System vs Rebirth

Elaine woke up once again, finding herself in a different place.

"Where am I again?" Elaine didn't know why, but her body wasn't as heavy as she remembered. Considering what happened previously, Elaine couldn't help but say, "I see. So, I have died."

"Dying? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Mhmm?" Elaine turned her head around, following the origin of the voice and finding a woman she was unfamiliar with standing next to her bed. "Who are you?"

"I am Rose, the Ardagan family's retainer. I will just keep it brief. Instead of punishing you to death, we've changed the punishment to labor." Rose raised three fingers. "Firstly, you shall work under me personally. If you don't produce any results, I will deem you useless and remove you, including your family.

"Secondly, you are not allowed to communicate with your family unless you're permitted to do so. If found, you and your family will be exterminated.

"Last but not least, you should be thankful to that woman. If not for her begging the Lord to not execute you, you wouldn't be here anymore."

Elaine blinked a few times. The punishment was harsh, but it was understandable. However, it also meant that she had to work hard to make the family that crushed hers prosper.

"That's all. You are to rest for one more day before following me back to the main city."

This kind of mercy slightly surprised her. While she indeed had to work for the Ardagan family, she could still somehow learn the condition of her family after all this. She hoped that her brother was able to withstand this kind of challenge.

When she saw that Rose was about to leave, she couldn't help but open her mouth. "Wait."

Rose glanced at her coldly.

"Ehm…" Elaine wanted to say something but she realized that she had to change the way she spoke due to her current status. "May I know… What happened to Jessi? I mean, the person who… I threatened."

Rose sighed. "You don't have to worry. She is perfectly fine."

Elaine's eyes brightened and politely bowed her head. "Thank you very much." The reason was rather different though. She bowed because her expression melted and she was about to cry but didn't want Rose to see it.

Rose shrugged and left the room since she had to report to Noel.

"…and that's what happened."

Noel nodded in understanding. "We'll treat her the same as a commoner. Do good work, you will be paid generously."

"Are you sure? If we just provide the basic necessities and housing, it should be enough for her."

"It's fine. Just do it that way." Noel waved his hand as if he had calculated everything.

"Alright. Do you know what kind of work I should give her? I mean, it's unlike you to accept her like this, so she must be useful somewhere."

Noel recalled what Anna said back then.

…

"You said reforms. What are those reforms?"

Anna raised four fingers. "If I remember correctly, the first reform is about the laws. She has implemented a new law where they apply a merit-based system. I'm not sure about it that much, but it seems to be something like a commoner can rise through ranks if they produce something good."

"I see. That's the kind of system that we currently need." Noel pondered for a moment.

"The second reform is about worker policy. Something like their condition and working time makes people more civilized."

"Mhmm? I don't really mind if it's going to help the people, but we're rather in a delicate state. If we limit their productivity, the royal family might take advantage to strike us. What about the third reform?"

"It's public sanitation."

"Now that's interesting. I don't know to what extent, but the sanitary problem is quite big, especially in a closed area like most cities in the kingdom. If we can improve it, people's overall health will increase. And more importantly, it's close to impossible to stop the slum from appearing. Hence, a clean slum is better than a dirty one."

"That's indeed true. The last is about education… Not that she succeeds in this one though."

"Education?" Noel raised his eyebrows.

"Yep. Like the one you're currently trying to achieve. I think you know the reason why it's failing."

"Obviously. The people have a hard time even eating, so why would they care about education? But now that the rune technology has improved their daily lives, there's a chance for it to succeed. With a more civilized city, we can produce even more talents.

"After all, a lot of people are smart, but only those who are educated can display their talents." Noel nodded in understanding. "I see. It's no wonder why you want to have this woman."

"That's how it is. Besides, you can see why she is such a popular person among the citizens, right?"

"Indeed. With all those reforms, she could gain the people's hearts. They will become more solid and she can show it to other lords as a bargaining chip. This way, they will lean toward agreeing with her condition, which ultimately reaches me." Noel sighed. He finally knew why Anna said Elaine was the one holding him back in the north.

"Do you think you can win her over?"

"If we're lucky, yes. But I'll need some plans first."

…

After remembering the reforms, Noel said, "Let's just say that she is good at laws and regulations, especially for the populace."

"Is that so? Well, it's under my management then," Rose answered.

"Indeed. That's why I want to leave her to you."

"Alright." Rose didn't understand why Noel wanted to treat her that well, but he wasn't a person who did things without reason.

"In that case, I will be back first." Noel waved his hand and simply leaped out of the building through the window. He didn't return to the main city immediately. Instead, he took a moment to appreciate the view from the wall, looking at the sky. "The winter, huh? I hope that everyone can survive."