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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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With Allen having seized control of everything belonging to Baron Rasino, his childhood friend, Janbolt, had been promoted from chief scribe to treasurer.
It was a meteoric rise.
He noticed a maid entering his office. She was an attractive woman with prominent curves that couldn’t be concealed by her clothing.
“Busy these days?” Janbolt asked, smirking lewdly as he groped the maid’s ass as she walked past. The maid flinched and turned to face him.
“Hmph, what’s it to you?” She scoffed and turned away again, but her gait, accentuating her curves, was different this time.
She was trying to entice him, despite her previous indifference.
What was important was that just a few months ago, this same woman had treated him like he was invisible.
Most of the castle staff were wealthy commoners or daughters of minor noble families, so a low-ranking scribe like Janbolt hadn’t been worth their attention.
“Heh… is this the sweet taste of power?” Janbolt was quite pleased with his improved circumstances. He was enjoying himself even now.
No one objected to him flirting with the maid while everyone else was busy working. On the contrary, they all seemed wary of him.
It was all thanks to Allen’s backing. However, even this idyllic life wasn’t without its clouds.
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“The cost of the mercenaries’ wages has exceeded our tax revenue. We’re on the verge of bankruptcy. How do you intend to resolve this, Treasurer?”
Janbolt, summoned to the former Baron’s office, forced a smile.
Becoming treasurer thanks to Allen’s backing had been great, but ever since then, Adelia, the lady of the house, had been constantly summoning and berating him.
‘What did Allen do?’ Before Allen’s arrival, Janbolt had been a low-ranking scribe with no direct interaction with Adelia.
He was certain that he was being targeted because of Allen.
“The only way to fill the gap in our revenue is to impose new taxes.”
The Rasino family’s coffers were rapidly dwindling due to the successive wars.
Even with Allen diverting the profits from the fishing rights, it had only temporarily slowed the decline.
War was a costly endeavor, and Allen’s prohibition of looting hadn’t helped.
While it had allowed them to seize control of Baron Debussy’s territory with minimal resistance, the problem, as always, was money.
Adelia frowned disapprovingly.
“Given the current situation, with taxes already raised due to the war and the civil war, imposing further taxes will only lead to an exodus of our people.”
Most nobles viewed peasants as money-generating machines and saw no problem with raising taxes indiscriminately.
In this barbaric era, those who protested or couldn’t pay their taxes were often executed as an example.
Adelia, however, understood the limitations of such coercive methods.
If taxes became too high, threatening their survival, the peasants would flee, further reducing tax revenue and necessitating further tax increases.
It was a vicious cycle.
“We can use the assets confiscated from the rebels and the assets Sir Allen will soon send from Baron Debussy’s territory to cover the deficit.”
“That’s just throwing money into a bottomless pit.”
“We can sustain ourselves until we fix the pit.”
Many knights had died in both territories, leaving a void in the mid-level officials responsible for collecting taxes from the various estates. It was a temporary administrative vacuum.
Janbolt believed they could hold out until the administrative functions were restored.
Adelia, however, disagreed.
“Treasurer, persuade Sir Allen to disband the mercenaries. With the conquest of Baron Debussy’s territory almost complete, there’s no need to maintain them.”
“I’d rather keep my personal and professional matters separate.” Janbolt expressed his reservations. If the mercenaries were no longer needed, Allen would have disbanded them already.
Adelia scoffed.
“I appointed you treasurer because of Sir Allen.” She acknowledged her dependence on Allen, but she wasn’t going to be a passive bystander.
‘He’ll abandon Usebia once she’s no longer useful. And Usebia won’t be able to accept that.’
Usebia was fragile, like glass on the verge of shattering. As a mother, she had to protect her daughter.
The problem was that with the balance of power shifted so heavily in Allen’s favor, there was nothing she could do.
That was why she intended to seize any opportunity to regain some leverage while Allen was away.
If she could weaken Allen’s military power through Janbolt and secure the support of her father, the Count, she might be able to control Allen, despite his power.
The problem was that everything stemmed from a misunderstanding. Would the ambitious Allen really give up on Usebia?
Adelia didn’t yet understand what kind of man Allen was. She spoke in an icy tone.
“Treasurer, either persuade Sir Allen, or find a way to increase our revenue. That’s an order.”
“I’ll increase our revenue.” Janbolt, however, defied Adelia’s wishes. Instead of asking Allen for help, he accepted the seemingly impossible task.
‘Damn it!’ Janbolt had no choice. He and Allen were inextricably linked. If Allen fell, he would fall with him.
