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Chapter 44
While the Noil Academy continued operating as usual, the duke’s aides kept investigating the matter regarding that village chief.
And this was the result.
“Each person owns two or three buildings. Just looking at it, it seems the entire village was divided up in a fixed ratio, doesn’t it?”
The Duke of Valente’s aide commented as he drew lines across the names on the list of property owners.
Noil looked over the area figures listed in the documents and spoke up.
“This… seems like they divided the land just enough to avoid getting caught in a crackdown.”
“Yes, exactly. If one person tried to use too much land, the lord would be informed.”
The lord of this land was the Duke of Valente. With a rightful owner in place, who could dare act like a landowner?
Instead, they could pay a land usage fee and build and operate structures on top of it.
But what if someone tried to own five or ten buildings in a row to create their own territory?
‘That’s obviously suspicious.’
Who knows if they’d build walls around the area, raise private soldiers, or carry out illegal activities?
That’s why if a person uses more than a certain amount of land, they must report the purpose and the official manager’s name to the lord.
Even after receiving approval, they need to periodically prove that the land is being used for its intended purpose.
“The buildings in this village are not owned by just one person, so they’ve escaped regular inspections.”
“Yes. But the village chief claimed to be the representative of all the owners and managed all the buildings.”
“Then the owners must all know each other. Maybe they only used different names, but the actual instigator was…”
“Well, it’s obvious. That village chief borrowed names of relatives and in-laws and such.”
└[Ah~ I get it (nope)]
└[So basically, the chief is a bad guy, right?]
Noil and the aides might not know, but the comment fairies had also been forcibly dragged into this meeting along with me.
To summarize for those fairies who didn’t really care about the chief’s situation: he had created a lawless zone of his own.
└[Yikes, this happens in real life too. Some people who moved to the countryside end up running back to the city.]
└[Rural lawless zones are scary… even government officials can’t deal with themㅠ]
Apparently, no major incidents had occurred there, so the previous lord let it slide.
‘But they got caught by us.’
Thanks to my tip, Noil became suspicious and the aides thoroughly investigated the chief.
They discovered why the rent there was so cheap.
“Following the cash flow of the wages the villagers received… it’s a sight to behold. It all went through several hands and eventually ended up in the chief’s pocket.”
The aide clicked his tongue as he flicked the papers with his finger.
The chief had lured people in by claiming he would help them earn more money.
He’d collect brokerage fees for arranging jobs, then collect more claiming it was for village operations, and then collect even more for handling taxes on their behalf.
All under the chief’s supervision, completely cut off from the outside world, they had no access to proper information.
‘In the end, the money they paid under other names was far more than the rent itself.’
└[So it’s like they moved in because the rent was 100,000 won, but the management fee was 800,000 won?!]
└[Ugh, that reminds me of landlords who raise maintenance fees instead of rent]
└[Can someone at least fix the hallway light, landlord…]
Listening to the entire explanation, Noil’s expression turned bitter.
He must have been thinking about the village chief who tried to stop the children from attending the academy.
“Was stopping the kids from learning to read and write… meant to turn them into workers under the chief, like their parents?”
└[Whoa, that makes sense. If they get smart, they’ll be harder to exploit.]
└[That’s basically slavery. That chief is a ♪♬♩]
└[What a piece of trash.]
It was a good thing his wrongdoings were uncovered before more time passed.
We’d heard enough. Now, I asked the most important question.
“So, what’s going to happen to him?”
“The Duke said that since there could be more cases like this, he’ll make an example out of him…”
The aide was about to gesture slitting his throat but stopped, realizing there was a child present. He lowered his hand and changed his words.
“Ahem. The adults will take care of him properly.”
“Yes! Please scold him!”
“We’ll discuss the best way to discipline him, so Miss Rose, you’re free to go about your day. Go for a walk in the garden, drink some milk, read a picture book.”
“Okaaay.”
If they’re going to handle it in a way that’s appropriate for a child not to know, I’m all for it.
