madam, do you know how outsiders perceive our family?”

“A nouveau riche?”

“And an easy victim. We don’t have a strong military force as we used to, and we don’t have any political power. Please excuse my rudeness for saying this.”

Treon spoke up and glanced at Luc.

“The head of the family is young.”

“Which means he’s the perfect prey to devour.”

The arrival of the relatives this time was only the beginning. 

Come to think of it, Countess Rothrun, who I visited recently, also tried to marry Luc to her daughter.

Right now, it was a battle between the two of us, but after a while, it was obvious that everyone would come flocking. 

Imagine a 15-year-old and a 10-year-old with no parents winning a lottery.

That was how Luc and I were.

“Alright, I understand the need for the territorial war. However, the problem is not whether we should have this battle, but whether we can win.”

At my concern, Luc responded bravely.

“I’ve already prepared that part, so you don’t have to worry, sister.”

Then, he disclosed his plans to me by whispering.

No wonder he kept telling me that I didn’t have to worry.

I didn’t know he had already prepared such a plan. 

“I told you I’d protect you too.”

Luc said, holding my hand tightly.

But Luc.

“If you prepared such a plan, I shouldn’t just sit still either, right?”

I looked at Luc and smiled like a villain.

A territorial war broke out between the Duke of Valfurga and Viscount Schtrim.

The Viscountess of Schtrim tried to kill the Duchess of Valfurga, and in return, the Duke of Valfurga took the life of Viscountess Schtrim.

And so, thinking that this was a provocation towards the Valfurga, he demanded a territorial war and Viscount Schtrim agreed.

The price of goods travelling to the North had doubled due to the battle between the two big families in the North. 

In particular, wheat was difficult to obtain in the market.

Not only did it take a long time to transport the wheat to the North since the largest wheat production was in the South, but it was also because I had purchased it all.

I had bought all the wheat that was delivered to the North at a higher cost.

In an instant, the price which had doubled, tripled. 

Four times, five times, six times.

Before anyone knew it, the price of wheat had skyrocketed. 

At that moment, I immediately stopped my influence.

[Why is master doing this?]

Blackie asked, tilting his head.

“Objectively speaking, we don’t have any decent knights, but that doesn’t mean we can’t push them politically. Isn’t there only one thing that we have an advantage over compared to them?”

[What is it?]

I spoke in a cold tone.

“Money. Cash that can be used right away.”

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“You morons! Why on earth can’t you get wheat? Do you think we can go to war without food?!”

Viscount Schtrim stuck the floor with his whip.

Every time the sharp sound resounded, the viscount’s retainers trembled for fear that they might be hit by the whip.

The retainer, who was in charge of procuring the food, looked at the viscount and said.

“B-But, milord. The price of wheat is too expensive. If we buy the amount of wheat you requested, we won’t have enough money to pay the servants of the castle next month.”

“We are going to war now, should I be worrying about those salaries?”

Viscount Schtrim struck the desk with his thick hands.

“Think about the future! The future! I can’t progress forward if I worry about those things! Buy the food right away, even if the taxes rise! They can’t keep raising the prices forever anyway!”

And by the time Viscount Schtrim managed to obtain any food, Felia’s second plan had already begun.

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As the news of the war spread, the atmosphere in the Viscounty of Schtrim became more chaotic than ever. 

The citizens of Schtrim were busy swearing at the lord whenever they gathered.

“Hell! What war! What good would it be for us to go to war? That fat, selfish lord.”

“Speaking of, did you hear the news about Gron next town? His child is only three years old, but the lord forcibly took his wife. Since she was summoned to the castle, it’s hard to say that she’ll come back intact.”

“Again? How many times has it been already? Why doesn’t God want to kill off a guy like that!”

“We’re doomed, I just wish that bastard quits the war. Because of the war, the taxes were raised and the price of wheat skyrocketed. At this rate, we are going to die of starvation, not of war!”

After lamenting for a long time, they all stopped talking and let out a sigh.

At that time, a pair of men and women nearby were seen whispering to each other, as though they were exchanging sweet words with each other.

“Really? You mean I can actually have free meals there?”

At the woman’s words, the ears of the villagers who had been starving for several days pricked up.

“Of course! Isn’t it just rice? If you don’t have a place to live, I can give you a house and a job!”

The man patted his chest and boasted.

