At the gates of Kali Town, the tax inspector—a slightly overweight, middle-aged man—scolded the soldiers beside him. "The mayor really is wasting his money keeping you lot on the payroll."
"Are you working for the Lord of All Things? Are you merciful priests?"
"Are you doing charity work?"
"That little group of merchants who just passed through—you undercharged them by at least one shilling."
The inspector cursed carelessly, making no effort to maintain appearances. "I stationed you at the town gates because you know the prices of nearby crops and the cost of doing business in town. You're supposed to be sharp. Who knew every last one of you would turn out to be as thick as a plank?"
"Do you understand that if we collect taxes well, we can make ourselves rich? And whose pockets do you think that extra money goes into?"
"Stop doing charity work."
"Look, another sucker's coming. I'll show you how to collect a transit tax."
The five soldiers guarding the town gates exchanged glances.
One soldier looked displeased. "But... sir, it's only a carriage. Anyone can see there are just people inside."
"They aren't here to do business in our town. How can you charge them a transit tax?"
A transit tax was essentially a business tax.
Setting one was an art.
If the business tax was too high, no small or mid-sized merchants would be willing to come to your town. You'd get nothing, and only shoot yourself in the foot.
But if the business tax was too low—far lower than in the nearby towns—then you really were a sucker.
You might as well be paying an idiot tax to the Lord of All Things.
Travelers passing through generally didn't have to pay a transit tax, since they were sure to spend money in your town. They had to eat and find lodging.
Just by coming here, they were already contributing to the town's economy.
Only a handful of truly bizarre aristocratic landowners taxed travelers passing through their domains.
In the end, their land became desolate and isolated, with not a soul in sight, as every passerby went around it.
The inspector shot the soldier a sidelong glance. "If you just follow the rules, you'll never get anything done. Say another word and you'll be off this post and guarding the public toilets in town."
The soldier turned pale and fell silent.
The inspector sneered at the other four soldiers. "People with just one carriage are the easiest ones to hit with a transit tax."
"How many people can fit in one carriage? I'll count them as five, at most."
"One of them's just the maid driving the carriage. She can't fight."
"I pick on the weak when they're outnumbered. We have to be tough and squeeze them dry. If they don't cooperate, we can even kill them and take their stuff."
The soldiers wore various expressions.
In a world without cameras or telephones, killing someone and disposing of the body was very easy.
The nobles and soldiers who collected taxes often turned into bandits when there were few people around.
Alicia's maid brought the carriage to a stop at the town gates. Her young son looked at the soldiers, feeling a little afraid.
"Keep your eyes open and learn from me." The inspector walked over to the carriage and lifted the curtain. He glanced inside, but started speaking before he'd even finished looking.
"Hmm..."
"You're transporting chili peppers. I'd say you owe at least ten shillings in tax."
The soldiers nearby heard him and thought, That's unbelievably harsh.
This was straight-up robbery.
He was obviously picking on them.
Inside the carriage, the four people exchanged strange looks.
Black Wolf and Leili had never imagined that they'd be robbed at a town gate.
It made sense, though. If they stepped down from the carriage, they'd look like elite warriors. Who would dare give them trouble?
The Great Witch, meanwhile, regarded the inspector with a look that said, You're brave to go looking for death.
Yveta paused. Where had anyone in the carriage gotten chili peppers? Then he realized what was happening. Someone was trying to rob them.
Rob this carriage full of... warriors, a Demon Hunter, a witch, and a wizard?
??
The inspector's first thought, after getting a clear look inside the carriage, was that there were indeed only four people in it.
Add the maid driving outside, and there were five.
He'd guessed right. He really was an experienced middle-aged warrior.
The inspector completely ignored the child Alicia had brought along.
In his eyes, boys under seven didn't count as people. They could be disregarded.
Then a sinking feeling crept into the inspector's heart. Something didn't seem quite right.
There were indeed only five people.
It was just that something about the situation seemed off.
He saw Leili carrying a short sword, and the calluses on his hands showed he was a swordsman. The inspector's pupils shrank.
He saw the enormous two-handed sword on Black Wolf's back, the sharp dagger at his waist, and the distinctive leather armor of a Demon Hunter. His mouth fell open.
When he saw the Hearthstone Witch, he almost cried out.
A witch!
And Yveta was covered in glittering ornaments. Anyone could tell he was someone important, which made the middle-aged warrior's blood run cold.
