My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

“W-what is that supposed to mean…?”

Asked Armin’s supply officer.

Elric’s answer was the same as before.

He smiled brightly, as if he were stating the obvious.

“Is there a problem? From our perspective, the most reasonable buyer for us is the Empire. Or, would Armin be able to provide us with the same conditions?”

It was impossible.

Setting aside everything else, Armin simply did not have the budget that the Empire did. 

What made an empire an empire? Even after leaving the vast land that an empire controls out from one’s calculations, they would still hold an exponential advantage in power and wealth over all other nations. 

In the end, there was only one thing that Armin’s supply officer could do.

“Y-You’ll break the market! It will create a bad precedent! Don’t you understand that burdening the buyer with distribution costs will be disadvantageous to Wiven in the long run!?”

It was definitely a possible scenario.

However, not one person in the room was unaware of the flaws in his argument.

It was Polo who spoke up.

“Pfft! It’s ridiculous to worry about the entire market collapsing over a single trade here. The competition for wheat imports ends here anyways. Besides, we’re in a time of war, and that’s why the Empire has made this decision due to the unique circumstances. We’ll just have to see how the war goes next year, only then will we be able to tell who is right in buying the wheat from this estate now.”

“You can’t just assume that the war will end next year!”

“Can you guarantee that next year’s battlefields will still be in stalemate as they are now?”

“Well…!”

He had no answer.

The situation on the battlefield had come to a head with the fall of Chebol.

Most of those who could read the battlefield knew it.

At best, in six months, more than half of the countries currently at war would be annihilated.

“Are you finished?”

Armin’s supply officer could do nothing but squirm in his seat in response to Elric’s question.

Something was seriously wrong.

In that moment of realization, his gaze turned to Tyria.

“What do you think about this deal, my lady? Do you think this deal is right for your territory?!”

The returned lord of the territory had clearly stated it himself.

His wife was the true ruler of this estate.

If that was the case, then there was no other place he could turn to but her…

“…If that is my lord’s decision, then I’ll abide by it.”

She answered with her eyes tightly closed.

Armin’s supply officer’s eyes widened in disbelief.

His intensifying emotions were visible through the red blood vessels that had risen in his white eyes.

“Sigh, everything’s already over as soon as we arrive. I was hoping to soak up a little bit of the countryside before my departure back to the west.”

Polo’s words were clearly a desperate plea.

And so was Elric’s demeanor in his response.

“Anyway, the trains will stop running soon. Please stay for the night and leave tomorrow.”

“I thank you for your kind hospitality. However, as a soldier of a nation at war, it is not my place to prioritize personal comfort. I will leave on the last train of the day.”

Looking back, words had been exchanged back and forth, as if in a give-and-take situation, with no end in sight.

And so, it shouldn’t have ended this way, but there were no uno reverse cards that he could pull out to try and change the situation.

Even Disha’s supply officer was showing signs of resignation, and sympathy for him.

“Hmm, we were lacking in information. This time, it’s our defeat. The meal was delicious. We’ll also leave by the end of today.”

“Hey!”

“Armin, that’s enough.”

Thud–

Armin’s supply officer shuddered.

And Disha’s supply officer looked particularly grim as well.

“Please, keep your rampage to yourself and restrain from excessive actions. Disha is a nation of knights, and as such, we are taught to be honorable, to accept victory or defeat in the same manner, in the manner of a true soldier.”

“I, I…”

“Remember, this is the last time that we will stand face to face with each other whilst not drawing our swords.”

His words were indeed true.

Though their fronts were far apart, as the war escalated, Armin and Disha would eventually have to cross swords.

There had only been one reason why the two of them hadn’t taken each other’s lives here and now.

They were in a foreign country, and as representatives of their nations, they couldn’t afford to cause trouble and harm their country’s reputation in a foreign land.

“Well then, it seems like things have been settled.”

Despite the situation spiraling out of his control, there was nothing Armin’s supply officer could do. 

He could only scream internally.

Everything had gone wrong.

This one-sided transaction had not just been wrong, but profoundly wrong, and he had had no opportunity to rectify it.

‘What the hell…?!’

How ugly it would be to be left hanging, alone, between the two other supply officers who wanted to leave today.

It would go beyond being pathetic, bordering on disrespect.

Considering diplomatic relations, it was already evident that Ugil couldn’t engage in such actions as a representative. And so, as Armin’s supply officer, he could only hang his head low.

It was his complete defeat.

And so the opposite was true for Elric.

‘This is MY COMPLETE VICTORY.”

‘THAT’S RIGHT– I WIN!’ [1]

As Elric watched the three supply officers leave, he let out a long sigh.

‘Part of me just wanted to slit their throats back then.’

He didn’t like the sight of the scarecrow-like, thin man’s back. 

But acting on those emotions would have only made things worse for Tyria.

Therefore, he had come up with a plan, a scheme.

