Chapter 24
Chapter 24
It wouldn’t look good if someone who wasn’t the team leader stepped forward too much.
Since I had already explained everything that needed to be done to Anton Brown, I stepped back at that point.
After that, I went around Districts 6 and 8—along with District 9, which had suffered the most damage during the autumn monsoon—checking the routes for the drainage paths and drawing up blueprints.
Drawing blueprints wasn’t difficult for me anymore since I had done it so many times.
The real problem was that everything had to be drawn by hand.
The writing tools in this world were not particularly good.
Above all, no matter how carefully I drew them, some margin of error was inevitable.
At first, it had been extremely stressful, but gradually I grew used to it.
Is this why people say humans are creatures that adapt?
After finishing the blueprints, I marked the locations where the drainage channels would be dug by driving wooden stakes into the ground.
Whenever I had spare time, I also made sure to stop by areas where damage repairs were underway to check whether the work was being done properly.
And before construction began, I posted notices to inform the residents.
The lord had said it wasn’t necessary, but I felt uncomfortable not doing it.
“They’re building something to let rainwater flow away?”
“That’s right. They’re calling it a drainage channel or something. If it’s built, rainwater won’t collect and will instead flow out of the area, so the autumn monsoon damage should decrease.”
“Then we absolutely have to do it.”
When they heard it could reduce the dreadful monsoon damage, the residents said they could tolerate a little dust and noise.
In fact, during the damage repair work carried out by the Urban Development Department, not a single person complained.
It would’ve been nice if things were like this in the modern world.
Back then, even the slightest inconvenience would trigger a flood of complaints.
Even when it was explained that the work was for everyone’s benefit, people refused to listen.
Compared to that, this drainage project was far easier—aside from the fact that everything had to be done by hand.
“Will this really be effective?”
…No.
I had thought it would be easy.
The first place where the drainage work began was District 9, the lowest-lying area.
Since it was difficult to work after sunset, the laborers were gathered early at dawn.
Then came the day construction was scheduled to begin.
I arrived at the site in high spirits, only for my mood to plummet when I saw the laborers lounging around like idlers.
To make matters worse, the foreman leading them picked a fight and dismissed me simply because I was a woman.
Even after I explained that the lord had approved the construction, he stubbornly insisted the work couldn’t be done, giving me a headache.
“Instead of going home, why don’t you come here and pour us some drinks?”
“That’s a good idea. Liquor tastes best when a woman pours it!”
The laborers were trash, but ironically those kinds of jokes were familiar.
Even when I had been Han Seona, I often heard the same nonsense at construction sites.
If I protested, they would say they were only joking because I reminded them of their daughter, then accuse me of being too sensitive.
Sometimes they even threatened to stop working if I complained.
“Then go ahead and tell the lord right now that the construction can’t be done. Tell him the drainage channel is useless.”
Apparently that part frightened him, because Bram Gus clamped his mouth shut.
Even so, the way he looked down at me was arrogant and disrespectful.
Trash like this existed everywhere.
Just ignore him.
No matter how much I argued, people like him would never listen.
It was easier when someone with authority came and crushed them.
[Q. Strike the back of the annoying foreman’s head.]
[Reward: 0/1,000p]
[※Points will be awarded depending on the strength of the strike.]
I was about to turn away when a Surprise Quest appeared.
Now that’s a quest I like for once!
I grinned and tightened my grip on the hammer.
[Warning. Killing is prohibited.]
A warning window popped up this time.
How considerate. That was unnecessary information.
If I can’t use the hammer, what should I hit him with?
While I was thinking about it, a shovel caught my eye.
If I smack him with the shovel handle, he probably won’t die.
Just as I reached for it—
“Miss Aileen!”
Anton Brown appeared.
“Oh, Mr. Gus is here too. Long time no see.”
“Indeed. It’s been a while, Mr. Brown.”
What? Do they know each other?
I looked at the two of them in confusion.
“However, it seems the drainage construction hasn’t started yet. Is there some kind of problem?”
“Well, it’s not exactly a problem…”
“They said they can’t do it.”
When I interrupted, Bram Gus scowled.
