A Gift

The scorching summer came out of nowhere.

After a torrential downpour, Aaron stared at the dark red potion in his hand, looking a little dazed. "Finally... I did it."

After countless failures, he had finally managed to make a potion. Taken slowly and combined with exercise, it should help strengthen the body.

"In terms of its effects, it's about the same as some potions from my previous life..."

"And... there's no way it could break through the limits of human potential."

"I spent so much time and energy on this. What have I even made?"

Aaron felt a little frustrated.

He realized that at some point, his hair had grown down to his shoulders.

After thinking it over, he drew his dagger and gave himself a quick haircut, then called Daili over and took a good bath.

"Fetch the scholar!"

After bathing and getting himself tidied up, Aaron looked refreshed and full of energy. He summoned Albert, the scholar of his domain.

"My scholar, has anything important happened in the domain lately?"

Aaron asked casually.

"Thanks to the Green Grandmother's blessing, all is peaceful in the domain. There have only been some unpleasant rumors in the prison, and some people fear that your punishments are too harsh..."

Albert's chubby face looked somewhat apprehensive.

"That's necessary."

Aaron offered no explanation. Was he supposed to say he needed enough test subjects, so he had to hand out harsh sentences?

"But don't worry. This sort of thing will become less common."

After thinking it over, he noticed Albert's hair was starting to turn white and offered him a few words of reassurance.

"Your mercy shines as brightly as the stars!"

Albert hurriedly bowed. "Aside from that, your birthday is coming up, and a gift has arrived from Sothoth Castle..."

Aaron froze. He had been born in summer, on a night of thunder and lightning, but he had barely celebrated his birthday once he grew up and had more or less forgotten about it.

He hadn't expected it to become important again after he became a lord.

There was something faintly ironic about it, to say the least.

"So... do you think I should return to the castle and hold a feast?" Aaron asked casually.

"According to Green Forester custom, once family members become independent, their ties with their relatives are no longer as close..." Albert wiped the cold sweat from his face.

For some reason, he felt that the lord he served possessed an authority that nearly rivaled the Count of Green Forest himself.

"Still... this is your first birthday since you were knighted. Perhaps returning to the castle wouldn't be a bad idea."

He offered his advice tactfully. "Also, Lady Sylvie is nearing her due date, so you'll need to prepare a gift."

"True..."

Aaron nodded, then suddenly smiled. "I should go back to the castle and see how things are, after all. As it happens, the first crop of spring wheat has ripened. I can bring some as a gift."

Several days later.

A caravan slowly made its way to the town outside Sothoth Castle.

At its head was a carriage, followed by several carts loaded with sacks of wheat, filling the air with an enticing fragrance.

The carriage stopped at the castle gates. Aaron jumped down and stretched.

He had taken the opportunity to nap in the carriage and use Danger Perception in his dreams.

With each dream over the past few days, his dream consciousness had grown stronger. Though it still hadn't awakened any other abilities, Danger Perception seemed to have improved.

His instincts had become increasingly sharp, and the ability was indeed starting to develop in the direction of dream divination.

"Am I getting too paranoid?"

After casually sending a guard to announce his arrival, Aaron gazed at the castle's enormous wooden gates and wondered to himself.

Before long, the castle gates swung open with a rumble. Theodore, wearing a wolfskin coat, came out to greet him in person. "Our wandering son finally remembered the way home?"

"My respects!"

Aaron bowed, then pointed to the carts behind him. "I've brought the latest harvest from my domain. I hope you like this gift."

"This spring wheat..."

Theodore stepped forward, drew a dagger, and casually slit open one of the sacks. Feeling the full vitality of the wheat as it spilled out, he couldn't help but be moved. "This is... a fine variety. How much do you harvest per Ram in your domain?"

As a lord, he paid close attention to farming.

"About 1,500 pounds..."

Aaron replied with a smile. There was no point in hiding it. His people bragged about it all the time, and anyone could get a rough estimate by taking a look at the fields.

"Hss..."

He immediately heard Theodore suck in a sharp breath. "That much? Then your domain must bring in 1,000 Nar at a time..."

The Green Forest had no local currency. Nar was a unit of currency that had spread from the Kagash Kingdom.

"Not quite. I split the profits fifty-fifty with the farmers, and we need to keep some grain in reserve, so we can't sell it all to merchants... I'd be lucky to get 200 Nar."

Aaron shook his head.

"A fifty-fifty split? You're too kind..." Theodore frowned instinctively. "That doesn't fit with the harsh laws you enforced before."

"I believe mercy and severity are like the two wheels of a carriage. Without either one, you can't make your people submit effectively..."

Aaron explained, "On the one hand, I give them enough to eat. On the other, I need strict laws to make sure they wouldn't dare break them."

That was all nonsense. He had only made it up as an excuse for finding test subjects.

As for the rent on farmland, fifty percent was already a horrifying amount...

Theodore looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he let out a sigh. "Fine, do as you please. It's your domain, after all. Come inside!"

He led Aaron into the enormous castle. "You arrived at just the right time. Thanks to Grandmother's blessing, Sylvie just gave birth to a baby boy. The castle has two celebrations to hold in a row. I think... we could hold a tournament to celebrate."

Green Forester culture had a wild and primitive side.

For instance, during grand celebrations, they liked to entertain the crowd with gladiatorial contests and the like.

Later, under the influence of the Kagash Kingdom's civilization, these had turned into more orderly tournaments.

The winner would often receive a generous reward. It was said that in the Kagash Kingdom, the champion would be knighted and might even be granted land.

But that was impossible in the Green Forest. At most, the winner would earn the title of hero and a large sum of money.

Aaron strolled into the hall and immediately saw Lady Sonia, Sean, and Ginny come out to greet him. The lady was quite amiable now, and she smiled at Aaron in greeting.

"Where's Colin?"

Theodore looked around, displeased.

"The young master is in the birthing room..."

The old scholar bowed. "Lady Sylvie's condition after giving birth is poor. I fear... I fear she is about to be summoned by the gods..."