The next couple of days passed with me spending most of the time in Hugo’s office looking over copies of laws and the ledger. Like I had suspected the High Lord had forbidden anyone from selling apples, pears and peaches within the High Hold’s domain. I searched high and low for other laws regarding this subject but found none.

Which meant it was okay for me to use the apples and pears. It did not preclude me from processing them into something else and selling those products. I just couldn’t sell normal apples, pears, and peaches.

Another law or edict I looked up was with regards to the forest that took up much of my hold. It turned out that anyone was forbidden from hunting or cutting lumber from the forest. However, the edict also included a very clear boundary for what the forest was. It seemed that over the last hundred years, the forest had been allowed to grow much larger because they thought the entire forest was off-limit.

It gave me possibilities for expansion which was good, but instead of expanding how much land was farmed, I wanted to see if we could make the land that was farmed more profitable. From what I could gather from the ledger the hold farmed more than seven hundred and fifty acres with assorted grains, mostly wheat. However, before the mercenary camp had gone up, the hold had farmed more than eight hundred. Unfortunately, it seemed that the productivity of the land was not that good, only around eight bushels of grain per acre.

With the Church taking a tithe of almost eight percent, or one in thirteen, the same to the High Lord and fifteen to the King, the hold needed to grow a lot more than was needed. Looking over the ledger I also saw that in the past two cycles the Church had not received its tithe. On anything, but it had still received donations equal to the tithe. Large sums of money had also been loaned from the Church to procure honey, beeswax and other luxuries.

Over the past two cycles, a lot of serfs had been sold, over one hundred of them. Including a dozen with powers. The sales receipt seemed awfully low for what was taken in, and when compared to the amount paid in taxes to the King and High Lord, it seemed to me that they had gotten almost triple the amount of what they should have. The same with the Church, but they just got coin as a donation, and the debt owed kept growing.

It was clear that there was a concerted effort to make the hold unattractive to suitors. When I asked Hugo about the discrepancies, his answer left me cold and ready to kill someone. He had said, “I care not what goes into the ledger for the Hold or what happens between the Hold and the Church. I’m only here to make sure that all taxes are paid correctly to the High Lord and the King. And I can assure you that everything in the ledger with regards to that is nothing but the truth.”

Those fuckers had been deliberately stealing. When I told Lily what I had found she had a resigned look on her face. All she had to add was, “The Steward was given free rein since there were no male heirs.”

Linus did not help matters either when he told me, “The Church cannot be held accountable for the action of the Steward.”

“But he’s the Cardinals fucking son!” I growled.

“Not officially. The clergy has no legitimate offspring, even if everyone knows that it’s the Cardinal’s son, you cannot prove they had something to do with it,” he explained cautiously.

“What about Hugo reading the truth, or I’ve one of my truth mancers rip the truth from their head?”

“Fideomancers can only read if someone is telling falsehood if the subject is willing. They will know whether their magic is working or not.”

“What about the priests?”

“Clerics. There are no priests of Ghidana. She only has clerics, but they’re just male fideomancers who have taken up her cause,” Ethan said calmly while looking ready to bolt if I exploded.

“Fuck!” I screamed, scaring one of the assistant cooks, who dropped the ingredients she was carrying.

I was sitting sullenly in the throne slash chair, thinking about what I could do to try and recover some of the coins when the doors opened and Kiril hastily entered. He was only a few steps inside when he called out, “Wagons approaching, Milord.”

“Is it Hrothgar?” I asked as I quickly stood up and started moving in the direction.

“The uniform looks correct, but not confirmed,” my senior squad leader replied.

“Let’s grab who’s not out with the fruit pickers.”

“Already saddling up, Milord,” was his reply.

“Good man,” I said.

After having saddled and mounted my horse, I rode out to see who was approaching with Kiril and three other soldiers. When we came within sight of the approaching wagons I could not help but frown. There were only eight wagons, escorted by fourteen riders. Unless they were magic wagons that could hold more on the inside than the outside, there was no way those wagons had what I had ordered. We approached the wagons cautiously, at least until we confirmed it was Hrothgar and the rest of my soldiers.

“Greetings, Milord,” Hrothgar called out when we got closer.

