A short walk later, I reached the administration office in the middle of the farm. As I stepped inside, I saw a group of caretakers joking around, reeking of alcohol.
Their laughter abruptly stopped as they sensed someone’s presence. They looked me up and down with bleary eyes, as if they hadn’t already figured out what was going on. I felt a twinge of unpleasantness in their sticky gaze.
The attendant who led the way frowned and said to them,
“This is Jane Hubenson, appointed manager of Briland Farm by His Majesty the Emperor.”
Finally, their faces turned wary, and they offered awkward greetings. I made eye contact with each of them and raised the corners of my mouth.
“You guys seem to think this place is nothing more than a lowlife bar…… If you’re so bored, I won’t blame you for leaving the farm right away.”
One of the older-looking men among them approached me, adopting a subservient posture as if he was about to kneel and said,
“I apologize. It’s just that we thought of having a drink during our break… We will never, ever let something like this happen again. Please, I beg for your merciful forgiveness this one time.”
He made a face so pitiful that it almost seemed pathetic. If anything, it made me feel even more repulsed. He looked like a very weak and pretentious person. He looked insincere, waiting for my next words.
The smell of alcohol wafting through the air made me dizzy.
“We’ll talk again when you’re sober. I hope you’re careful not to step on someone’s toes*** with your foolish behavior.”
TL/N: ***to upset someone, esp. by getting involved in something that is that person’s responsibility:
At the indirect mention of Caibon, the janitor’s eyes flashed sharply. The older man among them, with an air of subservience, raised his head and answered with a determined tone.
“Of course! We absolutely understand that something like this must never happen again. Hey everyone, what are you waiting for? Apologize quickly, without reservation.”
He seemed skilled at concealing his true feelings behind a polished facade. He didn’t seem to be the kind of man who could pull a stupid stunt like Caibon, but somehow it made him seem more sinister.
The rest of the caretakers looked at each other for a moment at the man’s words, then stiffly approached me and begged for forgiveness, though it was easy to tell they didn’t mean it.
From the moment they heard that I was appointed by the Emperor there was strong hostility in their eyes.
When I gestured for them to leave, the group of caretakers quickly exited the room, unlike when they admitted their fault.
Once they were gone, the attendant began to report on the Brilland farm they had been watching.
“This is what they handed over, but it’s not filled out properly, so there’s nothing in it that can help us.”
While I had a rough idea of the situation at Briland Farm, hearing the report from the observer who had been monitoring the situation brought about a deep silence.
The accounting books were poorly maintained, consisting mostly of showy numerical performances. Inventory management was a mess, and the list of trading partners included mostly non-existent entities.
A check with the Xenos slaves revealed that they were under-reporting their harvests and paying very little tax.
That wasn’t all: with grain prices skyrocketing in the wake of the recent famine, Brilland Farms was charging exorbitant usury for grain loans.
All of the neighboring villagers were indebted to the farm. The caretakers I just saw seemed to have been banding together under the direction of Caibon and acting violently on people in the name of collection until recently.
It was strictly against the law, but even the law enforcement bureau was accepting bribes from Brilland Farm, which is why they were able to get away with harming the villagers.
Presumably, the money they collected was funneled to the Bledel family, with some pocket change for the caretakers.
“……and no one has acted suspiciously yet.”
I had given instructions to my attendants to keep a close eye on the movements of the caretakers here. It was tempting to kick them out right away, but I needed to wait until I had hard evidence.
I was sure there were real ledgers and secret funds hidden somewhere.
“Pretend to let your guard down a bit for now.”
It is only when surveillance is loosened that action will begin. The options were obvious. Take it to the Duke of Bledel and ask for a favor like Caibon, or take what was left and run.
However, considering Duke Bladel’s critical health, the latter option seemed more likely. Until then, the farm, tangled with various illegal activities, needed to be rectified from the ground up.
First of all, I had to completely revise the data based on what I had found so far and redraw the production management plan from top to bottom. I also had to sort through the scattered contracts to determine their authenticity and prioritize those with the most urgent delivery dates.
