Chapter 49: People POV on Tax System

The flickering light of a single cheap gemstone cast soft shadows across the small wooden cottage. The scent of freshly baked barley bread mixed with the faint aroma of vegetable stew as a family of four gathered around their modest dining table. Their clothes were patched but clean, their faces worn yet hopeful.

Elric, the father, sat at the head of the table, ladling portions of stew into each wooden bowl. His wife, Mira, cradled their youngest child, a three-year-old boy, while their eldest, Laina, a girl of ten, eagerly tore into a piece of bread.

"Papa, can we really eat this much every night now?" Laina asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

Elric chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Aye, my little sprout. Things are different now. We don't have to starve ourselves just to save coins for the tax collector."