Chapter 7 - Exclusive Knight (1)
-I was only doing what I should as a knight. I don't know if it's okay for me to ride in the carriage.
-When even an elderly man whose time may come at any moment is walking, my heart is uneasy to be the only one comfortable.
-However, as a trainee knight, it would also be disloyal not to follow an order. It is a heart-wrenching matter, but I will follow the young lady's command.
Radon and the other knights, who had been replaying Ron's words, were dumbfounded the entire way back to the count's estate.
In words, he spoke of his honor as a knight, but his actions contained not a single shred of apology.
'What, it's a virtue he should naturally have as a knight?'
'He should have just not refused in the first place!'
'That's rich, coming from the guy who happily hopped into the carriage!'
Normally, out of consideration for others, one should refuse or at least not get back in the carriage after a rest stop. But Ron only refused the first time and now gets into the carriage before anyone else.
And the things he says while doing so.
-Sir Ternoir, walking is very good for one's health, especially as one gets older.
It would be one thing if he didn't say anything.
Every time Ron made a comment, the morale of Radon and the knights plummeted.
Even in the uncomfortable atmosphere, Ron calmly accepted the young lady's request.
The uncomfortable gazes are temporary, and the carriage was reasonably comfortable for a medieval fantasy world.
Still, to call it excellent...., he missed his high-end German sedan.
'Improving the ride quality is something I can use. How about it?'
-Progress: -78%
The progress rate only fluctuated when there was an actual change.
Every time he lowered the morale of Sir Ternoir and the knights, the progress rate went up and down.
However, perhaps because their resolve was united, it was on an upward trend.
'First, the springs.'
Although it was a fantasy world where magic and spirits ran rampant, there was a big difference compared to modern civilization.
Still, to say it was behind, there were specialized fields due to strange techniques.
However, artifacts like magic tools were not very helpful in daily life. It was a civilization where the benefits only went to a select few.
This world lacked mass popularization and mass production.
Within a universal framework, the privileges of the few should be made available to all.
'That's difficult for now.'
To widely benefit the world, Ron's intellectual level was only slightly above average.
Having held a sword instead of studying science and math, he too did not perfectly understand the benefits of modern civilization.
For example, he only saw suspension as a type of spring; he didn't know what kind of engineering technology went into it.
What he knew was only the most common knowledge.
"What are you thinking about so intently?"
"I was contemplating if there was a way to ride the carriage more comfortably."
"It's not that you're uncomfortable because I forced you to ride, is it?"
"Of course not. But every time the carriage hits a stone and rattles, I feel the shock. A knight like me is trained, so it's fine, but for a delicate young lady, the longer the journey, the more fatigued and tired you will become."
"There are people walking, so if I were to do that, I'd be lucky not to be cursed at for complaining despite my good fortune."
"That is true."
Ron did not deny it.
When people get used to convenience, they forget their place and often complain.
Without even knowing how fortunate they are.
'She's realistic for a noble.'
Adelia was different from the sheltered, hothouse-flower type of noble lady who knows nothing of the world, as is commonly known.
What if this journey wasn't simply the whim of a childish young lady who wanted to look around the territory?
There might have been an intention to inspect and observe the atmosphere within the fief.
'She's a peculiar person.'
To Adelia as well, Ron was a different kind of being from the people she had known.
He was one of the few people she had revealed her inner thoughts to, and he was the first person to act so freely when told to be comfortable.
She couldn't judge if he was fearless, gutsy, or just shameless.
But it didn't seem artificial, so it came across as refreshing.
'His personality is not ordinary either.'
It could be seen as a disposition that was inherently not bound by status, but considering the period he hadn't revealed his skills, it was a prudence unbefitting a young knight.
'To be an expert at that age, his ability is certain.'
Normally, one had to be thirty to reach the expert level. Even that was considered fast, so raising one's Aura level required talent and luck.
There was a reason why just becoming an expert in the Dawn Knight Order meant you were called an intermediate knight.
Even though the combat power of the Dawn Knight Order was on the weaker side compared to other counties in the empire.
Sir Ron could probably rise to a high-ranking knight in the shortest amount of time.
"Is there a way to improve the carriage's ride quality?"
"It might be hard to understand with just words."
"Please speak comfortably. I'll try to understand in my own way."
"If you say so."
Ron explained the principle of elasticity by describing how if you roll up a piece of iron like a pig's tail, place it on the floor, and press it, it will bounce back.
If he had some wire, he could have rolled it up to show her, but as they say, even dog poop is nowhere to be found when you need it for medicine; when you need something, it's never in sight.
