The entire ride back to Marcus's estate was filled with anxiety and unspoken questions.

  Lamile was sweating bullets and shaking by the side. Occasionally he entertained thoughts of escaping,; however, the silhouette of the guards riding outside discouraged him.

  While Bradley was worried and trying to figure out why Marcus did what he did.

  Surely there were other ways he could have dealt with this legally.

  Saving the commoner was all he needed to do.

  Arresting Deril and seizing Savani's cargo was something entirely different.

  In any other territory, a Viscount wouldn’t fear a Baron. But Agard was no ordinary state—its authority had rotted for years, until even minor nobles could challenge its ruler.

  To the point where the State had been exempted from paying the Imperial Tax for the past 8 years.

  Moreover, the Imperial Capital has consistently refused to send aid or attempt to maintain civilization in Agard.

  It was already considered a backward part of Ulha that only remains as a vessel to show how much territory the Kingdom possesses.

  Most importantly, the Savani Manor has a bit of power in Agard, though illegitimate power, it was still enough to harm Marcus.

  Or even rile the other nobles to go against Marcus.

  Knowing all of this, Bradley couldn't wrap his head around Marcus's actions.

  He hesitated to speak as he didn't want it to seem as though he was belittling his Lord.

  But he was almost convinced that Marcus was doing all of this from an emotional state.

  ‘The Lord is still. And he hasn't been embroiled in politics for too long. I should try and find a way to mitigate this before it escalates too much.’ With that thought in mind, Bradley finally spoke up.

  “My Lord, I have failed to understand the meaning behind your actions. Why confiscate and arrest the young master?”

  Upon hearing this, Marcus smiled.

  He wondered how long Bradley would remain silent. Perhaps because he had grown a bit more, the familiar steward didn't want to openly scold him.

  “Two reasons, really.” Marcus shrugged his shoulders and thought; ‘actually three, but I can't possibly tell you that I can see words in the air. You'd think I'm crazy.’

  “The first reason… is for money. Well, both reasons are money, however, the second has more to do with leverage over Baron Savani.”

  Bradley frowned.

  Money?

  How would arresting Deril bring about…

  As though realization hit him, Bradley's eyes shot wide open.

  “You can't possibly be thinking of taking a bribe from the Baron!”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Marcus frowned. “Not a bribe, rather, bail money… ransom, if you will.”

  “My Lord! That's wrong and illegal! You can't possibly bring yourself to stoop as low as the nobles of Agard, you're more than that!” Bradley started wanting to say more, but was stopped by a raise of Marcus's hand.

  “At this point where the common people need help, I should do what I can to help. After all, I am responsible for them. Tell me, Bradley, do you have a genius way of coming up with a bit of capital to support the State without selling our valuables?”

  Marcus spoke seriously, the reality of his words made Bradley hesitate, even choke on his words.

  But the matter still stood as it was. It was illegal.

  “Bradley, I know that Agard is suffering more than you have shown me today. We only toured the South for a little while and then you suggested that we head towards the Eastern district. What about the West and North?”

  Bradley had no words as he wore a look of guilt. With a clenched fist, he said; “I didn't want to break your spirits, my lord. I… am ashamed of what your territory has become under my administration.”

  His gaze dropped to the floor of the carriage.

  “I didn't fault you Bradley, in fact, I'm thankful to you. For remaining with me even though I have nothing to offer.”

  “My Lord you are a talent that–”

  Marcus raised a hand once again, silencing the man, before folding his arms over his chest.

  “There's no need to console me. I need this uncomfortable feeling to persist so that it can push me to do the things I was never confident of doing as a young teenager. Those nobles… I did fear them in the past, but now.”

  He paused for a few seconds before shaking his head softly.

  “Anyways, because you are a trusted vassal of mine, I will let you know why I did what I did. I didn't make impulsive decisions, Bradley, I took my first step.”

  “How, my lord?”

  Marcus turned his gaze to the third person in the carriage, Lamile.

  “Sir, what is it you do for a living?”

  “M-me?” Lamile stuttered, not expecting to be spoken to after being ignored for so long.

  “Go ahead,” Marcus nodded.

  “I-I do a lot of o-odd jobs around the city.”

  “What are you most skilled in?”

