Farming in the Magical World

"Tell me, what's the current situation with the Grummans?"

Once everyone was seated, Angus spoke in the hall, his voice neither loud nor soft, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, almost as calm as a straight line.

Although Angus did not name names, Lanny knew he was being questioned. After all, Tim did not have noble status and was not even qualified to sit at the table; he could only stand behind Lanny.

"Your Excellency, the Grummans attacked the castle three days ago, but were stopped by the moat in front of the castle gate. Presumably fearing Your Excellency's power, they fled in panic that afternoon. According to the information we obtained by sending people to follow them, this group has now returned to the Grumman Mountains."

Lanny spoke very simply, glossing over the battle that took place in front of the castle gates, and not even mentioning that more than twenty people had been killed in the castle.

Tim, standing behind him, was surprised. He wondered if Lanny's statement was really alright. The Earl had noticed the security guards when he entered, and they had even come from the guards' camp.

But something even more incomprehensible happened before him.

Angus simply nodded noncommittally, casually remarked "Not bad," and said no more.

Instead, Brant, who had followed them in, looked incredulous and shouted, "How is this possible? This is absolutely impossible! You, Lanny, can defeat those vicious Grummans? With just that bunch of lowly people in front of your castle?"

Brant-Artois, like Lanny, is a subordinate noble of the Earl of Enno. His territory is located next to Castel Ridge, and the towns of Fallen Leaves and Andes, which it includes, were severely damaged in the recent banditry.

He had repeatedly sought help from the Earl, claiming that this band of bandits was extremely vicious and needed the Earl's support.

But if we follow Lenny's logic, wouldn't that make him seem incredibly incompetent?

Hearing his hard-earned security detail being looked down upon by this fat man was naturally unbearable for Tim, who immediately retorted, "Who said they... ..."

Lanny interrupted him before he could finish, grinning at Brant and shrugging. "Who knows? Maybe they were afraid of the Earl's power and feared being wiped out, so they ran away?"

"you... ..."

Brandt was furious at Lanny's smug and lazy demeanor. He was about to retort when he suddenly realized what was happening and shut his mouth.

The Earl is still here. How can he refute him? Does he mean the Earl is completely helpless against these Grummen? That after chasing and intercepting them for half a year, they still managed to escape? Or does the Earl have absolutely no power?

Unless he's crazy!

"All right"

Hearing the argument between the two, Angus suddenly spoke up, stopping their quarrel, and asked about another nobleman who had come with him.

“Reinhard, I remember you’ve been sending men to follow these bandits. Tell me, is what Baron Wells said correct?”

Lanny was startled to hear that someone had been following this group of Grummans.

He had always thought that Angus couldn't deal with this band of bandits, mainly because he couldn't keep track of their movements in real time, but he didn't expect that wasn't the case at all.

That's strange. Why doesn't my "father-in-law" eliminate these people and let them run rampant in his territory? What is he planning?

Leonard was around forty years old, the prime age for a knight. He was physically strong, with a square face and big eyes, and his armor made him look very imposing.

He first stood up and bowed slightly to the Earl before speaking loudly, "I have indeed been keeping an eye on these bandits, but because scouts cannot get close, I am not aware of what happened at the Wells family's gate. However, I can confirm that these Grummans have indeed returned to the mountains."

"But..." He looked puzzled again. "For some reason, these guys split into several teams and left separately. It's really hard to understand."

Then he looked at Lanny, August's son, who was considered one of the two great forces of the Enoch family alongside himself. "Lanny, do you know why? What exactly happened at the castle gate back then?"

Looking at the middle-aged man's gaze, although it didn't reveal much emotion, it was clearly much calmer than the disdain shown by the other barons, and he addressed her more warmly.

Could it be that Leonard has some connection with his family?

“I don’t know, Mr. Leonard. You know I’m not good at fighting!” Lanny sat up straight, shrugged seriously, indicating that he was also puzzled by this question.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Angus's expression shifted slightly, and he suddenly spoke up, "Now that it's confirmed that the Grummans have escaped the territory, you should take your men and return to the territory as soon as possible!"

Ok?

The barons in the hall were all a little confused.

What do you mean? We went through all that trouble to be summoned from our territory, and now we haven't even seen the Grummans, and you're telling us to go back?

If it weren't for the fact that the person in front of them was an earl, they probably would have already shouted, "Are you putting on a show?"

Leonard was clearly a straightforward person. Upon hearing Angus's instructions, he immediately stood up, gestured to the others, and then scurried out of the hall.

