The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 14:

Chapter 14: The Lord, Again

“I have a matter to discuss, so I would like to either visit you soon or have you come here. Do you have any convenient days?”

The boy from the lord’s mansion asked politely.

Although he was still young, compared to the village children, he had smooth hair, glossy skin, and wore fine clothes. His bright expression made it clear that he was cherished and well cared for by the lord.

Lutz was troubled. If he was told to come immediately, he would have to drop everything, even in the middle of brewing ale, and rush over. However, it might be rude to say “I’ll come right away!” and go with the boy to the lord’s mansion without proper preparation.

The correct approach with nobles often changes depending on the situation.

“Um, you are?”

“I’m Ed! I’ve been living at the lord’s mansion since the other day!”

“I see, Ed, Ed-kun? Should I visit the lord’s mansion right now, or should I ask you to come back and let me know a convenient day for the lord, as anytime is fine for me? Which should it be?”

The boy hummed thoughtfully.

“The lord seems busy both morning and afternoon, so anytime should be fine.”

“No, that’s not right. It should be when the lord has some free time, shouldn’t it?”

“I don’t think there’s much free time. I’m also surprised at how hard nobles work.”

Lutz grew increasingly troubled as the boy told him that the lord would keep working endlessly if Marie didn’t stop her.

—For someone like that, I don’t have the guts to say “Come here whenever you can.”

“…By the way, why is the lord so busy?”

Perhaps napping is part of the job, or reciting poetry while having tea is an important noble custom. Lutz hoped for such an explanation as he asked, suppressing his desperate feelings.

The boy furrowed his brows slightly, looking a bit troubled.

“In the mornings, she discusses difficult matters and calculations with her secretary, Marie-san. Things like financial reports for the domain, estimates for orders from merchants, and methods of settling transactions.”

“Oh… And then?”

“She and Marie-san make lunch! Recently, they’ve been teaching me to cook too, and I can now make simple dishes!”

“…? The lord cooks?”

“Yes, and the food is really delicious. Cedric-san doesn’t seem too happy about it, but he ends up eating the most.”

Ed whispered this last part, as if sharing a secret, adding that Cedric probably loves the dishes Lady Melfina makes. Lutz couldn’t help but feel uneasy, as if he had stumbled upon a knight’s forbidden secret, made all the more intimidating by Cedric’s composed appearance.

“I see… And how does she spend her afternoons?”

Asking more questions about the private life of a noble made Lutz increasingly nervous, but the more he learned, the more it diverged from his preconceptions of nobility.

He rationalized his inquiries by telling himself that he was just trying to determine the best time to visit.

“In the afternoons, she hires adventurers to survey the mountains and lakes and receives their reports. She also purchases supplies from nearby towns and the capital.”

“Oh, so those unfamiliar folks roaming the mountains and lakes recently were adventurers. If it’s about this land, you could have just asked us, and we’d have answered right away.”

Lutz had spent over fifty years cultivating and farming this area and was confident in his knowledge of the Enkar region. Although he didn’t voice it, he felt slightly offended, as if their reports were deemed unreliable.

“I asked him why he doesn’t consult the villagers.”

“You did?”

“He said that since everyone has their own jobs, they should use money to investigate what can be investigated and only consult about truly important matters.”

“I see…”

“So, if Lady Melfina wants to talk, it would be best to go immediately! She mentioned wanting to develop things as quickly as possible!”

Lutz had heard about the new lord doing something with the serfs’ settlement.

Among the residents of Enkar Village, there were mixed feelings. Some were not happy about the young noblewoman stirring things up, while others were frustrated that the lord seemed to care only for the serfs.

For Lutz, who genuinely believed it was better for nobles not to interfere with their lives, it was still puzzling to see the serfs carrying trash from the dump on the edge of the village with a long line of carts.

There was no way the serfs could have afforded those carts and donkeys themselves. The only logical conclusion was that the lord had provided them.

The lord’s attention was on the serfs, who seemed to be doing something new and enjoying themselves. In a pioneer village with little entertainment, any new topic quickly became the focus of attention. Feeling excluded from the exciting developments made the villagers anxious and dissatisfied.

“Then let’s go! Village chief!”

“Wha—wait!”

“It’s fine, Lady Melfina is very kind! There’s nothing to be afraid of!”

And so, half-dragged by the boy, Lutz found himself heading to the lord’s mansion.

As they arrived, the lord, followed by her intimidating knight, was taking off an apron, looking surprised. “Oh my, it’s lunchtime now, Ed”, she said, making Lutz turn pale, thinking their timing couldn’t have been worse.

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“I’m truly sorry. I asked him to find out your availability, but I didn’t expect him to bring you here in person.”

“No, I apologize for the sudden visit. I feel very sorry and uncomfortable about it.”

