Reincarnated As A Peasant - Book 2 Chapter 3: Grandpa's Advice

Landar

Later that afternoon

I knocked on the door, and the sound reverberated through a large space on the other side. I glanced at the large double doors to my right, and winced. It became clear to me now that the side door was just that. A door to the side of the main throne room entrance instead of some office as I had hoped it to be.

The guard smirked, and I fought from giving him a death glare. “Just knock there, and wait. Someone will come to help you.” The guard had said.

I waited quietly, and eventually the sound of heavy boots on stone came from the other side. Then without any preamble the door flew wide open revealing a familiar young woman’s face. “Landar? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong Sena. I just need to see if uh . . . if the Arch Duke is in and available to speak for a moment?”

Sena’s frown was framed by her short cropped blond hair hanging just off her shoulders. She was my new . . . grandfathers, page. From what she had told me, she was essentially an apprentice. And would one day have the opportunity to join the realm knights, or one of the many knightly orders.

But she was a ways away from that yet.

“You’ve actually come at a pretty good time. Usually he’s gone most of the day. But he has taken dinner in the small dining room today. Would you like to join him?” I nodded. “Then please follow me. Thank you Sir Rugren.” She gave a curt nod to the knight who had given me the instructions. Only for the smirk he had worn to be swept away under a mask of complete professionalism.

So, you expected me to get chewed out by Sena, huh? Interesting. I’ll remember that Sir Rugren. I thought with a bit of mischief in the smile I gave the man as I followed Sena into the throne room.

The room itself was devoid of people, save a handful of cleaning staff near the tops of the vaulted ceiling on scaffolding. They were using dusters and long poles to clean the various stained glass in the higher up windows. Sena led me to a set of side passages, and quickly out of that oppressively quiet room.

“It was so quiet. I couldn’t even hear the workers talking to each other.”

Sena smiled. “They weren’t talking, they were singing. All the work crews do.” That shocked me. There had to be some kind of magic involved. The room was big, but it wasn’t that big.

Thankfully she spared me having to ask.

“You couldn’t hear them because of the sound dampening enchantments in the stones on the main floor. It makes it so sound doesn’t travel far. Helps prevents eavesdropping. Unfortunately, as I have learned the hard way, it does not mean it prevents people from reading your lips.”

She scowled a bit, and I could tell there was an interesting story there.

“But the enchantment is on the floor’s stones. Not the upper terraces. When we go back, I’ll point out the guard alcoves along the second floor. They can hear everything. Helps prevent assassination attempts.”

My eyebrows rose. “Have you uh, have you seen many of those?”

Sena smiled sadly. “Only two. The first was an attempt on Count Terlimins life. He had a cousin who thought she was a better prospect to see to the military and economic affairs of the northern district of the duchy. She was proven woefully wrong.”

After a moment of silence as we walked past closed doors, and empty hallways I forced myself to ask. “And the second one?”

Sena’s smile turned wicked. “An event I am sure you are intimately familiar with.”

“Oh . . .” was all I got out before we came to a door that was rather ordinary.

“Don’t worry about it. Commander Tavis is a good man, and has forgiven the slight in its entirety. And with the pardon from your now Grandfather, I am sure the risk of retaliation against you is . . . minimal.” The teenager winked at me as she opened the door, and whispered to whoever was inside. A moment later she pulled the door more open, and gestured for me to go inside. “They’re waiting for you.”

They? Who is they?

I walked into the room and had to bite my tongue to keep from swearing.

Tavis sat directly across from the ArchDuke, with my mother sitting opposite both men at the same table.

Damn.

***

“Landar!” Mortimer said as he pulled a cup from his lips. The massive acid scar that I had previously seen on the side of his face was gone. Replaced with the simple jawline scar that seemed to be permanently part of his face. “What a pleasant surprise. Come in, I’ll have Sena make another bowl of soup for you if you like.” He gestured, and where there had been three seats, each full, now there were four. One had simply not been there before, and was there now.

And I didn’t sense any mana being used. What was that?

“Thank you, your grace.” I sat as he waived the title away.

“In this room just call me Mortimer. Now, before we chat I need to finish my lesson with your mother and Tavis here. Can it wait or is it an emergency?”

“It can wait, thank you.”

Mortimer nodded, and turned his full attention back to the others at the table. A cup of swirling sweet smelling juice appeared in front of me and I barely caught Sena’s hand as it disappeared behind me. I found her standing in one corner, a serious expression on her face waiting for further orders.

“As I was saying,” Tavis picked up the conversation. “The tenements on the south western ridge line are in a terrible state. The work crews were able to get them serviceable a few years ago, but their repairs were slapdash, temporary fixes at best. They’re practically falling apart now. They should be moved to the front of the line for renovations and reconstruction. But the city council is adamant that other parts of the lower city are repaired first.”

