49 – 8. Village in the Mountains
I was already approaching my fourth year as a knight.
If it’s short, it’s short, and if it’s long, it’s long. However, it was clearly short-lived for a free knight who had only a horse and a suit of armor to gain territory.
The definition of success may be different for each person, but this is an achievement that most people can agree is a good achievement.
Isn’t the world full of people who spend their whole lives wandering around without a place to rest and end up living the rest of their lives in a small house in a rural village?
It was originally planned to be active in the battlefield where the Pope and the Emperor were in conflict, but the intermediate process was skipped and the goal was dropped.
But if you think about it, this incident also broke out while the Pope was nudging the Emperor with an oath… It doesn’t seem like the prediction was wrong.
“The thieves are really rampant these days. “I believe there is no need to explain much about this.”
“I understand.”
“There is a village on the road that passes through the mountains between the Empire and the Papal States. If the surrounding security is properly managed, many people will come and go. “I want to leave it to you.”
The Count suggested this to me. Without thinking long about the motive, I think this incident may have been a wake-up call.
The location of the land seemed good, so if what he said was true, there was no harm in accepting it.
Becoming a landed knight means being assigned several duties.
First, you must fight for your lord for a certain period of time. This is natural since it was land received in return for battle in the first place.
And the tenant farmers who are dependent on the land must also be well protected.
This is because these creatures are vulnerable to thieves and wild animals.
But with obligations also come rights.
The income earned from the received land belongs solely to the knight. This is the unearned income that I only dreamed of. At the same time, it means you can focus on fighting without worrying about money.
In other words, it is a symbiotic relationship in which the peasants provide taxes to the knights, and the knights provide combat power to protect the peasants.
If you don’t want to collect taxes, it’s okay to lie down, but there’s no one in the world like that.
“I heard you have a daughter.”
“He is just a protected person.”
“Well, I heard you would answer that way. “Then let’s assume she is a ward.”
Where on earth are you listening and what are you listening to?
Despite my incredulity, the Count leaned forward and spoke.
“Don’t you think we need to settle down soon? It’s not easy to wander around looking for battlefields. “The land is also located in a strategic location, so you won’t be disappointed.”
Now that I think about it, the girl also said she needed a place to stay for a while. The Count’s land, located between the Empire and the Holy See, would not be far from the university.
The Count seemed to have misunderstood something, but there was no mistake in his logic.
Therefore, there is no reason to reject this offer.
I gladly gave him the answer he expected, and the Count smiled in satisfaction.
I promised on the spot to go to his estate with the Count, and as soon as the meeting was over, I returned to my room and told Licia about this.
“I went to see the Count, it’s good news.”
“What…?” … ?”
“He said he would give me land. “Then you are now my lord.”
“…… ?”
The girl who had been buried under the blanket stuck out her face with a fierce expression.
Then, perhaps because she had quickly grasped the situation, she opened her eyes wide and looked at me.
*****
The word loyalty has a strict and rigid feel.
When the lord orders, he jumps into the fire, and when in danger, he feels like he has to sacrifice his life to save it.
But the loyalty of the bullies and knights of this era is a little different.
“Master, it looks like this war will last quite a long time.”
“I see. It’s already been about two months… But where does the spirit go?”
“I’m leaving work. “I hope you win!”
“No, wait! For a moment!!”
A lord can call a knight and order him to fight for him for a certain period of time, but the knight, who is an advanced class soldier, lies down like a sword when the free trial period ends.
“I think just one month, one more month will do.”
“Indeed, I can’t help but admire your lord’s insight! But what can you do if you are astonished by my crushing poverty?”
“… “Right now, I’m a little short on money because of the war.”
“Please don’t pay attention. We also receive land.”
Therefore, if the lord wants to request an additional battle, he must pay an additional subscription fee with tears in his eyes.
A knight who has reached the pinnacle of villainy in this era is at least not a cowardly discriminator, so he extorts money from serfs, clergy, and even nobles.
And it doesn’t end there.
