I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me

19 – 9. Potatoes are gods, and I am invincible.

Having made a decision, Ian rode on a carriage and headed towards the place where someone was responsible for farming.

Eri, who was glancing at the potatoes behind the rattling carriage, asked.

“Captain, may I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“Why did you say to bring potatoes?”

Eri still vividly remembered.

The look she gave Ian when she questioned why he was looking for potatoes after saying that he would develop the territory and submit a report.

Of course, she was curious as well.

After all, what could one do with just potatoes?

However, Ian also had his own thoughts.

“Eri… Do you know what our territory’s specialty product is?”

“Are you referring to Bolkanov Territory’s specialty product? I’m sorry… I don’t know.”

“Our territory’s specialty product is venison.”

Since ancient times, Bolkanov earned money by selling venison obtained through hunting.

Occasionally, they also sold leather or crafts made from horns… but the main item they sold for profit was meat.

Because of the cold climate in the north, farming was not possible. Therefore, they focused on hunting.

Of course, they didn’t completely abandon farming.

They used the relatively warm Eshirran territory to do some farming. However, it was only enough to satisfy the inhabitants of the territory, and they couldn’t even dream of selling them.

So, did their dedication to hunting yield good results? Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“Actually, the deer we sell in our territory aren’t very good.”

“But you called it a specialty product, didn’t you?”

After all, a specialty product is supposed to have a quality that cannot be matched elsewhere.

But saying that the quality was not particularly good, wasn’t that just an absurdity?

“I thought that if something was a local specialty, it meant the quality was good.”

“You’re right. We’re a bit unusual.”

“Is there a reason why that is the case?”

“Our Volkanov territory is bordered by a massive mountain range, where we face the barbarians.”

A situation where there is competition over one mountain range.

What’s even more unfortunate is that the hunting skills of the barbarians are extraordinary.

Born and raised in the northern regions, they were naturally resilient to harsh climates, and the rugged mountains were their home.

From a young age, they excelled in conquering the mountains and their hunting skills surpassed anyone else’s. The hunters of the Viscount Reich of Volkanov could not catch up to them.

“The reason why Volkanov now sells it as a local specialty is because the barbarians didn’t think it was good enough.”

A pitiful situation in which they gather and sell the selected scraps.

However, the problem does not end there.

“What’s more serious is that the Hochud territory where we trained also has deer meat as a local specialty.”

“I remember hearing about it. The quality of deer meat in the Hochud territory is excellent.”

“That’s right. Compared to that, our deer are tough and not very tasty.”

On top of everything else, now there are other territories and local specialties that overlap with ours, and we can’t match their quality.

If one were to think rationally, they would admit that further competition is meaningless and look for something else…

But Volkanov wasn’t like that.

“Are they just stupid?”

No, they couldn’t possibly be that stupid, no matter how incapable they were.

They knew it, but there was no other choice.

“When asked what the local specialty of our territory is, if we say that you can find barbarians and mines in our territory, and that you might be kidnapped and become a sacrifice if you have bad luck… If that image spreads, it’s the end.”

The way for a territory to prosper is simple. Earn a lot of money and have many people come.

But what if the image of a city where mines and barbarians lurk becomes associated with the territory?

That’s why they did it.

The reason they marketed deer meat that couldn’t even be considered a local specialty in Volkanov.

Even their own father, Kilain, who was focused on farming, was gathering all the manpower to concentrate on hunting.

However, there was one problem.

“Before long, the barbarians will hold a ceremony…”

They believed in their own gods and had a custom of cleansing the villagers’ bodies with animal blood in their ceremonies.

“To cleanse the villagers’ bodies… a lot of blood will be needed.”

Sure, here is the translation of the novel excerpt:

“So, they were planning to catch all the animals that had been living in the area until now.

The disappearance of the animals was a disaster-like story for the Volkanov residents.

Profits from hunting would plummet, and with no crops in place, the worst famine might be on the horizon.

Eri, who had been quietly listening to Ian’s words, nodded her head continuously. It seemed that her previous curiosity was somewhat satisfied now.

“Indeed, if there is a reason for that, there’s no choice. Is the reason you brought potatoes to get away from that?”

“Yes, in the current situation, agriculture is essential.”

In the original, Ariel used her connections to solve the famine, borrowing meat and plants from her friends in the territory. However, Ian didn’t want to use that method. He was well aware that getting into debt with someone wasn’t a good option. So, he decided to make his own way, and that’s why he chose farming. In the original, there was nothing as abundant as making money with crops like potatoes.

“But… farming won’t be easy on barren land.”

“That’s why I’m doing it. I wasn’t planting potatoes.”

Eri expressed doubt at Ian’s calm words. In response to her seemingly confused reaction, Ian explained briefly.

“Eri… Do you know that? Crops like potatoes don’t care about the condition of the land.”

“They don’t care about the condition of the land…”

“Of course, they’re not as useful as wheat, which is mainly consumed by the empire, but…”

Is it high in calories? Not really. Is the yield high? Even if it is, it’s not as good as wheat. Honestly, compared to wheat, it had no advantage as a plant. However, crops like potatoes had a significant advantage.

