"Hm? Ah, well…"
The old man carefully gauged Thoma's expression before revealing his foot. What greeted Thoma was a black and blue colored, swollen mess of flesh; it gave off the impression that his bones were broken.
"I haven't been able to feel anything for a while now. I've sought out a pharmacist, but… he said it might already be too late. The only options I have left are to amputate it or have it healed using holy magic, but the money… I'm already skipping meals! Not to mention there are already back taxes piling up! How could I ever afford an expensive treatment from those priests?"
"…I understand." Thoma sighed in response to the old man's earnest cries and reached his hand toward the old man's foot.
When he chanted something under his breath, light poured out from his palm and seeped into the foot. Slowly but surely, the swelling died down, and the dark bruising faded away.
The old man watched, eyes wide, before staring daggers at him. "Didn't you hear me?! I can't even pay my taxes or make paltry donations to the abbey, and you give me this kind of expensive treatment?!"
"I won't ask for any payment."
"…What?!"
Thoma gave the old man a wide smile.
"I only ask that you visit this place every once in a while to help care for the children. They enjoy it very much, and the past experiences of the elderly make for great stories. That's all I ask of you."
"Ah-ah… Lord Hero!"
"And the donation… I'll overlook it for today. Do not forget it next time. Okay?"
The old man gripped Thoma's hand in response. "Thank you! Thank you! There's no one else who'd go so far for an old man like me!"
The old man wept pitifully as he firmly gripped Thoma's hand. His calloused, dirty hands were small and frail from malnutrition, like a thin branch that would snap at any moment. People such as this old man were a common sight, but in the end, their hearts were still pure and innocent. Thoma was the sole ray of hope for these people who had been abandoned by both family and country.
"Lord Hero! I'll see you tomorrow."
After the elderly group left, Thoma turned toward the altar containing the donations. Peering inside, he saw scant few coins staring back at him
'We're finished. It's not even worth offering this little to the Holy Kingdom.'
A 40% tax. This was the tax rate that citizens of this country had to pay every month. On top of that, each person had to visit a church or abbey near them once a day to offer more money in the name of 'donations'. After an entire month of donation, nearly another 10% of one's money had been taken. Abbeys and churches were supposed to count these donations at the end of the day. If they suspected anyone of withholding what was due, their faith was called into question and they would be handed over to the Religious Court. In short, the citizens of the Holy Kingdom had to pay a total of 50% in taxes every month. This made it difficult for the poorer peasantry to get by, who didn't have wealthy households and resources to fall back on. It was common to see a son or daughter being sold into slavery just to sustain their family's meager lifestyle.
'This… is too unfair.'
Thoma was well aware that this was a heartless way to rule, but money was necessary to maintain balance and keep the country moving forward. The higher the taxes, the stronger their country would become; recruiting and training top-quality soldiers wasn't cheap. Considering this, it wasn't surprising that the tax rate was so high.
'Everyone still manages to get by despite the struggles. There's always some way to survive. The fact that this poor little abbey's still around is proof enough. But… can anyone actually have a happy life living like this? Can we even be called alive when we're all no different than slaves to the nation?'
***
Later in the day, Thoma discovered his concerns were shared by the children of the abbey.
"This is because of all the bad people!"
Thoma cocked his head in bewilderment.
"The bad people?" he asked curiously.
The children put down the blocks they were playing with and nodded or held their hands up to speak.
"The king and the nobles!"
"Ah, the priests as well!"
Thoma was stunned by their words.
"People say they're the ones taking all of our money!" One of the sisters nearby trembled at that comment.
Thoma felt conflicted at their disparaging remarks.
'Someone said so? Just who had told them this?'
"Who told you all this?"
The children pointed toward one corner of the room. When Thoma followed their fingers, a sister playing with the girls caught his eye. Her signature silver hair and red eyes made her easy to identify, it was Ellie.
She looked shocked by both the childrens' accusations and Thoma's gaze, sheepishly scratching her cheek with her finger. Ellie had also been eavesdropping on the children, trying to gauge Thoma's reaction. The children continued to confidently shout out their 'knowledge', without understanding what it meant to repeat the things Ellie had taught them.
"She said it was because all the kings, nobles, and priests are eating too much!"
"Yeah! All the t-taxes and d-donations," one particularly young child stuttered. "They said they're only doing bad things with them!"
"Look! The nobles and priests are all fat!"
The children held up their arms and walked around clumsily, imitating the nobles and priests in their imaginations. Thoma's eyes twitched, remaining latched onto the young nun.
"Sister Ellie?"
Thoma wore a bright smile, but his narrowed eyes betrayed his inner annoyance. Clearly he blamed her for the children's biased mindset. Ellie giggled awkwardly, walking over to Thoma and the children.
She looked back at him apologetically before speaking to the children. "Yes, that's right. Kings and nobles, even priests do bad things!"
'… Just what is she saying?!'
Thoma tried to silence her, but Ellie spoke first.
"But, what did I tell you before that? How about people in general?"
The children answered in unison. "There are good people and bad people!"
Ellie nodded at their response. "That's right. That must mean that there are bad people and good people among the kings and nobles and priests too, right?"
The children looked back at her in confusion.
"Mmm. For example, over there!" Ellie pointed toward Thoma. "How is brother Thoma to you? Is he good or bad?"
"Good person!" The children shouted.
"That's right, but he's a priest as well. He's not a bad person, is he?"
The children looked toward Thoma, then back at Ellie, still unable to wrap their heads around who was good and who was bad.
"There are very good people and very bad people among us all. There are bad people among the kings, nobles, and priests that you all spoke of, but there's also good people like us—that help the poor—among them as well. It's because of these good people that everyone here is able to keep living happily!"
Thoma shut his mouth at her words. He no longer wanted to stop her from speaking. Rather, he too had become interested in her unconventional lesson.
"The terrible people can become good, and the good people among us can become bad. They also have hearts, just like me or you, so doesn't it make sense that they can change as well?"
"Then…"
The children looked toward Thoma and Ellie.
"Can brother Thoma and sister Ellie become bad as well?"
The pair were dumbfounded by the children's question.
Ellie quickly replied with a smile. "Yes! High marks for you! That could happen! However, I have Brother Thoma, and Brother Thoma has me, so we will not become bad! We support each other and correct our path to remain good! Don't you all agree? What do you think, Brother Thoma? That's what a family is, isn't it?"