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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Bobto
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Although I said that, I was in a very frustrating situation. If I had enough money and time, I was confident I could create a miracle that would astonish the people here.
But I only had 9 days left and only about 17 gold coins.
In this situation, frankly speaking, it was nearly impossible to establish achievements that showed the aspect of a ruler rather than achievements in the field of a technician like the pulley I made a little while ago.
However, if I gave up in this situation… I would be dragged to the academy like this and placed in a situation where I couldn’t do anything.
So in order to break through this situation, I began to review the vast knowledge in my head.
How historical figures dealt with this situation, what was needed in this era, and what I could do.
After pondering on this topic for several hours, no, almost over 10 hours, I was able to find a starting point to begin anew.
The people who left their names as wise rulers and wise ministers in this world directly sought out the voices and needs of the people, but ordinary monarchs did their best in the direction they thought necessary for the people, only listening to the opinions presented by their subjects.
So once again, I decided to start preparing to learn about the lives of the peasants living in this Kreutel Marquisate.
Not to go on a rough patrol as a noble like last time, but to obtain living, moving information about the lives of the peasants who make up 99% of this era.
**
The day after I showed the Marquis the well bucket using a compound pulley, Varso and I set out on the road disguised as a wandering knight and a young master of a fallen family.
Varso whined in a voice mixed with half worry for me and half dissatisfaction with having to go this far.
“Young master, are you really going to do this?
I don’t know about me, but you… you are the successor of the Kreutel Marquis family, But we’re going to dress up like a wandering knight and the young master of a fallen noble family?”
In fact, in Europe, wandering knights were knighted but had no territory, so they were poorer than city citizens.
Some wandering knights abandoned their honor and became robber knights, raiding villages of small merchants and peasants to make a living, living such a miserable life.
As a result, wandering knights were often treated worse than fallen nobles of the Joseon Dynasty.
Moreover, the young master served by a wandering knight was also not treated properly… The two were virtually the same as peasants.
“Rather than going to the academy without being able to make any effort, I might as well do this and at least squirm to feel better, Varso.”
“Until a few days ago, you valued the dignity of a noble… It’s hard for me to adjust to you suddenly being like this.”
So I spoke in a serious voice to persuade Varso.
“Varso, although I managed to keep my honor to some extent by making a well pulley… I can’t be satisfied with just that.
So I’ll do this to produce results and regain my honor.”
“But…”
“Even this kind of thing is an honorable victory if it succeeds. Let’s go.
From now on, the two of us are a wandering knight and a young master.”
After saying that, I opened the door of the inn and entered.
When I opened the door of the inn, there was a huge pot in the center of the building, and chairs and tables roughly made of wood were scattered around it.
Also, there were several oak barrels for beer in the corner of the wall, and at the innermost part from the door, there was a counter and a kitchen for cooking.
Inside, laborers and village merchants were chatting noisily.
“So kid, In my day, when adults gave me alcohol, I drank it straight from the oak barrel.
But… you get drunk just drinking that much.”
“N-no… I-I’m not d-drunk…”
“Oh my, someone’s going to die over there.
Hey, Gordon… I know you’re happy that a new guy came, but take it easy.”
“If I were just 5 years younger… I would have pounced on Lina next door…”
“Even if you were 5 years younger, you’d be 30.
At that age, what marriage with 18-year-old Lina!
You have the mind of a pure thief.
A guy who hasn’t married because his eyes for women are uselessly high… If you just listen to him talk…”
“When I was 20, the village girls were lining up for me! It’s just that there were no women who caught my eye.”
Leaving them alone, I took Varso and sat in an empty seat.
Then Varso called the waiter and ordered.
“Two large mugs of beer, jerky, and grilled herring.”
“Do you need anything else?”
“That’s enough.”
While Varso ordered the drinks, I carefully looked around the inn to see if there was anyone drinking alone in a gloomy way.
While doing that, I saw a man drinking alone in a gloomy way in a corner.
“Here, I’ll buy that man in the corner over there as much alcohol as he wants, so ask him if he can come and sit with us.”
Hearing my voice, the waiter looked me over and answered in a blunt voice, thinking I was a young master of a fallen noble family with little money.
“Yes, yes, young master.”
A little while later, when the guy I called came and sat at our table, the snacks and two mugs of beer we ordered came out.
Varso and I gulped down the beer in a large mug that lacked even the refreshing taste unlike the beer we drank in Korea, and asked the man in front of us.
“This is my first time here, so I was wondering if you know anything about this place.”
“Before that, alcohol first. Buy me alcohol first. This kind of information isn’t free.”
“Give this handsome man here a small barrel of beer.”
And a little while later, when a barrel of beer came out, the man drank it down in one go, pouring it into the glass that came with it as if he was very thirsty, and began to speak.
“The Kreutel Marquisate has a kind lord compared to other territories.
He collects less taxes than other places and lends out farming tools… It’s definitely a place worth living.
So even lowly people like us can come to drink near the castle once a week, if not every day.”
“Near the castle? Near the castle…”
“Then what kind of work do you do?”
“I carry luggage for merchant groups that come here from morning to night every day, and I go out and do manual labor if there’s any.
Sometimes I follow merchant groups and work as an escort.
But what kind of person are you, young master?”
At those words, Varso said in a loud voice,
“No matter how much, the young master is a fallen noble, isn’t that rude?
Why are you so curious about many things?”
“Stop, stop it. Varso.”
I stopped Varso, then made up a suitable setting on the spot and said,
“After losing in a territory dispute that occurred in Romania, I ended up wandering like this.
So I came all the way here looking for a place to live.
I’m looking for a place to rent, but I haven’t found a good place so far.”
At those words, the man drinking alcohol said with a laugh,
“It would be better not to think about renting here, young master.
The lord is a good person, but there’s a manager among those under him who has sticky fingers.”
“What does that mean? The lord is good, but the official under him is evil.”
“It’s been happening for several years.
If the lord can’t properly manage the people under him, of course the managers under him will take the opportunity.
I also came here from a village ruled by a Bailiff named Mars… He collected so much tax…”
About 100,000 people live in this marquis territory.
So even if the marquis and his subordinate managers strictly monitor, there will definitely be places that monitoring doesn’t reach.
In Joseon, they even dispatched secret royal inspectors to root this out, but they couldn’t stop it, so in a world like this without even a secret royal inspector system… it would be really easy to embezzle.
However, if I go to the Marquis with just this level of testimony as evidence and report that budget embezzlement is occurring, there’s a high possibility I’ll just get scolded.
Because peasants are not necessarily good either, there are definitely guys who say it’s embezzlement even if taxes are collected according to regulations.
“What is the name of that place?”
“It’s a region called Windheim.”
But if we put together the circumstances so far, there is a sufficient possibility that a bailiff named Mars is embezzling in Windheim.
Now, if I investigate the bailiff’s illegal acts, clearly report it to the Marquis, and resolve the grievances of the peasants, no matter how stubborn the Marquis is in valuing academic background…
He won’t be able to say that I must go to the academy because I lack the capacity as a ruler.
After hearing the story up to that point, I got up from my seat and said to the employee at the counter, handing him a silver coin.
“Give that guy who drank with me whatever alcohol and snacks he asks for.”
I don’t have any more leisure. So I have to move as quickly as possible.
If you don’t hurry and seize it when an opportunity comes, God will never give the same opportunity to that person again.
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