Chapter 2

When Sora returned to his room from the lord's office, he found Mina, his side maid, with a pale face, searching for him.

Naturally, if Sora, who still looked like a two-year-old, went missing, she would be held responsible and executed.

As Mina, with a tearful voice, confirmed his safety, Sora stalled by asking for a fairy tale, while considering his future actions.

The people of the domain probably hate the Kleinzelt family, who are the lords.

If things continue as they are, Sora, as the heir of the Kleinzelt family, might also suffer the backlash. In the worst case, a revolution could break out, and he could be killed.

Sora judged that regaining the trust of the people was urgent and began to explore his options.

"What can a two-year-old do...?"

Even if he tried to interfere with the management, those two wouldn't listen. It would be strange if they did.

Should he manipulate the lord's army and use their military power to threaten his parents and rule from the shadows? He began to be tainted by such dangerous thoughts but remembered the evidence he saw in the lord's office.

Evidence that the officers, including the commander, were actively kidnapping the people of the domain.

If he made a mistake, he might be eliminated as an obstacle, stabbed from behind.

"...Am I already cornered? There might still be a way out."

Sora sighed, and Mina observed his expression.

"Hey, do you know what kind of life the people in the domain are living?"

Sora showed an innocent smile that was different from his true feelings and pointed outside the window.

In the town visible from the window, only a few buildings were made of stone; the rest were shabby mud walls. Some houses had only roofs.

"...Huh?"

She opened her mouth in surprise and then seemed to realize it was impolite, starting to panic.

"Well, you see. Thanks to Lord and Lady Kleinzelt, the domain is experiencing wonderful development, enjoying prosperity that rivals the capital—"

"Are you trying to dodge the question with big words for a kid? That won't work."

Sora interrupted her with a zero-yen smile he had honed at a certain hamburger place.

The existence of houses with only roofs, despite the availability of stone construction techniques, was indeed strange.

"I'm tired of lies. I want to know the truth."

Mina gasped, looking as if she had been recited the Heart Sutra by a two-year-old.

"It's not a lie?"

"If you don't tell the truth, I'll scream and cry."

A child's tear glands are easily triggered. Sora had mastered the art of fake crying while acting like a child.

Mina's face twitched as Sora's eyes welled up with tears.

"Wait! I'll tell you. I'll tell you, so please wait."

Sora inwardly apologized as Mina held out her open hand to stop him.

Although he ended up threatening her, he didn't want to wake up to a bad morning if she were to be punished by being turned into a slave for upsetting the heir.

"Yay! I love the maid lady!"

After acting so unchildlike, Sora decided to play it safe and show his affection. Mina, with a strained smile, began to speak about the lives of the common people.

"The Kleinzelt domain has no mountains. This land, facing the sea, is easily affected by sea breezes, making it very difficult for crops to grow."

Sora compared this with the few documents he had seen in the office, filling in the gaps.

The soil in the Kleinzelt domain is salty because seawater flows into the numerous rivers during high tide, which is another reason crops don't grow well.

"Then it makes sense why there are so many fish dishes."

"Do you dislike fish?"

Sora shook his head in response to Mina's question.

Perhaps because he was originally Japanese, he had no complaints about the fresh, natural seafood in this world.

"What kind of boats do they use for fishing?"

"It's hard to explain with words. Would it be okay if I drew a picture?"

"That would be easier to understand."

"Then, let me do that."

Mina didn't go to get paper but instead spilled a little water from a pitcher onto the table and began to draw.

The water, reflecting the sunlight, shimmered as a boat was drawn. The shape was similar to a canoe, without a sail, suggesting it was used for near-shore fishing.

"You're good at drawing."

"It's an honor. This boat can hold about five people. After going out to sea, they lower fishing lines."

"...What about nets?"

"What are nets?"

Mina looked puzzled.

Sora couldn't believe nets didn't exist and explained their basic shape and usage.

"I see, we had something like that in the back of our shed."

From Mina's words, it seemed her family were fishermen.

"Why aren't you using them?"

Using nets would be more efficient than lowering fishing lines. Given that crops don't grow, it would be beneficial to catch as many fish as possible to secure food.

"They were used until my grandfather's younger days, but... "

Mina's words trailed off, and her gaze wandered.

"If you don't tell the truth, I'll shout in the hallway, 'I hate the maid lady!'"

"Wait! I'll tell you."

Mina took a deep breath and leaned in, as if sharing a secret. Sora leaned in as well.

"The previous lord was angry that commoners had decent boats, so the size of the boats was restricted, making it impossible to use nets."

It seemed this was the work of the previous lord, Sora's grandfather.

"...I hope he fell into hell."

"Sora?"

"It's nothing."

When Mina questioned his mutter, Sora instantly put on a fake smile. Mina, deceived by his smile, decided she must have misheard.

"Still, the boats can hold four to five people, so I think they could carry nets."

"The currents around here are fast and complex due to the many small islands. The weights needed to sink the nets are quite heavy, and the boats can't carry them."

Mina frowned, looking troubled. Apparently, even experienced fishermen can't read the currents, and there are many missing people every year in this treacherous area.

"In summary, it's very difficult to secure food?"

Sora summarized, and Mina nodded in agreement.

"How do they pay taxes in such a situation?"

Sora tilted his head cutely, but the contrast with the content made it less effective.

Mina's gaze, as if she were looking at something eerie, pierced through him.

"Taxes... Do you understand what that means? I get it."

Sora's words didn't seem to convince Mina, but as she wiped the table where she had drawn the boat, she began to speak.

"Taxes were mainly paid with wood."

"Were? Why past tense?"

Sora caught the past tense and asked.

He guessed that because the people were struggling, the taxes were suspended until the situation improved.

"The current lord has mandated that taxes be paid in currency."

"I see. Since there's no food in the domain, the people pay taxes in currency, which is then used to import food from elsewhere and distribute it to the people."

It seemed his father wasn't as bad as his first impression suggested, and Sora felt relieved.

He sincerely apologized to his father in his heart, "I'm sorry, Father."

"No, there's no food distribution. The collected taxes are taken by the lord and his family when they go to the capital."

Sora sighed deeply at Mina's words.

His father was indeed a scoundrel. The collected taxes were probably used for bribes in the capital.