I Was Reincarnated as a Marquis in Another World

When I first arrived in this town, my impression was precisely this.

“Wow, and there hasn’t been a rebellion yet. It’s amazing. Wow, it’s a miracle.”

Because the town, which was called a bountiful plain where the wind temporarily stopped, was now barren as if a famine had hit.

This region had historically been considered a grain-producing area within the Croilet Count’s territory, and beyond the Count’s land, it was renowned as a prosperous village in the nearby provinces.

In the times when the Bailiff’s corruption was absent, it was rumored to be a pleasant place to live with good-hearted people compared to other villages.

How else could you explain that serfs from other realms secretly tried to settle here?

If they were caught trying to cross over, their hands or feet could get chopped off.

However, there was no trace of such situations in present-day Windheim.

The villagers’ serfs were emaciated, and the granaries, which should have been full of grain, stood empty.

On the villagers’ tables, there was only a thin porridge with bits of wheat and barley, along with boiled cabbage lacking even a sprinkle of salt.

Ah, there were even cases where they drank water that smelled foul from boiling cabbage out of sheer hunger.

At this rate, this winter would likely claim the lives of numerous serfs in the realm due to starvation.

Isn’t this too much to bear?

“Balt, Balt. Why is this realm so hopeless?”

Then Balt, who was beside me, laughed as if amused by my obvious question.

“Well, the former Bailiff embezzled a lot. They say, after returning the livestock and grain to the serfs, what’s left amounts to about 200 gold coins.”

“….”

I was at a loss for words. No, I couldn’t even speak.

One gold coin roughly constituted a year’s living expenses for one poor farming household, so that insane Bailiff had amassed enough to sustain 200 households for a year in a region with a population of just over 2000…

Impressive; I simply couldn’t fathom how obsessed this man was with money.

“Wow, it’s truly miraculous that no one has starved to death on a large scale yet. Right, Balt?”

“Indeed. Thanks to that, we’re the only ones suffering, aren’t we?”

Though he was right, if this realm hadn’t become such a mess, even with me being the heir to the lord, there was no way I would have been granted this at just 15 years old.

Because there are many knights and just a few territories. No matter how much the Count tried to act unilaterally, there’s no way he could use a realm of this scale merely for an heir’s education.

No way. Absolutely no way!

“Let’s think positively, Balt. It’s precisely because this realm is like this that I have the opportunity to showcase my capabilities, right?”

“What if you fail? Where, exactly, does your confidence in success come from? In a few months when barley and wheat run out, 5% of the serfs here are bound to starve.”

“Don’t worry. I have alternatives.”

Upon hearing this, Balt turned to Ela, smiling as he said, “Ela, your master is quite nonchalant. How can he remain so calm in such a situation?”

Then, Ela looked at me with confident eyes and said, “My master will be able to do it. Because he is my master… the one who saved me from the Bailiff… the people of this town will surely help him as well. My master will be able to do it.”

Balt sighed as he said, “…. Yeah, you’re right. Your master is the invincible one who slaughters corrupt Bailiffs as soon as he goes out on inspection. I thought I was going to drop dead in fright. Yeah, that’s right.”

As we chatted in the Windheim square, the village heads of the realm began to gather at my mansion.

Well, calling it a mansion is a stretch; it was merely the house that the Bailiff used.

“Thank you for coming. Are you the village heads of this realm?”

“Yes, that’s right, Young Master.”

I smiled at them and said, “I am SIEL von Croilet, the rightful lord of the Croilet Count’s domain, the heir to the Croilet Count, and a vassal who has received Windheim as my territory. Today, I’ve come to inform you that I will be governing here, as well as to present my policies.”

At my words, the expressions of the village heads before me brightened.

A noble who returned to them the livestock and grain they had lost had now become their lord, and they likely held expectations that I would treat them well.

Even if I weren’t a good lord, I would undoubtedly be better than the Bailiff who had managed this place, giving them hope that their lives might improve.

The oldest among the gathered village heads soon knelt before me, kissing my feet.

“Thank you! Thank you for returning our grain and livestock! Though the amount is insufficient to last until the next harvest, this should prevent many serfs from starving to death. Thank you so much, my lord…”

As soon as he finished speaking, the other heads quickly kneeled and bowed their heads to express their gratitude.

There was no pretense or falsehood on the faces of all the village heads—only sincere gratitude.

I had merely done what was necessary to survive without attending the Academy, but in their eyes, it was an act worthy of such deep thanks, which caught me off guard for a moment.

