133 – How to obtain Hilde (1)
A few days after the castle fell, I walked to the place where the prison was holding the prisoners.
When I entered the prison, I smelled a musty smell, and at the same time, I had to listen to the harsh words spewed out by the prisoners who found me.
“f*ck you, you evil bastard. “Do you know how many of my colleagues died because of you!”
“Go to hell! “You satanic bastard!”
“Next time we meet, I’ll throw you in here!”
One guy was so scared of where he had entrusted his life to, he threw a rock at me.
“Old Hans’ enemy! “My brother’s bitter enemy!”
Even if I get hit by a rock or something thrown by a serf who can’t use auras, I won’t be killed or seriously injured…
‘If you hit something like that without any help, it will lose its shape.’
Also, if you get a scratch for no reason, the wound may fester, and in the worst case scenario, you may die in this world where there is no penicillin.
After lightly catching the flying stone with my right hand, I turned my gaze towards the person who threw the stone at me.
He threw stones at me as a prisoner, so it’s not guilty even if he kills me like that, but there’s no need to pull out a sword and kill him when the battle is over…
I aimed at the guy’s shoulder and threw it with all my might with aura.
The man who was hit on the shoulder by a rock complained of his pain and screamed for the prison to leave.
“aaah, f*ck! My shoulder, my shoulder! Ouch! Save people! “Ugh!”
If you leave it like that, the wound will fester and heal.
“Ah, I understand that you feel aggrieved because you lost the battle and were captured. “If you don’t shut up, I’ll make you look like that guy with a broken shoulder and sell you as a slave, so shut up.”
It was the same last time at Fortress Seriz, but high-ranking people such as mercenary commanders, mercenary corps executives, knights, and nobles are not imprisoned in prisons like this.
Because the mercenary officers used their own money to pay the ransom.
This is because knights and nobles pay a huge ransom separately from their families.
Because they make money, they are treated as valuable guests who are released as soon as the war negotiations are over.
On the other hand, when the peasants and mercenaries who cannot pay the ransom are captured in war, they are not customers but luggage, so they are imprisoned and managed…
‘It is common for those who cannot pay the ransom to be sold as slaves in mines or as galley rowers.’
Those who knew the situation well kept their mouths shut.
“It’s a bit quiet now. “Yes, that’s the junior knight Hilde Baumann in there, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. “First of all, since she is a low-level knight and a woman, we locked her in the largest and nicest room.”
“I’ll go in alone, so you go up there. And with this money, you can have a drink with your colleagues above you after work.”
After saying that, I handed the money bag into his hand.
The guy who received the bag smiled so brightly that I thought the corners of his mouth were torn.
“I shouldn’t do this, but if it’s what the centurion commander said, hmm…”
“Go ahead.”
“Excuse me?”
After letting go of the guard, I immediately walked out and looked for Hilde in the deepest part of the prison.
Hilde pointed at me as soon as she saw me.
“You bastard Martin Mayer! How could you do such a cowardly thing! Because of you, I have become an abandoned knight who has lost my honor and my master’s trust. “Cowards who have no sense of honor!”
To me, being criticized for her cowardice by a woman who fought as her enemy is like praising her.
So, as I always do after defeating an enemy in an online game, I mock Baron Custer’s defeat.
You could laugh at Hilde Bauman’s pride to the lowest level, but…
There is nothing good for me in mocking Hilde.
So what I need to do now is not to refute every single thing Hilde criticizes me as a coward, but to make her realize what her situation is.
She said, ‘It would be good to make her realize that she was abandoned by her owner.’
First, I made Hilde snort at her words.
“As you said, I am a coward.”
When Hilde heard me meekly admit it, she was momentarily taken aback and opened her eyes round without saying a word.
“But when it comes to war, isn’t winning the most important thing? “What good is it if you fight fair and square in war and lose, Lord Bauman?”
Honestly, in a war, it is best to win by any means possible, unless it is an evil act such as massacring countless people or raping a woman.
It may sound a bit unconscionable to say this, but what are the consequences if you lose the war?
