The Sage of Silvatia (3)
The next morning, Rondel arrived at the lord's castle in the carriage Vincent had sent.
The two of them spent the morning in council, laying plans for the inspector, and when noon came they went out to the main gate to receive the man they had agreed to host.
Theodore, the inspector due to arrive, held the same rank of baron as Vincent. Even so, he had the king's authority at his back, and that alone called for caution.
Rondel spoke.
"If he set out from the neighboring territory, he ought to be arriving any moment now. That aside, the sunlight is remarkably warm today."
"Are you not the least bit nervous? Should Theodore decide to pick some petty quarrel, neither you nor I will come through this unscathed."
"What is there to worry about? You and I have already prepared our countermeasures, my lord."
"Even so, it weighs on me. If the man will not listen to reason, every explanation and every argument we have prepared will be utterly useless."
Vincent folded his arms and bounced one leg. He knew perfectly well how undignified the habit looked, and still he could not shake the anxiety that kept welling up in him. He and Rondel had gone over their response that morning, but there had been nothing remarkable about it. Explain the facts, logically. That was all. The method Rondel had offered amounted to nothing more than that, and Vincent, who had been hoping for some extraordinary solution, could not help a private stab of disappointment.
"There—a carriage is coming."
Rondel read the baron's mood easily enough, and it did not sway him in the slightest. Inwardly he was every bit as tense, but at least on the surface he remained serene. Fussing and fretting would only make him look small.
The two of them watched the carriage draw toward the castle. The nearer it came, the harder their hearts pounded. There would not be much longer to stand about like this.
"My lord, I have a request."
"What is it?"
"When Baron Theodore arrives, please see that his coachman is shown every hospitality. No drink—take him somewhere pleasant and feed him well."
"The coachman?"
Vincent frowned at the sudden request. He could not see what purpose it served, but Rondel had raised it at a moment this critical, and that alone suggested there was a reason. He was about to ask what it was when Rondel went on first.
"Once Baron Theodore is here, I would ask that you deal with him yourself, for the time being."
"And what do you intend to do?"
"I have a matter of my own to attend to. It will not take long. I shall catch up shortly."
"Hm... very well."
Vincent had questions enough to spare, but there was no more time for talk. The castle gate opened, and the carriage rolled up before the main keep. The inspector stepped down.
His dress was much like Vincent's, only finer and more immaculate. As befitted a man who moved in the capital, he carried a distinctly more aristocratic air. Inspector Theodore set foot upon the soil of Silvatia and let his gaze sweep the castle and its grounds, appraising them.
"A cramped little place."
Only after delivering that brief verdict did he turn his eyes on Vincent.
"A mage of your caliber, left to rot in the countryside. What a waste."
"It has been some time, Baron Theodore."
"You will have gathered the gist from the letter. I have come to investigate your corruption, by command of His Majesty the King."
"I am aware. I shall give the investigation my full and sincere cooperation. There will be no deception in the course of it."
Vincent and Theodore were already acquainted. Ties between nobles, however, could turn over in a night as easily as the flip of a palm, and there was no assurance the other man would extend him any courtesy. If anything, knowing each other well only gave him more to dig into.
"This is Rondel, who will be assisting me with the investigation. A most capable man."
At the introduction, Rondel offered a courteous bow. Theodore did not so much as answer. He did not even turn his head. With a sweep of his cloak he strode into the castle, as though anything beneath his notice were not worth a glance.
The open slight left even Vincent looking awkward, but Rondel paid it no mind and met the baron's eyes.
"The first greeting went smoothly enough."
"I shall go and deal with Theodore from here. I do not know what you are planning, but finish it quickly and follow."
As Rondel had asked, Vincent sent a servant to see to the coachman's welcome, then followed Theodore inside. Everyone who had been standing before the main keep departed.
Left alone, Rondel stood a moment and took in his surroundings, then approached the carriage Theodore had arrived in with careful steps.
If this goes wrong, my head comes off. Still, I can't think of a better way.
He set about the preparations required to close his hand around Theodore.
Once the work was done, Rondel made his way to the reception room. Vincent and Theodore had only just finished the preliminaries. Vincent seemed to have drawn the moment out with some skill; being acquainted, the two of them had been trading news of how they had fared since last they met.
"You've come, Rondel."
Vincent acknowledged him as he approached—an unspoken assurance that the man was welcome to remain. Theodore offered no reaction at all. This time he did not so much as move his eyes.
"We have exchanged our greetings. It is time the investigation began in earnest."
Theodore came to the point.
"Of late the Crowell Barony—Silvatia, in other words—has grown remarkably wealthy. For several years the grain harvest has more than tripled, and though this is a frontier territory, the traffic passing through it has increased a great deal as well. Is that true?"
"It is."
"Growth of this kind is abnormal. That is why the kingdom dispatched me: to confirm what manner of corruption you have committed."
Just as he had given notice beforehand, Theodore was taking issue with Silvatia's sudden rise. A territory's prosperity ought to have been a welcome thing, but it had gone so far that suspicion had taken root—some unjust method must have been used. That, at least, was the official pretext.
"I swear it upon my life. There has been no corruption whatsoever in Silvatia's growth."
Vincent answered.
"What our territory has achieved is the fruit of the people's sweat, heaven's favor, and wisdom, all come together."
"Sweat, heaven, and wisdom? Hmm. As I understand it, the climate in the Silvatia region has not been especially kind of late."
"Even if the climate does not change, when people do, new fruit is borne."
"I think otherwise."
Theodore shook his head. He fixed Vincent's face with a hunter's stare.
