Merchant Noble is out (1/2 chapters for today)
Second Town (1)
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After riding for two days, the group finally spotted buildings in the distance. If Arc had two days of horse travel in his former territory, he could easily have ventured into another noble’s domain. Indeed, this land was simply too vast. His seat was becoming uncomfortable after so long on horseback, but several more hours were needed to reach the town visible in the distance.
On the third day since departure, as dusk fell, they finally entered a town with fields cleared and no defensive walls.
“We’ve arrived. This is the closest town. Well, it’s not really a town, it’s more like a village…” (Yanna)
“Yeah, it’s definitely a village.” (Arc)
Arc replied with a nod. The buildings were well constructed, but it was clear there were few people around. Even though it was approaching nightfall, not a soul walked the streets, and there seemed to be no signs of taverns or shops bustling with activity.
“…Smaller than the Order’s settlement.” (Yuna)
“Yuna, it’s not that bad after all.” (Arc)
The building claiming to be the town hall stood empty. Though the previous lord had been absent for several months, Yanna and Tyr had organized things somewhat during their inspection, leaving the place surprisingly clean and orderly. They had hoped to visit earlier that day, but with night falling, they decided to rest their bodies instead.
“For now, let’s sleep tonight and greet the mayor tomorrow.” (Arc)
They had only managed brief naps during their journey and had scarcely rested at all. Exhausted, Arc struggled to summon his last ounce of strength to reach his bed and collapsed without a care for the dust. At that moment, he was overcome by a strong feeling of sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep, almost passing out.
—
The next day, when he woke up, he found someone sleeping beside him. Turning his head, he saw Yanna sound asleep. They had slept together when they were children, but now they were too grown for the bed to comfortably accommodate both of them. Arc quietly got up to avoid waking Yanna.
In the main hall, Tadont and his wife were sleeping on the floor. They had laid out sleeping bags during the journey, but the floor was still undoubtedly hard. Though overcome by drowsiness, Arc silently apologized to himself for taking the bed alone while leaving the couple to sleep on the floor.
Heading to the kitchen, he found Yulia and Yuna preparing food. Yuna, who rarely opened up to others, seemed to have found common ground with Yulia. Indeed, both were somewhat shy, and their compatibility was apparent.
“Good morning you two. You’re early.” (Arc)
The two turned around at Arc’s words. Although Yuna seemed to sense his presence when he entered the kitchen.
“Good morning, Arc-sama.” (Yulia)
“…It’s already noon.” (Yuna)
Yuna corrected Yulia’s greeting.
“Huh? Is it noon already?” (Arc)
It seems like they must have been quite tired. They went to bed early in the evening and ended up sleeping for more than half a day.
“I thought about waking them up, but everyone seemed so tired, so I left them as they were.” (Yulia)
“Thanks to that, I could sleep soundly.” (Arc)
As breakfast and lunch were laid out on the table, Yanna and Tadont couple also woke up. They seemed still half asleep, but they were encouraged to eat properly to regain their stamina.
The meals made by Yulia and Yuna were delicious. It was a new discovery that these two were surprisingly good at cooking. However, the amount of meat piled on the plates was far too much for a single person to finish. Yulia, a former gladiator, and Yuna, who spent the whole day gathering information, must have unconsciously prepared a large quantity.
It took some time, but they managed to finish everything and waited for their stomachs to settle while sipping on post-meal drinks. When they went outside, they noticed that the townspeople were observing them. It seemed that news of the new lord’s inspection had already spread throughout the town. So, they decided to take action as well.
“Nee-san, please call the mayor.” (Arc)
“Understood. Yulia, please come along as a guard.” (Yanna)
After a while, Yanna and Yulia returned to the mansion. Behind Yulia was an elderly man leaning on a cane. He could certainly be considered the mayor, but he appeared to be a very ordinary old man without much vigor.
“Nice to meet you for the first time. I am Mayor Guselb.” (Guselb)
The old man approached with surprisingly steady steps and bowed. Arc, acting as the lord, responded confidently.
“I am Arc, the new lord of the Mikanda region. I look forward to working with you. Could you please show us around the town?” (Arc)
The purpose of this inspection was to understand the current situation of the town. Under Guselb’s guidance, Arc’s group conducted an inspection of the town.
Even though it was daytime, there weren’t many people around, just occasionally passing by those who were heading to work in the fields. When people saw the mayor, Guselb, they would tip their hats and greet him, glancing at Arc and his companions behind him. Guselb returned the greetings with waves and then turned to Arc to start explaining.
“This town has a population of about 3,000 people, all dedicated to agriculture.” (Guselb)
“3,000 people…” (Yanna)
Yanna let out a small sigh.
