KYDC chapter 40

* * *

Is it possible that I’m being kept in check because I’m getting along too well with the kitchen maids?

If that’s the concern, they really don’t need to worry…

Why would they misunderstand like that?

I tried to get out of the awkward situation, but there were two or three more people standing behind me.

“Hmm…”

I subtly gauged Hernan’s reaction.

Should I talk my way out of this or prepare to fight them off?

I went back and forth on the decision.

I’m pretty confident in talking my way out, but as for the latter… honestly, I’m not sure.

I’m just a guy who spends most of his time doing paperwork in an office, except when I travel occasionally.

I don’t stand a chance in a physical confrontation with servants who’ve built up muscles doing tough labor. It’s pretty obvious who’d win in a fight.

I mean, I’m not in bad shape, so I’ve never thought I lacked stamina, but I can’t compare myself to servants who lift sacks weighing dozens of kilograms every day.

So what should I do?

I gave Hernan a small nod, indicating that I was leaving the choice to him. He smiled warmly.

“I’d like to know what you want to talk about first.”

This guy, who had been using honorifics with the kitchen maids just a moment ago, suddenly switched to informal speech with these people around his age.

He’s definitely not an ordinary guy.

I clicked my tongue inwardly, hoping this wouldn’t turn into a fight, and watched for their reaction.

“Oh, we just wanted to hear some things from you. Of course, we’re not asking for free…”

One of the servants standing with a slouch reached behind him and pulled something out.

I tensed up, worried it might be a weapon or something threatening.

But it was just a bottle of alcohol.

“This is something we brought from the village with great difficulty. It’s a spirit aged for 10 years—aren’t you curious what it tastes like?”

He seemed proud of his negotiation skills, as if this was a great bargaining chip.

It didn’t seem all that dangerous… Hernan must have thought the same since he nodded slightly when our eyes met.

“If it’s just for a moment, that’s fine.”

I also agreed casually, switching to informal speech.

The young men surrounded us and quickly led us to what seemed to be a basement room where the servants lived.

It looked like they had managed it well… but in this basement, if things went south, no one would know if we were tied up and mistreated.

A chill ran down my spine, but a familiar voice reassured me.

“Don’t worry too much. If it comes to it, our ancestors will help us.”

That’s right.

We’ve got someone who’s better than Siri or Bixby—our good old ‘Dragonsby’.

Remembering how they breathed fire in the hot spring earlier today, at least I didn’t have to worry about getting ambushed somewhere where no one would know.

‘Still, if possible, I’d like to achieve my original goal…’

Following them without fully letting my guard down, we arrived at what seemed to be the servants’ hideout.

As soon as the door leading outside closed, they sat us down like they were about to interrogate us, and the questions started flying.

“You stopped by the village before coming here, didn’t you?”

“Did you go anywhere else?”

Questions came from all sides, and I answered them while leaving out key details.

“We stayed at an inn for the night, but nothing special happened…”

“Which inn?”

One of the young men seemed ready to pounce as he asked, and Hernan stepped in to answer in my place.

“The one closest to the entrance. Is there a particular reason you’re asking?”

Hernan didn’t hide his slight wariness as he asked, and the young man answered, clutching his head in frustration.

“Of course there is! My father runs that place! So, how was it? Did the innkeeper seem okay? No injuries or signs of illness?”

As the young man shot off questions like a machine gun, another young man beside him jumped in.

“If you stopped by the Kingfisher Inn, did you see the house two blocks down? There’s a red-haired girl who sells wood carvings there!”

“Hey, I’m talking! Don’t interrupt, and wait your turn!”

What on earth is going on? It didn’t take even ten minutes to figure out the situation as the questions kept pouring in.

*

So, what’s the situation here?

I had heard that the lord forcibly imposed debts on people at the tavern last time, rounding up anyone who could work.

They said it was so that people could work off their debts, but it was practically a form of slavery.

“Hold on… This isn’t a labor contract.”

The lord’s method was simple. He would come up with various excuses to collect taxes from the villagers who borrowed land for farming or living.

If they couldn’t pay, he’d conscript them.

