I Was Reincarnated as a Marquis in Another World

I inadvertently took Helmut’s hands in both of mine upon hearing those words and said,

“Yes, Helmut, you worked hard! You did very well!”

Perhaps because I had displayed too much joy, Helmut replied with a bewildered expression.

“Y-Yes, thank you, my lord.”

I was too enthusiastic, and I thought Helmut would be flustered by such a display.

However, I quickly wiped my mouth as if nothing had happened and said,

“Guide me as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Oh, and… just bring a few reliable people. It’s important.”

Hearing my seemingly incomprehensible request, Helmut tilted his head and said,

“Yes, understood. But do you really need to go this far for just running a factory?”

As he said, if the goal was to produce something ordinary, it would be cheaper and easier to just set it up in a publicly visible location without any security.

Especially in a world where there were no proper overland transport means other than carriages.

So I smiled and replied,

“You’re right. But we’ll be making something incredibly important, so just follow along.”

Helmut seemed to want to retort, “What nonsense are you spouting?” but I deliberately ignored his expression and hurried my steps.

Because I wanted to create the secret item I had in mind as quickly as possible, even if it meant a minute or even a second sooner.

**

Where I had complained about the trees in the forest being cut down, a factory had already been established.

While calling it a factory, it was built beside a fairly large river, and it only utilized the power of flowing water instead of fossil fuels.

Perhaps for that reason, it was constructed horizontally along the water’s edge to make extensive use of waterwheels.

Inside it, there were spaces for washing the radishes in flowing water, a rotating slicer for cutting the radishes into desired sizes, an enormous pot, and a furnace.

Looking at it this way, it seemed more like a gigantic kitchen than a factory.

Upon entering this enormous kitchen—or rather, factory—Helmut, along with Balt, was wearing a suspicious expression as they surveyed the place.

“Why, Count Balt? Why did the lord go to the trouble of clearing the forest to build this big kitchen? Is it possible that the lord is secretly planning to learn to cook here…?”

Balt glanced around the kitchen-like factory and, in a slightly sneaky voice, replied,

“Be quiet, Helmut. No matter how much of a mercenary you are… Surely our young master wouldn’t secretly be cooking. Even if he occasionally behaves oddly, he is a distinguished noble.”

“But why do nobles sometimes build houses or factories in such remote forests and do strange things? One of the people I served in the past built a factory here and every night…”

“Our young master wouldn’t do that… Oh, but he is 17 and hasn’t married yet, so perhaps…”

Suddenly, the two nodded at each other in understanding.

I slapped Balt’s back with my palm and, in a serious voice, said,

“Stop the nonsense, Balt. The serfs outside are all trustworthy people, right?”

“Yes, my lord. I selected those who have nowhere else to go from the second and third ones granted to you by Count Nante.”

“How many are there?”

“About 20.”

“Let them in.”

**

Before long, 20 serfs entered.

Seeing me and Balt, two high-ranking individuals, inside the facility, they quickly knelt and looked up at us.

Yet, strangely enough, perhaps because they were the ones who had built the facility, they showed no signs of rejection towards it.

On the contrary, they seemed curious about how the facility they had created was used, wandering around various machines.

Indeed, it seems natural for anyone to want to know if what they made works well.

I shouted loudly to direct their attention.

“Everyone, pay attention!!”

At the sudden loud voice, the serfs stopped wandering and began to focus on my words.

“From now on, you will no longer farm but will work in this factory. I will personally show you what we are making here, so follow my instructions. First, you there.”

The pointed serf responded with a startled voice.

“Me?”

“Over to the left of this building, there is a storage area. Go there and bring that radish.”

“Yes, understood.”

After a while, the serf entered the factory pulling a cart full of dirt-covered radishes.

It must have contained about 150 kilos worth of radishes.

“You’ve worked hard. From now on, follow my instructions.”

“Yes, my lord…”

Then I precisely directed the serfs on how to operate, before briefly stepping outside the hot factory for some fresh air.

I would need to boil the peeled radishes for several hours, so I only needed to periodically check if the boiling temperature was appropriate and when to add lime.

“I feel like I’m going to die… I thought I was going to suffocate…”

“Indeed. It feels even hotter than when I’m running around in plate mail during summer!”

“It was hotter than the Vigos Desert.”

So the three of us exchanged complaints about how nearly suffocating we felt and drank from cups filled with water flowing nearby the factory.

A sip of water after escaping that sauna-like factory tasted incredibly sweet.

“Ah… I thought I was going to die, my lord.”

“I feel the same. Balt… I really thought I was going to turn into a steamed chicken.”

“Ah, haha… My lord, how about asking Ela to steam us a chicken after we finish today’s work?”

Steamed chicken, though it may not taste the same as the ones I had in Korea due to the lack of soy sauce, had its own delicious seasonings that could make it a treat.

Even just eating it with salt would be…

Ah, thinking about it makes me crave chicken. I haven’t had it even once since being reincarnated here…

No matter how good steamed chicken is, it pales in comparison to fried chicken, and eating steamed chicken would only make me long more for fried chicken.

“No, let’s kill a pig today. How about gathering the mercenaries for a whole roast pig?”

At that statement, both Balt and Helmut became intrigued.

“You usually say to save money and only roast chickens, yet suddenly today…”

“Thank you, my lord. It’s been a while since the kids will get to enjoy some treats.”

“Don’t you all have chicken at least once a week? What do you mean it’s been a while?”

Then Helmut delivered an extraordinary response.

“My lord, chicken is low in fat, so it won’t really be a treat. You need to have a pig or cow for it to be a proper feast.”

“… Get a big one. We can salt the leftovers.”

“My lord, long live!!”

**

A few hours later, the first results had been created.