The villagers held their breath and concentrated on not missing a single word of the conversation between the two.

“Is the ‘Duke of Valfurga’ really that rich? And they didn’t even raise the tax?”

“That’s right! We go crazy when there’s meat on the table, right? They eat meat as side dishes every day, and they’ve even gotten tired of it.”

The eyes of the villagers who were eavesdropping around them shone.

After completing the scenario, the man and woman moved quietly.

They changed their appearance and repeated the same conversation in five different villages.

In the first place, Viscount Schtrim’s reputation among the citizens was not great.

The comparison with the nearby Valfurga duchy had caused Viscount Schtrim’s reputation to plummet to the ground.

The Duke of Valfurga next door gives a big salary!

The neighbour next door didn’t even raise the taxes!

Why is it only us!

In an instant, there was a vicious crowd that rushed to the castle with farming tools.

Upon hearing the news, Viscount Schtrim flipped the table full of food.

“How dare these bastards! Who’s the reason they’ve been eating and living all this time? These idiots had forgotten that just a few months ago, the Valfurga were living in starvation!”

“What do those ignorant people know? Please calm down, milord.”

Despite the retainer’s appeasing, Viscount Schtrim could not calm his anger easily.

“From now on, if there is anyone in this territory that says something good about the Duke of Valfurga, catch them and set an example!”

When Viscount Schtrim’s order fell upon the village, there were no more complaints about him.

However, the public opinion that had already turned could not be reversed.

Emptying the treasury to buy wheat and the continuously declining spirit of the citizens.

In the end, Viscount Schtrim was forced to abandon his plan to send out troops leisurely and make an earlier appearance than scheduled. 

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News arrived that Viscount Schtrim had moved first.

“Well done, Bircher.”

“How is that so! I never thought our organisation’s first debut would be like this! Everyone thinks it’s an honour to be able to do what madam had tasked us with!”

Bircher’s secret organisation played a major role in executing this operation.

The pair of men and women who moved around the Viscounty of Schtrim, praising our duchy, were all members of the secret organisation.

“Yes, yes. To celebrate successfully completing the first mission, I prepared a small bonus, so take it with you.”

“Wow! Thank you! I would be fine without it, but the guys under me would surely be happy.”

I turned my gaze to look at Luc, who was ready for battle.

Even as a boy, Luc, sitting on a black horse with a sword at his waist, had a considerable sense of intimidation.

The Luc who became an adult in the original story was alive and well without any injuries.

From the beginning, I had twisted the original plot without caring, but at this moment, I still hope that Luc returns safely as he did in the original story.

Sitting on his horse, Luc looked down at me and smiled.

“Looking at you from here, sister is really small.”

“If I sit on a horse, I can be taller than you.”

I did everything I could to help, but I was still nervous.

If we had to part away that far, I would have sent Blackie along.

“……Do you really have to join this battle?”

“I told you. I want to protect sister too. If I don’t come forward myself, people will continue to ignore us.”

Luc reached out and tucked the hair that was blown by the wind behind my ears.

“I don’t want sister to be ignored anymore.”

I sighed and didn’t complain anymore.

We’ve already had this conversation several times.

“You have to win and come back safely.”

Luc tilted his head as I held out my pinky.

When he didn’t understand what my actions meant, I intertwined my finger with Luc’s before explaining.

“Like this. Make a promise with our pinkies locked.”

“What happens if I break it?”

“I’ll become a ghost that will haunt you forever.”

“To imagine that sister would follow me forever. Isn’t that more like a prize?”

When I shot Luc a resentful glare, Luc smiled softly and whispered to me.

“I promise. Everything you wish for will come true.”

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The money was spent like water, but Felia had already bought all the food released on the market.

He had spent five times the money than planned but only received half the food than what they calculated.

‘If this continues, the food will run out before the Valfurga reaches the battlefield.’

If that happens, then they would be defeated even before they could fight properly.

‘First, let’s just find a village, raid it, and get food from there. Since the Valfurga duchy is rich, it should be easy to find food.’

As much as Viscount Schtrim’s heart was shaking, the forced march had to continue.

There were soldiers who were falling behind, but the schedule couldn’t be delayed just to cater to them.

After leaving the Schtrim Viscounty, they searched around for a village for a few days, but no matter how much they walked, they could only see green mountains.