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Chapter 4
“Come on.”
Hans interrupted Flynn and spoke firmly, demanding attention.
“Ah, y-yes…”
Was he flustered?
Flynn, seemingly intimidated by the clear and authoritative attitude of his master, hesitated for the first time, uncharacteristically struggling to continue speaking.
“Speak for yourself.”
Hans didn’t wait and directly ordered Scott. Scott looked at Flynn with a confused expression, then quickly bowed low and began to speak.
“I-I am Scott, living in Kor Village. I’m terribly sorry, but I couldn’t pay all the taxes due this month. I’ve committed a grave crime! I will do anything you command! Please, my lord, I beg you—please send my sister back! I humbly ask, my lord!”
“Your sister? What are you talking about?”
Hans, pretending not to know while clearly aware of the situation, turned toward Flynn.
“Failing to pay taxes does not give anyone the right to forcibly take people. There is a proper legal procedure for everything. Is what this boy says true?”
“Well, it’s… um…”
“No need for excuses. Is it true or not?”
“My lord, that is…”
“Answer the question. Where is the boy’s sister?”
“Please hear me out fully…”
“Does my question not make sense?”
Finally, a cold tone escaped Hans’s lips. Though the voice itself was calm and even, much like usual, the intensity was like a storm.
Had he lost his mind for a moment?
Flynn felt overwhelmed by the massive force of anger directed at him. His whole body tingled, and he struggled to breathe. From the fifteen-year-old young lord, he suddenly felt the power of a ruler.
“I’ll ask one last time. True or false?”
Despite his panic, Flynn knew this was his final chance to answer.
“It’s true…”
“What’s the reason?”
“Because… I couldn’t pay the taxes…”
“You had no other intentions?”
It was not something that should have come out of a child lord’s mouth. Hans’s voice cut Flynn off, as if he already knew something. Flynn flinched, feeling the weight of his own guilt.
If he could, Flynn wanted to expose Scott’s crimes immediately and punish him.
But the most important thing now was to safely return Scott’s sister before anything terrible happened.
Hans immediately commanded:
“Release the boy’s sister immediately, and send a healer to check on her. As for the unpaid taxes, I will personally grant a special pardon. Do not make this an issue in the future.”
Was this a dream or reality?
Scott’s eyes widened in shock. The judgment that had just come from the young lord’s mouth was almost unbelievable, and he could only stand there dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Flynn felt like his world was about to collapse. How long had he waited to get his hands on that sister?
It had taken over two months just to persuade the young lord to increase the tax rate. He had managed it only by coaxing and convincing the old butler and the sister.
Now, just as he was about to taste victory, that foolish young lord interfered.
Recalling the soft, tender body he had seen that morning, he swallowed hard.
He couldn’t lose her. He had to somehow manipulate this child lord again.
“You should get up and go home. If you wait, your sister will arrive soon. You can rest easy.”
“R-really?”
“I won’t say it twice.”
“T-thank you, my lord!”
As Scott expressed his gratitude, Flynn, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
“My lord, I do not wish to question your decision, but I have something to say.”
“Speak.”
“Forgive me, but after raising the tax rate this time, many villagers could not pay. If you grant a special pardon to this boy alone, would it not be unfair to the others? Perhaps it would be better to make his sister a servant instead of granting a full pardon…”
“Then just lower the tax rate.”
“Huh?”
Flynn frowned, shocked at what he heard.
“The tax rate was raised by your order only recently…”
“Since I raised it by my order, I will lower it by my order as well, is that not right?”
“B-but if we do that, the finances…”
“If I, the lord, say it’s fine, what business is it of yours?”
“…I-I apologize.”
Indeed, the power of the lord was tremendous. The moment Flynn spoke the word “lord,” he immediately lowered his head in submission.
Hans continued coldly:
“It’s late now, so leave for today. We will continue tomorrow. One last warning: should anything happen to the boy or his sister—or anyone in their family—you, Flynn, will be held responsible. Understand?”
“I, I will remember.”
“I will be watching.”
With that, Hans returned to his room. He glanced at Scott briefly, and Flynn gave a few instructions before leaving as well.
“Lord…”
Back in his room, Hans lay on the bed with his arms under his head, deep in thought.
What was it like to live as a lord?
Having lived only as a servant, he had no real experience.
The fortunate thing was that, thanks to acting as his master’s substitute, he knew how to read and write. He also remembered basic dining etiquette and the manners and formalities expected of nobles.
