Chapter : 2

Under the pretext of receiving treatment, I sealed off the inner castle and immediately called for a doctor. I was going to just gloss over it, but the pain I felt in my chest was unusual.

Lowering my head to scan my abdomen, I saw that my side was swollen.

The burning sensation with every breath made it seem like a rib bone or something was broken.

“I, I greet you, My Lord.”

Taking off a hat that looked like a boonie, the doctor carefully bowed. I rubbed my aching chest and gestured.

“Stop that and come here to examine me. Every time I breathe, my chest throbs as if it’s being stabbed with a knife.”

“Did you hit it hard on something?”

“I fell from a horse.”

“Ah, it seems a rib bone has broken from the shock of the fall.”

The doctor, who was examining the painful area, said so, sweating profusely.

“If you hadn’t called for me quickly, the broken bone could have pierced your lung, and it would have been a big problem. You must rest for the next month.”

Then he reached out and began to knead the rib bone on my chest.

A tear welled up from the sharp pain. Then, with a cracking sound, the unpleasant feeling in my chest disappeared.

It seemed he had set the broken rib bone by hand.

“Then I will apply medicine and wrap it with a bandage.”

The doctor carefully took out a small medicine bottle and applied a brown, sticky ointment.

Then he took a bandage out of his bag and wrapped it around my upper body.

‘Seems he’s not a complete quack.’

I had been worried, knowing the standards of the medieval era, but it was a relief.

The medicine was more effective than I thought.

Judging by the cooling smell and the tingling sensation, it seemed to be a type of medicine similar to a modern-day pain relief patch.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Yes, go safely.”

Watching the departing doctor’s back, I fell into thought.

The pain in my chest.

It was caused by an assassination attempt. This time it was unsuccessful, but it would be foolish to think I would be lucky next time as well.

‘I have to do something. If I stay like this, I’ll be in big trouble.’

I shot up from my seat in anxiety.

Then, my face was reflected in the mirror set up on the opposite side.

An unfamiliar Westerner with black hair, Johan de Bellua.

I moved my arms here and there out of a sense of unfamiliarity, but the person in the mirror was clearly me.

In other words, I had undoubtedly become Margrave Bellua. And the lord in the game [Pangea Universalise], at that.

‘Hoo.’

Accepting reality as such, I became lost in thought.

‘That means I can use the in-game system…. Didn’t those notification windows pop up earlier?’

Racking my memory, I glanced around.

Wondering if there was a button somewhere like in a game.

But no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see anything of the sort. I even tried shouting ‘status window’ into the air, but there was no reaction.

Then, as I strongly pictured the status window in my mind, various notifications poured out noisily.

[Internal Affairs Status]

[Governing Domain: Bellua Margraviate]

[Stability: -3 Prestige: -57 Legitimacy: -48 Corruption: 7]

[Status: Regency Rule]

[Impending Disasters: Threat of Assassination, Rebellion over Domain Claim]

[Notification: Stability is low!]

[The domain is engulfed in anxiety, lowering productivity.]

[Notification: Prestige is low!]

[The probability of vassals disobeying orders increases.]

[Notification: Legitimacy is low!]

[The probability of rebellion from feudal vassals increases.]

[Notification: Corruption is high!]

[Production costs due to corruption increase, and taxes decrease. Merchants are reluctant to come here.]

‘Oh. So this is how you do it.’

My joy at having found the method was brief. I scanned the status window and narrowed my eyes.

‘This is a mess, a total mess.’

Has there ever been a case this bad?

At this rate, the domain was on the verge of collapsing on its own.

I was dumbfounded by the unbelievable numbers, but then a thought occurred to me, and I had no choice but to understand.

‘I remember now. The Bellua Margraviate. A family known for its worst difficulty.’

It was the front line of the Elang Kingdom, threatened by the Holy Empire Emperor from the east, the Duchy of Bourgogne which always dreamed of independence from the north, and the Southeastern City-State Alliance from the south.

And it wasn’t like it could receive support from the Elang Kingdom either.

The Elang Kingdom was a nation with a time-honored tradition of internal conflict.

Truly, one mountain after another.

It was a domain that had to fight foreign powers with its own strength alone.

The problem wasn’t just this.

‘And on top of that, the land is shit.’

The domain of the Bellua Margraviate was notorious in [Pangea Universalise]. The size of the domain was on par with that of any great lord or a small to medium-sized nation, but most of its directly controlled lands were forests, resulting in terrible agricultural productivity.

On top of that, there were no particular special products.

The only thing it had was a type of timber called Bollinwood, which came from a place called the Great Forest.

As a result, commerce couldn’t develop, and industry couldn’t develop either.

At least it was adjacent to the Arhen Mountains, so if only it could be developed, one could look forward to the mountain’s mineral resources, but for now, it was a pie in the sky.

‘Oh, my head.’

Of all the families to be transmigrated into, why this one?

No money, and the situation is not good.

Internally, I’m suffering from assassination threats due to division, and externally, wolves aiming for the domain are watching with fire in their eyes.

Even for bad luck, this was terribly bad.

‘No. Let’s think positively.’

The situation is bad, but at least the size is quite large, isn’t it?

Thinking of it the other way, if I just do a good job of walking the tightrope like a fence-sitter, siding with this one and then that one, I could profit greatly.

All I need right now is time anyway.

In about 5 years from the present, the [Great Famine] event, a global event in [Pangea Universalise], will occur.

A global event that has the worst impact on the unprepared.

