"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 34

Ryu and Axel arrived at the border checkpoint by noon that day and entered the Grace Marquessate. By the way, the Empress’s spy had already disappeared from the checkpoint. It would be one thing if he had been demoted, but if he had been dismissed, it would be somewhat unfortunate. After all, it was Ryu they were dealing with.

As you enter and proceed through the territory of the Grace Marquessate, you will soon see fields of wheat. The Marquess family holds the vast plains in this area as their main territory and owns extensive fields, producing various agricultural products in addition to wheat. Naturally, these are transported throughout the empire via the merchant guild, and it can be said that there are quite a few noble territories that are supported… or rather, dependent on Grace for their sustenance.

Therefore, the Grace Margraviate is also known as the “Granary of the Empire.” In simple terms, there are almost no nobles who can stand up to the Margrave. The reason Grace does not place much importance on its relationship with the central authority is largely because it has established a unique position in this regard and does not need to be particularly concerned about it.

In front of Ryu and Axel, the golden wheat field spread out before them. Unlike last time, during the current harvest season, their entire bodies were enveloped in the scent of wheat.

“As spectacular as ever. The aroma is pleasant too. You can’t sneak a taste, okay?”

“Bururu…”

Before sunset, they arrived at the first city where the baron resided, secured a place to stay, and then went on a food tour together. The street food here seemed to suit Axel’s taste quite well, and he devoured everything from start to finish. Recently, Ryu’s finances had been flourishing, so there were no particular worries about money. Satisfied, the two of them returned to their inn.

The next day.

Ryu had arrived in front of the Grace Marquis’s mansion.

“Hey you over there, stop. What are you doing here?”

“As the head of the Arden family, I have come to meet with Baron Grace. If you are a guard, you should have been informed in advance.”

Saying this, he shows the noble crest.

“This is quite rude of me. Please follow me, I’ll guide you.”

Ryu passed through the massive gate and, under the guidance of the guards, headed towards the inner mansion.

This person is the Baron Arden who has been in the news lately… They say he is only fourteen, but his height is on par with an adult, and his demeanor is completely that of a noble.)

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

If the gate is enormous, the mansion is even more enormous.

“Wow…”

“This is our proud mansion.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to use this place as a base and create a country here?”

“Hehehe. You’re joking.”

Stepping into the mansion, first climbing the stairs, and then walking down the long, long corridor.

“Lord Marquis Grace is currently working in this room.”

“Understood.”

Knock knock.

“Your Excellency, Baron Arden has arrived.”

“Come in.”

“Hah”

The guard opened the door for me, so I went inside.

And.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Grace ‘Sō’.”

“Likewise, Baron Arden.”

There stood a calm, handsome man in his early thirties.

Since this was a public meeting that we requested, Ryu decided to approach it with even more polite language.

“Could you please sit on the sofa first?”

“Excuse me.”

I took a seat accordingly.

Younger than I imagined. His appearance and manner of speaking seem kind, but his eyes are sharper than any other noble. As expected of the man who controls the empire’s lifeblood. Letting my guard down is out of the question… right?

“You thought, ‘Wow, they’re younger than I imagined,’ didn’t you?”

“Yes. Excuse my rudeness.”

“Sure, no problem. But I wouldn’t want to hear it from you. After all, you’re only fourteen, right?”

The Baron of Grace gave a wry smile.

“By the way, Baron Arden is quite reliable, isn’t he?”

“Not particularly, I suppose.”

“I thought right off the bat, ‘This kid is smart.'”

Ryu called the Grace Marquis “Marquis Grace.” In the Empire, the title of Marquis is equivalent to that of a Count, so calling him “Count Grace” would be disrespectful. Since there are quite a few nobles who do not understand this, the Marquis was inwardly surprised by Ryu.

“Well, since I commanded the war and led it to victory, it doesn’t feel right to be praised now.”

“No, no. The victory was all thanks to the soldiers who worked hard; I was just watching from the back.”

“Your humility is a high point too. We really are similar, aren’t we?”

The current Grace Baron succeeded at the age of nineteen, so he feels a slight sense of familiarity with Ryu, who also became the head of his family in his teens.

“I am honored.”

“Hmm… Your tone is a bit too formal, Baron Arden. You can relax it a bit more, you know? We’re neighbors after all.”

“Well then, don’t hold back.”

So it’s okay if it’s a neighboring territory? What kind of mysterious logic is that?

“Your honesty is a big plus too. By the way, would it be okay if I call you Ryu-kun?”

“Ah, yes.”

The start seems to be successful, but here the atmosphere of the frontier lord changed slightly.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“I have a few suggestions regarding the recent food situation in the Grace Barony.”

“Hoho”

“In the past few years, the production of agricultural products in Grace has significantly increased, especially wheat.”

“You know a lot, don’t you?”

“Since most of the wheat consumed in the empire now comes from Grace, if this continues, the domestic self-sufficiency rate will exceed 100%, and accordingly, both the price and value will keep decreasing, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Then, the meaning of monopolizing the market share would diminish, so I thought we could fix the distribution volume and price of wheat in the imperial market once it reaches 100%, and sell the surplus as high-end brand wheat to our allies or whoever at a high price.”

“I thought about that too. Our wheat is top-notch even on the continent, so even if we sell lower quality stuff, we could still get a decent price for it. But when it comes to exporting to other countries, considering the transportation costs and tariffs from here, it’s not that great. I even tried asking the Merchant Guild, but they turned us down. After all, we’re in the farthest southern corner of the continent.”

“Of course, I made the suggestion fully understanding all of that.”

“…What does this mean?”

“To the southwest of the Arden territory, there’s a forest, and beyond that, there’s the coastline, right?”

“Indeed, there is.”

“How about collaborating with us to build a trading port town there?”