The Lord Just Wants to Have Fun

Philip wasn’t the only one dumbfounded—his other companions were just as shocked.

Among them, Helen stepped forward and spoke up.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing to Sir Terry?!”

“And who the hell are you? If it doesn’t concern you, back off.”

“It does concern me!”

As Helen and the female warrior locked eyes in a fierce glare, the city guards appeared on the scene.

“Ah! That woman…!”

“Seize her! She’s a wanted criminal!”

The female warrior, who had looked troubled at the sight of the guards, swiftly grabbed her fallen dual swords and turned to Terry.

“The name’s Siria of the Urai Tribe. I’ll be seeing you again soon, darling. Wait for me.”

With a playful wink, the female warrior disappeared into an alley. Some of the guards chased after her, while others approached Philip and his group.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. But who was that woman?”

“She’s a wanted criminal. She roams around looking for strong opponents, picking fights with mercenaries and knights alike, and beating them to a pulp.”

Barbarians were known for their strong warrior spirit, often causing trouble because of it, but this Siria woman had taken it to another level.

“She’s crazy.”

“That’s putting it mildly. She suddenly starts a fight, then turns around and proposes marriage…”

Terry, sighing in agreement at Philip’s words, spoke in a pleading tone.

“My lord, I sincerely apologize for causing unnecessary commotion due to my carelessness. I swear it won’t happen again, so please… don’t tell my father.”

“Heh, fine.”

If Carpenter heard that Terry got into a brawl while on duty, he wouldn’t let it slide.

“But Sir Terry, that female warrior was quite pretty. Are you really not considering marriage?”

“Ah, my lord!”

Philip teased Terry, who bristled at the remark, before leading his party back to the territory.

‘This trip to Campania has been quite fruitful. Heh, I’m looking forward to the benefits it’ll bring in the future.’

******

A week had passed since their return from Campania.

“Have you woken up, my lord?”

“Mmm, good morning.”

After washing his face, Philip glanced at the breakfast brought in by the maid and swallowed hard.

“Mmm, smells amazing~!”

Steaming white rice with a perfectly half-cooked fried egg.

It was a simple meal, but for Philip, it was the ultimate breakfast.

In fact, even getting this meal had required trial and error.

The castle’s chefs had no idea how to properly cook rice.

To them, rice dishes were either thick rice pudding cooked with milk or risotto, where rice was stir-fried and then simmered in broth.

‘That’s why I had to personally go to the kitchen and show them how to cook it.’

He had washed the rice thoroughly, placed it in a cast-iron pot, and added just enough water to cover two-thirds of his hand. Then, he boiled it while carefully controlling the heat, letting it steam properly at the end.

‘The aroma that spread through the kitchen as the steam rose was incredible.’

It had taken a whole month since reincarnating, but Philip finally got to eat a proper bowl of rice. He had devoured it straight from the pot, not caring who was watching.

The chefs, observing him curiously, eventually tried the remaining rice themselves.

They had wondered what kind of taste could come from just rice and water with no other ingredients.

“Hm? This is more savory than I expected.”

“The more you chew, the sweeter it gets.”

“So this is how the Loscal variety is meant to be eaten?”

“Oh! The slightly burnt crust at the bottom is even more fragrant and delicious!”

The chefs’ reactions were better than he had anticipated.

Thus, rice became part of the meals again, but Philip still felt something was missing.

‘If only I had kimchi to eat with this… but there’s no cabbage.’

Even after scouring the markets in Campania, he hadn’t been able to find cabbage or chili peppers.

So, he had drawn pictures of them and explained their characteristics to a trading merchant, instructing them to contact him immediately if they ever found a source.

‘For now, should I make dongchimi with radish? There’s garlic, so if I pickle it in vinegar…’

Determined to recreate Korean food however he could, Philip sipped a cup of coffee after his meal and headed to his office.

There, he summoned Boris, the agriculture officer, and asked,

 “What happened to the seeds I had you plant earlier? Are they growing well?”

“You mean the soybeans, peanuts, and corn? They’ve sprouted,” Boris reported.

“Make sure they don’t dry out. They’ll become an important food source for our territory in the future.”

“A food source? But I thought those crops were mainly used for animal feed,” Boris asked, looking puzzled.

“They can be used for feed, sure. But they can also be made into a variety of delicious foods. Like this, for example.”

Philip grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl on his desk and handed it to Boris.

It was simply salted, but the crispy, savory flavor suited Boris’ palate.

“This would go great with beer. So this is made from that new crop?”

“Yeah, it’s made by popping corn.”

“Why didn’t you tell me we could make something like this?”

“If I had told you, I was afraid you’d fry all the corn instead of planting it.”

And it wasn’t just corn.

Soybeans could be used to make tofu, a food even those who disliked beans wouldn’t refuse. Peanuts, when roasted or boiled, made for a tasty snack.

Philip was already forming a plan to expand the cultivation of these crops across the territory. Of course, he’d set aside enough for himself first.

“I understand now. If it’s this delicious, I’ll make sure to cultivate it properly,” Boris promised before leaving.

As soon as Boris left, Philip reached for more popcorn but paused, tilting his head.

‘Wait… isn’t there less than before?’

