In an instant, the man’s expression turned anxious, and he reluctantly bowed his head.
“…I didn’t expect to see you here. I heard a new manager was coming, but I never thought you’d visit so suddenly… Well, anyway, please forgive my rudeness.”
“I ask again, what do you think you’re doing?”
I straightened my back and demanded an answer from the man in a cold voice. My fists clenched involuntarily as I saw the bloodstains on the whip in the man’s hand.
He sighed deeply, as if faced with a vexing riddle, and pointed to Noah with a jerk of his chin.
“This kid suddenly disappeared. It’s a big deal for Xenos slaves to disappear. Not long ago, a stutterer disappeared without a trace, and it caused a lot of trouble.”
At that, I glanced toward where the Xenos slaves were gathered. As expected, there was no sign of James Caron anywhere. Ian knows that James is a spy for the Duke of Bledel. If he hadn’t smuggled James out without the Duke’s knowledge, he must have run off somewhere far away. Lost in thought for a moment, I didn’t reply, and the man seemed even more hesitant in his words.
“You don’t know because it’s your first time, but there’s a rule here on Brilland Farm that if one slave disappears, other slaves will be punished.”
“Who made that rule?”
“I made it, but…… To efficiently manage numerous slaves, it’s sometimes necessary.”
“So, you think treating people like this is efficient management?”
“That guy, in particular, has a strong influence among the slaves, so I set him as an example to scare them. Anyway, when there’s a problem, you have to punish them severely.”
The man smiled and ran his index finger through his hair..
“What’s your name?”
“Eric Caibon, but…….”
Eric Caibon. Noah’s words hovered in the air.
<Stephen Caibon, that jerk, he’s the son of caretaker.>
The scene came back to me. Stephen was the son of the caretaker, who acted like a boss while engaging in despicable actions. First, I had a servant waiting in the back to carry the old man who had collapsed.
I instructed another to hurry to the village and summon a doctor. A look of mockery crossed Eric Caibon’s face as they followed my orders.
His pupils, black and unfocused, looked more turbid than lye. The pupils of the Xenosians who watched this whole spectacle with bated breath alternated between me and him.
I spoke to him in a tone of deep contempt.
“The boy did not run away; he insisted on returning to the farm despite all of this ridiculous treatment; I suppose we shall have to find out why he disappeared?”
“Yes, do as you please.”
He taunted me with a sarcastic tone. Even though I said I was the representative of the emperor, he acted cheekily, which meant that he was a man of the Duke of Bledel.
The moment I thought of the Duke of Bledel, I remembered where I saw Caibon’s name. I concealed my smile as I stared at Eric Caibon with a penetrating gaze.
He raised his eyebrows and gave a defiant look as if he wanted me to try. I felt an overwhelming urge to see the smirk on his face get twisted with my own eyes.
I stared coldly into Eric Caibon’s black eyes and opened my mouth.
“Bring me Stephen Caibon, now.”
As soon as the name Stephen came out of my mouth, the corners of his mouth turned downward for a moment, forming a ridiculous shape.
*****
Five children, including Stephen, were brought in. Noah hid behind me and cautiously observed their every move, but he couldn’t hide his excited eyes.
I turned to the children and said,
“I am the appointed representative of His Majesty, in charge of Brilland Farm. It is my duty to know everything that happens here and decide how the Xenosians should be treated.”
At the mention of the word ‘Emperor’, I saw a faint glimmer of fear in the children’s eyes. I cut to the chase, my voice devoid of any emotion.
“You see, I witnessed something very unpleasant earlier. I heard from the manager here that it’s a big deal for Xenos slaves to run away from the farm. To the extent that other slaves should be punished instead.”
“…….”
“But it looks like Noah didn’t run away. You guys dragged him down to the lake.”
The children remained silent, only exchanging glances with each other. I continued in a calm tone.
“If you confess the truth now, I will give you a chance to ask Noah for forgiveness.”
Then a child named Stephen said in a furious and rebellious manner.
“Why would we ask for forgiveness from such a dirty Xenos slave? And we haven’t even been near the lake.”
“Then do you think I’m lying?”
The children just looked at Stephen’s face. I turned my head towards Douglas.
“Douglas, are these the kids we saw by the lake earlier?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure, especially that redhead. He made eye contact with me earlier. I heard him screaming.”
