Chapter 5

Surely there were worse things than being in the same room with a person that you've been continuously avoiding. Yet I can't think of a single thing as I am still in a dilemma whether I should bolt out of here or confront this man that I haven't seen in the past two years. 

However, the decision to escape weighs even heavier than to confront when I see mountains of documents surrounding this man. The combination of these two doesn't sit well with me, to be exact, they're a pain to deal with.

This middle-aged man wearing a monk robe who was sitting on my chair and reading a book is our educator, Cleric Henrich the Good Farmer. He gained his title due to his perseverance at the time of the famine, helping the farmers during the crisis since he was a farmer himself in his younger years. 

But really, what's with the naming sense of these people? Couldn't they pick a better title? At first, when I was none the wiser, I praise him a lot and even envy him. But now, whenever I hear someone mentions his name, I cringe.

As I was looking at this eccentric person, I began to sweat when my terrible memories of him in my early years starting to set forth in my mind. Like the time when he would force me to learn arithmetic, taxonomy, geography, medicine, alchemy, and pretty much all subjects that were unthinkable to teach a child. I wouldn't be surprised if he happens to teach me sorcery.

Another thing was, with his obsession in farming, he would constantly introduce agricultural methods in between his language lectures and often made me hold a hoe instead of a sword.

Honestly, I have no qualms with it since I was from a family of farmers in my past life. But has he forgotten that I'm a duke's son? I'm meant to hold a sword rather than a hoe. How am I supposed to defend myself and my loved ones in times of conflict if I'm using a hoe?

I took a step back in retreat and turned around slowly after I noticed that he's not looking my way, and his head still cast down while reading a book. Unfortunately, he probably senses my presence when he suddenly speaks. 

"Oh, my lord, it's been so long! Greetings! It's unfortunate about what happened to you. Nonetheless, I'm happy that you're alright. My apologies, my lord, for my delayed arrival. Some unexpected matters at the farm took up most of my time." He closed his book and rose from the chair. His hand then lingers on the backrest of the seat, beckoning me to sit down.

"Greetings, Mentor Henrich. I'm pleased that you're back, and yes, it's been a long while, but you shouldn't have rushed yourself. Now that you've seen me unharmed, you can continue in whatever business you left off." I said. I can't sit down yet, for I am still wary of him, of what his intentions are.

As House Neville's vassal, he obtained land and a few farms in Wincheston after Grandfather noticed his accomplishments and brilliance. I wouldn't argue that he's brilliant in many ways since he taught me a lot of things, and I also wouldn't argue that he's brilliant in tormenting me.

"My lord, the matters were already being fulfilled. I am here now to help you fill in with any paperwork, as you requested. But before anything else, would you care to take a seat?" He beckons for me to sit down once again with his two hands gripping on the backrest.

"Requested?" I'm confused, so I took a step back.

"Yes, requested. You, my lord, promised Her Grace, the Duchess, that you'll take on the responsibilities of this house, so I'm here to guide you." He smiled proudly while I blankly stared at him for a moment.

What a blunder! Yes, I've told Mother that I'd take on some responsibilities, but this is not some! This is definitely ALL of it!

"You can't possibly mean that I have to check into all of this paperwork right away?!" I spread my hands in protest.

I looked all over the study and the stacks of papers around the room. There were at least twenty stacks of papers, some of them towering 5-feet tall. Thinking about all those accounts taxation and whatnot written on those documents, I shuddered. 

"You can't be serious, my lord. They are just blank sheets. If they were real documents, even for such as myself, it is quite impossible to accomplish without the paroxysm of hair pulling." He laughs weirdly with snorting sounds.

It took me a few seconds to process everything before my head suddenly throbbed that I instinctively massage my temple. The speed and unexpected shift of emotions, from tremendous shock to great relief then annoyance, was taking its toll on my mental capacity.

"......So what are these doing here?" I demanded. My legs felt heavy due to mental exhaustion that I needed to sit down.

I start to walk over to my chair since I deemed him harmless. He can't do anything weird to me with those blank sheets, can he? 

Once I took a seat, I pulled the lowest drawer from the desk and hid the note I've received from my fiancee inside it.

"The Duchess became so happy, my lord, that you've turned a new leaf, so she ordered those as a gift. I don't know what Her Grace was thinking, though." he shrugs while I stared at him in disbelief.

