CHAPTER 25: ROSELUNE VILLAGE

James had always wondered why his father had only assigned Gold Knights as his bodyguards. But when he thought about his previous situation and circumstances, the reason seemed obvious.

Not only that, but they were still within Steelheart territory. So, his father must have believed no one would dare make a move against them here.

But who would’ve expected that the Bladeborne Family would send someone just to assassinate the so-called useless son of the Steelhearts? Definitely no one, not even James himself, would have imagined such a thing.

As their carriage rolled along the dirt road, James turned his attention to the system. Since their destination was Roselune Town, a place famous across the kingdom for its perfume, he decided it was the perfect time to learn more about perfume.

An hour later, they reached a quiet intersection where the road split into two paths. James looked at Corvin and ordered. "Send someone to report what happened to Uncle Edmund, and let him prepare to depart in a day or two."

...

The road gradually opened into a vast sea of color. As far as James could see, countless roses blanketed the land like waves of crimson silk swaying under the wind. Their fragrance filled the air as rich, sweet, and intoxicating.

In the distance, patches of jasmine, lavender, and other flowers painted the horizon with hues of white, purple, and gold.

It was a breathtaking sight. Even James, who had seen the lush gardens of the Steelheart estate, found himself momentarily speechless.

After passing through the endless fields of blossoms, the road led him to a small village nestled at the heart of the plains. Unlike most settlements, there were no walls or guard towers surrounding it—an unusual sight in this world where danger lurked beyond every forest and hill.

But this place was different. Protected naturally by its position, as it was encircled by several major cities. Roselune Village was considered one of the safest places in the region. Not even a Silver Rank beast had ever been sighted this far in.

The faint scent of mixed petals and oils drifted through the air, marking this village as the cradle of perfume craftsmanship.

Before long, the carriage stopped before the largest building in sight. A sturdily built wooden house that stood out among the simpler homes. It belonged to the village chief, a man known to be the strongest Silver Knight in Roselune.

A lot of people had gathered in the surroundings, as they knew that the carriage belonged to the Steelhearts because of the symbols attached to it.

A young man with short white hair and blue eyes got out of the carriage first. He wore a white shirt, black pants, and a black coat with a distinctive gold-embroidered trim. The gold embroidery ran along the edges of the collar, lapels, front opening, and cuffs and down the sides, forming an elegant border that gave the outfit of a noble appearance.

Just as James looked at the surroundings, a little girl with the same outfit jumped onto his back.

"Haaap!"

James smiled helplessly, then instantly found the man he was looking for. He was a middle-aged man with a short black beard and hair.

"Welcome to our humble village, Young Master James, Young Miss Elara. I’m sorry for not welcoming you properly." The man greeted with a polite bow.

James chuckled. "No need to apologize, Sir Tristan. I should be the one saying sorry for arriving unannounced."

He then continued. "Let’s head inside. I have something important to discuss."

"Of course," Tristan replied, gesturing for them to follow.

Just as someone brought over the tea on the table, James opened up the conversation with a smile. "Sir Tristan, I have a proposal. I’m not sure if it will interest you, but I believe it could benefit both of us."

Tristan raised an eyebrow, clearly curious about the proposal, as he thought that there wasn’t anything particularly interesting in this village or himself. "Oh? What kind of proposal brings the young master of the Steelhearts here in person, rather than sending a messenger?"

James smiled and tapped his finger on the table as he answered. "I want to bring Roselune Village under my wing. To begin with, I’ll purchase all of your flowers at triple the current market price."

He paused briefly and continued with a serious expression. "On top of that, I’ll assign one Platinum Knight and ten Gold Knights to protect the village. I believe a restless time is coming because there’s a storm brewing behind the scenes."

Tristan was genuinely confused about the approach. Roselune was known for its perfume, yes... but it was merely an above-average production hub, not something worth such an offer.

Let alone the fact that James offered it to come under his wing instead of the Steelhearts. This was giving him a dilemma because he heard that James was known as a talentless person.

Tristan was silent for a few moments, then asked James. "What about the Marquessate of Valtoria? Our village has worked under them for generations, as I’m sure you already know."

James sneered as he waved his hand casually. "Don’t worry about them, I’ll take care of it."

Tristan knitted his eyebrows as he asked again. "Then what exactly do you mean by this ’restless time’? What kind of danger are you implying?"

James shook his head with a bitter smile. "I can’t tell you the details, but know this—chaos might soon reach this region. And when it does, Roselune might get swept by accidentally, endangering everyone’s life."

Tristan leaned back in thought. "If what you say is true, then I have no reason to refuse. Still..." He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Your offer is too generous to be without motive."

James replied with a chuckle. "You’re right. I do have another motive. But it’s nothing harmful as I simply wish to experiment with something that has great potential."

"An experiment?" Tristan asked curiously. "And this won’t bring harm to our village, I hope?"

James shook his head with a reassuring smile. "You have my word. My experiment concerns only the flower fields."

Tristan exhaled lightly and finally said with a smile. "Then, on behalf of Roselune Village, I’ll accept your offer, Young Master James."

...

Afterward, James began outlining his next plan, one that left Tristan completely stunned.

"I intend to experiment with a new method to improve the flower fields," James said casually. "Start by fertilizing them with cow dung."

For a moment, Tristan thought he had misheard. His eyes widened in disbelief. Among all the possible things a young noble from the Steelheart family could propose, using cow dung to enrich flower fields was certainly not what he had imagined.

"Cow dung?" He was baffled.

However, James paid no mind to Tristan’s reaction. He didn’t bother explaining how he came up with the idea, nor did he elaborate on what effects it might produce. He simply gave the order with full confidence, as though success was already assured.

Then, James shifted the topic as he added in a calm voice, "I’ll also be focusing on improving the strength of the people here. I want Roselune’s residents to become capable of standing on their own feet, at least strong enough to protect themselves without relying on me or my knights."

Tristan blinked in astonishment once again. Such words coming from a noble were rare. But James wasn’t done yet.

"Alongside that," James continued, "I’ll be improving the village’s overall quality of life—better roads, cleaner water systems, proper infrastructure, and new facilities to support trade and growth. Roselune won’t remain just a remote perfume village. I’ll turn it into something greater, something self-sustaining."

Tristan’s heart swelled with emotion. He had expected a business deal, not a promise of prosperity. For the first time, he looked at James not as a young noble fulfilling his duties, but as someone genuinely visionary.

Even though their products were quite known in the Grimwald Kingdom, their life condition was something that couldn’t even be said to be decent. However, they couldn’t complain because they could at least survive in this harsh world.

Overjoyed, he bowed deeply. "Young Master James, your generosity knows no bounds. I truly believe I’ve made the wisest choice of my life by agreeing to serve you."

James smiled faintly, his gaze calm but thoughtful as he watched Tristan’s heartfelt reaction.

’In business, earning gratitude is more valuable than enforcing loyalty. When people feel appreciated, they’ll give everything they have to ensure success. A happy worker produces better results.’