Chương 220: 217. Mission

However, it seemed like the young master didn't want to order his guards to arrest or kill them in the middle of the market. Looking at the forced grin on the young master's face, Tesyb wasn't sure whether he didn't even understand the insult made by Feroy to him just a moment ago, or if he was just putting on a brave face, pretending he didn't understand.

Eit her way, Lanidas' tactic of gathering the locals to show his generosity had gone completely against him, and now he wouldn't just have to pay the double prices for coal, but he would be obliged to pay a similar price even in the future.

By making this a memorable public spectacle, Feroy had also ensured that the baron wouldn't just put them in his jail once they exited the market place, since it would make the locals distrust the baron's son even more than they already did if he went back on his words so easily.

He still wasn't sure if the young master would buy more of their coal at these prices if they returned to Kirnos again in the future, but Lanidas had already claimed that he would do that in front of the locals, which might very well work in Tiranat's favor. Only time would tell if it really happened like that. Glaring at everyone around him once again, Lanidas turned back to Feroy.

"Follow us to the baron's manor! My servants will empty your wagons there, and you'll get your damned payment."

"Of course, milord," Feroy smiled smugly.

"Guards, let's go!" Following the order, Tesyb sat on the leading wagon next to Feroy, with the other two guards climbing on the seat of the second wagon. Lanidas turned around his horse, with his mounted guards behind him, and their wagons started following the young master. As they left the marketplace, Tesyb looked at the locals, and saw many of them give knowing grins to them, including the two street urchins who were waving towards them. That easily confirmed just how despised Lanidas was in this place.

It was getting close to dark now but snowfall hadn't started again for now. Their wagons had been moving for a while on the southern path exiting the marketplace, which Tesyb had found out was also a cobblestone path, probably because it connected the marketplace to the baron's manor. Unlike the huts and shacks on the sides of the street coming from the east which they had entered Kirnos from, the southern street had much better dwellings, with nearly all of them being two story wooden houses.

Confir ming that young master Lanidas and his retinue was far enough ahead of them that they wouldn't overhear him, Tesyb looked at Feroy.

"Why did you try to provoke him so much? I understand you trying to make profits despite his greed so we can buy more smoked fish, but you didn't have to humiliate him like that in front of all the locals..." Feroy looked around them from the seat of their wagon for a moment confirming there wasn't anyone nearby, before he replied, "Trying to make a profit despite the circumstances being against you is always a good idea, but I also have a secret second mission given to me by Lord Kivamus.

I didn't know whether I would get a chance to work on it so I didn't mention it to you all earlier." Tesyb was very curious now.

"What are you talking about?" Feroy smirked.

"We have already seen that there are many pottery merchants in the marketplace, which confirms that Torhan's bandits are regulars in this village, which can't happen without the blessing of the local baron here. That means the baron Farodas, and likely even his son Lanidas would have known about the first raid on Tiranat, and might even have taken a share of the spoils from Torhan."

"That's certainly possible," Tesyb whispered while trying not to remember the harsh days when he and his parents had to live in what remained of his burnt house, "but what does that have to do with you provoking the young master?"

"Here is where that secret mission comes in," Feroy replied in a low voice.

"Lord Kivamus wants a lot more workers in Tiranat, which can only happen if people from nearby villages and towns start moving there, including those who are slaves. While we are simply not strong enough to provoke Cinran in any way - it is nearly ten times bigger than Tiranat, with a similarly big guard force including a lot of knights, not to mention Count Cinran hasn't done anything against Tiranat anyway - but Lord Kivamus considers Kirnos as fair game.

It's speculation on my part, but most likely Baron Zoricus, who really wants to capture our village to get the coal mines to his name and increase his land holdings, had arranged for Levalo to assassinate our baron while also murdering the previous baron of Tiranat, without any knowledge of Count Cinran, who has bigger fish to fry with attacks from Binpaaz being a constant threat on Cinran."

"I can understand that," Tesyb replied.

"So Lord Kivamus wants people from Kirnos to start moving to Tiranat? I can already see that Kirnos is a little bigger than Tiranat, although not by much. However, if we include the people who must be living in all the surrounding farms, there are probably enough people here who might be willing to move..." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Feroy nodded while jerking his head towards the noble's retinue some distance away in front of them.

"Indeed. Lanidas rarely pays for anything he buys in the marketplace, not to mention the absurd taxes his father takes, and the lining of his own pockets by further increasing our taxes by the young master means nobody is satisfied living under their rule. So, earlier in the marketplace, when I saw how disliked this young master was, I saw it as a good chance to make him show as even more greedy to the locals, which will further show them that life in Kirnos is very difficult under the current baron.

