Chapter 9 - Exclusive Knight (3)
The leaders of the Torres territory gathered at the Leonard County estate.
The meeting held this time was a regular meeting, held every three months to report on matters to be dealt with within the territory and urgent issues, and to discuss solutions.
The count's family had a structure where they received various matters in advance through the administrator before receiving reports from the vassals.
And in solving the problems submitted in this way, the role of the administrator was emphasized.
Even so, they usually did not ignore the opinions of the seasoned nobles within the territory.
Of course, the final decision was made by Count Leonard.
"A minimum of 40,000 gold is required to develop the mine. However, with the currently available funds, we are short by 10,000 gold. To solve this, we must raise the tax rate."
The population of the Torres territory was 100,000, and the tax rate was the empire's official rate of 40%. Calculating the annual income per household at 12 gold, the estimated tax revenue was 130,000 gold.
However, the tax revenue could not be used solely for mine development.
The annual operating cost for the territory's military and administrative expenses was 100,000 gold.
With everyone already crying that even that was not enough, an additional 10,000 gold was needed to secure the initial cost of 40,000 gold for the mine development.
The easiest way to cover the shortfall was to raise the tax rate.
However, it was also true that raising the tax rate would shake the foundation of the territory and create a grim atmosphere.
"This year's harvest is not good compared to previous years. If we raise the tax rate, the people of the territory may not be able to fully endure the winter."
"How about borrowing funds from the Zephyros Merchant Guild?"
"Borrowing again when we haven't even paid back the funds we borrowed before will cause problems later on."
The core agenda of this meeting was the mine development.
Count Leonard ultimately decided to slightly raise the tax rate and cover the remaining costs with debt.
At first glance, it seemed like a reasonable compromise, but if additional income was not generated, the mine would be a money pit.
They should have sought ways to continuously secure financial resources.
On top of that, the newly discovered mine was an iron mine.
While it had military advantages, it would take time to smelt and sell the iron.
Most importantly, the ownership dispute with Viscount Rehalt had not yet been resolved.
Although ambiguous disputes usually favored the higher-ranking noble, it was necessary to be cautious in case of unforeseen circumstances.
If they were to develop it recklessly and Viscount Rehalt clung to the issue, it would be a case of just pouring money down the drain.
However, no one dared to oppose Count Leonard's decision. He willingly accepted opinions that aligned with his own, but once a decision was made, he rarely reversed it.
"This concludes the meeting."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Just as they were about to end the regular meeting.
There was a commotion outside the meeting room.
Deureuk!
Radon entered the meeting room after receiving the Count's permission.
Tak!
There was a stern rebuke from Count Leonard.
When a meeting was held, it was customary to wait until it was over.
"What is all this commotion about?"
"There was an attack on our way here."
"...What! Is our Adelia alright? Goodness, this is no time for me to be sitting here!"
It was a complete contrast to the Count's image of dignity and moderation from just a moment ago; in a word, it was a foolish fuss.
Although it was a sufficiently surprising sight, none of the vassals were flustered by the Count's appearance.
It was a matter directly related to the safety of Adelia, of all people.
Although he himself strongly denied it, there was no vassal who didn't know that the Count was a daughter-fool.
Radon had also expected this reaction, so he quickly continued.
It seemed the Count was about to rashly run out of the meeting room before he could be stopped.
"The young lady is safe. She is on her way here, so you do not need to worry. I just came ahead to deliver the news to Your Excellency!"
"She's not hurt, is she? If she has so much as a scratch, I will tear whoever it is limb from limb and throw them to the dogs!"
Count Leonard would stop at nothing when it came to matters involving Adelia.
That was why he had been reluctant to let her go outside in the first place, but he had reluctantly given his permission because Adelia had been so insistent.
"I'm back."
"Oh, my daughter! See, didn't I tell you that going outside is just asking for trouble!"
"I'm, I'm okay."
"Come, come, let's go to your room. Today's meeting is over, everyone get lost... you're dismiss for now!"
Radon quickly interjected.
If the meeting ended like this, there was a concern that they would not be able to grasp the full details of the situation.
Moreover, the details had to be conveyed in a place where everyone was gathered.
"Isn't it a priority to first find out who was behind the attack on the young lady, and why they did such a thing!"
"...That is true."
Although he reluctantly agreed, Count Leonard wanted to take Adelia to a safe place as soon as possible to check the details.
