HTLCCBFT Chapter 3

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 3

“Last night, I received a decree from the God of Wealth.”

After casually dropping this bombshell, Oliver concealed his inner shame with a calm exterior and continued speaking.

“He will bestow upon me divine power and a divine artifact unparalleled in this world, on the condition that…”

Under the blank stare of his butler, Fosse, he materialized a seemingly unremarkable iron hoe out of thin air and stated placidly, “Before the trial of winter arrives, I must do everything in my power to ensure the survival of every life on this territory capable of thought and belief in Him. If my performance satisfies His esteemed self, He will be willing to manifest when winter comes.”

After a brief stupor, Fosse’s gaze slowly moved away from the hoe, struggling to digest the information his young master had suddenly thrown at him.

Unlike the common folk who lived in hardship and could only place their hopes for a better life in an illusory faith, Fosse was also of minor noble birth. In truth, he held a skeptical attitude toward the existence of deities.

He couldn’t explain many phenomena with common sense, so he couldn’t completely rule out the existence of ‘gods.’ But from the so-called “indulgences” manipulated by nobles with money and dirty tricks for profit, and from knowing the ugly faces of certain sanctimonious priests, he truly could not muster any pious faith in the gods. ¹Indulgences refer to a practice within the Catholic Church where individuals could reduce the punishment for their sins by obtaining a certificate, issued by the Church, that absolved them from some of the temporal penalties. This practice became particularly controversial during the late Middle Ages and was a major point of contention during the Protestant Reformation. Reformers criticized the Church for monetizing forgiveness through the sale of indulgences, arguing that it corrupted the essence of penance and atonement.

Besides, according to the doctrines he knew, there was no such ‘God of Wealth,’ only the one and only ‘True God’! Not only had this god of unknown origin chosen his delicate young master as the subject of a trial, but he was also willing to accept even those lowly slaves?!

But the one saying these words was his young master, who was far more important to him than his own life or faith…

Fosse struggled for a short while before choosing to believe completely in the presence of the noble being he held most important. “Yes, I understand.”

“I know I can trust you completely, Fosse.” Oliver smiled faintly. “I only need to explain all this to my most loyal and trustworthy servant. As for the curious tongues of others, I’ll leave them for you to handle. Also, when I am undergoing the god’s trial, no one is allowed to be near me. They must leave the fields to the left of the castle gate.”

In fact, Oliver knew that the only person he really needed to convince was Fosse.

Everyone else, whether in his retinue or in Laina City, was the type to believe deeply in the principle of divine decrees and would not get hung up on whether the content was true or false.

After all, be it a lord, a duke, or a deity… they were all noble existences far above them, who unquestionably held sway over their lives. And if a divine being were truly to perform a miracle, would they not choose the most noble lord, rather than condescend to a lowly serf?

Fosse managed to curve his lips into a smile and withdrew, his heart heavy with worry.

Oliver knew that this butler, who was shrewd, capable, and ruthless to outsiders but utterly devoted to him, would handle things properly. Thus, he wasted no more time, quickly finished his breakfast, and returned to his bedroom to change into some more durable clothes and get to work in the fields as soon as possible.

“Your Highness,” The manservant, who had been waiting anxiously outside the dining hall, immediately perked up after seeing Butler Fosse—who normally never left the new lord’s side—emerge alone with an ashen face for some unknown reason. Mustering his courage, he stepped forward. “Please allow me to accompany Your Highness.”

“Mm.”

Oliver, who had already returned the hoe to his invisible game backpack, was thinking about testing out tilling the land later. He glanced at the manservant. “Oh, it’s you.”

This was the person who had told him last night that the hanging ‘dried meat’ was the corpse of a thief.

Never in his wildest dreams had the manservant imagined that the noble lord would remember his face. He was instantly ecstatic. “Yes, it’s me, Your Highness!”

Oliver gave a slight nod. “Follow me, then.”

Although the lord himself working in the fields was already as unconventional as it could get, it was still better to break as few rules as possible.

He was, after all, the old king’s most beloved youngest son. His former ducal manor, situated in a capital city teeming with the rich and powerful, could have been described as having a constantly crowded doorway.

And while Cameron had driven his detestable younger brother out of the capital, he hadn’t been cruel enough—or perhaps had forgotten—to send men to confiscate his property as well.

Thus, the few covered carriages that had followed him to Laina City were piled high with chests filled with countless priceless treasures.

Velvet or silk garments studded with jewels were, of course, unsuitable for wearing.

Oliver frowned as he sorted through them for a while. Finally, with the manservant’s careful assistance, he changed into the only set of hunting attire in the chest that, aside from the sleepwear, was not intricately inlaid with gems.

“What is your name?”

Oliver glanced at him again, his voice faint, just before leaving the bedroom.

Being looked at by those beautiful blue eyes, which outshone even the most precious of gems, the manservant was so excited his heart nearly leaped out of his throat.

He took a deep breath, and for fear of making His Highness wait impatiently, he spoke his name with the clearest enunciation of his life: “My name is Johan, Your Highness. It’s Johan.”

