"That's why, it's not like I was offended at all…"
"That's right. When I'm acting with Viscount Yamano, I act like the Viscount's little sister, so I can't help but feel like I always do. Therefore, it was natural for Earl Ethnol to make her wait for a while, as 'Treatment of a newly emerging lower aristocrat who suddenly visited without prior notice, who was disrespectful and whose peerage, history and status as an aristocrat was far inferior'. I think it was a countermeasure. Viscount Yamano needs a little education. Therefore, the Earl did not know that I was there." (Sabine)
Following my apology, Sabine-chan said so and smiled, a business smile.
"Ha, ha, if Her Highness would say so…" (Sabine)
Alright, it looks like the Earl has fixed his mood!
And Sabine-chan was looking at me with an evil gaze.
Ah, this is, "I'm borrowing it!" that what it was…. Also, it's going to be expensive…
"…and the reason for Her Highness Sabine's sudden visit…" (Earl)
A royal visit was usually a great honor, if it was for a good reason. But for bad reasons, surprise inspections, reprimands, complaints, etc., it could have gone horribly wrong.
In the first place, it was impossible for the royal family to suddenly appear in a territory mansion instead of the royal capital mansion, with no advance notice, no escorts, no attendants, and only one other noble family head. Furthermore, it did not engage in political activities at all, but it was the king and queen, other princes, princesses, and that third princess, Princess Sabine, who were loved by the people.
A good story… a story about one of your grandchildren liking it, so they became a servant or an entourage… that would be very welcome, but if it was a bad story, it could be a fatal blow to the family.
Earl Ethnol's territory was devastated by the invasion of the empire, and he was irritated. It seems that he had great respect for the third princess, who was known as a genius, noble, and childish.
That was also why I, Viscount Yamano, who was thought to be taking Sabine-chan around and using her for good, probably couldn't hold back my irritation even more…
Without warning, Viscount Yamano appeared together with Her Highness Sabine.
Well, I decided to be on the highest level of vigilance. So, although he's full of admiration for Sabine-chan, the Earl's face is a little cramped and his voice is stiff.
"Ah, it's just a sightseeing trip. Sabine-chan has almost no chance to leave the royal capital, and she always comes only to the Yamano Viscounty territory, so I want to see the other side of the royal capital, the territory that was in trouble due to the empire's invasion. And……" (Mitsuha)
"Oh… Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" (Earl)
Instead of Sabine-chan, my act of interfering and answering in place of her must had made her feel uncomfortable, but out of concern for the noble territories in the affected areas, Her Highness the Third Princess went out of her way to make the long trip. It seemed that such things had become irrelevant before the excitement of being transported.
Even though it had been about a year and a half since then, the king and his son, His Highness the Crown Prince, even the stragglers of the imperial army had became bandits and the public order had deteriorated, and if they went I hadn't come to inspect the distant country territory where I know that I would be asked for help.
There, the crown jewel of the kingdom, the fragile (seemingly) third princess, pushed the danger, and considering the burden on the receiving side, under the pretext of a "sightseeing trip", without an escort or attendant, in order to confirm the situation of the people, she came to inspect.
There were no scenic sightseeing spots around here, and there were no special products. It's just a rural territory that could be found anywhere. At least, it was not a place where nobles and royalty come for sightseeing.
Therefore, there would be no one who would believe it if someone said, “I came here for sightseeing.”
Well, Are you impressed? Someone is shedding tears….
"H-Her Highness Sabine! We, the Earl of Ethnol and all the people of the territory, welcome you from the bottom of our hearts! And, our loyalty to Her Highness Princess Sabine..." (Earl)
No, dedicate it to the king, the loyalty…
Perhaps, if Sabine-chan inspects noble territories all over the country, she might be able to knock down her brother and become a queen…
And since the Earl thought that "Her Highness is concerned about the territory on the imperial army's invasion route and is coming to inspect it", it became natural for him to ask various questions, convenient.
After all, I thought they came with the intention of checking the damage situation and the state of reconstruction, and if they were in trouble, they would ask for assistance from the government, or he would answer with a little damage.
...I wonder if he should receive about 20% reduction around that.
With that in mind, I asked a bunch of questions.
Cash was needed to rebuild the territory. Money was needed to dig up the trampled fields, rebuild the destroyed bridges, rebuild the burnt houses, and carry out lobbying activities in the royal capital. Therefore, the tax was made to 75%.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeee!!"
No, that's what I heard from those boys. Later, I got the back from others as well.
However, there was still a part of me that couldn't believe it, and I never thought that I would openly say that to Her Royal Highness without even trying to hide it.
...absolutely, hide it.
You must think so!
"No, of course I know it's unreasonable. But now this territory needs cash. Not money that circulates within the territory, but money from outside the territory… Therefore, the tax on wheat, which is highly convertible to cash, is made to 75%, and other grains, vegetables, beans, potatoes, corn, etc. are exempted from taxation to prevent the people of the territory from starving and to increase income from outside the territory. Well, the fields were also burned and trampled, so even if the tax on wheat tax is 75%, it won't reach the tax revenue…" (Earl)
A year and a half has passed since the Empire's invasion. Even so, was it still in that state? Well, it was not just that the fields had been messed up, but the fact that we had lost a lot of labor is probably a big factor as well....
Women and children who had lost husbands and fathers. Losing the breadwinner of the family and being told to raise the same amount of harvest from the ruined fields as before would be impossible.
In this world where there were no pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or agricultural machinery, the amount of harvest equals time and effort. A drop of sweat was a grain of wheat.
I wonder if this territory can really regain its former appearance after the children grow up. The impoverishment of the country due to war. I guess that's what it is…
"Then it doesn’t mean that life is extremely painful, right? Eating things made from wheat is a bit of a pain, but if you can eat enough of anything else, it's not a big deal, right? Those that can be preserved and are easily converted into cash are sold to the capital or other territories, and those that do not keep for a long time or that cannot be sold at a high price are eaten by themselves. That's the usual trick you take when you're in trouble with money, right?" (Sabine)
"Ha! Her Royal Highness is just as you said." (Earl)
Huh?
When I heard that the tax rate was 75%, I thought it was outrageous, but was the story different? I had to put up with luxury, but it was not about starving to death?
...then why did I get such a direct appeal?
Author's note
"Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement" Animation PV (Promotion Video) released! (^^)/
You can watch it on the anime official website, official Twitter, etc.
It's a 51-seconds, energetic PV.
Please take a look! ! (^^)/