HTLCCBFT Chapter 16

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 16

“Ending early?”

Jonathan and the other slaves exchanged glances, unable to resist cautiously confirming with the impatient foreman, “You mean, we can go home and make dinner now?”

The reason Oliver had let everyone off work early, telling them to come back and listen to him speak after they had eaten, was indeed born of good intentions.

After all, it was a topic with a certain ‘aroma’—concerning the disposal of excrement and the method of composting.

Even if the people here had a tolerance for filth and stench that was beyond his imagination, he, at least, did not want to discuss such topics before dinner.

“What? You’re making me say it a second time, you lazy, despicable fools raised by devils!”

Supervisor Andison’s face was dark. He clearly felt from the bottom of his heart that the new lord was too merciful to these lowly slaves, yet he didn’t dare show any disapproval toward a nobleman.

Thus, he wanted to vent his anger on Jonathan, who had happened to speak up at that moment. “Especially you! It seems you’re asking for a taste of the whip, you damned worthless slave!”

He unreasonably raised the horsewhip he carried and was about to lash out at Jonathan.

Ever since becoming a slave, even someone as relatively alert as Jonathan had been beaten by the supervisor or foreman more than a few times. It was just a whipping to punish a humble slave; who would ever question it?

Therefore, upon seeing Andison raise the horsewhip, he, who had grown resigned to beatings, reflexively tensed all his muscles and squeezed his eyes shut.

He didn’t dare shield himself with his arms—that would be seen as an act of resisting punishment and would only invite a more vicious whipping.

“What are you doing?”

Just then, a cold voice suddenly rang out from not far away.

Although he hadn’t yet turned to see who was speaking, Andison couldn’t help but shudder when he heard the tone unique to the nobility—impeccably elegant even when laced with anger.

He stiffly lowered the horsewhip and turned around, his lips pressed into a thin line.

The speaker was, as expected, Steward Fosse, who had only been here for a few days but had already taken charge of most of the castle’s affairs with an elegant yet forceful demeanor.

Hailing from the royal capital’s nobility and having served His Grace the Duke at close quarters for many years… just meeting the emotionless gaze of Steward Fosse made Andison’s heart pound uncontrollably.

Worst of all, standing protectively and habitually half-shielded behind Steward Fosse was His Grace the Duke, his brows slightly furrowed.

Evidently, both noblemen had witnessed the scene of him lashing out at Jonathan.

Strange, why am I so terrified?

It’s just whipping an insolent slave. That’s clearly within my authority as a supervisor.

Andison swallowed hard and forced a smile, his gaze guiltily fixed on Steward Fosse. “My Lord, Mr. Fosse, do you have any instructions for your faithful servant?”

“Three points.”

Steward Fosse was concise, simultaneously unhooking the horsewhip from his waist, which he had in fact rarely used anymore.

As a former knight commander, he had been more adept at slaying enemies with his sword or dueling those who dared to offend his honor.

Ever since he had the good fortune to follow His Grace Oliver, the restlessness in his heart had gradually been soothed by His Grace’s purity and benevolence, and he had not needed to resort to violent means for a long time.

“First—your greeting.”

Fosse’s back remained ramrod straight. His right arm, which appeared slender but was in fact tightly muscled, suddenly lashed out. Before anyone could see it clearly, the dark whip drew a clean, crescent-shaped arc. What followed was the blood-curdling scream of Andison, who suddenly felt the flesh on the right side of his neck burst open!

“Ah—!!!”

The unexpected pain made Andison cry out sharply. He clutched the right side of his neck, where the skin had been torn open. The pain was so intense that he couldn’t even muster the strength to remain standing and could only kneel wretchedly on the ground.

Fosse’s control was precise. Even though the strike had landed at the most vulnerable part of the neck, he was confident it would cause nothing worse than a burst of pain sharp enough to make one’s scalp prickle—nothing fatal.

In his silvery-green eyes, whether it was Andirson’s life or the serf Jonathan’s, neither weighed even a single strand of his young master’s hair. At least, not unless His Grace himself commanded otherwise—Fosse would never risk doing anything that might distress his soft-hearted lord.

“Second—wait until His Grace speaks to you. You do not speak first.”

There was not the faintest trace of pity in Fosse’s green eyes.

Having pointed out the second breach of etiquette in a calm, almost detached voice, he lashed out again with a blow of tremendous force.

“AAAH—!!!”

This strike landed squarely on Andison’s right shoulder blade. The fabric of his clothes tore instantly and blood splattered, causing the normally arrogant and domineering supervisor to let out a scream even more wretched and mournful than that of a slave being flogged.

“Lastly—your eyes.”

Looking down from his superior height at Andison, who was now prostrated on the ground with tears and hot blood smearing his face, Fosse’s voice remained utterly devoid of emotion. “When you answer, your gaze should be fixed upon His Highness—not upon me.”

Having completed his task, Fosse casually flicked the riding crop, neatly shaking off the remaining filthy blood before hanging it back at his waist.

