zChapter 63 - Arc 3, Waxing Moon Chapter 6 (1/2)

They resumed traveling just before noon, and as they had previously decided, stopped at the village in front of the forest to rest the night.

It came as a surprise to Ernst that despite this being only a village, it held an inn for travelers to rest.

Merchants were the ones who held the right to manage inns. When farmers or mountainfolk gathered together, they formed ‘villages’, whereas when merchants congregated, they formed ‘towns’ or ‘cities’. The merchants who owned this inn seemed to be the only ones with this business, and they also managed a small shop attached to the inn.

This place could not be considered a midway point between ‘villages’ and ‘towns’, but neither was it strictly defined as solely a village.

The few merchants in this village did not do business with their fellow villagers, but rather traded with the travelers who passed by, and the goods they had on sale were often products for the road. In essence, the fact that so many travelers stopped for the night at this village told that the forest ahead was very dangerous indeed.

“Well, it seems like the number of bandit sightings really has increased since this spring.” Mage returned, sharing the info he had gotten from the innkeeper. “Even with all of the lords who pass on this road being too dirt poor to…”

Minaha rushed to block Mage’s mouth as he spoke. Ernst smiled wryly; he nodded to indicate that he didn’t mind, and for Mage to continue.

“Um… er, I mean… being unable to… spare the funds to hire mercenaries, and their militia troops also being not too strong… that is… it’s, easy for them to be targeted by bandits, it seems.”

That sounds about right, Ernst thought.

All of the territories north of Linz fief, including Meissen, were poor territories.

For border territories such as Meissen, at least, they were still required to have a certain number of trained troops, but that was the exception; in other territories, the militia were soldiers in name only and functioned more like handservants for the Lord.

This was especially the case for territories like Linz fief, which was surrounded by its own country on all borders, or in places like Gris fief, with its wide open plains, where if you asked its people what they might need protection from, the only things to come to mind would be wolves or boars. In such places, there wouldn’t seem to be any point in having soldiers..

From the Lord’s perspective, it would be better to reduce the number of militia to as few people as possibly needed, since every person in the militia was someone who not only didn’t have to pay taxes, but also had to be paid wages instead.

Brez asked in a low voice, “How many attacks have there been so far?”

There were several other guests staying at this inn. By the looks of them, none of them were villagers – they were all other travelers.

Yet it cannot be said that just because they seemed the part, that meant they really were actual travelers.

The possibility of bandits mixing into the crowd could not be ruled out.

“From the start of the new year to early spring, two servants of Lords had been attacked, and of those two, one of them had all of their Lord’s taxes seized. From spring until now, seven servants of Lords and eight merchants have been attacked; three of those servants lost everything, and five of the merchants had all of their good and money stolen. …And, in the half year that has passed since the start of the year, sixteen people have been killed.”

Such high numbers made Ernst draw a breath.

“Just what are the kingdom’s soldiers even doing…”

Ernst had unintentionally muttered his thoughts, and in response, a scornful smile rose on Targes’ face. But that smile wasn’t directed at Ernst.

“… They probably set this road up as bait.”

“Bait? … I see…”

When Ernst thought of all the roads connecting to the royal capital, Ernst came to the same understanding as what Targes had spoken.

There were five main roads which extended from the royal capital.

The road which stretched from the capital through Sminacca fief was, of course, the road used by Sminacca, which paid the most tax out of the entire Kingdom.

The road which passed through Sisic fief connected to Silus Kingdom, and a large number of merchants traveled on it.

Similarly, the road which passed through Ananique fief to Lux Kingdom had many Luxian merchants, and the road through Alatania fief had merchants from the Helesian country of Cobo traveling on it.

If the merchants from other countries frequently suffered attacks, then business with other countries would cease, and Rintz Kingdom’s financial problems would instantly mount.

Moreover, Sminacca fief was a metropolis whose power was second only to the King’s. If its taxes were stolen, there was a high likelihood that its Lord, Marquis Kataliner, would take advantage to delay the payment of his fief’s taxes.

