Today was the day Mr. Milo collected rent, and the town of Red River Valley was bustling early in the morning. Villagers from surrounding villages came, carrying various goods either on their backs or pulled by livestock: grains, wheat, vegetables, fruits, fish, homemade wine, beer, honey, cheese... a dazzling array. Those unaware might think these farmers were selling their goods in the town.
Red River Valley seemed well-prepared for this occasion. Servants serving Mr. Milo had already set up several long tables outside the castle, with a dedicated clerk keeping records. Following the usual roster, people approached one by one to settle their rent. Farmers and merchants waited on the side, chatting and laughing, seeming quite relaxed.
This scene was hard to come by elsewhere. After all, for nobles, the meager harvest of peasants was hardly worth noticing. They usually converted the rent into currency, making the commoners pay taxes. It was said that nobles elsewhere had been doing this for a long time, often with many dark dealings, which could harm many people and even lead to their ruin.
Mr. Milo of Red River Valley generously allowed people to continue paying rent in the traditional way and strictly forbade any extortion or bullying of the villagers. Whenever rent was collected, Mr. Milo would occasionally come out to take a look. Although he didn't speak, his gentle smile on his face earned him sincere respect from the villagers!
Barok also came to pay rent. He and Maximus had cultivated a piece of land outside the town, and this year's harvest was quite good. Two bags of one hundred pounds each of wheat were carried on his shoulders, still looking easy. As usual, he wore a fur hat and stayed in an inconspicuous place, waiting for the clerk to call Maximus's name, then pay the rent. People knew he was Maximus's slave because creatures like slaves needed to be reported to the local constable. This was also a way to prevent them from running away, so the castle's people didn't question the presence of an orc waiting to pay rent.
It was through this method that Barok, from the perspective of a bystander, observed and scrutinized the humans, learning and understanding. Every time this happened, he would reveal a cold indifference that only he could understand! From the moment his tribe was annihilated, he knew he stood on the opposite side of humanity, unable to change his deep-seated hatred even though he was once a human in his past life. Now, he needed to understand humans in detail, even if it meant becoming a humble orc slave.
Everything in Red River Valley was decided by Baron Milo. Although his title was not high, he inherited the estate, which even the king couldn't arbitrarily take away. In this not-so-large but very wealthy territory, Milo's word was law. Of course, his daughter, Miss Saira, was an exception.
Miss Saira was only fifteen years old this year but was the angel of the entire Red River Valley town. Not only did she inherit her mother's beauty, but she also possessed the same kind heart as her father. Whenever the people of the town saw Miss Saira pass by with a cheerful smile, they couldn't help but feel joyful.
But today, Miss Saira seemed to be in a bad mood! While people were bustling about paying rent, she sat by the window lost in thought. The maids were careful not to disturb her, knowing that Miss had just received a rejection letter from the Royal Academy she applied to!
Saira's talent was not outstanding; she couldn't practice combat qi. But her spiritual power had just reached the level where she could learn magic. So her dream was to enter the prestigious Magic Academy in the capital, Padea. Of course, being in the noble class, even though her father was just a humble baron, in the mouths of those high-born nobles, he was synonymous with "country bumpkin." But Saira also knew how difficult it was to enter the Magic Academy. Unless one was a one-in-a-million genius or descended from those ancient and noble aristocratic families, the Padea Academy, which ranked top in the entire Solon Continent, would not open its doors for a daughter of a small noble from the countryside, no matter how many times she applied.
"Unable to practice combat qi, rejected by the Magic Academy... am I worthless?" Saira pouted, looking aggrieved, tears swirling in her eyes.
The personal maid felt sorry for her and comforted her, "Didn't Sir say he would find a way? If you can't go to the Padea Magic Academy, why not go to the intermediate academy in the city of Doran? Doran City is as bustling as the capital Padea. Miss can go there to study magic well and make those old folks at the Padea Academy regret it in the future!"
Saira was still quite naive. Upon hearing the maid's advice, she smiled slightly and asked, "And Father? It's rent day today, why isn't he here?"
"Sir just left. I heard there were guests coming, so he went to greet them."
"Hmph," Saira's face, which had just shown a smile, immediately clouded over. "It's that chubby boy from Liquor City and his father again, isn't it?"
Liquor City was a small city adjacent to Red River Valley, and its lord was also a baron, Julian. He and Milo were considered good friends and often visited each other. But those who knew Julian knew he was famously cunning and greedy. Red River Valley was slightly smaller than his Liquor City, but its land was much more fertile. Julian had been eyeing Red River Valley for some time now, especially since his son, Kyle, began to grow up. Almost every other time, he would bring Kyle to the Red River Valley castle for a visit, ostensibly to bond with an old friend, but everyone in Red River Valley knew what he was thinking.
As for that boy named Kyle, he wasn't bad when he was young, and Saira could play with him. But as he grew older, his bad traits began to show. When Saira once saw Kyle whipping his orc slave with a whip, smiling even as the slave screamed in agony, her opinion of him plummeted.
"Liv, let's go for a walk," Saira didn't want to stay in the castle anymore, putting on a fake smile to welcome the people she didn't want to see.
"But what about Sir...?"
"It's okay, since Father didn't inform me beforehand, he must know I don't like to see those two people. Let's go, change your clothes, and we'll go down to see. There's always something delicious and fun to bring during rent collection!" Saira urged her maid Liv, borrowing a simple coarse cloth dress from her. She wrapped her bright honey-colored hair in a gray headscarf, transforming into a genuine countryside girl in an instant. The two sneaked out of the castle, thinking no one saw them, giggling and laughing as they ran towards the crowd. Not far behind them, two casually dressed attendants followed at an unhurried pace! Baron Milo had only one daughter, whom he cherished dearly, so naturally, he wouldn't neglect to arrange for her protection!
In fact, Saira's attempt to disguise herself was completely futile. In Red River Valley, who wouldn't recognize our beautiful little angel? As she mingled among the villagers, they always brought out the best for her and pretended not to know her, saying, "Hey, little girl, these apples were picked from my orchard this morning. They're big and sweet, try one!"
"I made this cheese myself, with lots of fruit in it. Beautiful little girl, try it and see how it tastes!"
"Fresh fish, still lively in the water. Take it back and cook it into soup, it's delicious!".....
Saira was very happy and had long forgotten her initial troubles. Faced with the food handed to her, she never disappointed anyone and always took a small bite. Even so, after walking not too far, she patted her stomach, already feeling a bit full!
Suddenly, the castle sounded a mournful horn, indicating that the guests had arrived, and Saira knew her father was urging her to come back quickly.
"Miss, perhaps Sir has something urgent to attend to, shall we go back?" Liv suggested.
Saira pouted slightly, feeling a bit unhappy, but still nodded, preparing to return to the castle. Just as she lifted her head, she saw Barok's face with its faint hint of fur and those deep eyes!
The horn sounded again, indicating that Baron Milo was getting impatient. Without much time to think, Saira hurried back to the castle, but the image of those deep eyes lingered in her mind, impossible to shake!
"Miss Saira... such clear eyes. I'm afraid there aren't many humans among the nobility with such innocence anymore!" Barok smiled faintly and continued to remain silent. .....
After paying the rent, Barok returned home and found Maximus asleep by the fireplace again, as he had been for some time now. He couldn't help shaking his head and sighing! His energy was dwindling more and more, and he probably wouldn't hold out for much longer! Barok had this intuition, perhaps because of his shamanic abilities; he could feel Maximus nearing the end of his tether, ready to sleep and never wake up.
"Sigh, oh, Barok, you're back!" The slight movement woke Maximus, and he struggled to open his eyes.
"Master Maximus, would you like some rum?" Barok found a bottle of rum, with a little left from yesterday. He helped the old man up, feeling the 'power' dissipating from him very clearly. When the 'power' completely disappeared, the old man would also be ready to leave, and that time wasn't late, perhaps even today! Barok had a damned hunch, and usually, such damned hunches were quite accurate!
"Rum, rum... hehe, this suddenly reminds me of my youth..." Maximus took the bottle but didn't drink; instead, he looked back on his memories with a nostalgic expression: "Who would have known that I used to be a gladiator? I wasn't a gentle person in my youth, Norman knew that the best! Hehe, when I first met that orc, he was nearly beaten to death by someone. It was rare for me to have a kind heart and save him once. But I didn't expect that he would save my life time and time again later on. When I could completely entrust my back to an orc, Norman became my brother. Damn it, who insisted on creating racial hatred and opposition? Not all humans are necessarily good people, and what's wrong with orcs? It is said that countless years ago, the entire continent was ruled by orcs!..."
"Barok..." The old man suddenly spoke his name.
Barok looked at Maximus, whose face had lost its luster, already starting to dim: "I know you've buried your hatred for humans in your heart, and one day it will erupt. But listen to me, Barok, not all humans are evildoers. There are many humans who are willing to live in peace with orcs. Don't harbor prejudice against the entire human race because of the disaster in your tribe."