Stupidity Is the Greatest Original Sin

"Three hundred Gold Coins. That's the limit of what I can afford. Hudson, you should know this isn't a small sum. It's nearly half a year's income from the territory."

The Baroness fought hard for it. Yet Hudson merely smiled without saying a word, refusing to take part in the bargaining.

Had it been the original owner of this body, he might truly have been fooled. Half a year's income from the territory sounded frightening, but the figure was heavily watered down.

If that were truly all they earned, they probably could not even afford enough black bread to fill their stomachs. After all, there were very few free commoners these days. Most of the people in the territory were serfs dependent on the nobility.

With over ten thousand people in the entire barony, even with only a middle-school grasp of mathematics, Hudson knew his family's income was far more than what appeared on the books.

Underreporting income was also an unspoken rule among the nobles. The King only collected commercial taxes, but the Church collected tithes!

As devout believers, they naturally could not refuse the Church's tithe. Thus, finding every possible way to lower their reported income became the best choice.

The territory's average annual income per person was less than one Silver Coin. They could barely afford fodder, yet they still paid their tithes on time. Clearly, the Coslo Family were the Lord of Dawn's most devout believers.

"Three hundred Gold Coins, plus a fine warhorse and a set of armor. Hudson, you've already become a knight. You need your own knightly equipment."

The Baroness made another promise.

Hearing that, Hudson rolled his eyes. She was clearly treating him like a child. Becoming a knight did require equipment, but he believed his cheap father would have it prepared.

As a traditional noble, Baron Redman cared greatly about appearances. He would never allow himself to become a laughingstock over something like this.

Though he had many sons and his purse was somewhat depleted, wasn't Lesur crippled now?

Not only would that save a sum of money, it would also give them several years to recover. It should not be difficult to pull through by then.

Only the Baroness failed to see the situation clearly and was still working tirelessly for Lesur. In truth, he had been abandoned from the very day of the incident.

As for family resources, there was no need even to think about it. Even if Baron Redman loved his son dearly and was willing to keep investing in him, the other members of the Coslo Family would never agree.

"Four hundred Gold Coins!"

"Hudson, this is all the cash I can use. Any more, and your father will discover it."

The Baroness said helplessly.

Though she nominally controlled the household finances, Baron Redman was the one who truly called the shots. The only money she could use was from her own private stash, and she did not have much cash on hand.

"Use valuables to make up the remaining hundred Gold Coins, then. Magic Cores and crystals will do. Surely Madam would not default over such a small sum."

Hudson said generously.

That punchable expression caused the anger the Baroness had painstakingly suppressed to flare up once more. Before she could explode, Hudson continued.

"Madam, hurry and get the money. While you're at it, invite the Baron over. I'll go check on poor Lesur first. He's been hanging there for nearly three days, and he's injured. If this drags on too long, no one knows what might happen."

With that, he turned and left, not giving the Baroness any chance to speak, as though he had her completely in his grasp.

She stomped her foot hard, but the enraged Baroness suddenly calmed down. A merchant's daughter who had married into a noble family and firmly secured her place as mistress of the household might not have had much political sense, but her skills in household intrigue were certainly not lacking.

If a conflict broke out now, no matter the reason, she would be the only one to suffer. Who could blame her son for dragging his mother down with him?

If outsiders came to believe that she had ordered the Life Essence to be swapped, she would be finished. Divorce was difficult on the Aslant Continent, but becoming a widow was very easy.

Unlike noble marriages, the Baroness, whose birth family offered little support, could not withstand much turmoil.

Strolling through the ancient castle, Hudson only slowly made his way to the pillar where Lesur was tied after the Gold Coins had been delivered.

"Hanging" was clearly an exaggeration. Though that had been the Baron's order, the guards carrying it out were not rigid fools.

He was still the Baron's son. If they accidentally got him killed, they would be the unlucky ones.

What was originally "hang him from the pillar" had become "let him sit beside the pillar." A maid stood nearby swatting away mosquitoes, and there was even a plate of fruit not far away.

If not for the rope connecting Lesur to the pillar and his disheveled appearance, it would have been hard to believe he was being punished.

When Hudson approached, the two guards instantly became awkward. Taking care of one young master while offending another was clearly not a wise choice.

Hudson was no pushover either. He had two older brothers backing him. The division of the Baron's sons into two camps was no secret.

One side possessed the right of inheritance, while the other had the mistress of the household supporting them. If Baron Redman had not kept them in check, they would have openly clashed long ago.

Pick a side?

What a joke. No one here was stupid.

They had to watch the mistress's expression now, but in the future, they would have to follow the other side. How were they supposed to choose?

"Young Master Hudson, you're here!"

Hudson nodded. He had no intention of making things difficult for the guards. In this strictly hierarchical world, life was already hard for little people. Trying to please both sides was understandable.

"What happened? Lesur, my poor little brother, how did you end up tied here?"

"What are you standing around for? Hurry and untie him! Let him down! My poor..."

Anyone unaware of the truth who saw this scene would certainly think the brothers shared a deep bond. In reality, the two, close in age, had fought since childhood.

"Enough, Hudson. You don't need to act so fake here. If it weren't for you, Father wouldn't have punished me!

Now get lost, immediately! I don't want to see you for another second!"

Lesur practically roared.

Seeing this, Hudson was not angered. Instead, he appeared even more affectionate.

"Poor Lesur. He's so muddle-headed now that he doesn't even recognize his dearest older brother.

Sigh, forget it. Untie him first. I'll bear Father's anger. As his older brother, how can I watch my little brother suffer?

..."

The moving scene left the guards staring with wide eyes, and for a moment, they forgot what they were supposed to do.

Before they could react, Hudson had already drawn his knight's sword and cut through the rope, proving with his actions that he was serious.

At that moment, a stern middle-aged man walked over. It was none other than Baron Redman.

Clearly, he had seen everything that had just happened.

He glared fiercely at the two guards, then kicked Lesur, who was sitting beside the pillar, flying. Without pausing, he said, "Hudson stays. Everyone else, take this beast and get out."

Seeing that no one had reacted yet, the Baroness, who had followed close behind, hurriedly added, "What are you standing around for? Quickly take Young Master Lesur to have his injuries treated!"

No matter how well she concealed it, Hudson could still sense the Baroness's heartache. Baron Redman's kick had not been light; it had sent Lesur flying three or four meters.

If Lesur had not possessed a strong foundation and trained before, an ordinary person would have been severely injured even if they did not die. It was clear Baron Redman was truly disappointed.

Making a mistake was not frightening. What was frightening was making a mistake and not realizing it. In the noble world, stupidity was the greatest original sin.

After everyone left, Redman looked Hudson over and said with slight satisfaction, "You've improved quickly. Unfortunately, you overacted just now."