Chapter 27: The value of the Sange Grove

Several days had passed since Masaya tested the true name he obtained from the Carbuncle at the quarry site.
It was around this time that Dennis, from the other world, woke up in Beneshof territory.

Having defeated the Dryad in the Shadow Forest Labyrinth and obtained its fruit, Dennis returned to Beneshof with Egmont after observing his grandfather, Jerg, recover from his illness.

Elise, Amelia, Margot, and Elma had decided to stay and take care of Jerg in Cliff until he made a complete recovery.

Upon returning to Beneshof, Dennis wasted no time and called upon the blacksmith Dirk and the carpenter Franz to the mansion, requesting their cooperation in building a press and a grinder.

The Sange grove, resembling camellia flowers, had already grown large fruits.
It was time to harvest the fruits and prepare for oil extraction.

The first step was to investigate the Sange grove and estimate the amount of labor required.
The territory’s squire, Carlos, was made to assist in making the estimation.

Carlos who was a childhood friend of Egmont’s and a valuable asset who had supported the Beneshof territory for many years, was also adept with numbers and had excellent social skills.
Egmont relied on him because of that.

Dennis arrived at the Sange grove together with Carlos.

“Can we really extract oil from these fruits?” Carlos asked.

“No doubt about it.
The real problem is how many Sange fruits we can gather,”

Collecting Sange fruits was a labor-intensive task, much like harvesting camellia seeds.
However, since they had to pay wages, they couldn’t gather an unlimited number of people.

The Sange grove turned out to be even larger than Dennis had anticipated, giving him confidence that they could gather a significant number of fruits.

“By the way, do you know how much we can sell the oil for?”

Carlos inquired.
Dennis recalled the information he had obtained from the general store owner, Kasper.

“I heard that the oil crop had a poor yield this year.
I believe the prices will be higher than usual,” Dennis replied.

Oil crops were plants that bore fruits similar to peanuts, and the oil used by common people was made from those fruits.
Based on the information Dennis had received from Kasper, it seemed that one liter of oil would fetch four silver coins.

Days passed as Dennis made preparations for Sange oil production and ventured inside the territory’s labyrinth with Finne and the other girls.
Finally, the day of the Sange fruits’ harvest arrived.

Around fifty of the townspeople had been gathered for the harvest.
Each person held a basket and scattered around, beginning to pick up the Sange seeds.
When the Sange fruits ripened, only the seeds would drop to the ground.

About half of the work involved in the Sange fruit harvest was collecting the fallen seeds.
However, since not all the seeds had fallen, there were also individuals assigned to use sticks to knock down the fruits still clinging to the branches.

Finne and Jasmine also participated in the harvesting work.

“Sir Dennis, I’ll do my best to gather a lot,” Jasmine said.

“I’ll do my best too,” Finne added.

The two of them seemed enthusiastic.
While Dennis was away, Finne and Jasmine had fought against slimes and poisonous bats on the first and second floors of the Rock Mountain Labyrinth.

Dennis had given them permission to explore only the first and second floors.
It seemed they had sold the mined zinc and tin to the general store owner, Kasprr, earning themselves some spending money.

On this day, a large quantity of seeds was harvested.
They separated the seeds from the shells, discarding any damaged or worm-eaten ones, and kept only the ones in good condition.

The harvest of Sange fruits couldn’t be completed in just one day.
While the townspeople continued the harvesting work on the following day, Dennis began preparations for oil extraction.

Dirk and Franz had successfully completed his requested press and grinder.
Most of the components were cast iron, but wood was used in some parts.

After drying the seeds, the Sange fruits were steamed in a steamer and left to cool for a day.
The cooled fruits were then pulverized in the grinder, and pressure was applied in the press to squeeze out the oil.

The accumulated Sange oil was collected in prepared barrels and boiled once before being filtered using paper.
The resulting oil was a beautiful golden color.

The barrels of Sange oil were stored in the mansion’s warehouse.
These processes were carried out simultaneously, and the number of oil barrels in the warehouse continued to increase until it was filled to the brim.

Dennis then called Kasper, the general store owner, to estimate the selling price of the oil.

“Typically, if you take them to the capital, you can sell them for 250 gold coins, or 200 gold coins if you take them to Cliff,” Kasper replied.

Egmont’s eyes widened upon hearing this.

