Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Translator: Penny
Chapter 7
Heir Apparent (3)
Baron Ludicain and Knight Commander Tank were imprisoned in separate cells.
A guard carrying a torch opened Ludicain's cell and woke him.
"Ugh... What's going on?" Ludicain asked, startled by the sudden intrusion, shielding his eyes from the light with a hoarse voice.
Agron sat regally on a chair brought by another soldier, looking down at him with an aloof expression.
"W-who... Could it be Agron?"
"I'm pleased you remember my name," Agron replied calmly.
"Do you think you can get away with this?! You dare strike a noble, and then imprison me? I swear on the name of House Veilain, I will never forgive you!"
Having been unconscious until waking up in the cell, Ludicain had no idea what was happening.
Ludicain simply assumed that Agron had staged a rebellion and imprisoned him.
"I also bear the name Veilain. Wouldn't our attacks and defenses cancel each other out?"
"Th-that's... Shut up! My lineage is higher, so my name carries more weight!"
"But I'm a direct descendant of the main branch of House Veilain."
"..."
Instead of answering, Ludicain glared at him intently.
"Are you truly Count Ragnar's son?"
"Are city folk either hard of hearing or slow-witted? Or perhaps both?"
"How dare a commoner speak so insolently to a noble!"
"No need to be so hard on yourself."
"...?"
Ludicain's face flushed crimson.
"A lack of education isn't something to be ashamed of."
"You...!"
"Anyway, I came here with questions. Prepare to answer them."
"What?! I'll answer you with pleasure!"
"Good attitude. Thank you."
Agron nodded and continued, "I believe the Head of House was assassinated in a planned attack. And I suspect there's a separate person or organization pulling the strings behind this. Name them."
He harbored deep suspicions.
The Count and Countess, the region's lords, had been brutally murdered.
Yet the investigation was half-hearted, with signs of the crime scene having been meticulously cleaned and the investigation rushed to a close.
His instincts screamed foul play.
That suspicion solidified into conviction after examining the Count's body.
This was a planned assassination.
Contrary to the City Guard Captain's claim that the Count had been killed by robbers, the stab wounds were clearly the work of a professional.
There must be a mastermind behind all this, someone pulling the strings from the shadows.
"W-what are you talking about...? You don't think I planned this?" Ludicain asked warily.
Agron replied with feigned pity, "Well—don't take it personally. Your lack of education makes you ill-equipped to orchestrate such a scheme..."
"You bastard! The ignorant fool I was talking about is you, you!"
"They say in books that vehement denial often masks strong affirmation. It seems true. I don't underestimate you as a fool, so you needn't worry."
"Gah! I'll kill you!" Ludicain thrashed his arms with all his might, but the iron chains binding him kept him far out of Agron's reach.
As Ludicain's furious panting subsided, Agron pressed again, "So, who's the mastermind?"
"Do you think I'd tell you?!"
"I'll make you talk."
"...I'd rather die than utter a single word!"
"Such spirit! A warrior should be like that. Shall we test your resolve?"
"W-wait a moment..."
Agron approached Ludicain, seized his arm, and twisted it back and forth like wringing out laundry.
"Aaaah!"
"Your reaction is similar to my tribe's people. When I do this, they all jump around excitedly."
Ludicain even had the illusion that his arm might disappear.
Crack!
"Ugh...!"
At that moment, Ludicain gasped for air as an earth-shattering sound echoed through the room.
"Hmm? Your bones are too brittle. They've completely shattered."
"Gah...!"
"No choice then. I'll have to use your other arm."
Agron shook his head and seized Ludicain's other arm, twisting it in the same manner.
A searing pain, like flames tearing through his flesh, erupted.
"Aaaaargh! Stop! Stooop!"
"Endure, Ludicain! A warrior can withstand more than this!"
"I'll talk! I'll name the true culprit!"
"No! The name of Veilain is not so easily surrendered! You can endure more!"
"You madman! I'm telling you! Aaaaargh!"
Agron clicked his tongue in disappointment and released Ludicain's arm.
Though less than ten seconds had passed, Ludicain's arm was swollen like it had been crushed under a carriage, his veins burst and stained crimson.
Ludicain collapsed to the floor, clutching his arm and weeping uncontrollably.
"Hngh... hngh... sniff..."
"So your 'I'd rather die' is worth less than a single arm, it seems."
"Shut up... sniff... hngh..."
"Forgive me for interrupting your girlish tears, but name the true culprit."
Ludicain lifted his head to glare at Agron, thinking,
You bastard.
That afternoon, Baek Woon entered the office and saw the others already seated: Majordomo Alfred, Secretary Lekan, Collector Charles, and Acting Knight Commander Wolf.
"You summoned me?" Baek Woon asked.
"Yes, come in," Agron replied from the head of the table, gesturing to the seat beside him.
As Baek Woon sat down, Agron surveyed the group and began, "I've called this meeting to gather comprehensive information on the fief's operations."
With the funeral rites for the Count and Countess completed and letters sent to the Kingdom, it was time for Agron to formally assume his duties as the new Lord.
"You've all prepared reports on your respective duties, haven't you?"
"Yes, we brought them as requested, but..."
"Bring them here."
The Collector and Secretary exchanged awkward glances.
