Chapter 43

The new lord is a reasonable person.

This is the evaluation of the new lord by the residents of the Asu domain.

Currently, there is no conscription. If you perform labor, you get paid for it.

The taxes are surprisingly low.

Moreover, they provide special jobs, such as papermaking, for widows and others who cannot properly engage in agriculture.

Furthermore, the blacksmith's words, "No, it's not a tax. I won't impose a temporary tax unless there's an emergency, such as a war or a natural disaster," quickly spread throughout the Asu domain.

King Verm frequently requisitioned supplies, and Lagou Asu also imposed temporary taxes.

But not anymore.

The residents of the domain had high hopes for Almus.

However, there was also an evaluation that he was a strange person.

This was about the tax collectors.

The tax collectors are the hereditary retainers that the current lord brought from the forest.

They are also called knights.

They are highly skilled in martial arts, and all of them can read, write, and do calculations.

The new lord immediately dispatched these tax collectors to all the villages upon taking office.

They surveyed the size of all the farmland in the village and recorded the owners on paper.

This was a truly incomprehensible oddity for the residents of the Asu domain.

It made no sense.

Moreover, the tax collectors said, "Listen, from now on, we will come to collect the taxes. We will just take the taxes that the village head has collected, so it won't change much. Don't worry... but we won't tolerate tax evasion or embezzlement."

For the village heads, it was good that they didn't have to carry the taxes.

Despite their doubts about why this was being done, they agreed.

In June, before the actual tax collection began...

"Hey, the tax is short. Is this really all of it?"

Ron glared at the village head in front of him. The village head answered with a nervous smile.

"Yes, really. Do you have proof that it's short?"

"Yeah. The estimated harvest and the amount of tax collected here are vastly different. I haven't heard that there was a poor harvest this year."

The estimated harvest is derived from the usual yield reported by the villagers, the size of the land, and the weather this year.

There might be some difference, but unless there is a significant natural disaster, the estimated harvest and the actual harvest should not be vastly different.

In other words, the village head is suspected of embezzlement.

"Hey, we're going to investigate."

Saying this, Ron and Soyon ignored the village head's protests and entered his house.

The two carefully observed the village head's house.

Perhaps because he was the village head, his house was not a pit dwelling. It had a proper floor.

The two walked on the floor.

"Hmm?"

Ron noticed something odd.

He poked the floor with the hilt of his sword. The sound was different only in that spot.

The two exchanged glances. The village head's face turned pale.

Ron raised his sword and struck the floor.

The sword pierced the floor.

He inserted his hand into the crack and, with Soyon's help, pulled it up.

With a creaking sound, the floor was lifted.

Under the floor was a spacious area, and a large amount of wheat was hidden there.

"What is this?"

"Um... this is..."

The village head hesitated to speak.

Ron looked at the wheat with a cold gaze and said,

"It's embezzlement. Embezzlement is a serious crime. I believe... five lashes, right?"

Hearing Ron's words, the village head dropped to his knees.

He bowed deeply.

"Please, to the lord... I'll give you one-third... no, two-thirds of this wheat..."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Ron pulled out his sword and swung it.

The village head's last three teeth fell to the ground.

The village head's face turned pale.

"Bribery. I believe that's also five lashes."

"Please have mercy..."

"Ask the lord for that."

Ron and Soyon called the villagers to load the wheat onto a cart and left the scene.

"This is the twelfth house... Bribery and embezzlement. Isn't it too much?"

"Embezzlement by village heads is quite common. That's why even with heavy taxes, it's hard to collect them."

Ial, who joined them halfway, said. Ial is still learning to read, so he has a tutor with him.

He has also finished collecting taxes and is on his way to Almus.

"But, Ron, you looked cool?"

"Really? I practiced. You know, since the leader is kind, we thought we should be strict."

A lovey-dovey couple.

Ial watched them with a half-smile.

"By the way, don't you think we need more horses? Not for cavalry, but for tax collection and farming. Don't you think we should buy them?"

"Lord is also considering the purchase of horses. He is negotiating with the Kirisia merchants."

"Really... But how about the cost? Can we buy enough horses just with paper?"

Currently, in the Asu domain, they are mass-producing paper by gathering widows and children.

However, there is a limit to the number of trees that can be made into paper.

Will that be enough to buy horses, and can we maintain that many horses?

"Once we move this to the mansion's storage, it will be the northern village next... It's far, so we might have to stay overnight. Sigh..."

"Well, it will get easier soon. Let's work hard until then. The hardest part is those two."

Everyone is now working hard to collect taxes from all over the Asu domain.

They must be tired.

I really feel bad,

But,

We are more tired!!

"Sigh... We have to do this every year... I'm going to die."

"Don't worry. Next year, we'll have ten more people. That means ten more tax collectors. The work will be easier... hopefully."

"But, the maximum is a hundred people, right?"

The children who came with me are a hundred.

So the limit for bureaucrats is a hundred people.

Currently, we have seventy people, including young girls, who are working hard.

If the number increases by 1.5 times...

"Maybe we need to focus on personnel development?"

"Yes, we need to. Let's discuss it later."

That means we have one more job.

Sigh...

It's stressful.

"Hey... Can I have a moment?"

"Hmm? Ah!"

I pressed my lips to Tera's and forcefully pushed her down.

"I need a break."

"Mm... do as you like..."

Tera closed her eyes.

I reached for Tera's chest...

"Um, here are additional reports..."

I made eye contact with Ruru.

Ruru quickly looked away and silently placed the reports on the desk.

"Um... maybe you should choose a better place?"

Ruru said and left.

...

It's awkward.

What should I do?

"What should we do?"

Tera looked at me straight and asked.

"Um, let's save it for tonight. I've lost my mood. Besides..."

We need to process the additional documents quickly.

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Side Story: The Bra

"Hey, Tera, can you show me your chest?"

"Hmm? You can touch it whenever you want. It's yours."

What a nice thing to say...

But this time, I don't want to touch it.

"What's that?"

"It's underwear. I made it. I just want to check the size."

I attached the handmade bra to Tera's chest.

The size is perfect.

Thanks to my daily checks.

"How does it feel?"

"...It feels strange. But not bad."

"That's good to hear."

There is no underwear in the Adelnia Peninsula.

They do wear something like a loincloth, but it's not considered underwear.

It's a bit distracting.

The bouncing chest.

Well, if it were someone else's chest, it would be a feast for the eyes, but it's my wife's chest...

Fortunately, Tera has average-sized breasts.

"If you wear this, your chest won't sag as much."

"Really? How many do you have?"

"Only one prototype for now... but if you want, I can make more."

"Then make five... and teach me how to make it. I'll make it myself."

Sure, that's fine...

But it's kind of fun to imagine Tera's chest while making it.

But if I say that, I'll be a pervert.

Decades later, bras would spread throughout the Adelnia Peninsula, but the two of them didn't know that yet.