Chapter 163: Inheritance of Wealth and Rights
…I think I’ve got the gist of it.
Seven villages, with about a hundred people in each.
The names are… Retino Village, Ergo Village, Tokofu Village… well, it doesn’t really matter. Seven of them, anyway.
And the population is more than double that.
You’re probably wondering why, right? Well… only the number of adult men, meaning taxpayers, is recorded in the population register.
Women and children aren’t counted in the population.
This is discrimination, but it’s also a distinction, isn’t it?
Women and children have no human rights! They’re treated like objects! …However, because they’re treated like objects, they aren’t subject to taxation. That’s how it is.
Rights and duties are a set, you see, around here. Paying taxes means you have the rights of a villager. The reverse is also true.
So, anyway, the total population is probably over a thousand.
Those people apparently borrow the draft horses and oxen I own from the pastures on the plains to pull plows. Well, basically, it’s like a livestock version of a tractor.
The tax system also has various forms, but it can be broadly divided into the Soyocho system format…
Among those, in our fief, there’s a type of tax where people work at the Soap Factory for a few days a year (well, that corresponds to the ‘yo’ part – labor tax, right?), and during that time, they’re made to work for free at the Soap Factory, or so I hear. No, it’s a tax, so it’s not free, yeah.
Ah, but for that part, Tris has made it so that “surplus Soap is distributed to the villagers who worked at the Soap Factory,” so it’s quite popular, I hear?
Also, the tax rate on wheat (that’s the ‘so’ part – tax in kind, usually grain) is lower than in ordinary villages, apparently.
True, I don’t really need wheat…
The stuff I can get from the “Garden,” I especially don’t need…
Even if I were to sell it, Soap makes more money.
That’s why the proportion of wheat is low, and instead, we collect a lot of wool (that’s the ‘cho’ part – tax in goods other than grain).
Another big one is the income from the Forest.
They control the population of Beasts in the Forest, and the caretaker hunters hunt down any Beasts that become a nuisance, or so I hear.
At that time, they take things like pelts and livers as tax, but most of the meat is given to the farmers, apparently.
Well, I don’t really need the meat of wild Beasts…
I also hunt as a hobby, and I’ll eat what I catch for the first day or two, but I mostly give the leftovers to others.
Of course, Magic Beasts also appear in the Forest.
Magic Beasts, from an industrial perspective, are creatures that grow with less food than ordinary Beasts and reach adulthood quickly. Aside from being ferocious and untamable, they are creatures that can make a lot of money.
So, because the hunters hunt such Magic Beasts quite frequently, the farmers get to eat more meat than in ordinary farming villages, I hear?
There’s also the church tax, meaning we have to pay money to the church as well.
But this isn’t entirely wasted money, as faith is the last resort, and the church provides solace to the people.
Depending on the money, they’ll even dispatch Holy Knights, who are the strongest anti-non-human weapons.
…So, to sum it up.
It seems I have a reputation as a very good Lord, and the revenue is also higher than average.
“…As expected of you, Tris! You’ve done a great job.”
“Ah, thank you very much!”
No, really, Tris is amazing.
Even if she borrowed help from Count Missgancia’s subordinates, she managed to run the fief this well through trial and error.
“Rosalinde, did you understand about the fief? If there’s anything you don’t get, feel free to ask anything!”
Though it’s not like I understand that much myself.
“Mm… I think I mostly understand? For now… I don’t have to do anything special, right?”
“Yes, Rosalinde-sama. Maintaining the current situation is fine. However, since we will be transferring command authority to Rosalinde-sama, it might be a good idea to issue some light, new proclamation.”
Hoh?
Tris is really something.
She’s not just a yes-man; she can actually make suggestions.
I was worried she might be intimidated by Rosalinde, but it looks like this will work out well.
Tris, as usual, doesn’t open up to anyone but me.
She gets along with Rosalinde, but that’s with considerable reservation.
It seemed she wasn’t treating Rosalinde as Rosalinde, but as her master’s wife.
Well, that’s precisely why Tris has high interpersonal skills.
She’s polite to everyone, always treating them like guests, so communication problems rarely occur.
And only when it’s just the two of us, she acts clingy like a child…
No, even towards me, she’s quite respectful… no, that’s not it. Towards me, she fawns.
It’s not like she can’t live if I abandon her, or anything like that.
She fawns willingly.
She fawns, flatters, and constantly utters compliments and sycophantic words.
It’s like she takes pride in being a love toy… or rather, she’s aware she’s my pet, yet she accepts it as if it’s “the happiest thing in the world”… yes, she takes pride in it.
It’s not like boasting about a slave’s chains; it’s not on that level. She genuinely seemed to believe that being my slave was a happier position than being free.
It’s close to a form of masochism.
I don’t recall brainwashing her or anything like that…
In any case, Tris will happily do anything I order her to.
That’s why she seemed happy to take on the role of teaching Rosalinde about her duties…