Chapter 81

"I was silenced with money and preferential treatment, you see. If we hadn't helped, they would have made a fuss even without any damage and were prepared to sue the village. Everyone around us is the enemy. Above, there are people who can dismiss our complaints. So what should we do? If it becomes a debt issue, we might not be able to pay even if we all become debt slaves."

Illegar's eyes, which seemed to be glaring at the wall, were tinged with anger.

"If the people around us had helped even a little, we could have managed. But I can't sympathize with those who only think of their own interests and abandon us. If harmful substances flow into the river, they will also be affected, right?"

Illegar said that it would be revenge. However, the master had known about it in advance and had taken steps to prevent the damage.

"He must have felt that the master knew everything and did nothing, which must have made things even more complicated."

"I am not omnipotent. There are things I can do and things I cannot, even if I know about them. You should understand that this territory is too vast and has too much history for me to act on my own authority. I appreciate your expectations, but sometimes it's better to abandon things. Both light and darkness exist in the management of a territory."

Although I haven't been married to the master for long, I think I understand his character. At the very least, I don't think he easily pushes people away. He won't act unless there is a benefit for him in helping. He believes he shouldn't act. Because it's not a charity, once he allows something, the order will be disrupted.

"Even if that's the truth, it doesn't matter to us... We want to be seen as victims, but we know we are also at fault. So, what do you intend to do, my lord? Will you arrest everyone in the village as criminals?"

"If we want to resolve this peacefully, the easiest way is to silence everyone. That way, we can pretend we know nothing."

"That's a great brute force approach... If you do that, at least save the children."

If he was serious, there was no way to stop him. The only thing he could appeal to was his conscience, asking him to save the children.

The master, who seemed to have heard everything he wanted, stood up with a creak.

"Can I ask one more thing? Why did you decide to act this time?"

The master smiled and answered Illegar's question.

"Because it was the wish of my new wife. She wants this land. She apparently has something she wants to do. It seems beneficial for the territory, so I allowed it. I also want to secure people to work here. If you keep quiet, everything will be resolved without any problems."

Illegar looked at the master with suspicion at this rather flippant explanation. He glanced at me for a moment, but I pretended not to notice.

...Master, you're using me as an excuse, but you were planning to do something from the beginning, weren't you? You made it so obvious for me to notice.

Illegar looked at me with a surprised expression, as if he had been told something unexpected. So, I smiled back at him.

Let me make it clear, this man is not a devoted husband. Please don't misunderstand, I conveyed this with my eyes.

"I see, your feelings have changed... I thought it was a political marriage, but maybe it's not so bad? Well, you are beautiful..."

Illegar muttered to himself, clearly not convinced. He doesn't seem to think it will end without any consequences.

I don't know how it will ultimately be resolved. It all depends on the master's decision. As the lord, he can't apologize lightly, nor can he leave criminal acts unchecked. The resolution will be decided as things progress, but I don't think it will end badly.

The master's face is smiling nicely.

He looks like he's planning something, but I didn't ask. I didn't want to dig my own grave.

"For today, we're just confirming the facts. Let's go back."

Following the master, who stood up with a creak, I also stood up. He didn't forget to help me up by taking my hand. I noticed Illegar's gaze but ignored it.

"I'll keep Murdoch for a while longer."

"That's very kind of you... I could take him back, you know?"

"He will be useful, and he seems to like it here. He will do what he's told, but he also acts on his own initiative, you understand?"

"Well... I don't think he was just following your orders."

We had spent a considerable amount of time together, so we understood each other to some extent. It was clear that not everything he did in the village was on the master's orders.

"Of course, if he stays here, it will be obvious. Even now, he's leading the way to the mountains."

"The mountains?"

"By the way, I didn't mention it before. It seems that large animals have been seen in the mountains recently. Not many have actually seen them, but Murdoch investigated yesterday and found multiple sets of tracks."

"Is that dangerous?"

"It's hard to say. They haven't been seen clearly, but we know that if something happens, we can't call for help. So, we need to investigate carefully and take precautions. We've been doing that all along."

The mountains and forests are vast, and some large animals do live there, but it's rare for them to come so close to human settlements.

"Well, it seems a noble person wants this land, so I'd like to leave the response to you."

He said this to me, but since moving the army is the master's responsibility, I decided to pass the responsibility to him.

With no more words, we were about to leave the shop, thinking it was really over, when the door opened with a loud noise.

"Mr. Illegar!"

Karnak burst in, out of breath and clearly panicked. It was immediately clear that something bad had happened.

"Karnak, what's wrong?"

"What should I do... Murdoch!"

"Calms down. What happened?"

I stepped out from behind the counter and gently touched Karnak's shoulder. Karnak, who looked like he was about to cry, didn't seem to notice us and clung to my hand.

"Murdoch said that... the collapse happened! Murdoch is inside!!"

Karnak's body was trembling in confusion, and he clung to Illegar's arm as if for dear life.