  “Animal-”

  “Don't lie to me., Marcus said sternly, scaring Lamile and causing him to shake in his corner.

  “I… am a miner.”

  “Good. And for the past… let's say four months, have you been acting upon this profession of yours? If yes, for wwhom And also, what minerals or resources have you mined?”

  With each word Marcus uttered, Lamile was certain that the young Viscount was privy to some secret information.

  This only deepened his dread.

  “For Baron Savani… for the past four months, we’ve… mined iron.”

  “What!?” Bradley felt like he been struck for the second time today. “Surely it couldn't have been in Agard?”

  Lamile gulped and shook his head. “Southwest of Daze mountain range.”

  Marcus smiled.

  ‘This man is simpler than I thought.’

  This was the information he also wanted to know. The location of the mine.

  He thought he would have to work harder to get it out of Lamile’s mouth, but it seems like that would be unnecessary.

  Bradley's mind began to piece the puzzles together.

  The how and the why, and then the consequences.

  Tax evasion and illegal mining!

  If all of this were true, if those carts carried what he thought they did, then the young lord did have great leverage over Baron Seveni.

  ‘But how did my Lord find out?’

  With a curious gaze, he looked at the smiling Marcus.

  Lamile seemed to have settled into gloominess. Now that he had confessed, he was sure to receive a death sentence from the Royal Council.

  He was aware that the job he was doing was illegal, but he had no other choice.

  His family was starving and the job paid well enough to keep them alive.

  Despite knowing the dangers that came with the offer, Lamile felt that the repercussions were enough to keep his employers in check.

  However, he was wrong.

  Marcus noticed the man's expression. “What did you do that infuriated that boy to order your head to be chopped?”

  Lamile looked up, “I threatened to report the Savani's to the authorities if they didn't keep their promises.”

  “What promises?”

  Lamile closed his eyes and fell to his knees in the carriage. “We were promised a silver coin each day we worked in the mine for them. Even though we all knew that it was illegal, we have been starving–our families have been starving. What worth is a law if it fails to keep us alive?”

  Lamile began sobbing.

  "My youngest, she's four. She asked me last week why her stomach hurts all the time. I told her it was because she was growing. She believed me." He laughed—a broken, wet sound. "She trusts me. And I'm about to die and leave her with nothing but that pain.”

  “Please, I beg you, Lord Governor. Spare my life. I only did what I had to do to feed my family. I don't want to die. If I die, who will take care of them? I beg you, Lord Governor!”

  “My lord?” Bradley uttered softly.

  Marcus's face did nothing to portray his emotions at the moment, but it was nothing more than guilt.

  His crossed arms tightened over his chest.

  “Lamile, if Agard's system was working properly and there was sufficient food for everyone, would you have taken the mining job even if the offer was more attractive?”

  “No, Lord Governor. I won't claim to be a good man, but I have my pride. If my family is fed, then I'm fed.”

  “In other words, I was the one who put you in this situation.”

  “No, no, I wasn't –”

  “There's no reason to take your life. In fact, I have a job for you, Lamile.” Marcus smiled.

  “Huh? L-lord Governor?”

  “Though I can't tell you what the pay will be for now, I can assure you that your family will fill their bellies. Not just them, but every commoner in Agard wouldn't have to worry about food anymore.”

  This time, Bradley was about to stop Marcus from making a promise he couldn't fulfill, but he couldn't bring himself to.

  Lamile took a few seconds before answering. “I'll do it. I’ll take the job.”

  Even without knowing what it was.

  [+5 Achievement Points]

  [+1 Redo]

  Marcus almost jumped up when he saw these notifications. Mainly because of the latter.

  He had been secretly worried about a future where he would encounter a similar uncanny situation.

  An extra life would make a difference.

  “I will make Agard great. Greater than anyone would have imagined. Though the road will be filled with obstacles, I swear on my life.” In the heat of the moment, he uttered these words.

  [+7 days]

  [Days Left: 187.]

  Another surprise!

  Is this the way?

  “My lord, now that we have confiscated Baron Savani's contrabands, we’ll have to move fast and cut his source. This way, he’ll have less flexibility in maneuvering his way out of this.”

  Bradley interrupted Marcus's excitement.

  “Of course, where did you think we were going to in the first place?” He chuckled.