A witch and a Demon Hunter!
They were coming to this tiny town of barely two thousand people!
And he'd actually gone up to their dangerous carriage!
Heavens!
Lord of All Things, please protect me. From now on, I swear I'll pay a little idiot tax every day...
No, I mean I'll donate money to the church every month.
The inspector trembled with fear. He wanted to shout for the five soldiers behind him to help. He wanted the sentry to use his whistle to alert the City Guard.
His mouth opened. His tongue moved. The sound was about to pass through his throat—
The Hearthstone Great Witch said, "Your Grace."
At that moment, Yveta turned the ring on his right little finger twice and chanted a spell.
As the square piece of black jade on the ring rotated, it glimmered with an eerie light.
The inspector instinctively looked down at the ring on Yveta's hand. A strange glint flashed through his eyes. His brown pupils were quickly stained black as ink, turning completely dark before returning to brown.
The inspector's chubby face twisted with struggle. At last, his expression grew slightly vacant.
The Hearthstone Great Witch congratulated Yveta. "Your Grace, you've successfully cast your first spell."
"The Charm Technique has taken control of his mind. He'll act according to your will now."
Yveta looked at the inspector. After using the ring, he knew that this magical item could only be used once a day.
But the inspector really had changed. His expression was no longer fierce, and with his vacant look, the rolls of fat on his face even seemed a little cute.
He was like a dog caught in one of those ring-toss games, completely obedient to him now.
Yveta could sense a faint mental connection between them. He could give the inspector some very vague commands.
At the same time, he realized that the connection was weak. After half a day, the spell's effect would wear off on its own.
The inspector might also break free of the mind control if he were suddenly startled by something.
Besides, his vacant expression made it far too easy for people to notice something was wrong.
Still, it was good enough.
They only needed to get into town without trouble.
The inspector said blankly, "I've checked. There's nothing wrong with the carriage. There are no goods, and the gentlemen sitting inside are all distinguished people who must not be offended."
"Open the gates and let these gentlemen through."
The soldiers nearby stared in shock and exchanged glances. They didn't even open the gates at first. His order was just too strange.
A moment ago, the inspector had sworn he'd demonstrate the art of tax collection.
The next moment, his attitude had completely changed.
The inspector turned, climbed out of the carriage, and shouted angrily. "What are you waiting for? Open the gates!"
"How dare you refuse your superior's orders! Do you all want to guard the toilets?"
The soldiers hurried to open the gates.
Inside the carriage, Black Wolf and Leili marveled at the Charm Technique's effect.
This spell was amazing!
Yveta suddenly had an idea. He was short on money.
Since he'd already taken control of the inspector, he might as well make full use of him and squeeze out everything he was worth.
At Yveta's direction, the inspector opened the carriage curtain and said respectfully, "My lord, this is all the money I have on me—twelve shillings and eight pence."
"Please accept it."
Yveta took the purse he offered with a smile.
The carriage rolled through the open gates. Not only did they enter the town without paying a single penny, but the official in charge even gave them twelve shillings and eight pence.
After the carriage had gone, the five soldiers stared at the inspector as if he'd gone mad.
Hadn't he said he was going to teach them how to make dirty money?
Why had their superior ended up giving money to someone else?
Was he paying an idiot tax to the Lord of All Things?
One soldier suddenly decided that the inspector must have lost his mind. He had to seize this golden opportunity.
If he didn't take advantage of his superior's madness to get something for himself, he'd be a fool.
Rubbing his hands together, he said, "Sir, I'm short on money at home too. Could you give me some?"
"You gave money to complete strangers. I'm one of your trusted men."
"You can't forget about me..."
The inspector's eyes widened as if he were seeing the soldier for the first time. He even took two steps back. "You want me to give you money? Did I hear that right?"
"You dare ask me for money!"
"Have you gone mad, or is there something wrong with my ears? Who gave you the nerve to ask me for money?"
"I never gave any money to strangers."
"And you... you'll be cleaning toilets from now on!"
The soldier was about to lose his mind. What was going on?
He was close to tears. "N-no, sir, it's a misunderstanding. This is a misunderstanding..."
What the soldier didn't know was that Yveta had lifted the Charm Technique as soon as he entered the town.
Keeping the inspector under its effects might have drawn attention, so he'd decided to end the spell.
With the Charm Technique lifted, the inspector naturally regained his senses and was no longer dazed.
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