The Count’s Youngest Son Is A Player - Chapter 204

Episode 204:

The first outer castle of Calypse Castle.

Since the maintenance of the second outer castle had not yet been completed, it could be said that this was the base of life for players and citizens.

There is a large square and a central shopping center near the gates built in accordance with the four directions.

And there were inns and lodging villages where visitors from outside as well as long-term residents stayed.

“Ugh, why do I have to go through all this trouble?”

“You just have to think of it as fate and accept it. Still, isn’t this more than the luxury lodgings of other fiefdoms?”

Early moning.

Regan, a 5th circle wizard who was part of the temple’s special investigation team, and Simar, a pathfinder, were having a light meal in the restaurant on the first floor.

Regan, the wizard, didn’t seem to know what was so dissatisfied, and Simar wasn’t any different, but he was comforting him.

“sorry. “I left my comfortable and good accommodation to come to a place like this…”

St. Kiera, who just happened to come down to the restaurant, looked apologetic and her two colleagues waved their hands.

“no. “It’s not Kiera’s fault.”

“This is enough. “It’s just an inn, but it’s almost like a hotel.”

As Simar said, the restaurant they were eating at was on a different level from the cheap inn restaurants you usually find.

First of all, the number of tables alone is about 30.

There were more than 10 servers and the tables were spaced sufficiently apart, so we were able to enjoy a quiet and leisurely meal.

In addition, a large garden spreads out beyond the front glass door, adding to the sense of luxury.

If this place wasn’t the First Viscounty, it wouldn’t have been a problem to call it a ‘hotel’.

‘There won’t be many high-end restaurants like this even in the kingdom’s capital.’

Moreover, this is not a street where nobles stay, but a shopping street where strangers and ordinary residents come and go.

Nevertheless, before we knew it, the 30 tables in the restaurant were almost full.

The price is not cheap, but the fact that it is full of customers means that the residents here have a lot of money.

Grumble.

Simar put a juicy piece of steak into his mouth with his fork.

Anyway, I was distracted for a moment, but I wasn’t dissatisfied with the service here. but.

‘Because I stayed in a great place that couldn’t be compared to this place, but I almost got kicked out.’

Three days from first arriving at the First Viscounty to meeting Viscount Raoul.

They stayed in a guesthouse provided by the owner.

It is.

‘…Even if I go to the royal palace, I won’t be treated like that.’

A large, luxurious private room that is almost like a private house.

Private bathroom with hot water and scented candles.

A bar with dozens of types of wine and beer available free of charge.

High-end dinner course meals that only nobles can enjoy, etc.

I was treated with the highest level of hospitality for the first time in my life, and I felt like I had made a good decision to attend the ‘Hero Party’ for the first time.

Of course, it was about the material aspect, not the mental aspect.

However, someone ended up getting kicked out of there for making fun of the snout.

They didn’t tell me to leave outright, but everyone who passed by glared and talked behind my back, so no matter how good the accommodation was, I couldn’t stay because I felt uncomfortable.

Drurr.

“damn. “This place is truly the devil’s den.”

“What do you mean by that out of the blue?”

Cornelius suddenly appeared, pulled up a chair, sat down at the table, and immediately complained.

“Right now, the whole world is on fire with monsters, and the powerless people are being dragged away by the nobles to rip off their land and are shedding blood. But look here! At a time when people are dying without even having a bowl of porridge, aren’t we gorging ourselves on this extravagant dish in the morning? Plus, look at the clothes they’re wearing. “Is that something commoners would wear?”

Normally, I would sometimes make incomprehensible logic, but today it was a bit extreme.

No, it’s not that the nobles are extravagant, but aren’t the people who eat here mostly local residents and strangers?

Simar could not understand why they were complaining about the problem of being well-dressed and well-fed.

“It’s wrong. Everything is wrong with this city itself! Those who get used to this kind of luxurious life will eventually become corrupted. The strangers who are supposed to save the continent will become accustomed to comfortable life and luxury and will lay down their swords, and the residents will not work and only gain weight. “This is all the fault of that lord named Raoul.”

“you’re right. Clearly, Yeongju is hiding something. The reason this place is so prosperous is probably because it’s exploiting someone else. We need to find it and fix it!”

Asher, the last party member to join, agreed with Cornelius’ words.

Simar just touched his forehead and tried to forget the pounding headache.

‘A stubborn paladin who knows nothing about the world, and a commoner who suddenly received God’s blessing. ‘It was strange that something hadn’t happened until now.’

Although they were members of the same investigation team, their right to speak was very different.

Saint Kiera, who should have been the center of the investigation team, was too young and soft-hearted.

So, Cornelius Paladin, who was older and had a higher rank, took the lead in the party, and even Asher, the most powerful, agreed with him, so there was no one to stop him.

Regan, a 5th circle wizard, was completely indifferent to the politics within the party, and Simar, a pathfinder and ranger, was ignored by Cornelius.

‘It is wrong in itself for a person who serves God to consider social status and the nobility of his profession…’

What on earth was the religious order thinking when it put a man like that on the investigation team?

Simar was dissatisfied, but he had no choice but to suppress it.

“Now that we’re here, let’s discuss it properly. “I have to find a way to free the foreigners and the corruption of that Viscount Raoul.”

“Isn’t collecting information the priority? No matter how hard you try to hide it, you won’t be able to stop all of the residents’ complaints.”

“good idea. “Let’s gather the opinions of residents who are being exploited by the viscount and create public opinion.”

The two of them were chatting excitedly.

It seems that Simar wasn’t the only one who was dissatisfied with that.

