Faced with Second Brother's sudden, heartwarming concern, Lynn smiled warmly.
"Don't worry so much. I know what I'm doing. Oh, and go get Yagna for me, if she hasn't gone to sleep yet."
That afternoon, when Lynn had just returned to the castle, he noticed that Yagna seemed to have something to say but was holding back.
The young girl had no idea how to hide her emotions; all her worries were written plainly across her face.
But Lynn had been too exhausted and filthy at the time to have any interest in talking things through with her.
Second Brother left at once. Within minutes, he brought the neatly dressed Yagna into the study.
Then, quite thoughtfully, Second Brother left and closed the door behind him.
When Yagna realized that only she and Lynn remained in the study, she froze slightly. A flash of panic passed through her already nervous eyes.
Standing before Lynn, she unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress between her fingers. The many questions she had prepared all caught in her throat, like a fawn that had wandered into an unfamiliar forest.
Seeing how tense she was, Lynn leaned back in his chair and teased her, "What? You don't seem very happy to see that I came back alive."
"N-No, I'm very happy. Really, very happy!"
The instant the words left her mouth, Yagna wished she could dig a hole and bury herself in it.
Who said they were happy with such a stiff expression on their face?
Lynn continued to tease her. "Is that so? But you look like you're not very happy."
"I'm sorry. I... I'm just too nervous. I'm really not unhappy, really!"
Yagna vigorously rubbed her stiff cheeks and forced a smile onto her face.
At the same time, she silently encouraged herself.
Where did all my usual cleverness and quick wit go? Why do I get so nervous that I can't speak whenever I see this bastard earl's son? Pull yourself together, Yagna!
Then Lynn suddenly changed the subject. "What time is it now?"
Yagna froze again. "Ten? Or nine?"
"It's already so late, yet you're still not preparing for bed. You even dressed so neatly and waited for my summons. Could it be that you..." As he spoke, Lynn's gaze roamed freely over Yagna, as though he were admiring a precious collectible.
Yagna immediately took half a step back in fright. "My lord, please don't misunderstand. I only..."
Lynn merely smiled. "Oh? What have I misunderstood?"
"My lord... I..."
Yagna's face instantly flushed bright red.
But as more blood rushed to her brain, her intelligence finally regained the high ground.
She realized that Lynn was deliberately teasing her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady her racing heart before forcing herself to speak seriously.
"My Baron, please stop teasing me. I truly have something very important that I want to ask you."
"Fine. Let's talk about this important matter of yours."
Lynn reined himself in with ease, raising an eyebrow as his expression swiftly returned to calm indifference.
"My lord, during the week you were away from the castle, I saw the two-wheeled Heavy Plows racing through the Strip Fields, and I saw the Compost those serfs made. I only want to know whether these new techniques can truly increase crop yields. Where did they come from? Why had I never heard of anything like them before?"
Yagna desperately wanted to know everything about the Heavy Plow and Compost. After several days of field inspections, she had already realized the enormous potential of these two techniques.
"Without question, both can genuinely increase crop yields, and by a considerable margin. As for where they came from, I actually saw them while traveling through the Southern Border."
Facing Yagna, who had seen a little of the world, Lynn changed his story.
When he had fooled Old Albert, he claimed the techniques had come from Cold Wind Valley. But Yagna had left White Bear Territory and had even studied at the Marsh Duke's court. That excuse clearly would not fool her.
"The Southern Border? You've been to the Southern Border?"
Sure enough, Yagna's attention immediately fixed on the words "Southern Border."
At this time, to the vast majority of Northerners, the Southern Border was as distant as outer space, shrouded beneath a thick veil of mystery.
Because the Northern Border's handicrafts were terribly underdeveloped, most valuable goods had to be imported from the Southern Border, such as chainmail, wool cloth, glass, wine, and so on.
Over time, the Southern Border had become, in the minds of Northerners, a fertile land of wealth, prosperity, and advancement.
Lynn merely said calmly, "What, I can't go to the Southern Border? I'm an earl's son, and the second son with no inheritance rights. It's perfectly normal for me to travel the continent."
The Northern Border had no system of divided inheritance. A noble's property and lands were generally passed down to his eldest son.
After receiving knightly training, younger sons without inheritance rights would usually leave their families. Some attached themselves to other nobles, some became mercenaries, and those from particularly poor families might even Become Outlaws.
Before finding a stable place to settle down, these younger noble sons would usually travel far and wide, take part in all sorts of martial tournaments, earn fame, and sell themselves for a good price.
There was no flaw in Lynn's explanation. His public identity was that of the Cold Wind Earl's second son, so traveling to the Southern Border to broaden his horizons made perfect sense.
"I just find it strange. I've never seen a Northern Border noble travel to the Southern Border before."
Yagna completely accepted Lynn's explanation.
After all, it was only natural for advanced techniques to come from the Southern Border.
The ancestors of the Northerners had crossed the sea from the Southern Border in the first place.
Then Yagna asked, "By the way, my lord, I also want to know whether you could bring these precious techniques to Shallow Beach Territory in the future. The serfs of Shallow Beach Territory need more food as well."
"Of course. I don't mind if my serfs get to eat better."
Lynn did not care in the slightest about the spread of technology.
In the future, he even intended to vigorously promote these advanced agricultural techniques throughout the entire Northern Border.
At the current level of transportation and communication, new techniques spread naturally at an extremely slow pace.
Shallow Beach Territory and White Bear Territory might only be a day's journey apart, but without intervention from those in power, it might take three or four years, or even longer, for the Heavy Plow to become fully widespread among the people.
"On behalf of Shallow Beach Territory's five thousand local residents, I thank you for your generosity!"
Even though Yagna no longer had much connection to Shallow Beach Territory, she still felt sincerely delighted.
The Marsh Duchess had once taught her that a Lord must never blindly exploit serfs, but should regard them as precious wealth within the Territory System.
But Lynn's question immediately afterward cut short Yagna's excitement.
"So, when will Shallow Beach Territory become my land? I can't exactly sow favor upon land that doesn't belong to me."
"Th-This..."
Yagna was instantly left speechless. Lynn's implication was clear: he was asking when she would agree to become his mistress.
Lynn stared at the former Baroness and extended his right index finger, tapping impatiently against the wooden armrest.
"My patience has never been abundant. This autumn, White Bear Territory will harvest far more grain than in previous years and support more troops. If you keep hesitating, what awaits Shallow Beach Territory will no longer be favor, but the biting cold wind of winter!"
Before you continue