"That's ridiculous!" (Earl)
After that, Kirk-san took control of the conversation, asked the client a lot of questions, and finally came back with these words.
"It's not just wheat, everything is taxed at 75%! Now that the amount of harvest has dropped significantly, the people will not be able to live if they impose such a tax!" (Girl)
"…and now, in fact, about what's happening…" (Earl)
Wow, you're staring at me with eyes that seem to kill someone…
"And they're going to kidnap a young girl!!" (Earl)
Yes. In fact, it seemed that the requesting girl has also received a summon order to. Even if she couldn't make it in time, before the sister received her summon, she consulted with various contacts and it seemed that someone recommended "Direct appeal to the Archpriestess-sama."
...no, you know how desperate it was? But whoever told me that unnecessary information will be investigated later and punished!!
By the way, it seemed that her mother and sister were going to work on the fields. Apparently, she didn't make her younger sister to work, but to keep her out of sight as much as possible, to prevent the summon from coming…
"…so Viscount accepted the request to solve it, huh?" (Earl)
"…yes, it seems so…" (Mitsuha)
Help me, Sabine-chan!!
When I looked towards Sabine-chan requesting support… She was grinning.
Aaaaah! The amount of debt keeps increasing!!
"Mitsuha-ane-sama and I will take the role. Mitsuha-ane-sama is the person in charge of the General Store Mitsuha's Consultation Request Department. And, I…" (Sabine)
There, Sabine-chan put the fist of her lightly clenched right hand on her left chest.
"As the third princess of the Kingdom of Zegreius, who bear the responsibility of protecting the people who live in our country!!" (Sabine)
Bang!
Kirk-san became upright and immovable.
And just liked Sabine-chan, I put my right fist against my left chest…
"Glory to the Kingdom of Zegreius!!" (Mitsuha)
Uhyaa!
Is this a knight pledging allegiance to a princess or something like that? Sabine-chan, you're too good at arousing an old man's loyalty!
...Sabine-chan, you're a scary child!!
But it seemed that Kirk-san really didn't know about this situation.
That meant, naturally, someone from Kirk-san’s direct staff to the bottom tax collector who collected excessive taxes directly from the villagers was the culprit.
No matter how much exorbitant taxes they collect, it didn't mean that the bottom person was a villain. If the underlings were ordered to do so by their immediate superiors, they had no choice but to obey. When I asked Kirk-san about that…
"When it comes to tax collection, it's the magistrate, his subordinates, and the subordinate collectors. The guards are under the magistrate, but they have nothing to do with tax collection." (Earl)
"Ah, this is decided by the magistrate..." (Mitsuha)
Yes, if it were someone else, multiple subordinates and collectors wouldn't be able to keep pace. Some people would find it strange....
It's possible that the order from the lord was "75% wheat only" but the magistrate carelessly forgot to convey the "only wheat" part of the order.
And since he was the one holding the orders from his lord, there was no way any of his subordinates would doubt his word.
It was all Kirk-san's fault for making such a guy the governor and not properly checking the scene after that.
"…weren't there any decent human resources out there? If someone like that were to become a governor, the territory would be destroyed…" (Mitsuha)
Yes, I said something as sarcastic as I could...
"Dead" (Earl)
"Eh?" (Mitsuha)
"…they're dead. The vassals and civil officials I properly educated and raised, my sons and sons-in-law, the territorial army staff, they're all dead! Those were the only people left who were available and had the status and standing to be appointed as magistrates! And even though they had mediocre abilities, he wasn't an idiot to do such thing like this! …But why…" (Earl)
Kirk-san shook his clenched fists with a feeling of deep regret.
"…sorry…." (Mitsuha)
I said something terrible without knowing anything.
I'm really sorry…. I will definitely apologize for this, in a way that you will be satisfied with.
"Well, for now, let's go home today." (Mitsuha)
"Eh?" (Earl)
Kirk-san was dazed, but I had nothing more to do here.
"Ah, umm…" (Girl)
The client girl, who was left behind because she couldn't keep up with the story, was flustered without knowing what to do. From the content of our talk, she probably knew that Kirk-san was not just an escort.
…unless she's an idiot.
And from this direct appeal's tricks, I knew at least that this girl was not that stupid.
That's why….
"Your request has been accepted, and the matter is now out of your hands and being dealt with. You must keep the fact that you are the client of this case a secret, and do not say anything about this matter so that the culprits will not know that you have begun dealing with it. …even after it's all over. It's just that your actions saved this territory of Ethnol and the people of the fief, and you'll quietly embrace the pride in your heart and live happily." (Mitsuha)
"Y-Yes!" (Girl)
All right, easy! She's so moved that her eyes are welling up with tears. This way, there is no way that he would not follow "Orders from Archpriestess-sama."
"Viscount, what are you going to do?" (Earl)
What do I do?
Yeah, at first, I was going to check the investigation and report to the appropriate source… the department immediately above the corrupt part, or report to the minister of the royal palace.
No, I'm a fragile girl... I'm almost 20 years old, but... what the heck, that's the best I can do!
.. But then, I changed my mind.
"Sabine-chan, I will send you to the royal palace for now." (Mitsuha)
As expected, I couldn't put the princess, no, Sabine-chan, in danger. ...even if the probability was one in a thousand or one in ten thousand.
"Ahaha! What a funny joke, Mitsuha-ane-sama! ...I'm here for the sake of our country’s people, even though anee-sama…, 'Lightning Archpriestess' is about to move, do you think I'll just run back to a safe place?…I'm angry, you know?" (Sabine)
Ah, Sabine-chan is smiling, but her eyes aren't smiling at all…
No matter how much I said this, it was pointless.
And then, if I were to forcefully teleport her to the royal palace and left her behind... then it'd definitely be a no-no...
“Hey, Viscount, what exactly have you been up to…” (Earl)
Yes, the reason why Kirk-san and his people were suffering was because of the invading Imperial Army.
…I knew that.
And now that the lord, Kirk-san, knew the truth, the problem would be solved even if we withdrew. Taxes would be fixed as originally planned, everything would be as it should be, and they would get a little help from the country, and in a few years everyone would be able to live happily ever after.
However, even though everyone was trying to restore the territory, somehow there were those who tried to ruin it by exploiting it.
They can't do that!
Edit History
10 Oct 2023: minor grammar correction, fixed translation for some sentences, improved readability.
30 Des 2023: minor grammar correction.
2 Sep 2024: translation overhaul