"It's said that if you hammer iron thinly, it has a property of bending, but for it to have that 'elasticity,' the shape must return to its original form, and the iron must not break. The manufacturing difficulty seems to be quite high."
Just by hearing the explanation, Adelia understood its shape and principle.
She had a sharp mind and an unbiased way of thinking.
"It might be difficult for someone unfamiliar, but wouldn't a skilled blacksmith who can make chain mail be able to bring the theory to life?"
"If it can be completed. It could be connected to the joint between the carriage and the wheels to absorb the shock coming up from the ground. For other purposes, wait, it seems it could be used in beds too. But the production cost will be no small matter."
"That may be so for now, but considering the consumer base for carriages, it has sufficient marketability."
Adelia was quite impressed by Ron's idea.
It wasn't a question she expected an answer to, so her expectations weren't high.
But, it actually seemed possible.
Nobles have a strong, obsessive desire for objects that are different from others.
Moreover, if this kind of convenience could be perfected, it would certainly sell well.
'Amazing.'
Ron was a person who shattered Adelia's stereotype of a knight.
Usually, knights were loyal but had a biased perspective. The majority were a dogmatic bunch who ignored other fields and believed only they were right.
In contrast, Ron showed an impressive side, creating various ideas not about swordsmanship, but about blacksmithing.
This was simple, yet very important.
His thinking was flexible and enlightened.
The fact that such a person was in the count's family, yet no one had noticed until now, was surprising.
Still, it was understandable.
Ron was far from the chivalry that the count's family aimed for.
'He is a person the family needs.'
Unfortunately, her family had not developed for hundreds of years, but rather stagnated.
It was difficult to even maintain the family fortune.
And now, they lacked the strength to protect the glory of the past.
The fact that a mere viscount had thrown down a challenge was a cross-section showing the decline of the count's family.
Her father and brothers were good people, but as heads to rule the family, they had many problems.
If they wanted to maintain the old customs, they should have at least perfectly mastered the family's sword.
The gap with other sword families that had been developing for hundreds of years was only getting wider.
'No, he is a person I need.'
To change a family riddled with rigid thinking, there needed to be someone with a flexible mind who could accept anything.
But her father and the other leaders of the family might not consider Ron important.
Leaving a person like this as a trainee knight was a sin in itself.
'If not for the attack, he would have never revealed himself his whole life.'
Luck played a big role.
If he hadn't been there, a horrifying situation would have occurred, and as a result, the family would have suffered an indelible disgrace.
Nevertheless, Adelia did not agree right away.
The idea was great, but one needed the practical ability to execute it.
If she didn't address this point, it would be nothing more than a meaningless conversation that had piqued her interest.
"It costs a lot of money to produce according to the design Sir Ron has conceived. My allowance wouldn't even come close. I'll have to use the family's finances, but I don't have the authority to procure the funds."
"Then we just don't do it."
Ron, thinking this was his chance, quickly retracted his statement.
The reason work increases is because you create work. If you don't try from the beginning, you can be leisurely left behind.
Don't they say that the peace of life is completed through being left behind?
Improvement, development, and growth always cause discord and storms.
To escape the center of the raging waves, it is recommended to become a bystander from a viewpoint ten steps back.
Ha.
To bring up a creative and commercial idea, and then back down in a single word.
Adelia was bewildered.
Normally, when things turned out like this, one would offer a solution.
Even if they didn't like it.
But to think he would back down at a single word, it was absurd.
"It makes money, and you're saying not to do it?"
"You said you can't touch the finances."
"So, let's find a way together. Isn't it such a waste? If someone else does it first, we'll be like the dog that was chasing a chicken!"
Ron noticed it.
Adelia's audacious intention of sneakily referring to "we" and shifting the responsibility to him.
In words, she said let's do it together, but it was an act that violated gender equality, saying, "You proposed it, so if you're a man, take responsibility."
When the "do-it-for-me" mentality becomes rampant, the world is doomed.
He felt the need to fix her audacious personality of trying to get things for free.
The Ron of this life could endure the suffering of others well, but not his own.
"Trying to answer with an empty mouth, my throat is very parched."
Adelia hastily brought up the grease money she had given him before.
Take it and run?
"There's the 170 gold that was my money until a few days ago."
"I will use it for a good cause."
Ron emphasized that the most despicable act in the world was asking for something back that you've already given.
"I wonder what great cause you plan to use it for. Is it okay if I check?"
To check how the money given was used, what an atrocious act that would anger both heaven and men.
Money is meant to be used freely and secretly.
To demand a report on every single use, it was a tax audit more severe than the National Tax Service.
I can't be the only one to suffer.