She had expected the rural population to be sparse, but it was even fewer than she had anticipated. In the former Warden’s territory, even an ordinary town would have several thousand residents, and the entire territory had a population of about 100,000 people. In a town with so few people, if there are only 3,000, policies that were possible in the past will become impossible. They must find what can be done even in such a depopulated area.
“I see. How were taxes collected under the previous lord?” (Arc)
“Half of the harvested rice went to the lord, and the other half was ours.” (Guselb)
“Half!?” (Arc)
Arc couldn’t help but exclaim. These people had to give up half their crops in taxes. In the former Warden’s territory, where there were many people and active trade, taxes were only 10%. It was sufficient. As a result, neighboring merchants who heard about the low taxes came to the area, and the area became even wealthier. Merchants from other territories who complained about the high taxes of other nobles usually paid about 30% or 40%. Arc never heard of 50% being taken.
“Well, how could that…” (Arc)
“Arc-sama…” (Yuna)
Arc, who was sympathetic, was tapped on the shoulder by Yuna, who had been following behind him like a shadow.
“Hmm? What is it, Yuna?” (Arc)
“He’s lying right now.” (Yuna)
“Lying?” (Arc)
Arc repeated Yuna’s words out loud, and Guselb’s expression changed color.
“…I can tell by his eye movements.” (Yuna)
“Guselb. I, the new lord, do not appreciate being lied to.” (Arc)
“I-I’m not lying! It really was 50% as tax!” (Guselb)
Guselb looked visibly flustered. This was undoubtedly a deception. However, there was no evidence that he was lying, as the tax records from before Arc’s time had been burned to ashes by the previous lord.
They had to get Guselb to confess somehow. Arc signaled to Yuna. With her experience from the Sheeb Order, she would surely find a way. Yuna nodded to Arc, stepped towards Guselb and began to make a move.
“…Is the tax actually 30%?” (Yuna)
“Huh?” (Guselb)
“20%?… 10%?…” (Yuna)
“What are you saying?” (Guselb)
While Yuna spoke off the top of her head, she watched Guselb’s gaze and the faint uneasiness in his eyes.
“40%?… 60%?… 70%? 70%?” (Yuna)
“Yuna, what do you think?” (Arc)
“…Looks like the tax was around 70%.” (Yuna)
Upon hearing Yuna’s report, Arc turned directly to Guselb.
“This one’s from the Sheeb Order, which specialized in espionage. Lies don’t escape her.” (Arc)
Guselb’s already pale face turned even paler as he trembled, but after a while, he seemed to resign himself and bowed his head.
“I-I’m sorry. It was actually 70%.” (Guselb)
“Why would you lie?” (Yanna)
Yanna asked.
“I thought if I admitted to 70%, you, my lord, would decide on a 70% tax rate.” (Guselb)
A subtle tension spread among Arc’s group.
They had thought 50% was high enough, but to hear they were actually taxed 70% was shocking. Certainly, lords could levy taxes as they saw fit, but even so, there must be limits. In this rural area surrounded by mountains and sea, where oversight was minimal, people had been exploited freely, which elicited sympathy.
However, Guselb had lied to Arc. If he had been honest, they might have sympathized and offered reductions or support. But now, despite his pleading, they couldn’t simply accept all of Guselb’s requests. It was a matter of the lord’s authority and dignity.
Seeing Arc’s dilemma, or perhaps thinking he could sway this lord, Guselb suddenly knelt down and began to bow deeply.
“Please! We, the people, suffer without even enough food stored. Dispose of this old fool as you wish! But please, I beg for your generous judgment regarding taxes.” (Guselb)
He began pleading loudly in the middle of the town.
“What’s going on?” (??)
“Guselb-sama is kneeling and pleading.” (??)
Word spread that the town mayor and the new lord were having some kind of trouble, drawing people’s attention. Of course, they understood Guselb was pleading on their behalf. This needed to be handled cautiously to avoid a serious escalation. Sensing the hostility directed towards Arc’s group due to Guselb’s kneeling, Yulia instinctively reached for her sword.
“Wait! Yulia!” (Arc)
Arc hurriedly stopped her. Provoking the crowd at this moment would be disastrous. They were vastly outnumbered if things turned violent. Yanna rushed over to Guselb and forced him to stand up.
“Please stand, Guselb. Let’s first see the farms in this town. We’ll carefully consider the tax issue.” (Yanna)
She tried to calm the situation and change the topic, then half-forcibly led Guselb out to the outskirts of the town.
“Guselb, for now, we’re just here to assess the current situation of the village. Deciding on taxes can wait. Of course, we’ll take into account the people’s struggles with heavy taxes. So, please, show us around.” (Arc)
“Alright…” (Guselb)
Arc continued to calm Guselb down, who seemed to regain his composure. They resumed their conversation about harvest yields and previous tax rates in the expansive fields and farmlands on the outskirts.