“Commander, are these wagons magical?” I asked in a cold tone.

“Ehm, I don’t understand, Milord?” he replied with confusion clear in his voice and face.

“These wagons must be enchanted somehow, there’s no way that you can ferry five hundred serfs and all the arms I ordered in just eight wagons. So I assume they’re magical,” I said with a frown.

“Ehm, you see, Milord. There was a—ehm—slight problem. We procured all the weapons you needed, but someone had bought all the male serfs. Well most of them, I managed to get almost thirty,” Hrothgar explained nervously.

“Did someone buy all the female serfs as well?” I asked

“No Milord, plenty of them for sale.”

“Why didn’t you buy the required number of those then?”

“Milord, women can’t be soldiers, it would be a waste of coin,” Hrothgar complained.

“There’s no law against it, I’ve just spent two days checking,” I countered.

“But tradition!” he exclaimed.

Ethan cautiously agreed, “Milord, just using serfs as troops is bad enough, if you use female serfs as troops it’s even worse. You’re breaking many traditions.”

“Well, they’ve painted me into a corner. I bet that it’s the Cardinal or High Lord that bought all those serfs to teach me a lesson,” I growled. “Just because I rejected the Cardinal’s offer of aid. So fuck all of you and your traditions. It’s not against the law, so I’m going to use women as troopers. There’s no way they’re making me a serf.”

“Milord, I’ll not be the commander of a bunch of serfs, much less a bunch of harlots,” Hrothgar hissed.

“Fine, you’re dismissed from service then. You failed your holy mission. Hand over my coin, the horse and uniform. You can find your way to Minnecroft from here. It’s just across the river,” I said and held out my hand.

“But I’d be nearly naked then,” he protested.

“I don’t give a fuck Hrothgar. You betray me, sign a fucking bad deal on my behalf without even apologizing for it. I don’t need someone to stab me in the back, I got enough enemies,” I said and drew my sabre. “Either comply or die. I don’t need you.”

“Milord, you can’t just dismiss him like that,” Ethan tried to intervene.

“Why not?”

Ethan looked helpless for a moment, before saying, “Because he was appointed by the Church.”

“Your Church that kidnapped and nearly killed me. Which tried to use some kind of mind magic on me, and whose servants are now trying to fuck me over, just because I don’t conform to tradition,” I growled. “Your Gods asked you to summon us to fight your war. Maybe you need to consider that there’s a reason why you need warriors from another world, and that’s because your way and your traditions are the reason why you lost the last war.”

Ethan gaped at that, and Hrothgar squirmed uncomfortably. The drivers of the wagons just stared at us with huge eyes. The wagons were covered by linen, almost like the old west wagons used in the immigration westward. However, I could hear some soft mumbling from in there.

“I’m giving you one last chance Hrothgar, walk away now or serve me. If you fail me again, I won’t make the offer again, I’ll just kill you. You’re too stubborn to adapt, and soldiers who don’t adapt die,” I said. Still holding the sabre in one hand, and the other stretched out for the pouch.

He handed me the pouch and looked to be thinking deeply. Finally, he sighed. “I’ll serve you, Milord. You’re right that the serfs were bought by the Cardinal and High Lord. They bought them after I informed them of your plans.”

“Why did you tell them?” I asked with a frown while considering running him through with the sabre.

“Because they summoned me the moment you left and asked what your plans were. The Cardinal was most displeased that you rejected his offer. He let it slip that it was the easiest way to control you,” Hrothgar informed.

“Fine, I said I’d forgive you this one last time, so I guess I have to. What about you Ethan, do you have anything to confess?” I enquired.

“Nothing, Milord. I’m your servant in all things,” he said quickly.

“Would you be willing to let a truth mage verify that?” I asked.

“Of course, Milord,” he said with a bow in the saddle. I narrowed my eyes. He agreed to that a little too easily.

“Well, let’s get to the hall, and tomorrow we’re heading back to the High Hold to get more serfs. The wagons ours?” I asked.

“No, they’re hired, Milord,” Hrothgar said.

I turned to the lead driver. “Do you speak for all of them?”