Pretending to know nothing, I left the conference room, leaving the adults to do the dirty work.
Today, instead of Rubery, a young aide of the Duke of Valente accompanied me in the carriage.
His name was Kin Yanes. The Yanes family had produced many prominent imperial officials.
Hearing his name, I could guess how Kin had come to serve the Duke.
‘He was probably assigned by the emperor.’
└[The emperor really dotes on the Duke, huh…]
└[Can’t get enough of our charismatic Duke, huhㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
It’s not out of favoritism but because the imperial authority needs the Duke to settle down quickly.
Kin, entrusted with an important role at a young age, was now…
“Do children usually have high body temperatures? So warm. Your fingers are short, and your palms are small.”
…sitting next to me, pressing into my soft little hand.
└[We’re finally getting some childcare content. I like itㅎㅎ]
└[We’ve been starving, so this much feels satisfyingㅋㅋ]
└[I want to hold baby hands tooㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
└[Squish squish]
└[Squeeze squeeze]
The formless comment fairies could only express their feelings through onomatopoeia.
Baby hands are adorable. Even Damien, who carries a wooden sword around every day, has soft, callus-free hands.
Kin observed my hand for a while and gently placed it back on my lap.
“I don’t even have a niece or nephew, so it’s been a while since I’ve been around a child this small.”
“But Damien is at the mansion, isn’t he?”
“Damien doesn’t even look at weak people. When I tried to play with him, he said he’d only acknowledge me if I beat him in a duel…”
Noil, who had heard the same before, nodded in silent agreement.
Among all the people at the mansion, I was the only one who had truly fought and beaten Damien…
As the atmosphere softened while talking about children, Kin suddenly asked a meaningful question.
“But where did Miss Rose study? She seems to know a lot of things children her age usually wouldn’t.”
└[Now that’s the real questionㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
└[I thought we were just letting the childcare logic slide, but this one hit hardㅋㅋㅋ]
└[She’s suspiciously smart for a five-year-old…]
└[See, this is why I don’t like sharp aides!]
Honestly, all I could say was, “I’m just smarter than average.”
I was racking my brain for a good excuse in baby talk when Noil answered first.
“I think she just has high absorption capacity. She can understand things after reading them once. She’s also creative and can apply knowledge well.”
└[Noil sounds totally smitten]
└[I hope Noil sticks around for a long time]
└[Weren’t you all just trash-talking slavery earlier?]
└[He’s a good slaveㅠ]
There’s no such thing as a good or bad slave!
The comment fairies teasing Noil’s name is just a joke. The real issue was the people with actual slave mentalities…
With the village chief gone and outsiders coming in, the villagers gathered in front of the Noil Academy, buzzing over the strange atmosphere.
For reference, employers who were accomplices to the chief were arrested, while those who had unknowingly paid proper wages were notified in advance.
That way, all non-working villagers could gather.
“-And for these reasons, your wages will now be paid directly without any middlemen. Operational costs for the village will be decided in community meetings, and taxes will be paid directly to the city’s post office representative without additional fees. You’ll receive a receipt as confirmation.”
Though this information had been distributed in writing, there were few literate villagers, so a verbal explanation was necessary.
As Kin explained, the villagers exchanged looks, and then…
“But the chief used to manage all this well…”
“Yes, but he did so by embezzling your property under the guise of management.”
“Still, isn’t it better to have someone familiar handle it…?”
“He wasn’t helping you out of kindness. He was filling his own pockets.”
“But the chief used to take care of everything for us…”
Kin, seemingly losing his patience, closed his eyes tightly before trying to calmly explain again.
But the responses he got were…
“I don’t know. People like us don’t understand. Smart folks would know better.”
“Even if you explain, it’s hard to…”
“Ugh, I don’t know…”
What do you even do when people plug their ears and refuse to listen?!
└[Ugh, then just live with the chief forever]
└[This is such a “sweet potato” moment—bring the soda!]
└[This village is full of suckers]
└[Call it “Pushoversville”]