“Gyeong, sir! “How long has it been since you called me, and where on earth have you been that you’re only here now?”
“I’m sorry, my lord. “We were a little late because there was a battle in the territory next door.”
“… The estate next door? “Why there?”
“I’ve had some free time lately, so I recently signed a new loyalty contract.”
“My God, is the Lord aware that he already has four masters?!”
“Don’t worry. “The fact that my lord made the first contract with me will not change.”
When knights feel a little peaceful, they start looking for new battlefields and working two or three jobs.
This crazy lord’s harem was something that would make the lord who first signed the contract with a pure heart shed tears of blood.
But there is one lesson we can learn from this story.
This means that only those who have the skills that nobles want to use as a penknife, even at the risk of losing money, can become landed knights.
“Amazing!”
“No, you’re amazing too. “It’s also amazing.”
“hehehe… ….”
After a while, Lisia got up from the bed and naturally made the bed as if nothing had happened.
I told her in detail what happened earlier, and the girl who heard the whole story confirmed once more that it was a good offer.
I patted Lisia’s head. In the first place, it was something she couldn’t have accomplished alone.
And even putting her magic aside, it was already amazing that she had that kind of heart from a young age. Wasn’t I also very impressed?
Honestly, I didn’t feel very comfortable.
It wasn’t very honorable to be praised for something I couldn’t have accomplished on my own, and to have the credit wasted away.
However, if you wanted to explain this, you had to mention Lisia.
So, every time the topic was carefully brought up, the girl was shocked and shook her head.
“It’s okay. “Because that’s what I want.”
But now, I have a long-awaited remuneration from the bishop, and I am also planning to receive land, so I did not regret the money.
She wanted to buy her a gift, but she was embarrassed because the girl had never revealed her preference.
“Is there anything in particular you’d like to have?”
“No. “Just feeding them and letting them sleep until spring is enough.”
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“Is that so?”
“Really… ….”
That’s what I said, but I guess I’ll have to buy something separately and give it as a gift later.
The first gift I gave you, a necklace, was broken, so this time I should choose something more meaningful.
But you couldn’t expect good things from a place that had been destroyed twice.
When I go to the Vatican to repair the compass relic in the future, I think I can prepare it there. Otherwise, it’s okay to drop a girl off at college.
I spoke with Lisia for a moment about her future.
It was trivial things such as what to do when we receive the land and what to do until spring. In the process, I tried to think of things the girl might like, but without much success.
It was a while since we had such a long talk.
I suddenly looked up outside the window and it was brighter than I thought considering the time. It was not like a city that goes to sleep as soon as the sun sets.
When I looked outside, there were soldiers gathered in groups of twos and threes on the street, making fires and carrying food.
Now that I think about it, you said you were holding a small banquet in the evening. You just have to find out what you like in the future, so let’s postpone it until later. I looked back at the girl.
“Shall we go have fun too?”
“Yes!”
Licia said with a bright smile.
I held the girl’s hand and went out into the street.
*****
Time passed, five days passed.
The Count must have thought that the situation in Villach had stabilized to some extent, so he left the rest to his manager and prepared to return to his castle.
I decided to follow him and was busy from early in the morning.
I fed Lisia a hearty breakfast, packed all her belongings, and placed them on top of Sancho. Yesterday’s errand boy came up to me and asked.
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Okay. “When can we get together?”
“We are planning to leave from the square in the early afternoon. And when you leave Villach, you can go right behind the Count.”
He will now be my master.
Until now, I thought it was a passing relationship and continued to call him Count of Villach. Of course, that is not a wrong expression.
However, when referring to a nobleman, it is common to give a title that represents him, so Villach, which was only one of the cities he controlled, was not appropriate to represent the count.
So, the name he is usually called is this.
“The Count of Canossa would like to talk on the way. “You don’t need to feel pressured because we want to hear stories of your heroics so far, not complicated stories.”
A margrave blocking the southern part of the empire.
As the head of the Canossa family who carried out that duty, he was simply called the Count of Canossa.