After some time had passed since I began sheltering the runaway farmers, I decided to visit the village to assess the current situation.
As I approached the village, a man came running toward me from within.
“Welcome, Your Grace! But may I ask what brings you to this village?”
The man speaking was one of the runaway farmers. I had entrusted him with the role of village chief. Even from atop my horse, I could see beads of nervous sweat on his forehead. It’s understandable. Even though they were accepted here, the sudden visit of a noble for an on-site inspection would naturally make anyone uneasy.
I spoke as gently as possible to avoid giving him any unnecessary misunderstandings.
“I came to check on the current state of the village.”
Hearing this, the village chief seemed somewhat relieved. Perhaps he’d been worried about being suddenly expelled.
“I see. Well then, please allow me to guide you through our humble village.”
He gestured toward the village with his left hand and began leading the way. I followed him, accompanied by a few knights.
As we entered the village, I noticed children and young men and women here and there. The young adults watched us nervously, while the children, full of energy, ran around excitedly.
This village had once been abandoned, with only a well and the remains of burned-down houses. But now, a few homes had been repaired. However, there still weren’t enough houses, and tents and partially constructed buildings were scattered around.
I called out to the village chief leading the way ahead of me on the left.
“How’s life in the village?”
“Thanks to your generosity, Your Grace, everyone is content.”
Though the village chief tried to appear calm, the slight tremble in his voice betrayed his nervousness.
Well, it’s not like a farmer could openly say, We’re dissatisfied! right in front of their lord. Maybe the way I phrased the question wasn’t ideal.
“Is there anything you need?”
“Oh, no, we’re quite satisfied with what we have right now,” he hurriedly replied, but when I told him, It’s fine, speak freely, he hesitantly began to speak.
“If I may be so bold… a bread bakery would be of great help.”
“I see,” I replied, stroking my chin thoughtfully.
He had a point. While we had addressed housing, food production hadn’t received the same attention. For now, we’d been supplying bread to the village, but in the long run, it made sense for them to bake their own.
“I’ll arrange for it soon,” I said.
“Thank you, Your Grace. We shall dedicate ourselves to paying our taxes faithfully,” the village chief said, bowing deeply to the ground.
Even though I had gently coaxed him into revealing his needs, it wasn’t every day that a farmer could make a request to a noble and have it granted. He was likely offering to pay higher taxes in exchange for such generosity. But I had a slightly different plan in mind.
“As for taxes, you’re exempt for this year.”
The village chief’s head snapped up, his face filled with confusion.
“…Is that truly acceptable?”
I nodded and cast a glance around the village.
“You’ve only just settled here and must have plenty of hardships. Just focus on implementing the farming methods I taught you.”
I had already introduced them to the three-field system. It had proven effective in other villages where we tested it, so I’d reported the results to my father and begun promoting it in new settlements like this one. Since the villagers felt indebted to me, they embraced the method without resistance.
The village chief bowed deeply once again.
“Thank you, Your Grace. When the time comes for war, we will gladly join your forces.”
He must have been planning to offer more soldiers in lieu of taxes, but my policy was different.
“My stance is to avoid conscription as much as possible. You can rest easy.”
“What?”
The village chief let out a surprised exclamation, staring at me as though I were some kind of strange noble. No taxes, no forced conscription—of course, that would be baffling for farmers.
But that’s just how things are under my governance. It might be a little unconventional, but they’ll get used to it.
