Chapter 167

Ferdy didn’t know the face of their parents.

Not even their name or age, let alone what kind of voice they had.

Born and immediately abandoned by their parents, what could this child remember?

Nothing at all.

It was impossible to know.

To Ferdy, the world was incredibly narrow.

The two feet of a child crawling around were all that entered their eyes, filled with a few unfamiliar adults and children in a small house.

Everything started in an orphanage in Shatren, and Shatren was everything to them.

But even in such a narrow field of vision, there was enough depth.

“My name is Ferdy.”

“Ferdy?”

“Yes, Ferdy. You write it like this, and you read it as Ferdy.”

Growing up with the touch of others who weren’t parents, the child lived a life lacking nothing but smooth sailing.

By the time they received the name Ferdy, stopped crying, and began walking on two feet, they realized there were similar children around them.

“Wow, Ferdy is really good at this!”

“Yeah! Block! We have to block!”

“Ahh. It went in.”

“Are we winning because of Ferdy? We always lost before!”

Loneliness from not having parents?

There was none.

Being left alone in the world?

That too did not exist.

“Hello, sir!”

“Hehe. Isn’t it Ferdy? Looks like you haven’t done your homework.”

“Ugh… I’ll do it later! I need to play with the kids!”

“So you’re not going to do it then?”

“Should I tell the lady?”

“Sir! Is that so?”

—Hahaha!

For Ferdy, this world wasn’t one left alone; it was one embraced by the warm land of Shatren.

They never experienced hunger.

The loneliness of not having parents was filled by friends around them and the adults who cared for them.

Even if great things were absent, growing up normally, eating, playing, and learning made Ferdy’s world anything but shallow.

Even if they learned about the absence of parents through schooling.

However, the dark side was always present.

“Shatren is ready for a leap. You all know that if we only provide Shatren strawberries and grapes to the nobles, production will grow immensely compared to before.”

“But, if we keep gathering those orphans in Shatren, what will become of us? How can there be such impurities in the Nobles’ Street?”

“We must drive out those who can be driven out. It’s time to let go of those orphans eating away at our territory!”

Since Shatren was a well-known territory, stories related to its development were never missing.

Visitors from outside often mentioned such talk, and as Ferdy grew older, they could understand all these words.

“Ah, here comes the village chief again, trying to persuade us. It would be wise to chase away those orphans first and build a Nobles’ Street for the development of the territory.”

“Why are they always trying to change things? Indeed, now is the best time, having escaped the hands of the royal family.”

“If they push harder, saying we’re getting poorer, it might seem like they’re considering it. But they’ve been thinking about it.”

“Oh, then…”

“Let’s artificially create a crisis. That way, the village chief will make a decisive move.”

In Shatren, there were already people plotting conspiracies.

All of them had lived in the Shatren territory for a long time, receiving salaries. Some had even allied with external forces, supporting the development of Shatren territory.

After overhearing this conversation, Ferdy couldn’t shake off the thought that someone was trying to drive them out and change Shatren.

And their worries became reality.

“How did it go?”

“Hehe. Of course, it succeeded. Didn’t you notice?”

“Wow… This money came from our land? And you rejected it until now?”

“The village chief is too old-fashioned! Just get rid of those orphans. Tsk!”

They had already taken action, and the production volume of Shatren strawberries and Shatren grapes began to drop.

With supply decreasing, the prices of these specialties skyrocketed, making it unaffordable for commoners and the poor. Naturally, these fruits ended up in the hands of the nobles.

As a result, Shatren territory gained more wealth.

“Even if I took a little, look how much we got. We could have gotten even more if we charged higher.”

“That’s too unfair!”

Divisions started appearing among the residents. Initially, they followed the firm will of the village chief, but once they tasted the benefits, they didn’t want to give up this right.

The only way to live a richer and fuller life was to increase the value of these two specialty products.

Thus, day by day, the prices of Shatren strawberries and Shatren grapes soared. These crops, once freely available to everyone, became foods that could only be bought with money.

Moreover, within the prosperous territory, embezzlement was happening through unknown means, and profits were being laundered by transferring money to other territories.

Knowing all this, Ferdy had no choice but to make an extreme decision.

“…Shatren is already ruined. Kids.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll be chased out of this territory by those adults!!”

Shatren was ruined.

It was no longer the warm and welcoming land Ferdy knew.

Their eyes and ears were always fixed on Shatren.

Then,

“I think we can’t just sit back and watch this happen.”

Somehow, they had to stop them without being chased out.

Interfering, destroying, stealing…

They wanted to protect this land called Shatren, which was everything to them.

“Ungrateful scoundrel!”

“Not knowing the kindness of raising them, stealing!”

“Why did such a troublemaker appear in our territory!”

Each word pierced their heart.

A deep arrow stabbed painfully.

Betrayal. When they heard that word, tears almost spilled.

These were not strangers, but familiar faces.

People met in this place, which was everything to Ferdy.

The words hurt and pained them deeply.

Yet, they had to endure.

Even though it was unjust, they had to continue this action.

They needed to clearly show that something was wrong with this territory.

Even if they had nowhere to go, even if they heard regret from the aunties who raised them, even if they were criticized for being a fatal flaw in the territory,

They had to ignore it and try to obstruct the actions of the traitors. That was the top priority.

And so, after causing problems in Shatren for a long time,

“This farming method should not be used!!”

One person.

The one who would deliver judgment to Shatren appeared.

His name was Carsein Bargrand.

***

This was the best option he thought.

He was caught because he stole an order form from outside, and if he had also stolen the ledger with the list and the advance payment, it would have been perfect. But even with just the order form, he believed he could drive them out.