Under the awestruck gazes of everyone present, like a lithe and powerful hound, he unhurriedly returned to his beloved young master’s side.

Oliver had originally just wanted to take his loyal butler to admire the fruits of his labor, but he hadn’t expected to run into Andison maliciously picking on a slave halfway there.

He had just frowned, but before he could do anything more, Fosse—who understood how soft his beloved Highness’s character was and thus perceived his displeasure a step ahead—had already requested permission to step in.

“Have someone take him away for treatment.”

Oliver felt no extra sympathy for Andison, who could whip a slave without reason; in fact, he was disgusted.

Even the most naive person wouldn’t believe this was the first time Andison had done such a thing, much less that he would now turn over a new leaf.

A villain who uses class differences to bully the innocent deserves to suffer the backlash of his own evil deeds… Let Andison have a taste of the bitterness of being oppressed by social hierarchy.

He gave a slight nod to Fosse, who was gazing at him quietly, awaiting his next instruction.

The astute butler understood instantly.

And so, through his pain-muddled consciousness, Andison heard the command that truly made him feel as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss: “Every slave standing on the territory of Laina City is the sole property of the Lord. For basely damaging His Highness’s property when the slave has not violated the manor’s laws, this despicable robber must be severely punished.”

“It is only due to His Highness’s mercy that you were not sent to the gallows for your grave crimes,” Fosse said coldly to the despairingly wailing Andison. “And to repay the losses you caused His Highness, from this day forward, you are also a slave.”

—”Oh my God, Lucy, did you hear that?”

Marianne did her utmost to suppress her incredibly excited voice as she shoved the dazed Lucy.

The angelically beautiful Lord was already a luminous being who would draw furtive glances from everyone wherever he went, to say nothing of the fact that he was accompanied by the incredibly majestic Butler Fosse and the others.

The moment Oliver’s figure appeared at the castle gates, he attracted the attention of many, who naturally also took in the scene that followed.

It was just that the turn of events left the slaves watching in a daze, as if they were in a dream.

Among all the supervisors, aside from the kind-hearted Ed, all of them more or less had a vicious habit of enjoying abuse.

When Jonathan ran afoul of the hot-tempered Andison, everyone’s heart had leaped into their throats, knowing he was definitely in for a vicious beating.

But having been beaten so many times that they had grown numb, they had long since lost the ability to feel pity for their companions in the same plight, aside from letting out a whimper when the pain became truly unbearable.

However, they had never imagined that Butler Fosse—who on a normal day would only cast a cold glance at even the supervisors and wouldn’t deign to spare them a second look, apart from the few others in the castle who had followed the Duke here—would actually step forward under the Lord’s command!

What happened next stunned everyone.

Andison, who was usually arrogant, domineering, and violent-tempered, and had whipped at least twenty-some slaves to death, was not only flogged until he was a bloody mess, writhing in agony on the ground in front of everyone, but was also stripped of his status as a supervisor and a freeman, reduced to the very status of the slaves he so loved to bully!

Among the shocked slaves, some had once spent a great deal of money to curry favor with him and were now filled with regret.

Even more, like Lucy, had once watched with their own eyes as an important family member was whipped to death by Supervisor Andison.

They quickly recovered from their astonishment.

In their once-numb and vacant eyes, the bone-deep hatred that had been suffocated by apathy and bitterly suppressed for so many years gradually surfaced.

Lucy’s eyes were fixed on the beautiful lord.

Many people could see it clearly—even when rescuing a suffering slave and punishing a vicious supervisor, the face of the Angel Duke, whose heart was always so gentle and kind, would reveal a faint melancholy and sorrow.

She involuntarily knelt.

—Great God of Wealth, oh Cat God.

Lucy prayed silently in her heart.

—I hope to avenge my father and live a better life, to fulfill my father’s wish.

—But I also hope that the beautiful angel who brings happiness to all will not have a look of sorrow and disappointment on his face.

Oliver, of course, had keenly sensed the venomous gazes some of the slaves had just thrown at Andison.

Andison’s fate from here on out was almost predictable.

Perhaps it was his modern way of thinking at work, but his chest tightened slightly. The next moment, however, he forced himself to harden his heart. On his territory, he at least treated most people impartially at heart.

Though it was incomparable to his privileged life as a supervisor, if Andison hadn’t committed so many evil deeds and drawn so much hatred, his coming days as a slave wouldn’t be too unbearable.

And if the opposite were true… it would only mean the cruel abuser was getting a taste of everything his former victims had suffered.

Oliver sighed inwardly.

He rationally understood that this was, of course, not the most perfect way to handle things.

But at least from his current perspective, it was relatively appropriate.

“All of you, go back,” Oliver said, not sparing another glance at Andison, who was being carried away for treatment, nor at the slaves who had, at some point, silently knelt on the ground, their faces streaked with grateful tears. He simply repeated his instruction, “After dinner, gather again at the castle gate.”

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