Chapter 12

“How is the cultivation coming along?”

“We’ve confirmed steady progress across all six sites. Yields are holding close to our projections.”

“Then I’d like to expand our reach as soon as possible, but...”

“Unfortunately, we lack the manpower to scale up any further.”

“And without proper oversight, we risk farmers being blinded by greed and attempting to cultivate the crops however they see fit.”

Two weeks into the LP Farming Method’s trial run, Kazuki sat with Norman and Jake to review the results and hash out their next steps.

The meeting took place in Harold’s room, as usual. These days, Harold was rarely alone; either Norman, Zen, or Jake was almost always present.

“I can’t do anything about the manpower shortage. Is there no one else in this mansion we can use?”

“It would be difficult under the current circumstances. Borrowing Arias or Sexon might serve as a temporary fix, but...”

Norman listed the names of the soldiers who had assisted in Clara’s rescue.

However, expecting them to travel to the farming districts to act as inspectors while maintaining their regular duties was unrealistic. As Norman had admitted, it would be nothing more than a stopgap measure.

“Tsk. Then should we simply hire someone from the outside?”

“From the outside, my lord?”

“For example, I could demand that my father provide me with personal aides... No, that won't work. If he gives me men under his influence, it’ll only make it harder for me to move.”

As Kazuki began to sink into a mumble-filled monologue, Jake cut in to pull him back.

“Lord Harold, I would like to finish the rest of the report first, if I may.”

“Hm? Oh, right. The soil.”

“Yes. Regarding the soil in the test plot, we haven't observed any significant changes.”

The "test plot" was, essentially, a small field at Jake’s home. There, they were relentlessly cultivating three specific types of vegetables.

They needed to confirm if pouring Life Potions into the earth over a long duration or in high concentrations would cause ecological issues. If the soil became exhausted and unusable, the project would have to be scrapped immediately.

“How many rotations have you completed?”

“Seven for Red Gult, six for Suzu-imo, and eleven for Bruna. We’ve also had the chefs perform regular tastings, and there’s been no change in flavor.”

“Acceptable news, but the sample size is still too small. Continue the trial cultivation and monitor the progress. Furthermore...”

This had become Kazuki’s new normal: meeting face-to-face every few days to keep a firm grip on the situation. It brought a sense of fulfillment he had never tasted during his student years, though the road ahead remained fraught with difficulty.

Perhaps as a byproduct of using his brain in ways vastly different from his high school or university days, his body had begun to demand physical release—an outlet for his restless energy.

So, once the discussion concluded, Kazuki took up his sword and headed for a familiar spot: the clearing deep in the forest behind the mansion, the same one he had used during the plan to rescue Clara.

It was the only place where he could swing his blade to his heart’s content.

Upon arrival, Kazuki loosened up his muscles and dove straight into his routine.

A diagonal cleave, a rising slash, and a circular spin—a seamless three-hit combo.

The speed of his blade and the razor-sharp glint of his strikes had reached a level incomparable to when he first began his training. It was a sword dance that would have overwhelmed any spectator, looking as though it were capable of slicing through the very atmosphere.

But Harold’s swordsmanship didn't stop there.

He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and honed his senses to a fine edge.

Silence fell over the clearing. Then, Kazuki moved.

In less than a second, he unleashed the same three-hit combo as before. But this time, something followed.

Arcing electricity suddenly clung to the blade as it finished its rotation—lightning.

“Raijin.”

As if answering his command, the current surged in brilliance, discharging the moment the blade was thrust into the earth.

Eight bolts of lightning erupted with Kazuki at the epicenter, lashing out at the surroundings. One gouged a furrow into the dirt; another scorched a boulder; a third shattered a tree trunk.

The lightning had a reach of roughly three meters. Despite having just unleashed an all-directional strike capable of neutralizing a numerical disadvantage, Kazuki muttered with a frown.

“This is useless. It’s nowhere near enough.”

What Kazuki had just performed was a technique called Raijin, categorized as a basic skill in Brave Hearts.

While it looked flashy—and Kazuki had actually been startled the first time he successfully pulled it off—in the game, it was merely a low-tier skill that cost 5 MP. Since the protagonist learned it while his level was still in the single digits, the damage output was predictably pathetic.

The source of his dissatisfaction was the growing sensation within him that he was capable of more. Considering he had started with only four bolts of lightning, his intuition wasn't wrong.

While Harold was capable of using magic of any attribute, lightning was his signature element. It felt as though Harold’s body was screaming, I am greater than this. To answer that plea, Kazuki swung his sword with single-minded intensity, trying to manifest the ideal version of Raijin that flickered in the back of his mind.

He was so focused that he didn't realize he was ascending to heights a ten-year-old child should never be able to reach.

He didn't realize how abnormal his progress truly was.

Nor did he realize how he looked to an outside observer.

(My, I’ve certainly stumbled upon something extraordinary...)

Yuno’s inner voice hummed with its usual leisurely lilt, even as a rare bead of sweat traced a path down her cheek.

Having finished her preliminary internal investigation of the House Stokes, she had moved on to observing Harold directly. On her very first day, she had encountered a sight that defied belief. Since meeting the boy, she had done little else but doubt her own five senses.

But she couldn't afford to merely stand there and smile. By any metric, Harold was an anomaly.

He brandished an iron sword nearly as tall as himself with effortless ease, and his speed was comparable to a battle-hardened knight. On top of that, he was already weaving magic into his swordplay.