“That’s fantastic! With this, we can repay the money we borrowed from Baronet Victor.”

Around those days, a messenger arrived from Baronet Victor of the Barras territory.
The messenger, Manuel, had a servile smile and a face resembling that of a raccoon.

“I bring a message from Baronet Victor.”

According to the message, starting from next year, the interest on the debt of the Briones family would be doubled, which was a unilateral decision that left Egmont fuming.

“This is outrageous!”

However, Manuel responded coldly, brushing off his objections.

“If you have a problem with it, then you must repay the entire debt by the end of this year,”

Egmont grew furious, his face contorted into that of a demon.

“Father, please calm down.
Remember our warehouse,” Dennis said.

“T-That’s right,”

Manuel grew suspicious of Egmont’s sudden return of composure following Dennis’s words, but he proceeded with the rest of the message.

“Baronet Victor is also aware of the situation in the Beneshof territory.
For that, If certain conditions are to be met, he is willing to cancel the plan of doubling the interest.”

Egmont regained his composure and sought clarification.

“What are these conditions?”

“The condition is that your territory’s central Sange grove will be leased for a period of 100 years,” Manuel said.

“Does that mean it will be free of charge?”

“Yes, exactly so.
Baronet Victor will visit in ten days to receive your response.”

“Very well, please inform Lord Victor that I understand,” Egmont said.

After Manuel departed, Egmont and Dennis headed to the mansion’s warehouse.
They entered and checked the oil barrels placed inside.

“We must sell these as soon as possible.
Fetch Kasper,” Egmont instructed Dennis.

Dennis called for Kasper, and the three of them engaged in a discussion.
They decided to sell the oil in Cliff.
A group of men was hired, and the oil barrels were loaded onto wagons to be transported to Cliff.

In Cliff, Kasper negotiated with the oil merchants and sold the oil for 231 gold coins.
The Sange oil was of exceptional quality, and Kasper’s negotiation skills proved invaluable, even managing to sell the oil at a slightly higher price.

“Young master, I mean, Sir Dennis.
Where did you learn the process of making Sange oil?” Kasper asked curiously.

“Well, I have a friend who taught me the method.
It was thanks to that friend’s guidance,” Dennis replied.

“Oh, I see.
That’s quite enviable.”

Dennis and Kasper engaged in conversation as they made their way back to Beneshof together.

“I must say, Sir Dennis, I am delighted that you have become the territory’s successor,” Kasper said.

“Why is that? Big Brother Geralt graduated with excellent marks from the Royal Zelman Academy and is highly skilled in martial arts.
I believe he would make a fine lord.”

Kasper shook his head.

“Sir Geralt has always been supported by Lord Egmont, so he does not fully grasp the importance of money.
On the other hand, you, Sir Dennis, are willing to bargain even with small-scale merchants like us.
It’s quite admirable.”

Dennis furrowed his brow, sensing a hint of criticism in Kasper’s words.

“Are you implying that since the oil negotiations went well, I should increase your compensation?”

“You truly understand quickly, Sir Dennis,”

Dennis smiled wryly and promised to add an extra gold coin to his compensation.

Behind Dennis and Kasper, a cart that was loaded with Sange oil was being transported back.
However, the cart wasn’t empty.
It carried some supplies that Kasper had purchased in Cliff.

“However, didn’t you buy too much?” Dennis asked.

“No, I believe these things can be sold now,” Kasper responded.

“Why… Ah, could it be the compensation paid to the townspeople when making the Sange oil?”

“Indeed.
Common folk tend to want to buy things when they have money,” Kasper said.

The cart was loaded with everyday necessities such as household supplies, flour, thread, and scraps of fabric.
It also contained bottles of liquor, sugar, cheese, and pepper, which were purchased by Dennis.

He planned to treat the people who had helped with the oil-making process to drinks and sweets.

“But isn’t it extravagant to buy sweets made with sugar?”

“Once a year is fine.”

Upon returning to the Beneshof territory, Dennis handed over the gained gold coins to Egmont.
It covered the principal and interest of the debt.
Egmont, upon seeing the gold coins, remarked,

“Victor, the one who thought of taking over the Sange grove as interest, has quite the audacity.”

“But the fact that he desired that grove indicates that he knows how to make the oil.
We shouldn’t let our guard down.”

Egmont nodded in agreement upon hearing Dennis’s words.