“Don’t interrupt when adults are talking.”
“I’m an adult too.”
“Ha. An adult? You look like you still need your mother’s milk.”
Wow. Wasn’t that sexual harassment?
“Mr. Gus! You shouldn’t say things like that!”
Startled, Anton Brown grabbed his arm and whispered something in a low voice.
“……!”
Bram Gus’s eyes widened in shock.
He stared at me in disbelief.
What on earth had Anton Brown said?
“…Is that true?”
“Come on, do you think I’d lie about something like that?”
Bram Gus wrinkled his nose in displeasure, spat on the ground, and turned toward the laborers.
“Alright, stop stuffing your faces and grab your shovels. You don’t get paid unless you work.”
As soon as the foreman gave the order, the laborers hurriedly grabbed their shovels as if they had never been slacking off.
“They’ll work hard now, so don’t worry.”
“Team Leader, what did you say to that man?”
What had he said to make someone who had refused to work suddenly grab a shovel?
“Hm? Oh… nothing special.”
Anton Brown scratched his cheek and continued awkwardly.
“I just told him that you’re receiving the lord’s full expectations, so it would be wise to listen to what you say.”
There had to be more than that.
It sounded suspicious, but it seemed unlikely he would tell me even if I asked.
So I gave up and looked toward Bram Gus, who was now directing the workers.
It was good that the construction had started, but it was a shame I hadn’t been able to smack the back of Bram Gus’s head.
Wait a minute. Surprise Quests usually had penalties, didn’t they?
I hurriedly checked the Quest Window.
[Q. Strike the back of the annoying foreman’s head.]
The Surprise Quest was still there.
My points hadn’t been reduced either.
Fortunately, it hadn’t been marked as a failure.
“Why are you waving your hand around like that? Is something there?”
Anton Brown suddenly reached toward the Quest Window.
However, his hand passed straight through empty air without touching anything.
“It’s nothing.”
Since he couldn’t see it, he apparently couldn’t grab it either.
Just in case, I quickly closed the Quest Window.
“More importantly, what brings you here?”
“Oh, I came to work nearby, and since the drainage construction was starting today, I came to check whether things were going well as the team leader of the Urban Development Department.”
Oh. So he came to meddle.
Still, thanks to him the work had started, so I simply replied that it was good he came.
“But are you only building drainage channels here?”
“No. We’re also building them in Districts 6 and 8.”
“What about the other districts? The administrators in charge of Districts 2 and 3 contacted me asking if we could build them there too.”
“Those districts are protected by magic and don’t suffer monsoon damage. Do they really need drainage channels?”
“That’s true, but they said to build them just in case.”
People with more wealth always seemed to be greedier.
“Reducing the autumn monsoon damage should be the priority right now. We can slowly build them elsewhere after the autumn monsoon ends.”
Though I wouldn’t be here by then.
“Well, alright. By the way, Miss Aileen. Did you hear the news?”
Judging by how his eyes sparkled, this must have been the real reason he came looking for me.
“What news?”
Anton Brown glanced around before whispering into my ear.
“The punishment for the Harens family has been decided.”
The Harens family was the noble house led by Toma Harens.
“What do you mean the Harens family was punished? The one who committed wrongdoing was Toma Harens.”
“When the head of a household commits a crime, the family members are punished together.”
Anton Brown replied as if it were obvious.
So it’s collective punishment.
Thinking about it, in medieval times it wasn’t uncommon for an entire family to fall because of the crimes of its head.
If that was the law of this world, there was nothing I could do about it.
Still, it wasn’t pleasant.
“What kind of punishment?”
“All their property will be confiscated, and they’ll be exiled. Since they obtained wealth illegally and offended the lord, it’s a natural result.”
Anton Brown spoke with obvious excitement, clearly pleased that Toma Harens had been exiled.
Confiscating everything seems a bit harsh, but exile might actually be for the best.
If they remained in Belheim, they would eventually turn into monsters and die meaningless deaths in the future.
Although it wasn’t intentional, it meant their lives—and those of their family members—had been saved.
With that thought, I shook off the lingering unease.