“Do they have a reason?” Mortimer asked, his gaze moving to my mother.

Elsbeth cleared her throat. “Yes. The other districts are market districts. They will bring in added tax dollars in the form of merchant stalls being rented. And ten merchant stalls in the main market brings in double in a month what any single tenement does in a year. With that added revenue, we’d be able to accelerate all of the repairs throughout the city. Not just a single building.”

“But these buildings are literally going to fall over without proper repairs.” Tavis said, gesturing towards a small map that was sat between the three of them. There were three buildings along the south western portion of the city in one of the drudge districts that were marked in a magically glowing yellow ink. No doubt highlighting the area in question. “Over nine hundred drudges are at risk in those conditions.”

Mortimer leaned over the map and took a closer look at the affected tenements. “Why is it labeled apple core court? Is there a justice of the peace that happens to live in the buildings?”

Elsbeth fought back a smile as she answered. “No, nothing like that. It’s called a court because of its layout. See how the three buildings make three sides of a triangle, and there’s this large section in the middle that forms a courtyard, where they have their petty markets and shrine?”

Mortimer nodded for my mother to continue. “The engineer the city council sent to look at the buildings says that they’re sound enough to survive another winter or two before needing reconstruction. With the added money from the marketplace stalls being rebuilt, we can repair the entire south east ridgeline all at once next year, or the year after at the latest. Instead of doing this piecemeal approach where we’re putting out fires rather than being proactive.”

“I have looked at the buildings myself. Personally.” Tavis said. His voice low and somber. “If they survive this winter, it’ll be a minor miracle. Do you have any idea what the effect of nine hundred people dying all at once from preventable maintenance issues will have on the drudges of this city? We’ll be lucky if all they do is strike. More than likely we’ll be dealing with riots again. This time in the middle of winter.”

“Have you considered private philanthropy?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself. All three sets of eyes turned on me. “Oh uh. Sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

Eslbeth and Tavis both gave me looks that said ‘what do you think i’m doing here?’

“Oh. That’s . . . why you are here.”

Tavis smiled and nodded, before turning back to Mortimer.

“The problem isn’t the supplies. We have plenty of wood and stone from the outlying settlements that were given as in kind taxes. The city council is willing to part with those at no cost. It’s labor. It’s going to require skilled craftsmen to come in and do the work properly. Over a thousand gold for a crew to work on it, and another six hundred to get them to do it in the middle of winter. Three hundred for the weather wizard to prevent hazards, and three hundred for the crew.”

“So you need almost two thousand gold from me?” Mortimer asked. “All for labor costs?”

The duo nodded. Mortimer leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his drink. Then his eyes locked on me, and I saw a smile creep onto his face as he was drinking. When he put the cup down, his smile had grown.

“Tell me Landar, what would you do to fix this?”

“Uh, me?” Mortimer nodded. “Well. Personally? I’d have already set up a revolving maintenance fund for all of the tenements. That is, enough gold set aside and invested in businesses or in banks who would then invest it in loans to small businesses, that the interest on that fund would be enough to cover the basic yearly maintenance costs of the buildings. Including labor. Regular, minor and preventative maintenance over prolonged periods of time usually costs far less than deferred maintenance that then requires replacement. I’d have to learn more about the markets of the city to know exactly how much money would be required. But my best guess would be . . .”

I thought about what I knew about the value of coins in this world. How a drudges daily wages was worth two copper pennies, and how a craftsmens daily work was worth the same in silver. Roughly. I suspected the pattern continued on with Gold for nobility, but there was no way to be sure at that moment.

“Assuming a 5% interest or dividend yield on the fund, and the costs of maintenance being about the same as a single craftsmens daily wage a week, plus materials cost? I’m ball parking it here, but that would mean a cost per tenement of about one hundred and four silver a year. That means, assuming that 5% yield rate on the fund? You’d need to set aside about two thousand and eighty silver pennies. Or 280 gold pennies per tenement. That should cover the costs of basic maintenance going forward into the future.”

I stopped and looked up at the three of them, and saw a mix of emotions play across all of their expressions. Mortimer looked supremely satisfied. Almost smug. While Tavis looked both impressed and annoyed. Elsbeth however, was that pride? Or anger? I wasn’t really sure.

“What?” I asked, the bottom of my stomach having fallen through the floor.

“Oh nothing, you just proved my point on a little argument I had with your mother.” Mortimer winked at Elsbeth. “Told you, you owe me a silver.” She scowled at him, pulled out a silver coin and handed it over to him. When the exchange was done she beamed at me in happy pride.

“Do I want to know?”

