“Hmm?”
After finishing his meeting with Keiras at the place where he made Hanji, Aiman was on his way home.
Then he spotted someone standing in front of his house.
‘That’s Rakhoop, isn’t it?’
As Aiman drew closer, Rakhoop noticed him.
“Oh, Aiman!”
“What brings you here?”
“You need to come with me to see the Tax Collector.”
‘The Tax Collector?’
Aiman knew what sort of authority the Tax Collector held.
From a Serf’s perspective, however, he was someone they had no reason to meet unless they had committed some wrongdoing.
‘Judging by what Rakhoop said, this must be about the paper…….’
Aiman wondered whether the Tax Collector wanted to question him about the Hanji he had made using Paper Mulberry from the territory.
‘If there had been a problem with the way I made Hanji, the Tax Collector would have come himself instead of sending Rakhoop, wouldn’t he?’
While living as a Serf, Aiman had seen the Tax Collector arrive with Soldiers several times.
He came that way whenever they needed to seize Serfs who had secretly used the Lord’s property without paying the proper fee.
This time, however, only Rakhoop had come.
That meant Aiman had nothing to hide and no reason to feel intimidated.
“Why does the Tax Collector want to see me?”
“He is very interested in the paper you made.”
“Tell him I must decline his interest.”
“What?”
When Aiman refused the Tax Collector’s summons, Rakhoop looked utterly dumbfounded.
Aiman ignored him. He was tired and had no intention of dealing with Rakhoop any longer.
“So, that is all you came for, correct? I will be going inside now.”
When Aiman tried to enter, Rakhoop shouted.
“You brat!”
“What is it?”
“If you made paper, then you must have used the Lord’s property. Do you truly think you can sell it however you please without the Tax Collector’s permission?”
Rakhoop spoke as though Aiman had committed some forbidden act simply by being a Serf.
An ordinary child might have believed him and become frightened.
However, his words had no effect on Aiman.
“Good grief. Everything I did was within the law. If you believe otherwise, bring me evidence.”
“Do not make me laugh! Paper cannot be something a Serf can easily make! You must have secretly used the Lord’s property!”
“What, are you saying I secretly used somewhere like the Carpentry Workshop or the Bakery?”
“Exactly!”
Aiman looked at Rakhoop, gave a small laugh, and shrugged.
“Why would I do that? If I were caught, I would be taken straight before the Lord’s Tribunal. If you intend to keep spouting nonsense, please leave.”
“So you are refusing the Tax Collector’s summons?”
“I have not done anything wrong, and judging by what you are saying, he has no evidence either. Why would I go all the way there? Stop talking nonsense and leave. I really am going inside to rest now.”
With those final words, Aiman went straight into the house.
Left alone, Rakhoop could only stare after him in disbelief.
“That…… that insolent little brat!”
Leaving the overbearing Rakhoop outside, Aiman entered the house.
Then he lay down on the floor.
His encounter with Rakhoop had given him a good idea of what was about to happen.
‘It seems Rakhoop and the Tax Collector are plotting something together…….’
He could tell at a glance.
The two were scheming over the Hanji he had made.
A slight irritation began to build within him.
Whenever something like this happened, Aiman usually calmed himself by folding a simple piece of Origami.
Now that he had paper, he could use that.
However, Aiman did not choose the Hanji he had made.
He closed his eyes and focused on something.
Blue Energy began flowing from his body.
HUM.
When the Blue Energy appeared, Aiman opened his eyes.
He focused his gaze between his hands.
Then a round blue shape appeared there.
It was Mana.
As Aiman folded the Mana he had drawn from within his body, he murmured,
“You will need to deliver the message quickly…….”
@
BANG!
“What? A mere Serf refuses to answer my summons?”
Waibel slammed his fist down on his writing desk and spoke with a furious expression.
The person receiving his anger was Rakhoop.
“I am telling you, he said that if you wanted to see him, you should come to him yourself.”
Aiman had never actually said that, but Rakhoop had lied to force the Tax Collector to act personally.
However, after hearing Rakhoop’s words, Waibel suddenly reconsidered.
He sat down again and calmly stroked his chin.
“Hmmmm. But if a mere Serf did that…… then unless he is a fool, there must be a reason for his confidence.”
“He is only a Serf. Is it not more likely that he is simply stupid? He might not even know how important you are, Tax Collector.”
Waibel frowned and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. I am beginning to wonder which of you is the greater fool.”
“What?”
“Do you truly believe a Serf that stupid could make paper?”
“Ah…….”
This time, Waibel was right.
If making paper were easy, Paper Farm would never have maintained its Monopoly.
Yet this Serf had produced paper of even higher quality than theirs.
There was no way he was stupid.
“There is not even any evidence that he illegally used the Lord’s private property, so it may be difficult for me to move against him recklessly…….”
“What are we supposed to do, then?”
Rakhoop had been relying entirely on the Tax Collector. Hearing him say there was little he could do left Rakhoop bewildered.
After organizing his thoughts, Waibel asked Rakhoop,
“Who is this Serf?”
“What?”
“You just met him, so you must know who he is now.”
‘Damn it.’
Rakhoop had intended to delay revealing that the Serf who made the paper was Aiman for as long as possible.
He suspected Waibel would handle everything without him once he knew.
However, now that matters had come this far, he could no longer avoid telling Waibel.
“He is a Serf boy named Aiman.”
“A boy?”
“Yes. He is the one who made the paper.”
