IHBWAT 08

Chapter 8

It Was Not That I Didn’t Believe You—It Was That I Did

Additional reward granted.

• You have obtained a Territory Skill Level-Up Ticket.

He could now upgrade one additional skill.
And as the territory level increased, he could also raise one more category level.

[Elimis Territory (Lv. 2)]
[Economy (Lv. 1)] [Military (Lv. 0)]
[Culture (Lv. 0)] [Environment (Lv. 0)]
[Mana (Lv. 0)] [Special (Lv. 0)]
[Diplomacy (Lv. 0)] [Education (Lv. 0)]
[Remaining Points: 1]

‘So the next step is…’

Food problems would likely be mostly resolved for the next five years.
The population was small, so improving the economy had been the right move.

Now Cliff shifted his focus.

[Military (Lv. 1)]

From here on, he would develop the territory’s military strength.

There was a reason for this choice.
Until now, Elimis Territory had nothing worth stealing. Everyone was too poor for thieves to even exist.

But now, the warehouses were filled with valuable goods.

‘It’s time to start thinking about security.’

Given how badly nourished the people had been, things were already fragile.

A guard force was necessary.

As the category level increased, he received three skill points.

Cliff reviewed the available skills:

• Physical Training (Lv. 0): Improves the efficiency of soldiers’ physical training

• Morale Maintenance (Lv. 0): Soldiers do not lose hope even in harsh and dangerous conditions

• Combat Will (Lv. 0): Soldiers do not fear or avoid battle

• Protective Will (Lv. 0): Soldiers gain greater responsibility in guard and escort duties

He examined them one by one.

‘We’re not going to war with another territory anytime soon…’

And this wasn’t about preparing for large-scale battles.

So the choice was clear.

Protective Will.

Despite the name, its effect was obvious: loyalty and sense of belonging to the territory.

‘This is what I need most right now.’

Final allocation:

• Physical Training (Lv. 0)

• Morale Maintenance (Lv. 1)

• Combat Will (Lv. 0)

• Protective Will (Lv. 2)

Responsibility and hope.

Even a responsible person could change their mind if their situation became desperate.
That’s why morale support was also essential.

Next, he used the remaining skill upgrade ticket.

‘This one goes here.’

Seed of Life (Lv. 1)

• Increases the chance of seeds germinating

• Improves survival rates even in harsh environments

The results would likely only be visible next year.
Originally, he planned to upgrade it later.

But—

‘There’s no guarantee I’ll get another chance to level it up immediately.’

Just as he finished organizing his skills, Nigel arrived.

“…Acting Lord, the Tom merchant group has finished storing all goods in the warehouse and returned to their lodging. They plan to leave tomorrow morning.”

“Good work, sir.”

“…How exactly did you obtain those goods from them?”

At first, Nigel had only been impressed and amazed.

But now, he was worried.

‘What if the young acting lord, inexperienced as he is, simply forced goods from the merchants…?’

And if word of that spread beyond the territory…

‘Elimis would collapse and never receive supplies again.’

Nigel felt heavy-hearted.

Cliff’s simple answer only deepened his concern.

“They gave them as gifts. As congratulations for my marriage to Priscilla and my appointment as acting lord.”

A gift of that magnitude?

Naturally, Nigel did not believe it.

His expression hardened.

“Acting Lord. We must return those goods immediately!”

“Return them? We can’t afford to refuse gifts like that. And the people already believe these merchants are royal support. What do you think will happen if they learn otherwise?”

“Even I admit we need the supplies right now. But goods taken without proper payment always bring trouble later.”

Cliff fell into thought after hearing Nigel’s words.

‘Here comes the old-man disease.’

The familiar “this must not be done” energy had started.

Of course, this was a misunderstanding on Nigel’s part.

Cliff briefly hesitated.

‘Should I correct him or not?’

The hesitation didn’t last long.

“I will not be returning the goods. More importantly, sir, we now have enough stored food that can be used as currency. We should use it to train soldiers.”

“Acting Lord!”

“It’s fine, really. Nothing bad will happen. They’ll come again next year… and the year after that.”

Nigel felt despair listening to him.

In his mind, Cliff was repeating the same mistake he had assumed earlier.

‘The acting lord has set a trap for them… but such traps are easily broken.’

Without real power, such schemes were fragile.

Cliff was young and inexperienced, that was all.

He had likely learned aristocratic tactics in the ducal household—but those only worked because of overwhelming power.

‘Elimis doesn’t have that power.’

Nigel sighed and left the room.

“…He is intelligent, yes, but still inexperienced. He may make a serious mistake.”

He walked toward Tom’s lodging.

Inside, the merchant officer was speaking heatedly with Tom.

“What exactly did that young noble do for you to hand over the goods so easily?”

Nigel froze.

‘Trouble is already starting.’

He entered.

The room fell silent.

“I have no excuse for this matter,” Nigel said, bowing deeply.

The merchant officer grew even more agitated.

“Excuse? Do you know how much this costs? Hundreds of gold just for grain and fifty geese! Transport costs alone are enormous! We came here in good faith!”

“I… have nothing to say. I am sorry.”

But Tom tilted his head.

“Sir Nigel… did you not receive any explanation from the acting lord?”

“…I have heard the general idea. I understand what he intended. That is why I apologize further.”

Nigel offered to write letters to nobles in the capital to mitigate damage.

But Tom interrupted.

“Central nobles…?”

“Yes. Not great figures, but enough to help…”

Tom chuckled.

“Sir Nigel… you misunderstand everything.”

“…?”

“We have already been paid.”

Nigel froze.

“What do you mean?”

“We received a letter of introduction to the Duke of Addren.”

Not exactly a formal introduction—more like a personal letter.
But in practice, it functioned as one.

“And we also received a very valuable gift.”

If that gift truly reached the duke…

It was an opportunity to meet a duke directly.

That value could not be measured in gold alone.

Nigel realized, stunned.

‘A letter of introduction to a ducal house…?’

He suddenly understood something.

Cliff was from a ducal family.

Of course he could write such a letter.

Even if he was estranged, a noble letter still carried weight.

‘Then… the goods were already paid for.’

Nigel swallowed hard.

He had been completely wrong.

“…Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Tom spoke with admiration:

“The acting lord is an extraordinary man. His name will likely be known across the kingdom in the next generation—perhaps sooner.”

That admiration reached Nigel as well.

Later, Nigel returned to Cliff.

“I misunderstood you. Please punish me.”

Cliff replied calmly:

“The wisdom of those in higher positions cannot always be measured by those below. Not understanding is not a sin.”

Nigel hesitated.

“…Why didn’t you correct my misunderstanding?”

Cliff leaned back, thoughtful.

“If I told you directly, would you have believed me?”

“…No.”

“Exactly. People don’t easily remove the glasses of doubt once they’re on. It’s faster for a third party to correct them. And look—you came to apologize yourself, didn’t you?”

Then Cliff smiled faintly.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. It was that I did.”

Nigel’s eyes widened.

A strange feeling filled his chest.

He didn’t understand it.

But his nose stung slightly.