Heaven’s Intention c54

Chapter 54 – Castrating Kill (End)

This was a small town that sat by the ocean, on the edge of a forest. Due to being close to the forest, the town had also constructed many wooden houses. In the entire town, only a few residential places were constructed of masonry.

However, away from the small town of Ricca, in a not too far off area, there was a castle that was comparatively more imposing than the other buildings. It was completely made of stone, furthermore, no matter from which angle it was seen, it was incomparably firm and solid. This was home of the Baron———Castle Ca.s.son1.

Castle Ca.s.son was an aristocratic castle that was consistently a characteristic inheritance.

In fact, the Baron of Lucas’ full t.i.tle was, Baron Denson Thanis Lucas2.

Denson was the current Baron’s name. Thanis was the surname of the family. Lucas was the name of the territorial area, and also the Baron’s granted t.i.tle. This was evidently a pattern of territorial n.o.bles.

The territorial barons.h.i.+p was absolutely not an easily obtained order of n.o.bility.

It was because a position of n.o.bility and territory was accordingly interrelated deeply. Therefore, being awarded or promoted was exceedingly difficult.

Choosing the most simple of examples. One with the status of a general Knight, would have 1000 mu of land as hereditary territory. If the soil was fertile, 1 mu would be 10 ounces of silver, 1000 mu would be 10,000 ounces of silver ingots.

Being conferred a Knight, one would be equaled to gaining a reward of 10,000 ounces in all of a sudden. Adding on that it didn’t need to be said that 10,000 mu was just the starting point for a Barony, not to mention that the later various Ranks of n.o.bility, which happened to include several tens of thousands, several hundreds of thousands, and several millions of mu.

A Knight wanting to change into a Baronet, would need to perform ill.u.s.trious contributions to just have a chance. And to again promote to a Baron, controlling over 100 square kilometres and several tens of thousands of commoners, would be exceedingly difficult. As for Viscount, Count, Marquis, Duke and so on, wanting to climb up within the system, without having several hundreds of years, they shouldn’t even think of it.

The Thanis household had gone through a struggle of 200 years, before just barely changing from Knight to Baron. Up to date, it had been 400 years. At that time, the territory of Lucas was barren. Nevertheless, it currently at least has a town and 5 villages; currently it was at last considered to just be a qualified Barony.

Consequently, the Baron’s power was still distantly greater than the common profession, if they allegedly didn’t spare the costs.

At this time, the skies was already quite bright. Even though the Baron wasn’t a too early riser, he had early on also dressed neatly, sitting in the dining room and drinking his morning tea; awaiting for a fresh and sumptuous breakfast to be carried over.

And it was at this time, a subordinate had come in hurriedly running, reporting to him an affair that affected his appet.i.te.

“What? Barcas is dead?” hearing the news of Barcas’ death, the Baron was suddenly alarmed. However, he immediately calmed back down. Exerting the presence of a Lord, he asked with tranquility: “do you know how he had died?”

“Reporting to the Baron sir, the Tax Officer was……was killed by someone!” knowing that saying this would lead to a shocking turn of events, the subordinate still cautiously and solemnly said it out.

“WHAT?! Killed? You’re saying Barcas, who was a Tax Officer, was killed by someone? Not dying of a illness? Nor of an accident? Instead, was killed by someone?!”

This time, the Baron was really startled. He placed the tea cup onto the tabletop, left his chair and stood up. As he walked off, he also asked while his facial expression had ashened: “speak, who killed Barcas?”

“Report…..reporting to the Baron……”

Being attentively watched by the Baron’s eyes, the subordinate’s spoken words were no longer agile. “……it, it’s a youth called Rumont that killed……”

“Rumont? What an audacious b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

Once he heard Rumont’s name, the Baron’s face immediately showed an expression of matchless fury.

Even though Barcas was but an official within his eyes, in the end, he was still a member of his branching household. Beating the dog still depended on who the owner was. Even more so when killing was such a big of an affair!

If it was death due to other reasons, then it was nothing much. Only, even if he was any more useless, he was still considered a person of n.o.ble birthright. Unexpectedly dying at the hands of a commoner, this honestly made it hard to accept for the Baron.

“A commoner had unexpectedly dared to kill a member of a n.o.ble household. This is simply rebelling!” the Baron cursed. Afterwards, he asked the subordinate: “has he been captured?”

“Ah?” the subordinate was stumped.

The Baron’s face sunk at once: “I’m asking you, has the rebel been captured?”

