abcnovels
Chapter 322
Chapter 322
Chapter 322
I Asked About Land Management
“The land rights…in your old world, Mr. Takumi, individuals owned land?”
“Huh? Uhh…yes. You could buy land and become the owner and use it quite freely. You could lend it to others or live on it yourself. Well, you have to pay taxes as well, so it’s not all positive.”
I gave Ms. Claire and Sebastian a simple explanation of what it was like in Japan.
Obviously, there were complicated contracts and procedures, but I had never owned land, and that was not important to us now.
While it sounded good to say that you were a landowner, it was not enough to make a profit.
But how were things here?
“I see. That is quite strange.”
“Indeed.”
“…So it is different here?”
After hearing what I had said, Ms. Claire and Sebastian looked at each other with wonder.
Judging by their expression, things were done quite differently here.
It was a different world with different rules.
“In this country, the king owns all of the land. That is the law.”
“Hmm.”
“However…it would be nearly impossible for the king to manage all of that land by himself.”
“Indeed.”
Even if that king was some kind of genius, it was too much to do alone.
Though, I’m sure they hired people to help with such work, but it was still a lot to manage.
“And so the land is given to the nobles to manage. In short, those who have been given land by the king are the nobility. So every noble in this country has land.”
“So the nobles become the landlords and manage it.”
“Yes. And the lords in turn lend the land to the people. And so farms, villages and towns are built. At that point, the land is owned by the landlord.”
“So, Mr. Ekenhart owns all of this land?”
“Yes. And the people that borrow it pay taxes. Usually, the village chief or town governor takes care of that. They collect taxes from the residents and send it to those above them. That is how it works.”
“Hmm. So when Nick or I pay taxes…”
“It is deducted from your payment. As for Nick, the taxes are taken from what you pay him. As this mansion is in Ractos’s jurisdiction, it all goes to the town governor.”
I now had a general idea of how taxes worked in this country.
In general, nobles earned an income through taxes, and those who borrowed their land developed villages and towns.
Previously, I had heard that landlords could freely decide to raise their taxes.
However, if the taxes were too high, then fewer people would want to live on your land, which meant fewer people paying.
Taxes for other living expenses in the town would rise as well, and it would be harder for the town to develop.
Also, since it was also possible that people would try to raise taxes too much to fill their own pockets, they were required to make reports of their tax revenue. Sebastian told me all of this.
It was a little similar to how things were in Japan a long time ago.
It seemed like a system that would be filled with corruption, but I didn’t want to think about that now.
If it happened to go well in this world, then I had no complaints.
At least, for now.
“To get back to the subject, we think it would be best for you to borrow some land, Mr. Takumi.”
“Me?”
From what I had heard, it seems like it would be difficult to have me manage land and pay taxes, or rent for it.
It was just a small space, and no one was going to live on it. So I wouldn’t be able to collect taxes.
“Of course, we understand that there is still a lot that you don’t know about this country. And so a butler of this house will be managing it for you. You will be educated enough so that you can just leave the difficult matters to him.”
“Hah… I see.”
A butler, eh?
All of the butlers here were like Sebastian. They seemed very capable, and I wouldn’t have to worry.
If anything, I would feel fine if I just left everything to them.
Only, it felt weird to have a butler working for me.
“Don’t worry. The Liebert house has much lower taxes than the lands of other nobles. Of course, considering how much you are paid for the herbs, you will have more than enough after paying taxes.”
“Yes, but that’s not the problem…”
Ms. Claire smiled and explained after seeing that I looked hesitant.
Only, she misunderstood the reason for it.
“I…uh… I don’t know about having a butler. I’m not really used to that sort of thing.”
“Hehehe. So that’s what it is.”
“Hoho. While it may be strange for me to say it, you will be fine, Mr. Takumi. I can guarantee that.”
Hmm, if that’s what Sebastian thought, I suppose I could trust him?
He at least knew what he was talking about.
In Japan, no matter how much I worked, I was always at the bottom.
Regardless, in spite of some flaws in his personality, Sebastian was excellent at his job.
And so it must be fine, if he says so.
I had wanted to take things easy, but now there was all this talk of managing herb fields and butlers… And then there was Liza.
I would have a lot to think about.
…Well, the herb field would be in Range village, so I could relax there… Time seemed to pass more slowly there.