Apparently the man was from the Swiss cheese guild but had been expelled after being branded a heretic. Unfortunately, no one knew what had become of him after he was driven from the royal palace. The Crown Prince’s gaze drifted toward Lily.

Lily was savoring her wine with a blissful expression on her face.

Finding the sight endearing, a smile bloomed on the Crown Prince’s lips.

"I absolutely love this wine!"

Lily seemed to have taken a liking to Rosenheim wine. Beren had three wine brands, but outsiders lumped them all together as Swabian wine. Only connoisseurs bothered with the specific brand names.

Rosenheim wine was characterized by its low alcohol content but remarkably sweet aroma. Beyond that, there were high-proof schnapps, cherry brandy (Kirschwasser), cider, and others.

"You mentioned a firearms demonstration this afternoon?"

"We received fifty firearms and three barrels of gunpowder. Letting them sit around would be the real waste."

"You might be the first knight I’ve met who wants to use firearms."

Distrust of gunpowder weapons was strongest among the knights. Viktor and Fiel didn’t oppose them, but they didn’t welcome them either. They were quite put off by the smell of gunpowder and didn’t want to go anywhere near it.

August felt the same way, but now that he had more to worry about regarding territorial defense than upholding the spirit of chivalry, he focused on weighing the pros and cons of firearms. An excellent attitude for a military officer.

The Gale Knights were a cavalry force, so they were a separate matter. But I had the ambition to develop most of the Streit family’s levies into gunners, so I pushed ahead with it.

I planned to fill the pikemen ranks needed to protect the gunners from the duchy army.

Michael had already promised to cooperate.

The connection of being the War Minister’s son-in-law really came in handy at times like this.

The age of firearms was coming, and you couldn’t cling to heavy cavalry charges forever. Other places might differ, but in Feuzen, my will was law.

After the meal, I spent the morning reviewing the production figures that Hilda and August had reported. Since the passive skill (Industry: Production +10%) had been applied, I could now properly assess the results.

In particular, the meeting hall had the Streit shield crest hanging in it, which boosted efficiency to 20%. Had production actually increased by that much? In a word, yes.

Hilda, having transformed from my loving wife into a capable administrator, had identified problems with the women working at the meeting hall and found time being wasted beyond the existing quotas.

Once she eliminated that wasted time, production began exceeding quotas by a significant margin. Thanks to that, Hilda had earned a reputation among the residents’ wives as a meticulous and thorough manager.

Under the senior handmaids Sabine and Priscilla, there were four additional handmaids.

Bailey, Chief Wentner’s sister and August’s wife.

Neria, wife of the standing army commander Oscar.

Natalie, the daughter-in-law of Gale Knights Vice Commander Viktor.

And Stella, wife of the firearms manager Ralph.

Since they’d all been hired through an interconnected web of personal connections, Bailey was the only handmaid of common birth. And it was the lady of the estate’s role to lead these handmaids.

They were probably more afraid of my bride than of me.

Hilda was also fully in charge of managing the serfs. Those who had gone from wealthy farmers to serfs overnight were put to work in the manor’s vineyards, gardens, and livestock pens. They were also making fertilizer.

There were also other attendants: three from among the local residents, and five competent ones selected from the laborers who’d come from Breisburg. Daniel managed all of them.

"What do you think, Wolf? Good results, aren’t they?"

My bride seemed to be hoping for praise, her eyes sparkling like stars in the night sky. Hilda had splendidly demonstrated her abilities as the lady of the estate. I stroked her cheek.

"Not just good. Outstanding."

My sincere praise seemed to fill Hilda with deep satisfaction. She beamed and leaned against me. The softness of her body and its warmth reached me. She’d been acting especially spoiled lately.

"I wanted to be helpful to you, too, Wolf."

"Just having you by my side is already an enormous help."

"Really? I can’t help you on the battlefield like the knights can, but I want to be a wife you can rely on to hold things together here at home. Does a dream like that bother you?"

I always want to be recognized by you. Her glistening eyes drew me in, and before I knew it, I’d pulled her into my arms. Her lips were sweet and soft as wine. Her heated breath tickled my ear.

"Ahem, my lord. It is currently working hours."

Daniel, who had been standing silently, cleared his throat.

I’d just been scolded by Daniel for carrying on during working hours.

When Hilda pulled away with a sheepish grin, a grumble escaped me.

"When you marry Sabine, you’ll be just as bad as us, you know."

"Me? Of course I might be, but I keep work and personal matters separate."

I learned from Master Goring, he said. Without so much as a change in expression, Daniel declared it boldly. He’d grown remarkably as a butler. I’d had my doubts about him at first, but now he even knew how to speak his mind.

Fine, you’re right.

You should keep work and personal matters separate.

In any case, I confirmed that production across the entire estate had increased by more than 10%. With Hilda’s efforts on top of that, the results exceeded even that figure, which was very satisfying from an estate management standpoint.

The horse ranch construction that Winter was spearheading was also nearing completion, and the area around the estate had stabilized. Now it was time to predict how things would unfold once the declaration of war—which was fast approaching—was issued.

Hmm, the most threatening lord in this area wasn’t Radensdorf but Basel. If Basel sided with the East and joined the rebels, a clash with the South would be inevitable.

My territory was within Rosenheim, which shared a border with Basel. So rather than attacking the rebels’ center, securing the South first would be the top priority.

That was why I was out at the parade ground now.

The Crown Prince, along with Eisenach and even the guardsmen, had all shown up to attend the firearms demonstration. It was a rare spectacle, so naturally they were curious. The knights had gathered in full as well.

"I-I’ll now b-begin the firearms demonstration!"

Ralph was so overwhelmed by all the soldiers’ eyes on him that his hands were shaking. I was worried he might drop the match cord. After some trial and error, he finally managed to calm down.

Bang!

Pffft!

The arquebus’s muzzle spat fire.

A thick plume of gunpowder smoke billowed up.

The sound was loud enough that the standing army soldiers holding their own firearms nearly dropped them in shock. I’d warned them beforehand that doing so would result in severe punishment, so fortunately they held on.

The onlookers murmured.

"How is it that loud?"

"Is that the devil’s smoke I’ve only heard about?"

After several attempts, a hole was punched through an old iron-plate breastplate set up fifty meters away. When I showed it to the standing army soldiers, their murmuring fell silent.

"Impressive firepower, isn’t it? At close range, a bullet can kill even a knight in full armor. With that very weapon you’re holding."

This firearm could kill an armored knight?

To commoners, knights were objects of both terror and admiration.

My goal was to change that mindset.

"Farmers? Shepherds? Hunters? If you can master this weapon, a knight could die by your hand. So stake your lives on learning how to use these firearms. I’ll make you into men who can."

It was such a bold statement that the field went dead silent.

But in the eyes of the standing army soldiers—mere commoners—a flame of aspiration was kindling.

The aspiration that they, too, could play a leading role on the battlefield.

And then the System notified me.

[The Streit Gunner branch has been established]

[F-Rank Streit Gunners: Discipline 10%, Firepower 10%, Accuracy 10%]

The most powerful branch of the Streit family was not the cavalry.

It was the gunners who would usher in a new era.