Granted that Rumont was a Rank 2 Druid, and even had some influence these days, he still wouldn’t be able to disobey the laws within the territory.

The subordinate then just remembered, he still had a significant matter, that he hadn’t cleared with the Lord Baron.

He cautiously and solemnly explained to the Baron, the matter concerning Rumont’s self-defence and of killing someone.

“Your Lords.h.i.+p, Barcas did not die at the time. He was only castrated. Even though he was treated at the time, and additionally was also delivered to his household. But even Priest Dennis didn’t have a means, he died within the night. This matter has already rapidly spread through all of the town.”

Hearing that Barcas had been castrated, the Lord Baron’s expression was extremely grotesque. When he knew of the death, without having enough time to save him, as well as the news being spread through the whole town, the Lord Baron’s complexion seemed to be all the more ugly.

“So what you’re saying, that Rumont’s currently still remaining unpunished?” Even though the subordinate that placed the reason pertaining the Tax Officer’s death onto Rumont’s act of self-defence, the Baron did not particularly believe it. After all, he knew that the Tax Officer was secretly dealing with Rumont; furthermore, it was consented tacitly.

His complexion was unsightly as he waived the subordinate to retreat. Afterwards, he sat alone within the dining room, pondering deeply over this matter.

As he thought, he increasingly felt that this matter wouldn’t be that simple. If it was the past Rumont, even the Rumont that had just become a Druid, the Baron, without even needing to take account of considerations, would have been able to apprehend and hang him. But currently, the Baron had a bit of hesitation. After all, the current Rumont already had a considerable amount of influence. But after reflecting for a while, he had still resolved his mind to utilize his guards to apprehend Rumont. And just as he stood up, when he was preparing to command people to catch Rumont, a figure appeared at the entrance of the dining room.

“Father.” the Baron’s most cherished second daughter, Eleni, had entered from outside. Once she saw her father’s gloomy expression, she immediately understood that her father had already known about that certain affair.

“I’ve heard that you went out late at night to meet up with that Rumont, right?” seeing Eleni, so long as he thought about how his second daughter had went and seen that rascal late at night, the Baron felt exceedingly uncomfortable inside.

Of this matter, the Baron displayed more concern, so much that it already exceeded towards his investigation of Barcas’ death.

Eleni promptly went to her father’s side, explaining: “father, it was for the purpose of inspecting and verifying the Tax Officer’s crimes. Thus we had arranged to be there. Furthermore, there were others there at the time.”

Seeming to be aware of her father being unhappy, the second Miss had quite acutely pointed out the matter of a third person being present.

Although he was feeling bad as before, once he heard that it really wasn’t the pair meeting alone, the Baron’s mood had finally improved by a bit. Only, even if the matter of his daughter meeting Rumont could be ignored, what of the matter of murder.

The Baron did not believe in the so-called self-defense spoken of.

However, being an eyewitness at that time, Eleni’s plea was extremely firm as well as definite.

“Father, I personally witness this. It’s absolutely true. At the time, that Barcas had wanted to kill and silence him, stabbing towards Rumont with his sword. Soon after, when the two were scuffling, Rumont had in self-defence, barely killed the other. This was all personally witnessed by me. I can swear an oath on the G.o.ddess, that I’m absolutely telling the truth.”

As a Priest, swearing an oath in the name of a G.o.d wasn’t a so lightly a vow. Once he heard his daughter speak in such a manner, the Baron had finally dispelled all thoughts on immediately ordering for Rumont’s capture.

However, he still thought there were discrepancies, he inwardly scolded Barcas as a moron———if your trivial position couldn’t do anything, then tell me, I would naturally have ways of settling Rumont’s crimes.

Even if everything his daughter said was true, only, the matter of Rumont, as one with a commoner’s status and challenging the authority of an Official, it still made him, as the governing Lord, feel indignant.

Irrelevant to the laws was not irrelevant to wrongs. Simply put, it was only his own aristocratic superiority complex; the anger arising from being offended by someone.

“Hearing your meaning, you still want to publicly trail Barcas?” the Baron asked with a troubled heart.

Eleni persisted on remaining unrelenting: “that’s right father. This relates to the upholding of the Law. Therefore, it needs to be publicly trialled.”

Even though Rumont had collected a few evidences, and the evidence only pointed to the Tax Officer siphoning tax payments, the crimes of ill-gotten public and territorial a.s.sets should have originally been settled privately. Only, the following actions of the Tax Officer, trying to murder someone to silence them was nevertheless sufficient enough for his crimes to be publicly announced at the general a.s.sembly.