The frail eldest young master.
The brainless second young master.
The idiot third young master.
They too heard the news late and came to the meeting room.
Although their bodies were weak, they were naive and somewhat clumsy, but their hearts for their younger sister were sincere.
"Adeli... heok, heok! Ah! Are you... heok, heok! okay?"
"You catch your breath first, brother. Which bastard dared to touch our sister!"
"Adelia, you bought what I asked for, right?"
Count Leonard returned to being the lord of the Torres territory and lowered his voice with gravity.
"Tell us the whole story."
...!
This is why they're failing.
***
Ron was in the Hall of Silence, a waiting room within the Count's mansion.
On the way, he had been treated like the dust-covered trio, but in the waiting room, he was an equal trainee knight.
The Hall of Silence was a space where the Dawn Knight Order, as well as the Count's administrators and retainers, would wait after returning from external missions until they were summoned by the Count or the leadership.
A senior member of the Dawn Knight Order came to visit.
Belkerson Meier, known as the news source within the knight order, asked what had happened.
Dein, who had received a thorough mental education beforehand, answered cautiously.
"The young lady and Sir Ternoir have asked us to keep quiet, but if you wish, Sir Belkerson, I will tell you."
"...Wait, you shouldn't speak carelessly."
"It's not just anyone, we can trust you, Sir Belkerson, as you're known for being tight-lipped."
"It's something that will be known eventually, but it's not a good habit for a trainee to defy a superior's order. Got it?"
"I will keep that in mind, sir!"
"Alright, I'm busy so I'll be on my way."
Belkerson and his colleagues hurriedly left the waiting room.
Seeing the state of the boys, it seemed they had gone through a considerable ordeal.
On top of that, if not only the young lady but also Sir Ternoir had ordered them to keep quiet, it shouldn't be spoken of carelessly.
If he had heard the truth in this place, he would not have been free from responsibility if the news leaked.
"Well done, keep it up."
"This really works... sir."
"Are you using formal speech to screw with me?"
"No, absolutely not!"
"It's a joke, speak comfortably. I'm not that stuffy of a person. The more you guys feel uncomfortable with me, the more uncomfortable I become. So just act as you usually do."
What kind of bullshit is that!
He never even spoke to them normally, so how the hell were they supposed to act as they usually do!
Every time Ron opened his mouth, the trainee knights felt like they were sitting on a chair of thorns.
But to throw a fit, the intense impression of him cutting off the attackers' heads, thwack, thwack, without any expression was deeply embedded in their souls.
'This kind of relationship is good.'
Ron preferred awkward and uncomfortable relationships.
Getting comfortable at work only leads to more embarrassment when you turn your back.
Drawing a clear line and maintaining a relationship that doesn't cross it was the way to protect his peace.
"You guys know I'm beyond the level of a trainee knight. I'll soon be promoted to an official knight and become an intermediate knight, then I'll receive a surname, so you can comfortably address me with respect then."
"...Got it."
What on earth does it mean to comfortably address someone with respect?
After Dein's trolling, the trainee knights had encountered a world far removed from common sense.
It was as if they had swung wide open a door that should never have been opened.
Jjirit, jjirit!
Dein, who received all the resentment of the trainee knights, just felt wronged.
'What did I do?'
He wasn't the only one who didn't believe Ron's performance as it was.
And yet, all the arrows were being pointed only at him.
Ron offered a solution to Dein's feeling of injustice.
"If you feel wronged, become stronger. That's the unchanging truth of the world. Isn't that right?"
"Right, that's right!"
As Dein agreed, Ron's attitude changed abruptly.
"You must feel so wronged for being weak. Or are you thinking it's because of me?"
"It was entirely my fault! There's no way I'd blame you!"
"If you know yourself, you can live this comfortably."
"...Thank you."
Ron made his colleagues uncomfortable and then was comfortable all by himself.
After that, silence fell.
The colleagues wanted to escape the silent space, but time flowed incredibly slowly.
'I shouldn't have touched him!'
'That was a demon world I should never have approached!'
'A guy more vicious than the Demon King!'
'Just hit me instead!'
Savoring the curses of his colleagues, Ron met their gazes one by one.
Each time, the trainee knights would flinch as if they had been caught.
'…This crazy bastard!'
At Ron's attitude of enjoying their uneasy gazes, Dein, Rotan, and Zenon felt like they were going mad.
