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Vol 02 Chapter 40-1: Territory Management

「Iarl, are you really sure you don’t want to stay?」

「Yes, I’ve decided to dedicate my life to repaying your kindness.」

Iarl smiled gently.

The former King Ferme’s Country has all become Aris territory. And the village we originally lived in is now part of my domain as well.

It would be a waste to abandon the land that took years to cultivate. But managing a territory on my own is impossible.

So, I asked all the villagers if they wanted to stay or come with me. Most of the villagers —the children I saved, and the slaves who I freed and gave land to—chose to come with me.

Most of the refugees who arrived a year ago wished to stay in the village. I thought they would want to return to their homeland, but…

It seems living there is easier for them.

However, that place is a village where one hundred and thirty people once lived. It’s a waste for only thirty people to live there now.

I plan to send more people from my territory.

「Now, is everyone here?」

Present are the usual members: Tetra, Soyon, Lulu, Ron, Roswald, Gram, Iarl, with the addition of Boros and Bartolo.

「Hey, I feel a bit out of place here.」

「I heard you own a territory, Bartolo-san. So I’d very much like to hear your opinions for reference.」

This is my first time managing a territory. I know nothing.

So, it’s natural to invite someone more experienced to receive counsel.

「Now, first of all… I have no idea what a lord is supposed to do. Could you please enlighten me?」

「It’s not like you need to do anything particularly grand. The basics include maintaining public order, defense against magic, territorial defense, tributes to King Rosais, and judiciary duties. The necessary expenses are covered by taxes. That’s about it.」

That doesn’t sound trivial at all.

「No, it’s not easy, but it’s not as difficult as you might imagine. First, about the tributes to King Rosais, your territory is supposed to be exempt for two years as a special case.」

Ah, I know that. King Rosais probably wants me to focus on reconstructing and developing the territory.

「Also, the village heads and landlords collect the taxes. All you need to do is set the tax rate. Well, since almost all the landlords in your territory were executed, it will be somewhat difficult…」

The landlords had cooperated with King Ferme. So, it’s not something that can just be excused by saying they were deceived by King Ferme.

They were all executed, and their families were made slaves. It’s pitiable, but it’s their own fault.

「As for defense against magic, just leave it to the magicians. It seems you have several capable magicians. However, keep those who can possess animals in reserve.」

This means Tetra, Soyon, and Lulu should not be involved in constructing the barrier. We might manage to cover a small area, but extending a barrier across our entire territory without their help is impossible. Considering that for about the last ten years, an unidentified country has been employing curses to harm this land, it becomes crucial to recruit more magicians as soon as possible

「By the way, we captured a low-ranking magician who served King Ferme. He’s in the dungeon, but I can release him at my discretion, right?」

「That’s right, the judiciary is your duty and prerogative. And I think King Rosais left him here for that reason.」

I see. As expected of King Rosais. Wonderful.

「I’ll help with maintaining public order and territorial defense for a while.」

「Is that okay?」

「King Rosais has ordered me to. He’s not foolish enough to fully entrust the border with Domorgal to someone who’s only managed a village until yesterday.」

Ah, right… I forgot we border King Domorgal’s Country.

「Don’t worry. King Domorgal is primarily busy with wars against Kings Gilbed and Faldam. He doesn’t have the leisure to look south.」

Really? If we’re not careful, he might attack.

「Please tell me about the judiciary. On what laws should I base my judgments?」

「It’s basically up to your discretion. Well, murder and rape are punishable by death. Robbery usually results in the amputation of the right arm. Minor thefts are punished with lashes. That’s the general standard.」

So, it’s customary law. Well, this region doesn’t even have a proper written language so I wasn’t expecting any written laws.

「Then I’ll base the judiciary on the opinions of the village heads.」

I’m starting to understand what needs to be done. This seems manageable for me.

◇

「First, I’m thinking of starting with a population census.」

「What exactly will you do?」

「I want to document the gender, age, and assets of everyone in the territory on paper.」

Not many people are proficient in the Kirisian language. Naturally, something like a family register doesn’t exist.