“Yes Milord, they’re my wagons,” he said with a little tremble in his voice. He was an older man, with balding black-grey hair and a large gut. A small figure sat next to him. I thought it was female, but I could not really say because the figure was swallowed completely by a very large hooded cloak.

“I’ll feed you tonight and give you lodgings, but won’t pay for your time. Tomorrow we’re heading back to the capital and I got some luxuries that need to be brought to market, I’ll pay half the usual fee. It’s better than going back empty,” I offered.

He mulled it over for a moment. “How many wagons do you need for that Milord?”

“Maybe one or two, I think.”

“Milord, if you permit a short side trip, an extra day travel, I’ll haul it for free. If you got some extra coin, you might even earn a little extra,” the driver said with a large smile.

“Oh, I’m interested in hearing more. But let’s discuss this tonight at dinner. What’s your name?” I asked.

He rose from his seat and gave a short bow. “Allister, Milord.”

“Well met Allister, I’m Karth. Sorry for the display you’d to overhear and see,” I said with a wry smile.

“It happens, good help is hard to find, Milord,” he said with a friendly smile. Hrothgar growled at that. I could not help but laugh, his words rang too true.

The rest of the day flew by, I was a busy little bee. First I talked with my elves and the human herbomancer and asked if they could do anything to repair the acreages used by the mercenaries’ camp. They could, but it would be better with the help of some lutumancers. They apparently had command of the soil, loose earth and so on. They could improve the nutrition in the soil with their magic.

I had to consult the notes I had made when I interviewed all the serfs I had bought. It turned out that I had two of them, one with a rating of one and one with three. After setting them to work and getting some serfs to help the elves prepare an area for all their herbs as well.

The elves were getting a lot of frowns, something I would need to deal with eventually.

After the herbs and fields were dealt with, I had to deal with the soldiers and new conscripts. The new conscripts were not happy to learn they were going to be soldiers. However, not a lot I could do about it. I ordered Ethan to make more control bracers. At first, he resisted, saying I would need to pay for such a thing. I countered with the argument that either he made them, or I would be the only one with control over armed serfs. I also pointed out he was not working for the Church, but for me. A situation that could be remedied quickly and permanently.

Together with Kiril, I went over the exercises I want them to undergo while I was gone. When Hrothgar interjected that he could do what was required, I told him I did not trust him, and he would have to earn my trust back. I also promoted Caspar to senior squad leader and made him take charge of the five men I was taking with me to the High Hold.

Finally, I gathered some of the serfs with tailoring experience and brought them together with my lint mages, so they could start making new clothes for the serfs on the Hold. Something that had been neglected for some time. The weather was starting to warm, so the sheep could be shorn by now. It would not be enough to clothe everyone after forty percent of the wool was taken by taxes. However, it was a start.

I also ordered the serfs to stop sleeping in the shabby huts, and move into the hall. If there were any couples that wanted a hut for themselves, they could get that. That was when I learned that serfs were not allowed to form permanent couples or marry. They would breed with whomever the owner of the household wanted. Unfortunately, it was an actual law.

I was tired by the time dinner arrived, not physically tired, but mentally tired. I wished for nothing but to lie down and sleep, but my mind was also spinning with so much information, plans and musings I knew sleep would be hard to find. I was glad I was drinking water and not the ale the others were drinking.

Dinner was a stew, again. Tilly had first asked if I wanted a pig or sheep slaughtered for dinner, but when asked what the others would eat she informed me that it would be a meatless stew. So instead we slaughtered one of the goats, and she prepared enough stew for everyone. Not a lot of meat in the bowls, though I suspected there were more meat in the stew served at the high table than in the others’ stew. The freemen who were eating in the hall were grumbling about eating the same as the serfs, but they could not complain too loudly, seeing I was eating the same.

After everyone had a chance to eat a bit, I turned to Allister. “So, what was the opportunity to make some coin that you wanted to suggest?”

“I had planned on taking a circuitous route back to the hold. Pick up a wagonload of charcoal from Linnwood. Finest charcoal in the kingdom. It’s pricey, but the amount I would earn would cover the expenses of the return trip, plus a little extra.”

