Gaiden’s eyebrows trembled at the unilateral breach of contract.
“this guy! Do you think you’ll be okay with this?”
“What if it’s not okay? What will happen?”
Despite Guyden’s threats, Eric didn’t care. It is not uncommon for mercenaries to rebel against their employers.
If your salary keeps falling behind, you renege on your appointments, and you completely lose your credit or reputation.
No matter how you look at it, if you decide that it’s wrong, you overturn everything on the spot. In Eric’s view, now was just such a time.
“Have you forgotten who I am? I am Gaiden Borrell, vassal of the Bernstein family!”
But Gaiden still roared. If the employer’s background or power is overwhelming, no matter how great it is, you can’t act recklessly.
It was thanks to the background of the Bernstein family that he had been able to use mercenaries to his heart’s content.
“The Count will not forgive such a unilateral breach of contract!”
“Oh, is that so? He is a man who truly cares for his subordinates. But would he still care for his vassal even if he knew that he tried to kill his son?”
“What, what?”
Gaiden’s eyes fluttered mercilessly. Are you trying to kill me? Although it was intended to scare him, he had no intention of killing him.
“What bullsh*t are you talking about!”
“I told you to take the boy to the monster haunted area?”
“When did I…!”
“Hey, cowardly knight man.”
Eric whispered to Gaiden, who, as always, was trying to get away with pretending.
“It’s true. It’s true that our mercenaries have heard everything. Shall we talk to the young master and that knight, and follow the count’s family as witnesses? huh?”
“…”
Gaiden was taken aback by those words. The reason he was able to act as he pleased until now was because he had the upper hand in his right to speak.
However, after the troll incident, Gaiden’s right to speak fell to the ground. Now, the bastard, Roderick, and all the mercenaries are ignoring Gaiden.
‘If everyone here joins in and supports this guy’s claim…’
All that was left for Gaiden was destruction. When I faced reality, cold sweat broke out all over my body.
Eric smirked and licked his lips.
“Ooh, your mouth tickles. Why are you doing this? All of a sudden you want to brag about someone’s orders?”
“Hey, look.”
“Ugh! I can’t stand this! Bleak…!”
“Okay, I got it! Whether it’s a contract or whatever, do as you please!”
Gaiden squealed as he grabbed Eric’s arm. However, Eric only shrugged lightly.
“Are you going to end it with that?”
“what?”
“You have to pay the balance. Did you successfully complete your mission?”
“What!”
“Yup! My mouth tickles again!”
From noble mtl dot com
“…”
Gaiden wrinkled his face at the sight of Eric shaking his body. Gaiden had no choice.
****
The journey thereafter was smooth. Gaiden couldn’t even dare to do anything else, and Luke and his party headed for the Count’s house as the shortest distance.
One of the reasons was that security in the eastern region was fairly stable during this period.
The mercenary group disbanded when Luke and his party reached the bustling city. Because there were no more threats along the way.
“Good job.”
“You are welcome. If you ever need to use mercenaries in the future, please remember our Black Ax Mercenary Corps.”
Eric was extremely polite to Luke. A young boy who has to spend generously, does not give unreasonable orders, and protects the mercenary’s face.
Luke was the best employer for mercenaries. If possible, leave a good impression so that you want to be hired again later.
“Okay. Be sure to remember. If anything else happens, I’ll be the first to call.”
“thank you!”
At the positive answer, Eric smiled brightly and lowered his head. From Luke’s point of view, there was nothing wrong with forming a connection with the mercenaries.
‘Because in this world, mercenaries are often hired.’
It is mercenaries that make up most of the armed forces in conflict. Of course, the best thing for aristocrats is the standing army, but the standing army itself is a hippo that eats money.
Maintaining a standing army of only a few hundred men for a few years is enough to uproot the pillars of a decent territory.
Because of this, nobles used to hire mercenaries by spending money only when there was a conflict.
‘Those guys are pretty decent mercenaries.’
The mercenaries are also diverse according to the members’ inclinations. There are those who disobey orders and are ignorant, and there are those who are as strict as the military.
From Luke’s point of view, the Black Ax Mercenary Corps was a passing grade. As long as you pay them well, they’ll follow orders faithfully, and they won’t run away even when they run into trolls.
After the Black Ax Mercenaries left, the journey became more pleasant than before. It is thanks to the fact that there were many quality inns everywhere that the city came out one after another.
“Sir Guyden, please pay for the lodging.”
“Bocchan, why the hell do you only ask me to pay? Lord Roderick, isn’t it?”
“Don’t you like it? If you don’t want to wield a sword and don’t want to pay money, what’s the point of wonder?”
At Luke’s request, Guyden kept quiet and paid for the lodging. The mistake he made was too great to shout at him for insulting him like that.
Instead of protecting the bastard from the trolls, he stepped back, so at best he could be demoted, and at worst he could be disgraced and banished.