“Good heavens. In any case, Aiman…….”
RATTLE.
Waibel opened a drawer in his writing desk and removed a ledger.
It contained information on the Serfs.
He ran his finger down the pages, repeatedly muttering Aiman’s name as he searched for the relevant entry.
“Here he is. Aiman, son of Isaac and Teresa. You are saying this boy made the paper?”
“Yes. What do you intend to do?”
“What else? I shall purchase this family of Serfs. They have no debts and have paid their taxes diligently. Three hundred Gold should be enough.”
‘He is going to buy them…… What a terrifying man.’
Rakhoop was dumbfounded by Waibel’s plan.
If Waibel purchased Aiman’s family from the Lord, Aiman would no longer be able to ignore his summons as he had this time.
Then Waibel called to Rakhoop.
“Rakhoop.”
“Yes, Tax Collector.”
“Bring me 300 Gold.”
“What?”
The demand came so abruptly that Rakhoop could not understand what he had heard.
Waibel waved the ledger containing the Serfs’ information as he explained.
“I will use this boy to produce paper and repay you with the proceeds, so bring me 300 Gold.”
“Where am I supposed to find that much money?”
“You do not have it? Then it cannot be helped. You are out of this venture.”
“T…… Tax Collector!”
Rakhoop had gone to all the trouble of arranging the scheme, yet Waibel was suddenly telling him to leave it.
It was absurd.
Waibel answered,
“Is that not reasonable? All you have done is tell me his identity. It would be difficult to include you when you have contributed nothing else.”
“……Give me a few days. I will find the money.”
“Very well. Bring it to me.”
“Understood.”
After finding himself forced to raise 300 Gold, Rakhoop left the Tax Collector’s residence and did nothing but curse.
“Damn it, you cursed Moneybird bastard! You have more money than I do! HUFF, HUFF! Fine. I will think of it as an investment in the future.”
After raging for a while, his anger subsided.
Rakhoop decided to regard the 300 Gold as an investment as well.
After spending three days raising the money, he returned to Waibel.
Once the money was ready, Waibel headed to House Jenkins with Rakhoop.
As it happened, Count Jenkins was standing outside the estate.
He was speaking with four people in front of the entrance.
One wore the robes of an Imperial Mage, while the remaining three were so finely dressed that they appeared to belong to a noble family.
However, when Rakhoop saw one of those three, his face twisted.
“Why is that brat here……?”
“What is it?”
“That is him. The Serf who made the paper.”
Rakhoop pointed at a boy with his index finger.
At that moment, the people standing with Count Jenkins turned toward Waibel and Rakhoop.
Because Waibel’s eyes met Count Jenkins’s, he bowed in greeting.
However, Count Jenkins did not even seem to notice Waibel’s greeting.
With his face filled with rage, he strode toward them and seized Rakhoop by the collar with a hand as broad as a bear’s paw, perfectly suited to his massive frame.
“You wretch. Who gave a Commoner permission to point at a noble?”
“I…… I was pointing at that Serf over there, my Lord.”
“A Serf, you say? Why, you insolent bastard!”
The usual warmth vanished from Count Jenkins, revealing a rough and imposing side of him.
Still gripping Rakhoop by the collar, he dragged him over to where Aiman stood and hurled him to the ground.
“Oof!”
Count Jenkins spoke to the fallen Rakhoop.
“You wretch, apologize to Mage Aiman this instant!”
‘A M······ Mage?’
Rakhoop could not understand what was happening.
How had a brat who had been nothing more than a Serf a few days ago become a Mage?
However, he had no choice but to apologize.
Once someone became a Knight or Mage, they received the noble rank of Baronet, placing them above Commoners.
Count Jenkins, who resembled a wild bear, stood directly before him and glared fiercely.
The sensible choice was to apologize first.
“I······ I apologize.”
“So he says, Aiman.”
Although Count Jenkins had just displayed his anger, his words subtly asked Aiman to accept the apology.
From Count Jenkins’s perspective, he had little choice.
There was a reason a Serf from his territory had suddenly become a Mage.
Keiras, the Imperial Mage, had said that he wished to accept Aiman as his Disciple and take him away.
Rakhoop’s insult had been directed at Aiman, but it could ultimately be taken as an insult toward his master, Keiras.
Keiras was renowned even among the Imperial Mages.
Count Jenkins had nothing to gain from forming a hostile relationship with him.
That was why he had intervened personally.
Now that he had forced Rakhoop to apologize, he hoped the matter would end amicably.
No matter how offensive Rakhoop’s words had been, he was still one of Count Jenkins’s own Territory Residents.
Aiman understood Count Jenkins’s intention.
He would be leaving the territory with Keiras, but even so, there was nothing to gain from souring his relationship with a Count.
“It is all right. However, may I speak with this man for a moment?”
“You may.”
When Count Jenkins nodded, Aiman called to Rakhoop.
“Hey.”
“······Yes, Sir Mage.”
The idea of addressing a mere Serf child as Sir Mage was absurd to Rakhoop, but what else could he do?
His own Lord, Count Jenkins, had declared that Aiman was a Mage.
In the end, Rakhoop answered with due respect.
Aiman beckoned to him.
“Come here for a moment.”
Rakhoop quietly rose and approached as instructed.
Aiman leaned close to Rakhoop’s ear and spoke.
“From now on, do not judge people by their station. Serfs are people too, and no one knows what the future holds.”