"My lord, I have truly mended my ways." Dismas thought Lance was warning him about his behavior and hurriedly tried to defend himself.
Lance glanced at him. "I'm not joking with you. We are not the Church. There is no need to forbid such things." He then took out a pouch and handed it to him. "You worked hard on that last mission. This is your reward. Go and have some fun. And I suppose," he added with a cynical smile, "it stimulates the local economy."
Lance felt a certain helplessness regarding the existence of the brothel. His policies were aimed at those who were willing to exchange labor for money, but not everyone was so inclined. Some people would rather be idle than work. This was true of both men and women; the only difference was that in this age, women could earn money while lying down.
He had arranged better jobs for the women, but not all of them chose to take them. Some, especially those who had been in this line of work before, preferred their old life. Besides, the people of this world had a very high demand for such establishments. The bachelors, with a few coins in their pockets, would inevitably seek out a woman. He had wanted to crack down hard on this "illegal" activity, but he found the cost was too high, and it would create other problems. He simply did not have the manpower or the time to manage such things.
In the end, he found that dredging was better than damming. If the women chose to do this willingly, he could not stop them. He could only regulate it, confine it, and impose a heavy tax to discourage it, keeping their income at a relatively low level. As for any unsanctioned harlots, they would be met with fines and confinement. A strict crackdown.
Lance had never thought that one day he would have to act as a pimp. But to save his family, he had already sacrificed so much.
Walking through the streets at night, looking at the sparsely lit windows, he felt a sense of accomplishment. This place could not endure another brigand invasion. Whether it was for his own survival or to protect all this, the brigands had to die.
He did not go back to his quarters. Instead, he turned down a side street, walked to the front of a small house, and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
The door was opened by a middle-aged woman. She did not expect the visitor to be Lance. The moment she saw him, she was dumbstruck.
"Good evening," Lance said with a smile.
"M-my lord..." the woman stammered, completely flustered.
"Won't you invite me in to sit for a while?" Lance's smile did not waver; he showed no negative emotion at her reaction.
"Ah! My lord, please, come in," the woman finally reacted, quickly stepping aside. "My apologies, my lord." She muttered apologies, terrified that she had offended him, and even more afraid that her lack of etiquette would reflect poorly on her son.
"It's fine," Lance said softly, calming her. He looked around the simple house and, seeing she was alone, asked, "Is Victor not home?"
"He took his younger brother to the evening class. Should I call him back?"
Victor was the most outstanding student in the training camp, and so he had attracted Lance's attention. The barracks had not yet been built, so most of the new recruits went home at night. For him to continue studying without supervision proved that Lance had not misjudged the boy. The "class" was a literacy program Lance had arranged in the square. After the day's work was done, a bonfire would be lit, and someone would teach simple words. It was open to all. After Lance had stressed the importance of intellectuals, many people had begun to attend the evening class. He had even prepared some small snacks to attract the children. He did not yet have the ability to build a proper school; this would have to do in the meantime.
"No need," Lance said, finding a place to sit and changing the subject. "What did you have for dinner tonight?"
"Black bread and some vegetable potage."
Though it was a simple, meatless meal, a smile finally appeared on the woman's face as she spoke of it. It was a plain smile, but a genuine one.
Lance continued to chat with her in a calm, even tone, and gradually, the woman relaxed and began to tell him of her situation. Before the brigands came, her family was a common farming household. She and her husband had two sons. Life for the family of four was not rich, but it was a happy one. Then the brigands had come. Her husband had been conscripted as cannon fodder, and his body was never found. Luckily, their house was at the back of the town, which gave them more time to flee. She and her two sons had survived.
But though they had escaped the brigands' blades, they had fallen into the hands of the Magistrate. The skyrocketing prices had bled them of their last drop of blood. She had wanted to sell herself to the landowner, but no one wanted her with two children to feed. On one of those days, she had even thought of suicide, but for the sake of her sons, she had held on, risking attacks from wild beasts to dig for wild vegetables and roots in the wilderness. Soon, even the roots were gone. The family had starved for several days and were on the verge of death.
But then, the lord had appeared and executed the evil Magistrate. The three days of gruel had truly saved their family. To say nothing of the subsequent stabilization of food prices and the various jobs that were offered. Life was quickly returning to normal. As for the new rules and regulations, all one had to do was follow them. She trusted her lord unconditionally.
And the thing that made her most proud was that her eldest son had been chosen by the lord to enter the training camp.
As she spoke, the conversation became hers. Lance simply listened. But hearing of the improvement in her life, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. His efforts had been recognized.
"That boy, he trains so hard," she said. "I told him not to bring the egg he was rewarded with home for his little brother, but he insisted. He said the lord is very good to them, that they have milk to drink at the camp, and that they even see meat in their meals every day."
"He came back the other day and gave me a copper coin. He said it was a reward from the lord for remembering the most words."
"I tried to give the money back to him, told him he was a man now."
"But later, he used the money to buy milk. He said he wanted us to taste it."
"It was sweet and fragrant. I have never drunk anything so delicious."
"He gave the rest to his little brother. He said that since he was doing well, he got to eat meat often at the training camp. He said that when he passed his assessment, he would buy meat to celebrate."
"The boy was smiling so happily. And his little brother, hearing there was meat to eat, also smiled so happily."
"In a few days, when we've saved a little money, I'll buy some meat for the boys. Victor is training so hard, and his little brother is still growing."
Her rambling did not annoy Lance. On the contrary, these domestic trifles allowed his taut nerves to relax. The urgent need to deal with the brigands gradually subsided.
"Who is it?"
The door opened. Lance looked up and saw a half-grown youth leading his younger brother into the room. The youth's frame was thin and slight, but his eyes were bright and full of hope for life, as if they held infinite possibilities.