Leaving the slightly flustered Adelia, Janbolt returned to his office.
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-Clap.
“Everyone, gather around.”
Janbolt summoned the scribes to discuss Adelia’s task. The scribes, having heard his explanation, looked troubled.
“If it were that easy, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
The other scribes nodded in agreement with the chief scribe. The atmosphere wasn’t cooperative.
A low-ranking scribe had been parachuted into the top position. They all resented Janbolt, to varying degrees.
Janbolt clicked his tongue. He had been hoping that time would resolve the issue, but if this continued, he would be crushed from both above and below.
In the end, self-preservation was paramount. He decided to change his approach.
“So? Are you refusing my orders?”
“I’m simply stating the reality of the situation.” The chief scribe didn’t back down, despite the threat.
“Elaborate on this ‘reality’.”
“There are two problems. The lack of officials makes it difficult to collect taxes, and the long war has drastically reduced toll revenue.” The chief scribe smirked, as if mocking Janbolt’s inability to do anything about it.
Janbolt feigned ignorance. His priority now wasn’t to punish the subtly insubordinate chief scribe, but to solve the problem Adelia had presented.
“The latter is a matter of time, isn’t it?” With the wars mostly concluded, traffic on the roads and waterways would increase.
“The problem is the bandits. The recent wars have left many defeated soldiers turned bandits. Unless we deal with them, the toll revenue from the roads will remain stagnant, even if the waterways recover.”
The problem was that they lacked the manpower to deal with the bandits.
The knights responsible for protecting the various estates had been decimated, and the successive wars had doubled the cost of hiring mercenaries.
Hiring mercenaries to deal with the bandits might cost them more than they would gain.
The chief scribe wasn’t being arrogant for no reason. He knew what he was talking about.
However, Janbolt was also prepared.
“Let’s use those freeloaders who are eating us out of house and home.” Several wandering knights, seeking employment after hearing about the war, were staying at the castle, living off their hospitality. Janbolt intended to use them.
“Do you think those proud knights will accept such a task?” The chief scribe scoffed, as if it were absurd. Knights, as a rule, looked down on everyone except for nobles. They wouldn’t obey the treasurer’s orders.
“They all accepted.” The youngest scribe, who had just returned from delivering the offer, beamed.
“What? That’s impossible…!” The chief scribe looked incredulous.
“Of course they accepted. They must have realized by now that there are many vacancies in the territory. And they likely saw this task as a test to fill those vacancies.” Janbolt spoke as if he had anticipated this outcome.
“Hmm… was that really your intention?”
“Well, if they perform well, I might put in a good word for them.”
“That’s deceitful!” The chief scribe looked indignant. Janbolt was shameless.
“I didn’t lie.”
“What about the tax collection problem in the various estates?” The chief scribe wasn’t giving up. In fact, this was the bigger problem.
If the tax collectors in charge of each estate intentionally underreported their collections, they could be robbed blindly.
The chief scribe was confident that Janbolt wouldn’t be able to solve this problem.
“We need someone familiar with the internal affairs and skilled in accounting.” That confidence, however, quickly evaporated as Janbolt smiled slyly.
“C-Could it be…?”
Janbolt placed his hand on the chief scribe’s shoulder, his smile still in place.
“I was hoping our experienced and capable chief scribe would take on this task…”
The chief scribe’s face paled. It would require traveling throughout the entire territory. He might even encounter bandits and risk his life.
The thought of arguing with the tax collectors in each estate was also exhausting.
He forced a smile, his previous confidence gone.
“M-My knees haven’t been feeling well lately… Perhaps someone else could go?”
“Who else?” None of the scribes met Janbolt’s gaze. Everyone disliked arduous and dangerous tasks.
‘These bastards…’
Janbolt continued, massaging the chief scribe’s shoulder,
“If you’re feeling that unwell, you can take some time off at home. Permanently.”
Janbolt had the power to make that happen. He simply hadn’t used it until now. The chief scribe, finally realizing the situation, changed his tune.
“Oh, but I should be the one to go. I’m more experienced than those youngsters. Of course.” He bowed his head hastily, his transformation remarkably swift. Janbolt wasn’t just wielding a whip.
“If you complete this task successfully, you’ll be appropriately rewarded. Haven’t we expanded our territory? While we won’t replace all the officials in Baron Debussy’s territory, the leadership positions will be filled by our people.” He implied that he would recommend the chief scribe for the position of treasurer.
It was a realistic possibility. Janbolt was, after all, the close friend of the all-powerful Allen.
The chief scribe, his previous gloom forgotten, declared his loyalty with renewed vigor.
