System vs Rebirth-Chapter 1356: Being a Lord

"40%, huh?" Layla crossed her arms. "In the past, I wondered what the lords were doing with all those taxes. I had seen my fair share of bad lords who taxed people all the way to 70% or even 80% but did nothing to help the citizens. 40% is still a bit higher than the norms, which are 30-35%, but you have given them things that other lords don't."

Noel nodded in agreement. "Yes. I can always enrich myself with the rune technology, so I don't really need it. Besides, my strength alone can give me an unimaginable amount of wealth just by going into the demon territory.

"Hence, unlike other lords, wealth is the last thing of my worries. In exchange, it allows me to focus on enriching the citizens.

"If my tax is high, I simply have to make the citizens earn more so that when they're taxed, they will still get more money compared to the previous one.

"It's just… Once this land is developed properly, there will be some problems. Then again, at that time, there might be no need for quick development." Noel shrugged.

"That is fair." She nodded in understanding. "Still, you're going to develop this area, right? Not just this village, but also the area around it?"

Noel nodded. "Yes. Of course, the only thing that will be paid by the organization's funds is the development of this village. On the other hand, the surrounding area will be developed by the family's fund. We've got quite a bit of cash, you know?"

"From the airship, huh?" Layla contemplated. "I have seen a lot of lords, but at least you help people more than most lords. Besides, you are not as foolish as those selfless lords. They might be helping the children by giving a lot of things, but that makes their family unable to grow and help even more people. You should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you." Noel smiled. "Well, people just want to live. I have personally enjoyed my leisure life in the past, so I know how amazing it was to live leisurely.

"At the same time, if people end up indulging themselves too much, the society will collapse.

"It's really hard to govern a territory, let alone the kingdom. Still, I'm blessed because I'm only a lord instead of a king.

"As a lord, I can easily go around my territory and see what they need. Meanwhile, a king couldn't do such a thing. They could only assume how it was from the report and solved the problems accordingly."

"Are you perhaps…" Layla paused for a moment. "…criticizing the sovereign of this country?"

"Not at all." Noel shook his head. "I'm merely speaking a fact. Whether the reality is the same or not, it's not up to me to make that decision."

Layla fell silent. "I wonder if I should make a retirement home here for myself? You're going to treat me well, right, Marquis?"

Noel chuckled. "Say that after another two decades. You are barely older than me, so you still need to work hard for that long before saying such a thing."

"Hahaha. You're so merciless." Layla chuckled. "I hope that you're able to achieve your dream. I'm curious about how you will shape this land in the future. Please don't turn into those bad lords."

"Who knows? People change continuously." Noel shrugged. "Still, I know that I won't be able to do it if I don't survive."

"The demon kings, huh?" Layla's expression turned solemn.

"Yeah."

"As commanded by the Moon Goddess, the Moon Temple will be on the humanity side and fight the demons to the very last man."

"That's very reassuring. Though, I hope some of you can stay behind. If all of you end up dying out there, no one will be able to help the people after that bloody invasion."

"Still, if we don't unleash everything we have, we might not be able to win against them."

"Fair enough." Noel chuckled.

"That's why I'm going to tell you this once. Don't tell anyone else." Layla paused for a few seconds. "The Moon Goddess wants me to become a spirit transcendence. She has promised to teach me various things and a path to become a spirit transcendence. At the very least, this will allow us to have a higher chance to succeed. However, this is a secret because the Moon Temple doesn't wish to be a force that will change the balance of a country."

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Noel didn't look surprised, considering Layla had one of the five divine artifacts. He simply said, "Pardon? I didn't hear what you said. The wind was a bit too loud."

Layla chuckled. "Nothing. You must be hearing things. I didn't open my mouth this whole time."