“How much for a wagonload?” I asked after a sip of cold water. The water was refreshing and helped me wake up a bit.

“A hundred marks last time I was out that way,” he said. “Normally I don’t do a lot of trading myself. Only safe bets. Linnwood charcoal is a safe bet.”

“Is it in Lord Erthal’s hold?”

“Ah, my apologies, Milord. I heard the rumour that you were not from here,” he said. “Well, it’s not. Instead of running the road back the way we came, we would ride west out of your hold. The Linn family has the Hold west of yours. The trip is but an extra day, but it will be worth it.”

“So a hundred marks for a wagonload of charcoal, which will sell for how much?” I enquired.

“A hundred and twenty, Milord, we would only charge three marks per wagonload, and the luxury items from here would be transported for free, as long as it’s two wagons or less,” Allister said with a smile.

“I saw the bill for the transport out here, it was only one mark per wagon,” I said with a frown.

He shot a look at one of the nearby tables, where the woman who had driven the wagon with him sat. He then said, “Yes, Milord, but charcoal is very dirty. It requires a lot of extra work to unload and maintain, and there’s the matter of a finder’s fee.”

“How about I pay one mark for each wagonload, including the ones carrying the luxury items?” I countered and surreptitiously looked at the woman. She was a thin frail woman in her late forties, just like Allister. Her hands flashed quickly in a series of motions, something she tried to hide from others. However, it seemed to be some kind of sign language, meant for Allister.

“How about two for each wagonload, including the two with luxuries?”

“You already agreed to half the fee for taking the luxuries if we took your detour, which makes it one mark for the two wagons,” I said. “So how about this. I pay one mark for each wagon, including the two for the items I want to sell, but we set a minimum payment of five marks? That way, no matter how many wagonloads I buy, you get something.”

He looked at the woman again, who signed something to him quickly. He said with a hearty laugh, “You drive a hard bargain, Milord. We have got an accord.”

“Splendid,” I said with a smile. I knew I could not afford more than two wagonloads. The pouch Hrothgar had handed me contained less than 200 marks. Coupled with the marks I found on the bandits I did not have a lot of coins left. Buying the rest of the serfs would cost me another thirty to fifty marks, depending on the price, so the chance of earning a little extra was something I had to take, even if it would only net me fifteen marks.

“Now, why is the charcoal so damn expensive?” I asked.

“Because the charcoal produced by the Linn family is the only one that can be used for making musket, Milord. They have a special process, they’re not sharing with anyone. The steel made with that charcoal is stronger than normal steel. Muskets made with other kinds of steel have a higher failure rate,” Allister explained. I wondered what that something was, as I concentrated on eating.

The ostentatious luxury of the main chamber had been cleaned out by the servants and packed into a single wagon, while the other was filled with some of the more expensive caskets of wine and ale. The room was a large one. Twenty-five metres wide and five deep, making it larger than most apartments. There was a large metal dish in the middle of the room, which was used instead of a fireplace. When it got hot, you could even use it as a grill.

The bed and wardrobes were gone, leaving only the built-in closets. The closets were just doors into small slanted rooms between the room’s walls and the roof. Where the bed had stood, there was a pile of furs. The bed-frame had gold-engravings and other ostentatious shit. I would find a new bed soon enough until then a pile of furs in front of the fire was not too bad.

The only piece of furniture I had saved was the bathtub, which was big enough for three people and made of marble or something like that. I would probably have another tub made, but for now, it would do. I was thinking maybe a jacuzzi out on the balcony or something like that. The balcony was another marvel. It ran the entire thirty-five metres width of the hall and was almost ten metres deep. However, it was empty. Empty, but full of promise.

There was a knock on the door, which opened after I bid whoever it was to enter. I was standing on the balcony looking down on the hall beneath me. Since I had no light lit, I was totally in shadow, as I watched the serfs quietly, almost reverently prepared their sleeping spot in the alcoves. The long firepit had been lit the entire way, though not going at full blaze, as so many people would make it hot enough.

Turning around, I saw Lily standing just inside the door, looking very uncomfortable. I moved into the room and closed the door to the balcony, ensuring our privacy. “Good evening Lily.”

