Chapter 36: Beneshof’s Pride

After completing the exploration of the sixth floor of the Rock Mountain Labyrinth, Dennis reported the results to Egmont.

“I see. So, the monsters on the sixth floor were goblins, kobolds, and orcs. And even Amelia and the others were able to defeat them,” Egmont remarked.

“They took them down without any problems,” Dennis confirmed.

“Are Amelia and the girls truly formidable, or are the monsters on the sixth floor simply weak?”

“It could be compatibility between the True Names they possess and the monsters. But I don’t think those True Names would be effective against monsters like ogres,” Dennis responded.

“What’s your plan then?” Egmont inquired.

“I aim to investigate the means to overcome an ogre,” Dennis replied.

“I understand your eagerness to explore the seventh floor. Nevertheless, ogres pose a significant threat. It might be wiser to consider using the resources on the sixth floor for the benefit of the Beneshof territory.”

“…I want to know what the seventh floor is like, but I will follow my father’s opinion.”

Dennis and the others continued their exploration of the sixth floor, confirming the abundance of plant resources. They planned to dry and preserve the spices, except for wasabi, and research their potential uses in cooking.

Strawberries and loquats were particularly well-received by the women and children. Elise seemed fond of strawberries, while Margot took a liking to loquats.

On that day, as they were enjoying loquats in the dining room, Egmont returned from his study.

“I received a message from Geralt in the royal capital, as well as a request from His Majesty the King. They both want us to come to the capital.”

“For my brother’s wedding, I presume. But why would His Majesty want us there?”

“It’s likely regarding the Damian Bandits. They want to hear more details. There might even be a reward involved,” Egmont speculated.

And just like that, Dennis’s family prepared a carriage and set off toward the royal capital.

The journey to the capital took seven days by carriage. Considering young Margot’s presence, they adjusted the travel schedule without pushing themselves too hard. Upon reaching the royal capital, Dennis and his family stayed at Baron Gratzel’s residence, where Geralt was to be married.

Gustav Bires Gratzel was the commander of the second Cavalier unit and held the title of Baron, but he did not possess any territories. Nobles of this kind were known as royal capital nobles.

Capital nobles held important official positions that supported their families with the income they received. Despite not having any territories, the salary from their official positions was more than enough to lead a prosperous life.

Therefore, they provided thorough education to their successors, and in families without male heirs, they chose excellent sons-in-law. Since Geralt was chosen, it was evident that he had been deemed exceptional.

Elise, Dennis’s mother, and his sisters Amelia and Margot were delighted to see Geralt after such a long time. Geralt took Dennis’s hand and apologized for burdening him with the territory’s responsibilities.

“I apologize, Dennis. You will face hardships because of me.”

“I may face hardships, but it is a worthwhile duty.”

“It seems you’ve been summoned by His Majesty.”

“Yes, I believe it’s regarding the Damian Bandits.”

“Weren’t those bandits originally soldiers from the Duke’s household? They should have been elite soldiers. It’s impressive that you were able to defeat them.”

“It was all thanks to Carlos and our soldiers’ successful ambush.”

Geralt tilted his head in confusion. He knew the skills of the squires and soldiers from the Beneshof territory. They shouldn’t have been capable of defeating soldiers from the Duke’s household.

“Did Dennis retrain them?”

“Well, yes,”

Dennis revealed that he had trained the soldiers in the labyrinth.

“I see. The Rock Mountain Labyrinth, huh? I never thought of using the labyrinth. Maybe Dennis is more suited to be a lord.”

Dennis smiled wryly, recalling that he had heard those words before. He had never considered himself well-suited for that role, though.

The audience with His Majesty seemed like it would be held later than Geralt’s wedding.

On the day of the wedding, Dennis and his family dressed up and attended the ceremony. Amelia happily wore the dress that Dennis had bought for her, made from second-hand clothes.

“Beautiful dress… Margot wants one too,” Margot pleaded with Elise. Elise smiled and instructed her to ask Dennis.

“Big brother, Margot too.”

Dennis, who was asked by his cute little sister, of course, agreed. He didn’t mind being called lenient; he just didn’t want to be disliked by Margot. The responsibility of strict education could be left to their parents.

The wedding, held at the Azrul Church in the royal capital, was quite normal for nobles, but Amelia, who had never left the Beneshof territory before, found it to be an amazing ceremony. She even declared that she would have her own wedding in the capital as well.

Two days after the wedding, Dennis and Egmont made their way to Montal Castle, commonly known as the Swan Castle, which served as the royal palace. They were escorted to the audience chamber, where they knelt before King Manfred.

King Manfred commended Dennis and Egmont for their efforts in annihilating the Damian Bandits.