The shortage of supplies could perhaps be resolved temporarily with funds financed by the imperial family. Although not immediately, the deliberately degraded land rating had to be re-examined and the tax imposition standard had to be re-established.
The constant stream of issues exploding one after another was causing a throbbing headache. They were not things that could be fixed in a short time.
The few attendants from the Imperial Palace weren’t enough to handle all of this.
Knock knock!
A knock sounded on the door and someone entered the administrative office. It was the old man Noah called Grandpa Jake, the man who had been so brutally abused by Caibon.
The old man limped on one leg and leaned on a cane for support. He approached slowly, placing one hand on his chest in a polite bow.
“Greetings to Miss Jane Hubenson, general manager of Brilliand Farm. I am Jake Carter. I am deeply grateful for your help last time.”
A smile broke out on the old man’s wrinkled face. At the same time, his skin crinkled along the lines of the large scars on his face, but he didn’t look gaunt.
Rather, his clear eyes seemed to reflect his gentle nature. He knew the formalities used among nobles.
His gentle tone and dignified demeanor somehow gave him an air of nobility. I vaguely suspected that he had been a man of relatively high rank before he was enslaved.
I looked into his grayish-brown eyes and smiled slightly.
“Nice to meet you. How are you feeling?”
“As you can see, I was able to recover thanks to you.”
He continued in a softer tone as my gaze fell to his leg.
“My right leg wasn’t in good shape to begin with but now that it’s healed, I can get back to work. If you have anything you need me to do, please tell me I’ll do it.”
My heart felt heavy at the thought of an old man with a bad leg working again. I gave him a stern look and said,
“I don’t want you to go back to work. I was going to exclude the elderly, children, and patients from labor anyway.”
I could see the puzzlement on his face. To a slave, not working was akin to being thrown out of their home.
I quickly added an explanation so that he wouldn’t misunderstand my words.
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t want you to help with the farm, it’s just…,”
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“You don’t have to…….”
“I’m not physically able, but I’d like to be of some assistance to Ms. Hubenson.”
The old man looked at me as if he wanted to give me something in return. I spoke to him in a gentle tone.
“Would you be willing to give me a tour of the farm then? I’ve heard that you’ve lived here longer than the current caretakers…… and I was just about to take a look around myself.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Guided by the old man, I decided to explore various parts of the farm. In the granary, there were quite a few grains that had already spoiled due to dampness.
The air was musty and unpleasant to breathe, and the sanitation was terrible, with gross bugs crawling all over the place.
The ceiling had a few light leaks. Maintenance was not properly carried out after the rain and wind swept through.
“They don’t throw away all the spoiled grain, they use it to feed the slaves.”
Jake leaned heavily on his cane and added a grim explanation. The condition of the sheds and barns where other farm equipment was stored was similar. Even at a glance, it was clear that the farm was poorly maintained.
If they had paid more attention to the portion of the farm responsible for revenue, it wouldn’t have reached this state. Among the vast expanse of the farm, only the areas where the caretakers resided seemed clean and luxurious.
Finally, I set out to reach the quarters of the Xenos slaves. It was the farthest building from the entrance.
After walking for a while, I came across a large area surrounded by barbed wire fences. It was dry and cracked land as if there had been a drought for a long time.
For some reason, the surface was rough and gave off a strange foul odor. It was hard to believe that this was the land of Brilland Farm, the most fertile farm in Asha.
As I turned, I saw a sign that read “Restricted Area” in red letters.
“What is this place?”
“I heard that a long time ago, when a great demon died on this spot, the blood it spilled contaminated this place. As you can see, nothing can be planted on such barren ground, and since it cannot be cultivated, it has turned into ruins like this.”
There was not the slightest hint of life in the abandoned land. For some reason, I felt a gloomy atmosphere that made me feel like I was in a cursed forest.
I muttered to myself as I stared at the fence, which seemed to go on forever until I could barely see the shape of the circle.
“It seems to be quite a large area, it’s a bit of a waste to leave it like this. Is there any way to return this place to its original state?”
“It’s not like there isn’t a way, but it’s not feasible.”
Jake looked at the contaminated land with a deep gaze.
