"Bwuther! Let's play!"
"Of course! What should we play today, Elisha?"
Three years passed quickly, and now I'm four years old. Elisha, my cute little sister, is three. And since we're basically the only ones in that age range in this small fief, we always play with each other.
What? I'm an old man playing with a kid? What's wrong with that?!
Cuteness is justice!
"Uhm... uhmmm! That! That one where I go zooom~!"
"Oh? Then better not tell Mother or Father later, okay? Or I'll get in trouble!"
"Awwrite! I pwomise!"
Of course, I know her promise will be broken easily. She's a kid, after all. But I can't refuse her cute request at all.
"Then, brace yourself!" I said as I stretched my hand toward her. "Dominator's Hand!" I activated my skill.
It was the same skill that sent the pervert priest flying before. But compared to back then, its level had risen even further. Now, my control was refined enough that I could do something like this!
"Waaah! I'm fuwaying!" Elisha cried in joy as she flew overhead.
But of course, what I was doing wasn't simple either.
I wasn't just moving her like a toy plane.
I used appraisal, which had reached max level long ago, to figure out the direction she wanted to go and followed her wishes.
In short, it felt to her like she was controlling the flying speed and direction herself, making it quite "exciting" and "enjoyable!" Still, I always adjusted things for safety, avoiding overspeeding or letting her bump into anything.
"Y-Young lady! Young master!!!"
"...Ah."
Naturally, flying in the backyard meant the maids could see us through the manor windows.
Elisha was happily waving at them, but I could already feel the hour-long nagging waiting for me.
…Well, it's all worth it to see my little sister smile!
---
After years of implementation, the fief's farms were already producing more than the previous averages. The method was now used by all farmers in the territory. This boosted the barony's annual income and added points to Father's "Royal Task" set by the king.
Court Mage, the Witch Krystal, even went as far as asking Father for permission to use this method of farming for other pioneering fiefs like ours.
Who would've thought that an old ha—no, a beautiful lady like her would go so far for others?
Anyway, we agreed, but not for free.
It was in exchange for a 5% reduction in our annual taxes!
Well, 5% might seem small, but with annual taxes being 25% of yields and income, it was basically cutting off a fifth of our taxes. We could then use that extra money for other projects.
Of course, 25% was only the standard for pioneering fiefs like ours. Taxes for normal fiefs could reach up to 50% on average, or 75% at worst!
And with the spread of the Four-Category Crop Rotation System, Father's name spread as well.
Not only that, but even with the little "advice" I gave him now and then, he turned into a huge asset for our territory.
Things like the buddy system for soldiers, double-entry bookkeeping, personal hygiene practices, and how to handle sick people. Especially the last one—it was the main cause of death in the territory.
Though I had no specialized knowledge, just knowing the difference between a cold and a flu, and how to handle each, was enough to keep winter casualties down to near zero.
With fewer—almost no—deaths, the populace became livelier, and their work improved. A positive cycle began, snowballing from there.
In just a few years, the size of our land and population more than doubled.
The taxes we had to pay tripled in amount, but we had more leeway now than ever!
Lastly, Father's contributions to the kingdom, thanks to his various ideas (from me, which I let him take credit for), increased so much that the king couldn't help but decorate him. His rank rose from Baron to Viscount in one go!
With a higher rank, the cap for the number of soldiers we could draft increased.
And with more soldiers, combined with the buddy system and other improved tactics, the yearly thinning of magic beasts in the forest became much easier.
Oh, right. I haven't talked about that, have I?
Each pioneer village bordered a Magic Beast Forest, and their royal task was to reclaim that land.
In the forest, monsters like goblins and such—common in fantasy stories—could be found. Sometimes dungeons even appeared, causing the entire kingdom to mobilize.
Oh, not because it was dangerous.
Rather, because dungeons were treasure troves of resources. Each kingdom protected its dungeons strictly, ensuring others didn't misuse them.
Well, it had nothing to do with us anyway.
Dungeons were rare, after all.
Mining was a higher priority.
After thinning out monsters in the forest, we reclaimed enough land to reach the foot of a nearby mountain. There, a mine was planned.
"From the survey, there's a high chance of finding iron and silver, and a low but solid chance for mithril," I said, reading the report I wrote myself.
Of course, this was because I was the one who "found" the traces.
Appraisal, at max level, was really convenient. It could even tell me the composition of the soil and rock samples I asked them to fetch, without any laboratory equipment.
The mountain had roughly 10% iron content, 0.3 parts per million (ppm) of silver, and 0.001 ppm of mithril. That was the average across multiple samples, but each hinted at the possibility of ore veins.
"Mithril, huh…" Father sighed, leaning back in his chair. "If there really is mithril there, then it'd be great…"
"..."
Of course, I understood his concern.
If we found a Mithril Vein, even just a few kilograms would be enough to raise his rank by one, becoming a Count.
It was just that precious.
But even if we couldn't find a vein, it wasn't like there was no way to get mithril… this jar of soil in my hand is proof enough.
Huhehehe!