"But… it's not time to collect taxes yet, my lord!" a farmer wailed.
Wildcat's face didn't change at all.
"Corpse monsters have been invading the area," he said coldly. "Protecting you people takes effort. That means we need more supplies."
He paused, staring down at the villagers.
"And if you have a problem with that… we can always help you go complain in hell."
Field's instructions had been simple.
Collect taxes.
If they got exposed, then just loot the place.
After all, none of these people belonged to Nightfall Territory. Nobody here knew who they really were anyway.
Of course, collecting taxes was still the safer option.
The slaves weren't strong fighters. If they clashed with village militia, things could easily spiral out of control.
"Pay! We'll pay the full tax!" the village chief gritted his teeth.
He immediately ordered the villagers to bring out livestock and grain. At the same time, he forced a flattering smile onto his face.
"And the young girl the Baron requested… I'll offer her as well."
A girl?
Wildcat frowned.
Baron Field had never mentioned anything about that. Obviously, that must have been something Baron Bull wanted.
One of the slave-soldiers was about to refuse instinctively.
Wildcat immediately stopped him.
If they rejected the offer, they might expose themselves.
"Fine," he said.
"Bring her along too."
Soon, Horn Village exploded into chaos.
It was like pouring boiling water into an ant nest.
Two cows.
Four sheep.
Chickens and ducks by the dozen.
Five carts of grain.
Currency totaled seven gold coins, twenty-three silver coins, and fifty copper coins.
The entire village looked like it had just been scraped clean by a butcher's blade.
Crying and begging echoed everywhere.
A year's worth of savings had vanished overnight.
Wildcat clicked his tongue quietly.
"Nobles are terrifying…"
After all, he himself had become a slave because he couldn't pay his taxes.
Whether the villagers had secretly hidden some money wasn't important.
Everything they collected today was pure profit anyway.
"Damn… that's a lot of livestock."
Field was still directing slaves as they moved weapons and magical equipment when Wildcat returned.
In another bunker, Field had discovered what the bearded officer had been obsessing over—
Fog-Dispelling Lamps.
Three of them.
There were also large quantities of magic potions, most of them used for healing wounds.
The total value?
Impossible to calculate exactly.
But it was definitely no less than two hundred gold coins.
Even with such a huge haul already in front of him, Field couldn't help exclaiming when he saw the taxes Wildcat had brought back.
Even he hadn't expected a small village to have this much wealth.
The tax rate here must have been outrageous.
Wildcat had only raided one village, yet twenty men could barely carry everything.
There were even cattle and sheep.
At least for the near future, Field wouldn't need to worry about meat in the Cursed Lands.
Still…
There was one thing that made him slightly uncomfortable.
Technically, he had just looted an entire village.
Field tapped his own forehead.
"Stop acting soft."
"Survive first."
The modern moral values he grew up with simply didn't work in a survival-of-the-fittest medieval world.
He was barely staying alive himself.
What right did he have to worry about others?
Only by surviving could he accomplish anything.
Besides, Nightfall Territory stood directly in front of Bull Territory.
It had become a buffer zone.
These "supplies" were practically compensation.
Feeding his own people came first.
Everything else could wait.
"Good work," Field said with a smile.
"Everyone gets a silver coin."
He generously spent someone else's money without hesitation.
"Once you gather a full gold coin and hand it to me, I'll grant you freedom."
"You'll become free citizens of Nightfall Territory."
The slaves erupted into cheers like a roaring ocean.
For the first time in their lives—
They saw hope.
"My lord!" Wildcat said eagerly, eyes shining.
"Let's collect taxes from the other villages too!"
After receiving Field's "bonus," his motivation skyrocketed. Any sympathy he once had for the villagers had vanished completely.
Why should people of Nightfall Territory care about the peasants of Bull Territory?
Field raised his fist.
"Of course."
"Let's squeeze every last coin out of them."
"We need to finish before morning."
"Time's tight. Go."
"Keep pretending to be Bull Territory soldiers collecting taxes. I'll reward you well."
They had to move quickly.
Other cities of the Empire weren't weak cowards like Richard.
Sooner or later they would notice the crisis in Bull Territory and send troops to cleanse the corruption.
Field absolutely could not be caught when that happened.
"My lord… there's also this girl."
Wildcat awkwardly brought forward a small girl.
She looked about twelve years old and wore a plain robe.
Field's brain froze for a full second.
Do I look like some kind of creepy lolicon noble?!
Why the hell did they bring me a child?!
He almost cursed out loud.
But seeing Wildcat's nervous expression, Field forced himself to calm down.
"What's going on?"
"Why did you bring a child back?"
Wildcat quickly explained.
"The villagers offered her to Baron Bull."
"I figured it wasn't anything good."
"I didn't want to cause trouble… but refusing might have made them suspicious."
"So I brought her anyway."
"Please punish me if I did wrong."
Field sighed inwardly.
"No punishment."
"You handled it smartly."
"Wildcat, from now on you lead the guard."
Field silently thanked himself for having enough patience.
The girl didn't seem particularly special.
She just had a somewhat delicate appearance.
After asking a few simple questions, Field decided to take her in.
She already knew too much about them.
Sending her back wasn't an option.
And even if he did…
Her life in the village probably wouldn't be any better.
The next morning.
Warm sunlight spilled across the land.
Ashina's eyelashes trembled as she slowly woke up.
Outside, the sounds of chickens, ducks, and cattle echoed everywhere.
She yawned lazily.
The exhaustion from yesterday's battle had completely vanished.
She had slept incredibly well.
The mattress beneath her was soft, carrying a faint fragrance of gardenia flowers.
It was nothing like the cold iron cages she used to sleep in.
Ashina stretched her long legs and rubbed them together slightly.
"Fortunately… Lord Field chose me as a Chosen One."
"Lord Field really is a good person."
She honestly wanted to sleep for another hour.
But Field had said they would enter the Gray Mist this morning.
So she quickly got up.
"Did you sleep well?" Field asked.
Ashina ran toward him energetically.
Her chest bounced playfully as she moved.
Field almost lost his composure for a moment.
"No need to rush," he said quickly.
"I'm planning our route."
"I slept very well, my lord!" Ashina replied cheerfully.
She nodded, half understanding, and stood obediently nearby.
The Northern Province was enormous.
Including Nightfall Territory, the region had once been filled with prosperous cities and villages.
Now it was completely corrupted.
Monsters roamed everywhere.
The core area of Nightfall Territory was once a large estate that belonged to a female baron—
Sophia Star-Night.
Her city, Star-Night City, stood within sight of that estate.
Field studied the map in his hand.
"With the power I currently have, building a new castle from scratch is impossible."
"The best option is to capture the estate first."
"Then use it as a base to slowly reclaim Star-Night City."
The map he held was already seven years old.
Back then, many pioneering knights had dreamed of reclaiming the Northern Province.
They marched north proudly with their servants and retainers.
Very few of them ever returned.
Those who stayed behind…
Almost certainly became monsters.
Field rubbed his temples.
"Some of them are probably boss monsters by now."
"Thanks for leaving me such a wonderful mess."
He sighed.
"The strategic plan sounds great…"
"But the risks?"
"Absolutely terrifying."