He had manipulated the direction of the transaction using Polo and Disha’s supply officer to flow the opinions to his side. Of course, Polo had been the one to execute this process.

In any case, the double work required sending a portion of the wheat to Disha… a burden that could not be borne by Portman.

Outwardly, the burden of distribution costs would be borne by the Empire.

“Milord.”

Tyria opened her mouth.

“Was it your doing, Milord?”

Elric’s pupils trembled violently.

“A-Ano…?”

He was taken aback, wondering why the arrow had suddenly turned towards him.

Meanwhile, Tyria lowered her eyes and replied to his stammering.

“I see.”

Her tone was one of understanding.

Elric felt his heart drop.

“W-What are you talking about? I…”

“I didn’t know that you had a connection with the Empire.”

Had she overheard his conversation with Polo?

A sense of crisis washed over him.

“During your wanderings, did you not have any dealings with the Empire’s personnel? That’s the only way I can explain their favor towards you.”

“Ah…!”

“Armin’s quartermaster seemed too flustered to notice, but in my eyes, it appeared as if both of you were engaging in some sort of conspiracy. If it was my misunderstanding, I apologize…”

“Y-Yes! It’s true! I once visited the Empire and had dealings with a noble there!”

A cold sweat trickled down Elric’s back.

It was a relief that Tyria had “figured it out” by herself, sparing him the struggle of coming up with an excuse.

Suddenly, Elvus Grayman’s words came to mind.

-“Those who believe in their own competence are sometimes consumed by their own speculations. When faced with sudden or incomprehensible situations, they try to weave causes and effects together based on clues that fit into understandable scenarios. In most cases, their speculations turn out to be wrong. I’ve experienced the same thing myself.”

Tyria’s competence had led her into a trap.

Whatever the case, it was a good thing for Elric.

“I hope that there will be an opportunity for you to introduce me to them next time.”

“Uh, yes. But for now, shall we go inside?”

“Alright.”

Elric breathed a sigh of relief as Tyria turned towards the mansion first.

‘It’s finally over.’

The threat of him being discovered had passed.

Now, he wouldn’t have to deal with these types of situations for a while.

The tension drained from his body.

Elric tapped his knee, which was aching as ever, and then followed his lady into the mansion.

Polo returned to the capital of the Mahir Empire.

A grand city of steel and steam, known as the heart of the continent. 

The magnificence of the colossal fortress made the surrounding countryside of Wiven seem even more idyllic.

Lost in such contemplation for a moment, Polo eventually pulled out a note from his pocket.

‘Will this really work?’

Polo swallowed his dry saliva.

The note was a crudely scrawled letter on a piece of torn paper from Kasha.

It was to be delivered to the Grayman estate.

And its intended recipient was Elvus Grayman.

With a hint of doubt in his mind, Polo arrived at the Grayman Estate.

“What brings you here, sir?”

“I am Polo, the third son of Viscount Noteum. I have come to meet Lord Elvus.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but this is really… an urgent matter.”

As expected, it wasn’t going smoothly.

At least, that was what he thought in that moment.

“Well, if you’d like to follow me, I’ll see if I can inquire whether or not he’s free today.”

Polo was slightly surprised at how easy it was to get ahold of him.

He might have been a bastard, but Elvus Grayman was still one of the prodigies of the Grayman Family.

To think that, to meet him, one only had to show up and ask.

It was almost as if the whole thing was some kind of prank orchestrated by Kasha and Elvus Grayman.

Soon after.

“A guest? And from the Noteum Family, no less?”

The voice came from the closed reception room.

“Hmm… Well, that’s fine. It just so happens that I am free right now. Please, come in.”

His voice was as gentle and refined as it had been five years ago.

Polo cringed as he suddenly recalled the incident at the banquet five years ago.

Swish–

The door swung open.

“Lord Noteum… No, Supply Officer.”

Beyond the door was a man in a wheelchair.

Due to the backlight streaming in from the windows, his facial features were not clearly visible.

Only his dazzling, platinum hair and gold, molten eyes could pierce through the light.

And his androgynous silhouette was enough to disorient Polo’s vision.

“For what reason have you come all the way here?”

Polo swallowed nervously.

“It’s been a while, but I’m not here due to personal matters… I’m here to deliver a letter.”

And with that, Kasha’s letter was delivered to Elvus Grayman.

Yet, Polo, who was eager to get his business done and go home, didn’t grasp many things.

Amidst his anxiety, he had heard two important things and had seen one important thing.

“Hehehe…!”

It was the sound of Elvus cackling.

“So, my friend has been enjoying a vacation in a corner of the world after all the things he has done.”

Raising his head, Polo could see it.

A mischievous smile, like that of a young boy’s, hanging over the corners of the enigmatic, but mysteriously handsome man’s lips.

[1. Note, clearly this was not a part of the original translation, I just had to add it for the memes.]