Chapter 93: The Tax Chief’s Deception

I threw out a hopeful question just in case, but there was no answer.

Then I had no choice.

I really hate violence, you know.

“If you keep using your numbers like this, we’ll have no choice but to use force ourselves.”

I meant every word.

If I pulled out the communication rod here, it would be a total disaster.

The number of enemies didn’t matter much.

Abel Carius had been through far worse situations.

But the opponents didn’t seem to think so.

“Pfft! ‘Use force,’ he says. Can’t you see how many of us there are?”

“No matter how strong you are, one pair of hands can’t beat ten.”

“No, right now it’s more like a hundred.”

Our group was only five.

They numbered in the hundreds.

It was a numerical gap that required at least one against a hundred.

But that was something only an ignorant person would say.

Battles weren’t decided by numbers alone.

Break their will, and the fight ends right there.

Once fear took hold, even the most elite army couldn’t continue.

So we just needed to land one solid blow.

That was basically what knights did best.

Charge in and tear through the enemy formation.

Even that much would make this ragtag mob collapse in an instant.

Of course, I had no intention of using such a brute-force method.

“Now, now, how about we clarify the facts first?”

They ignored my words completely.

But they had to open their mouths at what followed.

“I’ll ask everyone here a question. How much do you all get paid?”

“What nonsense is this?”

“Just asking. What’s your wage, and how much tax do you pay?”

Asking about finances was quite rude.

But it was also a topic that piqued curiosity.

I added a nerve-grating remark on top.

“Surely you don’t make less than 4 silons a month? There’s a country called Delriat that’s been annexed by the empire, and their average wage is exactly that.”

“W-We make enough…”

The man at the front tried to retort but quickly shut his mouth.

Probably because he didn’t earn that much.

The old imperial capital’s typical wage was 2 silons a month.

Now it had skyrocketed to over 10 silons.

And even then, good jobs were being created in abundance, with steep economic growth.

But what about the Yates Marquisate?

It was probably far worse off than the old empire.

The industry here was mostly farming, and wage levels were stuck in the past.

There were likely tons of people making less than 1 silon a month.

“You just said it was enough, so I’ll ask again. How much do you earn from your work?”

“…About 2 silons?”

“And lodging and food are provided?”

“No.”

“Then what about taxes?”

“12 corens.”

1 silon was 10 corens.

If they earned twenty copper coins, twelve were taken away.

That was a tax rate of a whopping 60%.

Even in this era where taxes were demonic, this crossed the line by far.

And they’d probably tack on all sorts of excuses to take more.

“Over half, huh?”

“Can’t help it. We’re part of the empire now.”

This place had been an independent nation before Emperor Karon’s ascension.

The king had handed over the whole country, making it imperial territory.

Thanks to that, Marquis Yates got an assembly seat and enjoyed power as a top contributor.

But the residents here didn’t seem to know the full story.

“You’re saying they collect so much tax to pay tribute to the empire?”

“Of course. To subjugate a nation like our Yates Marquisate, they must have spent money on military force.”

It sounded right at first glance.

It was true the empire had aimed to bring surrounding nations to their knees.

But they knew only half the story.

“You’re wrong. The empire’s military strength didn’t change before or after the Yates Marquisate was incorporated.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means there’s no reason to collect extra taxes. Moreover, the Yates Marquisate was granted a 5-year tax exemption as a top contributor territory.”

“?”

The people just stood there, blinking blankly.

It was understandable.

This was information they’d never heard, and it was quite shocking.

So I emphasized the key point again.

“When was the Yates Marquisate incorporated?”

“Over 8 years ago.”

“Even after the exemption period ended, the empire didn’t demand tribute. They gave you an extra 3 years of benefits.”

“Then why send you now?”

“They probably figured you’d handle it yourselves, but there was no word. And now he’s committed a crime, so he’s no longer a contributor, right?”

“How can we believe that?”

“Bring the territory’s tax official here.”

When I demanded it confidently, people’s gazes focused somewhere.

Probably the one with the answers.

I stared steadily at the indicated person.

Unlike the somewhat shabby wage workers, he wore fairly decent clothes.

And a wide-brimmed, ornate hat— he seemed like someone high up.

Who are you?

<Character Information>

Name: Toby Acword

Status: Viscount

Position: Tax Chief

Relationship: No acquaintance

Condition: Panicking at having his scheme exposed, secure due to hidden assets, loyal to no one, no guilt, lies as easily as breathing.

Overall Ability: B

It was a status window filled with astonishing details.

A person who spared no means for success and felt no remorse.

Viscount Acword fit that perfectly.

