214 – Baron Dalton is calling (3)
After arriving at the castle, Dalton went into the banquet room with the guys he had been with when he was captain, including me.
We drank so much that we thought we might actually die if we continued drinking like this.
Even guys who know how to use Auras and who rarely get drunk get drunk.
“So, Vice Heinz, or rather Senior Engineer, has five wives?”
“You’re noisy, you idiot. “It’s hard because there are so many of me.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Wouldn’t it be nice at night?”
“If it wasn’t for that, I would have escaped like Martin.”
The culture of polygamy may seem like a good thing for men with money, but that is not necessarily true.
Even if you don’t show signs of jealousy or fighting in front of a man in order to win his favor.
How easy is it for one man to take care of several women?
I know that, so I did my best to keep the relationship between those three people as good as possible, and I will continue to do so.
It’s great to be able to live without suffering like those noblemen as a reward for all my hard work.
“You’re a senior knight and all, but nothing has changed even after becoming a knight.”
Dalton came up behind me.
“Unless it is time for a person to die, it is right not to change. Yeah, I think the kids are all a bit drunk too. “Shall we go talk in earnest?”
The expression on his face, which had been smiling just a moment ago, changed to a serious one.
“Of course.”
Dalton gestured with her hand to her maid in her corner and led me out of the ballroom.
“Let’s move to a small room and have another drink and talk comfortably. Also, no matter what the outcome is, let’s not fight until the war starts and let’s get along like brothers and sisters. “Isn’t that a mercenary?”
“I guess you still haven’t forgotten your days as a mercenary even after becoming a baron.”
“He was a mercenary for almost 10 years. How can he forget those days?”
Well, even if I become a noble later, I don’t think my habits and thoughts from my time as a mercenary will go anywhere.
It is also said that if a person forgets his original intention, he becomes a waste of money, so for Dalton’s happy future, I hope that he will live a long life without forgetting his days as a mercenary.
“So do you, Baron.”
“Ugh, just like that. “Just go in here and sit down.”
As soon as we sat down, a maid came in and left a bottle of wine, some strong-smelling, high-quality cheese, and raw ham.
Perhaps because he became a baron, he sets up a very luxurious drinking table.
“Hey, isn’t this wine incredibly expensive?”
“I deliberately saved this to drink with the greatest benefactor of my life. “One bottle of this costs 15 gold coins.”
15 Gold coins, this is a luxury wine that is difficult to obtain no matter how much money you have.
This is because, as soon as wine of this level is made, high-ranking people such as emperors, kings of certain countries, and dukes buy it in bundles without bargaining.
“I just poured it into a glass, but the scent is amazing.”
“Right? “I also had a hard time getting this.”
“Let’s have a drink first and then start talking, Baron.”
Dalton poured the bitter yet refreshing wine down his throat and looked intently into my eyes.
“Martin, just as you said, the conflict began to intensify after His Majesty the Emperor passed away. At first, it was just a matter of calling in a small mercenary unit and fighting among the great nobles regarding their territory…”
Even the Great Wall of China collapses starting from an ant hole…
“Are you saying that the scale of the situation has gradually grown and we have begun to engage in frequent attacks and fights?”
“That’s right, half a year ago, my lord, Count Frost, also hired 500 mercenaries and plundered a village on the border of the Marquis of Palatinate. “We’re not the only ones fighting like this, so I can’t even imagine how much we’re fighting in the entire Rhine-Palatinate.”
After saying that, Dalton sighed until the ground fell.
“The situation is beyond description.”
According to the information I gathered on the way here, there are currently six major factions in the empire.
It is the same story as saying that the empire was cut into 6 pieces after the emperor died, so no other word can describe this situation well other than the word “Sh*t.”
“I heard so.”
“At the very least, the Montmartre Empire seems to be calm for the next few years as it is now cleaning up after a big fight with the Barcelo Kingdom. “The Medici guys won’t attack for a while either.”
If the Medici guys are going to ask for just a bite of the territory of the Rhine-Palatinate Empire, then a civil war must break out.
