Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: I Am Trash
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I am trash.
I am trash.
A human piece of garbage who treats human lives and dignity like flies. A merchant who'd sell even a single drop of blood if he could put it on the scales. The nightmare of orphans and debtors.
That's me.
It's not like I've suddenly discovered humanity and am reflecting on my life.
The reason these thoughts are crossing my mind right now...
Is that the "me" of today and the "me" up until yesterday are completely different beings.
"What the hell. Why did I have to possess a piece of trash like this?"
I got possessed.
In fancy terms, it's body takeover. In English, body snatching.
Meaning I stole someone else's body.
It's not because I'm an alien or anything.
I just got swept up in that old cliché from creative works: reader possession, and I was the unlucky one.
And.
The person I possessed is a human trash villain so vile that even calling him a bastard isn't enough.
A low-class third-rate antagonist created solely to highlight the protagonist's moral righteousness.
But one with abilities so outstanding that he becomes a real nuisance to the protagonist.
That's the merchant named Karl Riddle, the one I possessed.
"This is driving me insane."
"Your Excellency. Are you alright? If you're not feeling well, shall I call the physician?"
"No. Forget it."
"Understood."
By the way, he's a merchant, but a proper noble with territory and a manor to his name.
If you're someone from Korea, inheriting that Joseon mindset where scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants have strict hierarchies, you might think, "A lowly merchant as a noble? Did he buy his title with money?"
But in this world, the "Count Riddle House" is one of the venerable noble families known as the Great Merchant Houses.
As long as they don't engage in shady stuff like usury that even Jews might shy away from,
there's no real stigma against counting gold coins as vulgar.
Thanks to that, I was in a position where I could do anything with money and power.
As long as I didn't get "revolutioned" by the slaves convinced by the protagonist.
Apparently, overflowing money and excessive power don't stop a knife from plunging into your heart.
"Adjutant. Adjutant."
"My name is Torsso."
"Right. Torsso. If I were to hire a mercenary or knight to guard me, how strong could I get?"
"Guard... you say?"
Torsso tilted his head and wiggled his fingers as if calculating.
"I suppose we could hire up to a Master from the Swordmaster Guild."
"What about above that?"
"An Ancient Master would be hard to hire with money alone. We could get some help a few times by promising guild support, but long-term employment is impossible."
"Yeah, figured as much."
I recalled the original story for a moment.
The protagonist, who knocked out the corrupt noble's guards with a single sword stroke while they trembled in the corner of the room,
dragged the noble outside and tossed him in front of the slaves.
["Stab him with your own hands."]
["If we stab the master with a dagger, what happens to us?"]
["You'll become criminals. Since you killed a man, you won't be able to stand tall before the Heavenly Lord."]
["..."]
["But you'll gain freedom."]
["What is freedom?"]
["Nothing."]
["..."]
["But it's everything, too."]
Was the level of those guards, whom the protagonist toyed with like children, lower than a Swordmaster Guild "Master"?
No way.
On the contrary, since there was a description of him pouring illicitly earned dirty money into his own protection, it's safe to assume he hired the strongest knight available.
So, hiring guards to block the protagonist is impossible.
Then, what if I nip it in the bud by eliminating the protagonist before he grows? Could I survive?
"Who'd stop the Demon King if I kill the protagonist?"
"Pardon?"
"Could you take down the Demon King?"
"Me? The Demon King?"
"Yeah, didn't think so."
"No, sir."
Killing the protagonist is off the table.
I doubt I could even kill someone loaded with protagonist buffs and lucky breaks,
and even if I did, I couldn't handle the aftermath.
In the end, getting involved with the protagonist at all was a death flag for me.
Kill the protagonist, and I die.
Fail to kill him, and I die.
"...Sigh. Adjutant."
"Torsso."
"If you were a villain in a heroic tale, destined to be gruesomely killed by the hero later, what would you do to escape that fate?"
I wasn't really expecting a solid answer.
But.
Torsso was wiser than you'd expect from someone working under a third-rate villain.
"Then just become a good person, right?"
"What."
"A hero wouldn't kill a good person for no reason."
"You... you hit the nail on the head."
Villains die to heroes.
Villains die to protagonists.
So.
I'll become a "good person"!
.
.
.
"...You're going to free all the slaves?"
"Yeah."
"Have you lost your mind?"
Torsso looked at me like I'd spouted the dumbest nonsense he'd ever heard.
For reference, Torsso can get away with that attitude
because he's basically my childhood friend who I grew up with.
From a family that's served House Riddle for generations,
so-called Vassal House.
Oh, and he's a guy.