Because the general a.s.sembly was the small town’s tradition, thus, although the Baron thought it wasn’t necessary, in the attempts to preserve the good father figure in front of his daughter, he could only in the end, agree to p.r.o.nouncing Barcas’ sentence at the general a.s.sembly; moreover, personally partic.i.p.ating.

On the day of the general a.s.sembly, the small town’s public square, could be said to be fully packed of people.

Not only did the residents of the town of Ricca partic.i.p.ate in this time’s a.s.sembly, even the Adventurers that were temporarily living at the small town had also all joined in on the action.

The reason was quite simple, some big event had happened this time. The Tax Officer Barcas had died.

The reason of death was quite comical. Because his crimes were exposed, therefore in the grand scheme of trying to kill to silence, he had ultimately, on the contrary, been rid of by the opponent.

As for who the killer was, some had said it was Rumont, some had said it was Fafnir; eventually, it was even rumours that it had been done by the young Miss Eleni.

However, the one who had just spoken this was immediately stopped and was violently beaten up by others.

The reason was extremely simple. Miss Eleni was the pride of the entire town. Even though this time, the matter of murder had arisen due self-defense, even if it was like this, a large majority of townsfolk would absolutely not stand for it, having this kind of matter of someone being murdered by another, being placed on the angelic-like young lady.

Following the convening of the general a.s.sembly, the truth of the matter was also gradually announced to the crowd. The young Priestess’ clear and lively voice sounded out, in regards to the heavy crimes of the Tax Officer; giving out a full recount.

As for the folded letter that was the evidence and the witnesses of Rumont, Fafnir, as well as the young Priestess; the Tax Officer’s crimes, were settled3 completely without any mishaps.

Although the behaviour of the Tax Officer was considered to be overly cautious, it didn’t mean evil deeds weren’t conducted.

Seeing that there were people exposing the crimes of the Tax Officer, as well as also having people placing the Tax Officer’s corpse in front of everyone, a few victims’ families, those who had once been extorted by the Tax Officer, had also successively revealed their own encounters in front of everyone.

For a short while, the public general a.s.sembly had turned into a lamenting convention. And according to the words of the families of the victims, as well as all the evidences they put forward, the second Miss, as a representative of the Shrine, as well as her father, began to console the few families of the victims.

Furthermore, the money that they had found from Barcas’ place, they had extracted a portion and divided it among those people, as a form of compensation.

This move of Miss Eleni, had won the applause of everyone that was present; their cheering for a moment was a scene that neared out-of-control. Right until the Lord Baron could no longer stand it, dispatching his personal guards to maintain order at the current scene. Only then did the crowd gradually settle down.

As for what followed on, was the moment of the trail of Rumont’s crime of murder. However, because there was the testimony of Fafnir, as well as the Second Miss, therefore, Rumont’s criminal charge was casually brushed off.

At the time he went down the stage, there were even families of the victims, of the Tax Officer’s bullying, expressing their grat.i.tude to him.

The people had in general, like welcoming a hero, opened up a path for him to exit.

As for the Lord watching atop the stage, the Lord Baron that had been silent all along, once he saw the scene of the townsfolk supporting Rumont, he had at once, narrowed his eyes.

It was a different feeling to seeing the people’s support given to his own daughter. Seeing that Rumont had unexpectedly won the support of the commoners of his own territory, his mind had immediately raised his guard up. As for the repeated meetings of his daughter and Rumont, it had even become a pain that he could not speak of.

Rumont approaching Eleni, in the end, what was it all for? Could it be……could it be possible it was to obtain his territory? To obtain his position? After all, he only had 2 daughters. The future succeeding of the Lord, only had his son-in-laws and n.o.body else.

Once he thought of this kind of possibility, the Lord Baron’s complexion was increasingly ugly to look at.

As he saw it, everyone all had their own wild ambitions. Even more so was the Rumont in front of him. What was the reason he risked his life, struggling to advance as a Druid? Wasn’t it in order to raise his own status?

Thinking that the other could have the wild ambitions of obtaining his own ancestral inheritance of the territory, the Baron’s mind was nauseated like having eaten a housefly. In regards to this kid, he built up his inner loathing. As of now, the more he saw him, the more he would increasingly feel that the other’s thinking was profound; deceitful in many ways.