Don't Burn Them! Even Witches Have Value!

Fire magic

High-physical-exertion labor under a twenty-two-hour work system.

He looked at the firewood beneath his feet, then raised his head to gaze at the young woman with the pop-up window floating by her face.

For some reason, a bold idea appeared in Lynn’s mind.

Although he didn’t understand the mechanics of magic, he understood the market very well—

This witch was simply the best form of clean energy!

In his past life, he had made a fortune investing in new energy. Could he not make his fortune that way again in this life?

In fact, this world did have a technology tree that combined magic with products.

But due to the existence of the Church, its development was extremely slow.

Currently, one could only use expensive magic ore to engrave complex magic circles on items to achieve a tiny bit of magical effect.

This kind of item, which had a price but no supply, was called a magitech device.

Incidentally, as the former Elector’s eldest grandson, the pendant around his neck was actually such a magitech device.

This was a very foolish logic—

Why must the goal of magical products be to allow mortals to use magic?

As long as a witch was using magic, and then ordinary people could also enjoy the convenience, was that not also an application of the magitech technology?

This was a very simple business idea that was completely oriented towards the user.

For example, having a witch produce charcoal, which was a high-end fuel in this era.

But it was obvious that in this era, which hasn’t even had a Renaissance, this idea was a bit too ahead of its time.

In that case, he might really be able to reap huge benefits based on this idea.

Lynn loved money. Whether it was paper money, gold coins, silver coins, or copper coins, he liked them all.

And anything that could make him money would naturally be liked by him as well.

Even after transmigrating, he hoped to continuously accumulate great wealth and then reach the pinnacle of life.

Thinking of this, a smile that Lynn considered brilliant appeared on his face.

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【Favorability: -10 (That smile’s way too creepy!) = -5 (An unpleasant stranger)】

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Lynn, who had almost choked on his own saliva, was about to say something to refute her impression…

Just then, the crowd of onlookers suddenly parted to the side.

”Respected Lord Elcasinoreas... Oh no, I should address you directly as Your Excellency Lynn now.

My apologies. As the shepherds of this parish, we should have come to welcome the new lord of this place.

But this witch struggled particularly hard before the judgment ceremony, so we needed a short rest.”

Walking through the parted crowd was a gray-haired, middle-aged man dressed in a pure white robe.

The emblem on his chest indicated that he was from the Church.

Was he an ascetic or a missionary? Or maybe someone of higher rank?

Lynn, who was still lying on the pile of firewood, didn’t see any other decorations on the priest that could represent his status.

But judging from the two fully armed Church guards following behind him, he was definitely not from the bottom ranks.

”With all due respect, the territory you’ve inherited is indeed a bit remote, so it wasn’t easy for you to come here specifically to conduct this judgment.

You must be well aware that it’s the lord’s duty to ensure that there are no witches within the territory, and we are, in fact, helping you.

So, may we continue?”

The other party seemed to have calculated that Lynn wouldn’t refuse, so the guards behind him walked directly towards the pyre that had just been extinguished.

However, faced with such a suggestion tinged with a bit of threat, Lynn’s reaction was—

”Hold on, who are you? Do I know you?”

Hearing this, the smile on the middle-aged man’s face froze.

He raised his eyebrows, seemingly trying his best to keep his facial muscles relaxed. After a long moment, he finally spoke:

”Your Excellency Lynn, if you were still the Count of Lion’s Ridge, I would naturally state my...”

But before he could finish his slightly mocking words, he saw his guards being driven away by Lynn with the posture of an animal protecting its food.

”Who allowed you to use my firewood to burn my witch?

I shall invoke the ‘Milanese Codex’!

The ownership of all ownerless property within my territory belongs to me!

And the right to judge the residents within my territory also belongs to me!”

‘What kind of joke is this, trying to use my firewood to burn my witch with just a few words?’

Unless they roasted him first, they could never damage his property!

The Church indeed had a strong influence, but this was, after all, the Milan Empire, where secular power was stronger.

The divine tax collected year after year had already made many lords throughout this country, high and low, dissatisfied with the Church.

And the newest ‘Milanese Codex’ was born ten years ago based on this dissatisfaction.

Since the writing of this codex was mainly presided over by his grandfather, he had a very complete memory of its contents.

When Lynn brought out the codex, if the other party still insisted on carrying out the witch-burning, then the problem would escalate to a serious level.

”Is that so…?”

The smile on the middle-aged man’s face finally disappeared completely.

”Fine, of course there’s no problem, Your Excellency Lynn...

As the new Baron of Blackstone, personally appointed by Milan, you certainly have the right to inherit all of the rights of the territory.

However…”

He let out a cold laugh.

”You also need to inherit its corresponding debts.”

As he spoke, he took out a piece of parchment from his robes, raised his wrist, and with a sharp flick, threw it in front of Lynn, who was still lying on the pyre and growling at the guards.

”Hmm?”