“I’ll complete this task with all my might…!”
“I’m counting on you.” Janbolt had skillfully manipulated the chief scribe. Managing the remaining scribes wouldn’t be difficult.
He leaned back in his chair, relaxing. Having solved all the problems, he could finally enjoy some leisure time. Or so he thought.
‘He seems quite relaxed.’
The problem was that Allen, having just returned, witnessed this scene.
If he had arrived a little bit earlier, he would have seen Janbolt struggling with the scribes, but unfortunately he only saw Janbolt relaxing.
Janbolt was unaware of the grim fate that awaited him.
He even put his feet up on the desk and hummed a tune, further solidifying Allen’s resolve.
“Allen! When did you get back?” Usebia exclaimed, jumping up from her chair as soon as she saw me. I caught her and sat down in her chair, holding her in my lap.
Adelia, enjoying tea with her daughter across the room, frowned.
“Sir Allen, please behave yourself.”
“We’re family, what’s the problem?”
“Exactly…!” Usebia nodded in agreement from my lap.
Adelia sighed deeply, her expression suggesting she had given up on trying to reason with us.
It was a significant improvement from when she couldn’t even tolerate being in the same room with us. The power of familiarity was truly frightening.
I stroked Usebia’s slightly rounded belly, and she whined,
“Allen, let’s go to our room.”
It was Adelia who reacted to her words. She placed her teacup down with a clatter and glared at Usebia.
“Usebia! It’s still broad daylight!”
“But it’s been two weeks! I’m sure Allen is pent up too.”
“W-What’s pent up?!”
“Fatigue. Fatigue…” Usebia replied with a sly grin. She seemed to enjoy teasing her mother.
Adelia’s hands clenched into fists. If I weren’t here, she would have likely given Usebia a good scolding.
I lightly slapped Usebia’s ass, telling her to behave.
She let out a soft moan, which only earned us a disgusted look from Adelia.
I ignored her and said,
“I made the right decision entrusting the territory to you. It seems to be in good order.”
The people I had seen on my way back had returned to their daily lives.
The smiles on their faces indicated that Adelia had exerted her influence effectively.
“The surviving families were quite cooperative. I realized too late that someone had already laid the groundwork. Thanks to that, I didn’t have much to do.”
“That’s not true. Without proper management, they would have been fighting amongst themselves for power. I was worried while I was away, but you’ve proven yourself worthy of my trust.”
Adelia averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing slightly, as if embarrassed.
“Speaking of which, may I take Janbolt with me?”
“The treasurer? Why?”
“I need someone I can trust to manage Baron Debussy’s territory.”
“What about you?” Adelia seemed to have assumed I would be taking charge of Baron Debussy’s territory. It was, after all, too large a territory to be entrusted to an official without a title.
“I need to prepare to face the Count.”
Adelia couldn’t hide her surprise.
“What are you thinking? Do you really intend to fight my father?”
“Why not?”
“Do you think that’s even possible? My father is a Margrave…!”
A Margrave, a regional lord, was on a different level compared to those I had faced so far.
Count Dressten had several vassals like Baron Rasino under his command. In other words, he could mobilize an army of over a thousand if he pushed himself.
And the number of knights he commanded? His knights alone could easily lay waste to a Barony.
“It’s just as absurd for a mere knight’s son to control two sizable Baronies.”
“This is completely different. I acknowledge your abilities. You’re a skilled warrior and commander, and even a cunning strategist. But that’s not enough. It’s not nearly enough. Give up if you don’t want to make my daughter a widow. I’ll mediate for you.”
“A mother-in-law loves her son-in-law…”
“Don’t joke around!” I shrugged at her sharp reaction.
“I intentionally provoked the Count. By using you. I can’t let that effort go to waste.”
“This isn’t the time to be so confident! Many nobles will resent us for conquering Baron Debussy’s territory. Do you think they don’t know that the Baron’s grandson is just a puppet? It wouldn’t be surprising if Count Bruah, who has close ties to the Baron, joined the war.”
“Count Bruah won’t interfere. On the contrary…” I ignored Adelia’s incredulous look and turned my gaze towards Count Bruah’s territory.
“If we’re lucky, he might even help us.” At the very least, he wouldn’t interfere. I could guarantee that.
Meanwhile, Count Bruah was receiving an envoy from afar. The envoy, having paid his respects, got straight to the point.
“The King’s will is clear. He wishes for Count Bruah to assist Sir Allen.”
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HAIL ALLEN!!!!! ALL-IN ALLEN!