While not definitive proof of a specific plot, Yuno was now certain that the boy harbored a massive secret.

The question was whether that secret posed a threat to the House Sumeragi or to Erika.

She had originally planned to approach him directly, but she now realized she needed to rethink her strategy for probing him. Just as she turned on her heel to retreat soundlessly, it happened.

Behind Yuno, the air vibrated with a heavy, metallic thud.

(—!)

Yuno instinctively froze.

The culprit was Harold’s sword. It had left its master’s hand and now sat buried deep in the trunk of the very tree she was using for cover.

It was a surprise attack, timed perfectly for the split second her focus wavered to make her exit. Had the tree not been there, the blade would have undoubtedly skewered her.

The blood drained from Yuno’s face. It was only thanks to years of grueling training and experience that she managed to keep from crying out.

However, in her shock, her feet crunched loudly against the undergrowth—a fatal oversight.

“Who’s there? Stop skulking in the shadows and show yourself.”

Harold’s sharp voice cut through the air.

She considered trying to run, but she knew she couldn't evade the eyes of a boy who had seen through her stealth so precisely. Resigned, Yuno stepped out from behind the tree.

Harold’s eyes widened slightly, and for a fleeting moment, his expression shifted.

(Was that... relief?)

It took Yuno’s extraordinary powers of observation to catch that flicker.

She didn't understand what it meant.

On the other side of the clearing, Kazuki was panicking.

He had been so absorbed in his Raijin practice that the sword had literally slipped from his hand, flying ten meters through the air and embedding itself in a tree.

He had been horrified to realize someone was actually standing there.

Terrified that he might have accidentally maimed or killed someone, he had shouted out in a rush. Just as he was about to bolt toward the bushes to check for a body, Yuno had appeared.

Seeing that she was unharmed, Kazuki felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders. He had come within inches of becoming a murderer.

“My apologies, Lord Harold~. It was merely a whim of mine~.”

While Kazuki was trying to figure out how to squeeze an apology out of Harold’s mouth, Yuno beat him to it by bowing her head.

Apparently, she was apologizing for spying on his training. To Kazuki, that was the least of his concerns.

“Don't loiter in the shadows. It’s pathetic. If you don't learn your place, you'll end up with a wound you can't walk away from.”

If you’re going to watch, please do it where I can see you. If I don’t know where you are, I might accidentally kill you, was what he meant. But his concern didn't translate in the slightest.

Instead, this is what Yuno heard:

(So, I’ve been put on notice...)

He had seen through her presence with ease and neutralized her without even needing to engage, all while leaving her unharmed as a final show of mercy. He was not an opponent she could handle, especially not with Erika nearby to protect.

He likely knew that, which was why he was issuing this warning.

If you overstep again, there won't be a next time.

She hadn't intended to underestimate him just because he was a child, but Yuno had been completely outclassed. It felt as though he had seen through her from the very start.

It was a total defeat. She wasn't even sure if Harold considered this a "fight." The gap in their abilities was that profound.

The boy possessed not only raw power but terrifying cunning.

“Hmph. Fine. Regardless, how is that sheltered brat doing?”

As Yuno stood there, unable to find a response, Harold abruptly shifted the subject.

Startled by the change in topic, Yuno composed herself and answered.

“Lady Erika still seems to be feeling a bit under the weather~. Perhaps the change in environment has overwhelmed her~.”

(Two weeks is a long time to be "under the weather." I don't remember her having a "frail health" setting in the game...)

Since their disastrous tour of the town, Erika had claimed she wasn't feeling well and had spent almost all her time confined to her room. While this allowed Harold to focus entirely on the LP Farming Method, his concern was growing.

His "crisis-sensing" instincts were screaming that this might be some kind of plot flag. Of course, it was far too late to change course now.

“She’s likely just homesick. Why doesn't she just scurry back to her own estate?”

“How cold~. She is your fiancée, after all. Perhaps you could show her a shred of kindness~?”

If Kazuki could do that, his life would be a lot easier. Harold’s mouth truly was a piece of cursed equipment.

“Absurd. As you said, the relationship between that girl and me is a mere formality. I have no intention of being bound by it.”

“And what is that supposed to mean~?”

(Ah, crap. I said too much.)

The fact that he planned to break the engagement in the future wasn't something he could let slip to the public.

The only person who knew his true intent was Tasuku, who had read his secret letter—and even then, Kazuki doubted Tasuku fully believed him.

Letting anyone know that Harold Stokes himself wanted out of the arrangement was a massive risk at this stage. He wasn't even close to being ready for the fallout.

“I see no reason to explain myself to you.”

Unable to think of a better cover, Kazuki spat out the line like a sore loser and retreated toward the mansion, essentially running away from Yuno.

He felt her gaze boring into his back, but he refused to look back.

---

Author's Note: I feel like this kind of development is the gold standard for the "misunderstanding" genre. Too easy? I can't hear you!

There have been various opinions in the comments, but to be blunt, Yuno is a character I introduced specifically because I wanted to do this scene early on. Even though she carries concealed weapons and has a certain "vibe," I haven't actually given her a very deep backstory.

Moving forward, she might not have many major appearances outside of being a combat instructor. Even then, she's mostly intended to be a bridge character.

The next chapter will focus properly on Erika. I need to tank Harold’s reputation even further!