Elva's expulsion stirred no waves in the Baron's Manor.
Ron continued working in the study as usual, while Irene served beside him—stealing frequent glances at her young master, hoping he would speak to her. Entertainment was scarce in this far-flung territory. For the maids who spent most of their lives inside the manor, chatting was the only pastime.
"The issue in Assam Village is settled," Ron murmured as he flipped through documents, "but the sudden appearance of bandits… that's a threat I can't ignore."
After combining the records with memories of his past life, Ron had resolved nearly half the problems in the pile. Only the bandits remained—a frustrating situation with little information.
"Communication is too underdeveloped. By the time eyewitnesses report anything, the bandits are long gone…" Ron rubbed his temples. There simply wasn't a good solution.
"Irene."
"Yes, young master!" Irene perked up instantly. She had been waiting for this moment.
Ron eyed her odd excitement but let it slide. "Call Egbert. I want the complete map of the territory."
Irene left with visible disappointment, and soon returned with Egbert. The butler carefully unrolled a large map across the desk.
"Lord," Egbert said, "this is the full map of Arnold Territory. Please ask as you wish."
Ron leaned over it.
The territory was shaped like an oval. One-fifth of the western area held the three towns and the Baron's Manor; the remaining four-fifths to the east were mountains and dense forest.
Ron frowned. "Why is the land divided like this?"
Egbert explained, pointing at the immense dark region on the map. "This forest is called Black Valley Forest. It's home to countless fierce beasts. Its terrain is extremely dangerous—hunters rarely go deep. Beyond it lies Earl Claude's territory. He is an Earl of the Alexander Empire. The forest border is a long-standing dispute between the Olivia and Alexander Empires…"
Ron silently absorbed everything. So much land, yet rendered useless.
What if this land were cleared? How many fields? How much grain? The potential was massive.
Ron's mind ignited with ideas—then immediately collapsed under the weight of reality.
Manpower? Not enough. Fewer than 30,000 people lived in the entire territory.
Food? Clearing land meant no one farming.
Money? The manor treasury was nearly empty.
And countless other issues loomed behind these.
Ron reluctantly shelved the idea… temporarily. Such a huge piece of land—he would not leave it barren forever.
After questioning Egbert further, Ron dismissed him. But the problem nagged endlessly at his mind.
How could he make this territory rich?
"Irene," Ron said suddenly, "answer me honestly. Does Arnold Territory have any unique specialty—food, materials, something only we have?"
Irene blinked, thought hard, and then her eyes lit up.
"Stones! Young master, we have stones here!"
Ron froze… then patted her head gently.
"It's good that you retain a childlike heart. Truly."
He left the study.
Later, Ron realized he was the truly foolish one.
With some rare free time, Ron wandered the manor's backyard. With nothing entertaining to do, he considered refreshing a trait just to kill boredom—but he only had one empty slot left, and it belonged to the golden trait Immortal.
He wasn't that insane.
Refreshing other people's traits was even more dangerous. So Ron avoided using the ability, aside from occasionally checking character cards.
The maids generally had favorability scores of 60–70 toward him, with Irene reaching 80 (Respect). Egbert had 85 (Trust) and even possessed a green management trait—no wonder he was so competent.
Ron also discovered something interesting: the same favorability number could represent different kinds of relationships. It made sense once he thought about it.
As for Abel, Ron had never checked his card. Their direct interactions were too few.
Not everyone had traits. Many maids had none—talent seemed innate.
"There are too few capable people," Ron sighed.
He stopped under the massive tree in the courtyard—the Miracle Tree. So broad that four knights linking hands couldn't encircle it, yet only three meters tall. Its leaves turned pink in summer, blooming golden-pink flowers.
Miracle… the very symbol of the Arnold family.
Legend said the first Arnold ancestor, a mere soldier, had survived death thanks to dew from this tree. After earning his barony, he transplanted it here. Over a century had passed since then.
Ron placed his palm on the trunk—
A screen flashed before his eyes.
He wasn't even surprised. If character cards existed, item cards should as well.
Item cards, however, appeared green rather than silver.
[Miracle]
[Image (Full Body)]
[Trait 1: Absorption (Green)]
[Trait 2: Nurturing (Green)]
Absorption: Deep, powerful roots draw nutrients. As long as the roots live, the tree is immortal.
Nurturing: Periodically releases essence that nourishes the surrounding land.
Ron stared blankly.
"A tree gets two traits—and both are green? Are people inferior to plants now?"
He then picked up a broken stone fragment.
[Ordinary Stone]
[Trait 1: (Empty)]
A blank trait slot.
Ron's eyes lit up.
He refreshed it.
A blue light flashed.
"Oh? First try?!" he exclaimed. Blue traits weren't rare like purple or gold, but they weren't common either.
He eagerly read the trait:
[My Heart is Iron (Blue): A shell extremely hard and resistant to forging. The interior resembles meteorite-grade material—highly valuable forging ore.]
Ron dropped the stone in shock, cracking the ground.
Three seconds later, he dug it out and continued refreshing.
Night fell.
On the small balcony of the Baron's bedroom, Ron lounged in a reclining chair, nightgown loose, black tea warm in his hand, silver ring in the other. Moonlight glimmered across the tea's surface.
He sighed heavily.
The ring came from the manor treasury—a white-quality item, meaning it only had one trait slot. Yet after refreshing all evening, he still hadn't gotten anything decent.
The stone earlier? It refreshed into [Powder]—and self-destructed.
Still, he had learned something: item traits usually aligned with the object's nature. Stones produced mineral traits… until they turned to dust.
And once something disintegrated, there was nothing left to refresh.
Ron sipped his tea—sweet, elegant, perfectly aristocratic—and continued refreshing.
For days, the silver ring remained glued to him.
Until Egbert knocked with news.
"Lord, the royal audience procedures are complete. When do you wish to depart? I will prepare the escort."
Bandits, unexpected incidents—of course preparations were needed.
"The sooner the better," Ron said. He was excited. Not only to formally claim his barony, but to explore the Capital, to see its prosperity, to seek opportunities for his territory.
A trade agreement with nobles of the Capital… now that would be ideal.
Time passed quickly.
The day arrived.
Egbert prepared two carriages, four maids—including Irene—to serve on the road, and six knights as escorts. Egbert himself remained behind to manage the territory. Abel should have gone as knight captain, but Ron had refused and given him a strict order:
"Abel. Before I return—you must eliminate the bandits plaguing our lands."
"I guarantee completion!"
Just as Ron stepped into the carriage, he noticed Irene swaying nervously.
"What are you dawdling for? Get in."
Children. First long journey jitters.
But Irene suddenly blurted, "Lord, are you really not bringing Uncle Abel? Or hiring adventurers or mages? I heard that to reach the Capital, you must pass through—"
"Wait."
Ron froze. Foot suspended mid-step, then slowly lowering.
"Irene… did you just say adventurers and mages?"
"Yes, Lord… is something wrong?"
Ron ignored her. He turned sharply.
"Egbert, postpone the departure. We're not leaving today."
Without another word, he strode back into the manor.
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