NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3 - Episode 3: The Reaction of the Goblins
Episode 3: The Reaction of the Goblins
In the Demon Duke’s castle, the goblins were gossiping.
“Isn’t Lord Zaus unusually kind lately, gob?”
“I know, right?! He calls us valuable assets! That’s unheard of with the former Demon Duke, Gozack, gob!”
“And he even gives us breaks and days off, gob.”
“We get three meals a day and, though small, we also get paid, gob.”
“I really like Lord Zaus, gob.”
“Me too, gob.”
“Me too, gob.”
Even the pig-faced orcs were discussing.
“Lord Zaus has started providing three meals a day, buu.”
“It’s unbelievable, buu. Being able to eat until full feels like a dream, buu.”
“He said we can take a 10-minute nap during the day, buu.”
“Eating to our fill and having a leisurely rest… The Demon Duke’s castle has become like heaven, buu.”
“Lord Zaus seems incredibly kind, buu.”
“Yeah, Lord Zaus is kind, buu.”
“I like the current Demon Duke the best, buu.”
“I’m willing to fight to the death for Lord Zaus, buu.”
The lizard-faced lizardmen echoed similar sentiments.
“It seems Lord Zaus has established a medical unit, liza.”
“I heard they’re supposed to treat the injured… It’s unthinkable compared to the former Demon Duke, liza.”
“Injuries were usually fatal. Lord Gozack killed his subordinates every day, liza.”
“He allows breaks when the body feels feverish, liza.”
“And, moreover, Sundays are designated as vacation days, liza.”
“There were no breaks under the former Demon Duke, liza.”
“Lord Zaus is the opposite, liza. And what’s even more amazing is that he’s established a system for paid leave, liza.”
“What’s that, liza?”
“A system for paid leave. Apparently, we can take up to three days off per year voluntarily, liza.”
“T-Three days!? Just having Sundays off is amazing, but to add three more days off!? I-It’s unbelievable, liza!”
“Lord Zaus is too amazing, problem detected, liza!”
“I’ll risk my life for Lord Zaus!”
“I want him to praise me, liza!”
“I want Lord Zaus to acknowledge me, liza!!”
And so, Zaus’s reputation was skyrocketing.
But the man himself had no interest in such matters.
“Avoiding a bad ending… Increasing military strength to defeat the hero…”
And he continued to think only of himself.
☆
Zaus’s Perspective
“Inspection of the farmland?”
I couldn’t believe my ears at the words of my caretaker, Meel.
“Yes. Recently, the castle’s food expenses have been pressing. If this continues, the food stored in the granary will run out.”
Come to think of it, I’ve been providing three meals a day to my subordinates.
It’s only natural that the Engel coefficient would skyrocket.
(Note :The Engel coefficient, also known as the Engel curve, is a measure used in economics to analyze the relationship between household income and spending on food. It expresses the proportion of total household expenditure that is spent on food. The coefficient is calculated by dividing the expenditure on food by the total expenditure of the household. The Engel coefficient is often used to assess the level of a household’s welfare or standard of living, as higher-income households typically spend a smaller proportion of their income on food compared to lower-income households.)
Meel and I were on our way to inspect the farmland, shaken by the carriage.
“Sixty percent of the Demon Duke’s territory is designated as a slave area inhabited by humans.”
Those are the humans my father, Gozack, brought in to work.
The townscape of the slave area is dismal.
The houses are shacks, dark and damp, with a foul stench.
Living in such a place is the worst.
The one who greeted us was the head of the district.
He’s around eighty years old.
The district head sensed something and prostrated himself.
“The tax burden is severe. Please, could you reduce the amount of taxes? Please, I beg you!!”
Oh dear.
This is troubling.
This inspection was supposed to increase the tax amount.
But to decrease it…
“If it’s my life you want, I’ll give it to you. However, there are many young people in the slave area. There’s also a spreading epidemic, so collecting ninety percent of the harvest is an extremely difficult situation.”
“N-Ninety percent!?”
“H-Hiiiiii!”
“So, have you been surviving on only ten percent of the harvest?”
“Y-Yes… That’s normal for us.”
The district head scattered sweat, thinking he was about to be killed.
Gozack ruled through fear.
Perhaps that’s still lingering.
However, demanding ninety percent of the annual harvest is unreasonable.
If the slaves run out of food, won’t the slave area be wiped out?
Meel said as if it were obvious.
“Lord Gozack used to gather new slaves and expand the slave area. Perhaps it’s time to replenish the slaves.”
I see.
He kidnapped people to increase the tax amount.
And he was defeated by the hero while attempting that abduction.
“I-I-I-If you could, maybe reduce it to 70 percent… No, 80 percent is fine too!! Please, please reduce the tax amount!! Please, I beg of youuu!!”
“Can people live on 20 percent of the harvest?”
“W-Well, it would be better than now. Right now, there’s hardly anything to eat, so the slaves boil weeds to eat. Because of that, they lack nutrients, and many slaves are losing their lives due to illness. I-I can’t bear to see it anymore.”
Hmmm…
When I looked at Meel, she had a sad expression and shook her head.
That’s right, even in our castle, we’re struggling with food expenses. We can’t afford to reduce the tax amount.
Alright,
“Understood. Let’s make it 60 percent.”
“W-What!?”
“We’ll present 60 percent of the harvest. That should help alleviate the food shortage, right?”
Meel and the district head stared at me.
“Don’t be so surprised. I’m just proposing a solution.”
She blinked her eyes.
“A s-s-solution?”
“Improvement of the slave area. First, we’ll reduce the tax burden. The castle will only collect 60 percent. If 40 percent of the harvest becomes their own meals, their lives might improve a bit.”
“B-But! Our castle’s reserves…”
“I know. I’m considering various other options.”
“I-I see…”
And I can only sigh in disbelief.
The district head kneeled down, tears streaming down his face.
“Ohhhh!! Lord Zaussss!! How incredibly kind you are!!”
“No. Don’t misunderstand. The tax will still be 60 percent, and I won’t compromise on that.”
If we enforce tax collection too strictly, the quality will deteriorate. Better to have a high-quality 60 percent than a poor-quality 90 percent. Plus, if the number of slaves decreases, the total amount of tax will also decrease. Therefore, coming up with ways to prevent a decrease in the number of slaves is essential. It’s all about efficiency. It’s to ensure I don’t die in five years.
“Ninety percent has been reduced to 60 percent! If the food increases by 30 percent, the slaves will be overjoyed!! We will faithfully pay the 60 percent without fail!!”
Oh dear.
Meel blinked her eyes several times and wiped her cold sweat.
I have to reassure her.
On the way back in the carriage, I explained the situation to her.
“Sixty percent of the Demon Duke’s territory is the human slave area, right? That means 40 percent of the land is the monster’s territory.”
“Yes. It’s where goblins and orcs live.”
“What are they doing?”
“Mainly combat training. To defeat the hero.”
“Use that effort for something else.”
“Huh?”
“Make the goblins do agriculture.”
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?”
It’s inefficient to have only humans do agriculture. It’s much more productive to have strong monsters do it. Everything needs to be done efficiently.