After Becoming an Evil Dragon, I Was Entangled by the Saintess - Chapter 14

Yulxi’s refusal left a hint of disappointment on Veranse’s face.

Am I destined to eat junk food forever?

Yulxi sensed Veranse’s thoughts but didn’t want to argue about food. She turned to Ilti and asked, “What’s the population situation in the territory?”

Veranse, who had successfully secured the position of Ilti’s deputy, replied, “The Red Maple Territory has a recorded population of 380,000. Klein City houses 12,000 residents—though some fled recently and haven’t returned. The five town centers have smaller populations, totaling 30,000. The rest are rural farmers who, remarkably, haven’t been disturbed by recent events and continue cultivating their fields as usual.”

Yulxi glanced at Veranse, signaling her to continue.

Though Veranse wasn’t originally from the Red Maple Territory, she had become intimately familiar with its affairs after reviewing official documents these past few days. Eager to understand the Black Dragon’s intentions, she was determined to fulfill her requests to the best of her ability. Having addressed Yulxi’s concerns about the population, she shifted the topic. “Your Majesty is likely also interested in the territory’s tax system? The Montan Empire’s unified tax is the Tithe, requiring residents of each Parish to pay ten percent of their annual yield or income to the Church.”

As for what constitutes a parish, any place with a church qualifies, regardless of one’s faith. The 10% figure is also quite flexible. According to Veranse, only saints could consistently collect that exact amount.

She gazed at Yulxi’s expressionless face and continued, “Shield Tax. The minor nobles of the Red Maple Territory are obligated to serve the Lord. If they refuse military service, they can pay a Shield Tax to be exempt.” Of course, the Shield Tax is also levied randomly. But this isn’t the main burden, since being a Knight is a prestigious status. Unless they’re truly cowardly, minor nobles are usually eager to become Knights.

“Poll Tax. This is collected whenever funds are needed. But ever since its introduction, the Emperor and Lords have perpetually lacked funds. Commercial Tax. In the Red Maple Territory, the Lord’s Manor takes 50% of all commercial taxes. As a result, aside from extraordinary creatures, very few commoners open shops or start businesses. This likely contributes to the low population in our towns.”

Yulxi asked, “What else?”

Veranse tossed the task aside. “Let our Lord speak.”

Ilti fell silent, knowing why Veranse couldn’t bring herself to say the words. It would be an insult to the Holy Light to utter such things. As the daughter of the Lord’s Manor, she had been sheltered from these realities until she saw the account books, which shattered her righteous soul. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and recited, “Water tax, bread tax, livestock tax…”

“Hearing it again still amazes me,” Flah said, arms crossed, her gaze sweeping across the room. “Humans are truly insatiable creatures.”

Yulxi turned to Ilti. “What do you plan to do?”

Ilti pressed her lips together. “Abolish these unjust taxes.”

Yulxi nodded, a strange light flickering in her eyes. “The Tithe will no longer be paid to the Church but sent to the City Hall instead. The commercial tax is too high; we’ll reduce it to five percent, but only if businesses agree to display the Black Dragon Flag.”

Veranse raised an eyebrow. She didn’t care whether the Church received its tithe, but the “Black Dragon Flag”—did it mean the same as the Dragon God Temple? Was this an attempt to brand the Red Maple Territory with the Black Dragon’s mark? Veranse studied Yulxi closely, finding no trace of divine aura on her. Her initial suspicions had been quietly dismissed.

Ilti stared at Yulxi, speechless. “The Church… the Church won’t agree to this.”

Impossible.

The Tithe had always been paid to the Church.

“The Church in the Red Maple Territory has never held much power,” Yulxi said, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “The Holy See doesn’t even know whether the High Priest is alive or dead. Do you think they’ll bother auditing the accounts of this barren land? The tithes they collect probably end up as the priests’ personal wealth anyway, don’t you think?” She glanced at Veranse, raising an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Veranse nodded without a change in expression. “You’re right.”

Ilti was speechless. Despite knowing Yulxi was no ordinary Black Dragon, her understanding of her was constantly being challenged. If not for the dragon’s true name inscribed on their contract, she would never have believed this was a Black Dragon. Instead, she would have thought a mysterious reformer had arrived in the Red Maple Territory! After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, “What about the priests in the churches? And with the tax cuts, won’t it be difficult to cover the Red Maple Territory’s expenses?”

“Are you referring to the Red Maple Territory’s expenses or the castle’s?” Yulxi cut to the chase. She continued calmly, “When news of the Black Dragon’s retaliation spread, a significant number of people fled from both the church and the castle, didn’t they? Now would be a good time to trim unnecessary expenditures.”

Ilti muttered under her breath, “But isn’t that how all nobles operate?”

Yulxi ignored Ilti’s thoughts. Could a few nobles provide her with more faith and Merit than the common people? Her goal had never been individuals, but the commoners of the Red Maple Territory, gradually radiating outward. She sought to ascend to godhood anew, with faith derived from the commoners’ worship and Merit earned through their gratitude—the reciprocation for a god’s promises and protection. In essence, she aimed to win the hearts of the people. As for the customs of human nobles, what concern did a Black Dragon have for such trivialities?

“The Red Maple Territory’s commercial tax is only levied on humans,” Veranse said with a smile. “Races like Beastmen, Elves, and Dwarves don’t adhere to the territory’s commercial regulations. Oh, and I almost forgot—there are also various guilds.” She paused, her smile widening. “But shouldn’t all residents of the Red Maple Territory be treated equally?”

A fervent anticipation flickered in her eyes, yet beneath lay a hint of mockery. Was Yulxi truly interested in developing the Red Maple Territory? And if conflicts arose with other factions, would that simply add to her amusement? Veranse’s smile was pure, but deep within her heart lurked a typical “the more chaos, the better” mentality.

Ilti knew this all too well.

But did these humanoid creatures even care? Her father and brothers were constantly scheming to extract wealth from them, yet lacked the means to do so. The Red Maple Territory was already a chaotic melting pot of diverse species—how could anyone possibly control it?

Yulxi declared, “All should be treated equally.”

Ilti wore a bitter expression. She would rather face the humanoid creatures with Flah than be instantly incinerated by the Black Dragon.

Yulxi then asked, “Does the Red Maple Territory have a school?”

Ilti nodded. “There’s Klein Academy, affiliated with the Church.” But Klein Academy ranked poorly within the Montan Empire. Those with means preferred to send their children to study in other provinces at great expense. The academy had long been dilapidated and neglected, its teachers being Church priests who droned on with monotonous sermons day after day.

Yulxi had no intention of changing schools for the time being. “We’ll erect a statue of the Dragon God at Klein Academy,” she declared. The Dragon God Temple at City Hall, the Dragon God statue at the school, and the Black Dragon Flag of the merchant guild formed an invisible network, weaving the steps of her ascent.

Ilti: “…Alright.”

She truly didn’t know what else to say. Before absolute power, all she could do was nod.

Only after Yulxi rose and left did Ilti ask weakly, “What does this great lord truly want?”

“Perhaps she’s tired of the Great Dragon’s reputation for evil and wishes to build a prosperous territory,” Veranse replied, rising with a light smile playing on her lips.

“Where are you going?” Ilti asked, watching Veranse’s retreating figure with confusion.

Veranse glanced back with a smile. “To thank the great Black Dragon Lord for her generosity.”

The words echoed in Ilti’s mind.

While Ilti remained stunned, Flah snapped out of her daze and grabbed Ilti’s arm. “Let’s eat!”

Ilti was hungry too, but she hesitated. “That’s the Black Dragon’s food.”

Flah: “……” Suddenly, she lost her appetite.