TMDWS 4

Chapter: 4

“Alright, the Potato Squad, assemble in the courtyard.”

Brisa had given the knights, led by Philip, the nickname “Potato Squad.”

Philip felt a surge of extreme humiliation. To give knights a nickname like “potato” was an impressively scornful insult.

Of course, I do look a bit like a potato, but isn’t this going too far?

Surely she wasn’t telling us to roll around like potatoes in the courtyard, right?

What’s the use of being a genius who mastered five languages by age seven? What’s the point of memorizing the Imperial Code? Or being called to the Empress Dowager’s banquet at ten for knowing etiquette perfectly?

Philip recalled the praise from the maids and let out a heavy breath.

Even if potatoes grew on trees, would any noble lady believe it…

Naturally, she was their superior.

Before Alphius left, he had instructed, “While I’m away, Brisa will be your master at the Marquis’s residence.”

Still, did that justify turning people into a laughingstock?

Philip resolved to lodge a proper complaint if he met Brisa again in the courtyard. Yet, when Brisa appeared shortly after, she gave her orders with utter seriousness.

“Go to Jezelle Street and buy as many seed potatoes as possible. For early harvest.”

Everyone blinked slowly, unable to fully comprehend the situation.

Was this a joke?

Or some new form of mockery?

Philip, already potato-like in appearance, felt a wave of anxiety.

She’s not going to make us buy seed potatoes and call them our sons, right?

Brisa handed a fairly large box to the stunned Philip.

“Choose ones that are evenly oval, without blemishes or rot. About the size of an egg.”

Huh?

Philip, who had actually farmed potatoes before, was genuinely surprised.

It was spring… a slightly late spring, perhaps, but it was not too late to obtain seed potatoes and plant them.

“Pick ones that are firm, with well-dried skins, and eyes that are evenly distributed.”

This is serious business.

“There’s no one in the Marquisate who has grown potatoes before. So put your heads together and pick good ones. As for the money… sell these.”

Brisa handed the box to Philip.

The maids screamed.

“Kyaaaa! No, Milady!”

“These are your jewels! If you sell these, you’ll have to wear the same jewelry at least once a week! Oh my, it’s horrifying!”

Is wearing the same earrings twice a week really that despairing?

And the maids were not young—they all looked to be in their late 30s to 40s.

Despite his disbelief, Philip took the box.

Then Brisa addressed one of the maids.

“You go with him. Make sure he gets the proper price.”

“No, Milady!”

The maid refused vehemently.

“I could be killed before I sell Milady’s jewelry!”

“Very well.”

Brisa graciously respected her decision.

“I was conflicted between practicality and curiosity anyway. I wondered how much the jeweler would try to shortchange the Potato Squad if they went to sell this.”

She continued, dead serious.

“Make sure to get a receipt, Philip. It’ll serve as a good example of market value and profiteering, and we’ll include it in Sears history.”

The maid freaked out.

“Nooo! I’ll go too!”

Once again, Brisa graciously accepted her decision.

“Very well.”

Thus, Brisa concluded her orders.

The other maids collapsed in despair, as if the entire estate had been lost.

“We couldn’t even protect the princess’s jewels from being sold by the late Marquis…”

“How could we face the princess in the afterlife…? Everything was supposed to be handed down to her from Brisa…”

Brisa remained calm among them.

Was buying seed potatoes really such a dramatic event?

Philip, realizing his limits in assessing the situation, cautiously spoke up.

“Milady?”

“Yes?”

“Why… why are you having us do this?”

“Because I am not in my right mind.”

Brisa answered with utter seriousness.

“I’ve been trying for three days to get myself together, and I failed.”

Philip was momentarily flustered, though he had actually been in that state for a long time. Unsure how to respond, he cautiously asked.

“Uh… this is, um, one of those frivolous noble things, right, Milady?”

Brisa’s expression turned serious.

“Listen carefully, Philip. We don’t know each other well yet, so I’ll tell you in advance: I do not do frivolous things.”

Philip flinched at her earnest declaration.

Come to think of it, Alphius had been considered a commoner until now, so if you exclude him, this was the first real command Philip had ever received from a ‘true noble.’

And it was far stranger than he had imagined.

“Milady, may I ask just one question?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Philip asked the question that had been lingering on his tongue.

“You… do consider us human, right?”

Just a few hours ago, he would have sworn she didn’t see them as people.

But now, facing her directly, it felt strange, yet not entirely impossible.

Had they been misunderstanding something all this time?

Brisa’s answer was indifferent but unwavering.

“I am fully aware that you are human, just like me.”

The knights, including Philip, were astonished at that moment. They had not expected her to say “just like me.”

Brisa added with serious expression:

“And you must eat three meals a day.”

Wait… was that the point of the conversation?

At that moment, the gatekeeper came running urgently.

“Milady! Milady! Th-the, it’s an emergency!”

He gasped for breath as he spoke.

“The head of the Western Grain Merchants Guild has arrived! He demands immediate repayment… he’s been lenient until now!”

Philip didn’t understand what this meant.

Yet the maids, who had been wailing behind Brisa, snickered.

“Looks like the rookie messed up. We’ve always been late repaying debts, haven’t we?”

“Of course, the contract dates were missed every year, but it was tolerated as a matter of custom.”

“Calm down. Marango fishing in our Marquisate is at its peak in early winter. It must be some misunderstanding.”

Marango, a type of freshwater fish, was the main source of income for the Sears Marquisate, whose small but fertile land ran alongside the river.

The maids, who had reassured the gatekeeper, returned to their wailing.

Brisa remained largely unfazed, though she muttered to herself, “Seems like going crazy was the right choice.” Then she said:

“Let’s meet the guild master in the reception room immediately.”

After giving the brief response, she turned her gaze back to Philip and elegantly placed her hand on his arm.

“I’ll leave the rest to them… You depart at once.”

Her voice carried grave weight.

“The fate of our estate’s people depends on the Potato Squad.”

…Suddenly?

Philip felt as if he were being sent to a battlefield.

Brisa’s eyes were serious as she looked at him.

“Do your best with the task at hand, even in difficult circumstances.”

The small hand gripping his arm tightened.

“The future carved by the Potato Squad’s struggle will surely return glory to us.”

She stepped back after saying this solemnly.

“Hurry. Bring the seed potatoes.”

Philip felt as if he had just been given a life-or-death deployment order.

With the maids wailing behind him, the feeling intensified.

Is this what it’s like to receive orders from a ‘true noble’…?

Philip took a deep breath and bowed his head.

“Yes, Milady. Leave it to me. And… I truly apologize for earlier.”

It was clear now that their earlier belief that she had been ignoring them was a misunderstanding.

Indeed, she even gave orders in such a reverent noble fashion.

He felt a swelling pride.

“I am honored to receive such a classic order. It’s the first time, and I’m overwhelmed…”

Wait. That sounded too ridiculous.

Realizing his rambling, he quickly lowered his voice and whispered:

“P-please keep what I just said a secret from others.”

“No.”

Brisa responded immediately.

“It will be recorded in history.”

Then she turned to the gatekeeper.

“Escort him.”

And with a cold gaze, she declared:

“I am going to another battlefield.”

The girl walked away with a rigid, upright posture.