CHAPTER 41: THE MESSENGER’S RETURN

After everyone had left, Arthur sat alone in the hall, gazing at the open door with a mysterious look in his eyes, deep in thought. After a long while, he exhaled heavily.

"This is really hard."

He raised his hand and scratched his forehead. Though it was only a fleeting moment, his emotions were in turmoil, and he felt a tightness in his chest. It wasn’t random, his current reality imposed immense pressure on him. His mental state was far from fine, and from time to time, he felt bouts of gloom, especially since he had killed the Baronet and his son.

After several minutes of sighing, he emptied his mind of dark thoughts and tried to stabilize his mood. Thanks to the "Logical Analysis" skill, he was able to do so with ease.

’Although it’s unpleasant, it’s something I have to live with. I’m still human, after all. But even so, I’m starting to get used to it. Killing doesn’t disturb me anymore. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one.’

He gave a strange smile and mocked himself. He was well aware that he was changing. His previously calm and average personality had grown more firm and resolute.

Still, he didn’t dwell on it. He immediately returned to thinking of ways to develop and strengthen the barony. He had several ideas, but many obstacles stood in his way. Chief among them were the lack of advanced technology, the shortage of skilled labor, and most importantly, insufficient funding.

"Right now, the barony is entirely mine, and I’m free to do whatever I want with it. From what I know, the previous Baronet used to earn money through several means, primarily taxes. He took thirty percent of the farmers’ harvest.

And since all the lands belonged to him, the residents were required to pay a housing tax once a year. The same applied to the fishermen, woodcutters, and herb gatherers—they were also obligated to give up forty percent of what they collected. That’s good, as it reduces the castle’s expenses. But I need to implement a better taxation system.

From my perspective, the current tax system seems oppressive, but in truth, it’s very typical. Even in the modern era, people pay taxes on almost everything. If it were up to some governments, they’d probably tax oxygen too."

Arthur had been an accountant in his previous world, so he possessed extensive knowledge regarding money, trade, and financial dealings—whether small-scale personal transactions or large-scale international ones. He also understood taxation, its policies, and types, which made it easy for him to consider potential income sources.

In fact, taxes in the Barony of Thornsreach were relatively low compared to other baronies.. This was due to several factors, the most important being the region’s poverty and its vast size, three times larger than most baronies, yet poorer than most of them. As a result, its population was small relative to its area. If the laws were too strict, the people would leave for better places, abandoning the land. In truth, if not for the presence of the river and forest—rich in natural resources like fish, meat, and herbs—many residents wouldn’t have been able to feed themselves properly.

In addition to that, the Baronet earned money through other means, such as fines and trial taxes. He acted as the judge, and if the barony’s residents wanted to resolve disputes, they had to pay him. He also sold medicinal herbs and Monster Materials to neighboring baronies and occasionally received royal grants.

On formal and joyous occasions, the king would bestow gifts upon his vassals, gold coins, ingots, or even land, depending on the nature of the gift and the quality of services the nobles provided to the kingdom. However, Edgar hadn’t received any substantial grants, simply because no one cared about this impoverished region.

After a long period of contemplation, a small smile formed on Arthur’s face. He muttered,

"Alright... I think I know what I’ll make next. But first, I need to take some steps."

Calmly, he rose from his simple throne. Just as he was about to head out, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Without knocking, one of the recruits burst in and quickly bowed.

"Greetings, my lord. I’ve come to inform you that the messenger has returned."

Arthur was slightly surprised, then calmly ordered,

"Escort him to Edgar’s room and tell him that the Baronet will meet him shortly. On your way, inform the other recruits to proceed with the plan."

"Yes, my lord!"

The recruit bowed swiftly and ran toward the gate.

Arthur stood still for a moment, removing every trace of relaxation from his face. Only a cold, determined expression remained. Without delay, he walked toward Edgar’s room. Unlike usual, the hallway was empty, he had already instructed the recruits to stay out of sight so the messenger wouldn’t sense anything strange and try to flee.

He entered Edgar’s room, which no one had touched due to fear. The place was relatively clean and organized. Compared to his own quarters, it was far more luxurious, which irritated him slightly. Without dwelling on it, he sat on the bed and waited.

...

In one of the castle’s wide corridors, the recruit escorted the messenger toward Edgar’s room. But the messenger suddenly stopped and looked around suspiciously.

The recruit paused and asked,

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"Where are the other guards? I only saw a few on the way. It’s awfully quiet."

The recruit gave him a strangely puzzled look and answered casually,

"You don’t know? They found the bandits, but they turned out to be incredibly strong and inflicted heavy losses on the elite soldiers. So Sir Duncan took additional troops and guards to reinforce them and eliminate the remaining bandits."

Arthur had anticipated the messenger’s suspicions. He didn’t want to kill him outright, which was why he went to such lengths to isolate and interrogate him.

Despite receiving a logical explanation, the messenger still felt uneasy. But at the same time, he didn’t want to remain standing, so he quietly walked with the recruit until they reached Edgar’s room. The area was empty, and there were no signs of servants, increasing his anxiety. Just then, the recruit turned to him.

"I’ll take my leave now, sir. It seems the Baronet dislikes us recruits, so we’re not allowed near his chambers."

’Heh, of course he hates you lot, you’re eating up all his money.’

The messenger scoffed internally and walked over without concern. He knocked politely on the door.

"My lord, I have returned with definitive news."

"Enter."

Upon hearing the somewhat familiar voice, the messenger pushed the door open and stepped inside. But instead of the usual Baronet’s face, he was greeted by a young man with black hair, sitting comfortably on the bed.

"Damn it."

The moment he saw him, his heart pounded wildly. He spun around and tried to flee, but the door suddenly sealed shut with a barrier of thorny roots.

"We haven’t even spoken yet. Don’t you think it’s rude to leave so suddenly?"

Arthur stood up slowly and took a few steps toward him. The messenger’s heart trembled, but he acted quickly and drew his sword.

With only a moment’s hesitation, he charged at Arthur with all his strength, cursing,

"No need to speak with a damned impostor like you!"

But unexpectedly, his body froze in place. He couldn’t take another step. Fear surged through him as he looked down, and saw dozens of roots emerging from the ground and wrapping around his limbs. In a single second, the thorny roots encased every part of his body except his face. His sword fell to the floor, along with all hopes of escape.

Slowly, Arthur picked the sword up from the ground. He pointed the blade at the man’s face and slashed his cheek. With a wicked smile, he said,

"Alright then... tell me the definitive news you brought."