"......" It's one thing after another. These people really like to torment me.

Once in the past, I said to Mother that I liked those costumes in the play, so she gave me a wardrobe full of them. On my tenth birthday, she baked me a cake, and I told her it was delicious, so she keeps on baking and keeps on feeding me. This time I told her I take on Father's work, then she ordered this room full of blank sheets. Why are you always doing this to me, Mother?

"Here it is, my lord. It's my pleasure to advise you and feel free to ask me questions," he said as he placed a 2-inch thick binder filled with pages of parchment.

"So, what am I going to do with these?" I open the binder and looked over the documents.

When I scanned them over, I noticed that some were all about land projects from lower rank nobles in our territory and marriage proposals for my sisters.

"You just stamp these parchments with approved or rejected seals, my lord." He places two seals near the binder.

That's all?! Then what was that all about when I was a child? You made me learn alchemy and taxation for nothing?!

Regardless, I exhale a sigh of relief as I've noticed there are no tax documents added in the binder. If I may as so much as glance at what's written at those accounts, I'll instantly get a headache. 

Rather, it was the understanding that comes from experiencing the life I had lived as a peasant, like paying for taxes and dues and always seeking a means of escape from the terrors of poverty. Thus I know the difficulty the commoners and peasants have to endure. 

But hopefully in the future, once I've become a duke(if ever Father takes over the grand-dukedom in Straussen), I shall primarily focus on lowering the tax burden towards all peasants.

"My lord, I must tell you that tomorrow there will be a trial for the six prisoners. You're going to be the judge." Henrich casually told me the big news.

What?! You're going to make a 14-year-old kid become the judge in a trial?! Though I'm not exactly 14, still I don't have experience in this, so I'm getting anxious. I've only witnessed some public trials before, and people turn it into a spectacle.

"Is there no one else to do this?" I asked. 

"Only His Grace has the right to judge, but the Duke is not here, so you, my lord, will take his place as you rule in second above all else in Iscania." Why is he getting smug again?

"Can I just give them a light punishment then let them go?" I doubt some prisoners are accused due to trivial matters, such as what the servant boy accidentally did before.

"Oh? You're going to give a light punishment to a criminal who *** the whole village?"

"......Are you not kidding? *** the whole village?! That's horrifying! He has no shame!"

"I know, my lord, and there's this one prisoner that **** all the nuns."

"**** all the nuns?! There's no way that it's real! That's punishable by death! Even I don't have the will to do that."

"I know, my lord, neither am I, neither am I."

"What do you mean 'neither am I'?! Of course, you don't! It's undebatable because you're a priest!"

Even though the trials will be conducted by tomorrow, it's already giving me a headache. Ah, I need some solace. Before I start stamping away, I shall write a letter to my fiancee to thank her for the gifts.

I pulled the drawer and took out a stationery. After that, I was selecting what quill to use when Henrich interrupted me.

"What are you doing, my lord?" Henrich had a shocked expression on his face.

"...I'm going to write a letter...?" What is it this time? 

"Oh no, you don't. Doing laborious work with hands is for commoners!" Henrich was stunned. 

I'm stunned too! What is this crazy guy saying? You'll be willing to make me toil around the field, but you're not allowing me to write? Come to think of it, this odd person is also one of the reasons that the previous me has become a slacker. 

"My lord, what about your scribe in the academy?... Don't tell me he hasn't done his job?!" Henrich exclaimed. 

Yes, I do have a scribe, his name is Thomas and he was with me at the academy. He did all the work from jotting down notes to writing a composition. Poor fellow. He had mostly done the hard work. Given the circumstances, Thomas should be the one celebrating today instead of me. 

"Oh, he had done very well. Even exceeded my expectations. Though he went to his father's house in town, he will be coming back here by tomorrow. Therefore, I will be writing the letter myself." I said as I dipped the quill in the inkwell.

All of a sudden, Henrich snapped his fingers and immediately came in a scrawny boy carrying a small table. 

I widened my eyes. Where did this boy come from? Were people on stand by outside my study? Damn, how come I don't have servants like that? I would also like to summon someone by snapping my fingers! 

For the first time in a long while, I envy you yet again, Henrich. You didn't obtain a title for nothing(though his title has nothing to do with snapping fingers).