This is a classic sociopath, isn’t it?

Perhaps because my rank had risen from the item summon ticket, more information was shown than before.

It even revealed hidden assets and that he was a con artist.

Before, it just said ‘misdeeds.’

Anyway, the cause of this mess was now clear.

“Anyone care to tell me who that is?”

“The tax chief.”

“Ah! Viscount Toby Acword.”

“You know him?”

“Of course. He’s someone I absolutely have to meet. As you all know, I’m the head of the tax collection delegation, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“But how did you know our group’s identity?”

“Well…”

The man answering casually trailed off.

Then he stared at Viscount Toby Acword.

His eyes seemed to ask, ‘You told us, didn’t you?’

I smiled meaningfully.

Game over.

“Viscount Acword, heed the imperial command!”

“Huh? Uh?”

When I shouted with a stern expression, he floundered in confusion.

He probably never expected to receive an imperial edict in front of so many people.

I unfurled the scroll I’d kept in my pocket.

As it caught the sunlight, it seemed to emit a golden glow.

“Why aren’t you showing respect?”

“Ah, understood.”

Viscount Toby Acword hurriedly knelt on the ground.

But what to do now.

There was no imperial command for this man.

I was just given authority to collect taxes.

This was mere showmanship to prevent his nonsense.

“Viscount Toby Acword.”

“Yes!”

“You’re under arrest for embezzlement.”

“Whaat?”

“Why pretend you don’t know? You’ve been collecting taxes from all these people and hiding them somewhere.”

“I-I never…”

“!”

The hesitating Viscount Acword stood up.

Wanting to escape, he quickly backed away.

Thud!

But there was no more room to retreat.

The angry crowd had completely surrounded him.

“You definitely said last time during the extra collection? That it couldn’t be helped because of the empire’s tyranny.”

“If you can’t explain properly, prepare yourself.”

It seemed like the revolution might erupt in the Yates Marquisate before the empire.

I hurriedly stepped in to mediate.

“Now, now, calm down. We haven’t even properly investigated the case yet, have we?”

Only then did the blazing heat subside a bit.

I glanced back and nodded subtly, and the Imperial Knights stepped forward.

To bind Viscount Toby Acword.

“Aaah! Th-These are frauds! They couldn’t have received an imperial command! What are you doing? Save me!”

Finally snapping to his senses, he started thrashing.

But no one sided with him.

The story didn’t add up at all.

“What a madman.”

“He told us himself they were the tax delegation, and now that it’s gone wrong, he says they’re not?”

“Does he take us for fools?”

Leaving the people’s murmurs behind, we headed to the Yates lord’s castle.

Now, shall we shake you down from head to toe?

Yates Territory Office.

As I flipped through the documents, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Hah! How is there not a single proper record?”

If it looked sloppy even to my untrained eye, how carelessly had it been done?

Even though administration in this era was haphazard, this was basically pocket money ledger level.

The tax officials from the capital were also dumbfounded, sighing heavily.

“With this trash, we can’t figure out the flow of funds at all.”

“Indeed. It’s lumped together roughly, and even that doesn’t add up.”

“Really?”

“Yes, look here…”

Listening to the tax official’s explanation, the holes became clear.

But since the ledger itself was bogus, we couldn’t learn anything.

As I rose with a dejected expression, even more headache-inducing news came.

“The warehouses are completely empty; no idea where the goods were siphoned off.”

It was Cordell McNeil’s report after scouring the lord’s castle and office.

This meant we couldn’t even use extreme methods.

And what were those?

Ignore how much Toby Acword siphoned off and just collect anyway.

Let the lord handle the tax chief’s corruption.

We just needed the money.

But now that it was like this, we had to recover the missing assets.

“What did Viscount Toby Acword say?”

“He’s denying it to the end. Can’t just beat it out of him; it’s frustrating.”

With classic methods, we could make him confess quickly.

Even highly trained spies attempted suicide when captured.

Throw him in jail for a few days, and he’d spill everything while bawling.

But I had no intention of using such barbaric methods…

Wait. I don’t know where the siphoned money is, but the embezzlement itself is a fact, right?

And it didn’t seem like Toby Acword acted alone.

There were ten tax officials working in the Yates Marquisate.

There must be some connection between them.

I said with a meaningful smile.

“Let’s just take Viscount Toby Acword back to the capital.”

“Huh? Is that okay?”

“What choice do we have? We can’t solve someone else’s theft. As for the taxes, we can collect them once the warehouses are full again.”

“Now that you mention it, yeah.”

Soon, we quickly prepared to leave.

Except for one person: Cordell McNeil.