Chapter 15: The Tax Collector’s Judgment

Three days passed swiftly.

During that time, Ethan managed to embed another pair of Fire Essences in his chest.

Wrist, arm, shoulder, chest.

A pair on each side.

In total, eight Fire Essences were blazing. It wasn’t just that his achievements grew day by day—

He also learned from Hans about the corruption the Baron was committing.

“The maximum number of private soldiers a Baron’s household, as a vassal family, can have is five hundred, but right now, Baron Helmut has close to one thousand five hundred.”

One thousand five hundred.

That was quite a number for a Baron’s household in a small kingdom. How could he possibly gather so many?

Ethan fell into deep thought.

‘He must have created several organizations like the Red Scorpion.’

Vermin who sucked up money by meddling in all sorts of dirty business within the territory.

There was no doubt there were several such groups. Hans’s report confirmed it.

“The reason he could increase the number of private soldiers so openly is simple. I found out that the soldiers are distributed among various places called ‘workshops.’ Like those organizations such as the Red Scorpion we visited last time.”

“Is that so?”

No wonder those back-alley gangs had a certain order and discipline to them.

Ethan grinned.

He was starting to get a sense of how to slowly drown that Baron bastard.

“As for taxes… they collect up to the maximum tax rate stated in the contract as ‘regular taxes,’ and any additional taxes are collected as protection fees through the workshops.”

“What happens if they don’t pay the protection fee?”

“If it’s a shop, they get harassed, and if it’s a regular household, those thugs we saw last time barge in. Of course, the ‘official’ private soldiers of the Baron turn a blind eye.”

Ethan nodded.

The Ten Branch Families.

There was no way only the Baron’s household would act this way. The other nine families were probably using similar methods to avoid the restrictions of the vassal contract.

‘Filthy bastards.’

Even if they were only part of the Ducal Family, the territories governed by the Ten Branch Families were still part of the Ducal Territory.

The more these vermin squeezed the people, the weaker the family’s power would become.

Of course, idiots like the Ten Branch Families probably never thought that far ahead.

‘There’s only one core issue.’

Whether or not he could prove the connection between those workshops and the Baron.

That was the most important thing.

Of course, Ethan already had evidence.

The Red Scorpion, one of the workshops.

He had the scene where those bastards and the Baron were having a friendly chat, safely stored in the Memory Crystal.

He just needed to trample the rest of the workshops one by one. As he crushed them, he’d surely catch another tail.

Ethan looked at Hans.

“Who’s in charge of managing the lower villages?”

“It’s Haimes, one of the quasi-nobles. He collects taxes from the chiefs of several villages, including Beros Village, and delivers the amount to the Baron. He’s practically one of the Baron’s closest aides.”

A close aide, huh.

If that was the case, he’d also have the ledgers related to taxes.

“Where is he?”

“It’s about time for tax collection, so he should have arrived at Beros Village by now.”

Ethan rose to his feet.

“Lead the way.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two left the Administrative Hall.

Haimes.

A quasi-noble and one of the territory’s tax officials, he made rounds once a month to collect taxes from several villages, including Beros Village.

He was accompanied by twenty soldiers and a single Knight. Not a single villager dared block his way.

The troop headed for the house of the Vellos Chief of Beros Village.

“Hey, Chief! Open up!”

“Oh dear, you’ve arrived!”

The old chief bowed his head in fear.

Haimes, who moved around with a Knight even at the village level, was nothing short of a walking calamity.

“You’ve already collected this month’s taxes, haven’t you?”

“Well, that is…”

“What.”

“The amount might be a little short, Tax Official.”

“Hey, Chief.”

“Y-yes…”

“Do you know how many times I’ve heard that nonsense already?”

“Already, the overdue amount alone exceeds twenty gold coins. How on earth do you plan to resolve this?”

The chief sweated profusely at his question.

Thirty silver coins per household.

It was an amount the villagers of a small village simply couldn’t bear.

Moreover, when counting those liable for tax in the Baron’s Territory, even children who weren’t yet adults were counted as full adults.

Naturally, the tax rate became excessively high. There was no way they could meet the demanded amount.

Already, the overdue taxes alone were nearing twenty gold coins.

The chief spoke in despair.

“W-we even paid the protection fee last month…”

“Hey, Chief! Do you think I came here to listen to that kind of crap? If you don’t want to die, pay up! Every last bit you owe!”

“But…”

“You think feeding and housing you isn’t enough, and that you can live here for free? What kind of nonsense is that! Besides, wasn’t it our soldiers from the Baron’s Territory who got rid of the Red Scorpion for you? Hey, James!”

“Yes, Administrator!”

One soldier raised his hand.

“You were there when we wiped out the Red Scorpion, weren’t you?”

“Yes! They were truly vicious bastards. It was tough subduing them.”

“Can’t you see how hard the soldiers worked? What’s the point of the Baron listening to the people’s complaints if you’re all just useless vermin who can’t even pay your taxes properly?”

At those words, the chief wore an incredulous expression.

‘You bastards!’

Officially, it was said that the Baron’s soldiers wiped out the Red Scorpion, but the chief knew the truth was completely different.