Lynn glanced at it and immediately realized it was a tax bill.

To be precise, it was the tax bill for the previous lord who had died not long ago.

Since the first emperor of the Milan Empire had ascended the throne based on the divine right granted by the Pope after the end of the ancient empire, the successive emperors of the Milan Empire and their vassal lords had borne the obligation of paying the divine tax that came with this right.

This was commonly known as the tithe.

Due to his rich experience in accounting and auditing, he quickly saw that although the tax items were numerous, there were no signs of forgery on this tax bill that needed to be paid to the Cambria Parish of Milan’s northern border.

Everything was normal... except for the last sentence.

『As Lord Reinhardt has failed to fulfill his obligation to conduct witch trials for five consecutive years since being reported, there is evidence of harboring a fugitive.』

Reinhardt, a familiar surname...

‘Didn’t that witch also have this surname?’

Lynn had a slight suspicion, and then continued reading.

『Therefore, the total amount of the tithe shall be calculated by doubling it once each year.』

Doubled once a year, for a total of five years.

That was thirty-two times.

...Thirty-two times?

Although it was called a tithe, a simple estimate showed that one year’s tithe was about one-eighth of the total output of Blackstone Fief.

So thirty-two times meant nearly four years of this place’s total output...

...Four years…

Lynn broke free from his food-guarding posture on the ground and elegantly stood up.

He patted the dust off his clothes, cleared his throat, and then spoke:

”Witches are the source of all evil, I completely agree. Come on, bring the torches.”

However, the people from the Church had already turned to leave.

”Your Excellency Lynn, if you still want to burn her, go ahead. After all, you have the right to judge her...

Just remember to pay the taxes you owe, otherwise… Heh heh.”

He sneered without turning his head.

”We’ll come again. I hope by then, you’ll have judged her yourself and paid all of the fines...

Oh, right, since this judgment was also prevented, we will report it truthfully.

Next time, you’ll need to prepare sixty-four times the tithe. I’ve already calculated it for you, you’re welcome.

If you can’t afford it, that’s fine too. The Church is happy to accept land offered by penitents.

Of course, I doubt whether the mortgaged value of this place can clear the fines.

So you may also need to go to Mount Malnar to perform penitent labor.

Penitents don’t die. Our Saintess is skilled in healing, so rest assured, you can pay off your debt.”

The priest calmly narrated one terrifying outcome after another.

”Hiss! Can we not reconcile?!”

Ignoring Lynn’s indignant cry, the man mounted a horse parked outside what looked like a tavern and left with a flourish.

Watching the figure depart, the nearly broken-hearted lord thought to himself—

‘So this place does have horses after all…’

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Reinhardt Castle

A disheartened Lynn sat beside a dust-covered sofa.

Since the previous lord’s death, the place had been abandoned for some time, so it was somewhat desolate and dilapidated.

In addition, Lynn hadn’t lit any extra lamps to save expenses, so it appeared quite dim.

The only source of light was the fireplace, which was burning firewood with a crackling sound and emitting black smoke.

Although the fire in the fireplace was warm, his heart was incomparably cold.

Sixty-four times the tithe, where could he possibly scrape together that much money…?

He had just thought that he could rely on his business talent to lead this world into a market economy, but he had started with a debt crisis instead.

Just as he was feeling that the future was bleak, the tranquility of the place was broken by a unique female voice, tinged with a hoarse, smoky quality, like a spark popping from dry firewood.

”Um... Thank you...”

Lynn, his eyes lifeless, looked towards the source of the voice.

It was precisely the silver-haired witch.

She was still wearing thin clothes and the magic-suppressing collar.

And the injuries caused by the fire had already been treated and bandaged by herself—

‘By the way, why would a fire witch receive fire damage?’

While complaining in his heart, Lynn seriously saw the other party’s face for the first time.

Her fair skin was almost transparent, glowing softly in the firelight.

Those eyes, as blue as the ocean, were currently avoiding Lynn’s gaze, her long eyelashes trembling nervously.

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【Favorability: +20 (He is my savior after all) +10 (He seems like a good person) -15 (But his actions don’t seem very human) = 10 (He should be a good person, right?)】

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Seeing the system’s prompt box, Lynn’s gaze suddenly became fervent again.

‘That’s right, he still had this witch!’

”What, what’s wrong with you?”

With a ferocious smile, he slowly walked in front of her.

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【Favorability: -15 (So he’s a pervert after all!)】

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Lynn ignored her expression of gritting her teeth, her eyes almost tearing up, and whispered to her like a demon:

”Witch, hurry up and create some value!”

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T/N - Okay, the MC now inherits a debt. Classic set-up right there. Though that multiplier on the tithe was pretty shady. I’m betting that the priest is planning to pocket at least some of it himself. Honestly, the priest was pretty punchable as fuck during his explanation.

ED/N - I need to witness some good face- slapping. I deserve it. You do it too!