Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 411 - 411 195 Ines's Plea for Help_2

411: Chapter 195 Ines’s Plea for Help_2 411: Chapter 195 Ines’s Plea for Help_2 Behind the military cart carrying the arms were many freight wagons and herds driven by civilians.

The vehicles loaded with goods were carrying taxes collected from the southern towns and villages of the Baron Domain.

They mainly consisted of harvested grains, livestock, wool, leather, and other food and production materials, as well as a small proportion of farm tools, equipment, and other handmade products.

Monetary taxes were not the entirety of the domain’s finances; in this era, only towns with a certain level of commercial development were capable of primarily submitting taxes in gold and silver currency.

Stepping into River Valley once again, gazing at the magnificent Avalon Fortress, Leon felt a wave of relaxation as he sensed the feeling of returning home.

This journey was aided by Larian, who was familiar with the customs of the South, and Vanessa, who had once been the eldest daughter of the Great Lord of Kantadar, two southern advisors ensuring that the armed tour proceeded without incidents.

The striking flags and formidable arms of the Knight Order’s troops instilled sufficient deterrence to the Kantadar towns and villages under the Baron’s rule.

The emblems of Thorny Flower and Sword Wings clearly conveyed to the local subjects the fact of a change in governance.

Turning the Black Steed around, Leon rode to the side of the road and looked back at the queue behind him.

More precisely, he looked back at what this despicable feudal lord had collected—as called, “flesh and blood of the people.”

The tax collecting process went smoothly because although it looked like the team had “plundered” quite a bit of the laborers’ toil, in fact, the total amount of taxes collected this year was less than one-third of what those towns and villages had paid to their former lords.

Leon also generously granted tax exemption for the year to several villages facing difficulties, until they could resume production surplus.

In this journey, visible armed force was the big stick, and the tax reduction and exemption were naturally the carrot.

Moreover, the regions throughout Glade County had all experienced oppression from their former lords because of wars, and certainly, Leon did not want to play the role of a “benevolent king” in haste by exhausting the people.

Under his investigations and the personal supervision of the Knight Order, no acts of violent extortion occurred.

While casually visiting the public sentiments, the team also executed a few village tyrants who had previously relied on their relationships with the original lords to commit injustices, as this significantly bolstered his authority.

It must be said, killing a few local bullies like these to win the hearts of the people was not only useful but also gratifying.

Although a comprehensive legal order in the domain was not yet feasible, as a ruler, the straightforward act of “using power to bully the wicked” provided him the thrill of playing the role of an upright official.

Shifting his gaze from the meager material taxes of the year, Leon looked towards the three carriages in the middle of the team, specially designed for transporting people.

On those carriages were about twenty boys, aged between 8 and 13 years old, all appearing well-nourished.

The boys gazed curiously at the castle and town ahead; having been well taken care of during the journey, most of them had lost the initial fear and withdrawal and gradually relaxed.

These selected children brought back were the eldest sons or eldest grandsons from the household of the new or former village officials from various places in the southern parts of the Baron Domain.

If there were no ones meeting the age requirement, then the second sons were chosen; and for families without any male children, Leon would turn to select males from other prestigious families in the towns and villages.

His reason for bringing back the direct male descendants of the managers from various Kantadar towns and villages was partly to use them as “hostages”; if they were girls, frankly speaking, they wouldn’t carry much weight in the eyes of the locals.

Although he knew that if a rebellion really happened, he would not actually harm these young children.

However, strangers unfamiliar with him, especially the Kantadar people, certainly wouldn’t entertain such “naïve” thoughts; thus, holding the elder sons of major households in his grip was a symbolic measure to intimidate others.

Beyond this, there was an even more important purpose.

Leon planned to place these children in the academy being built in Avalon, where, under the guidance of Vanessa and Lady Sally, they would study the languages and scripts of the North and South Kingdom together with the local Orland students.

The human society of this world was unlike the age of national consciousness awakening in his previous life.

National borders were not that distinct; otherwise, the three Seryan wouldn’t have seamlessly become nobles of Orland.

The Kantadar people, if not accustomed to speaking the Urian Language, wouldn’t differ much from the Gray Robe Valley People, West People, Klonia People, and Loman people within the various Great Domains of Orland Kingdom.

Once these children grew up under the protection of Avalon, familiar with the languages and cultures of both kingdoms, they could directly connect and control southern Kantadar town officials as part of the Baron Domain, serving multiple purposes in one stroke.

Without financial and material resources to educate everyone, starting from the upper echelons by firmly controlling the next generation of grassroots managers was the only feasible method.

It was no secret that knowing their descendants could study alongside the Lord and potentially become officials of the Baron Domain in the future, those village elders were so eager that they wished they could replace their descendants and come to Avalon to become trusted followers of the lord’s family themselves.

Regrettably, Leon didn’t want those over thirteen years of age, as those too old would be too set in their own ways, and he didn’t wish to inadvertently train rebels at his expense.

Looking at the twenty-some curious little radish heads on the cart, peering out at their future living space, Leon suddenly felt odd and stroked his chin.