Nobody likes paying taxes in the first place, but by tripling our taxes on his whim in front of everyone, Lanidas did half of our work for us anyway."

"That's true enough," Teysb looked at the houses which had become even more lavish as they approached closer to the baron's manor, whose palisade wall they could already see in the distance by now, "but even if people want to move away from Kirnos so they wouldn't have to pay such taxes, why would they want to move to Tiranat?"

"I was getting to that," Feroy answered.

"The grumbling fish merchant I had met with, told me a lot about just how dissatisfied people are here. They can't go to hunt in the nearby forests because the baron has a monopoly on that, they can't farm in the winter anyway, and there isn't any construction work going on here. That means most of the people in Kirnos remain unemployed in the winter, which has led to many of them becoming homeless and barely having anything to eat - like we saw earlier. So I'll be...

whispering in a few ears that there are lots of opportunities for available work in Tiranat, which will give the dissatisfied locals a new place where they can imagine a better future for themselves. After that, we can only hope that they are brave enough to decide that risking moving to a different village is still better than their children not getting anything to eat here." Tesyb gave a slow nod thinking about it, as the young master waited ahead of them for the gates to be opened.

Soon, they were inside the walls of the baron's manor, with Lanidas waiting for them on his horse. The young master pointed to his right.

"Our coal is stored in that storehouse. Tell your guards to take the wagons there so my servants can remove the coal." Then he glared at Feroy for a moment.

"No merchant had come from Tiranat for months, and now someone like you comes here... I wonder if Tiranat got a new baron by now... Probably not," he gave the answer himself with a snort.

"Which noble in his right mind would want to go to live in that cesspit anyway!" Tesyb clenched his fists, but remained quiet. How dare this bastard make fun of his village like that! Feroy waited for the baron to finish speaking, "In fact, milord, Tiranat does have a new baron now. Lord Kivamus Ralokaar - the third son of the Duke of Ulriga - is the one who rules over the barony of Tiranat now." Lanidas looked so surprised that it seemed he had forgotten to breathe.

"Just what are you talking about! What would a Duke's son be doing in that place!" He added with a glare, "It... it... doesn't make any sense! Has the Duke lost his mind!" Suddenly it seemed like all his anger had vanished and he looked a little fearful, "But if... if that's true... then I... at that time..." but he suddenly stopped speaking before he finished whatever he was going to say. The ex-mercenary gave a lazy shrug.

"I wouldn't know anything about the noble politics in Ulriga or why the Duke sent his son there, but it is indeed a son of the Duke who rules over Tiranat now." The plump young master seemed to be thinking for a moment before he took a deep breath and scoffed.

"Hah! If you are indeed right about this, then a pampered noble who's lived all his life in the luxurious Palace of Ulriga wouldn't even last the whole winter in that village! It seems Count Cinran will have to look for a new baron again for that cesspit. Maybe I should try for it... not that there is anything worth having in that village apart from its coal, but we can always use more slaves in this manor..."

Tesyb was getting furious at the constant insults this bastard made about his home village and their baron. This spoiled young master had no idea about the lengths Lord Kivamus had gone to to make sure everyone in the village had food to eat and a roof over their heads. He was once again thinking about saying something in anger, but somehow Feroy was anticipating this, and gave him a harsh stare, making him shut his mouth immediately, even though that didn't do anything to reduce his anger.

Feroy looked back at the young master and smiled politely but didn't say anything either. Eventually, Lanidas seemed to realise that he wouldn't get a rise from the ex-mercenary, so he began to turn around his horse, and added, "Come with me to the manor house and I'll settle your payment."

"By your order," Feroy gave a short bow after jumping down from his seat.

"Tesyb, take care of everything here." Tesyb took a deep breath to calm his mind and nodded, before he gestured to the guards on their other wagon behind him to move the wagons towards the storehouse, where a few servants were already waiting with shovels.

The skies had gotten fully dark by the time the servants finished their task, and he saw Feroy walking towards them from a three story wooden mansion in the distance where he had gone with the young master earlier.

"Come on, let's leave," Feroy ordered once he had reached closer. They turned around their empty wagons, and started moving towards the manor gates again after taking their seats.

"So, did you...?" Tesyb whispered, hoping the ex-mercenary would understand his question about the payment. It wasn't a good idea to speak about such big amounts openly inside this manor. Who knew where the news might travel, especially with Torhan's bandits mingling around in this village.