The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 191
Just because you sprinkle this powder, it doesn’t mean the land will become abundant starting tomorrow.
Sansar had explained long ago that the green stone of abundance needed time for its energy to seep into the ground.
Like a bear hibernating for winter, the land also needed periods of sleep and rest.
Only then would abundance seep deep into the earth, and with each passing year, more bountiful crops could be harvested.
As it stood, the duchy had nearly given up on farming altogether. Most of the residents were now working in mining or similar trades.
“It’s strange. It seems like crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, beans, corn, arrowroot, taro, yacón, or cassava should be able to grow well enough here.”
“Arrowroot, taro, yacón, and cassava…? I know potatoes and corn, but how are ‘sweet potatoes’ any different?”
At Zerti Bellion’s words, the Kalutans exchanged puzzled looks.
‘As expected, Kaluta must have its own set of crops that they grow.’
Kaluta, a nation that had long isolated itself from foreign lands, had kept its culture completely to itself, so there was no sharing of their ways with the outside world.
‘I figured they must have their own staple foods.’
Fortunately, Roxelyn’s assumption seemed correct.
The Kalutans, apparently surprised by what they’d heard, glanced at each other, scratching their heads, before one of them spoke.
“The ones you mentioned are some of our staple crops in Kaluta. Do you not have them here in the Empire?”
“We grow potatoes and beans as well… but I’ve never heard of the others. We brought in corn from other countries, and I thought it was difficult to cultivate, wasn’t it?”
“Oh…”
The Kalutans sighed softly at Zerti’s words, surveying the area around them before breaking into broad smiles.
“Lady Roxelyn, it’s making sense now why you said you needed help with farming and food supplies…”
One of the men murmured to himself, nodding enthusiastically.
“Luckily, we brought some of our crops from Kaluta with us, just in case. It seems we’ll be able to show you. Come with us.”
“Go on, Father.”
Roxelyn waved her hand lightly.
‘That worked out well.’
She had been feeling slightly fatigued, with the continuous back-and-forth of concerns and nagging—a perfect mix of worry and admonishment urging her to go inside or take care of things later.
“Aren’t you coming along?” Zerti asked.
“No, I’ll look around a bit more before I head back.”
“…You might catch a cold.”
“I doubt it.”
“My daughter, you know that ‘doubt’ always brings trouble.”
“……”
He always knew how to render her speechless.
Truth be told, Roxelyn often fell ill after overexerting herself, so it wasn’t an entirely unfounded concern.
“Really, I’ll be fine.”
As soon as Roxelyn finished speaking, Zerti Bellion removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Roxelyn’s eyes widened slightly.
“Roxelyn.”
“Yes?”
“If you get sick, I’ll want to die, too.”
Zerti Bellion fastened the jacket on her as he spoke. Roxelyn responded in a calm tone.
“That’s quite extreme.”
“A bit.”
Zerti looked at her, not entirely satisfied.
“Thank you, Father.”
As a child, Roxelyn had always wanted to run around outdoors.
“I’ve always wanted to receive something like this.”
“……”
“But I was always too sick to go outside…”
Roxelyn continued, her lips moving slowly as she spoke.
“And whenever I tried to do anything, Father would suddenly appear, glaring at me, telling me to stop causing trouble and asking me how much more of a burden I intended to be by moving around on my own…”
“…My daughter.”
“Yes, Father.”
“It seems you’ve held onto a lot.”
“Yes.”
“I apologize. But in the future, please remember to breathe when you speak. It’s terrifying.”
When Roxelyn burst into laughter, Zerti’s eyes widened before he, too, smiled and patted her head.
“Take care, my daughter.”
“…Yes, Father.”
Roxelyn nodded and smiled faintly as she watched Zerti Bellion and the Kalutans walk away.
Afterward, she resumed her stroll around the duchy, sprinkling the green powder as she went.
Although the crystals were small and she only scattered them in a few key areas, the abundance would spread throughout the land. In a few years, the duchy would likely be able to harvest plenty of crops.
‘For now, it will start with the hardiest crops…’
As farming began to flourish, people would likely start researching ways to grow better crops even in these harsh conditions, and agriculture would develop as a result.