“Even in the most barren land, they have an amazing ability to grow.”

In a completely desolate area, if you plant just one potato, it won’t be long before the entire field is covered in potatoes. And that’s not the end of the advantage. It grew dirtily fast. It’s March now, so if you plant it now, you can harvest it soon. Ian was thinking of making money with that. To be precise, using the characteristics of the nobility, he could make money. From ancient times, nobles were extravagant, enjoying luxury and showing off themselves. By using them, he could gain considerable profits.”

Of course, in Eri’s situation, selling potatoes may not seem like much, but…

Ian had confidence.

“You won’t understand me right now… It may be hard to believe… But.”

“No. I believe in you, Captain.”

Before finishing his sentence, Eri tightly held Ian’s hand and gazed at him.

I believe… the reflection of Eri saying those words…

If someone else did something like this, they might feel a trembling and excited emotion…

‘If I fail, I will die.’

Ian vowed to succeed in the potato reselling operation, risking his life.

***

“Sigh… What am I supposed to do about this…”

Viscount Oliver.

He was responsible for Volkanov Baronet’s agriculture, and he sighed continuously while looking at the letter in his hand and the piles of potatoes.

He recollected the situation he had just been in.

“He suddenly came to see me, and I wondered what he was doing.”

Ian Volkanov, who had come to see him claiming to be doing substitute work in place of the ailing Baronet.

He took out a tremendous amount of potatoes from the carriage and handed them to him.

“Why are you giving this to me…”

“Plant and grow them.”

That was what he said, along with the suggestion to try farming.

In reality, there was no problem up until this point.

He had received the title of a Viscount, but he had a natural inclination for farming. It wouldn’t be a problem to just plant and grow these potatoes.

He even felt joy at the thought that they were finally listening to him.

“Just hunting without achieving anything… Is this person a little different?”

He finally came to his senses and thought that they were finally listening to him.

He almost shed tears at the thought that his appeal to the territory, risking his life, had finally worked.

Oliver recalled the words that had been passed down from his grandfather.

“Oliver, the Volkanov territory is a ruined land. You must succeed and escape this damn land! There is no future in this territory!”

The ancestral head of the Volkanov in Oliver’s memories was a foolish person.

A stubborn and unreasonable head of the territory who didn’t listen to the words of the territory’s people.

Certainly, he knew that the lord had been neglecting his estates to eliminate the empire’s adversaries, but that couldn’t serve as an excuse.

In the midst of such struggle to survive, what good was that?

Compared to the lord, the person who came as a delegate this time seemed quite alright.

“Right, until you hear what they have to say.”

Oliver recalled Ian staring at the potatoes stored in the granary to prepare for a famine.

At that time, Ian had said, “The potatoes you brought were small seed potatoes for planting, and the ones stored were for selling.”

Small, uneven, and aesthetically unattractive, with low market value – those potatoes.

It seemed better to plant new ones with good quality rather than replanting those. If he appropriately priced and sold the stored ones, even if the profit wasn’t substantial, it could at least cover some expenses.

Ian agreed with the idea of selling the potatoes.

The only issue was how to determine the price.

“Ian, then… let’s sell these at a bargain. Selling them for about half the market price will quickly yield profits.”

“No… sell them for twice the price.”

“What? You mean, double the price?”

Sell the potatoes that might not even sell at half price for twice the amount.

That’s what Ian had told him.

“I almost thought he was crazy…”

Oliver was about to utter a coarse swear word but managed to calm himself and persuaded Ian.

These won’t sell at all.

If doubled, the potatoes would rot and decay before they even sell. So, they must be sold at half price.

With no choice, he said. However, Ian Volkov, ignoring Lord Oliver’s words, continued to demand selling at twice the price.

“If it’s an ordinary potato, it won’t sell even at double the price. But these aren’t ordinary potatoes.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t sell them as ordinary potatoes. Advertise them as Lord Volkov’s personally cultivated eco-friendly organic potatoes. It must be sold exactly as I described. Got it?”

Eventually, Lord Oliver had to nod his head, swallowing his tears.

And now, back to the present.

Oliver looked at the pile of potatoes in front of him.

“These unfortunate things…”

In the end, they’re destined to rot and decay.

I wanted to secretly sell the potatoes, but as a lowly noble, I couldn’t defy the orders of the count.

In the end, Oliver put aside his sorrow and handed over everything to the person in charge of potato sales.

To emphasize them as “Baron Volkanoft’s specially raised environmentally friendly organic potatoes,” he felt ashamed and cheated… But he still endured and sold them.

“Adults are always right, aren’t they?”

He thought there couldn’t be anyone more incompetent than the previous head of the family… But someone crazier than him came out.

“Crazy people… I’m sick of them. I should just leave here.”

Oliver, who muttered curses under his breath, eventually fell asleep while swallowing his tears.

And the next day, Oliver could not help but be surprised when he saw the visitor who had hurriedly come to see him.

Listening to his words as if he were still half asleep, Oliver blinked his eyes.

“They… They’re all sold out? At that price? They even asked for more?”