Lately, Trevor had been living a new life.
He had a glamorous past, but he didn’t miss it much anymore.
Life in the Carius Duchy was just that satisfying.
“Honestly, you can’t find this anywhere else, right?”
Sure, showering with pouring hot water and changing into clean clothes could be overlooked.
But the soap he could use as much as he wanted, and the incredibly convenient and high-quality clothes.
These were things he hadn’t experienced even as a high-ranking noble.
On top of that, the latest board games he could enjoy to his heart’s content!
Just looking at the Carius Duchy, it felt like an entirely different world.
The people living here always wore happy expressions, and they got through tough times together.
For example, major life events like weddings.
“I wish you a happy married life.”
Clap clap clap clap clap!
Trevor blinked blankly with a dazed face.
Even as Bernard and Martin next to him clapped enthusiastically, his stiff expression remained.
“What’s wrong?”
Sensing something off, Bernard asked, and only then did Trevor shake his head vigorously.
“No, don’t you see that person right now?”
“You mean His Grace the Duke?”
“Why is the Chief Justice attending a commoner’s wedding? And as the officiant, no less.”
“He’s always been like that. He comes out for most of them. Plus, he covers all the ceremony costs. It’s part of employee welfare.”
“Huh!”
Trevor shook his head in disbelief.
No wonder everyone made such a fuss whenever the Duke of Carius was mentioned.
They all said they had to help His Grace no matter what.
The absurdity was brief; Trevor soon erased the Duke of Carius from his mind.
Thinking about that man just gave him a strangely complicated feeling.
He’d recklessly challenged him and ended up not only losing everything but also getting sentenced to ten years of community service.
Of course, there wasn’t no way to escape.
“I could swear a knight’s oath and serve him as my lord…
His last remaining pride made him hesitate in the decision.
Besides, living like this wasn’t so bad.
There were plenty of things to enjoy.
Since it was his day off, he was heading to the game hall when he suddenly spotted his lumberjack colleagues.
They were all in work clothes, carrying pickaxes, heading somewhere.
Trevor casually asked.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, it’s you, Trevor. Nothing big. They say the southern river embankment collapsed. Probably an old structure.”
“Forced labor. Something like that?”
“What? Forced? Puhahaha!”
His colleagues burst into laughter.
As if they’d heard something completely unexpected.
Trevor furrowed his brow.
When something happens in the territory, they naturally mobilize the commoners, right?
Of course, there was no choice in the matter.
If the lord called and you didn’t show up without a special reason?
You’d pay a huge price.
“Why are you laughing like that?”
“No offense meant, so don’t take it wrong. It’s just that we forgot about that word.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If you haven’t been here long, it makes sense. It’s not forced; we’re just volunteering.”
“Voluntarily?”
“Only for those who want to earn extra money. See the recruitment notice next to the bulletin board?”
“Yeah.”
“You can apply there. They only accept on days off, so be careful. See you.”
The lumberjack colleagues left with smiles.
For a while, Trevor stood there tilting his head.
What he’d just heard still hadn’t sunk in.
“No helping it. To satisfy my curiosity, I have to try it myself.”
Trevor went straight to the staff member by the bulletin board.
Judging by the attire, this person seemed to be the steward of the mansion.
“Hello.”
“Are you here to apply for extra work?”
“Yes, but.”
“Please give me your name and affiliation.”
“Trevor, lumberjack.”
“Since it’s your day off, full-time is possible. Will you do until the afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll register it that way. Grab your equipment now and head to the southern embankment.”
The steward explained in detail about the attire and equipment.
Nodding, Trevor started to move.
But suddenly, the steward’s words stopped him.
“Oh, right, today’s daily wage will be given separately.”
“How much?”
“For full-time, 2 silons.”
“Got it……. What?”
Trevor nodded absentmindedly and then was startled.
A lumberjack’s monthly salary was about 12 silons.
To give that much for just one day was absurd.
However, the steward’s explanation made him nod involuntarily.
“It’s not usually this much. Today it’s set high because it’s a bit dangerous construction work.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Then be careful not to get hurt, and stay healthy always.”
When Trevor looked puzzled, the steward smiled brightly and replied.
“It’s what His Grace the Duke always says. Health is the best.”
In any case, he was an incomprehensible person from start to finish.
Soon nodding, Trevor picked up his pickaxe and headed to the southern embankment.
The work itself wasn’t particularly difficult.
Just breaking and removing the collapsed embankment, then stacking stones again.
But since there were so many heavy things, all sorts of accidents happened.
Rumble! Crack!
“Aaaargh!”
Sure enough, as a pile of stones collapsed, one laborer pushing a cart got crushed under it.