However, on the other hand, I felt a real sense of pride.

During my several decades living in Korea, I had never received such heartfelt thanks even once.

So I felt a significant sense of achievement for what I had done.

“No, I merely did what was expected of me as a noble. Now, let me convey my policies.”

At my words, the heads watched me intently, their eyes wide, as if determined not to miss a single word.

“Alright, first, in the fields where you planted and harvested wheat this year, you will plant turnips next year, and in the fields where you planted barley this year, you will plant beans next year.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the heads stared at each other in silence, doubting whether they had heard me correctly.

They exchanged silent signals with their eyes, seemingly forgetting that they were standing before their lord, and began to raise their voices.

“What? No, to plant crops in the same fields we farmed this year for next year? If we do that, the land will dry out and we won’t be able to expect a harvest! Young Master…”

“Yes, that’s right. Yet…”

“It’s not that we don’t trust you, Young Master, but typically, land that has been farmed needs at least a year to rest before it can be farmed again. And to plant turnips in wheat fields and beans in barley fields…?”

“Honestly, it makes more sense for our youngest boy to become a knight!”

Logically speaking, they were right.

Because this concept is rarely applied in modern times, but when farming, if the same land is used to plant crops consecutively, the nutrients will deplete, rendering it unusable.

Of course, the crops grown continuously would fail as well.

Great scholars call this “continuous cropping damage.”

So I responded in a manner that acknowledged their concerns, saying gently, “Hmm, you’re correct.”

Upon hearing that, the heads’ faces brightened, thinking I was about to retract my statement.

However, at that moment, I declared firmly, “But this is an order from the lord of this land. You are to prepare to enforce it as soon as you return.”

This time, the faces of the heads turned pale.

Imagining the scene where my order leads to famine and death for their families and village residents was not pleasant for them.

“Ah… no, no matter how I think about it, this isn’t right.”

“It seems you’ve grown up nobly, Young Master, and perhaps don’t know, but farming is traditionally done by allowing the land to rest. That’s what the Deus said…”

“Yes. It’s not for no reason that farmers let the land rest, Young Master.”

The village heads continued to try, at all costs, to persuade me to retract my order for a little while longer.

No, they shouted loudly like court officials during the Joseon era, risking their lives to speak against me.

I understood—I really did.

Because I already knew the results of my order, but for them, it was a lottery-level gamble that risked their and their families’ lives.

When it comes to investing spare money, people often tremble while seeking recommendations from family and friends, but risking the lives of themselves and their families with a year’s worth of farming is a whole different matter.

Yet, I said without heeding their words.

“I’ll say it once more: this is my order. Do you dare refuse it as serfs? Do you think I’ve retrieved your possessions from Bailiff Mars and look down on you? I’d like to think you wouldn’t.”

Hearing my words, the serfs, or rather the village heads, seemed to sense a life-threatening crisis and rubbed their necks with their hands as they responded.

“Understood, my lord. As long as our lives…”

Even though I had shown them my good side, enforcing discipline like this from the beginning isn’t a good idea.

Therefore, I decided to offer them a suitable incentive.

“Instead, I’m not like Mars, who doesn’t take responsibility for his actions. If your farming fails, I will buy you the food you need to survive next year.”

Upon hearing that, the faces of the village heads before me lit up with joy.

Well, since I have more credibility compared to other lords, telling them that even if they fail, I would ensure they have food and that success would yield significant benefits wouldn’t seem bad at all.

Then, I delivered my order to them.

“Now, go and act according to my commands.”

**

While inspecting the realm, I heard the voices of serfs complaining from afar as they were plowing the fields.

“So the lord really said to plant turnips in the field where wheat was sown?”

“That’s what I heard. Oh, my… Well, the lord said he’d take responsibility if farming fails, but what is this? I’ve been taught that fields where wheat has been grown need to rest for a year, yet he’s saying to plant turnips right after the wheat harvest…”

“Hah, true. There are other lands where we need to sow wheat and barley…”

“Just adds to the work, doesn’t it?”

I could step in and smile, asking, “What’s all the complaining about?” but.

Intervening like that would seem as if a battalion commander was directly criticizing the soldiers doing their work, so I had to hold back.

And there’s no way they could understand my current plan.

From the outset, what I’m attempting now is a method that would create a “miracle” that was unheard of in this world.

Moreover, this miracle is merely a part of the development plan I envision for the Croilet Count’s territory.

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