Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Deceptive Tenant Farmer
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I gave Robin instructions for the situation ahead and turned back around. I'd locked Aira away in the basement, so I needed to check whether she'd bitten her tongue or hanged herself.
Robin had gone to the underground prison at dawn and hadn't said a word about it, so she was probably still alive.
Opening the door to the underground prison brought a musty moss stench and thick, humid air rushing to greet me. The stone walls were caked in moss and mold—it felt like just brushing against them would infect you with every disease known to man.
Aira was locked in the most remote cell of that dungeon. She sat there with her ankle chained to an iron shackle, staring resignedly at the floor.
"Are you reflecting on your actions, Aira?"
"......"
Aira said nothing, just kept her eyes fixed on the floor. Was she faking insanity to stir up some pity? I pulled up Aira's status window.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Aira 💼 Occupation: Con Artist ❤️ Favorability: 0 ⭐ Level: 6 📊 Stats ⚡ Strength: 3 💨 Agility: 7 🧠 Intelligence: 7 🍀 Luck: 0 🔹 Traits Accountant
>After years handling financial transactions,
>she's highly skilled in accounting work.
>Automatically organizes territory operating costs. Acting
>Can impersonate other occupations.
>Currently acting as: Madwoman Skilled Lockpicking
>Can unlock any door up to her current level.
>Receives additional bonuses based on tools. Imprisoned
>Currently restrained and confined.
>Stats receive penalties. She could even act out a 'madwoman' with her Acting trait. Definitely an impressive talent. If I could somehow win her over, maybe I could turn her into a spy or something. But no matter what I said, she'd just keep up the crazy act, so I decided to leave her be for now.
Heading up to the first floor, I saw massive wagons waiting in front of the main gate. I knew exactly what they were for. They belonged to the tenant farmers who worked the land in this territory, paying their rent in crops.
Come to think of it, I needed to crack down on those bastards too.
"Lord Lucius! I hope you've been well!"
The tenant farmer bowed his head deeply in greeting. Wait, was that really a tenant farmer? Wasn't that the lord of a neighboring territory groveling before me? I couldn't quite place who he was, so I had to squint.
That bloated gut made it hard for him even to walk—he'd ridden in on a donkey. And this so-called tenant farmer had brought three slaves with him. Even without playing the original game, one look at him screamed he was skimming grain.
In this game, tenant farmers were basically like lessees who harvested on borrowed land. Real-life tenant farmer-lord relations were more complex, but the game didn't bother with historical accuracy.
Thanks to that, I got to deal with this freakish tenant-lord dynamic.
"Yes. And how have you been? Uh..."
I couldn't remember the bastard's name, so I thought to myself, I want to see that tenant farmer's status window.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Gilder Valpa 💼 Occupation: Peta Household Tenant Farmer ⭐ Level: 10 📊 Stats ⚡ Strength: 8 💨 Agility: 2 🧠 Intelligence: 15 🍀 Luck: 20 🔹 Traits Farmer
>Can efficiently cultivate crops on farmland. Obesity
>Receives penalty to Agility. Tax Evasion
>Skillfully dodges taxes.
>Works to maximize personal profit. "Gilder Valpa. How was this year's harvest?"
The tenant farmer dramatically pulled the cover off his wagon like it was a show. Sack after sack filled only about half the cart. Wiping away fake tears, he said,
"I'm sorry, my lord. It was another bad year... This is all the crop I could bring."
Why the hell was his occupation listed as tenant farmer? This guy was a con artist. I stepped out the gate and inspected the wagon. Even though the sacks only half-filled it, each one was stuffed tight, like he'd put in some effort—at least by his standards.
It was still a decent amount just by looking, but this was after he'd skimmed his share. In other words, squeezing these guys properly would keep the territory's finances clean and transparent.
"Another bad year? That's strange. I've been praying diligently, and I confirmed the soil was rich with fertility."
"Ah, w-well... You're right... My farming skills are so poor that I couldn't draw out the land's full potential."
"So you're saying that employing you means I'm taking a loss? God doesn't solve everything, Valpa. Humans have to put in effort for the best results."
"N-no, that's not it at all, my lord! Next year, I'll make sure to deliver even better results."
The tenant farmer was panicking. Of course he was. Up until now, he'd just cry "bad harvest!" and the lord would reply, "I see! I'll pray more!" before taking whatever scraps they brought. With a guy like that at the top, even I'd be tempted to skim a fortune.
But things had changed. I knew these bastards were guilty of serious crimes—ones that warranted immediate execution. And I needed money. From handling lordly duties, I'd realized the territory's tax revenue was ridiculously low compared to annual expenses.
If not for the Southern Priest Leader's dignity maintenance funds and donations to the territory church, this place would've gone bankrupt ages ago. So I needed to exterminate these bloodsucking freeloaders.
"Robin. Prepare the horses."
I quickly summoned Robin. The tenant farmer stared at me in bewilderment. I asked,
"Why are you looking at me like that, Valpa? Hurry up and get on your donkey."
"W-what's going on, my lord...?"
"I need to see the land I lent you. Lead the way. We're leaving now."
Robin brought two horses. These were the finest in the territory, maintained with premium care—or so they should have been. They were bloated like pork kebab sculptures.
"......What's wrong with these horses?"
"You and I never had reason to ride anywhere, my lord..."
"......From now on, exercise them regularly."
These lunatics hadn't even taken the horses for walks. Looked like I needed to drill mental training into the knight order, squires, and everyone. Peaceful territory or not, some standards had to be upheld.
As we mounted up, the tenant farmer trembled even more violently before climbing onto his donkey. The beast let out a dying shriek when the piggish farmer clambered on. Or maybe it was the farmer screaming—I didn't care enough to check.
"Lead the way, Valpa. Right now."
Watching him writhe like he was having a seizure, it seemed he hadn't sold off the harvest yet. Smarter to sell first and bring the leftovers—that leaves less evidence—but with no oversight for so long, the fool had let his guard down completely.
"Valpa. Get moving. You planning to make us lead?"
"Y-yes, right away."
The tenant farmer turned with the mournful look of cattle headed to slaughter, inching along slowly. Was he dragging it out, hoping Robin and I would drop dead on the way? I pressed him harder.
"Valpa. Faster. Why are you dawdling?"
"Y-yes! Understood!"
Urged on, Valpa whipped his mount harder and charged ahead. The donkey bellowed and bucked wildly. The horses carrying Robin and me were already panting raggedly, tongues lolling out from the strain.
I stroked the horses' heads and asked Robin,
"Robin. Anything to say as Knight Captain?"
"......I have no excuses."
I'd thought fixing a few things would suffice, but this was rot through the entire territory. Managing the lord's own horses this poorly? Where the hell did I even start? My head started throbbing.
What should've been an hour's ride took a full three. Upon arriving at the farmland and dismounting, the horses collapsed, snorting heavily. Robin stood rigidly beside me, head bowed in shame.
This wasn't really Robin's fault, though. He couldn't take the horses without permission, and the original owner, Lucius, probably ignored knight training. When the lord neglects the stables, so do the handlers.
"Follow me, Robin. We need to inspect this farmland first."
I dragged the repeatedly apologizing Robin along as we toured the tenant farmer's fields. Right in the middle stood a luxurious building, like some noble's villa. I knew what it was.
It was the first structure players encountered upon entering the Peta territory in Heroine Legend. Rummaging the basement revealed stockpiles of grain, hinting that the tenant farmer owner was secretly skimming.
"Ah, w-well... as you can see... there's nothing here."