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Compared to the meager amount brought by the first tenant farmer who tried to cheat me, this was several times more.

Standing before them, I twirled my mace. The tenant farmers watched it spin in my hand as if hypnotized. They knew. They knew that it\'s this mace that sent the tenant farmer and his wife to the afterlife. And they knew that if I was displeased now, they would all meet the same fate.

“You’ve worked hard, everyone. I don\'t know if you\'re aware of the sad news, but Gilde... Balpa tried to deceive me. I don\'t intend on monitoring your harvest closely because that would undermine the trust between us. Don’t you agree?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right!”

“Absolutely!”

It was unknown who did it first, but they all answered loudly, knowing well that any misstep could cost them dearly. The bloodstains from Balpa’s execution still marked the ground. I deliberately stepped on it and continued.

“So, I hope you all continue to pay your taxes honestly. Let’s avoid any unnecessary trouble. You know, if you just do your part, I won’t interfere.”

This wasn’t just me pretending to be some overseer. The territory ruled by Lucius was actually running very well, except for these tenant farmers embezzling taxes. The people weren’t suffering from heavy taxes, and public safety was maintained.

The only drawback was the presence of a few bandits at the territory\'s borders, but they feared Lucius enough to avoid causing trouble.

There’s a saying, “to follow precedent.” After Xiao He, the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty in China, passed away, Cao Shen succeeded him. Despite becoming Chancellor, Cao Shen spent his time drinking and playing. When his subordinates asked for the reason, he said.

– Xiao He has already set everything up perfectly. Why should I interfere?”

True to his words, the country ran smoothly even with Cao Shen doing nothing, and he was remembered as a brilliant chancellor despite doing nothing. Like this example, if something works well without interference, there’s no need to touch it.

Except for these tax-evading bas†ards.

“Yes, understood!”

“I will keep that in mind!”

These tax evaders were now trembling before me. Replacing a dead tenant farmer and establishing new contracts is also work. And the new tenant might also get tempted by money and hoard grain.

These people were already living well, so a warning should be enough to keep them from crossing the line again. Once a person has tasted honey, they will try to protect it at all costs. Moreover, since they’ve been farming this land for a long time, they know the most efficient cultivation routines. Keeping them alive and paying taxes was beneficial for my image and keeps my workload from increasing.

“Then, you may go.”

Without bothering to inspect them, I sent the tenant farmers away. Judging by the line of carts in the yard, they had enough to fill the warehouse. I ordered the servants and soldiers to move the sacks. Seeing the warehouse filled to the brim made me feel content. I smiled with satisfaction.

After that, the only thing left to worry about was what to do with Aira. This wench kept pretending to be crazy and screaming. If I continued to ignore her, she might start doing worse, so I had to do something about it.

Why did I need to act quickly?

Name: Aira

Job: Swindler

Favorability: 0

Level: 6

Stats

Strength: 3

Agility: 7

Intelligence: 4

Luck: 0

Traits

Actor

Can act other jobs.

Currently acting as: Madman

Method

She is fully immersed in her acting.

She has difficulty distinguishing between her role and reality, occasionally exhibiting unintended bizarre behavior.

Her original job traits are deactivated, and her intelligence decreases.

Imprisoned

Currently restrained and detained, resulting in stat penalties.

This was because she was going insane in real-time. A few days ago, she was screaming, but her eyes still had some sanity left. Lately, though, her eyes had become glazed, and she was giggling maniacally, only to be shocked by her own behavior and scream again. If she truly lost her mind, I wouldn’t get a good price for her even if I sold her to a brothel. Nobody wants to have sex with a crazy b*tch. �

I couldn’t waste the time I had invested in Aira so pointlessly. I needed to resolve this quickly.

First, I brought Sieri down to the dungeon. She clung to me tightly, clearly unnerved by the damp, unsettling atmosphere of the place. The scent from Sieri’s body calmed my mind.

“M-my Lord? Where are we?”

“This is a hellish place where those who have sinned are imprisoned. Sinners come here to reflect.”

Aira, thinking I had brought Sieri to mock her, screamed even louder and banged on the bars more ferociously than usual. Her behavior resembled a caged chimpanzee throwing a tantrum, and I frowned at the sight. Sieri, startled by Aira’s wild behavior, stepped back. I supported Sieri and pointed at Aira.

