The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Lind still sleeps in a tent, but the school is now one of the most well-maintained buildings in the territory.

Although it was just a row of bungalows and only had a few teachers, it had everything: a playground and a canteen.

Linde is the nominal principal of the school, but the school is basically managed entirely by Isa.

To be honest, Isa didn't quite understand why Linde dared to entrust the future hopes of these territories to a traitor like herself for education.

The content of the teaching was also very different from what Isa had initially expected. Isa originally thought that Lind felt it was not appropriate to build a church now and planned to build a church school as a transition.

However, the main subject of theology in church schools has been transformed into a course similar to moral education for white-collar workers. Not only are there very few classes scheduled each week, but there are also no strict examination targets.

Isa probably understood that this was the secularization that Linde had told her about.

Conversely, the proportion of literacy and mathematics classes increased significantly, especially literacy. Isa even felt that Lind had become somewhat obsessive, demanding that all the children in the territory be literate and able to perform simple reading and writing.

Not only that, after these children finish learning and go home, their parents must also learn with them, so that the children can teach their parents to read.

There are rewards for doing well in school, and although there is no punishment for not doing well, you will feel a little ashamed in front of your neighbors.

Therefore, parents no longer think that since their children will eventually have to work in the fields anyway, what's the use of learning a few words? They have started to urge their children to study more and more. As the living standards in the area have improved, the teaching aids have even changed from stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat to Seven Wolves.

Night schools were also set up on the territory for people who did not have children at home or whose children did not do well in school and wanted to study on their own. Although they were free, not many people came because it would affect their work the next day.

But there are still many visionary people who, even if it means a harder life, are determined to learn to read and write.

To be honest, it wasn't until he actually started managing a large territory with over a thousand people that Linde realized how important literacy was. Only when literacy was high could he ensure that government orders were carried out smoothly and that his orders would not be distorted.

There is also a crash course in the territory. As long as a person passes the crash course assessment, he/she can apply for a management position.

This assessment is not easy; it mainly provides an opportunity for those who are already literate.

When Caroline arrived at school, recess had already ended, and children of all ages were sitting in the classroom listening to the lesson and reading the new words they had learned with Isa.

Issa was somewhat of a celebrity in the capital, not because she killed a count. Although a count sounded impressive on the border, he was hardly a big shot in the capital. Moreover, Yag was killed by unarmed refugees, which was considered utterly incompetent by the nobles. In the capital, he was second only to Lena in terms of disgrace among the nobility.

What truly made Isa famous was Cordick's propaganda campaign, which led the students in the capital to see Isa not as a rebel, but as a righteous army resisting the brutal rule of the Lars family in the North.

In the public opinion of the capital, all the blame was placed on the Lars family. The people were displaced because the Lars family could not defend the border, and there were corpses everywhere because the Lars family refused to open the granaries to distribute food. Although Yag had secretly pledged allegiance to the royal family, he was still nominally a vassal of the Lars family. Isa naturally became a righteous person who resisted the tyranny of the Lars family.

Moreover, Isa was an outstanding graduate of the academy, which made her an idol for many students, including Caroline.

However, none of Isa's ideas and beliefs reached the capital; the focus was on how Isa rebelled against the Lars family.

And this legendary senior from the academy who rebelled against the tyranny of the Lars family is now teaching on the Lars family's territory, which is somewhat unacceptable to Caroline.

After waiting for Isa to finish her lesson, Caroline stopped Isa as she was about to organize her lesson plan.

"Senior Isa! Didn't you lead the refugees in a rebellion? How can you be teaching in Lars's territory now? And teaching such heretical things at that?"

Caroline seemed to see her idol's career crumble, and her tone became somewhat hysterical.

Seeing Isa's somewhat bewildered expression, Caroline realized her rudeness.

"I'm sorry, Senior Isa. I'm a student a year younger than you. I was deeply moved when I heard you raise the flag to fight against the refugees. I wanted to be like you and save the people of the North who are brutally ruled by the Lars family. But why? Why are you teaching in enemy territory now? Is it that disgrace of the nobility that threatens you?"

Despite a barrage of questions coming at her, Isa finally understood what the somewhat agitated, long-haired beauty with black hair was saying.

"You came from the capital?"

Isa didn't rush to answer, but instead looked Caroline up and down.

"That's right! I'm your fan. To be honest, there are quite a few people in the academy who take you as their role model. Although they are preparing to rebel against the Lars family, I know that you, who dare to rebel against the nobles, will not surrender easily. It must be that disgrace of the nobles who coerced you, right?"

Upon hearing Caroline's last sentence, Isabella smiled and said, "It wasn't Lena who coerced me, but rather the lord of this gray-collar area."

Before Isha could finish speaking, Caroline, as if grasping at a lifeline, excitedly said, "So you really were coerced? That gray-collar lord is a beast in human form, a disgrace to the nobility, and a den of vipers!"

Perhaps because Caroline spoke too loudly, the other teachers and security guards at the school heard her insulting their lord and cast dangerous glances at her. Even many children who had just left school looked at Caroline with ill intent.

Isa immediately pulled Caroline back and continued, "It's not a threat, but the lord has given us refugees food and jobs. Even if I wanted to rebel again, no one would follow me."

This statement is somewhat self-deprecating, since if Isha really wanted to continue the rebellion, she could still gather a lot of loyal followers.

"Resisting the Lars family is a noble cause; how can these refugees give up for a meal and a little pay!"

Hearing this somewhat delusional statement, Isa sensed something was wrong and quickly asked, "What's the latest news from the capital about the Northern Territory?"

Soon, under her idol's questioning, Caroline immediately recounted Cordick's entire explanation.

Isa's initial surprise turned to empathy, then to confusion, and finally to incomprehension.

"The situation in the North is indeed terrible right now, but is it all because of the Lars family?"

In response to Isa's question, Caroline answered without hesitation: "Of course, everything in the North will be alright once the Lars family falls."

However, this question was more of a question Isa asked herself than a question she asked Caroline.

Under the feudal system, the vassals of my vassals are not my vassals. The Lars family is indeed the largest power in the North, but in reality, most of the land is still governed by other minor nobles.

Are those minor nobles really innocent? Along Isa's journey, the smaller the territory, the more severe the exploitation.

On the contrary, the Lars family at least issued an order to distribute relief food.

The more chaotic the situation, the more those minor nobles want to take advantage of it to make money, regardless of the impending disaster behind them.

This is not to say that the Lars family are good people, but if the North weakens due to chaos, the Lars family will be the most affected.