Reflexively, Trevor quickly assessed the situation.
The broken stones hit the cart, and his leg got pinned under it.
The condition was more serious than expected.
“The bone must be shattered into several pieces.”
In such cases, even with splints, it wouldn’t heal properly.
In the worst case, it could start rotting from the end.
In the field, the standard was to amputate the leg.
That way, the survival rate at least increased.
But the laborers’ reactions were astonishing.
They calmly discussed, then brought a carriage.
Saying they’d take him to the temple.
“How much does it cost to get divine healing? Shouldn’t you get his consent first?”
Trevor’s question was perfectly reasonable.
That laborer would probably have to pay it off for life.
Even though wages for Carius Duchy employees were on the high side, it probably wouldn’t cover it.
Divine healing cost hundreds of goldens.
But the reply was astonishing.
“Since he got hurt on the job, His Grace the Duke will pay. We call it industrial accident compensation.”
“Huh!”
What kind of fool was this?
No matter how positively he tried to think, it didn’t make sense in Trevor’s common sense.
Coldly speaking, there were plenty of replaceable talents doing this simple labor.
You could switch them out anytime, so why pay a high price to keep them?
It just led to stranger thoughts.
No matter how much he experienced, he couldn’t understand the Duke of Carius’s thinking.
In the end, Trevor went directly to see him.
“Just one question, Your Grace.”
“What rudeness is this?”
Cordell McNeil blocked the way, but Trevor’s gaze was fixed on Abel.
Soon, the Duke of Carius waved his hand, and the escort knight stepped back slightly.
“I’m not giving it back no matter what. A game is a game.”
“No, I’m not here to quibble over bets!”
“Then what?”
“What exactly is the reason you keep showing me this side?”
“This side?”
“From the endless shower rooms to suits, extra work allowances, and this industrial accident compensation or whatever! If it’s not all an act, then what is it!”
Wasn’t that the truth?
Where else could such a happy world exist?
Life was a mix of joy and sorrow, anger and pleasure.
So Trevor reached one conclusion.
“You’re going that far to get my loyalty?”
Abel Carius was silent for a while.
Trevor started to feel more convinced.
But the answer that soon came out shattered everything to pieces.
“I don’t need something like a knight’s oath, so just do your assigned work diligently. You’re not trying to weasel out of His Majesty the Emperor’s order like that, are you?”
This time, Trevor’s mouth shut tight.
It was utterly absurd.
It was a busy time preparing for the next trial.
Suddenly, some madman bursts in and shouts if I’m putting in effort to recruit him.
What kind of bullshit is this?
So I sent him back with a sharp rebuke.
“What do you think is wrong with that guy?”
It was so weird that I asked Shugl, and a clear answer came right out.
─In that guy’s common sense, the Carius Duchy doesn’t make sense. What commoner lives as well as a quasi-baron?
Well, he’d been in noble houses for a long time, so change would be hard.
He’d lived his whole life trapped in a sense of privilege.
Even if an opportunity for enlightenment came by chance, he’d end up with such a weird conclusion.
To begin with, I had no intention of taking in knights?
Anyway, what was important now wasn’t Trevor Warren.
“What kind of case is this?”
Since the court’s internal rules changed, judges could handle trials much more easily.
Like now, receiving related documents in advance and thoroughly investigating evidence beforehand.
That would simplify the trial procedures and bring positive effects.
But in front of a tricky case like this, the changed internal rules were useless.
─Let’s see. Conflict between a farm owner and a merchant head. This is gonna be a headache?
“How do you know that?”
─Money issues are always the most annoying. Isn’t that just human nature?
“Huh!”
I burst into empty laughter and scratched Shugl’s back.
Not because it was impressive, but to tease him.
Most animals like this, but this guy’s reaction was different.
─Hey, you punk! Don’t treat me like I’m cute!
Tadat! Todododok!
Shugl kept punching my arm.
But a squirrel smaller than a fist flailing around was just ticklish.
Ignoring the guy’s outburst, I focused on the trial documents.
Surprisingly, this case matched Shugl’s analysis exactly.
‘The merchant head paid the usual amount, but in the meantime, the item price went up. So the farm owner is refusing to sell.’
The answer was very simple.
They’d already written the contract, and the money was paid, right?
So regardless of the changed price, just fulfill it as is.
As long as I was handling it, there was no way the farm owner would win this trial.
But suddenly, a note stuck between the documents caught my eye.
“Wait, what’s this?”
It was quite surprising content.
I didn’t expect to see such a word even after coming to this world.
I read the note again.
“The lawyer hired by the farm owner, Count Roderick Quinn, is a recently retired judge?”
So this is asking for some former colleague courtesy, right?