So, the village heads, who know the most about their own village, collect taxes and govern on behalf of the lord. That was the system until now.

But this allows for rampant tax evasion. There must be a lot of missed taxes.

I want to address that.

「But there are only about ten people who can write in Kirisian decently, right? And that’s counting you and Tetra… I don’t think that’s enough…」

「Don’t worry about that. We’ll prepare the forms in advance. You just need to fill in the numbers.」

That would make calculations easier, too.

「All the forms be handwritten? That sounds like it will take too much time.」

「I have a plan for that. It’s not that difficult, so it’ll be fine.」

We can prepare a large quantity if we use printing, more accurately, woodblock printing.

「You’ve got a good idea there. Will you do it in my territory too?」

「I don’t mind… but I’ll be charging you for it. And for the cost of the paper as well.」

「My territory’s population is around six to seven thousand… How much paper would that require?」

「Let’s see. If we put the names of twenty people on one sheet, then we’ll need three hundred to three hundred and fifty sheets. They’re sold for ten bronze coins each… so, that’s three thousand five hundred bronze coins.」

When I answered, Bartolo held his head.

「You’re quick with calculations. Three thousand five hundred bronze coins, huh? How much wheat does that translate to? I’ve never used bronze coins before, so I have no idea.」

「I’ve never bought wheat with bronze coins either… But if we convert it to salt, it’s about twenty-one thousand didar (350 kg).」

At that, Bartolo frowned.

「That’s expensive. Make it cheaper for me.」

「We also need to make a living too. But well, you have helped us a lot, so I’ll give you a twenty percent discount.」

For now, I decided to exchange paper for wheat. This should secure our food supply for the foreseeable future.

「Now, about the tax rate… Due to King Ferme’s rule, the Aris territory is in a desolate state. So, I’m thinking of lowering the taxes.」

It’s also a way to gain popularity. After all, I’m a newcomer.

「But if we lower the taxes too much, we’ll lose our income. We need to find the right balance. So, what’s the going rate for taxes?」

「Hmm, tax collection methods vary. Typically, a sixty percent tax is levied on produce. However, there’s an option to reduce the tax to thirty percent through the provision of labor.」

According to Bartolo, the tax can be paid in wheat, cloth, or specialty goods. Blacksmiths, for example, might contribute swords or spears.

「The tax will only be paid in goods. The tax rate will be… forty percent. Preferably in wheat.」

「What’s your reasoning?」

Tetra asked.

「We need to restore the devastated farmland, so we can’t afford to draft them into labor. I want them to engage in agriculture as much as possible. It seems King Ferme had quite fortified the border with King Domorgal, so there’s no plan for any particular construction work.」

「What about the production of paper and the defense facilities of the capital that were burned in the recent war?」

「We’ll go with hiring people. We’ll pay them with grain as their salary.」

There should be people willing to participate if they can get a reasonable temporary income.

Especially the widows who lost their husbands or sons in the war. They can be tasked with producing paper.

Producing paper doesn’t require as much physical strength as farming.

For them, making paper, with a guaranteed income, should be better than the hard labor of agriculture. Plus, I intend to spread the use of the senbakoki.

If paper-making becomes a job for widows, spreading the senbakoki won’t have much of a bad impact on the population.

「Alright, that should be good for domestic affairs. What’s important next is the rotation farming system. We need to spread that.」

Well, we’ll have to take our time spreading it. It’s not something that can be changed immediately anyway.

「Now, how shall we collect the taxes?」

「The village heads should collect them, later, we’ll collect the taxes from them. Anyone who commits thief or embezzles taxes will be punished under the lord’s authority.」

Tetra suggested.

「That’s a good idea.」

We’ll dispatch bureaucrats cum soldiers to the villages, convey my will, and the village heads will command the villagers accordingly.

Taxes will be collected by those same bureaucrats cum soldiers. I can trust my comrades not to be bribed.

This also facilitates centralization, killing two birds with one stone. Truly, Tetra is a genius.