How a Second Life Knight Lives

13. My Value.

And Martin answered my question readily.

“Yes, that’s right, Sir William. I wanted to be in a relationship where, when I asked Sir William for a favor, you wouldn’t just ignore it but would seriously consider whether to accept it or not. That’s why.”

“Me? Why?”

“Sir William, you need to know your value.”

“My value?”

“Yes, the value of the mercenary knight William.”

Until now, my experience was limited to small-scale battles that an ordinary knight would encounter.

Even when I lived in Korea, I had trained hard, but I had never experienced a fight, let alone a battle. People living in a well-policed developed country are naturally unfamiliar with violence.

I became accustomed to violence when I was forced to work in a rock salt mine. And I became used to killing when I built a watchtower on the Dalaben River and rampaged as a bandit knight.

Still, I was just one knight. I was trained as a killing machine, so I was superior to ordinary people, but among other killing machines, I was just average.

So, I couldn’t help but be ignorant of the value of an individual with overwhelming force. It was the first time for me to rampage to the extent that I could massacre like this.

Moreover, I was a freelancer with no affiliation.

It was not an environment where experienced seniors could give me various advice.

In fact, Martin was the first to give me this kind of advice.

“Sir William is strong. Very strong. Strong enough to overwhelm others. I heard that you defeated Kaal, who was a knight, when you subjugated the bandits. I thought it was possible. Even among knights, there are differences in skill, so I thought it was natural for a skilled knight to easily subdue a less skilled one. But I was wrong. Sir William, half of the transactions I am involved in take place at the port. There, I saw it. I saw Sir William fighting. I saw with my own eyes how Sir William fought at the port. I saw you smash those wielding a giant sword and a battle hammer in an instant. I saw you sweep away the incoming pirates, those accustomed to killing with weapons, with overwhelming force. At that moment, I thought, I am watching a dragon in human form. Of course, I don’t mean that literally. It means that your momentum was so great that it made me think that way. Moreover, didn’t Sir William just arrive in the city of Kalmar? You have no one to serve and no affiliation, right? Sir William’s options are very wide.”

I shook my head at Martin’s passionate words.

“Martin. Calm down. I appreciate you holding me in high regard. However, there are many people with skills superior to mine. Right here in the city of Kalmar, there is Master Johan, the master of the sword, and his disciples are no pushovers either. Among the mercenaries, I’ve heard names like Anjeina the Black Axe, Mihau the Dual Swordsman, and Mieta the Triple Shot. Even though it’s a bit far, Sir Wise, the first knight of the Count of Flens, is also quite renowned. If we consider non-human entities, there would be even more.”

“That’s precisely why Sir William’s value is high. Sir William’s name has just become known, yet he is mentioned alongside the top experts of the territory and skilled mercenaries who have been known for a long time. Moreover, Sir William is not bound to any place. You can contract as you wish. The merchant guild highly values this point. Even in chaotic times, the guild must keep moving.”

“So, Martin, are you suggesting that I join the guild as a guard?”

“Yes. And it would be better if you joined one of these two guilds.”

Martin sorted out two of the invitations he had received and handed them to me.

Another crossroads lay before my eyes.

The city of Kalmar serves as a kind of intermediary trade base.

There are workshops throughout the city that produce goods on their own, but the main focus is on getting involved in the transportation process and taking a middle margin.

This is possible because of the good harbor, the Dalaben River, and the port cities that are so solidly connected that they could be called allies.

Of course, besides the workshops in the city, there are also goods produced in the city of Kalmar and its surrounding territories, which are governed by the Count of Kalmar.

The city of Kalmar itself is a huge consumer market, but the surrounding rural areas produce food, wood, and herbs. Iron and copper are mined from the foothills of the distant mountain range.

However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that there is almost no external sale of these goods. The amount is insufficient even for consumption within the city of Kalmar, so there is always a supply shortage.

