Chapter 69
Baratheon’s fishing rod looked as if it might reel in a fish at any moment, but even after a long time, nothing happened.
The same went for Miri.
“…Is the bait the problem?”
While Baratheon coughed awkwardly and switched out the innocent bait several times, Shishe silently stared out at the sea.
I quietly took a seat next to him.
“Shishe, have you ever been fishing before?”
“No. Why would I ever do something like this?”
“Well… fair enough.”
For noble young masters, hunting was the hobby, not fishing.
I nodded in understanding, and then Shishe threw a question back at me.
“And what about you? Ever done it?”
“Nope. Never.”
At least not in this life.
So it wasn’t a lie.
I swallowed that last sentence to myself and adjusted my grip on the fishing rod.
* * *
“No way…”
Already the twelfth fish.
Miri stared at me with her mouth wide open as I kept pulling up fish again and again.
At some point, all three of them abandoned their own rods and crouched next to me, just watching.
“Is your fishing rod special?”
“Excuse me, who was it that traded rods with me earlier?”
“…Yes. That was me.”
Baratheon, who had been eyeing me suspiciously, dropped to his knees in defeat. Then Miri started glancing around my seat.
“Or… is this spot a lucky one?”
At that, Baratheon gave an awkward laugh and raised his hand weakly.
“Uh, well, actually… I already tried switching seats. Didn’t work.”
“Then what’s the problem? The bait?”
“Ahem. It’s not the spot, the rod, or the bait. The problem is the person.”
I dropped the freshly caught fish into the jar and cast the hook back into the ocean, tilting my chin proudly.
‘I was literally called the Fishing Master in my previous life.’
If I’m competing against a bunch of total beginners who’ve never touched a rod before, of course I have the advantage.
‘I basically caught every fish in that lake in the Foggy Mountains.’
And without knowing that, Baratheon suggested a bet—so losing was inevitable for him.
‘Teon really shouldn’t gamble. How can he lose so spectacularly every single time?’
“It’s pretty clear who won. And the sun’s going down, too.”
Shishe stood and glanced at the reddening sky.
Just as he said, the sun was slowly setting, painting the sky in shades of red.
“So you’re all admitting I’m the winner?”
“Yeah. Who could deny it? Let’s pack up and go.”
Which meant I would get three wishes.
“Alright.”
But just as I nodded proudly and started packing up my rod—
Something huge tugged.
“Whoa—!”
“Careful!”
The pull was so strong it nearly dragged me forward.
If Baratheon hadn’t grabbed me, I probably would’ve fallen into the sea.
‘What has that kind of strength?’
I exhaled in relief and carefully reeled the line in.
Unlike the earlier fish, this one fought hard—loosening and tightening the tension over and over—until at last, it surfaced.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Baratheon’s eyes widened as the creature emerged.
It definitely wasn’t a normal fish.
Its scales shone with a brilliant golden light—clearly something special.
“We probably shouldn’t catch something like that. Let’s release it.”
Miri grabbed my arm anxiously.
Baratheon and Shishe both nodded, and I agreed as well.
But just as I moved to remove the hook and release it—
“An auspicious sign.”
Dean appeared behind us, looking extremely pleased.
“Auspicious sign?”
“Yes. In the Devon region, there’s a legend that when a golden fish appears, eternal prosperity follows.”
Of course. Every region has a legend like that.
“They say it might show up once in a thousand years…”
Why on earth did such a rare creature end up in my hands?
As I stared at the fish, dumbfounded, Dean bowed deeply toward me.
“It must be a sign that a great lord has arrived in Devon.”
Great lord? Please. I’m only here to squeeze this place dry.
“If it’s that precious, it shouldn’t be getting caught by me.”
I snorted and released the fish into the water.
Hey, fish. Next time show up for someone who’s actually going to restore the territory. Not some random person like me.
“You’re letting it go?”
Dean’s eyes widened.
“If you showed it to the people, you’d earn great respect.”
“I don’t need that.”
The freed fish didn’t swim out to sea immediately, but lingered by the pier, lazily swishing its tail.
“Doesn’t it look like it’s thanking you?”
Baratheon, still crouched by the rod, said in amazement.
Miri nodded beside him.
I watched them wave at the fish, then turned back to Dean.
“So? What is it?”
“Ah! Right.”
He suddenly remembered why he came, and his face drooped in panic.
“We’re in trouble, my lord. The workers you fired this morning heard the news—and they’ve swarmed here!”
* * *
The people gathered were all pale as ghosts.
They probably never thought I’d fire them so easily.
To be fair, it wasn’t an unreasonable assumption.
A normal lord would’ve tried to win them over.
Unfortunately for them… I was not a normal lord—I was a crazy one.
“What’s everyone here for? There’s no severance pay. You were fired for unexcused absence.”
“B-but you can’t just cut us off like this!”
“The law?”
Law?
That was the wrong thing to bring up in front of a lord.
“I am the law. If you’re unhappy, you can be the lord instead.”
If you’re jealous, become the king—
It was something Shishe liked to say.
As I dismissed them indifferently, one man, trembling with panic, suddenly fell to his knees and bowed flat.
“Please forgive us, my lord!”
His shout silenced everyone else.
“I was blinded by bad people and forgot who the real lord was!”
“F-forgive us!”
Once one person started, the rest quickly followed, scrambling to the ground and bowing desperately.
Watching so many people grovel wasn’t exactly pleasant.
Feels like I’ve become a tyrant.
“It’s true that you looked down on me and listened to those three fools. That’s certainly a problem. But that’s not the only reason.”
There was another reason they’d been fired.
“I also heard you bribed them for your positions. Am I right?”
Silence.
“…But…”
A man spoke desperately—a young man, barely in his early 30s.
“I have children to feed. And this guy next to me cares for his sick mother alone. We had to find work somehow. But those bastards controlled everything. What were we supposed to do? We did it to survive!”
He bit his lips hard.
“Devon’s land is mostly salt-poisoned. We can’t farm. The only way to make money is civil work or trade—but they controlled everything! What choice did we have?”
“Excuses.”
I cut him off sharply.
He wasn’t lying.
I hadn’t seen farmland on the way here, and it was true those three sold positions for money.
“But saying that only insults those who stayed honest despite their hardships.”
“…I…”
He lowered his head, tears falling and darkening the ground.
Then others started to cry.
Soon their sobbing filled the whole space.
Anyone passing by would think I was torturing them.
I remembered my own childhood—hungry under abusive foster parents.
In desperation, people do foolish things.
I also once wondered if selling my own eyeball could buy food.
“…Fine. I understand your situation. I’ll give you a chance.”
I let out a deep sigh and rubbed my head roughly.
The people stopped crying and stared up at me with hopeful eyes.
“I’ll hold an open exam. Anyone can take it. If you pass and show real ability, I’ll hire you.”
I’d fired nearly everyone except about ten.
Those empty spots needed filling.
Maybe these people would take them—
maybe not.
“This time, cheating won’t work.”