“Good evening husband—I mean Karth,” she said a bit timid. Which was weird, because she had been opening up a little over the last couple of days.

“What brings you here?” I asked softly.

“Allister and his wife are sleeping in one of the guestrooms. It would be unseemly if a lord’s wife did not sleep in the same room as him,” she said and progressed into a mumble.

“I don’t care what people think about me, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“But I do care, you’re flaunting tradition and it’ll come back to bite you, and when it bites you it bites me. I might end up married to that toad Vernon,” she said with heat in her voice. “He ruined the hold in just two cycles. Sure it was not running as well as the other holds, but we managed, people were happy here.”

“I’ll find a way to make him pay,” I said confidently.

“You say that, but you don’t know our ways. The High Lord will never side with you on this issue. With you so far in debt, you can’t afford to make any mistakes,” she countered with a pout. “And if you make a mistake, you might end up in a bad situation, but it’ll be even worse for the people in the Hold. The last few days have been the best days in cycles. They’re beginning to hope, they’re even smiling despite you’re working them harder than Vernon. However, that’ll go away if you end up dead or as a serf.”

That was a literal punch to the gut. I had been aware that I was responsible for these people, but having it stated that clearly, made it seem more real. However, there was just one problem. “I understand what you’re saying, and I’ll try. But they give me little choice. Unless I want to owe them favours, which will probably be even worse.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment. “It might be the only way.”

“I refuse to believe that,” I said vehemently. “I’ll find a way. Women as soldiers are not illegal.”

“But it’s frowned upon. Do you think the other Lords’ soldiers will be happy about fighting side by side with serfs? You’re also setting a dangerous precedent, these people can’t say no if you tell them to fight. You treat them like the elves treat their slaves.”

“Slaves? Me? Get real, serfs are but another word for slaves,” I said heatedly, my voice rising.

“Lower your voice,” she hissed.

“Fine,” I said in a low voice. “You’re delusional if you think that serfs are not slaves. Yes, I’m giving them the exact same choice that has been afforded me. None. but tell me, how else does the Lord raise their levies? Do they have standing armies of volunteers or do they conscript?”

“Conscript,” she said with a frown.

“Which is a fancy word for forcing people to do it.”

She shook her head. “No people can pay to avoid conscription.”

“Oh, and how many people can afford that? Let me guess, only the richest of merchants.”

“Well, if it’s too cheap, there would be no one to fight,” she said slowly, uncertainly.

“Which is just giving the people the illusion of choice, where there is none,” I said. She stared at me for a long moment, before sighing.

“You see the world so different from how it really is,” she whispered.

“I’m a realist, I’m not trying to delude anyone. I’m a bastard in every sense of the word, but I don’t pretend that I’m not,” I said with a shrug. We lapsed into silence as we stared at each other.

After a minute of silence, there was another knock on the door. I looked at Lily and asked, “So you’re sleeping in here tonight?”

“Yes,” she stated with a quiver in her voice.

“Don’t worry, I won’t touch you unless you ask me too. We’ll divide the fur in two, but first, we could both use a bath,” I said. “Why don’t you let the girl inside and draw you a bath? I’ll go out on the balcony and exercise until you’re done.”

“What’s your obsession with bathing? You do it at least twice a day,” she asked and opened the door. Saori, Alianna and Mary all looked a little taken aback by the fact that Lily was in my room.

“Go ahead, Lily will enjoy a bath first,” I said to them. They gave a small curtsey and set about preparing the bath. I turned to Lily to answer her question. “Where I was before I got here, we only had a short time each day to get clean. I missed the relaxation of a long hot bath. The two more important reasons are health and I don’t like to stink.”

“But we got healers that can take care of it, and many people associate bathing often with the elves,” she said.

“Why waste magic on healing, when you can prevent illness by bathing?” I asked with a smile.

“Why waste magic on a bath, when you can heat the water with a fire?” she countered.

“Touché,” I said with a hearty laugh. “I guess because I want a little luxury in my life.”

“Why take away all the fineries that Vernon has bought?”

“Because it was ugly, and can hopefully earn us some coin that can be put to better use,” I said. Seeing that she had nothing else to say, I went out onto the balcony and started practising tai chi.