Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 51
When the Lord, who was usually unbelievably good-tempered and always wore a kind smile, darkened his expression and cast a cold gaze upon him, the commoner who had been brazenly boasting finally felt profound fear.
Though he had spoken with apparent conviction, the crops in his own field had actually been growing rather poorly, and he had even worriedly asked a few neighbors about it.
Oh great Cat God, how could he have been so bewitched earlier as to think of deceiving the Lord who possessed Your wisdom!
His heart was tormented, and the feigned composure on his face uncontrollably gave way to a look of panic and unease.
Even so, he stubbornly clung to a sliver of hope.
—All of this, of course, fell into the eyes of the onlookers.
“That scoundrel, he’s definitely a liar!”
“Look! That guilty look in his eyes! How shameless!”
“He actually dared to deceive the Lord! He should be punished and made a slave!”
“Did you hear the nonsense he spouted earlier? How arrogant to say ‘Perhaps you haven’t seen kale, Lord’—he will surely face the severe punishment of the all-seeing Cat God!”
“In fact, the Lord doesn’t even need to send Mr. Fosse to his home for evidence… Anyone who dares deceive the Lord is guilty!”
“If it were the previous lords, they would have already chopped off this fool’s limbs and hung him up!”
“The Lord is far too merciful, which is why he dares to cling to hope.”
The crowd’s emotions grew increasingly agitated, and their discussions grew louder.
Upon hearing their words, Oliver couldn’t help but frown.
Behind this loyalty defending him lay… the era’s unique cruelty, ignorance, and blind worship of the higher class.
Elsewhere, it might be tolerable, as the so-called laws were absurd to begin with, and the review mechanisms were mere formalities, entirely dependent on the whims of those in power.
But this was Laina City, which he had resolved to manage well—he couldn’t allow its atmosphere to become corrupted from the start.
Thinking this, the smile on Oliver’s lips faded completely, and he said in a low voice, “Without sufficient evidence, no one should directly declare another guilty.”
His tone was not at all stern, and his expression was calm, yet it carried an authority that commanded awe and silenced the crowd.
The slaves fell silent, though they remained inwardly bewildered.
Guilty or not… wasn’t it always just a matter of the Lord’s word?
Oliver waited patiently for Fosse and his group to return, while the commoner, whose face grew paler by the minute, began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Honorable, L-Lord,” he soon buckled under the immense psychological pressure, falling to his knees with a thud. Mustering all the courage he had in his lifetime, he timidly admitted, “I spoke nonsense, clung to false hope, and deceived you. I am willing to accept any punishment. You have always been kind-hearted—I beg you to forgive this foolish servant’s transgression this time!”
“A kind heart?”
Oliver laughed mirthlessly.
“No. In your eyes, what you call my ‘kind heart’ is merely blindness, making me easy to deceive and mock.”
He remarked sarcastically, “You seem to have forgotten that this is the great Cat God’s trial, not merely mine. The Cat God pities the ignorant and is willing to bestow wisdom upon the foolish… but despises the lazy and deceitful.”
The man’s face instantly drained of all color.
How could he have forgotten… Indeed, this was the Cat God’s trial!
Not only him, but all the onlookers felt an unprecedented fear in that moment.
After witnessing so many divine miracles, no one in the vast Laina City would ever question the greatness of the “Cat God.”
Even the cruel punishments inflicted by previous lords only tormented the physical body—something they understood as ‘severe.’
But the divine punishment from such a powerful “Cat God”… had never been witnessed before, evoking fear born of the unknown.
Oliver was truly unwilling to continue tolerating this trend of lying to him.
After a brief silence, he calmly stated, “If the evidence Fosse brings proves that you have indeed lied, then considering it’s your first offense and you are a freeman, I am willing to spare your family. You alone will receive twenty lashes and be reduced to slavery. If you choose to remain in Laina, you must accept this punishment. If you refuse, you may choose to leave Laina City’s territory forever. I will not send any soldiers to pursue you.”
Twenty lashes were enough to keep a healthy young man bedridden for over half a month.
Coupled with being reduced to slavery… even though the lives of slaves had improved significantly compared to before, it remained an extremely severe punishment for a commoner.
Yet everyone believed the Lord was being too lenient.
If judged strictly according to estate law, a harsher lord would undoubtedly send anyone daring to offend him straight to the gallows.
Even more moderate nobles would never lightly forgive such a despicable individual—at the very least, they would cut off one of the offender’s hands, gouge out one eye, and then expel him and his entire family from the territory to fend for themselves in the wilderness.
“And as for the great Cat God,” Oliver said lightly, “as long as the deception is not born of malicious intent, the magnanimous deity will likely not unleash true wrath upon believers.”
Although the “Cat God” was not a real deity, the profound reverence people held for divine beings was what tormented the hearts of those who had committed wrongs the most.