Only after his figure disappeared from the hall did the remaining nobles react. They hurriedly stood up, bowed to the count, and then rushed after him.

Soon, the noble soldiers who had been lying or sitting scattered not far from the castle stood up and, after a long commotion, slowly walked away into the distance.

Inside the castle, after everyone had left, Angus forced a smile and looked at Lanny. "Lanny, my good son-in-law, I'm late. Are you alright? How is Tiffany?"

Looking at Angus's fake smile, Lanny felt a surge of disgust and really wanted to slap him hard across the face.

But he knew he couldn't do that.

This was his superior nobleman, his wife's father, and his father-in-law.

While there is no absolute concept of obedience to superiors in this world, respect for elders and superiors is indeed a universal value.

"Thank you for your concern, Father. Tiffany is living well in the castle, but she misses the Einar family a bit and often tells me she wants to come home. Last time she came home, you were busy, Father, so you probably didn't notice!"

While exchanging pleasantries, Lanny felt extremely uncomfortable. He struggled to suppress his nausea, and his smile appeared very stiff.

Angus didn't seem to notice his expression and was clearly not really concerned about Tiffany's condition. He then changed the subject and started talking about other things.

"I heard you've been having a tough time lately?"

Angus looked at Lanny, a sorrowful expression appearing on his handsome face. "I haven't had a chance to visit you since your father passed away. I hope you can find solace, my child!"

Lanny, after a moment's thought, nodded in agreement. "I know Father has been busy hunting down those damned Grummen lately and hasn't had time to spare!"

“The family has indeed been struggling financially lately, so we’ve been thinking that it will be difficult to repay the money we owe you in the short term. I wonder if Father could grant us some more time!” As he spoke, Lanny looked troubled, as if the castle was really so poor that they couldn’t even afford to eat.

Tim, standing behind Lanny, felt his eyes light up as he watched the two of them talking nonsense with such seriousness.

Silently labeling the two as "cunning long-haired foxes" behind their backs, he felt that he was really not suited for this kind of thing, and that training the guards was much more enjoyable.

Hearing Lanny's words, Angus pondered, stroking his beard with a troubled expression. "Well, well, the Eno family isn't having an easy time either. I'm afraid... ...difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he looked up at Lanny and said slowly after a moment of contemplation, "It's not that there's no way!"

Lanny looked delighted and asked repeatedly, "Father has a way? What way?"

He sneered inwardly, thinking to himself that he would see what kind of plan this "father-in-law" would come up with today, and what methods he would use to trick his "son-in-law".

Instead of immediately revealing his solution, Angus brought up his previous encounter with August.

"You may not know this, but when August borrowed money from me, he did so in the name of Lord Caster and agreed to repay the money in a year. Naturally, the person to whom the agreement was made was also Lord Caster."

"If you write to His Majesty the Great King and voluntarily relinquish your lordship of Caster Ridge, the debt will naturally be transferred to the new lord, and you won't have to repay it, right?"

Hearing Angus's words and seeing the Earl's seemingly well-meaning expression, Lanny finally understood what the Earl was up to.

The kingdom does not allow higher-ranking nobles to easily change or revoke the titles and territories of lower-ranking nobles. Each noble must be officially recognized by the royal family and the king in order to be accepted by the kingdom. This is naturally to maintain the stability of the nobility.

However, there are exceptions. Apart from cases of extinction of lineage and rebellion, it is also possible for a nobleman to voluntarily relinquish his noble status.

Of course, since the founding of the kingdom, there has never been a nobleman who voluntarily gave up his territory and title, never.

Looking at Angus's smiling face, which seemed to be saying "I'm thinking of you," Lanny felt annoyed again, but the current situation didn't allow him to hesitate.

"But, but!" Lanny stammered, feigning difficulty, but couldn't get a coherent answer for a long time. This made Angus, sitting in the main seat opposite him, become somewhat impatient.

Looking at Lanny, his expression suddenly changed, and he said coldly, "The Grummans have gone mad this time and suddenly ran away. You are lucky to have escaped."

“But Lanny, my good son-in-law, do you expect to rely on luck every time? You must remember, one of the tasks assigned to the Wells family to Caster Ridge was to defend against the Grummans!”

Click...

A thunderclap suddenly exploded in Lanny's mind.

He finally understood why the Earl allowed these Grummen to run rampant in the territory, seemingly without any recourse.