But being a lord was like being a small ruler. Just as a king governs a country, a lord governs his territory. Knowledge of writing and etiquette alone was not enough.
A lord had to learn and master administration, law, military affairs, finance, history, and much more.
In this regard, his former master had not been a good lord—but he also had not been cruel to the villagers.
Perhaps he had just been incompetent.
He didn’t care about what happened in his territory. He delegated administrative matters to subordinates and spent his time drinking and chasing women.
The real problem was the officials beneath him. Without a master to restrain them, they abused their power, enriched themselves, and committed countless evils.
The number of villagers who suffered because of them was countless.
Yet the incompetent master, oblivious, enjoyed life amidst their flattery. Hans had witnessed them mocking the master behind his back many times. Though it made him boil with anger, there was nothing he could do.
His father had died early, and his sickly mother could hardly move. Perhaps that was why the master had become an incompetent lord.
If there had been even one person to guide him correctly, perhaps he wouldn’t have been called a wastrel.
Now, Hans himself was the lord.
To avoid being called a wastrel like his master, he had to be fully alert.
If he woke up tomorrow morning and still had the body of the master, he would make a serious attempt.
He would create a world where ordinary people could live happily, not one ruled by corrupt officials.
He wouldn’t ponder why fate had dealt him this hand.
He would live as a noble, a life he had wanted once. He would enjoy this chance and strive to live without regrets.
Absolutely, without fail.
Thump thump.
Hans awoke early, his heart pounding, unable to get up immediately.
Had it been a dream?
Would he be back to his old self again?
Having slept deeply due to exhaustion, he still felt a whirlwind of thoughts as soon as he opened his eyes.
He slowly got up and even more slowly walked to the mirror.
“…!”
Should he feel relieved or disappointed?
Seeing the young lord’s reflection still staring back at him, Hans—now to be called Rian—shivered.
Adrian von Calista…
He whispered the name over and over in his mind, like a spell.
He reminded himself repeatedly that he was no longer a servant but a noble lord governing a territory. Though a single day couldn’t change a person, this helped calm his racing heart.
When facing Flynn last night, he hadn’t shown it, but he had been trembling. Thoughts swirled in his mind as he spoke, unsure if he was doing the right thing.
What if Flynn hadn’t listened?
Lock him in prison?
Execute him for defying the lord?
Exterminate his entire family?
All kinds of thoughts crossed his mind.
At the same time, he was terrified. Could he, knowing nothing, really be a good lord? If Scott weren’t involved, he might have ignored it altogether.
Rian had always been thoughtful. Being close to his master, he saw and heard many things, from trivial to secret.
Naturally, he became discreet. Any careless words might lead to disaster.
But thoughts were free. His mind was his alone, so instead of speaking, he thought.
Even now, as lord, he considered dozens of things at once. His serious nature made it even more so.
‘What should I do first?’
Having decided to become a good lord, he had to act from today.
Should he study?
Thanks to his master, he had learned to read and developed a love for books. The master’s library had countless books, but he could only access them when acting as his master.
Now, that was no longer a limitation.
Should he go to the library?
Rian shook his head. As a lord, he could go anytime. He could even buy books himself. But perhaps something more urgent needed attention.
He went to the desk, took out paper and pen, and began listing everything he thought needed to be done.
At first, it was mostly things he needed to learn from books or people, recalling his master’s library.
Gradually, he began to write down his own thoughts.
The first part was what a lord needed to study. The latter part reflected what he, as a servant, had seen, felt, and desired: lowering taxes, improving commoners’ rights, abolishing slavery—things that might not even be possible.
The paper soon carried onto the next page.
Rian paused to look over what he had written.
‘Is this even possible?’
His list focused largely on the lower classes, shaped by a lifetime of oppression. Some things seemed impossible, even for a lord.
Just as a king needs power to govern a country, a lord needs power to govern a territory. Without it, they are mere puppets.
The Emperor of the Rosenbaum Empire was one such puppet, and so was his master.
Carter III, ascending the throne young, was pressured by nobles like Duke Townsend and Duke McCarthy, remaining only a titular emperor.
His master, too, had delegated all duties to officials from a young age and spent life being manipulated.
Rian had always thought the lack of power was the root of it all.
Now, having physical youth but a mind of thirty years, he had the chance to prepare to live as he wished when his body fully matured.
‘I need to gain power.’