Thanks to it, large-scale peasant rebellions would break out, and many families would disappear or nations would fall. Therefore, all I had to do was walk the tightrope well and endure until that event.

‘Of course, that’s under the premise that I handle this well.’

I muttered, scanning the [Impending Disasters] section.

Threat of assassination and a rebellion over the domain claim.

Events that occur when legitimacy and prestige are extremely low.

If it happens, my head, as the lord, will be lopped off.

By a damn guillotine.

So if I don’t want to die because of the disaster, I needed to stabilize the domain’s internal affairs as quickly as possible.

‘The one silver lining is that I’ve played as the Bellua Margraviate before.’

It wasn’t just that I’d played it.

I had also made the Bellua Margraviate the most powerful force on the continent.

If I make good use of that experience, I will surely be able to overcome this crisis as well.

‘I just need to do it the way I did before. The way I played.’

Thinking that, I took a deep breath and shook off my nervousness.

And I began to calmly organize my thoughts.

What did I have to do?

‘Right, first, control of the domain!’

It was currently under a regency rule by my stepmother, Isabella.

My stepmother was handling all the major and minor affairs of the house and the administrative duties of the domain.

Without any report.

She was even hiring mercenaries for the city’s defense as she pleased. In an age where the sword comes before words, the thought that even the swordsmen were in my stepmother’s hands sent an even greater chill down my spine.

I had to get back the lord’s authority I had delegated to her.

‘Of course, it won’t be easy.’

Stepmother Isabella.

Daughter of the House of Count Bozen, a rising family in the southern region.

A person who came to marry into the family through a political marriage to end a war.

She was desperate to put her own child, my half-brother João, on the lord’s seat. To think that she would back down meekly was a naive thought.

On the contrary, she would often move Count Bozen, her backer, to start a war.

Therefore, speed was important to drive her out.

‘Fortunately, I have a pretext….’

The stablemaster who manages the horses is Isabella’s confidant.

And the horse managed by that confidant died after eating a poisonous herb?

Whether one likes it or not, one couldn’t say this incident was unrelated.

‘The problem is that this has a high risk.’

If Isabella finds out beforehand, it’s a failure.

Even if Isabella doesn’t know, if he runs away, it’s a failure.

Even if Isabella doesn’t know beforehand, if the vassals oppose it, it’s a failure.

It was an early-game strategy truly filled with failure triggers. Besides, this was reality, not a game. I couldn’t quite gauge how things would turn out differently.

That’s why I was hesitating now.

The kind of hesitation about whether to endure and wait for a moment when Isabella makes a more definite mistake.

Murmur, murmur.

While I was contemplating, I heard a commotion from outside.

To be this noisy when I was thinking so seriously. I raised my uncomfortable body and yelled outside.

“Why is it so noisy!”

At that, a servant who was waiting behind the door came scurrying over with a troubled expression.

“Um, My Lord. A guest has arrived outside.”

“What? A guest?”

What is this now?

I had clearly given the order to seal off the inner castle.

But they ignore that and come noisily all the way to my door like this?

For a moment, I wondered which madman dared to do such a thing.

Then, as if reading my uncomfortable mind, the servant continued in a trembling voice.

“Well…. Lady Isabella has come outside.”

And that was.

The appearance of the final boss, exceeding my expectations.

* * *

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

That was exactly the case.

I was just thinking about how to defeat Isabella, and to meet her right away like this. The strange coincidence was just absurd.

“What brings you here, Stepmother.”

“I heard you were hurt. I was so surprised to hear the news. I came running out of concern.”

As she said that, Isabella stealthily scanned my body from top to bottom. It seemed she was trying to check how badly I was injured.

‘She’s something else.’

To act like that even though we are family, all for the sake of power.

It’s sickening. But I hid my feelings and opened my mouth again.

“You worry too much. Fortunately, I was not seriously injured.”

“Is thaaat so?”

“Yes, for having fallen from a collapsed horse, ugh….”

As I said that, I clutched my abdomen and briefly bowed my head. I intended to act for her, just as Isabella wanted. I needed to lower Isabella’s guard.

“My goodness. What do you mean not seriously injured…. You look to be in great pain.”

“To be honest, the smell of blood wafts up every time I breathe. It seems I will have to rest for quite a long time.”

“To that extent-!”

At that, Isabella’s body trembled as if in indignation.

“This won’t do. The stablemaster who failed to manage the horses properly must be punished!”

The truth is she was the one who ordered it, yet she is so utterly shameless.

She should at least wet her lips before saying something like that.

If it had been the original lord, he would have been completely deceived by that act. My anger boiled over at her behavior, but I managed to suppress it and put on an act again.

“What?! You mustn’t do that, Mother. It was all my…. my inexperience that caused me to fall.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So please do not punish the stablemaster. He is…. a good man.”

When I spoke pitifully, like a naive child, Isabella smiled as if satisfied.

And then.

“Hohoho. Then. I understand. I will listen to my lord’s words and not punish him. So don’t worry and rest well.”

She uttered words of comfort with a hateful pretense and went out of the room.

As soon as Isabella’s figure completely disappeared, I let out a deep sigh and plopped down on the bed.

“Damn it.”

It seems the act worked well enough.

My back was damp with the sweat of nervousness. But I had no energy to care about that.

‘Stepmother Isabella….’

She who acts as if the domain is her own.

And she who also traps the lord under her thumb and controls him.

As expected, she was not an easy woman.

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