Episode 62

“Looks like the mansion is unusually busy today. Is something going on?”

The woodcutter, who had come to sell firewood, glanced around nervously as he asked. One of the advisor’s men, busy counting money, casually lifted his gaze to look at him.

“No, it’s the same as usual.”

“Is that so? Haha…”

A lie. The woodcutter scratched his nose awkwardly, not quite convinced. Ever since the former count passed away, the number of servants had dropped sharply, and the mansion was always quiet. Even after the advisor and his group arrived, there hadn’t been a single night when all the lights were on.

But today felt different.

“This one’s a bit damp.”

“It’s just wet from the morning dew. It’ll dry as soon as the sun rises.”

“That’ll be three copper coins, then.”

“Thank you.”

The man jotted something down as if issuing a receipt, then pulled out three copper coins from his pocket and handed them over. The woodcutter bowed and was about to leave.

“Wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

“Got some time? We’re tidying up the garden, but there’s a tree right in the center that’s in the way. If it’s old, we’ll leave it be, but if not, we’re thinking of cutting it down.”

“Oh, of course! Leave it to me!”

“Follow me.”

The woodcutter smoothed his pocket. He’d planned to head straight to the tavern for a drink, but this was fine—maybe he’d even get a little extra for the trouble.

“So that’s why the mansion’s been so hectic.”

No wonder. Servants who were usually nowhere to be seen were bustling about everywhere.

The woodcutter followed the man around the mansion. The ground shifted from weeds to neatly trimmed grass. Though he’d lived in Bratz his whole life, this was his first time crossing this boundary.

“This is it.”

Gasp!

As soon as he stepped into the garden, the woodcutter took a sharp breath. His expectation of a beautiful blend of flowers, shrubs, and trees shattered instantly.

Instead, rows upon rows of plants were lined up like a farm.

Having made a tidy profit during the Gula recruitment, the woodcutter immediately recognized what they were.

‘They’re growing Gula. And they even built a greenhouse for it.’

It was true. The rumors circulating in town were real. The advisor’s man tapped his shoulder with a piece of paper.

“What’s up?”

“Ah, sorry. What kind of tree is this?”

“This one here.”

The woodcutter answered the question in detail but couldn’t take his eyes off the Gula field behind them. Meanwhile, Ian, who was watching from a window in the hallway, asked:

“How many people?”

“Five merchants bringing food supplies, two woodcutters including me, the tailor’s folks, and… somewhere else, I forget. But definitely over ten.”

“What about the food supply?”

“Like I said, it’s been cut in half.”

“Good work.”

Ian’s plan for supply management, mentioned at lunch, had two parts:

Use rumors.

And set up lax security.

The key was to stir up human greed for something precious. Since the rations had been reduced, the craving for Gula would only grow stronger.

“So, should we just put up some random guards now?”

“No. Tell Romandro’s men to stand watch, fully armed.”

This was a slightly different order than before. Beric, who was watching the garden, turned his head to look, but Ian just smiled knowingly.

“In other territories or the central lands, that might work. But here, this is still a vacant territory without an official ruler. If thieves and looters run rampant, it directly affects public safety and drastically lowers their quality of life. That, in turn, diminishes the value of the territory.”

Once is hard, twice is easy.

Especially if the mansion gets robbed, those thieves will think nothing of breaking into their neighbors’ homes too.

“So what do you want us to do? Just let them watch?”

“Beric, worry about yourself. You’ll be waking up early for a while.”

“Huh? Me? Why?”

Ian smiled and said nothing more. Then he tapped the window twice and headed back to his office.

---

“Is this the place?”

“I told you it is!”

“Keep your voice down. The guards will hear us!”

Under the cover of early dawn, two men crept toward the mansion.

Rumors had spread that the mansion was overflowing with Gula, but the food supply had run dry in the yard. Desperate to survive, they had no choice but to sneak in under the darkness.

“Ugh.”

“Man, this is heavy.”

“Hurry up and get it over the wall.”

The thieves barely managed to scale the tall mansion wall. They’d heard the Gula fields were in the outer garden, not inside the building. Since it was so valuable, even stealing a few and carrying them to the central lands could finally lift them out of this miserable poverty.

“Is it here?”

The thieves peeked cautiously into the garden. It was pitch dark, but they could clearly see something planted all over the ground. Dreaming of a rosy future, they began to pilfer carefully.

“Unbelievable. They didn’t even realize this was gold and just handed it over to the mansion. Tsk tsk.”

“Shut up and fill the sack.”

“I should’ve brought another bag.”

Whispering and chuckling, the thieves pulled up the Gula plants. Meanwhile, Romandro’s men sighed as they watched. They’d already caught one and locked him in the underground prison, but as soon as they came out, more showed up.

“Hey—!”

“Eek!”

“Ahhh!”

The man lit his cigarette and shouted, startling the thieves, who dropped the Gula and bolted across the garden.

“Where do you think you’re going? You’re waking everyone up!”

“P-please! Spare us! Spare us!”

“Who’d think I was the intruder with all that noise?”

But what could they do? Soon enough, the thieves were caught by the scruff of their necks, forced to their knees, begging frantically. Two men tied their arms with ropes.

“Good work, everyone.”