The redhead child flinched and became teary-eyed, but did not reply. So did the other children.
They kept their mouths shut, but didn’t admit any wrongdoing. A kid named Stephen glared at the others, tacitly intimidating them.
Eric protested in an angry voice.
“What are you doing now?”
“Even though the witness is standing in front of them, they lie without batting an eye. I was going to give him a chance, but it’s a little unfortunate that they lied to me in the face.”
I said, stroking Stephen’s head. He sputtered out a string of words.
“You’d better watch out, because the moment you touch my son, you might end up like that old man earlier.”
“Then why don’t you get punished instead?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I don’t feel good about punishing these youngsters either, but the more I think about it, it seems to me that you’re the one who’s been in charge of them all this time, and you’re the one who needs to be scared.”
I could feel the eyes of the Xenosians shaking.
“Weren’t you the head here?”
I tapped his head with my index finger and smiled at him. Eric’s face crumpled even further into a scowl.
“I heard that you made the Xenosians hit each other for fun, and as a result a woman died an untimely death.”
“She was originally ill. Don’t blame me for her death.”
“Then what I said earlier must be true.”
The Xenosians eyes busily moved between him and me in sharp tension. Eric Caibon clenched his fists.
“Why are you doing this? I’m just trying to scare the little brats out of their minds! If you leave them like that they will run away, or cause trouble for the people of Asha. Will you be responsible for that?”
The man known as Eric Caibon felt no remorse for what he had done to the Xenosians. And he never will.
It was obvious what other terrible things would happen if he was allowed to stay on the farm. I was in charge of Brilland Farm, and I could exercise the Emperor’s authority on his behalf.
Although Duke Bledel was nominally co-in-charge, it was agreed that Brilland Farm was entirely in my hands, and I was therefore free to do as I pleased with him.
“As of today, I revoke Eric Caibon’s appointment as caretaker of Brilland Farm.”
“Look, I was hired by Duke Bledel himself, and you think I’m going to let you run roughshod over this place? I’ll make you pay for what you did today.”
He glared at me, his black eyes filled with hostility as if he were about to commit murder.
“You’d better leave quietly. Otherwise, you may regret it bitterly.”
I leaned a little closer to him and whispered in a low voice.
“Paul Leobin.”
At the mention of that name, Eric Caibon froze as if he had seen a ghost. Just a moment ago, he acted like he could rule this place. His sudden change of expression was amusing.
<The dawn’s sunset is originally a treasure of the Xenos noble. It belongs to the Leobin family, who have maintained their lineage through the ranch business.>
I recalled the history of the dawn’s sunset that Stella had explained to me the other day. I had ordered her to investigate the artifact in the past.
I had intended to learn more about Rachel’s connection to Henry, and in the process, I had stumbled upon a serendipitous discovery. The dawn’s sunset was a treasure that had been passed down through the generations to the Leobin family in Xenos.
The Lord protected the treasure with his life while wandering around other countries avoiding Asha, but his son Paul Leobin had different thoughts.
He didn’t see the point in preserving the treasure while living as a wandering drifter, always on the run and uncertain of when he might be captured as a slave.
As soon as his father died of illness, he went to the Duke of Bledel with the dawn’s sunset.
It was to trade an heirloom for a new identity. He would no longer be a nobleman, but it was the only way to stay safe. Stella dug behind those who became close aides to the Duke of Bledel at a time when the dawn’s sunset came into Henry Child’s hands.
Then she found out who Paul Leobin was. That he’s Eric Caibon, the man standing right in front of my eyes.
“Have you been so busy pretending to be an Ashan that you’ve forgotten who you really are?”
“What, what nonsense…….”
“And you have no conscience. You don’t have to be so hard on your fellow Xenosian. Without that heirloom, you’d be living a miserable life, treated like livestock like the rest of them. Even your son, whom you love so dearly.”
“…….”
“You’d better give up any illusions that the Duke of Bledel will protect you, because the moment it’s known you’re a Xenosian, you’ll be of no use.”
His unfocused eyes got lost in the air; he was frozen in place as if in great shock, and for a moment it was as if I were looking at a standing corpse.
“Why don’t we get some Xenosians here who could recognize your face? It’s not that hard for me to find someone who used to work at the Loebin estate.”