If there was a madman with a disposition clearly different from normal, it was definitely Ron.
"They say a trainee knight should be beaten three times a day."
"Who on earth said that?"
"I did."
"...Violence without a just cause goes against the laws of the count's family!"
"So you like the law."
...Heok!
It was Ron's gloomy gaze, asking if a guy like that had ganged up with his colleagues to swing a sword.
They thought he had forgotten, but far from forgetting, he reminded them every time.
"What did the laws of the count's family say about stabbing a colleague in the back, was it to cut off their head?"
"Please.... We were wrong!"
"It's a joke, don't be so serious. It's not like I'm someone who would go around telling people."
"That's right, Ron's not that kind of person!"
"But the young lady and Sir Ternoir know."
"...(You bastard)!"
I know what you guys did.
And I'm not the only one who knows.
Ron let them know that he was on the same side as Lady Adelia and Sir Ternoir.
Reminding them who was on top whenever they forgot was also a colleague's duty.
It was also a gesture of consideration to prevent them from getting soundly thrashed for not knowing their place.
'It's going to be known anyway, no need to be fake.'
If it's been revealed, then he just needs to act accordingly.
Unnecessary humility would just make him look like a pushover, and he'd be prone to betrayal.
This is the taste of power.
How sweet.
Wu wei, power is supreme.
My true path lies in the green mountains, but my power is eternal.
It was the spirit of Wudang.
"I don't dislike you guys."
"...Same here."
It might be hard to believe, but Ron did not maliciously slander his colleagues or distort the facts.
He just treated them fairly as an objective third party.
So, appealing to emotions when they made a mistake wouldn't change anything.
As he was having a heartwarming time fostering harmony with his colleagues.
Sir Ternoir returned.
"His Excellency summons you."
"Yes, sir."
Ron shrugged.
It meant that his time of being on the same level as them was running out.
"The rest of you may leave."
"Yes, sir."
At times like this, it was necessary to be humble.
Looking at the smug Ron, Radon felt a sense of unease.
'It can't be, right?'
***
The inside of the regular meeting room was as cold as if a blizzard had swept through.
In the chilly atmosphere, anger and killing intent were mixed.
It was a contrast to Adelia, who was calmly explaining the situation.
That's how shocking this attack was.
The fact that no one had anticipated the attack pressed down on the atmosphere of the room even more heavily.
Bugeul, bugeul!
Count Leonard looked ready to grab his sword and run out at any moment.
Unable to suppress his anger, he spewed his rage without restraint.
"Rehalt! That son of a bitch!"
Adelia had not mentioned Viscount Rehalt, but no one in the meeting room denied that he was likely behind this attack.
Hadn't they just been talking about the mine ownership dispute with Viscount Rehalt?
The moment a low-ranking noble gets into a dispute with a high-ranking noble, the chances of winning were almost nil.
However, sometimes, due to unexpected variables, the high-ranking noble would lose.
Excessive excitement was poison.
Adelia hoped that Count Leonard would exercise self-control.
"I trust you won't go against a grave matter of the family because of me."
Keuu.
Count Leonard swallowed a groan.
He should have clearly said no, but as the head of the family, he couldn't.
That was the reality he found unbearable.
The vassals did not agree with Adelia's statement either.
Viscount Rehalt had hit the Leonard County exactly where they were vulnerable.
Could his Excellency really give up Adelia?
Judging by his words and actions so far, the answer was obvious.
"The circumstances clearly show that he intended to use the young lady as a hostage to win a knight battle!"
"That's right. We must never forgive Viscount Rehalt for doing something a noble should not do!"
"We must report his crime to the imperial capital and have his noble status revoked, as well as display his head on the castle gate as a warning!"
The vassals' vehement responses followed.
It seemed excessive, but it was natural.
If Adelia had been kidnapped, the aftermath would have been difficult to handle.
They could have squeezed the territory's finances to develop the mine, only to hand it all over to Viscount Rehalt.
Even if the truth were revealed after things ended according to Viscount Rehalt's scheme, the Leonard County would have been reduced to a laughingstock.
On the one hand, it was chilling.
Even during the regular meeting, Viscount Rehalt's claim to ownership was dismissed as a trivial matter.
They had only argued back and forth about the financial expenditure for the mine development.
What would have happened if they had been completely unprepared?
Now, they had to consider Viscount Rehalt's backer as well.
To go this far, there was surely a force behind Viscount Rehalt that could cover for all of this.