“No kid, you don’t.” Tavis said with a smirk crossing his expression. “A, what did you call it, revolving fund?” I nodded. “A revolving fund is all well and good. But this is a lot of money needed in short order. If we could go back in time, without breaking the law.” Tavis lifted a hand placatingly towards Mortimer who scowled slightly. “We would have set that thing up a long time ago. But, we can’t and we have issues that need fixed now. So, your grandfather’s question still stands.”

“I’m afraid he’s right.” Mortmier said as he took another drink from his cup.

How much juice is in that cup? They’re not that big. Maybe he’s faking it to look important.

“Well . . . I think the city council has a point. Whenever it comes to dealing with crisis now, vs laying seeds of success for the future, I try to lean towards the second while keeping the first down to a small bonfire.” That got a chuckle from Tavis and my mother, but Mortimer just kept staring at me waiting for me to finish. “Is there any way to pair down the repairs to the bare minimum for structural security and safety?”

Tavis winced, “These are the most basic repairs needed” he explained. “To make them safe again.”

“Well as far as I see it, if labor is the main issue? Then we have two options. Either one, we can throw money at it now, and hope there’s not a similar crisis next year so we can begin laying groundwork for economic growth. Or two, we can try to find a creative solution. What work is needed specifically?”

Tavis handed me a small sheet that listed a host of pretty significant issues. From roof repair, to mold, all the way to rusty pipes, weakening load bearing timbers, and broken foundations. Not things that were easily fixed or left for later.

“Hmmm. I think I might have an idea. What if, and just hear me out, we allowed the drudges to work on repairing their own homes? Under the supervision of trained craftsmen of course. Someone with actual expertise in that particular subject. They could direct the drudges, who are clearly not afraid of a little work given what I’ve seen them do around the city, and that could lower our labor costs.”

“The drudges might be willing,” My mother said hesitantly. “But they’d need some concessions. Free hours from work gangs, or lower rents to pay for their labor.”

“How much do they bring in, in taxes?” I asked.

“Each tenement brings in only about five or six silver total, every year” she explained.

“Would the city, and the Duke himself, be willing to allow them complete freedom from rents during this time? Allowing that money instead to go towards the costs of materials?”

“It’s a pittance really,” Elsbeth said. “The city council would approve of it, as long as they didn’t have to front the money.”

“I don’t need the one silver I get as my share of the taxes. Hell, I’ve been considering eliminating my share for a bit now city wide anyway.” Mortimer stretched and settled back into his chair.

“And I’ve explained why that’s a bad idea.” Elsbeth said, annoyed. “Technically, the city council’s share of the rents isn’t really even ours. We are not a taxing entity. You are. You give us a significant portion of what you take in, in rents. We don’t want the city thinking things have changed. It would undermine your authority, and potentially undermine the authority of the city council in the eyes of the citizens as well. It’s just . . . a bad idea.”

“Fine, fine. Let’s not derail the boy. Go on.” Mortimer motioned for me to continue.

“Alright well, we let the drudges use their own money that they would pay in rent, to hire someone to come in and help them repair their own homes. Let them fix the issue themselves, and just get out of the way.”

“That . . . That sounds nice dear.” Elsbeth broke the silence. “But, you see. Most drudges well, they can’t so much as read. Let alone do sums, or negotiate contracts. It’s why they have craftsmen, crew chiefs, and peasant work gang bosses who help guide their labor. They’re not stupid by any means, just . . . they lack an education.”

“And most have the mental foundations of stone,” Tavis said dismissively. Earning a scowl from my mother that would have wilted oak trees if it had mana behind it. “What? It’s true. And it’s also why we have a responsibility to them to ensure they live in safe conditions. They can hardly do it themselves.”

My mothers scowl deepend and I had the feeling a real fight was about to break out when Mortimer cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I like this plan. Not only does it help mitigate the danger now, but it also shows people we’re trying to do something to help. It also has the added benefit of drawing out the potential in people who would be,” he glanced at Tavis. “Otherwise dismissed. However, both your mother and Tavis are right. Almost all drudges lack an education. We do need someone we can rely on to help guide their efforts. Someone I can trust with the coin I’ll be putting towards the effort matching that of the drudges.”

His eyes fell on me and I nearly shriveled.

“I think this can help kill two birds with one stone. I am turning over control and duty of those three tenements to you, Landar. The city will still take in their taxes for you, but you’ll have access to those funds. You’ll be responsible for recruiting workers, negotiating contracts, and doing all the, stuff, you just said. Also, you can keep any taxes you take in. And just to get you started, I’ll contribute, hmmm. Five hundred gold.”

I gulped.

He smiled wickedly. “Never suggest a program to a ruler, unless you’re willing to do the work yourself, kid. Best advice I can give you.”