The road which would do the least damage even if it were attacked was precisely the road Ernst was on, the road which extended from Mutica fief.

Rintz Kingdom wouldn’t suffer a hard blow even if the taxes along this road were stolen, and moreover, the powerless Lords along this road could be censured for having allowed themselves to be robbed, and thus be made to pay twice the amount.

“The taxes that Sminacca fief pays must be more than all the taxes of the Lords on this road combined, huh.”

Ernst recalled the numbers that had been driven into his head back in his days as the Crown Prince, specifically regarding the tax payments of each fief. That statement was exactly the case; in the eyes of the kingdom, the people who used this road were the least significant.

“How can you say that…! Even though this year, Lord Ernst is bringing the tax to be paid…” Brez said in a bitter and reproachful tone, and Ernst had refrained from saying to him, That’s exactly why this is the case.

Especially as the former Crown Prince, he must absolutely never delay his tax payments to the country.

If such an instance were to ever happen, then all sorts of people would come scurrying out to attack him at that critical time.

It was only a matter of course that Ernst as an individual would be attacked, but there may also be people whose attacks would reflect on his status as a former royal.

In order to protect the status of both the King and the new Crown Prince, Ernst was in a position where he had to pay his taxes no matter what circumstances were to befall him.

Yet in front of these troops who were ready to lay down their lives to protect him, Ernst couldn’t speak such self-demeaning words.

Ernst internally let out a sigh of self-derision.

He wondered if there was anyone who could put up with being dethroned over the illness they were afflicted with, driven out and abandoned their kingdom’s most remote area, and having to live with this body of his.

The fact that those beings Ernst had only vaguely realized existed had gone to such lengths to ostracize Ernst made his chest feel empty, hollowed out.

“Um… excuse me…”

At the sound of the trembling voice calling out to them, Ernst turned his head to see a man standing alone. He looked exactly like a man from the country who had done his utmost to dress fashionably.

“I am very and truly deeply sorry for having called out to you so suddenly, but may I ask, are you also the servants of a Lord?”

With faltering and stuttering polite speech, the man looked at Targes with his face lowered. It was no surprise, seeing as how Targes looked the most outstanding of them all.

Targes glanced at Ernst, What should I do? written in his eyes.

“Our group belongs to the fief of Meissen,” Ernst spoke up, and the man startled with a surprised expression. The way his emotions showed so openly on his face reminded Ernst of the simple folk of Meissen.

“Ah… I am sorry, that was rude of me. U-um… would you happen to be the son of the honorable Lord?”

“Forgive me for my lateness in introducing myself.” Ernst stood from his chair and performed a light bow. “I am the seventeenth Lord of Meissen, the Duke Ernst Gille Farson Rintz Kleber.”

The man seemed to be either a butler or a militia soldier who hadn’t yet received much training.

Although when it came to social status, Ernst’s was far above the man’s, in this meeting they were both people who carried the weight of the lands they came from on their backs. Ernst thought it best to show courtesy.

“Eh…! The Lord himself…! I, I have truly spoken a great wrong to you.”

The man hurriedly took a step back, and he bent over to lower his head in a deep bow.

“There is no need to go that far; the matter is not that important. I am no more than a Lord from the countryside, after all.”

Even among the people of Rintz Kingdom who were accustomed to the sight of Kleber’s disease, when they saw a person with the appearance of a young boy or girl, they would think that person was a child.

Besides, no one would think that a noble would contract a disease said to be caused by poverty. Ernst encouraged the man, who had shrunk back in shame, and inquired after the reason why the man had called out to them.

“My name is Toscatey, and I am a servant of Nibe fief. I was traveling to pay Nibe fief’s yearly taxes, but to be honest, I have been waiting to find other people who will pass through the forest. I deeply apologize for this incredibly rude and unbecoming request, but… when you pass through the forest, may I humbly be permitted to maybe come with you…?”

The militia troops instinctively shared glances with each other.