The Villainess Lives Twice

Proofreader: somnium

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This spring has been a very busy time for western administrators.

In addition to the land ledger arrangement, the restructuring plan was introduced.
The proposal of one of the agricultural overseer was accepted.

It was taken for granted in the East, but it was the first time in the West.
In fact, until now in the West, except for some areas close to the central, there was no need to care about agricultural land.

This is because there were times when they cannot regularly farm because of the monster wave.

Moreover, most farmers in the West are self-employed.
The land had to be farmed for a year to barely make a living, and if they had any wealth, they had to prepare for a monster wave.

Therefore, it was impossible to intentionally let the land rest.

But this year was different.
There was a monster wave last winter, but most of them were blocked by rivers and walls.

“In the first place, we should not make a policy based on the collapse of the wall.
If we continue cultivating as we are now, then wouldn’t the limits of our agricultural land come?”

Cedric said so and rallied widely among western officials.
The report piled up like a tower and it was sent to each ministry before calling a meeting.

“The West is prosperous, so there will be no problems for the time being.
It hasn’t even been a few years since the economy started spinning.”

“They said that these days, spring wheat and winter wheat are being planted one after another on the same land.
It’s money these days.”

“The grain dealers are moving tremendously.
It’s a big help to the extent of them voluntarily doing road repairs.”

“Most of the farmers are not moving with a long-term plan in mind right now.
All they can do now is earn as much as they can and prepare for the next monster wave.
We can’t do that, can we? We have to be determined to stop the monster wave unconditionally, and think about what happens after that.
If the wheat yield declines in 10 years, are we going to survive off of Melbon again after that?”

“If we think about 10 years from now, now is the time to raise money and expand the infrastructure.
You spoke well.
To stop the monster wave, we need to prioritize supply routes and construction, not just investing in the Western Army! It’s not a good idea to just focus on how to farm right now!”

“I’m not saying we should discuss the affairs of the Ministry of Defense right now!”

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture clashed in the Imperial Palace conference room.
Chancellor Lin said it was a good meeting and smiled.

It was so healthy and happy compared to the time when they discussed only how to keep the Western Army on a minimum budget and to bring in taxes while squeezing military power to the castle lords.

An agricultural overseer, Forb, like a sack of wheat, sat in a corner and listened to the discussions idly by.

He was highly commended for his discovery of Melbon, and was conferred a barony after Cedric became emperor.

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It was good up to that point.
It was the glory of his life.
A feast was held in his hometown, and his acquaintances gave him all kinds of gifts.

Above all else, there was nothing more joyous than to think that the future of his children had been opened brightly.

He consulted with his wife, and put together all the riches he had received as his reward.
He intended to educate all of his grandchildren to college.

But when he came to the ceremony, he did not think he would be seated in the Imperial Palace.

[“Most of the senior positions from the West are in the Ministry of Defense.
Of course, it can be said that defense is the most important thing because there is nothing more to lose if you lose your life.
But in the end, the basis of people’s livelihood is in the mouth, isn’t it?”]

[“Yes, yes.”]

[“I need someone like Lord who is straight-forward and can do practical things.
Please stay in the Capital and work for me.”]

Forb was thrilled with the undeserved honor of having an audience alone with the Emperor, but he considered these words to be a courtesy.

But the Emperor said,

[“Of course, as an emperor, I am very proud of Lord’s achievements, but more than that, I am grateful as an individual whose hometown is in the North.”]

[“Yes?”]

[“What I couldn’t accomplish no matter how hard I tried, and things that would have been difficult if it was not for a wise person who worked on it, was done based on the character and trust you have built up throughout your life.
Half the power that saved the North is from Lord.”]

By the time it got here, Forb was half insane.
He came out shouting that he would be faithful by giving his allegiance unconditionally, but he thought he was crazy when his excitement was gone.

He returned to the hotel where his wife was waiting and banged his head against the wall.

[“I must be crazy.
How can I work in the Imperial Palace when I have been touching the soil from our field to the others all my life? With those smart and high-ranking people.”]

[“His Majesty must have just said something to congratulate you.
Isn’t it?”]

[“Oh, is that so?”]

[“Honestly, isn’t it time for you to stop working because you’re all old now? So, I guess you’ll be given something like an honorary title.
Maybe it’s just to set an example as you have lived this hard.”]

[“Then, I’m relieved.
Huh, thinking about it, you’re right.”]

[“Let’s take this opportunity to buy a house in the Capital, too.
Wouldn’t it be better here for children to study and learn?”]

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[“That’s right, yes.”]

But before the couple could find a place to live, the house came down as a reward.
It cannot be called a nobleman’s house, but it was a small two-story house with a pretty good garden.

[“I think it’s to let people know that you will be rewarded if you are faithful to your work under any circumstances.”]

Forb was almost convinced that way.

He had no idea that he would really be attending the meeting hosted by the Chancellor.
It was not for a small policy, but a big decision that affected the entire western farmland.