Even if an all-knowing, all-powerful “Cat God” did not exist in the world, merely pondering whether one had “malicious intent” was enough to fill those with ulterior motives with dread.
If this person had indeed spoken those deceptive words to him carelessly, “uncertain of the potato’s actual growth condition,” his heart would be at ease.
Conversely, if he harbored even a trace of malice, he would likely attribute every misfortune in the coming period to the “Cat God’s” punishment, living in fear each day that followed.
Upon hearing the Lord’s words, the man suddenly awoke as if from a dream, weeping and begging for mercy.
But it was already too late.
The potato plants Fosse brought next laid the truth bare before everyone.
Far from “growing vigorously,” the potato seedlings pulled from the field adjacent to the kale appeared pitifully stunted compared to those in other plots.
The lie was completely exposed, and he collapsed to the ground, weeping in despair.
Faced with such irrefutable evidence, the crowd was filled with righteous indignation, erupting in a chorus of curses.
“It really was a lie!”
“Despicable liar! How dare you deceive the Lord!”
“The great Cat God will surely punish you!”
“Get out! Get out!”
“You don’t deserve to remain in Laina!”
“The Lord is far too merciful—such a blasphemer should be hanged!”
“Silence.”
Fosse’s tone was icy, his words brief yet undeniably forceful.
The previously agitated crowd instantly fell silent, as if plunged into an icy cavern, staring ahead in stunned silence.
“In the presence of His Highness, no one is permitted to behave improperly, let alone cause a disturbance,” the butler said, narrowing his eyes slightly. The killing intent honed over years on the battlefield momentarily radiated without restraint, causing the nearest commoners to shiver involuntarily.
Oliver said calmly, “Take him away.”
The man was then dragged off roughly by the guards, weeping and wailing.
Oliver scanned the crowd and declared sternly, “After him, anyone who disobeys orders or deceives me, regardless of their intentions… will face even harsher judgment.”
He lacked the capacity to be gentle with everyone—he could only afford kindness selectively, to those who could contribute positively and create value for Laina.
Oliver did not want his first public lesson ruined by this unfortunate incident. Having made his decision, he composed himself and turned his attention to another flustered commoner. “What is your choice?”
“Honorable Lord, may the sacred light of the Cat God forever shine upon you.”
Contrary to Oliver’s expectations, this young commoner—fair-skinned, with delicate features and a slender build—quickly regained his composure.
After offering a respectful bow, he replied with a maturity beyond his years, unhurried and steady: “I believe cabbage and nasturtium[mfn]
a type of flower; nasturtiums are edible, with the leaves, flowers, and unripe seeds all being safe to eat. Their flavor is distinctively peppery, with the leaves tasting like arugula and the flowers having a slightly more nutty flavor.[/mfn] might make a good pairing.”
Upon hearing this answer, most of the crowd, still preoccupied with the previous commoner’s disgraceful departure, couldn’t help but cast surprised glances at him.
Cabbage?
Even the most ignorant serf knew that cabbage, as it grows, behaves quite aggressively. Not only does it suppress other plants nearby, but even weeds struggle to thrive around it.
Although nasturtium is often considered a weed… its tangy, slightly spicy flavor, lack of toxicity, and adaptability make it a common sight in Laina’s fields. It is not only favored by slaves but also frequently appears on the tables of impoverished commoners.
Oliver nodded slightly, a hint of anticipation in his voice as he pressed further, “Explain your reasoning.”
“My wisdom is quite limited, and I’ve only considered a few points,” he replied cautiously, without any hint of arrogance after receiving the Lord’s approval. “As cabbage grows, its leaves continuously multiply and thicken. By autumn, they spread outward rapidly…”Golden lotus flowers, being low-growing and creeping along the ground, do not block the vegetable leaves, unlike other plants that occupy much of the upper space. Moreover, the pests that most commonly infest cabbages seem to fear golden lotus flowers—when planted together, the cabbages rarely fall ill…
His tone was slow, with occasional pauses as he carefully chose his words.
Yet the content of his words slightly lifted Oliver’s spirits.
Although limited by the constraints of the era, the man had only managed to grasp the patterns without fully understanding the underlying reasons…
Nevertheless, such knowledge and keen observational skills were enough to set him apart from the crowd.
With an approving smile, Oliver interrupted him, “What is your name?”
Everyone’s hearts leaped in anticipation.
Heavens, another fortunate soul after Lucy!
Unlike the commoners, who felt a sense of restored pride and shared honor, the slaves’ excitement quickly subsided when they remembered that this man was a freeman—a higher social class than their own.
The frail young man was taken aback, finally unable to maintain his composure.
His pale cheeks flushed with excitement as he bowed deeply to Oliver once more. “Honorable Lord, your servant Farmur[mfn]法穆尔[/mfn] is at your command at all times.”
