Chapter 5

Harold’s parents swallowed his report whole, fully convinced that Clara and her daughter, Colette, were dead. The idea of doubting their own son didn’t even seem to occur to them.

Watching them heap praise on him for his "magical talent" despite believing their child had just murdered a woman and a young girl, Kazuki felt a chasm open between him and his parents—one so deep he doubted it could be filled in a lifetime. Unless they abandoned those twisted values, there would never be a reconciliation.

Still, he decided to take what he could get; their blind devotion meant he wasn't under suspicion, and for now, that was enough.

The plan to rescue Clara and Colette was, for all intents and purposes, a success.

Under normal circumstances, he would have celebrated, but Kazuki was already facing a new set of problems and had no time to spare. At most, he could only offer a silent prayer that Colette would eventually cross paths with Rainer.

The issue currently weighing on Kazuki’s mind was the growing resentment among the citizens of the Stokes Territory. Simply put, the House Stokes’ tyranny had reached a breaking point, largely due to their oppressive taxation.

The Stokes Territory was mostly flat, aside from the mountain range towering to the northeast. With the main highway running right through the town, it was ideally situated for trade and transit. While landlocked, it was fed by rivers flowing from the mountain streams, and the vast forests stretching from the northwest to the east made it perfect for forestry.

With a steady flow of people and goods and an abundance of nature, both primary and secondary industries should have been flourishing.

However, because the territory itself wasn't particularly large, these advantages weren't being fully exploited. It felt less like a thriving region and more like a town that had merely grown too large for its cramped borders.

Despite its limited economic scale, the House Stokes imposed crushing taxes on the populace.

While the wealthier residents near the town center could manage, the burden on the farmers in the outskirts was becoming unbearable.

In recent years, natural disasters had struck like clockwork, devastating crop yields. Profits had plummeted, leaving many farms operating deep in the red.

Naturally, the farmers had pleaded for temporary tax relief, but there was no way a couple like Harold’s parents would listen. Far from it—they had tightened their grip, even going so far as to threaten the people: "If you keep making a fuss, we'll raise the rates even further."

In the game Brave Hearts, there had been mentions of the people suffering under tyranny, but the details had never been explored. If it hadn't been for the documents Norman provided, Kazuki likely wouldn't have noticed the depth of the crisis either.

If this continued, the mounting resentment would almost certainly explode into a full-scale revolt.

That would be the first step toward the inevitable downfall of the House Stokes.

Frankly, Kazuki didn't care what happened to the family name, but since he was likely to be dragged down with the ship and meet a gruesome end, he couldn't afford to sit idly by.

"Excuse me! ...Wait, what are you doing?"

Entering the room with a cursory knock and without waiting for an answer was Zen, the carriage driver who had assisted in the Clara rescue mission.

For some reason, he had recently taken to pestering Harold even when he had no official business. No matter how much Harold’s mouth spat vitriol at him, Zen would just laugh it off, seemingly impervious to the insults.

At nineteen, Zen was roughly the same age as Kazuki had been in his previous life. Being the closest in age to Harold among the male staff at the mansion, Kazuki found him—internally, at least—quite easy to be around.

It helped that Zen had a friendly, almost dog-like personality.

Zen tilted his head in confusion as he witnessed Harold’s "eccentric" behavior.

In reality, it wasn't that strange; Harold was simply recording the growth of plants on his balcony, which was about fifty centimeters deep and attached to his window.

"This is none of your concern. Close the door and get out."

"Oho, I smell a secret in the air!"

Closing the door behind him, Zen peered onto the balcony while letting out a response that was, as expected, very puppy-like. His attitude was the height of irreverence for a servant.

Twenty flowerpots were lined up on the balcony, divided into three sections for three different types of plants. Several of them were growing with unnatural, explosive vitality.

"Suzu-imo, Bruna, and Red Gult... Are you planning to grow your own snacks?"

"Do you want me to rip your guts open and shove the pots down your throat? (I'm growing them for you to eat, Zen.)"

"I’ll pass on that, thanks!"

"..."

At this rate, I’ll never have a normal conversation again, Kazuki thought, feeling a wave of depression even as his hand continued to record the data.