No matter how much he thought about it, it was not a meeting in which a person like him could be involved.
But as he listened, his mouth was itchy and it was hard to bear.

Chancellor Lin noticed that Forb was holding back his words.

“Do you have anything to say, Lord Forb?”

“Oh, what? Yes.
That is…….”

Forb stuttered.
He broke into a cold sweat when he met with high-ranking officials because of his rise to fame.
But he had to say something.

“Most Westerners don’t know what fallow land is.”

The Ministry of Agriculture officials looked puzzled.
Forb started out stuttering, but as he spoke, his voice became more and more confident as he was talking too much of the obvious thing.

“That doesn’t mean you just leave the land unattended, right? If you tell them to make use of the land instead of abandoning it due to the monster wave, everyone will start thinking about reclaiming the devastated fields.”

“Come to think of it…… It always happens.
I always hear stories about border disputes in arable land.”

An official from the West murmured.
He was the son of a wealthy family, and he had never experienced it firsthand because he had come to study in the Capital early.

But it will certainly be like what Forb said.
He guessed it.

“The resistance will be extraordinary.
It is one of the most difficult things for farmers.
So we need to educate ourselves before we worry about running out of agricultural land.”

The audience listened.
Forb licked saliva on his parched lips.

“And if you are concerned about the depletion of agricultural land, you should organize the legal system for reclaiming rather than fallow.”

“Reclaiming?”

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“If yields are low due to a lack of agricultural land, we can abandon farmland and continue to clear new land.
Until now, in the West, once a monster wave has passed, there are a lot of things that have to start over anyway, so I don’t know why they didn’t manage it.”

“Oh, the land ledger is going to be messed up for some other reason than the East.”

“If it lasts a decade or so, the problem will become very serious.
The plains in the West are much wider than in the East.”

The officials of the Ministry of Finance and Agriculture quickly agreed on a common problem.
And thanked Forb .

“If Lord Forb had not pointed it out, we would have missed the most important issue.”

“We must integrate agricultural rearrangement and agricultural land-related education at once.
As you said, it would be good to implement the restructuring plan in advance, even in some regions.”

The meeting was decided primarily.

Unlike the time when Forb entered the conference room, when he came out, his legs gained strength.
His shoulders were straight.
Didn’t he act quite competently today?

“Lord Forb.”

Chancellor Lin called him.

Forb looked back in surprise.
His heart raced, wondering if he had done something wrong.

He looked back at the etiquette that he had memorized last night until he couldn’t sleep.
He should have bowed to the Chancellor again before he came out.

However, Chancellor Lin suggested that he didn’t have to do that, but in a polite and kind manner.

“How about having a cup of tea in the common room for old men to relax?”

“Me, me, with the, the Chancellor?”

“The number of young people is increasing these days, so it’s good for everyone to work hard, but it’s a bit tiring for an old man to keep up.
You have to rest in between.”

Chancellor Lin smiled mischievously.
Forb smiled awkwardly after him.

“It’s good to see.”

“You’ll soon find out that it’s only good to look at.”

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Without understanding the true meaning of those words, Forb willingly followed Lin, thinking that tea time with the Chancellor would once again renew the glory of his life.

* * *

In doing so, officials in the West had to take on an enormous amount of work.
Even if the upper management gave guidelines and budgets, in the end, the actual work had to be done from the bottom.

“That’s why I ask for your cooperation, Miss Lysia.”

Secretary Ranie reported.

In policies targeting self-employed farmers in the West, a grain loan office was inevitably involved.

In the past two years, a significant number of new officers have been hired.
However, the administrative power still did not reach the entire western region.

A new register and agricultural map were being written.
The ledger of the grain loan office was much more accurate than the government office’s that they must ask for the cooperation.

Even after the plague had subsided, Lysia remained in the West.

It is hard to say if there are more pitiful feelings in the North, or more in the West, and it was difficult to distinguish between superiority and inferiority.

But it was the West that actually needed Lysia.
The North could move with Cedric’s orders alone, but the West needed an otherwise influential person.

However, she did not assume the position of Governor of the West.
Lysia knew that she had little administrative capability.

It is better to remain as a symbol.

In the West, she was the little saintess who drove the plague away.
Lysia claimed to be the Saintess’ agent and the Westerners did not hesitate to worship her, knowing that it was the Empress who caused the miracle to prevent the flood damage.,

It was just right because the Saintess was in charge of the grain loan office both as a symbol and as a substance.
It was also positive to give the impression that the Empress cared for the West through the grain loan office.

Lysia folded the letter, which she had been holding for hours, and put it back in the envelope, even though she had read it all.

Normally, when people visit for an important issue, Lysia usually meets with them in person.

But when she got the letter, she told them not to disturb her for a while.
So she asked Ranie to wait, instead.

Ranie glanced at the envelope on the desk.
It doesn’t look like there was anything special among the many letters brought to Lysia today.

The secretary wondered if there was a plea that particularly touched Lysia’s heart.