“I’m sorry, but I’m leaving this time. I’ve always been like that, but this time I just can’t understand it. “I will continue researching until the next destination is decided, so please do not look for me until then.”

Grumble.

Wizard Regan stormed out.

“Such insolence! You’re abandoning the sacred mission of the investigation team. After all, we weren’t putting non-believers in the investigation team!”

Usually, the relationship between priests and wizards was not good.

This is because the sacred power used by priests and the magic power of wizards were often in conflict.

Cornelius was chewing hard on Regan, who disappeared without permission.

“I’m sorry, but I’m also against it. Wasn’t our real purpose to seek help from strangers? “I think the priority is to recruit strangers and leave for the Wall, as intended.”

bang.

“Are you serious? Are you going to turn a blind eye to the injustice unfolding before your eyes? No matter how many other missions there are, that’s not the case! “Think of the greater good, Priest Kiera.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what injustice is. I don’t even know what cause Sir Cornelius is talking about anymore. I will meet strangers as I originally intended. “Please take care of yourself.”

As Kiera drew a line and stood up, Simar, who had been watching, followed suit.

“I have to escort Kiera, so that’s enough.”

As the party members left, Cornelius’ face turned bright red with anger.

“Oh, do you think I can’t say that you are not there? Asher, let’s go!”

“Yes, Sir Cornelius.”

The two people left the restaurant and went out onto the street.

“But where are we going?”

“Have you tried this once or twice? “First, I’ll go around the shopping district and listen to their reputation.”

“ah! As expected, Lord Corellius.”

The place they headed to was a clothing store in a shopping district.

As they were an official investigation team, the two were wearing uniforms provided by the church.

Of course, the store owner bowed his waist and welcomed the precious customer.

“Oh, come quickly, priests. How can I help you?”

They pretended to look at their clothes and talked about their personal affairs.

And once I got used to it, I got to the point.

“yes? What kind of person is the lord? Oh my, what can I say? Isn’t he truly a God-given person? “I think the greatest blessing I received in my life was meeting my lord!”

At the same time, he was very excited and praised Raoul.

He originally ran a dry goods store in a very small village, but the village collapsed due to the Gate incident, and he escaped on his own.

They managed to escape to the Baron’s Castle, but when even that was about to be defeated by the monster’s attack, Raoul and the First Knights appeared.

Raoul, who saved the castle, not only provided relief supplies to those who had lost their homes and property so they could make a living, but also helped them move to Calypse Castle and open a store again.

“Does that make sense? “I ran away with just my family without a single penny, but when I woke up, I found myself a store owner in this downtown area?”

“yes? Debt? Slave? What does that mean? You can pay off the store as much as you want over 20 years. “You just have to pay back the construction cost without a single penny of interest?”

Cornelius asked because the words he wanted didn’t come out.

“Anything to worry about? For example, taxes…”

“How did you know? I’m really worried about taxes! “How can this be?”

For a moment, Cornelius and Asher’s eyes flashed.

‘I got caught. As expected, they were exploiting the residents!’

“How come they collect only 10% in taxes? There is no capitation tax, residence tax, resident tax or anything like that, and you only get 10% of the profits you actually earn? What kind of land do you dig, my lord, to do business in? Everyone is very worried about what will happen if the lord goes bankrupt. So, merchants are gathering together to raise funds…”

The general tax rate on the Connect Continent was around 40-50%, and some places that received a lot were exploiting up to 80%.

But 10%.

“No way! Even in pioneer villages without permanent owners, 30% is collected as resident tax…”

Asher, who was listening, opened his mouth and shouted, and the store owner chimed in.

“Yes? It makes no sense, right? So why must we be so frustrated? Even though he is a God-given person, if he only cares about the residents like this, he will end up in big trouble. “Please, if you happen to meet the lord, could you please give me some advice on his behalf?”

Of course, there was another reason why Raoul collected less taxes.

First of all, there was a policy goal to restore the economic power of residents who migrated without any property, and there was also a policy purpose to attract refugees and settle them.

And the real tax is indirect tax, not direct tax. In other words, it was being solved with value-added tax.

In any case, the Viscounty’s main target of business was strangers, namely players.

Collecting taxes from a portion of the price of goods purchased by residents rather than from their profits was less noticeable and had a greater tax effect.

To the residents of the Connect world who were not aware of that fact, Raoul seemed like a great saint.

Of course, Cornelius and Asher did not believe the store owner.

Thinking that they might have received training from their lord in advance, they wandered around the shopping district at random.

As a result of checking weapon stores, grocery stores, potion stores, inns, restaurants, bars, and even streets at night.

‘It’s true…?’

‘Isn’t this nonsense?’

In fact, there was not a single person who did not praise the lord.

Not only was the tax low, but most of the residents living here were saved and benefited from Raoul.

And the results were visible in their dirty clothes.

At first, they were welcomed because they were priests from the religious order, but the merchants were not fools.

The moment I realized that they were asking questions to find fault with Raoul.

Sigh.

“Get out!”

“Don’t come here again!”

“My God, how can you do such a shameless thing in the name of God!”

Not only did they kick them out of the store, but in some extreme cases, they even threw sewage at them.

At this point, Asher began to realize that he had been thinking about something wrong.

“Maybe we were misunderstanding?”

“no! They are all lying to protect the lord. Didn’t I say it with my own mouth? I received the lord’s favor! Let’s go! Now that it’s like this, we have no choice but to use another move.”

Asher’s eyes were shaking slightly as he looked at the back of Cornelius, who was walking away with a sigh.

(Continued in the next part)