I turned back after giving Robin further instructions. Ira was locked in the basement, and I needed to confirm whether she had bitten her tongue or hanged herself.
Robin hadn't said anything after visiting the dungeon earlier this morning, so I assumed Ira was still alive.
As I opened the dungeon door, a musty smell of moss and damp air greeted me. The stone walls were covered in moss and mold, so thick that touching them felt like inviting every disease in the world.
Ira was confined in the farthest corner of the dungeon. Her ankles were chained, and she sat with a resigned expression, staring at the floor.
"Are you reflecting on your actions, Ira?"
"..."
Ira remained silent, her gaze fixed on the ground. Was she pretending to be insane to evoke sympathy? I checked her status window.
**Name:** Ira
**Occupation:** Fraudster
**Affinity:** 0
**Level:** 6
**Stats**
Strength: 3
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 7
Luck: 0
**Traits**
- **Accountant**: Years of handling financial transactions have made her highly skilled in accounting. Automatically organizes the domain's operating costs.
- **Acting**: Can pretend to be in another profession.
**Currently Acting As:** Madwoman
- **Skilled Thief**: Can unlock all doors below her current level. This ability is further adjusted based on tools used.
- **Imprisoned**: Currently restrained and confined. Stats are penalized.
So, she could even act as a "madwoman." Truly a remarkable talent. I wondered if I could somehow manipulate her into becoming a spy. Since she'd clearly keep up the act no matter what I said, I decided to leave her be for now.
When I returned to the first floor, large carriages were waiting at the gate. I knew what they were for: tenant farmers who leased land within the domain to grow crops and pay rent.
Come to think of it, I needed to deal with those bastards too.
"Lord Lucius! It's been a while! I hope you're well!"
A tenant farmer bowed deeply to me. Wait, was that really a tenant farmer? Wasn't that the lord of a neighboring domain? I squinted, unable to gauge his true identity.
He was so obese that he could barely walk, entering on a donkey with three slaves in tow. Even without knowing the original game, I was certain this guy was embezzling grain.
In this game, tenant farmers were essentially leaseholders who harvested crops on borrowed land. The real-life relationship between tenants and lords was far more complex, but the game didn't bother with such details.
Thanks to that, I was now face-to-face with this absurd tenant-lord dynamic.
"Yes, how have you been? Uh..."
I couldn't remember his name, so I mentally wished to see his status window.
**Name:** Gildar Balpa
**Occupation:** Tenant Farmer of the Peta Family
**Level:** 10
**Stats**
Strength: 8
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 15
Luck: 20
**Traits**
- **Farmer**: Efficiently cultivates grains in farmland.
- **Obesity**: Penalizes agility.
- **Embezzlement**: Skillfully evades taxes. Maximizes personal profit in all endeavors.
"Gildar Balpa. How was this year's harvest?"
The tenant farmer proudly removed the cover from his carriage. Sacks of grain filled about half of it. He wiped away tears as he spoke.
"My apologies, Lord. Another year of poor harvest... This is all I could bring."
Why is his occupation even "tenant farmer"? At this point, isn't he just a fraudster? I stepped outside and inspected the carriage. Though the sacks only filled half the space, each one was tightly packed, as if he'd put effort into it.
It was already a considerable amount, but this was after he'd embezzled. In other words, if I properly dealt with these guys, the domain's finances would become transparent and clean.
"Another poor harvest? That's strange. I've been praying diligently, ensuring the soil's fertility."
"Ah, well... It seems my farming skills are too poor to maximize the land's potential."
"So, you're saying I'm at a loss by employing you? The gods don't solve everything, Balpa. Humans must put in effort for the best results."
"No, no, that's not what I meant, Lord. Next year, I'll definitely show better results."
Balpa was flustered, and rightly so. Until now, he'd just say, "It's a poor harvest!" and I'd reply, "I see! I'll pray harder!" before accepting the crops. If someone like him was in charge, I'd want to exploit the system too.
But now, things were different. These bastards were capital offenders, and I knew it. And I needed money. Managing the domain had shown me that the annual expenses far outweighed the revenue.
If not for the southern priest's maintenance fees and church donations, the domain would've gone bankrupt long ago. So, I needed to exterminate these leeches sucking my blood.
"Robin, prepare the horses."
I quickly summoned Robin. Balpa stared at me, bewildered. I asked,
"Why are you looking at me like that, Balpa? Hurry and mount your donkey."
"Wh-what's going on...?"
"We're going to inspect the land I leased to you. Guide us. We leave now."
Robin brought two horses, the most pampered in the domain. They were so fat they looked like pork kebabs shaped like horses.
"Why are the horses in this state?"
"Neither you nor I have had reason to ride them..."
"Make sure they exercise regularly from now on."
These lunatics didn't even take the horses for walks. I'd need to discipline the knights and their squires. Even in a peaceful domain, standards must be upheld.
As we mounted the horses, Balpa trembled even more as he climbed onto his donkey. When the pig-like tenant farmer mounted, the donkey let out a dying screech. Maybe it was Balpa screaming, but I didn't care.
"Guide us, Balpa. Now."
The way he twisted his body like he was having a seizure suggested he hadn't sold the harvest yet. If he'd sold it first, there'd be less evidence, but he'd clearly become complacent due to years of neglect.
"Balpa, move faster. Why are you dragging your feet?"
"Y-yes! Right away!"
Urged by my words, Balpa whipped his donkey harder, and it galloped forward, braying in agony. Even our horses were already struggling, panting heavily and sticking out their tongues.
I patted the horses' heads and asked Robin,
"Robin, as the knight commander, do you have anything to say?"
"I... have no excuse."
I thought fixing a few things would be enough, but the entire domain was rotten. If even the lord's horses were neglected, how bad was the rest? Where should I even start? My head began to ache.
After a three-hour ride for what should've taken one, we arrived at the farmland. As soon as we dismounted, the horses collapsed, snorting heavily. Robin stood stiffly beside me, head bowed.
This wasn't Robin's fault, though. She couldn't take the horses without my permission, and the original owner, Lucius, likely didn't care about knight training. If the lord neglects something, those responsible for it grow lazy.
"Come, Robin. Let's inspect this farmland."
I dragged Robin, who kept apologizing, to survey Balpa's land. In the center stood a luxurious building resembling a nobleman's villa. I knew what it was.
It was the first building players encountered when entering the Peta Domain in *Heroine Legend*. Searching its basement revealed piles of grain, exposing the tenant farmer's embezzlement.
"Uh, well... As you can see... There's nothing here."