Chapter 11: Is Young Master Gervas a Lord?

"So you knew I was coming?"

"Yes, my lord. Two days ago, an envoy brought news of your arrival to all the townspeople. We have remembered your name!"

Clearly, the Kingdom's administration is quite reliable.

"Everyone, rise!"

"Thank you, my lord!" The townspeople stood up, both uneasy and excited.

Of course, besides the townspeople's excitement, the knight squires were equally thrilled.

No one ever dreamed that the plan to merely manage a small estate would end with young master Gervas becoming a baronial lord!

This was no less than a partridge turning into a phoenix.

And for those of us who are their subordinates, we too can rise with them.

Seeing the knight squires look as if they were dreaming, Gervas said, "What I said earlier about managing the estate for the viscount was just a trick to fool Lady Mary, and also a test for you. Congratulations, you have passed my test!"

"From now on, you will become my Gervas's formal retainers! And when you advance to become full knights, the position of my Guardian Knights will be open to you!"

The knight squires grew even more excited.

Every noble has a limited number of Guardian Knights, after all; feeding a knight requires far too many gold coins.

Knights not only demand high salaries and benefits.

They also require horses and knight squires.

Without at least ten or more gold coins a year, it simply cannot be done.

This is for the Guardian Knights of ordinary minor nobles; if it were for great nobles, costing dozens or even a hundred gold coins each, that would also be normal.

Thus, many knight squires remain knight squires for their entire lives, because there is no position for them to advance to.

"What? Young master Gervas is a lord?"

Seeing that the monsters in the town had been cleared, Old John and Caroline hurried their carriage into the town, only to hear this shocking news.

Especially Caroline, who looked at Gervas in disbelief, her expression indescribably complex.

She had been longing to marry a noble and become a noble lady.

But she never expected that young master Gervas, whom she had been dissatisfied with these past few days, had become a baronial lord.

"Which one of you is the town mayor?"

"My lord Gervas, the mayor is not here!"

Without lingering too long on matters of status, clarifying the situation of the territory was the most important thing.

"Where is he?" Gervas frowned. At such a dangerous moment, had the mayor actually fled?

"My lord Gervas, the mayor and the other wealthy households, upon seeing the monsters break into the town, fled through the rear gate under the protection of their guards."

Gervas then remembered that group of over a hundred people just now.

At the time, he had thought they were ordinary townspeople, but he never expected that group to be the mayor and the wealthy households of the town.

Gervas asked for more detailed information and learned that, due to the dangers of Storm Domain, there had been no lord here for two years.

As a result, the town was basically controlled by Karil and a few wealthy households.

The mayor and the wealthy households were in cahoots; not only did they control a large amount of arable land, but they also oppressed the townspeople, treating this place as their private garden.

"Go and summon them back!" Gervas's face was cold and stern.

Actually, there was no need to summon them; the caravan that had just fled, upon seeing Gervas and others join the battle and clear the monsters, had already started their return journey.

Very quickly, the group arrived nearby.

"Noble sir, thank you for saving Wheat Town. I am the mayor here, Karil. May I ask how you are addressed!" Mayor Karil stepped forward with a face full of smiles.

"Gervas Gale, Lord of Storm Domain!"

Karil's smile froze on his face, and the other wealthy households did the same.

After a moment, Karil recovered, putting on an even more sycophantic smile. "I, Karil, greet my lord. It is truly wonderful to see you; Wheat Town has had no lord to protect it for two years!"

Gervas, however, sneered. "Karil, I ask you, as mayor, do you know what crime it is to abandon the townspeople and the territory to flee alone?"

"This... My lord, I did not flee; I merely wished to go to another territory to seek aid!"

"Is that so? You dare lie to my face? Deceiving a noble is an aggravating offense. Lei Meng, seize him!"

"Yes, my lord!"

"You cannot arrest me! I am the mayor appointed by the Kingdom! You cannot arrest me!" Karil refused to submit.

But facing a Bronze Knight like Lei Meng, was capturing him not as easy as catching a chicken?

The long sword, still in its scabbard, was slammed directly into Karil's face, sending his nosebleed flying and his teeth rattling out.

While Karil was dazed, he was grabbed by the collar and tossed directly beside Knight Mi Gen and the others.

Knight Mi Gen, like a wolf or a tiger, hoisted him up and bound him.

"A mayor appointed by the Kingdom? Now this is my Gervas's territory. Even if I cannot pursue your crime of abandoning your post, deceiving a noble is an act of contempt for a noble, which is enough for me to arrest you!"

"Furthermore, I will send you to the gallows!" Saying this, Gervas waved his hand towards Knight Mi Gen and the others.

Karil never dreamed that this new lord would be so ruthless; at the slightest disagreement, he wanted to kill him. He was truly terrified.

"Noble, what you are doing is illegal! You have no right... Lord Kodot, save me! Lord Kodot!"

Seeing that reason would not work, Karil looked at a middle-aged man among the wealthy households.

However, the middle-aged man's eyes flickered a few times, but he did not step forward to say a single word.

Subsequently, with the cooperation of Knight Mi Gen and the others, Karil was directly hanged on a wooden pole nearby.

"You are called Kodot? What is your status?" After dealing with Karil, Gervas turned to look at the middle-aged man Karil had just called out to.

"Respected my lord, we are all commoners!" Kodot lowered his head, and the other wealthy households around him did the same.

"So you are commoners. It seems I cannot blame you for not holding fast to the town!" Gervas spoke with a playful tone.

"Whose houses are those?" He then pointed toward the castle in the distance. In front of the castle stood a small earthen mound, and atop it were several spacious courtyards.

"My lord, those are the courtyards of us and Mayor Kailer!"

"Your courtyards? I, Gervas, declare that from now on, they belong to the castle's property!"

"This... My lord, we are commoners. Those are our legal property, protected by the kingdom!" The wealthy households' faces changed drastically.

"I know you are commoners. If it weren't for that status, you would already be hanging up there alongside Kailer!" Gervas sneered. "As for legal property, can you produce land deeds? If I am not mistaken, those lands originally belonged to the castle's property; they were merely privately encroached upon by you and Kailer."

The wealthy households' faces changed again and again, clearly having been guessed correctly.

Gervas was so certain because within a li of the castle's boundaries, the land was basically the lord's domain.

This was custom. Besides guarding against dangers, it also facilitated life within the castle; these lands would produce food to provide for the castle's daily needs.

"This..."

"By the way, I have one more matter to notify you of. Do you currently hold a large amount of land in Wheat Village?"

"I am giving you a chance now. Each of you may keep five mu of land; return all the rest, and I will not pursue your misdeeds over these years!"

"That is impossible. Regarding those houses, we indeed have no land deeds, but the other farmlands were legally purchased by us and are protected by the kingdom's laws!"

Gervas was essentially demanding the lives of the wealthy households; how could they possibly agree?

Gervas had expected this long ago and was not angry. "Very well, I will not force you, but the consequences will be yours to bear!"