CH 6

Disturbing Story

“I’m happy to see the smile of a young lady like you at the end.”

“At the end?”

“Yeah. This is the last time the shop is opened.”

The shop seems to be closing.

I wonder why the shop is closing when they can make such delicious pastry?

“Did something happen?”

“… I can no longer pay for the land here.”

The auntie replied with a troubled smile.

“The lords who govern this village have changed, and the new lord raised the price of the land.”

Hearing her words, I felt the disturbing mood.

I guess it came from my instinct as a former noble.

“By the way, how much has it been raised by?”

“It’s three times the price of the previous lord.”

“Wha…”

“A lot of shops went out of business because of the sudden price hike. We used to be a thriving business too, but…”

That’s just too tyrannical.

What is the government doing?

“The government didn’t say anything about this?”

“Not really. They don’t care about a little village at the edge of the country.”

Manage your country better.

It’s been less than thirty years since the Principality of Agreable gained independence from the Fall Empire to the north.

I can only nod in understanding why the sloppy management.

“Have the villagers tried protesting against the new lord?”

“There were a few who tried, you know? But you see, they came back in tatters. Apparently, they were beaten up so badly at the mansion that they were lucky to make it out alive.”

In addition to the unreasonable land rent, violence…

“That’s unforgivable…”

“Indeed. But there are limits to what powerless commoners like us can do.”

There’s no way I can forgive him.

However, I am a criminal who was driven out of my own country.

I don’t know whether the foreign countries know about it already, and I shouldn’t be doing things that make me stand out so much.

Still, I am unable to leave things like this.

“Auntie, where is the lord’s residence?”

“Eh? It’s over there, but why?”

When I looked in the direction the auntie pointed at, I saw a magnificent mansion in the distance.

These good-for-nothing nobles who live in luxury at the expense of the suffering commoners should all just get lost.

“Auntie, I will take the cream-filled bun I just ate as a commission fee.”

“Huh?”

“Excuse me then. I will do well at bargaining this time around!”

“Eh, wait, Missy? I told you the shop is closing as of today!”

I waved my hand at the flustered Auntie and ran out.

The destination is naturally the lord’s mansion.

“I will punish this good-for-nothing myself.”