As Zen had noted, these were all edible vegetables. Since Suzu-imo grew underground, leaving only the leaves visible, it was impressive that Zen had identified it so quickly.

Specifically, these were the top three major crops grown in the farming villages of the Stokes Territory.

"Even so, they’re growing at totally different rates."

Unfazed by Harold’s threats, Zen leaned in with genuine curiosity. Whether he had a heart of steel or was just thick-headed, he was certainly resilient.

Impressed by Zen’s "punching bag" levels of durability, Kazuki held out a glass bottle.

"Some were given water mixed with this, and some weren't."

In his hand was a translucent, light-blue bottle—a sight familiar to any Brave Hearts fan. It was the "Life Potion," an item that restored twenty percent of a player's health, though it was usually only useful in the early game.

"You’re using Life Potions... on vegetables?"

Zen had clearly never heard of such a thing. However, the plants treated with the potion were visibly larger and more vibrant.

While Zen’s eyes widened at the unconventional idea, for Kazuki, this was just following the game mechanics.

The "Synthesis" system in Brave Hearts allowed players to combine materials to create items. However, some materials could only be obtained through farming.

Because the drop rate for high-quality materials was abysmally low even when following the manual, players had resorted to a "throw everything at the wall" approach.

Eventually, it became common knowledge that pouring Life Potions—or the high-tier "Ether"—on the soil increased harvest efficiency. Soon, every player was acting like a hero-turned-farmer, drenching their fields in recovery items.

Kazuki had been one of those players.

To see if the logic held up in this world, Kazuki had used Norman to procure pots, soil, seeds, and a batch of expired Life Potions that had been gathering dust in the Stokes' warehouse.

At first, using pure Life Potion made the plants grow too fast, causing them to wither before they could bear fruit. After several rounds of trial and error, he had finally found the perfect dilution ratio.

Kazuki plucked a few Red Gults and tossed them to Zen.

"Whoa!"

"Eat."

"Raw!?"

Zen caught them all skillfully but didn't hide his grimace.

Kazuki understood the sentiment. In the real world, the vegetable closest in taste to a Red Gult was an onion. While edible raw, they were almost always cooked.

"Curse your own stupidity for meddling in my affairs."

"...Alright, fine! Here goes nothing!"

Resigning himself to his fate, Zen bit into a Red Gult.

A crisp, pleasant crunch echoed through the room.

"Wait, what!?"

Zen swallowed and let out a shout of pure excitement.

"What is this?! It’s way sweeter than a normal one! It’s delicious!"

Judging by the reaction, the results were excellent. Even Kazuki hadn't expected the "Life Potion Farming Method" to improve the flavor as well.

It was a welcome surprise, but Zen was too small a sample size to be certain.

"Take those to the kitchen and have the chefs taste them. I want their impressions on the flavor, the pros and cons compared to standard crops, and whether they’re market-ready. Bring back every detail."

"You got it!"

Zen gave a sharp salute, though it looked ridiculous since he was still clutching a handful of vegetables in his left hand.

"And make sure you don't mention where you got them or who—"

"Is giving the orders? It’s a secret, I know! Leave it to me, Lord Harold!"

Zen flashed a wide, genuine smile.

His opinion of the boy known as Harold Stokes had been flipped upside down by the recent rescue mission.

He had once thought the boy was just a bratty, self-centered, and incompetent noble, but it seemed Harold had been playing a part for some unknown reason. Harold’s true nature was the polar opposite.

He was kind, he cared for those beneath his station, and he possessed a maturity and wisdom far beyond his years.

Knowing that, Harold’s sharp tongue just seemed like the posturing of a contrarian. In a way, it was the only thing about him that actually felt like a child.

Even when Zen barged into his room and overstepped his bounds, Harold only spat insults; he never actually looked displeased.

At Harold’s age, he should have been hyper-aware of their class difference. Even if they had been childhood friends it would be one thing, but they had only started talking recently.

Yet Harold didn't care about Zen’s lack of etiquette. It was as if he had no interest in the superficial trappings of status.

To Zen, the boy named Harold Stokes was someone he truly liked.

It was obvious Harold was up to something again with these Red Gults. It was likely some grand plan that an uneducated man like Zen couldn't even fathom.

And Zen was more than happy to help him achieve it, in whatever way he could.