Episode 6: Butler Evan

With Gessler’s purge as the starting point, I set out to eradicate the corrupt officials plaguing my territory. I conducted surprise inspections throughout the land, and those who unjustly profited, I personally ended their lives with my own hands.

As for the corrupt officials who were killed, they must be quite satisfied in hell to have been defeated by a far greater evil like me. At the same time, I pushed forward with projects such as establishing clinics in villages and repairing roads and bridges. It was on one such day.

“I apologize for disturbing you amidst your busy schedule, Lord Siegfried.”

With those words, my butler Evan appeared at the door of my study.

“What is it, Evan?”

I lifted my gaze from the documents and looked at Evan.

“Lord Siegfried, you truly are a wise man. I am nothing short of awestruck by your ability to enact such extensive reforms across the territory in such a short time since becoming the new head of the house…”

“Hey, Evan. Don’t disappoint me.”

I furrowed my brow, sharpening my gaze toward Evan.

“Did you come here just to spout such nonsense?”

“…No.”

“Then get to the point. I have no need for pointless flattery.”

“Yes, sir.”

Evan gave a bow before approaching my desk.

“I fundamentally support the reforms you are undertaking in the territory, Lord Siegfried. However… if things continue as they are, the Kreving Earldom will face financial ruin.”

“Oh…?”

I relaxed the corners of my mouth, listening intently to Evan’s words.

“The infrastructure improvements, the establishment of clinics… I believe these are all splendid endeavors. However, they come with enormous costs. The laborers maintaining the roads, the carpenters repairing houses, the doctors summoned to the clinics—all of them require wages. Of course, if you so desired, Lord Siegfried, it would be possible to force the citizens to work without compensation through corvée labor…”

As the lord, I have the authority to make my citizens work without pay—the so-called corvée system. But I have no intention of exercising that right. I plan to pay wages to everyone involved in the projects I’ve ordered. Forcing unpaid labor would only exhaust the people further.

“I have no intention of using corvée to force unpaid labor. Through the guild, I’ll gather workers from both within and outside the territory to serve as the labor force.”

“But the funds to pay those workers will run dry. It’s difficult to say, but… the Kreving Earldom is by no means financially abundant.”

The previous head of the Kreving Earldom—my father, Zigrat—was hardly an exemplary lord. That’s precisely why officials like Gessler were able to run rampant.

As Evan pointed out, the Kreving family’s finances are far from plentiful.

“There’s the money we seized from Gessler and the other corrupt officials. We’ll use that.”

“Even so, it won’t be enough. After all, you’ve just lowered the tax rate for the farmers. The Kreving Earldom’s income is expected to decrease significantly. The money confiscated from the officials will likely be exhausted just to offset that loss.”

“Heh…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Evan’s observations were spot-on. This old butler had accurately assessed the situation and offered me precise advice. As expected… Evan is one of the indispensable talents at my side.

“Indeed, everything you’ve said is correct, Evan.”

“Then… shall we review the projects?”

“No. We’ll proceed with everything as planned.”

“B-but, the funds to carry out those plans…”

“The funds are right in front of you, aren’t they?”

“Huh…?”

Evan seemed puzzled, unable to grasp the meaning of my words. Heh… even someone as sharp as Evan couldn’t figure that one out.

I stood up from my chair and removed one of the portraits of past heads of the family hanging on the wall. Then, I tore the painting from its frame and tossed it onto the floor.

“Wha—Lord Siegfried, what are you…!?”

“Look, Evan. A frame made of pure gold.”

With the gaudy portrait stripped away… what remained in my hands was a brilliantly shining golden frame.

“Selling this to a merchant should fetch a decent sum.”

“Wha—you mean to sell the frames housing the portraits of past heads of the family…!?”

“Not just the frames. The chairs, desks, various furnishings, jewelry—there are plenty of valuable items in this mansion. I’ll sell them all to fund these reforms. I also plan to sell off the villas the Kreving Earldom owns outside the territory.”

“A-are you serious!? These are all treasures collected by the past heads of the family, items that could be called the very history of the Kreving Earldom…!”

“I don’t care.”

What matters to me is forging ahead on the path of evil. I’ll use anything and everything to achieve that.

Besides… even if I temporarily part with these jewels and treasures, they’re destined to return to me eventually. After all, I’m the one who will rule the world.

“You’re… serious, aren’t you, Lord Siegfried?”

“Of course.”

I stared directly into Evan’s eyes. After a brief silence, the old gentleman slowly nodded.

“Very well. I shall contact the merchant guild and make arrangements to sell the assets.”

“I’m entrusting this matter to you, Evan. Execute it immediately.”

 

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(To think Lord Siegfried would change this much…)

After leaving the study and beginning to list the assets for sale, Evan found himself lost in reflection.

(Not long ago, Lord Siegfried showed no interest in governance, spending his days indulging in frivolity… What could have caused such a drastic change?)

At that moment, a sudden thought struck Evan.

(Wait… could it be that Lord Siegfried was deliberately playing the part of a foolish heir all this time…?)

The previous head of the Kreving Earldom, Zigrat von Kreving, was an arrogant and deeply suspicious man. He rarely listened to others’ opinions and was openly wary of anyone who might threaten his position—even his own son.

(That’s why Lord Siegfried pretended to be a foolish heir while Zigrat was still alive. It explains so much…)

If Zigrat had known Siegfried was an intelligent man, he might have feared his son would usurp his position and disinherited him. No, it’s even possible Zigrat would have had Siegfried eliminated. That’s the kind of man he was.

(But with Zigrat’s passing and Lord Siegfried becoming the head of the Kreving Earldom, there’s no longer any need to play the part of a foolish noble… is that it…?)

And now, he’s begun putting into action the various policies he’d kept hidden in his heart. To be honest, Siegfried’s policies are far too radical. If he continues down this path, he’s likely to incur the resentment of other nobles. But…

(I… will follow you, Lord Siegfried.)

His own life was nearing its end. If that was the case, Evan wanted to spend his remaining days aiding the young lord Siegfried in his pursuit of his dreams, bringing his own life to a fulfilling close.

With renewed resolve, Evan etched his loyalty to Siegfried into his heart once more.