Domination (1)
Domination (1)
After finishing the meal, Johan headed straight to Raguel’s room.
‘He must be hungry.’
Raguel was starving alone. Due to the baron’s orders, he could not attend official gatherings. Naturally, he was unable to attend the banquet.
Feeling sorry for him, Johan thought to bring him some food.
With a basket of food in hand, Johan turned the doorknob.
The inside of the room was revealed. Raguel was sitting curled up on the bed, staring straight ahead.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
A mixture of puzzlement and expectation crossed the boy’s face.
“If it’s you, then perhaps…”
“It’s your brother.”
Raguel’s mouth dropped open like a washbasin.
“Johan!”
“It seems the voice difference is quite noticeable.”
Between his demon state and human form, there was as stark a difference in voice as in appearance.
“You sound like a completely different person.”
The unique chill in his voice was completely gone. Johan’s current voice was calm yet carried a slightly youthful tone.
“They are separate beings in reality. Right now, I am an ordinary human. So you should treat me differently as well.”
“Treat you differently?”
“Yes. Let’s start with how you address me. During the day, call me brother.”
If the name ‘Johan’ was used during both day and night, someone unspecified might catch on.
Understanding the situation, Raguel scratched his head.
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to give separate names for the demon and human identities?”
“You’re not wrong, but no name comes to mind right now. Do as I say for the time being.”
“Alright.”
“Now, what are you supposed to call me?”
With an awkward expression, Raguel spoke.
“…Brother?”
“Do you dislike it? If you wish, I can play the younger brother. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Raguel frantically waved his hands.
“It’s not that I dislike it; it’s just unfamiliar. Besides, I think Johan suits the role of older brother better than me…”
Johan let out a small laugh.
“Do as you feel comfortable.”
“I-I will call you brother. During the day.”
Johan nodded and placed the basket of food on the table.
“My first act as a brother. Eat.”
“What is this?”
“I brought you some food. You must be starving.”
When Johan handed him the bread, Raguel smiled brightly.
“Thank you, Johan. No, Brother.”
It was a small gesture of kindness, but it was enough to make the boy smile.
As he happily bit into the bread, a familiar voice was heard.
“You’re quite considerate. Not very demon-like.”
Illea was entering the room.
“I saved some for you as well.”
Illea had also been unable to attend the banquet, as she had been carrying out Johan’s requests.
She smiled teasingly.
“You don’t intend to settle my debt with just food, do you?”
“I’ll grant you a request next time. Now, do you have the item?”
Illea took out a notebook from her bosom.
“I searched the treasurer’s room thoroughly. It was hidden deep in the drawers.”
What she had stolen was the tax ledger.
“You have quite the talent for thievery. Well done.”
“Was that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Depends on how you take it.”
“Shall I put it back where it was?”
“Don’t joke. Let me see.”
Feigning a pout, Illea handed the ledger to Johan.
Johan began reading through its contents.
Taxes collected from the five villages of the Miyatro territory were detailed in the ledger.
The total revenue, including grains, livestock, silver coins, and wool, was enough to fill the castle’s storage to the brim.
“They really bled the people dry during a famine.”
Last year, a terrible famine had struck the south, cutting grain yields to less than a quarter, yet the taxes had not decreased at all.
They had demanded even more wealth than the previous year.
“Like sucking blood from a flea.”
“The storage must be bursting.”
“You’ll need to expand the space.”
Hearing their conversation, Raguel spoke hesitantly.
“Wouldn’t it be better to reduce the taxes a bit instead?”
Johan let out a short laugh.
“Whether I expand the storage or reduce taxes, I need to see the reality with my own eyes first. Ledgers and reality often differ.”
Illea nodded.
“It might turn out to be empty, surprisingly.”
“That would make things interesting.”
“Shall we check it out now?”
“Finish your meal first.”
“Understood.”
Raguel watched the two, unable to comprehend, following their conversation with his eyes.
Illea smiled.
“For some fresh air, let the young master come down with us. Staying in the room all day must be suffocating.”
She looked at Johan.
“Is that alright, elder young master?”
“I don’t mind.”
***
“Damn bastard brat.”
The baron’s knight slammed his hand down on the empty shelf.
The old plank shattered, sending accumulated dust flying into the air.
Covered in the dust, the treasurer brushed off his bald head and spoke.
“I knew this day would come eventually! We’ve skimmed off so much there’s no way to fix it now! If the bastard compares the ledger with the actual stock, we’re finished!”
The storage that should have been overflowing with goods was as shabby as a shed in the slums.
Cheap furs, piles of hay, and rotting spices were all that littered the empty space.
The knight roared,
“Then rewrite the ledger! Isn’t it strange for the storage to be full during a famine like this!”
“Do you think that’s so easy? They want the grain and tax ledgers presented by tonight, and there isn’t enough time to forge everything!”
The knight shouted,
“Treasurer! What would a brat barely ten years old know even if he looks at the ledger? We just need to make it look right!”
A hint of doubt crossed the treasurer’s face.
“He’s no ordinary brat! Didn’t you see how he pressured and manipulated us? It’s as if a snake is coiled inside that small body! He will definitely notice something is wrong!”
