Quit being a knight and become a mercenary chapter 157

157 – Crossroads (3)

Dalton took me to his tent.

They must have been preparing to leave a few days ago, and all the expensive items in the tent, such as fancy armor, swords, and jewelry, were ready to be moved.

There was no furniture at all except the bed, desk, and chairs for us to sit on.

“Sit down, kid. “Captain Dalton, or Baron, will pour you a drink today.”

I chuckled, twitching my shoulders.

“Hey, I also succeeded? “It will be an honor for the Mayer family to be honored by the fact that Baron Dalton is pouring a drink for an insignificant person like me.”

“Baby, you said this without meaning to and fell asleep. If you keep doing that, I’ll end up drinking it all by myself?”

“Oh, sure.”

“Really? Even though it looks like this, it’s 30 years old Montmartre, right? “Are you okay?”

It’s not so expensive that I can’t buy it with my own money, but if it’s given to me for free, I have to bow down and take it.

Because it is a high-quality wine that costs one gold coin per bottle.

So, I thought it would be a good fit for a play, so I held a wine glass with both hands and acted groveling.

“Oh my, Baron Dalton. “A lowly person committed rudeness because he had nothing to learn.”

“Baby, this. I just needed to know. Millia will make snacks and bring them soon. “Have a drink before that.”

As I slowly savored the wine that Dalton poured, I could clearly feel the sour and bitter taste of grapes and the fresh fruit scent.

‘Is this why you have to drink expensive wine?’

You drink cheap wine or beer just to get drunk and get in the mood, but these drinks have a charm that makes people happy because they taste and smell so good even when you drink them alone.

After emptying the entire bottle of the extremely expensive 30-year-old Montmartre, Dalton brought out the entire expensive bottle from the box.

“The handover will be completed tomorrow with just handing over simple documents, so there is nothing to worry about today. “I just called you to resolve the issue one last time as man to man.”

“Is that so?”

Dalton laughed while pretending to tap his chest.

“Honestly, there were so many things I wanted to tell you, but there were so many things I couldn’t say because I was your leader.”

Then he took a breath, smiled brightly, and opened his mouth.

“This is something that everyone who has been with us for 4-5 years in our mercenary unit knows. There was a strange story behind why I, a high-ranking knight who had reached the level of expert, ran away from my family to lead a mercenary army. Well, what kind of bastard in a mercenary unit doesn’t have a story?”

From Noble mtl dot com

I remember hearing about it before, but I pretended not to know anything and asked.

“What was your story?”

“Almost 12 years ago, I fell in love with a high-ranking knight and the daughter of a low-ranking knight family. So, at that time, I tried my best to shake off the family because we didn’t fit in, but I couldn’t. Because Erica is incredibly beautiful and she has a kind heart.”

“Is that so?”

“It was rumored to be pretty in other lands beyond the county, and in her hometown where she lived, her serfs would voluntarily give her gifts on holidays, so all was said and done.”

Honestly, I can hardly believe the ‘rumors that she is pretty’ that are going around among nobles.

Why not even go so far as to say that the rumor that she is pretty among nobles is like drawing lots, with a few winning and the majority losing?

Of course, I can understand the psychology of people who create such nonsense, because even if there are rumors that you are pretty, your chances of becoming relatives with a better family will increase…

‘That applies only to intermediate knights, for whom an arranged marriage is essential.’

So, as Dalton said, the woman named Erica must have been beautiful, perhaps beautiful enough to reach the shoulders of Karin or Lucia.

“So, as the head of a family of prime high-ranking knights at the time, I decided to overcome all opposition within my family and take that girl as my first wife. Because at that time, I stayed away from her whore just as much as you did, and I was a pure man who only had eyes for her.”

It is surprising that Dalton also had this side.

“But damn it, even though the Count’s third master knew that we would soon be married, when he looked at Erica in person, his eyes rolled back.”

At those words, a sigh mixed with lament came out of my mouth.

“And a few days later, an order came with the Count’s seal.”

“It must have been an order to give up Miss Erica.”

“Yes, that’s why I protested. I heard that the count’s third master fell in love with Erica, used his authority to pressure her father, who was a low-ranking knight, and eventually took Erica’s virginity. But the misfortune did not end here. If you were a count, what would you have done about your third son’s indecent behavior?”

Regardless of the era, all politicians are masters of cutting tail and burying their own and their family’s faults.

“It must have been buried.”

“The Count called me directly and told me to understand and move on, saying that although he couldn’t do it like Erica, she handed over three pretty beauties. ‘It’s already in the past, so bury it.’ But, f*ck, I was so crazy in love at the time that I rejected the offer. Then, ridiculous criminal charges were piled on me.”

“……”

“At that time, I was about to die, but Heinz, who was under me, used his hands to sell all my assets and his own to raise money to create a ‘mercenary army.’ That is the Whitebeard Mercenary Corps. Therefore, the person who contributed most to the establishment of our mercenary army was actually Heinz, not me.”