“Egmont of the Beneshof territory, and Dennis, your deeds were remarkable.”

“We have merely done our humble duty as nobles of our homeland, the Kingdom of Zelman, Your Majesty,”

“There is no need to be humble. You defeated the men that Duke Uldarius had underestimated. You can be proud of your deeds. By the way, the report stated that it was Dennis who defeated Damian. Is that true?”

“Yes, indeed,”

Dennis replied, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible,

“Marvelous. Damian was a master of the Hartman Swordsmanship and he was said to wield the treasured sword known as the Darkwolf sword. What happened to that treasured sword?” King Manfred inquired.

Dennis resisted the urge to click his tongue and gave a concise response.

“It was broken.”

King Manfred’s expression shifted from surprise to amusement, and he chuckled.

“I see, it was broken. That treasured sword was said to have been crafted from the fangs of the mighty Wolf King Fenrir. It was believed to be unbreakable… How did you manage to break it?” King Manfred inquired.

If it were an ordinary person asking, it would have been a question that didn’t require an answer. However, the person asking was the king himself.

“It was through the use of True Names. I employed a variation of the True Name ‘Ultrasonic Wave’.”

“Ultrasonic Wave, a True Name that is considered useless. I shall have the scholars look into this,”

After Dennis and the king had their conversation about True Names, the king asked what reward would be suitable.

“If it pleases Your Majesty, I would like permission to establish salt fields,”

“Salt fields, hm? Salt fields are rewards bestowed upon noble families who have achieved meritorious deeds in battles with other nations.”

“Even a small piece would suffice. I don’t mind having just one salt field,”

In this kingdom, a “salt field” referred to an area of approximately 100 tsubo in size. The salt production in this country employed the method of solar evaporation, so it took time for the salt to be produced.

A salt field smaller than fifty in size would not be feasible for salt production operations. King Manfred, aware of this, became intrigued. He wondered how a single salt field could make a salt production venture successful.

“Very well. I hereby grant permission for one salt field,” King Manfred declared.

“Thank you very much.”

As a reward for vanquishing the Damian Bandits, the Beneshof Territory was granted permission to establish one salt field. Egmont, who had hoped to receive the reward in the form of gold coins to repay his debts, gave priority to the opinion of Dennis, who has done distinguished deeds.

However, the authorization for a single salt field held great significance for the Beneshof Territory. This was because Dennis had retained memories of the salt production methods employed in Japan.

When Dennis learned that he might receive the reward from the king, he investigated the possibility of obtaining permission for a salt field. He was disappointed to discover that the customary practice was to bestow such permits upon those who had demonstrated bravery in wars against other nations, as the king had mentioned.

Nevertheless, he persevered in his research and uncovered a single instance where a noble who had eradicated a large group of bandits had been granted permission for salt fields. However, the number of salt fields allocated in that case was limited.

To ascertain the minimum required size for commencing a salt production venture, Dennis enlisted the help of Masaya to investigate the salt production methods. The latter soon discovered that an area equivalent to a single salt field would be more than sufficient.

Upon returning to the Beneshof Territory, Dennis constructed a tidal salt field near the coastal area close to the town. The tidal salt field was composed of a gentle slope covered with clay, known as a cascading board, and a framework made of interwoven bamboo branches.

Incidentally, he used a plant similar to bamboo for this purpose.

Water from the sea was directed into the cascading board, where the sun’s heat would evaporate the moisture, resulting in an increased concentration of salt in the seawater. The highly concentrated seawater was then collected in a circulating tank. By allowing the seawater from the circulating tank to drip down onto the bamboo branch framework, the moisture was further evaporated by the wind.

The seawater that had reached an even higher salt concentration was referred to as “brine”. The brine was boiled in a flat kettle for approximately six hours until it reached a salt concentration of about twenty-four percent. This process was known as rough boiling. Next, the rough-boiled brine was left to cool for about a day and then filtered using charcoal and sand.

Subsequently, the filtered brine was boiled again in a kiln for approximately sixteen hours to produce salt. The freshly obtained salt contained impurities known as “bittern”, so it needed to be left to rest for several days for the bittern to settle and be removed.

With the ability to produce salt within their own territory, the Beneshof Territory found itself propelled towards significant development. Salt was a vital resource, an essential element in human life.

As Egmont beheld the salt field that Dennis had created, he remarked,

“Truly, you possess the talent befitting a lord.”

“Is that so? I believe the ability to come up with ideas like this is different from the talents required of a lord.”

Though burdened by lingering debts and various other challenges, the Beneshof Territory slowly but surely became a more livable territory as Dennis actively participated in its management.