Like the soldiers currently imprisoned here, according to the will of Viscount Canossa, the prisoners could quickly become slaves who must row and live.
If you are unlucky, your entire territory may be plundered and you may not be able to avoid the sword of rape and murder.
‘So we must win the war unconditionally.’
Hilde ground her teeth after hearing what I said.
“Ugh, coward.”
I heard such criticism, but I calmly presented the facts.
“We used a cowardly and treacherous tactic to accuse you of being a traitor. However, in doing so, we succeeded in minimizing the sacrifices of my soldiers and the army under Viscount Canossa, who hired me. And we won, sir.”
If Hilde had been fine, we would not have been able to capture this castle even now.
Perhaps the grueling siege continued until fifteen days later.
No, if the worst were to happen, we would have had to retreat after suffering near-total damage while dealing with the thousand or so people trapped inside the castle.
Just thinking about the crushing defeat gives me goosebumps.
“Just as you were loyal to Baron Custer and did your duty, I will also do my duty as a mercenary hired by the Medici Republic.”
Hilde frowned upon hearing my words and lowered her head.
“What you said is correct, Martin Mayer. Yes, Baron Custer lost because I did not help him properly. You did what you had to do. “Everything is my fault.”
Strictly speaking, Hilde did nothing wrong.
Because she did her job by screwing us over, performing above and beyond her best in her position.
She looked at me and sighed.
“I just feel sorry for not being able to properly assist Baron Custer.”
Her superior, Baron Custer, was deceived by my gossip and made the mistake of labeling his loyal junior knight, Hilde, as her traitor.
Still, it seemed very foolish for her to say that all of this was her responsibility, but at the same time, she seemed very trustworthy.
‘If I win her heart, she will show this loyalty to me as well.’
In order to make Hilde Bauman mine, I must now awaken to another reality.
“It’s a beautiful loyalty, Sir. But Baron Custer has already completely abandoned you.”
Hilde, who up until now had easily acknowledged her own shortcomings, when she told her story about her master whom she served, she burned with anger, and towards her iron bars, she grabbed the handcuffs on both of her hands. Swung it.
Even if her handcuffs are made of ‘steel’ and she slams down on the iron bars with the strength of an expert knight…
She couldn’t properly carry the Auror with her handcuffs, so of course she couldn’t break the prison bars.
“Are you insulting my loyalty and honor?”
“I have no intention of doing that, Sir.”
Hilde’s loyalty to her lord is something I want the mercenaries under my command to see and learn from, and I have no intention of insulting that.
What I want is for her to change the object of her allegiance from that stupid Baron Custer to me.
“However, that is the reality. Think about it calmly, sir. “Other knights, even your squire, have been released from this prison and are being treated respectfully.”
I deliberately interrupted the conversation here and looked directly into Hilde’s eyes.
There was silence for a moment, and when she felt her emotions rising, she continued.
“Why is Kyung-man still imprisoned alone in this prison? “This is Sir Hilde Baumann, who played the biggest role in protecting Villa Hora Castle.”
Hilde stuttered after hearing what I said.
“Well, isn’t that because, unlike other low-level knights, I don’t have any connections to pay the ransom?”
From noble mtl dot com
What she says is not wrong.
As Hilde said, most nobles and knights who were captured ransom them from their own homes.
For example, if I am married and taken prisoner, Martin Mayer’s wife, Karin or Lucia, will pay my ransom.
“Lord Bauman, why do you say such nonsense? It is certainly true that the ransom is ultimately paid by the family of the person captured… But isn’t it primarily your lord, the Baron, who pays the ransom for the knights belonging to the Baron Custer family?”
Just like when an employee of a large company makes a huge mistake and causes damage to another company, the large company to which the employee belongs first pays compensation.
It’s like covering the costs incurred by a large company by later filing a claim for damages from the employee.
And I handed Hilde a document.
A document guaranteeing that the Baron Custer family will pay the ransom for all knights except Hilde Bauman.
What this means is that Baron Custer abandoned a female knight who was too capable for him.
When Hilde saw that, she sat down on the floor and started wailing.