Chapter 88: The First Person Exploited in the Riverbend

During Leo's absence, the patrols in the Riverbend domain had been strengthened even further. They were no longer just a few incompetent wolf-goblin stragglers thrown in to make up the numbers.

All fifty militiamen of the militia corps had formally been taken off field labor and turned into full-time soldiers, rotating through patrol duty, guard duty, and training.

The wilderness was growing more restless by the day, and the newly arrived refugees in Riverbend, the ogres Leo had pacified only in the most cursory way, and even the wolf-goblins in Wolf-Goblin Valley, now gradually eating their fill, were all sources of instability.

It had to be said that Ulyan knew how to command troops. He was far more competent than Leo, that half-baked amateur, and he arranged those fifty militiamen with perfect clarity.

Every vantage point in Riverbend had sentries posted in pairs.

Any area where people gathered could, at any moment, be seen with an armed militia patrol passing through.

It gave the villagers a profound sense of safety, while also deterring the ill intentions of outsiders.

Imperial sergeants and civilian officers were not roles one could easily fill; without real ability, Ulyan would never have been so highly regarded by Romon’s father.

Ulyan was wearing a silk robe of unknown origin, strolling about the village like an old farmer dressed up as a wealthy gentleman.

The weather had finally warmed these past few days, and at last he no longer had to wrap himself in that foul-smelling wolf-fur coat.

Standing at the village gate, he spotted Leo at once and was surprised that they had returned so quickly.

Anyone bold enough to venture deep into the Wolf-Chasing Plains for an adventure was no ordinary traveler; even if they were merely taking a noble lady out for pleasure, they would need at least ten days or half a month before their enthusiasm could be worn down.

Yet they had returned in just eight days.

The spring sowing in the village had not even begun.

Ulyan’s worry about Leo from before instantly curdled into disdain.

When someone is this generous, how can you be the one trying to save them money?

“So, back already? Why not stay a few more days?” Ulyan greeted the adventurers with a smile while muttering under his breath at Leo. “Take them for a couple of loops around the boar-men nest, and kill a few boar-men while you’re at it.”

“Dangerous enough to count as an adventure, and the monsters get cleared out too. Two birds with one stone.”

Leo was an honest soul. “Better not. If they find us out, wouldn’t they clear me out too?”

It wasn’t just Ulyan who had not expected Leo to come home so soon; Leo himself had not imagined it either. He had even dreamed of a grand and tempestuous expedition, something like the Fellowship in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

But the story had only developed one tiny chapter: after walking for days, they reached an elven city, spent a day there, and came back.

Still, that was not bad. At least no one was injured, no one died, and the pay still arrived on time.

Over ten thousand a day, eighty thousand in eight days. Beautiful.

Ulyan saw through Leo’s little daydream at a glance and snapped in exasperation, “With ambitions like that, you’ll never be any good as a lord in this lifetime!”

That evening, the adventuring party settled into the village and took up residence in a longhouse that had not yet been roofed.

It was the other longhouse to the left of the lord’s hall, serving as the militia barracks.

Before, conditions had been limited: after supper, the militiamen returned home, dumped their gear wherever they pleased, and if an emergency arose in the middle of the night, it was quite troublesome to gather them quickly.

So Ulyan had built a barracks, planning to assign part of the militia to stay there in rotation, ready to meet threats from the darkness of night.

But the roof had not yet been completed, so for the moment it stood empty.

That was how poor a newly reclaimed domain could be: there was not even any spare reed or wheat straw, and supplies had to be gathered or purchased on the fly.

As for tiles, that was not even worth thinking about. Not even the lord’s hall could afford them.

Having the adventurers stay there, with tents pitched inside and a fire going, was still better than shivering in the cold wind by the riverbank.

That night, Denise came to the lord’s hall for a visit, and in passing to settle Leo’s wages.

By then, the lord’s hall had been fully completed. Thick planks of oak, three inches in thickness, had been firmly nailed to the massive crossbeams, and when one stepped upon them there was not the slightest wobble.

The unicorn boars beneath the oak boards had also grown accustomed to life here. Quiet and obedient, they huddled under the wooden steps, sleeping soundly in the warmth radiating from the central hearth.

The four corners above the hall had also been partitioned into storage rooms with wooden boards, to keep grain and other supplies.

At the center of the hall, a straight opening led up to the roof vent, carrying smoke away from the great central fire pit.

Valeri had forged, against the wall directly above the hearth steps, a lord’s throne large enough to lie upon, draped with a gigantic sabertooth pelt.

The immense head of the boar-man chieftain had been preserved as a trophy and hung directly above the throne, to proclaim the lord’s valor.

Many great halls in the north were built in much the same style, reminiscent of a Viking longhouse, except that Riverbend’s was even larger and sturdier.

Once finished, the lord’s hall became immensely popular. Thanks to the great hearth, the warm interior was far more comfortable than the campfires outside.

So after supper, the chieftains often gathered before the hearth to discuss matters, while their children took the opportunity to run and play inside. Even the wolf-goblin pups from the stables would sneak in to warm themselves, rolling about on the floor.

Many supplies that could not be allowed to get wet were temporarily stored in the hall, where Olivia sorted and arranged them carefully. The result was cluttered, yet strangely harmonious.

Since this was Denise’s first time paying wages as an employer, she still seemed somewhat restrained.

“Besides the five soles already paid as an advance, here are another five. Three soles are the agreed commission, and the other two are a reward for discovering the inner court.”

“Thank you, generous Miss Denise!” Leo accepted the five gold coins joyfully, but before he could even inspect their quality, Ulyan had already taken them away.

Leo cried out in despair, “My money!”

Ulyan clenched the coins in his hand and, after a painful moment of resolve, returned one coin to Leo, glaring at him. “I’m the lord, and you’re my subject. If you take work from me, you have to pay taxes. Understand?”

“Taxed at nine-tenths? You’re ruthless!” Leo, the first victim of exploitation in Riverbend, took the single remaining coin only to have Olivia snatch it away a moment later.

Not just his—the ones belonging to Ulyan too. Olivia held all the gold coins in her hands, her face bright with smiles. “I’ll keep them safe for you!”

The two grown men, furious but powerless, could only blame each other and fall into mutual recrimination.

Denise sat before the warm hearth, basking in the firelight as she smiled at the family before her.

They did not seem in the least like a lordly household. They cared nothing for formal etiquette; rather, they were even warmer and more intimate than an ordinary peasant family.

Compared with them, she, though the daughter of a viscount from the imperial capital, lived in a household that was cold and merciless. Only in her studies and her adventures could she find true companionship.

After taking the money away, Olivia fetched a plate of dried fruits and brought them over, inviting Leo and Denise to snack as they talked.

As expected of a scholar from the Imperial Capital Academy, Denise’s knowledge was far more extensive than anyone else present. No matter the topic, she could smoothly join in.

After chatting for a while, Leo suddenly asked, “I heard that people from the imperial capital all have black hair and black eyes. Why is your hair brown?”