The knight, enraged, drew his sword.
“Pressured me?! Who does he think he is!”
The treasurer backed away in fear.
“Wh-what are you doing? Please calm down.”
“Listen carefully.”
The knight’s voice dropped low.
“He is nothing more than a lowborn trash who grew up with beggars. He probably can’t even read, let alone understand a ledger. I have never been defeated by anyone. I only held back for the baron’s sake. Do you understand?”
The treasurer swallowed hard.
“I-I understand, so please put the sword away.”
The knight spat on the floor and sheathed his sword.
“Enough nonsense. Get to work. We need to rewrite the ledger before sunset.”
The treasurer wiped his cold sweat. Though he would rewrite the ledger under the knight’s pressure, there were too many points of concern.
He took out paper and pen.
“…The ink won’t even dry. If this goes wrong, I take no responsibility.”
“We have Lord Krill. If something does go wrong, we can take refuge with him. Besides, when Lord Krill takes the baron’s title, all our hardships will be rewarded.”
The treasurer sighed and dipped the pen in ink.
As he was about to write the first line, the sound of an old door creaking echoed from the front.
The storage door had opened.
The knight shouted.
“Who’s there!”
Along with the light of dusk, familiar faces entered the storage.
“Why are you so surprised? Who else would come here.”
It was Johan’s voice.
Raguel, who came with him, shrank back and greeted the knight.
“S-Sir Rail, it’s been a while.”
The knight ignored Raguel completely and glared at Johan.
“…What are you doing here?”
“Just dropped by for a few things I wanted to check. But it’s empty.”
At that moment, an unpleasant sound was heard.
Illea had locked the storage door. She approached Johan and spoke.
“As expected.”
“Let’s hear their excuses first.”
Johan looked at the knight.
“The storage is empty. What happened?”
The knight replied calmly.
“There’s been a drought in the south for years. Do you think nobles are any different when everyone is starving?”
“A pitiful excuse. No creativity.”
“What?”
Johan threw the ledger Illea had stolen onto the floor.
The treasurer’s eyes widened.
“Why is that here!”
Illea smiled softly.
“Isn’t a drawer too obvious, Treasurer?”
“D-don’t tell me it was you…”
“It was.”
The knight also looked flustered.
“Illea, why are you helping that bastard?”
She tilted her head.
“What a strange question. The elder young master is the heir to the baron family, so it is only right we all serve him.”
“I thought you were clever!”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
Johan let out a short laugh.
“Seems you two were quite close.”
“Just something to kill time. The castle was boring before the young master arrived.”
The knight scoffed in disbelief.
“You damned brats are scheming to mess with me!”
Johan dropped his smile.
“You’re showing your true colors. Now that you’re being honest, tell me the truth. Where did you embezzle the taxes?”
The treasurer replied instead.
“E-embezzle? No! We simply relocated them! As you can see, this storage is too small to hold all the tribute!”
Johan nodded.
“That’s not entirely wrong. Then, state the location where it was moved.”
“T-that is…”
Johan’s gaze grew cold.
“Is it perhaps in my uncle’s storage?”
Both the knight and treasurer froze simultaneously.
“So that’s the answer.”
The knight immediately shouted.
“What nonsense is this!”
“It was strange. How could a vagabond driven out of the family gather an army of 300 and fund it?”
“If it’s with the support of Count Stabiana, it’s more than possible!”
Count Stabiana was a leader of the noble faction and the kingdom’s chancellor.
“The support of the Stabiana family, you say. You seem to know information that only my uncle’s close aides would know.”
Realizing his slip, the knight furrowed his brow deeply.
“You are certainly a traitor. Or perhaps you were your uncle’s spy from the beginning. It doesn’t matter which. Admit your guilt and kneel.”
The knight glanced around the room. Aside from himself and the treasurer, there were only three children present.
As a knight, he could cut them down in an instant and escape the castle.
It was more important to get out of here than to find out how he had been exposed.
His hand reached for his waist.
“Kneel? I have no knees to kneel before trash like you!”
As he tried to draw his sword, his expression twisted in shock.
The sword would not come out. No matter how much force he used, he could not pull out the blade.
The knight looked down.
His face filled with horror.
His hand and the sword hilt were frozen white, stuck together.
“W-what is this…”
It was magic. A power forbidden by kingdom law. A heretical miracle was restraining him.
There was a heretic present here.
The knight immediately looked straight ahead.
Blue mana was wavering around Illea.
She smiled softly.
“If you draw that sword, you will die.”
“Y-you bitch, you—”
“No. You’ve seen magic, so you won’t survive either way.”
Illea turned to Johan.
“Do I have your permission, young master?”
“Keep him alive. A knight’s body has many uses.”
The knight was a valuable material. If handled well, he could be crafted into an excellent work.
Johan looked out the window and added.
“The sun will set soon. I should go. We don’t need the treasurer, so handle him as you wish.”
Illea stuck out her tongue playfully.
“You truly are a demon. As you command.”
The moment she finished speaking, countless calculations began to consume the interior of the storage.