CHAPTER 10: BRAND NEW POINTS OF MISCHIEF.

Slowly, the villager moved close, pulling the platform towards the site. Fully focused on his job, he was about to dump the trash right there on the ground.

When all of a sudden, Dorian yelled,

"Stop!!!!"

His voice rippled through the air, immediately startling the man. The speed at which Dorian raised his voice even surprised Maria.

Upon hearing the terrifying scream, the male villager turned his head toward the source of the sound, taking note of Dorian and the famous warrior of the barony, Maria.

"Lady Maria?" the man let out, clearly shocked by the sight. However, his shock faded as soon as his gaze landed on Dorian. "Lord Dorian, you’re here too."

Dorian said nothing.

With slow steps, he made his way towards the hole he had dug and then pointed at it.

"Dumping refuse there is no longer allowed; if you have waste that needs to be taken care of, then dump it all here instead."

The man’s eyebrows went up. "A hole?"

"Yes," replied Dorian, "Just dumping your trash anywhere will damage the environment, and also, this place is now under the inspection of the House of Aurelian; I am sure you understand that."

The man looked at Maria, as if seeking validation to be sure it was true; after she nodded her head, he sighed, then pushed the platform towards the hole.

A single push was all it took for it to slip from the surface of the platform and fall into the pit.

"Good, now we are keeping the environment clean. That will be one silver piece." Dorian stretched his hand towards the man.

"What? You’re charging me for dumping refuse?!"

Dorian cleared his throat.

"Given the House of Aurelian’s recent inspection and oversight of this area, as stated in the barony’s ordinances concerning environmental stewardship, all refuse disposal now requires a nominal handling fee to cover the cost of proper management."

"T-That’s a lie; you just made that up. He just made that up, right, Lady Maria? We’ve been dumping refuse here without any fee! This is extortion."

Maria, confused, could only give Dorian the side-eye, wondering where he was going with it.

As expected, Dorian gave a response to the man’s protest.

"Normally, this would be part of your taxes, but as followed under article 2, section five under the kingdom’s constitution, new government funds are to be paid immediately upon use and then added to the tax right after. The way I see it, you just lack knowledge. Pay up."

"With all due respect, how do I know you’re not lying to extort me right now?" the man pointed, frightened and panicking.

Dorian smiled, then walked towards the man.

Once close, he rested his arm around the man’s shoulder.

"Would you rather comply? Or have the royal guards lock you up for refusing to answer your lord’s official law."

Every word settled inside the man’s head, causing him to shake in fear.

But Dorian didn’t stop there.

"Hey, there is no reason for you to be afraid; if you don’t have the money to pay, there is another way we can settle," he said with the biggest malicious grin on his face.

"W-what is that, m-my lord?"

"Oh, nothing much; just, I don’t know, work for me today alone, and I’ll forget your fee. If you do well enough, there is a chance you might earn one silver coin a day from this."

The man gulped.

"One silver coin?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die. Besides, it’s not like you have a choice; don’t be foolish and take my offer. Tick-tock, time is wasting."

Dorian practically had his lips inside the man’s head.

It seemed as though the man wanted to cry as he was coming to terms with the fact he had entered a trap.

Eventually, he had no choice but to give in to him, nodding his head in acceptance.

"Good boy, you made the right choice."

Dorian rubbed the man’s head while chuckling excitedly.

Maria, on the other hand, remained at the side, completely speechless after what she just witnessed.

’Did he just extort that man? Eh? I don’t think he has changed at all.’

Not even a few seconds after, another potential victim who walked in on them with a platform of trash showed up.

The first thing he saw was the man crying in Dorian’s arms, while Maria stood at the side with a terrified look on her face.

"W-hy do I have a bad feeling about this?" he uttered to himself.

Only for Dorian to spot him later on, with a huge smile on his face.

...

Later that day, about ten villagers were now present on the field, all of whom were now cleaning up all the waste scattered across the site and dumping it in the pit.

Every single one of them was a victim of Dorian’s trap and had no way of leaving without ending up in jail.

For hours they worked on clearing the land, while Diggy assisted them in arranging the trash for them to carry and dump.

Dorian stood at the site, watching it all play out in front of him. For some reason, he could recall his past life during his first day at his job, where he was forced to lead the people at the club.

While he did struggle with it at the start, Yahoshi was always there to teach him everything he needed to know, and eventually, he became an even more capable leader than she was.

As such, leading ten people was child’s play.

’Once they are done clearing the dirt, we can then start construction to secure this place from intruders, but that will be after finding buyers for the iron ore.’ Dorian stroked his chin.

’I already sent Maria to speak to her father if there is a chance for him to make contact with bigger buyers. Of course, I could also trade with the barony next door, but I’d like to avoid all confrontation until I have secured this place.’

He looked ahead.

’Which means I need more workers.’

Suddenly, the system runes popped up.

[You have successfully cleared the site.]

[+300 points have been awarded.]

’Would you look at that.’