Entering the village, I felt the devastation even more deeply.
The doors had been smashed open, and the houses had been remodeled to the point where they were overly ventilated.
There were also places where large amounts of burnt remains, likely once homes, were piled up.
Although the situation was one of such ruin, I could still sense multiple gazes peering at me from within the houses.
In the lead-up to the war, I had instructed them to evacuate, but the truth is that while there were no casualties, there was no way to prevent the destruction of their homes.
Even though there were no casualties, these people relied on the village for their livelihoods, so it’s easy to imagine their feelings upon seeing it destroyed.
As I walked through the center of the village, an old man stepped forward.
“…This village has no strength left to pay taxes.”
The old man said this immediately upon speaking.
With just these words, I could clearly understand how they felt about the nobles.
Without asking any questions, just outright saying they couldn’t pay taxes, it was clear that to the nobles, the peasants were only seen when it came to tax collection or conscription.
“I’m just here for a brief inspection.”
“…Is that so?”
Even after I explained, the old man didn’t seem reassured.
I had intentionally kept some distance from my retinue, thinking that having too many attendants nearby might create an air of intimidation, but it seemed that didn’t put him at ease.
As I surveyed the village again, I noticed something dark flying at me from the corner of my vision.
Thud!
With a dull sound, pain and shock jolted my head.
Looking in the direction the dark object had come from, I saw a boy standing there.
“You nobles! You always take from us, don’t you?! Go home!”
The boy shouted this loudly, and villagers who had been hiding around us suddenly emerged and pinned him down.
Nearby, Werner unsheathed his sword and ran toward the boy.
“—You!!”
“Stop!!”
My shout stopped everyone in their tracks.
My head ached from the blow, but my thoughts were clear.
Honestly, I had thought: this situation could be useful.
For the villagers, nobles were often seen as oppressors. But right now, in this moment, it was as if we, the nobles, were the victims.
I began to think. How could I speak to these villagers in a way that would earn their trust?
Had it been two minutes? During that time, no one moved, no one spoke; the silence weighed heavily on the air.
The only sound was the drumming of blood dripping from my forehead.
Both my retinue and the villagers held their breath, waiting for my next move.
I broke the silence calmly, speaking slowly as if to reason with them.
“…Yes. Nobles always take from you. They raise taxes whenever they want, and if that’s not enough, they take anything they can. Without regard for your will, they conscript you and drag you into wars.”
I first acknowledged their feelings.
They must know this well. Though they wore painful expressions, they didn’t confirm or deny, likely fearing backlash from me, a noble.
I looked around at them and took a deep breath.
“But I am not like the other nobles. Elder, how were the taxes last year compared to before?”
“…They were lighter.”
The old man replied cautiously.
I shifted my gaze to the man holding the boy down and spoke to him.
“You there, during the recent war, were you conscripted?”
“…No.”
The man also had an uneasy expression on his face.
I looked around at all of them again, ensuring my voice reached everyone.
“I want to create a future where none of you go hungry and can live in peace. But this is not something I can do alone. Knights, villagers, bishops—only through cooperation can we achieve this.”
I paused for a moment.
“And when I speak of cooperation, I promise that I will not exploit you. If you all support me, I will repay you.”
I pulled out a cloth bag from my pocket, the sound of coins clinking inside.
Goodbye, compensation.
I took out some gold coins from the bag, making sure everyone could see.
“I will show you now. I will repay you for your cooperation.”
