I Was Reincarnated as a Marquis in Another World

Although I said that, I find myself in a very daunting situation.

If I had ample money and time, I would have the confidence to create a miracle that would surprise the people here, but I only have a mere 9 days left and about 17 gold coins.

In such a situation, establishing an achievement that would show my qualities as a ruler, rather than the achievements of a technician like the pulley I just made, is, to put it bluntly, nearly impossible.

However, if I give up in this situation… I will be dragged off to the Academy and placed in a situation where I can’t do anything.

So, to solve this predicament, I began to review the vast amount of knowledge in my head.

How have historical figures dealt with such situations? What is needed in this era? What can I do?

After pondering this topic for several hours, no, nearly 10 hours, I was able to find a starting point for a new beginning.

Those who have left their names as benevolent rulers or wise lords in this world have sought out the voices and needs of their people directly, while the typical lord only listened to the opinions presented by his vassals and did his best in the direction he deemed necessary for the common folk.

Therefore, I will once again prepare to learn about the lives of the common people living in this Croilet Count’s territory.

Rather than conducting a casual reconnaissance as a noble, I intend to obtain living information about the lives of the 99% of commoners in this era.

**

The day after presenting the compound pulley to the Count, Walt and I disguised ourselves as a wandering knight and a fallen noble’s young master and set out on our journey.

Walt complained in a voice mixed with half worry for me and half dissatisfaction at having to go this far.

“Young master, are you really going to go to such lengths? I may not know, but aren’t you the heir of the Croilet Count family? And yet you want to dress like a wandering knight, while you’re a fallen noble young master? That outfit is completely ragged!”

In fact, wandering knights in Europe were officially recognized as knights but were poorer than city citizens since they held no lands.

Some wandering knights lived such miserable lives that they abandoned their honor and became rogue knights, robbing towns of small merchants or serfs to make ends meet.

As a result, wandering knights were often treated as being inferior to fallen yangban in the Joseon era.

Let alone the young master they served as a wandering knight was hardly treated well… they were essentially the same as commoners.

“I would feel much better doing things like this rather than going to the Academy without making any effort. Walt.”

“Just a few days ago you were emphasizing the dignity of nobility… I can’t quite adjust to this sudden change.”

So I spoke in a serious voice to persuade Walt.

“Walt, even though I built a pulley and preserved some honor… I can’t be satisfied with just that. So, I’ll make results out of this and restore my honor.”

“But…”

“If we succeed at this, it will be a glorious victory. Let’s go. From now on, we are a wandering knight and a young master.”

With that said, I opened the door of the inn and walked in.

As I opened the inn’s door, there was a huge pot in the center of the building, surrounded by makeshift tables and chairs made of wood.

In the corners of the wall were several oak barrels for beer, and at the back furthest from the door was a counter and a kitchen where the cooking was done.

Inside, workers and town merchants were chatting and laughing.

“So, kid, back in my day, if the adults passed around the drink, we’d drink straight from the oak barrels. But… could you get drunk on just that?”

“Oh, no… I, I’m not… I’m drunk…”

“Oh, someone is getting hurt over there. Hey, Gordon… I know you’re happy a newbie came, but take it easy.”

“Man, if I were five years younger… I would have totally swept up Lina from next door…”

“Even if you were five years younger you’d still be 30! What kind of 30-year-old gets married to an 18-year-old like Lina! You’re just a rogue who can’t get a woman because your standards are too high… just listening to you…”

“When I was 20, all the village girls lined up for me! It’s just that none caught my eye.”

Leaving them be, I took Walt and sat down at an empty spot.

Then Walt called over a staff member to place our order.

“Two large beers, jerky, and fried herring.”

“Anything else you need?”

“That’s enough.”

While Walt was ordering drinks, I carefully scanned the inn, looking for anyone drinking alone who looked pathetic.

In doing so, I spotted a man drinking alone in a corner, looking quite disheveled.

“Hey, I’ll buy that guy in the corner whatever drink he wants, so can you go ask if he’ll join us?”

Hearing my voice, the staff member scanned me and, thinking I was a fallen noble from a family with little money, answered in a brusque tone.

“Yes, yes, young master.”

A moment later, the man I called over sat down with us, and our order of snacks and two beers arrived.

Walt and I gulped down the beer, which, unlike the beer we were used to in Korea, had no refreshing qualities, and asked the man before us.

“I’m new here, could you tell me about this place?”

“Before anything else, how about you buy the beer first? Information doesn’t come for free, you know.”

“Give this fine gentleman a small barrel of beer.”

After a while, when a barrel of beer came, the man, clearly very thirsty, poured it into the glass and gulped it down in one go before starting to speak.

“The Croilet Count’s territory has a kind lord compared to other regions. Taxes are lower here, and they even lend out agricultural tools… It’s definitely a livable place. So, even we lower-class folks can come here to drink at least once a week if we live near the castle.”

“Near the castle? You mean near the castle…”

“Then what kind of work do you do?”

“I work hauling goods for merchants that come here every day from morning till night, and if there’s any labor needed, I lend a hand. Sometimes I even follow the merchants and do the job of a guard. But what do you do, young master?”

At that, Walt spoke loudly.

“Even if you are a fallen noble, isn’t that a bit rude? What’s with the endless curiosity?”

“Stop, stop it. Walt.”

After stopping Walt, I quickly came up with an appropriate backstory on the spot.

“I got lost after losing in a territorial dispute in Romania and ended up wandering around like this. So, I came here in search of a decent place to live. I’ve been looking for a place to serve as a retainer, but I haven’t been able to find one until now.”

Hearing my words, the man drinking laughed.

“I wouldn’t recommend looking to serve here, young master. The lord is a good person, but there are some corrupt officials under him.”

“What do you mean? The lord is kind, but the officials beneath him are corrupt?”

“This has been going on for several years. If the lord isn’t managing the folks beneath him properly, then those lower officials will, of course, take advantage of the situation. I came here from a village ruled by a bailiff named Mars… and they took way too many taxes.”

In this count’s territory, roughly about 100,000 people live.

So, even if the count and his subordinates monitor thoroughly, there are definitely places that escape their watch.

In Joseon, officials were even dispatched to eradicate this, but they couldn’t stop it; in this world without such systems, it must be a lot easier to exploit the people.

However, with only such testimony, if I go to the count and report that there has been embezzlement in the budget, I’m likely to just get scolded.

Because even commoners aren’t always virtuous; there are definitely those who claim embezzlement even when taxes are being collected according to regulations.

“What’s the name of that place?”

“The place is called Windheim.”

However, given the current circumstances, a strong possibility exists that Bailiff Mars is embezzling in Windheim.

Now I must go and investigate the bailiff’s wrongdoing, report it clearly to the count, and relieve the serfs of their grievances; no matter how obstinate the count might be regarding education and background, he won’t be able to use my lack of capability as a ruler to insist that I must go to the Academy.

After hearing that, I stood up from my seat and handed a silver coin to the staff member at the counter, saying, “Give whatever that guy who drank with me wants, along with the food.”

I no longer have any leeway, so I must move as quickly as possible.

If I don’t grab the opportunity when it arises, God may never give that person the same opportunity again.

---