“Since you’re here, let’s discuss the matter first. Marie and Cedric can go ahead with their lunch.”

“I’ll stay to take notes on anything important.”

“I’ll remain on standby.”

With both of them firmly stating their intentions, Melfina decided to proceed quickly and took a seat in the study.

“We’ve been surveying the areas around the village, Moltre Lake, and the nearby forest, but I thought it would be more reliable to ask you directly about the village.”

“Yes, please feel free to ask me anything.”

“Regarding the crop cultivation in the fields, besides wheat, the main crops are vegetables and potatoes. Seventy percent of the fields are dedicated to potatoes, correct?”

“Yes, potatoes are a staple food, so we grow them in large quantities.”

“Does the village keep any livestock?”

“Some villagers have chicken coops, and there are about seventy pigs at the moment.”

“Ah, I’ve seen them a few times in the village and along the roads. You let them roam free, which surprised me. And there are quite a lot of them.”

Enka Village is a small village with about two hundred people. Having seventy pigs means nearly every household owns at least one pig.

“Yes, they’re quite endearing, often begging for food here and there. Pigs grow large even if left alone and they reproduce, so every household keeps at least one pig and slaughters them before winter. However, families with infants set up fences to keep the pigs out.”

“I see… It’s important to continue enforcing that.”

Pigs are omnivorous and eat anything, which implied a potential risk.

“Do they damage the fields?”

“The rule is that each owner must fence their fields. If pigs get in and cause damage, the pig owner isn’t held responsible.”

This system was apparently common in pioneer villages.

When a settlement is established by a pioneer group, the land initially becomes communal property. At this stage, it’s free for anyone to pitch their tents, let their livestock graze, and even for people to hunt and gather in the forest.

As cultivation progresses and the village is established, the cultivated land is divided among the households. Due to the tradition of communal property, the management of the land becomes the responsibility of the individual owner once they gain the rights. Thus, it’s also the owner’s duty to prevent other people’s pigs from entering their property.

—It’s like a fencing law in this world, Lutz thought.

In his previous life, in the areas being settled and cultivated in the New World, landowners were responsible for fencing and managing their land. The removal of all fences after determining ownership of every piece of land only occurred about fifty years before his previous life’s time.

This reflects how deeply the idea of “land as communal property” is ingrained among settlers, serving as a survival system.

“Lutz, I plan to eventually mandate that pigs be kept in barns, though not immediately.”

“May I ask why?”

Melfina, having grown up in the heavily regulated noble district of the capital, wasn’t familiar with the common practice of free-ranging pigs in this world.

Pigs clean up food scraps from households and even waste thrown out of windows.

Lutz probably envisioned a scenario where the waste management system stops if pigs are no longer free-ranged. It would be like the garbage collection trucks stopping in his previous life.

“Primarily, free-ranging pigs are unsanitary, and it’s dangerous for young children and babies. Also, from the owner’s perspective, isn’t there a risk of pigs being eaten by wild animals if they’re left in the forest?”

“That’s true, but pigs have always been a part of life here. I wonder what the villagers will say.”

“I understand there’s resistance to changing long-standing customs.”

Building and managing livestock barns isn’t free. Moreover, instead of pigs growing on their own by foraging on leftovers, human waste, acorns, and young forest shoots, they would now need to be fed by their owners.

—But, I need to introduce barns as soon as possible.

Animal waste makes excellent fertilizer. For Melfina, who was preparing for the possibility of a large-scale famine, the current situation of waste being left in the fields and forests was unacceptable.

However, merely increasing the owners’ workload without providing clear benefits would naturally lead to dissatisfaction. It was crucial to present benefits that would be evident to them.

“In return, I will take on the cost of building the barns and offer a deposit for each pig, with a three-year limit after the ban on free-ranging.”

“S-so, you’re saying that if we hand over our pigs, we’ll receive compensation from you, milady?”

“Yes. Owners can decide when to slaughter their pigs and may breed them if they wish. However, each household can only own up to two pigs, and the deposit period will be six months. For any additional pigs or extended periods, owners will pay a deposit to us.

“After that, free-ranging will be entirely prohibited. If anyone sees a pig roaming freely in the village, they can slaughter it and eat it.”

Currently, each household typically owns around one pig. With two pigs, families could gain a small income and also have the option to slaughter and eat them, thereby offering more benefits compared to the risks of wild animal attacks.

“I understand. I will inform everyone of these new regulations.”

Lutz appeared relieved, thinking the discussion was over. However, the conversation was far from finished.

—Talking with Lutz always makes me feel like I’m bullying him… I feel so sorry.

Seeing the elderly man, his back significantly hunched and breaking into a nervous sweat, made Melfina feel guilty.

—I hope he’ll realize I’m not someone to be feared.

Despite this, as the lord and village leader, she had many more important matters to discuss with him, which weighed heavily on Melfina’s conscience.