* * *
“Fields Brewery. Gail Forkson, Pelloy Smith….”
Hernan called out name after name, then added, “These 24 individuals are to be compensated with 500 gold each. Kelly Brewery, Nora Harman, Fiona Miller….”
After listing more names, he continued, “These 41 individuals are to receive 400 gold each, taken from the assets in the baron’s estate.”
At Hernan’s concise judgment, the Baron Ladin couldn’t believe his ears.
“What? Compensation? These people should be paying me! They owe me money!”
But the crowd that had gathered at the estate paid him no mind, rushing inside to ransack the house, searching for the wealth the baron had hoarded by exploiting them.
“No! Stop! Do you have any idea how valuable that is? You scoundrels!”
The Baron, in despair, looked up at Hernan as if begging for mercy.
But there was no mercy left for him.
“By the way, none of the profits gained from violating imperial law and conscription were ever reported to the tax authorities. If you wish to keep the terms of your contract valid, you’d do well to start by settling that debt.”
Hernan’s cold gaze and chilling words made the Baron stumble backward, falling unceremoniously onto his backside.
“You’ve amassed this much wealth since your father’s time through the same methods. Not once have you reported any of your earnings from managing your estate. Isn’t it thanks to Baelon’s military and the imperial family’s generosity that your lands have been protected?”
In other words, the baron would not only have to make reparations but also pay the overdue taxes he’d evaded.
“Until you repay the illicit profits of 50,000 gold, your ownership of Haptis is hereby revoked. However, in recognition of your previous service managing the estate, you are allowed to remain in the manor and its annex.”
But the manor had already been thoroughly looted by the locals, who’d stripped even the window decorations, leaving it a wreck.
The Baron, his hair disheveled, looked helplessly at his wife and son, who stood in their ransacked home, wearing nothing but shabby clothes.
How had it all fallen apart in a single day?
He would never know that all of this was orchestrated by one man’s mind until the day he died.
It hadn’t been long since the members of the Ladin household had holed themselves up in the annex when a scream echoed through the air.
I crossed my arms and looked up at the window, a chill running down my spine as a shadow seemed to wave at me from within, as if greeting me.
“What a prankster.”
I chuckled, only to hear a familiar voice behind me.
“A prankster? I simply returned things to their rightful place.”
That was the truth. I had told the banshees they could stay in the manor and annex now that there would be no more noise to disturb them.
The dragon had grumbled about being used as a messenger again, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.
After all, three perfectly suitable people were now living there, ready for the banshees to torment to their hearts’ content.
As for the baron’s family, they had chosen to stay in the annex rather than the now-destroyed manor.
Well, with banshees likely filling the annex by now, I wished them good luck.
I took a bite of my crispy snowberry pie, savoring its simple but delicious sweetness as the baron’s terrified screams echoed in the background.
“Are you sure you don’t want to say goodbye before we return to Baelon?”
As I casually enjoyed the last bite of pie, having finally indulged my overworked taste buds, Hernan asked, sounding mildly perplexed. I smirked.
“No need. I can’t reveal who I am, anyway.”
Who would believe that the friendly young men they thought were the knights’ attendants were actually the Grand Duke and a viscount from the South who was forcibly tied to him?
Even if I revealed the truth, no one would believe it, and it would cause more trouble than it was worth.
‘They’d probably grovel, trembling in fear, begging for forgiveness for their rudeness. Do I really want to see that?’
It was ironic for someone like me, who benefitted from the privileges of nobility, to find that distasteful.
If they hadn’t known, nothing would have happened, but knowing would only complicate things.
‘Still… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t grow fond of them over the past week.’
The kind kitchen lady who sneaked me soft bread with cheese, saying I reminded her of her son, or the servant who taught me a Northern card game — I’d probably think of them even after returning to Nirvan.
‘Even the ones who tried to con me.’
I would have lost 50 Cooper if I hadn’t noticed Hernan swapping cards behind my back.
What a scoundrel. Sure, it was fun hanging out with him, but that’s only because I didn’t lose any money.
If I had, I’d have felt compelled to get back at him.
With a light scoff, I finished my slice of pie and stood up just as Fields, representing the townspeople, approached Hernan, bowing repeatedly.
“Thank you for your grace, Your Grace.”
Grace?
All he did was stamp the verdict.
I did all the work.
As I took a step back with a slight sense of injustice and sighed with a hint of a smile, the man asked me curiously.
“And, uh, who is this…?”
He was probably wondering who I was. Smiling brightly, I replied.
“This is Jurgen Nil Everdeen, the new viscount who will lead the foundational business in Halfys under the Duke’s will.”
The man gasped in shock.
“Th-the Viscount Everdeen? The one from Ever Paradise?”
Oh. My surname is that well-known here?
It’s common knowledge among the nobles, but I didn’t expect even commoners to know.
I nodded slowly to confirm, and the man’s face filled with faint despair.
It seemed there was a misunderstanding.
“Does this mean you intend to build a hotel in our area…?”
Ah, he’s worried about his own business.
Preserving local commerce…
It’s important, I suppose.
But he won’t need to worry about that soon.
Although the official notice hadn’t been issued yet, I decided to reassure him with a brief explanation.
“Yes. The plan is to refurbish the entire village and build a new hotel.”
“Then, what about… small taverns like ours?”
Before he could finish his sentence, I cut in.
“Don’t worry. All of you will have jobs there.”
“Pardon?”
From the way he had written records of his arm-wrestling victories on the tavern’s walls, I could tell he was literate.
I jotted down the typical salary a man with dependents could expect at Ever Paradise and showed it to him.
“For someone with your skillset, you can expect to earn this much. We’ll see each other soon.”
Seeing his eyes widen with surprise and hopeful anticipation, I quickly discarded the eerie tone I had taken on and left before Hernan could, feeling a chill run down my spine.
Soon after, Hernan followed, wrapping up behind me and meeting me where the carriage waited.
We’d really been through the wringer.
After causing such a scene here, there was no second location to consider.
This was the only option now.
Stretching my sore body, I leaned my head against the carriage window.
I was so exhausted that sleep quickly washed over me.
Just as my eyes were half-closed, someone approached Irina and asked where the two attendants who had accompanied us to the lord’s residence had gone.
Having received a lot of help during the week, they wanted to repay the favor, but Irina replied as instructed—that they had already returned.
Their voice faded as I drifted fully into sleep.
At the beginning of the journey, just being stuck in this cramped carriage with Hernan had been unbearable.
But after everything we’d been through, the fact that the space was hygienic and clean was the only thing that mattered.
Nothing else bothered me anymore.
Who knows how long I had been dozing?
When I opened my eyes, I saw Hernan had dozed off too, resting his head against the carriage window, his hair a mess from the ride.
He looked like any ordinary man in his twenties.
Before I knew it, I almost reached out to fix his disheveled hair but quickly came to my senses.
‘Are you out of your mind?’
This wasn’t some silly suspension bridge effect.
Just because we’d been through a tough time together didn’t mean I should let my guard down.
As soon as we returned to the Grand Duke’s mansion, his scheming would start again, and I couldn’t afford to fall for the occasional glimpse of humanity he showed.
‘He’ll probably just try flirting again.’
I couldn’t understand why he was so fixated on me after barely getting to know each other.
With a sigh, I turned my head. I don’t mind cooperating, but I don’t trust people.
Not just because of Berta’s situation. It was a lesson I learned from my previous life as Woo Seongheon.
* * *
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tea
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