A male childhood friend—
an attribute that sounds mentally unhinging just imagining it... but anyway.
"What do you think happens if you release a massive number of slaves into the streets?"
"Hm. They'll cast off all the world's shackles and bonds, and set off in search of happiness?"
"They'll become beggars, or thieves, or get recaptured and become slaves again."
"Aha."
You really hit the nail on the head.
"In this case, Your Excellency could be punished for damaging the city's aesthetics, and if you recklessly abandon family assets, the vassals won't take it lying down."
"But I'm the family head."
"House Riddle's power comes from money. Your Excellency became head because you're exceptionally talented at making money. If you casually give up assets, the family might try to replace you as head."
The head of House Riddle is basically an ATM...
I suddenly understood why Karl Riddle turned into such a bastard.
In a family where judging people by money is "common sense."
"So, how do I become a 'good person'?"
"Make a ton of money, treat the slaves well, and maybe take down the Demon King?"
"Ah. Yeah."
Treat slaves well,
while making good money...
"I need a way to improve both slave treatment and profitability at the same time."
"Yes. Though catching the Demon King might be easier."
"For that, I've got a great plan."
"Pardon?"
.
.
.
"From now on, all slaves working in the manor will receive 'Talants'."
"Talants?"
Ah, he doesn't know. This is like people's ration coupons—
no, Talants.
A virtual currency exchangeable for food and goods.
Originally, Talants are a means for children in church communes to learn the coldness of capitalism...
But slavery is even colder.
Compared to slavery, the church commune's communist-capitalist system is so warm it's practically hot-blooded.
"Like meal vouchers...?"
"More versatile than that. Save up Talants to trade black bread for white bread, get warm bathwater or borrow soap. Or even skip a day's work."
This isn't just simple charity.
Through positive experiences of "improving life through labor," lay the foundation for self-reliance after future emancipation,
and boost territory profitability by motivating work.
And this "Talant" currency is also the cornerstone for businesses I'll start later.
"Slaves can use it for private trades among themselves, but severe punishment for theft through violence or coercion."
"Trades...?"
Torsso reacted to my explanation like a medieval peasant hearing "smartphone" for the first time.
Ah.
He doesn't know...
No, he knows what trade is.
Why's he reacting like this?
"That means... you're recognizing slaves' 'private property'?"
"What."
Come to think of it, in this world, a slave's possessions are the master's possessions.
Even if slaves exchanged something,
it'd only be immediate things like rationed food.
In other words, the very concept of "trading your own things"
doesn't exist for slaves.
"...Right. Limited to rights or items acquired with Talants, I'll allow slaves to privately own and trade things."
"Hmm..."
"Something else bothering you?"
"No... nothing."
Torsso's upturned lips bugged me a bit,
but I was convinced this was a perfect plan.
.
.
.
In the end, the plan to gradually improve slave treatment through Talants failed miserably.
"...I get the picture. Your level. So pathetic I want to die."
There's this thing called the marshmallow experiment.
Simply put,
kids are promised, "If you don't eat this marshmallow and wait, you'll get one more later."
It measures the difference between kids who gobble it up and those who wait and get extra.
And the conclusion was simple.
The kids who resisted and waited
had mothers with higher education levels.
Seems weird,
but what the experiment shows is ultimately "how well the caregivers keep promises."
In short,
Kids raised in environments where caregivers reliably keep promises can endure for "bigger rewards."
Leading to greater success experiences.
If you think promises won't be kept anyway,
better to eat it right now, right?
Why bring this up?
Because the exact same issue was happening in my territory.
"The slaves exchanged all their Talants for black bread?"
"Yes."
"And it wasn't a small amount?"
"They're hoarding it to eat later, it seems."
"Hah."
Slaves are basically consumables.
If even parents break promises to their kids as naturally as breathing and scam them, why would a master keep promises to slaves?
When long-term payout reliability is uncertain,
gobbling the marshmallow now is the "rational" choice.
The slaves were shortsighted but wise.
"..."
"Well, what can you do? Can't expect patience from mere slaves. They're like beasts."
"Torsso."
"Yes."
"Guide me to the slave quarters."
"Pardon?"
I was wrong from the start.
Shouldn't approach it with economics or management logic.
They're people.
Even if I keep paying Talants like this, nothing will change.
No reason for their mindset to shift just from a bit more feed.
First, I need to earn trust.
"I need to meet the slaves myself."
I glanced at the "fountain pen" pattern tattooed on the back of my right hand.
Seems like
it's time to borrow the "ability" of the trash but "capable" villain, Karl Riddle.