If they couldn’t work off their taxes through labor, he would convert it all into debt and force them into what he called a ‘right to work in the lord’s manor,’ tying them down with a labor contract to work at the castle.

It was called a labor contract, but even while working at the castle, taxes continued to accumulate.

Any days they couldn’t participate in conscription due to working at the castle were also added to their debt.

In short, once you were taken, you could never leave the lord’s manor—a complete and utter slave contract.

“How many people ended up working here like this?”

I couldn’t hide my shock as I asked. Even by modern standards, this was an outrageous, unfair contract.

According to imperial law, the maximum interest rate allowed for moneylenders was 50% per year.

Compounding interest on a monthly basis was banned in moneylending, and legal slavery had been abolished centuries ago when the Empire was founded.

In short, if someone reported this to a higher authority, the whole operation would be deemed illegal.

“There are eight young men, five young women, six older women, and three older men.”

“Everyone working here is doing so to pay off their debts?”

“That’s right. The number grows a little every year, and no one’s ever gone home.”

Only then did I understand why the young men emphasized that the alcohol was ‘brought from the village with great difficulty.’

They said they were stuck in the castle all the time, unable to leave, and had no contact with the outside world except for the servants who managed the tributes brought in from the village.

So, when an outsider entered the castle, they went into a frenzy, hoping to hear some news about their families outside.

The kitchen maids, who worked closely with the servants managing the tributes, often got updates, but these guys didn’t…

The more I heard, the more I felt anger boiling up against the lord, and I found myself glaring at someone else with even more intensity.

‘What on earth did this guy do as a duke?’

How could he not know that this was happening in his own duchy?

After being bombarded with questions by the young men, we were finally led to a cold room with no fireplace.

“You didn’t know any of this?”

I asked, with a hint of contempt, and Hernan responded with the most serious expression I’d seen from him lately.

“I can only say that this is why we need someone like you, Mister Everdeen.”

What kind of nonsense is this? I squinted my eyes and asked again.

“I’m asking why you didn’t know.”

“Because there was no way to know. I was often sent to the front lines under His Majesty’s orders, and a temporary inspection team alone couldn’t uncover these internal corruptions.”

He had a point. If no one reported anything, the middle managers would likely cover things up, saying everything was fine, so the higher-ups wouldn’t know that things were rotting underneath.

If we had come here in our original capacity, we might have just said, ‘Wow, nice place,’ and moved on without knowing any of this.

Moreover, considering that the territory I have to manage is not just a small rural town but a vast expanse comparable to several American states combined, it was only natural that things might not be communicated properly up the chain.

Furthermore, Hernan had inherited the title early but had spent his time on the battlefield after succession, leaving him with virtually no practical experience as a lord.

While he might excel in protecting borders and fighting single-handedly, it was only natural that he would be inexperienced in administration.

Where should I even start with this…?

I pondered and then took out the notebook from my bag to organize the testimonies and materials I had gathered so far.

What remained to handle this situation was…

“Convincing them to testify.”

Even if I suddenly demanded, “Actually, we’re the Duke, you know?

Could you come forward and testify?”

… Sure, punishment might be possible, but that wasn’t the outcome I desired.

After all, this was a matter conducted under my personal initiative, so it wouldn’t be a complete victory in their hands.

Still, even if it fell short of what I had endured, I wanted to provide a taste of the thrill of revenge and the restored trust in the central government.

“To achieve that, I need to gain more… trust, I suppose…”

It was still unrealistic.

I ignored Hernan, who had set up the bedding where I would sleep, and put on my robe before lying down on the bare floor.

“Oh, really.”

Hernan let out a bemused laugh as if to say the situation was ridiculous, but I remained deep in thought.

I wondered if it would be possible if I stayed here a few more days.

Hernan, grumbling, lay down on the floor beside me.

Why did he have to come to my side? I was about to say something but hesitated, observing Hernan’s reaction.

“If I…”

“Yes?”

At my significant pause, Hernan tilted his head and looked at me.

“If I asked to stay here for another week, would you allow it?”

Hernan’s expression briefly faltered before he managed to regain his composure.

The moment Hernan’s pretty eyes wavered, I couldn’t help but laugh.

* * *

*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*