It was approximately a solid liquid the size of a large bowl made from a cart full of radishes.

The serfs, already exhausted and bedraggled, as well as Helmut and Balt, were staring blankly at the solid substance that had the color of corn tea.

They must have been dumbfounded after spending several hours and laboring to grow radishes, only to see it turn into this form.

However, this was precisely the result I had been anticipating.

So Balt, steeling himself, asked me,

“My lord… Is this…”

I interrupted Balt’s words and firmly said,

“Balt, bring me a hammer and a wedge.”

“… My lord?”

“Hurry and bring it.”

Upon hearing my command, Balt grumbled and retrieved the wedge and hammer that were lying in a corner of the workshop.

As soon as I received them, I placed the wedge on top of the solid substance and began to hammer it down.

Each time I brought the hammer down, powder would fly up, sometimes splattering onto my face, but…

I ignored such minor inconveniences and continued to hammer away.

After about five minutes of relentless striking in a trance-like state, it transformed into small clumps and powder.

I took one bite-sized clump and placed it into the mouth of the serf closest to me.

The serf began to flail as I suddenly stuffed the strange clump into his mouth.

However, after a moment, he chewed the clump a few times and made a face of mixed ecstasy and shock before exclaiming,

“My lord, it’s sweet. It tastes like honey.”

Next, I quickly followed suit and put a clump into my own mouth to chew.

It was so hard it felt like chewing on a rock, but I could definitely taste the sweetness of sugar.

It had been quite a while since I’d tasted sweetness, and I quickly chewed through the clump of sugar, savoring the taste.

After finishing the sugar clump, I finally realized that they had been looking at me with rapt attention.

I looked at them and declared with a serious expression.

“We have made sugar. Everyone, try it.”

At my words, everyone began to eat the sugar I had smashed apart.

Relishing the pure sweetness, the serfs couldn’t hide their smiles.

Some even had smiles that stretched from ear to ear.

It was understandable, as sugar was a luxury item that couldn’t be produced in the Eraline Empire, requiring imports from Spania, which took at least one to two months by ship or four months by carriage, making it a precious commodity that even nobles would save.

Given that sugar could easily cost two and a half silver coins for one kilo, when one silver coin could cover ten days of food for a serf, it meant that a serf could live off that money for about 25 days.

If converted to South Korean value, that’s about 300,000 won in actual value.

So for them, sugar would hold a particularly special significance.

I clapped my hands to focus their attention once more.

Instantly, the sugar-induced reverie broke, and they turned back to me.

“You all must produce this. And do not leak it.”

I then looked at the serf in front of me and drew a knife to his neck, stating,

A bit of blood trickled from the serf’s neck where the knife touched, and he began to dampen his pants as if he were about to wet himself.

Ignoring that completely, I solemnly declared.

“I, SIEL von Croilet, swear before the holy Deus. Anyone who leaks this shall die on the wheel, and their family shall face the same fate.”

At this, the serfs looked at me with terror-stricken expressions.

“In exchange, I will guarantee you living conditions comparable to that of a knight. Just wait until I have the means to sell this. You will wear soft garments made of cotton, and your families will eat chicken at least once a week, maybe even roast some beef on occasion. I will pay you enough to provide that.”

Upon hearing this, the serfs wore expressions of disbelief.

It seemed hard for them to imagine a luxurious lifestyle that was usually reserved for knights.

But soon, they could not hide their smiles, as they anticipated a future they had never dreamed of living in luxury.

“Then I will take my leave for now; you are now the workers of this factory. Also, as a means of honoring that promise, I will make sure you eat plenty of pork and various dishes. Balt, I will pay later, so prepare food enough for you all to feast.”

“Yes, understood.”

**

As I exited the factory, Balt looked at me with a voice filled with disbelief.

“My lord, even if those are the ones making sugar, why would you guarantee them living conditions comparable to a knight? They are just technicians, after all?”

I chuckled at his words and replied,

“Just technicians… Do they really seem that way?”

“Well… But it’s not really a special skill, is it? After all, it only took your directives, which you’ve never even wielded a chisel once, for sugar to be made in just a few hours…”

At that, Balt’s expression froze.

It seemed he had realized the magnitude of what I had instigated.

So I calmly smiled while looking back and forth between Balt and Helmut.

“Balt, a cart can hold about 150 kilos of sugar beets. You could sell that for about two silver coins in the market. But by processing it the way I described, it yields 10 kilos of sugar, selling for 25 silver coins. In fact, it’s even easy to make. If the technique gets out, anyone could replicate it. To prevent that, I must treat you all well and keep it hidden.”

Upon hearing this, Helmut asked with a serious expression,

“My lord, are you perhaps planning to… eliminate us?”

I replied nonchalantly,

“No, I’m just asking if any of you wish to be commissioned by me. If I treat mere laborers like knights, imagine how much better I would treat you. At the very least, I’ll ensure you eat chicken every day; aren’t you tired of your vagabond life?”

After listening to my words and thinking for a few minutes, Helmut knelt on one knee.

It seemed he wanted to request to be made a knight himself.

However, for my goals, I needed a mercenary to take on the role of ‘training instructor’… not to mention that I would need examples of people who had gained recognition as ‘nobles’ through their skills and accomplishments to navigate future wars.

So I drew my sword and placed it on Helmut’s left shoulder, saying,

“I, SIEL von Croilet, hereby knight you, Helmut.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Call me lord, just refer to me as sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

**

Weeks later, after accumulating some sugar, I began to move to sell it.

After entrusting the territory to another knight, I disguised myself as a merchant along with Helmut’s mercenary group, crossing the city where Count Nante was staying, heading to the grand Free City of Hamburg.

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