It would be best to attack when the Rhine-Palatinate bastards are exhausted from fighting among themselves and their strength to resist has weakened.
From now on, they will work hard to gather money and food and begin preparing to attack the Rhine-Palatinate.
If I were a noble belonging to the Medici Republic, I would have suggested doing that.
I put a piece of cheese in my mouth and chewed it.
“Then, eventually, the civil war will begin in earnest and we will only have to fight within the Rhine-Palatinate for a few years.”
“That’s right.”
I said this, but if someone asks me to pay money to people like Medici or Montmartre like Kim Chun-chu, who unified the three kingdoms in the middle of a civil war, to stab them in the back, it becomes a complete mess.
But right now, there are five enemy forces inside, and it would be foolish to assume that from now on and make moves.
‘Thoroughly start with problems that you can handle.’
If you break this principle and try to do something beyond that, you will collapse from exhaustion.
And then there was silence between me and Captain Dalton.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, but I knew what Dalton wanted to say.
‘Take the side of Margrave Estelle.’
No matter how personal we are, we are both responsible for different groups, so even if we don’t fight for them, we have to fight for leadership.
Usually in cases like this, the person who opens his mouth first reveals that he is in a nervous position…
Right now, I am Dalton, and Dalton is waiting for me to open my mouth first.
The wine, which had a distinct aroma and taste until just now, no longer has any scent or taste whatsoever.
‘Here, you have to take the lead at all costs.’
After the silence continued for about 30 minutes or an hour, Dalton finally sighed and placed his hand on his forehead.
“This bastard has never lost, past or present. Yes, you are the best.”
Dalton took out an official document in the form of a scroll from his pocket.
Seeing as the outside is covered with silk, it must be a very important document.
“This is a letter sent directly to me by Margrave Estelle. Although there is a lot of nonsense inside, the important thing is that he said to make sure to bring in the Whitebeard mercenaries. “That’s why I contacted you so I could see the faces of you and the other guys.”
The faction I was trying to join was also the Margrave Estelle’s faction, so the corner of my mouth tried to twitch when I heard Dalton’s words.
I managed my facial expression by biting my tongue so hard that I thought it might bleed.
Dalton, that guy doesn’t have to stab me in the back, but even the slightest change in expression will make the terms I can offer worse.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, bastard. “The Margrave can’t forget how you won against an enemy force of over 5,000 men with that damned Baron Pappenheim.”
When I heard that Pappenheim, who was more capable than Won Gyun but was of a lower rank than Won Gyun, took him and annihilated the enemy army that was twice as large…
Margrave Estelle must have thought this.
‘How did they roast and boil that junk to win, damn it.’
So, since the civil war broke out and the situation got worse, they thought they should use me.
“Well, I was a bit amazing back then. To put it bluntly, didn’t you think I was really going crazy at that time? As you can see, Pappenheim, who was following the bait thrown out and trying to catch him, was finally stopped and caught.”
“He looks at it favorably, so if you support Margrave Estelle in this civil war, he will probably repay you greatly.”
“How much specifically can you receive?”
“It’s not right to think about receiving money after stepping into this civil war. Yes, Margrave Estel has offered to give me one of his baronies. Besides this, he said, he could bestow larger estates according to merit. What do you think?”
The offer to pay more depending on my performance is very attractive.
“In that case, what will be my status?”
Dalton chuckled at those words.
“In this case, it will be in the form of becoming Margrave Estelle’s vassal. Still, I think you could be promoted to count depending on your performance, right?”
That statement is not entirely wrong.
That’s because Estelle, the leader of one faction, will definitely become a duke and rise to the top of the empire’s nobility if they win this civil war.
So, it is quite possible for me to become a count.
However, rather than going under his wing and becoming a vassal, I want to fight as a partner in his forces.
I don’t want to become his vassal and just accept the pieces of land that Estelle gives me.
So, if you want to get the best conditions possible…
“I will go see Margrave Estelle in person and have a chat.”
If you are risking your life, you should negotiate properly if possible.