However, during questioning about where the order form went, his safety might be uncertain.

Even if he was a child, they could use the evidence of repeated thefts, and knowing they would escalate into a bigger problem if caught, they would surely want to eliminate him.

“Still, I won’t regret it.”

They would realize there was an internal enemy soon enough.

Then, Shatren would return to normal, right?

At least, the world he grew up in wouldn’t be ruined by them.

“That’s enough.”

Carsein said.

He wouldn’t be chased out of Shatren anymore.

Unlike the past, he would prove everything.

What remained was up to him, but since he was the one who tried to solve Shatren’s problems, he would surely resolve them.

Ferdy resigned himself and closed his eyes.

But a moment later, a loud crash echoed, and a person flew into a pile of boxes, smashing them apart.

“Thieving… He did it more seriously than me?”

“What nonsense is this!”

“Ferdy openly thieved in this territory, and everyone knows it. You also know he robbed the merchant carriage from Rusmaier!”

“On the other hand, this man is not a thief. He has worked in Shatren for years, burying his bones here!”

Residents criticized Carsein as he kicked another resident in the stomach, sending them flying.

Ferdy looked up sharply hearing this.

The person who flew away was the traitor Ferdy had been watching closely in this territory.

“Then you’re getting hit in the back of the head. Stupid guys.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was the temporary lord of Shatren in the past. Did you know that the shop he runs isn’t profitable?”

That was true.

His shop was one of the most profitable, surviving each year on support funds from Shatren.

However.

‘To bring this up here means…!’

He was going to prove it right here.

Ferdy swallowed hard and shouted.

“No! Young Master!”

He couldn’t explain in detail.

But don’t you see the obvious future?

Even if they use that order form here, his shop is already in debt. Proving it is impossible.

Desperately, Ferdy cried out, and Carsein smiled and replied.

“Hey, Ferdy.”

“…Yes?”

“You’re not a criminal, kid.”

Carsein said he would prove it from now on.

“Alright, tell me why the shop isn’t profitable.”

“Because he gets robbed the most by this guy!”

“Do you know how many times Ferdy has stolen? It’s countless!”

“And how many times has he interfered with work? Even when trading with other territories, the quantities are always short!”

Residents protested, and Carsein laughed at them outright.

“Pfft. So, what was the profit and loss? How much was it?”

“Huh? Are you telling me you didn’t investigate even that, acting as a temporary lord?”

“Ugh… I’ll say it myself! The quarterly loss is 4000 pessel! Why are you accusing me of being a thief?”

“4000 pessel? Ahaha. Hahaha!”

At that moment, Ferdy realized why Carsein was laughing confidently.

‘Can you… prove it?’

He asked inwardly, but the answer was already clear.

‘I will prove it.’

“I… stole from the merchant carriage from Rusmaier yesterday. It’s true.”

“You brat!”

“Why are you bringing this up now!”

“Keep going, Ferdy.”

“How much damage did I cause you, Young Master?!”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”

“Yesterday, Ferdy stole from my merchant carriage. So, how much damage did that cause?”

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

Confused residents watched as Carsein held up one finger.

“1000… pessel?”

“No. 100 pessel. The only thing he stole was food.”

“Food…?”

“Yeah. Food. He hardly touched anything unless it was food.”

“Is that all the damage there was?”

—Clack.

“Yesterday, I sorted it out. If you don’t believe me, come check.”

“…”

“Isn’t this strange? Why is there a huge loss of 4000 pessel in this man’s shop, while a larger merchant carriage only shows a loss of 100 pessel? Is it because he hosts festivals? Or maybe he wants to rob people he sees for the first time more than you folks?”

Residents glanced at the documents Carsein presented, and their eyes turned to the terrified man.

“The documents show a loss of only 100 pessel…”

“Tell me, what happened here.”

“What are you talking about? Are you suspecting me?!”

“You need to explain where that 4000 pessel loss came from.”

Doubtful looks turned into suspicious ones.

The demand for explanation was already firmly planted in the eyebrows of the traitor who betrayed Shatren for personal gain.

“That’s obviously because of Ferdy, the thief!”

“Is that much worth stolen?”

“It doesn’t make sense!”

“Thinking about it, it’s odd. How could there be a 4000 pessel loss?”

“Recently, there haven’t been any festivals…”

“That’s why I said it’s theft. He steals even when Shatren is fine.”

Another item came from Carsein’s pocket.

Folded neatly, it was an order form from another village.

“What… What is this! How did it end up in your hands!”

“From other territories, they send orders like this to report losses, cover them with support funds, and get paid. Quite a cheap trick, isn’t it?”

“…”

The perfect causal relationship.

Without a chance to raise objections, the evidence appeared, turning suspicion into certainty.

“Your…!”

“You deceived our Shatren like this!!”

“Quickly, who should inform the village chief of this fact!”

Just then,

“No! We can solve it right here!”

“Ferdy?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Uncles, the person here is the lord of our Shatren!”

“…”

Yes, Ferdy was right.

Idiotic people.

Why delay punishment when the lord is right in front of you?

Carsein grabbed the traitor’s collar.

“Cough! What is this punishment! Help! Help me!”

“Though I planned to give no further commands under the seal, I can’t just watch such things happen in my territory, can I?”

“Wait! I’m innocent! I really don’t know anything!”

Whispers spread among the residents.

But they didn’t fall into confusion.

—Ding!

Seeing the floating window, Carsein smiled satisfactorily.

▶Processed one internal enemy.◀

▶Ferdy joins as a complete ally. 3 Dead Flags disappeared.◀

▶Shatren territory’s reputation improves.◀

[Recognition score in Shatren field: -80 → -65]