It is quite a long and sad story.

“After about 5 years, we became a decent mercenary unit of 100 people. That’s when I first met you. He was truly a crazy person. “Isn’t that right?”

“I was the first person to openly reject knighthood and become a mercenary, right?”

“No, after listening to the circumstances, I understand. “I was astonished to see that crazy bastard come in as a new recruit and destroy the senior mercenary’s pot as soon as he first came in.”

I think back then, I was hungry and my desire to succeed was so strong that I was truly out of my mind.

“So I was worried that this guy might be a waste of money. In the first battle, he went out wearing a sword and was not afraid and fought quite well. He was a guy who couldn’t even use Aurors, so I was surprised to see him awaken. “What surprised me the most was how he said ‘f*ck his knighthood’ to a minor subject.”

“What good is there to be a baron and a knight?”

“You son of a b*tch, go out now and cry and say that in front of the people you like. “Are you going to break my head?”

Dalton looked at me and laughed.

“Anyway, from then on, you made me very proud. “The name value of our mercenary unit has increased, and it’s all thanks to you.”

This time, he poured me a drink that made me think it might be too much.

“When I had a duel with the crazy expert who was trying to take Karin away and won, I truly respected you. Because I lost Erica, but you risked your life on a high-ranking Auror and defeated that bastard who had reached expert level and protected Karin. “I didn’t say anything in front of you, but in front of the other centurion commanders and platoon leaders, I bragged about you endlessly until their mouths were dry.”

Then, this time, he opened a bottle of wine from the chest, put it in his mouth, and started to drink the entire bottle.

“But actually, you weren’t worthy of being under me. I became aware of this clearly when I received an offer from Margrave Estelle to become a baron, beyond the offer to be a knight. “At that time, I was really jealous of you, so I even got jealous.”

“Captain!”

“f*ck, I’m just a mercenary leader and now I’m looking at being top notch. You have already reached the point where another noble has offered you the position of baron. Thinking like that made me incredibly jealous. But there was no malice towards you, and I, Dalton Von Prime, or should I say Maurer now. Anyway, I just endured it because I knew that it was entirely thanks to you that Dalton was able to come this far.”

If you look at the history of the world, there are countless cases where the leader of an organization did not trust subordinates who were ‘more capable than him’ and purged them and the organization went bankrupt.

He must be proof that subordinates who are superior to him are dangerous to the captain, fearful, and arousing feelings of inferiority.

Dalton has never shown such feelings in front of me.

‘That alone is actually really great.’

“Because I trusted you so much, I soon became a baron too. A mere mercenary leader has risen to the rank of nobleman, looked up to by almost everyone in the world. And I was able to fully repay the mercenaries who believed in me and followed me.”

I also poured wine into Dalton’s glass.

“Congratulations, Baron Maurer.”

“…… Ah, yes. “Now I am Baron Maurer, and you are the leader of our mercenary army.”

After finishing his drink, Dalton handed me a document and a thick book.

“This is a certificate stating that all money and assets owned by our Whitebeard mercenaries will be left behind. According to custom, it would be right for me to take everything I need to build a ‘baron family’, but… honestly, it’s all thanks to you that I became a baron. “I guess I should give this much.”

All of the mercenary’s assets. They have been very active this time and have earned a lot so far, so there must be tens of thousands of gold coins piled up in the safe alone.

Money is not everything, but as the saying goes, where the money is, the heart is.

This document that Dalton handed over to me contains the entire sincerity of a man named Dalton von Maurer.

When I thought that, my eyes became red for no reason.

“Thank you so much, Captain.”

“Use this money to gather children and make a big contribution in the next war. With you, it would be possible to start as a Baron, or even as a Count of the Empire. “If you become a count, you can take away this poor baron.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? By the time I become an earl, Captain Dalton will also have become an earl.”

“My limit is exactly here. “It was only possible because of your full support.”

When Dalton said that, Millia came in with snacks.

What she brought were not luxurious snacks, but meat dishes, bread, and soup that you would normally see in a cheap bar.

“If you have anything you want to say to me, say it. “I will listen to everything except for you criticizing Millia.”

“Ha, then I’ll be honest. Why on earth did you nickname me ‘Martin, who gets his salary in advance’? “If this continues, it will spread throughout the continent.”

“…… That’s disgraceful. You’re a crazy bastard who is so blinded by a female knight that you give him all your money and live off your salary. Who else but you?”

I was really angry when I heard that.

However, since it was a fact that could not be refuted, I was just angry.

“…… Please take up the post of Baron and bury yourself in documents.”

“I’m fine with just hanging out with other women other than Millia, but there are already three of you. Don’t break your back and fall down. These days, Father Thompson said you come here often because of back pain.”

I couldn’t refute those words again.

So we stayed up all night having deep conversations that we had never had before, and the next day, Dalton took 450 people and left for the Barony of Maurer.

Now I only have about 20 mercenaries left…

“Because you have a reputation, you will be able to attract people quickly.”