Oliver nodded. “In that case, Johan, if you wish to remain by my side, you will stay in the castle later. You are not to follow me out.”

“Yes.”

Without a second thought, Johan knelt on one knee to show he understood.

Oliver was quite satisfied with Johan’s performance.

Compared to the other servants, who acted either dull-witted or trembled in fear, Johan knew how to seize every opportunity without ever overstepping his bounds.

Just now, while helping him change, he had focused his entire attention on the task at hand, showing no undue curiosity.

As he was trying to get a clear picture of the situation in and around Laina City, he did indeed need such a clever and well-liked pair of eyes and ears.

With this in mind, Oliver quickly descended the many flights of stairs and walked out of the castle’s main gate.

The weather was fine that day, with not a cloud in the sky. Even though the gentlest hours of dawn had passed, the late spring, early summer sun was not as scorching as it would be in midsummer, but was instead pleasantly warm.

But for Jonathan’s family, who had been working with their heads down as usual, only to be suddenly driven out of the fields with their companions, they felt as if they had been plunged into an icy cavern, even while bathed in such gentle sunlight. Driven out by the servants from the tall castle, they were like bewildered lambs forcibly dragged from the flock by snarling wolves. They could only stand there, trembling, awaiting their fate in despair under the sorrowful and sympathetic gazes of their own kind.

Whether it was for better or for worse, at least they weren’t the only family to suffer such a fate.

Jonathan suppressed his fear and tried to coax information from a stone-faced servant in a low voice, but was quickly rebuffed with an extremely impatient, “Don’t ask so many questions.”

He could only rely on his own observations and prick up his ears to listen to the whispers of the equally terrified people around him.

“It’s an order from the new city lord’s steward!”

“Heavens, is the new lord forbidding us from farming?”

“We just finished clearing the weeds. We need to hurry and till the land so we can sow the seeds.”

“Shh, keep your voice down.”

“It’s all over… We’re going to starve to death.”

After Jonathan managed to calm himself, he noticed something: only the people working on the land to the left of the castle gate were being driven away.

The division of the farmland was irregular, with no clear boundaries. The tenant farmers mostly used their own small markers or relied on larger structures to help divide the plots.

Had the new lord decided to repurpose this land and reduce the amount of farmland?

Whether it was for farming or some other purpose, the lord would always need labor.

If that was the case, then as long as he worked a little harder, he should still be able to provide for his wife and daughter.

With this thought, Jonathan’s heart settled slightly.

He was, after all, not an ordinary serf. He was a freeman who had once received some education and had even worked at the much-envied mill. His insight was far greater than that of these serfs who could only panic when faced with the unexpected.

If it weren’t for the successive years of poor harvests, and the second lord who, upon his arrival, had forced his own people into the mill to squeeze out more profit, driving him and the others away… he wouldn’t have been reduced to selling his and his family’s freedom just to survive.

Jonathan sighed, looking numbly toward the castle.

His only extravagant hope was that this new lord’s temperament would not be as cruel as the previous ones.

Coincidentally, just as this thought surfaced in Jonathan’s mind, a brilliant golden color suddenly met his eyes.

He couldn’t help but squint, looking toward the castle gate.

The next moment, he was utterly stunned.

Gods!

Jonathan’s mouth fell open, and his mind went blank.

He had never, ever, seen such a beautiful and dazzling existence!

If he had the presence of mind to look around, he would have discovered that anyone whose gaze happened to fall upon the castle was, without exception, wearing the exact same shocked expression as him.

Although a very small number of people had been lucky enough to see the lord’s appearance the previous night, the light had been dim, and the long-malnourished serfs had poor eyesight, only remembering a head of ‘golden hair as radiant as the sun.’ Furthermore, the castle servants had always disdained contact with those outside, let alone discussing the new lord disrespectfully. Soft, slightly curled golden hair as dazzling as true sunlight; skin as white and flawless as snow; an exquisite, peerless beauty that even the most critical king would be compelled to call ‘angelic’; and a figure that, while a bit slender, was as supple and perfectly proportioned as a willow branch in early spring…

This peerless treasure—who had always been carefully cherished by the nobles of the royal capital, praised and flattered with the most magnificent words, and privately kept in the palace by the most noble person in the land—was now revealed to outsiders for the very first time.

Jonathan’s mind was in turmoil.

As if the daze was contagious, everyone who laid eyes on this new lord found their gazes involuntarily fixed upon him, their heads turning to follow his every move.

In the next moment, they saw this new lord, as delicate and noble as a rose, step gracefully into the fields like a holy angel surveying the mortal realm.

And then—he effortlessly swung the hoe that was thicker than his own arm.

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  Indulgences refer to a practice within the Catholic Church where individuals could reduce the punishment for their sins by obtaining a certificate, issued by the Church, that absolved them from some of the temporal penalties. This practice became particularly controversial during the late Middle Ages and was a major point of contention during the Protestant Reformation. Reformers criticized the Church for monetizing forgiveness through the sale of indulgences, arguing that it corrupted the essence of penance and atonement.