“Oh, Ian.”

Ian appeared with Beric, both wearing hoods. The thieves hiccupped nervously as they looked up at him. What was it about those golden eyes that shone even in the dark?

“Here to steal, were you?”

“Ah, well, um…”

“We’re sorry! It’s just that getting food has been so hard…”

Ian clicked his tongue softly as he looked at them.

“You should have waited a bit. Why rush?”

“Huh?”

“Lock them in the underground prison.”

“Yes, Ian. Are you not sending guards with us today?”

“No. Beric alone is enough.”

Ian and the mansion’s men exchanged cryptic words. As the confused thieves were dragged away, Ian and Beric stepped out through the mansion’s front gate.

It was already their second day out.

“Haah.”

“Just take a nap, will you?”

Beric tapped the sack of Gula on his back instead of answering. He was showing that he was just as busy as Ian.

A little later, they arrived at a farmhouse on the outskirts.

“I heard that’s the family with the many kids.”

“Is that so? Then let’s go there first.”

Since it was still dark, the lights were off. Ian stepped into the yard and knocked gently on the door.

Knock knock.

“Is anyone there?”

No answer. He knocked again.

Knock knock.

“Come on out.”

A faint light flickered on at the window. Then a man’s groggy voice called out.

“Who is it?”

“Ian.”

“…Who?”

“Ian.”

Creak.

Still half asleep, the man was slow to understand. The door opened reluctantly. Blinking, he looked at Ian, then his eyes widened in surprise.

“Ian?”

“Shh! You’ll wake the kids.”

“W-what brings you here?”

He knew Ian, but never expected Ian to know him. Understandable, since he was just an ordinary resident. It was startling to hear someone familiar mention his children.

“D-did I do something wrong…?”

Naturally, fear crept across the man’s face. Ian said nothing but rummaged through Beric’s sack.

Swish.

“W-what is that?”

“Gula.”

“Huh?”

A sack of Gula seeds.

“It’s not the miracle cure the rumors say, but it’s true the advisor enjoys it, and it’s tasty and nutritious. For now, the mansion strictly controls it, but soon I’ll release it freely throughout the territory. I’m pushing the advisor on this. Until then, hang in there, and if your neighbors want some, be generous.”

“I-Ian!”

“Since you have many children, you get priority. There are plenty of other homes, so you won’t be here long. You know to eat only the seeds, right?”

“Of course. Everyone in the territory knows that now.”

“Try a little for taste, then plant the rest. One seed can grow more than ten Gula plants.”

What kind of midnight gift was this? The man nodded repeatedly, overwhelmed with gratitude. Ian patted his shoulder and left the yard. The man followed him out, bowing deeply.

“Thank you!”

“You’re waking the neighbors.”

Ian’s words made the man cover his mouth. After Ian disappeared into the darkness, he cautiously returned inside. The dim lantern suddenly brightened.

“…Ian. You’re really impossible to figure out.”

“I know you well enough. You look like you just want to lie down right now.”

Beric rubbed his tired eyes. Delivering Gula seeds in the middle of the night, personally going around like this—he understood why Beric couldn’t make sense of it.

“While the palace lions hoarded and cultivated the gulla, supplies dwindled. It must have been a night when everyone worried about the harshness of the coming winter. But if I go around handing out gulla like this, how do you think they’ll see me?”

“They’ll see it as a blessing sent by the gods. And once they feel grateful, that gratitude will turn into support for Ian.”

“Ughhh, I’m so tired.”

“Move quickly. Next stop is where the children are. Rumor has it they’re easy to win over.”

Some lived alone in houses like the Dadoongi family, but the red-light district where Ian’s mother, Philia, had lived was a blur of boundaries.

“What’s going on? Not sleeping at night?”

“Mom, mom! Ian’s here!”

“What? Ian? Why?”

“He’s handing out gulla! Gulla!”

Because many people lived with their days and nights flipped, this area was noisier than most. Ian quietly warned the children as he handed out the gulla.

“There’s not enough even for the Bratz people to eat, so don’t give any to outsiders. Got it?”

“Yes! Can I eat it now?”

“I want some too!”

“Alright, line up. I’ll give you more.”

Ian ruffled the heads of the children taking the gulla, exchanging greetings with each one.

A man was quietly tailing Ian and Beric.

Swish.

As the dawn moon faded, the man confirmed they had returned to the mansion. After a short delay, he entered as well, arriving at the guest quarters where Morin and the others were gathered.

Creak.

“Back?”

“Yeah.”

The man was Dgor. He threw his hood onto the bed and let out a bitter laugh. Mac, who had been waiting all night without sleep, pressed him for details.

“What were you doing out there in the middle of the night?”

“Handing out gulla. Right out in the open.”

“What?”

At Dgor’s words, Mac took a sip of wine. Morin, sitting by the window, chuckled as well.

“That guy… he’s got some nerve.”

Romandro must have mentioned Ian’s name when he discovered the gulla. The palace officials took their due praise, and the support of the local lords and their people was carefully secured.

“Looks like for the time being, it’ll just be Beric and me heading out at dawn.”

At Dgor’s words, Morin’s sunken eyes shifted. It was the perfect chance to strike at Ian’s neck under the cover of darkness.