And they had a guess.
Marquis Calix.
It had to be seen as him revealing his ambition.
Therefore, they must not create an opportunity for Marquis Calix to intervene.
To do that, they had to find out the culprit of this attack.
"We've captured an attacker, and found out they are the Sword Shadow."
A groan spread at Adelia's words.
The Sword Shadow was a professional group of assassins.
They do not divulge their clients.
It's difficult to find their base to confirm, but even if found, they are tricky to subdue.
If they were to raise an army to find them, they would immediately scatter.
In the end, they had to move in small numbers to prevent information from leaking, but the risk was high.
Well, Viscount Rehalt wasn't one to move while risking his identity being revealed.
He must have tried to kidnap Adelia because there was no such concern.
Kwadeuk!
Bururu.
The most enraged person among them was none other than Count Leonard.
He knew it was Viscount Rehalt's scheme, but the evidence was insufficient.
If he were to push Viscount Rehalt with only suspicion, time would just drag on and it would end vaguely.
This was why disputes between nobles were difficult.
Without definite proof, there was a high risk of being counterattacked.
Even then, if it became a power struggle, it would often fizzle out.
"I know that you and everyone are angry. Nevertheless, we must not act on suspicion alone. However, I don't think there's a need to be disheartened. Viscount Rehalt's scheme has failed, and we have become able to prepare for it. If we were complacent, it would be a different story, but if we are prepared, the odds are in our favor."
"Those are truly wise words!"
She must have been very flustered by the attack, but in the midst of it, the vassals saw Adelia, who was calmly making decisions for the family, in a new light.
She had proven that she was not the young lady of the count's family who had lived hidden under the burdensome affection of the head of the house, ignorant of the world.
"Ria, how can such words come from your mouth? I will go and cut off Rehalt's head right now!"
"Cough.... Tae...lon, right now, doing as Ria... cough! says is the best... cough! way!"
"Because you're so soft, brother, a viscount nobody can't even grasp his place and ignores us!"
"So Ria, you did buy my present for sure, right?"
At the disunited opinions of the brothers, the vassals looked at Adelia with even more renewed respect.
On the one hand, they were disappointed that not one of the three brothers could speak as wisely and resolutely as Adelia.
No matter how outstanding Adelia was, the long-standing traditions of the count's family would not change easily.
"But we must never be complacent. If Marquis Calix is behind Viscount Rehalt, he will have a secret weapon hidden. Right now, we must use a card that can secure a definite victory."
"The young lady's words are correct. If Viscount Rehalt is one to commit vile acts without hesitation, he will surely have a hidden move!"
Although she had seized the initiative in the meeting room, Adelia did not reveal her true intentions. As with all things, if you reveal your ambition hastily, discord can arise. She had to bring about a change in perception step by step.
For now, she had to be satisfied with this much.
Too much is as bad as too little.
Furthermore, she needed to prove her own change.
That was why she had revealed the details of the attack.
"In this attack, I hid behind the knights and did nothing. The attacker used me as a hostage to pressure them. So I thought. That I too must learn the sword."
"What on earth are you talking about, the sword! Why would you learn such a dangerous thing!"
"Your Excellency! I don't want to be a person who is helplessly dragged around or becomes a burden. Or are you telling me to live my whole life trapped in the family like a bird in a cage?"
"...There's no need to leap to such conclusions."
"It's beneficial to learn the sword for self-defense, just in case."
"...That is true."
At any other time, Count Leonard would not have given his permission, but he couldn't say no to his daughter who had been attacked and wanted to protect herself.
'It wouldn't be bad to learn, but can she endure that harsh training?'
He felt his heart sink at the thought of his daughter, whom he had raised so gently for fear she might break, receiving that difficult swordsmanship training.
The more he thought about it, the more his anger towards Viscount Rehalt flared.
"I permit it."
"Thank you. That being said, I would like to have an exclusive knight for my swordsmanship training."
"Which bastard dares... ahem! Who... is he?"
Count Leonard even began to stutter.
An exclusive knight that his daughter had her heart set on!
Even if it doesn't come to fruition, the fact that his daughter dared to hold someone in her heart shatters a father's heart.
At that moment.
Ron, on his way to the meeting room, was looking at the progress rate.
-Progress: -77%, -79%, -80%, -77%
'What is this?'
Do I have to spit out the coins now?
-6 Coins
Hyuu.