“Look. That criminal is imprisoned here for attempting to steal from the estate’s warehouse.”

“Aah, My Lord… This is too scary.”

“Kkieeek! Kkiyaaaakk!”

As Sieri clung to me and spoke in such a frightened tone, Aira’s tantrum grew even more frantic. A person consumed by anger always end up ugly. Her screams weren’t just an act; they were genuine. I patted Sieri’s head, and she asked me.

“My Lord, it seems that person has gone so mad they can no longer understand their sin. Can’t you release them?”

“You still don’t understand the world, Sieri. That person is just pretending to be crazy to escape their crime.”

“Kkiyaaaaaaakk! Kkyaaaaaak!”

When I said she was pretending to be mad, Aira went even crazier, as if that wasn\'t the case. She pounded on the bars with her fists and even tried to bite through them. Her fierce gaze was overflowing with murderous intent, but I had faith in the durability of our dungeon.

“Aah… My Lord. But if she stays locked in this prison forever, she will truly become insane. They say to hate sin, not the people.”

“Sieri, what meaning does punishment have if there is no repentance? If sins are forgiven simply for pretending to be a madman, why do we pray to God and seek forgiveness for our sins?”

“Then, My Lord, do you intend to keep her imprisoned here indefinitely?”

“No. She will be punished.”

I whispered softly into Sieri\'s ear. There was a particular punishment I had wanted to administer ever since that b*tch started pretending to be mad, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity. Sieri\'s mouth dropped open from what I said.

Seeing her adorable little mouth agape, I was tempted to stick my finger in and swirl it around.

“Th-that\'s… that\'s so cruel…”

“Sieri, swindlers and thieves are punished by having their hands cut off. But does such a punishment truly hold any meaning for their reform? Would that person truly reflect if their arm was cut off? No, Sieri. Repentance begins when one realizes the weight of their sins. Only those who know shame can repent. Cutting off an arm would only breed hatred.”

“But… even so…”

“Sieri, I really want to see that person repent. If they genuinely repent and become a new person, I might even arrange a job for them in this mansion.”

Aira, who had been listening to our conversation, suddenly became quiet. It was clear she was more interested in her punishment than pretending to be mad. Sieri seemed to be slowly swayed by my words.

For a religious person, the reformation of a sinner was very important.

Sieri nodded at my words. I patted Sieri\'s head and murmured.

“That\'s right, Sieri. Just follow my lead.”

“Yes, My Lord…..”

Aira slowly retreated and sat on the bed in the corner. I looked directly at her and said.

“Aira, I\'ll move you to another room before your punishment. The actual punishment will be carried out in three days, so brace yourself until then.”

Aira\'s current environment was the worst. The dungeon was poorly ventilated, barely received any sunlight, and had little human traffic. With more than ten empty cells in this horrific place, it was only natural that she would go mad pretending to be crazy.

If Aira went completely insane before her punishment, it would be troublesome for me too.

So, I ordered Aira to be moved to an empty room on the first floor and commanded that she be given the best treatment. From what the servants reported, Aira, now in a new room, seemed to be trying to adapt to her new environment or contemplating her situation, as she had stopped pretending to be mad and was behaving calmly.

Was she afraid that if she pretended to be crazy again, she would be sent back to the dungeon? I couldn\'t read her mind.

After that, I summoned a servant and instructed them to recruit the local thugs and ill-behaved vagrants from the village. Having beaten the tenant farmer to death recently, the servant seemed to think it was a good opportunity and brought in a few people from the village.

These individuals included a drunkard who beat his wife, a bully who extorted money from kids in the alleys, and a homeless gambling addict. Excluding the homeless, who was deemed useless, only the wife-beater and the bully remained.

These men, knowing the sins they had committed, hung their heads low as they sweated profusely. I held up my mace and looked at them both calmly.

“P-Please forgive me, My Lord! I will never hit my wife again!”

“Please, fo-forgive me too, My Lord! I won’t extort money from children anymore!”

Though I said nothing, just swinging my mace made the truth spill from their mouths. I might start calling my mace the \'Staff of Truth.\'

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