Earlier, the bowl had been about two-thirds full, but now there was barely half left.

‘Surely the popcorn didn’t grow legs and run away…’

Crunch, crunch!

A suspicious munching noise came from under the desk.

Philip peeked down and saw Mau, his cheeks stuffed like a hamster, hurriedly swallowing before looking up.

“Popcorn.”

“At least wipe the popcorn crumbs off your mouth before lying.”

Mau broke into a nervous sweat at the undeniable evidence.

“Aren’t angels supposed to be truthful? So much for the claim that angels can’t lie.”

According to Mau’s excuses, he had once tasted popcorn while observing Earth and had become obsessed with it ever since.

“But can angels even eat human food?”

Well, it made sense. It wasn’t like gods and angels survived on dew alone.

“If you want more, I’ll make you some. Just don’t steal it—it makes you look bad.”

Mau’s eyes sparkled with excitement, confirming just how much he loved popcorn.

Philip smirked. He might have just found Mau’s weakness.

<…Huh? Why do I suddenly feel a chill?>

As Mau anxiously glanced around, Philip chuckled and returned to his paperwork.

However, he barely managed to get started when Treasurer Buchini entered, his face grave.

“My lord, the costs for canal construction and famine relief are already substantial. Do we really need to invest in developing the hot springs?”

‘Took him long enough to bring it up.’

Buchini, along with several other administrators, had been questioning the development of the hot springs in Silon Village.

With a significant amount of funds already allocated for military expansion, spending another one million Dalants on a hot spring project seemed excessive.

“My lord, it’s not as if the hot springs are essential to the territory.”

“You say they’re unnecessary, yet you’ve been enjoying the hot spring water Silon Village has been sending us,” Philip pointed out.

Buchini’s face reddened slightly.

Ever since Philip had returned from Campania, barrels of hot spring water from Silon Village had been arriving daily by cart.

Even though the water cooled during transport, its medicinal properties remained effective, and many vassals had started using it.

Whether drinking it or using it to wash their faces, they had already grown accustomed to its benefits.

It wasn’t just him—many of the officials had concerns about investing in the hot springs.

“It would be foolish to keep such a miraculous water source only for ourselves,” Philip mused aloud.

“You’re not planning to sell it like a potion, are you?” Buchini asked, his expression dark with doubt.

Unlike healing potions, which had immediate effects, hot spring water required consistent consumption or soaking over time to show results.

Would the impatient nobility have the patience to wait for its effects?

Even if they did, there was another issue—why would they stay long in a small, rural estate with nothing else of interest?

“That’s not the plan. I have everything figured out, so stop worrying.”

“Could you reconsider—”

“I said, stop worrying.”

“…Understood.”

Seeing Philip’s firm stance, Buchini withdrew, his face filled with regret.

Even if it was Philip’s personal funds being used, the treasurer wished that the one million Dalants would be invested in something else for the territory’s development instead.

Had any other vassal proposed such a plan, Buchini would have grabbed them by the collar and demanded they hand over the money.

Once Buchini was gone, Philip turned his gaze to Helen, who was reviewing documents at a nearby desk.

There were more reports and paperwork than before stacked on her desk, but Helen looked rather pleased.

It seemed she took satisfaction in seeing her skills recognized.

“Helen, what do you think? Do you also think I’m wasting money?”

‘Shut up or no more popcorn for you.’

Philip shut Mau down in an instant before looking back at Helen.

She pondered for a moment before responding,

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea. But since it’s a huge investment, if it doesn’t bring in revenue or visible results, people will talk.”

“That’s true.”

Even though he was funding the project with his own money from selling the Silver Separation Method, the common folk suffering from famine wouldn’t see it that way.

‘They’d probably think I’m like Kim Jongun, building a luxury ski resort while the people starve.’

Philip was confident the hot spring business would succeed, but as Helen pointed out, the results had to be visible—and as soon as possible.

That meant marketing was crucial.

And the best marketing? Word of mouth.

Philip combed through his predecessor’s memories, searching for a well-known noble in the area who also had poor health.

One name stood out—Countess Adrienne, the younger sister of Viscount Montsena.

‘She used to be the most beautiful woman in the western kingdom, or so they say.’

Even in her forties, she still looked like she was in her late twenties. People even whispered that she had received the blessing of Freya, the Goddess of Beauty and Love.

After her husband’s passing, she had become even more active in high society.

Yet last year, she suddenly withdrew from the social scene and returned to her hometown, shutting herself away.

‘She’s been in recovery from an illness, apparently. But it’s not a terminal disease.’

If she had an incurable illness, rumors would have spread like wildfire.

Philip immediately wrote a letter to Countess Adrienne, inviting her to visit his domain to experience the miraculous hot springs.

‘She has about a fifty-fifty chance of coming. I don’t have much of a connection to the Montsena family.’

He briefly considered sending a sample of the hot spring water along with the letter.

However, before he could act on that thought, urgent news arrived—Countess Adrienne was already on her way to Brandel Territory with her attendants.

‘That was fast.’

It hadn’t even been a week since he sent the letter.

Considering the distance from Viscounty Montsena, that meant she must have set off immediately after receiving it.

‘Looks like she’s desperate. Well then… time to make sure she’s hooked.’