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Noble and Honor Student   In the middle of a room that was dimly illuminated by candles, a man in his prime age with neat and short brown hair was facing a large work desk and reading the report that was written on the parchment in his hand. Reading the report, His expression became stern. One can predict that the content was inauspicious. On the top of the desk was a stack of parchment similar to what the man held on his hand and on the side of that stack was a quill pen that was put inside a small ceramic vessel that contained black ink. In Japanese term, the room size was 16 tatamis wide. It only furnished with minimal furniture. A desk, a chair, a shelf and a large rug from stitched animal pelt. Not one expensive articles could be seen.

 

(ED: And so Valetta slowly trapped Kazura in her webs of moe...) (TL: So true brother, so true...)

「So then err... The tax for this time is 8 tenths of the previous tribute, right?」   「Yes. It was Isaac’s instruction yesterday. The proper tribute was in crops, however, the potato in the fields have not full-grown. Also, the fields for growing the beans for the tribute were repurposed for the planting of quick growing plant that the village will use as food.」   Kazura nodded and understand a little why the tribute changed into timber. Remembering the lumbering work progress when they built the aqueduct, there will be no problem for timber this time. He didn’t know how much timber was needed for the previous tribute, but with the Axes and Saw he had brought, it surely would not become a problematic task.   「Have you ever pay taxes more than the instructed amount?」 (Thanks for the kind anon who pointed this out?)   To Kazura’s question, Valetta nod.   「Yes. Although I don’t know about the other village, in case that the harvest of crops is above expectation, or in case we had gathered a large number of fire wood, then after selling it to the city, part of the money could be collected as an addition for the tribute.」   「Ee? Why?」   「Nelson-sama decide the taxes while properly thinking about our livelihood, so if there is some trouble in the village he could actively grant assistance. But this current famine, as expected, it looks like it is impossible.」   「Oo, he sounds like a nice Lord.」   Kazura nod and feel respect to Nelson when he heard Valetta’s answer. If he had not taken his position as a considerable good governor, then Nelson back wouldn’t need to be burdened.
(ED: I believe this is something towards the lines of "You scratch my back, I scratch ours. Since Nelson made things easy for the villagers, they would make things easy for him.) (TL: I agree... I weak with Japan idiom...) It doesn’t mean that everyone would repay the favor for his kindness, there are, after all, villages that falsify the harvest report for their own comfort, or so what Kazura had heard from Valin at the dinner. (TLC needed: かなりの善政を敷いているようではあるが、それ故にナルソンの負う苦労は半端なものではないだろう。 優しくしていても全てのものが恩に報いるわけではないだろうし、夕食時に村長から聞いたように、収穫量をごまかして自分達だけ楽をしようという村も必ず出てくるのだ。) If you are too kind, then they become spoiled. If you are too strict, then they would rebelled. In this world too, government was something complicated.   「Therefore, like now, the time when tax revenue keeps decreasing, we somehow want to pay more to Nelson-sama. Surely Nelson-sama has difficulties paying the taxes to Royal Family.」   「I see...... So, not only you want to give tribute of the requested timber, if possible you also wanted to give crops for the tribute. Then, at this moment, how many fields that was planted with potatoes?」   「The potatoes fields are only 2 tenths since the other fields completely withered because of the drought.」   「2 Tenths, huh? Hmm....」   Nelson's territory of Grisea Village can be considered an Honor Student, because it somehow want to pay the tax in larger amount than necessary. (This is the first time Kazura heard the name of the village from Valin.)   「(There is no time to increase the number of potato seedlings now, but maybe we can increase the quality of the potato?)」   Though it was easier to bring a large amount of crops from Japan, but this world food had great difference in taste and shape. If there was suddenly there a large quantity of new variety of crops in the tribute, it would be highly suspicious. Kazura thought that, for now, there is no need to worry about the timber, so let's concentrate in growing the crops as much as possible so it can be used as a tax tribute.   「Ano, can I inspect the potato fields tomorrow? I want to see the condition of the remaining potatoes.」   「Oh, you want to inspect? Thank you very much.」   「E? Y, Yes. For the time being, I will only look.....」   Wondering why Valin suddenly bowed and thanked him, Kazura was puzzled in his heart.   「Then, do you want to go to sleep? The sun had set for some time.」   「Ah, is that so? Should I sleep then?」  

 

By Valetta’s voice, the discussion of that night was over. The three of them will visit the fields tomorrow.
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