“This soil here seems to be of excellent quality.” (Tadont’s Wife)
Turning towards the voice, they saw Tadont’s wife kneading and inspecting the soil in her hands. Indeed, even to Arc’s untrained eye, the pitch-black, fluffy-looking soil seemed rich in nutrients. Pointing towards the mountains in the distance, Guselb explained.
“Yes, during the rainy season, nutrient-rich sediments flow down from those mountains every year. That’s why, look.” (Guselb)
He dug up a buried crop from the soil.
“This is how we produce such splendid crops.” (Guselb)
The potato Guselb held in his hand was unusually large, almost twice the size of those typically seen in other regions.
“We rarely see crops this impressive. They’re nearly double the size of normal ones, aren’t they?” (Arc)
“This town revolves around that mountain at its center.” (Yanna)
Arc and Yanna received potatoes so large they had to hold them with both hands and said with some excitement.
Thus, the inspection of the fields proceeded smoothly. Clearly, the soil was exceptional. Crops harvested here were not only large but plentiful. If they could develop this area further, it would resolve a crucial issue in estate management which was the food supply. The quality and quantity of these crops were impeccable. They could serve as exports, be used for trade, and even hold military value.
Arc began calculating possibilities in his mind without delay.
The problem arose when they stopped at a certain farmhouse for a break, enjoying pancakes baked by the farmer’s daughter while chatting cheerfully. It was then that Tadont leaned in and whispered to Arc.
“Arc-sama.” (Tadont)
“What is it? Is something wrong?” (Arc)
“There’s something odd.” (Tadont)
“Odd?” (Arc)
“It seems either the mayor’s explanation or the soil quality is lying.” (Tadont)
Arc took a sip of water, swallowed, and turned to Tadont.
“Explain it clearly.” (Arc)
“I measured the total area of this field.” (Tadont)
Tadont was an expert in measurements. He had accompanied them on this inspection to assess regional areas and the town’s scale. Apparently, upon measuring and calculating, he sensed something was amiss. With his mind racing, Arc fully grasped the implications of Tadont’s words before he even finished.
“With 70% of the harvest taken as taxes, it’s impossible to sustain the town with this area alone.” (Arc)
“As expected, Arc-sama. That’s exactly right. It’s simply not enough for the 3000 people here.” (Tadont)
“Understood. Thank you.” (Arc)
Not wanting Guselb to overhear any whispers, Arc motioned for Tadont to step back. Then, he called for Yanna, who was chatting with Julia and the farmer’s daughter.
“Yanna-neesan…” (Arc)
“Hmm?” (Yanna)
He called over to Ianna, who was chatting with Yulia and the farmer’s daughter, and told her that Tadont had sensed something was off. He hoped that Yanna, who had previously worked as a settlement officer in the former Warden territory, might know something about the circumstances behind the scenes.
“This is what’s going on…” (Arc)
“But according to Yuna’s lie detector, the 70% tax seems to be true.” (Yanna)
“Yeah.” (Arc)
“Then, it’s the hidden field.” (Yanna)
“Hidden fields?” (Arc)
“In cases like this, they secretly cultivate fields not far from town. Since the authorities aren’t aware, they pay no taxes.” (Yanna)
“I see.” (Arc)
Arc sighed. It seemed the townspeople were engaged in some form of deception towards the lord. While the former lord was indeed at fault for imposing heavy taxes, now that Arc had become the new lord, he couldn’t turn a blind eye to hidden fields. Next, Arc called Yuna over and had her sit beside Yanna.
Then, glancing subtly towards Guselb, Arc noticed his concern about their whispered conversation. He seemed visibly worried, perhaps about the revelation of the hidden fields. His behavior was quite suspicious to onlookers.
Arc explained the concept of hidden fields to Yuna. Given her proficiency in covert operations, Yuna would surely be able to locate these fields. People would have taken advantage of Arc’s stay in the town to sneak out and cultivate these fields discreetly. Following their tracks would naturally lead them to the hidden fields’ locations.
“If townspeople are sneaking out, let’s follow them.” (Arc)
However, Yanna intervened.
“No. Our stay is only for a few days. They’ll stay quiet to avoid trouble.” (Yanna)
Certainly, ArC would only be staying in town for a few days, so there shouldn’t be any problems if he left the fields alone.
“In that case, we’ll have to find them ourselves.” (Arc)
“Yeah. Remember the talk about the mountains earlier?” (Yanna)
“I do. Thanks to the nutrient-rich sediments, the soil here is fertile.” (Arc)
As Arc answered, Yanna grinned mischievously.
“That almost sounds like you have an answer already.” (Yanna)
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