Some villagers had seen the Ducal Heir who lived at the Hunting Annex enter the gang’s hideout.

After that, it was the chief and the villagers who moved the fallen thugs.

But with the Baron’s soldiers watching them like hawks, they couldn’t openly spread the word that the Ducal Heir had taken care of it.

“Sigh. Chief, this won’t do. I’ve always said it’s important to pay your taxes.”

“If you could just give us a little more time…”

“No. It’s far too late now. I’ll have to take your daughter for starters. You lowborns just don’t listen to reason.”

“Oh, Tax Official! Please, just not my daughter…!”

“You wretch! How dare you lay your filthy hands on me!”

Haimes shoved the chief hard. The old chief collapsed helplessly.

“Take her!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Tax Official! Please!”

“You should have paid when I told you to!”

It was at that moment.

“Young master! It’s him!”

A voice rang out from afar.

Haimes and his group turned their heads. Some guy was pointing at him and shouting loudly.

Haimes narrowed his eyes.

Then his eyes widened.

‘Hans.’

Hans.

He was the guy who had applied for an administrative post in the Baron’s Territory along with him, only to be assigned to the remote Hunting Annex after making the wrong connections.

Next to him stood a rather skinny-looking young man.

Step, step.

The young man began to walk forward.

For some reason, the sound of his footsteps seemed to thunder in their ears.

“W-what’s this?”

Haimes shivered at the strange pressure.

It wasn’t just him—Daykan, the 3-star Knight escorting the tax official, felt the same thing.

‘What is this?’

Daykan focused mana around his eyes to enhance his vision, and he flinched.

Mana was swirling around that young man.

It blazed like a raging fire.

‘The amount of mana isn’t even that high, but…

What is this pressure?’

His hand instinctively reached for his sword. Ethan drew closer to the group.

‘Filthy bastards.’

He’d heard the earlier conversation without missing a word.

He’d heightened his hearing using mana. Such things never happened when his father ruled the Ducal Territory.

Back then, the family’s laws were strictly upheld.

‘Haimes, huh.’

Just by looking at his bloated cheeks, he could tell what kind of life the man had led. He’d probably squeezed the blood out of countless people under the Baron.

He deserved a punishment more painful than death.

The moment Ethan took a step forward—

“Halt! If you come any closer, I’ll consider it interference with official duties of the Baron’s house!”

A Knight blocked his path. The same guy who hadn’t said a word when the tax official bullied the chief.

Ethan quickly assessed his level.

Just a beginner among official Knights.

Nothing special.

Ethan chuckled and drew his sword. The Knight grew furious at being so blatantly ignored.

Even a Baron wouldn’t dare mock a Knight so openly.

“How dare you! Do you have a death wish?”

“You’ll be the one to die.”

Ethan replied indifferently, circulating mana.

In an instant, his figure closed in on Daykan.

He raised his greatsword with both hands to cleave the Knight in two.

‘Fast!’

Daykan also circulated mana.

He gripped his sword with both hands and angled it diagonally.

‘If he swings down like this—!’

He planned to deflect the greatsword and counterattack.

As he lifted his sword above his head—

Daykan tilted his head.

‘Huh?’

The sword that had seemed about to come crashing down on his head stopped in midair.

It was a massive greatsword.

It would have taken immense strength to stop it after swinging down with full force.

And yet, that skinny young man did it so effortlessly?

He couldn’t help but be shocked.

In that moment, the snake-like curved sword struck Daykan in the side.

“Guh!”

Daykan was sent flying and crashed far away. He’d been subdued without even a proper exchange of blows.

Haimes and the soldiers stared with their mouths agape.

Do they know what an official Knight is?

It was a realm that could only be reached after years of harsh training with the sword.

To regular soldiers, an official Knight was like a calamity. And yet, one had been taken down without even swinging his sword properly.

They were all left dumbfounded.

‘A master!’

Whoever he was, he had incredible skill. The young man who had so easily taken down a Knight now approached Haimes.

“S-stop him!”

Haimes panicked and urged the soldiers.

‘Damn it! Like I don’t want to stop him myself!’

The soldiers’ faces twisted as if they’d bitten into dung. In truth, they wanted to turn and run, but if they did, they’d never be able to return to the Baron’s Territory.

The soldiers pointed their spears at the skinny young man.

“S-stop right there!”

“Do you even know who you’re pointing your weapons at?”

“W-who are you…?”

“You fools! This is the Ducal Heir of the Ardan Ducal Family! Put your weapons down at once!”

Hans jumped in at just the right moment, shouting at the top of his lungs. The soldiers tilted their heads at his booming voice.

“The Ducal Heir…?”

“No way…”

The Ducal Heir of the Ardan Ducal Family.

They already knew he lived nearby.

The soldiers swallowed nervously.

It was rumored that the Ducal Heir had left the members of the Red Scorpion half-crippled.

Even if they tried to stop him now, they’d end up just like those Red Scorpion members. They’d even just witnessed him fight the Knight.

The soldiers quickly lowered their spears.

“You fools! Stop him! Do you think the Baron will spare you if something happens to me?”

“I think he will.”

“Eek!”

Haimes screamed as Ethan’s face suddenly appeared right in front of him.