Don't they say that a burden is easier when shared? Entrust your work to others, it was a golden rule from the saints.
"If you don't have the authority, you just have to make it."
"How?"
"Become the minor head of the family."
"What about my brothers?"
"It is said that power is not shared even between parent and child. If you want to achieve great things, you must not cling to the affection of blood ties."
Ron stealthily observed Adelia's expression.
It was not a light statement.
Even though the siblings were on good terms, it could be shattered in an instant.
Now, what will you do?
"That's easy for you to say."
"You're not getting angry."
"Because I was the one who asked. They say even the emperor gets cursed at behind his back, so if I get angry over something like this, the conversation can't proceed."
Ron was inwardly impressed.
You can mess with anything else, but you shouldn't mess with family.
Is she saying if anyone's going to mess with them, it will be her?
'She has some serious guts.'
He didn't know if she could actually push her family aside, but Adelia had a desire to change the count's family.
And the progress rate evaluated that she had the qualifications for it.
-Progress: -76%
Just by revealing her intention, the progress of Raising the Count's Family went up by 2%.
She was on a different level from the dust-like Dein, Rotan, and Zenon.
On the other hand, the fact that Adelia was the only hope to raise the family made the future of the count's family look bleak.
'It's telling me very blatantly to raise Adelia.'
The more they talked, the more it seemed plausible, but he wasn't satisfied with everything being pushed onto him.
The world does not watch idly as one person takes the lead. In the end, you are bound to take all the blame.
In that case, he had to share the blame and make it a joint effort.
"Is there any other way to gain authority?"
"That's the problem. He listens to everything else, but it's not easy to persuade my father on the matter of succession. Still, if I take my time and persuade him calmly, he'll eventually listen."
"His Excellency will never allow it."
"There's no need to be so certain."
"The moment you reveal you want to become th head, you will be forced into a political marriage."
Ron had never met his Excellency, but seeing how the count's family was run, he could more than guess his disposition.
Logically persuading a head of house as stubborn as a cow's sinew?
It would be easier for a dog to stop eating its own poop.
The head of the house was an old-fashioned person who prioritized the eldest son, the male.
Although he was a doting fool who cherished Adelia, he couldn't break from the family's customs.
To change the family's principles that had been passed down for hundreds of years, you needed something special, something different from others.
Logic and reason would not work on the head of the house.
To persuade the head, Adelia had to change.
If she continued to be seen as a lovely, cute, and beautiful daughter, she would become an excellent sacrifice for a political marriage.
No matter how much he doted on her, a daughter is ultimately an outsider once married.
It would be much more effective to marry her off than to let her cause discord.
Furthermore, even if he persuaded the head, the opinions of the countess, the sons, and the leaders could not be ignored.
It was also uncertain whether they would accept a suddenly changed Adelia.
In many ways, it was a harsh world for a woman to take the lead.
"The tragedy is obvious, I can't just stand by and watch. I will definitely persuade my father."
"There are trees that don't fall even after being struck ten times. His Excellency will never allow it with ordinary methods."
With his beloved daughter's cute antics and outstanding brilliance, a doting father could be completely won over.
But no matter what, he was the master of the count's family.
Unless it was some kind of shocking therapy, it was unlikely to work.
Despite the euphemistic expression, Adelia seeks a breakthrough in another direction.
Diversification of perspective, easy to say, but you need the insight to grasp the centerline of the flow.
"That sounds like you have a way."
Ron paused for effect.
He could tell just by looking at her eyes.
Adelia had the tenacity not to give up once she bit down.
She would probably try to get permission one way or another.
The problem is that even such determination is unlikely to work on the head of the house.
"If the young lady is willing to risk her life, I will tell you the way."
"I'm not one to give up just because you're scaring me."
"Good. Then, first."
"What do I need to do?"
Ron meticulously scanned Adelia from head to toe as she sat in the carriage.
Seuk, heum.
Depending on how you see it, it was a gaze that could be misunderstood.
What's more, his eyes were narrowed thinly, making them look drowsy.
As if to prove it, Adelia crossed her arms to cover her chest.
"You're not trying to do anything strange, are you?"
"Of course not. What on earth do you take me for? My preference is for a more curvaceous body."
"...?"
To dispel the misunderstanding, Ron spoke honestly.
No matter how pretty her face was, it would be troublesome if her physique was small and petite.
As they say, one should not approach a cliff from the beginning.
Also, a knight should not tie the laces of their combat boots even under a plum tree.
Pajik!
Adelia's face turned red like a ripe persimmon, and a vein bulged on her forehead.
-Progress: -79%
Huh?