They knew, of course, that Agron could write in the Kingdom language well enough to exchange letters with the Count and Countess.
But administrative jargon and tax calculations were specialized fields, weren't they?
While they appreciated his enthusiasm as the Lord, they worried he might issue strange directives out of misplaced ambition.
After reviewing Wolf's report, Agron asked, "How are you finding the duties of Knight Commander, Wolf?"
"Yes, it's manageable, Your Excellency."
"If you're comfortable, I'll formally appoint you as Knight Commander soon. Make sure you've thoroughly familiarized yourself with the responsibilities."
"Understood, Your Excellency."
"Who's currently handling the Administrator's duties?"
"The Secretary and I are handling the tasks together," Majordomo Alfred replied.
"Then let's review the logs."
Agron took the logbook and flipped through the pages, reading each entry carefully.
Just as I was wondering what he was looking for, Agron's hand stopped.
"Secretary."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"The Kingdom Land Law provision recorded here is incorrect."
"Yes...?"
"This should be Article 9, Section 11, not Article 8, Section 7. And these entries here and here are also wrong."
The Secretary stared blankly at the sections Agron pointed out.
How could there be errors in data we've reviewed two or three times?
"I-I will correct them immediately."
"And looking at the candidates for Guard Captain, their resumes are utterly inadequate. I specifically instructed you not to select candidates based solely on family name, didn't I?"
"I-I apologize. I ran out of time and haven't conducted the interviews yet."
"While you're at it, investigate Baron Ludicain's corruption and bring me a report by tomorrow."
The Secretary accepted the ledger, his head bowed so low he couldn't lift it. Agron's criticism was sharper than he'd anticipated, leaving him speechless.
"Collector."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Collector Charles, realizing it was his turn, answered with a nervous tremor.
"The number of serfs in the Sachsen Region differs between the last quarter and this one."
"Huh?"
"There's no explanation in the special notes. What's going on here?"
Serfs were considered the property of their Lord. Unlike free citizens, they had no freedom of movement, and any births or deaths among them were required to be reported to the Lord.
"I apologize... I'll investigate immediately."
"Summon the fief's serf overseer."
"Understood, Your Excellency."
The Collector swallowed hard, desperately hoping Agron would quickly hand over his work logs.
"And the tax totals don't add up."
"Huh...?"
"When you combine the collected taxes with the fief's revenue, shouldn't there be this much left over?"
Everyone present, except Baek Woon, stared at Agron with wide-eyed astonishment.
He can do math?
Nobles traditionally didn't study mathematics. They typically spent their time training to become knights or networking at banquets. Many even dismissed mathematics, astronomy, alchemy, and magic as vulgar pursuits, declaring that a noble's only proper tools were a sword and a wine glass.
Consequently, matters of taxation and collection within noble houses were usually handled by priests or individuals who had specifically studied mathematics.
In House Veilain, this role was held by the Collector, who was both an Administrator and a Priest.
"B-but the calculations couldn't possibly be wrong."
"Let me show you myself."
Agron took a sheet of paper, wrote down the figures, and showed the calculated result to the Collector.
"What do you say? Is it wrong?"
"...No, Your Excellency's calculation is correct."
"Then why does the amount recorded in the ledger differ?"
"T-this is the Administrator's responsibility. I only handled the calculations and passed them on to him."
The Collector was responsible for collecting taxes by region, calculating the amounts, and then handing the results to the Administrator.
In practice, all of the House's administrative tasks were carried out under the Administrator's direction, so it was natural that the Collector wouldn't know everything.
"The Administrator is already dead, so there's no way to verify this. Majordomo."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Take Wolf to the Administrator's residence and search for any embezzled receipts or records."
"Understood, Your Excellency."
As they left, Baek Woon smiled brightly and gazed warmly at Agron.
"What is it?" Agron asked.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I can't help but feel deeply moved seeing my nephew, who used to be just a boy, now grown up enough to command his subordinates."
When Baek Woon first heard that Agron had left the Tribe to inherit the Fief, he felt a wave of dizziness.
If he doesn't cause any trouble, that'll be a miracle.
How could he not worry when someone who had spent over a decade confined to the Tribe suddenly declared he would take on the responsibilities of a Lord?
But after observing Agron's actions these past few days, Baek Woon realized his initial instincts had been wrong.
Agron possessed the exceptional qualities of a true Lord.
"Commanding subordinates...?" Agron repeated, his tone questioning.
"Of course, isn't that what a Lord is supposed to do? Lead and take responsibility for his subordinates, while also putting them to work. The Vassals will gladly accept the Lord's commands."
"I see."
Agron absorbed this new knowledge like a sponge, flashing Baek Woon a bright smile.
"What are you doing? Go get to work."
"...Huh?"
"Go organize the spellbooks in the library and sort out the witch-related ones separately."
"You seem to have misunderstood something. Not me—"
"Oh, Elder, you can make potions too, right? Gather some medicinal herbs and brew fifty emergency potions."
"You little devil! That's not what I meant—!"
"So this is how good it feels to put people to work."
"Kaaaaah!"
As Baek Woon stormed out, wildly waving his staff in the air, Agron wore a smug expression.
"They said putting people to work makes them happy. It's true after all."
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny