Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 256: The Monster is Defeated, but the Uproar Continues
Having completed his tasks in the village, Rest decided to return to the royal capital the next day.
The journey had been fruitful.
Through his time in this fishing village, he felt he had gained some insight into the true nature of the Dowager Queen—Sanada Shouko.
She had led her grandson, Rodel Iwood, astray and scattered countless seeds of conflict throughout the kingdom. However, to Rest, she didn’t feel like a complete stranger.
He couldn’t simply label her as a villain.
Many had suffered because of her actions, but… at the very least, Rest felt he could mourn her as a friend.
(This village was a nice place… Maybe next time, I’ll bring Viola, Primula, and Yuri along…)
He had a feeling they’d end up treating him like a god again, but it would still make for an enjoyable trip.
He could already picture the chaos of being ambushed at the hot springs—an embarrassing but undoubtedly memorable experience.
And so, with many thoughts in his heart, Rest prepared to leave the fishing village.
“Noble sir! Noble sir! Please, come quickly!”
…But of course, things weren’t going to be that simple.
On the morning of his departure, someone came knocking at the inn, looking for him.
It was the same young girl who had first sought his help.
“What is it…? It’s too early for this…”
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Rest turned to the girl.
“Th-there’s a scary person in the village! He’s yelling at the village chief, and everyone’s upset!”
“A scary person…?”
“What’s going on?”
Hearing the commotion, Celestine appeared as well.
Unlike the still-drowsy Rest, she was already fully dressed and put together for the day.
“A dispute, perhaps?”
“Let’s go check it out.”
Rest and Celestine headed for the village square.
Upon arrival, they found a well-dressed man shouting.
“I said, pay up already!”
“But, sir… that money was donated to us…”
At the center of the argument stood the village chief and a burly, bearded middle-aged man in fine clothing.
He was flanked by soldiers who appeared to be his guards—most likely, a noble.
“Is that who I think it is…?”
“Most likely… the lord who governs this land.”
This village was part of a certain barony, meaning it naturally had a ruling lord.
However, that lord had done nothing while the village suffered under monster attacks, merely watching from afar.
“I know this village has made a fortune from selling monster materials! Pay your taxes already!”
“But… that monster wasn’t something we caught. It wasn’t part of our usual fishing activities, so it shouldn’t be subject to taxation…”
“It came from the sea, didn’t it?! That means you have to pay taxes on it! Now hand over the money!”
“…So that’s what this is about.”
Rest frowned.
The noble was after the money from the Sea Serpent’s sale—the funds Rest had donated for the village’s reconstruction.
Since this was a fishing village, any income from selling fish was taxable.
The village chief argued that the donation should be tax-free, while the noble demanded payment regardless.
“Hey, Lady Celestine, how does the law handle this?”
“Taxes for farmers are generally based on their grain harvest. However, for fishing villages, it is customary to tax income from selling fish. That said… the Sea Serpent was not caught by the villagers, but by you, Lord Rest. Thus, it should not be subject to taxation.”
Celestine provided a clear explanation.
“If the villagers had directly sold the Sea Serpent to merchants, there might have been some legal grounds for taxation. However, to avoid complications, the sale was conducted under my name. Since it was a charitable donation for reconstruction, there is no legal basis for taxation.”
“So it’s not even a gray area—it’s just outright illegal.”
If this had been a lawful tax, even as a count, Rest would have had no right to interfere.
However, since the noble was clearly acting against the law, the situation was different.
He couldn’t just turn a blind eye to a corrupt lord oppressing the villagers.
“So that means I can step in and put a stop to this, right?”
“Yes, please do.”
With Celestine’s approval, Rest stepped forward, walking straight into the middle of the dispute.