“Then, please return my words. Isn’t there a war horse that suits you better? Like that big horse, for example.
“Well, I like this one better. Why don’t you just buy that amazing horse?”
“…”
A final attempt to get the horse back was also sunk. Prices vary widely depending on the type of horse, but warhorses are particularly expensive.
Therefore, the original horse was returned and the bastard’s horse was intended to be charged to the family as an expense. Then you can leave it to Luke’s extravagance.
Of course, it wasn’t Luke who couldn’t figure out what he was aiming for.
“You seem to have a lot of complaints. Would you be satisfied if I told your father about your bravery?”
“If you want, I will be your witness.”
“Oh no! No complaints whatsoever!”
In response to Luke’s ultimatum and Roderick’s response, Gaiden raised the white flag. Looking at Gaiden’s shoulders bowed down, Luke excitedly tore off the chicken leg.
‘It’s nice to see.’
Before returning, how much had he been bullying himself? Seeing that scene, I felt like the ten-year-old congestion was going down.
Even after that, Gaiden played the role of water owner. Because he deliberately chose an inn that was so expensive that it was impossible to claim security, Gaiden’s face was dying.
When Guyden’s pocket was empty, leaving only a few silver coins, Luke and his party finally arrived at Count Bernstein’s house.
****
The Bernstein estate was surrounded by white walls. The castle, which was made with ancient masonry, boasted magnificent majesty.
As Luke and his party approached the castle, a guard spotted the three and stepped forward.
“Stop. Those who came from a certain territory… suck!”
Recognizing Roderick and Gaiden, the guard lowered his head in fright.
“Greetings to Sir Roderick and Sir Guyden!”
“Good job. I’m on my way back after finishing my mission according to my lord’s order, so open the door.”
“yes! By the way, who is this person…?”
“He’s someone you don’t need to know. open it.”
“I’m sorry!”
The guards, who had turned pale at Roderick’s words, hurriedly opened the gate. When Luke and his party went inside, people’s attention was focused on the unusual appearance of the three people.
At that gaze, Gaiden’s face turned red. Aren’t you walking alone between two people on horseback?
“Sir Guydon, how about you rest now? I think Sir Roderick will suffice as a guide.”
“Yeah, I will.”
At Luke’s last mercy, Gaiden fell back. Luke laughed and headed to the castle with Roderick.
People looked at the two and whispered among themselves.
“The person next to you is Lord Roderick. Who is the other?”
“He doesn’t look like a nobleman, but he’s riding a horse.”
“Yeah, you know. The story of finding the lord’s outside child.”
“Huh. Then who is that boy?”
Hearing the whispers, Roderick opened his ax eye, and the people scattered in surprise. But that was only for a moment.
When the two of them drifted apart, they got back together and started whispering.
“Those stupid bastards…!”
“Leave it. It’s amazing, so that’s what it is.”
Not empty words, Luke didn’t really care. It’s a world where there are few places to play.
If there is a topic that will attract attention, they will be excited to talk about it. There was no end to responding to such gossips one by one.
When the two arrived at the manor house, they were already there to meet them.
“Welcome, Lord Roderick.”
“Gong Gordon!”
Seeing the old butler, Roderick was startled and got off his horse. Manager Gordon. A loyalist who has served the family since the time of the previous count, and virtually the closest aide to the count.
In terms of actual status, it was Gordon who was much higher than most knights. Roderick greeted Gordon politely.
“Knight Roderick has returned with mission accomplished. Is your lord here now?”
“He is tired and is resting. If you have completed your mission, is he…?”
Gordon’s gaze turned to Luke. Right before Roderick introduced himself, Luke stepped forward and bowed his head.
“Nice to meet you, Lord Gordon. I am Luke, Norman’s grandson and Lyria’s son.”
Upon receiving Luke’s greeting, Gordon’s eyes lit up. Confident but not arrogant, polite but not servile.
Even so, there was a moderation in the movements, so I felt a certain elegance. Although it didn’t fit the etiquette, it was only natural since he had never learned it.
‘Huh, is it really true that I grew up among commoners?’
Gordon inwardly admired. As long as you have the proper etiquette, you can compare yourself to other young noble families.
‘As expected, dragon blood can’t be faked.’
Even if they grew up among commoners, a child of a dragon would have no choice but to grow up as a dragon.
It occurred to me that noble bloodlines are very different no matter what they are.
It was an idea that Luke would snort at when he heard it.
‘It took me 10 years to learn how to set the mood for this guy.’
When I first came to the family as a bastard, I thought I was going crazy. If I made a mistake, I had to hear bullsh*t like ‘I can’t help my low blood’.
Even when both of them were of aristocratic blood, even if they acted foolishly, it ended up being just an ‘ironic guy’, which made it even more upsetting.
It’s been 10 years since I practiced ‘Catching an aristocratic atmosphere’.
Now, I was able to portray more nobility than a fair amount of nobility.