"I uncovered one curious fact. From five years ago, bandits began appearing more often in the territories around Silvatia. Nobles and lords have even had their own goods stolen."
"And what of it?"
"In other words, you are the one doing the thieving."
"What?"
Vincent's face tightened.
"Thieving? That is absurd."
"You are an exceptional mage. Put that skill to use, and playing the bandit without being caught would hardly be difficult. You have been stealing grain and property in that fashion and making your territory rich."
"And how, alone, am I meant to have stolen such quantities year after year?"
"You would not have been alone, of course. You would have used the knights and mages under your command."
Vincent shook his head, composed. To be branded a thief out of nowhere was a disgrace, but the man before him was an inspector sent under royal command. To let himself be provoked here would only make matters worse.
"That is a forced accusation. Silvatia's bounty was not raised by illicit means. It was built upon wisdom."
"Wisdom. Are you claiming to have become some archmage? That, if anything, is the forced claim, Vincent."
"It is not my wisdom. I am merely the man who borrowed the strength and carried it out."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The one who brought our territory to this prosperity is not I. It is the man here."
Vincent indicated Rondel. Rondel took a single step forward.
"It is an honor, Baron Theodore. My name is Rondel."
Theodore, who until that moment had not spared him so much as a glance, looked at him at last. Distrust and curiosity both had settled in his eyes.
"You brought the bounty to Silvatia?"
"I offered only a few simple pieces of advice. All of it is the result of Baron Vincent's wisdom and the labor of the people of this territory."
"I understand even less. How could you, a mere commoner, produce a result like that? Did you spend the day praying to the gods?"
The words were barbed, but Rondel answered with an easy smile.
"I am a devout believer, but I did not demand abundance of the gods. I merely came to understand human nature."
"Human nature?"
"I offered Baron Vincent several pieces of advice, but the one that contributed most to the territory's growth was this: lower the taxes."
"Not raise them—lower them. And how is that supposed to have made the territory wealthy?"
"We took half the grain we used to collect from the farmers, and half the toll we used to collect from the merchants. From early on, Silvatia cut every tax in half."
At a glance it looked like a lord drawing the noose about his own neck. In truth it was nothing of the sort. Once the taxes fell, the people of the territory, now able to build wealth of their own, increased production of their own accord. As production rose, so did the taxes Baron Vincent could collect. More than that, a toll far lower than anywhere else led merchants to route through Silvatia even when it cost them a little extra time. Production and trade both swelled, and the scale of Silvatia's economy grew with them as a matter of course.
"Hah. So by lowering the taxes, you collected even more of them?"
Theodore let out a hollow laugh.
"Then how do you explain the bandit companies multiplying in the surrounding territories? Tell me why the bandits dwindled in Silvatia alone."
"The principle is a simple one. As more merchants came to Silvatia, the caravans themselves grew larger. That means the mercenaries they employ grew stronger as well. The bandits who had been working Silvatia would have had no choice but to move their ground elsewhere."
"So the lord sat idle and collected his taxes, and the movements of merchants alone cleared out the bandits?"
"In essence, yes."
Theodore regarded Rondel in silence. The contempt was gone from his eyes.
And yet.
"Bullshit."
Theodore rose as he spoke.
"A plausible little trick. I very nearly fell for it myself."
"And what trick would that have been?"
"Say no more. You mean to muddle me with clever talk, but I will not hear another word of it. A rich harvest, brought on by lowering taxes? Ridiculous."
Theodore left the reception room. He gave Vincent and Rondel no chance to answer and went straight out of the castle.
"This is... a disaster."
Vincent sagged.
"Now that Theodore has taken that line, some penalty will fall on the territory no matter what we do. A penalty we may not be able to bear."
"You need not worry on that account. We cannot simply let him leave, so let us follow him for now."
"Have you some plan I know nothing of?"
"You will see when we get there."
Rondel and Vincent went after him. Theodore called for his coachman. The man, who had been enjoying a feast in the castle, came scrambling out and made ready to drive, and Vincent and Theodore faced each other one last time.
"The result of the investigation is decided."
Theodore's voice was flat and final.
"Baron Vincent Crowell committed corruption in order to grow his territory. That is the conclusion. Furthermore, you stooped to wordplay in an attempt to deceive the inspector."
"Come now, Baron Theodore. You heard all of it yourself. I understand how you feel. At first I, too, could scarcely even comprehend Rondel's wisdom. But—"
"I will hear no more, Baron Vincent. Henceforth you will surrender half the taxes collected in Silvatia as a fine. The particulars will be conveyed later by letter."
"To hand down a verdict so arbitrarily..."
Theodore paid no heed to whatever Vincent said and climbed into the carriage. Rondel remained where he was, as calm as a man watching a fire burn on the far bank of a river.
He calls it a fine, but all he wants is a bribe paid into his own pocket. I knew nobles were shameless. I didn't know they were this blatant.
Vincent turned to him in a rush.
"Is it truly all right to simply stand here? We must find some way to persuade him."
"Calm yourself."
"Does this look like a moment for calm? If they strip away half our taxes, the blow to the people of this territory will be severe! We have to persuade that man somehow."
"It is all right. Baron Theodore will be coming back."
Rondel kept his leisurely air, but Vincent could not settle. His eyes stayed fixed on the carriage as it pulled away.
"My lord, would you have a servant prepare a chessboard?"
"Chess? This is hardly the time."
"There is nothing like chess for passing the time, is there?"
"What on earth are you—"
Crack.
Something snapped. The carriage Theodore rode had not gone far before a support gave way, and the whole thing collapsed in a heap upon the ground.