The Swordswoman's Revenge Story after Rebirth

The Swordswoman'’s Revenge Story after Rebirth

Chapter 55 Throw Them Out

The moment the farmhands heard that their wages would be paid, the crowd fell silent.

68%

48 Pearls

From her vantage point above them, Isolde studied their faces. They all had the slook-dark-skinned and

thin. Being tanned was expected, but being so emaciated was not.

Laborers, if well-fed, should be strong. But Montlins Manor's farmhands were anything but.

Michelle was a far-sighted person-she wouldn’t have starved the workers she depended on. There was only one

explanation: Otto and his gang had been skimming off the food budget as well.

Isolde took a deep breath, then spoke slowly, “I understand that many of you are leaving. If you've found better

wages elsewhere, | won't stop you. As for Otto and the overseers, I've already paid them their wages inside.

Now, | will pay yours, according to the figures Otto himself reported to Michelle.

“Your wages during the harvest season were recorded as one thousand coins a month. In the off-season, five

hundred. Wages are issued monthly, so the manor owes you one month’s pay. Go to Helena, register your name,

and collect your money.”

A deathly silence fell over the crowd.

The farmhands looked at each other in confusion, as if unsure they'd heard correctly.

Then, one man blurted out, more shocked than when they were demanding their wages, “You're saying we get

paid monthly? One thousand coins for the harvest season? OMG. Really?”

“That's right,” Isolde confirmed. “The records show that, but right now, we're still in the off-season, so each of

you will receive five hundred coins. In addition, Montlins Manor issues a summer allowance of one -hundred coins

per month, making it a total of six hundred.”

Otto's expression stiffened.

When Isolde had been flipping through the ledgers earlier, he'd been confident. The wage records were

deliberately vague, tucked away at the very end of the books. Unless she had read through everything, she

couldn't possibly have found them.

And with the workers forcing the issue so quickly, she shouldn't have had tto go through the books at all!

But somehow, she had.

Otto recovered quickly and sneered, “Isolde, don’t spout nonsense. The workers earn two hundred coins a

month, not a thousand.”

Isolde motioned to Vincenzo, who stepped forward and placed the ledger on the ground. “Anyone here who can

read, step up and check for yourself,” she said. “This is the ledger Otto submitted to Michelle every month. The

wages section clearly states five hundred coins as the non-harvest wage. “In Windermount, where | managed an

estate, the harvest wage was always increased to a thousand. Three meals a day. One of them must include

meat.”

The farmhands, though illiterate, crowded around the ledger, flipping through the pages, trying to make sense of

the numbers.

Helena stepped up, took the book from one of them, and pointed to the last page. “You may not recognize

words but do vou recornize vour names? Do you recognize the numbers hecide them?”

1/3

68%

Chapter 55 Throw Them Out

*8 Pearls

They squinted, then started murmuring. They knew their own names. And the numbers next to them-five

hundred coins.

At that moment, Eddie returned, having changed his clothes. Seeing the commotion, he grinned. “Everyone here

to collect wages? Miss Langley says there's no such thing as two years of unpaid work. From the first month,

we've been earning! Turns out, | have a lot of money coming my way!”

A group of young workers turned to him, wide-eyed. One lanky young man grabbed Eddie’s arm, his voice

trembling. “You mean... we get paid from the first month? Not after two years?”

Eddie shook his head. “Nope. Miss Langley says the first month counts. As long as you work, you get paid. And

since the harvest is coming, wages will go up.”

A voice rose from the crowd, “That's not what Estella and Otto said! They told us Miss Langley was cutting our

wages!”

More voices joined in, and soon, the anger in the crowd boiled over.

Isolde raised her voice and declared, “I did say | would cut wages, but not yours. The ones | was going to cut

were Otto’s and the overseers’ wages. They earn 3,000 a month yet do no real work-shouldn’t their pay be

reduced? They threatened me, saying that if | cut their wages, they would take you all with them and leave

Montlins Manor unable to function. | had no choice but to ask Jessica to find temporary replacements. | would

love for all of you to stay. However, | understand the bond you have with Otto and the overseers after so many

years. If you choose to stand with them, | respect that. | will still pay you your full wages. | wish you all the best-

may you have a bright future ahead.”

The crowd erupted once again. Seeing the situation turning against them, Estella and Otto attempted to flee, but

Harlan and Vincenzo blocked their path with expressionless faces.

Vincenzo unsheathed his sword and said coolly, “Where do you think you're going? First, explain exactly how

much of the field workers’ wages you've been skimming.”

The enraged workers surged forward, surrounding Otto and the overseers. Some, particularly those with hot

tempers, had already thrown punches. Otto, being a frail scholar, could no longer keep up his arrogance after

taking two hits. In desperation, he immediately promised to return the stolen wages.

But the workers were furious. After being deceived for so many years, a mere promise was not enough to

appease them.

“Unbelievable! Not only did they steal our wages, but they even tried to trick us into leaving the manor with

them. Let's beat these scoundrels to death!”

“That's right! Give us back our wages!”

“Miss Langley, we won't leave. We want to stay at Montlins Manor!”

“Yes, none of us are leaving. You don’t need to hire replacements.”

Isolde leaped down from the wall and stood beside Oliver, watching the chaotic scene unfold.

“That's it?” Oliver asked in disbelief.

Isolde smiled faintly. “How complicated could a manor really be?”

“You knew they were skimming wages all along?”

2/3

68%

Chapter 55 Throw Them Out

+8 Pears

“I didn’t. But in a manor, such things are impossible to completely hide from view. | grew up in an estate-1 know

that if the owner isn’t directly involved, there will always be problems. If it's not wage theft, it'll be something

else. “The way Otto and the overseers operated was not how honorable people behave. And what do the field

workers want? Fair wages and security. As long as they have those, no one can take them away.

“If you knew the workers wouldn't actually leave, why hire replacements?” Oliver asked.

Isolde looked at him and explained, “Harvest season is coming. Montlins Manor doesn’t have enough hands to

manage it all. But hiring full-tworkers isn’t cost-effective because there isn’t much work during the off-

season. It's unnecessary. Instead, hiring temporary workers during peak seasons helps ease the workload and

saves costs for the estate.”

Oliver looked at her with newfound admiration. “You even understand business?”

“Collin from Belleview Manor taught me.” Isolde chuckled.

Oliver found it hard to imagine how a noble lady like her had lived in the estate.

Her mother, Prunella, cfrom a military noble family. Her father had earned great military merits at a young

age and was granted the title of Duke. She was the only legitimate daughter of the Langley family, yet she had

lived a life worse than an illegitimate child.

Meanwhile, Vincenzo and Harlan looked down at Otto and the other overseers, who had been beaten to the point

of lying motionless on the ground, their faces swollen and bruised. They showed not a hint of sympathy.

Vincenzo said indifferently, “Your wages will be returned in full to the field workers. Pack your things and get

lost.”

Otto, his face twisted and swollen, still had the audacity to point at Vincenzo and shout angrily, “Only Michelle

has the right to expel us!”

Vincenzo sneered. “Speople just don’t know when to quit.”

With a flick of his hand, he ordered, “You, take these shameless crooks and throw them out.”

At his command, dozens of field workers responded in unison. They grabbed Otto and the overseers, hauled

them out of the manor, and dumped them by the roadside. Only after spitting on them a few times did they

finally turn and head back, satisfied.

0

10

1

word

word

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLHI0RAO&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWL1i10f1ifl0&1

mmMwWLIiI0fiflO&1