Except for some of the goods produced in the workshops, the only thing that is abundantly produced in Kalmar itself and can be sold externally is rock salt. There are huge rock salt mines on the outskirts of the city of Kalmar, and the wealth from these mines has become the bedrock of the city.

Therefore, the merchants who trade in rock salt boast the longest history among the merchants of Kalmar. The power they hold is also different from that of ordinary merchants.

Among the salt merchants, there are those who not only receive salt from the rock salt mines owned by the Count but also own the rock salt mines themselves. Even nobles of the rank of baron find it burdensome to easily develop rock salt mines.

Of course, they do not own the entire mine alone but have shares in it, and since they also manage the operation, it is not an exaggeration to say they own it.

I was now visiting that very merchant guild. The Powell Merchant Guild, capable enough to own rock salt mines.

“As you know, salt is as good as gold. White gold, to be precise. Poor quality salt has color, but high-quality rock salt, like that from the Powell Merchant Guild’s mines, is white. Therefore, it fetches a good price when sold externally. Its liquidity is so good that it is practically treated as cash.”

“It must be a headache. It’s like carrying cash.”

“You understand the point quickly. Yes, a salt merchant is like carrying cash in a wagon. It’s not similar; it’s the same. Everyone, even those ignorant of the ways of the world, thinks that a salt merchant’s wagon carries cash.”

Brandon, one of the heads of the Powell Merchant Guild, showed me a huge warehouse filled with wooden boxes of salt. A young man who came with Brandon opened one of the wooden boxes and showed me the inside.

It was white salt, as white as the salt I had seen in Korea.

That was the rock salt to be transported this time.

“That’s a huge amount.”

“We make long-distance trade four times a year. The procession of a hundred large wagons is a spectacle to behold.”

“It must require a lot of people, from the drivers to everyone else.”

“That’s true, but since it’s a regular trade, we’ve never had trouble finding workers. We prepare in advance. The problem is the guards.”

“It seems a new problem has arisen.”

“Indeed. Martin the broker said that Sir William is different from ordinary knights, and it seems he was right. Various issues have arisen, making it uneasy to rely on the guards we used to hire.”

The fact that the emperor’s seat has been vacant for ten years has caused more problems than expected.

Even in a society that revolves around local autonomy and self-help, there is a significant difference between having someone at the center managing practical affairs and not having such a person.

Moreover, the psychological warfare and proxy wars between the electors inevitably led to public security instability. Unlike the early days when conflicts were merely minor disputes or checks, now there were many cases where they openly provoked each other. The emotional rift between them deepened, and revenge begot more revenge.

This eventually develops into a full-scale civil war.

Currently, the aftermath was affecting the routes through which logistics flowed.

“Kalmar is fundamentally neutral. Conflicts among the high-ranking individuals are their problems, so we are just in it for the money. This has been the principle upheld by the Kalmar Count family for generations. Although there have been ups and downs over the past ten years, it has been well maintained. The surrounding nobles also respected the stance of the Kalmar Count family. However, the atmosphere has rapidly deteriorated over the past year.”

“Since the passing of the late Count.”

“That’s correct. The issue with the water bandits on the Dalaben River, which Sir William also participated in, is a recent occurrence. Fortunately, it was resolved well, but the head of the merchant guild predicted that it was merely a stopgap measure and that unless a fundamental solution was found, a similar problem would arise soon. The reason being, we had already been experiencing the issues that recently occurred on the Dalaben River for several years while conducting trade. Initially, we tried to suppress them, but it was only temporary each time, so we eventually made a suitable compromise. However, recently, it wasn’t just the tolls that were the problem, but even bandit gangs attacking with the purpose of looting have appeared, leading to skirmishes.”

Brandon, the head of the Powell merchant guild, explained the internal circumstances of the guild openly, with nothing to hide.

Revealing this much means they are really desperate, doesn’t it?

“The problem is that we cannot be sure whether the attackers who came to loot are real bandits or the private soldiers of another noble family. If they are simple bandits, the existing guards are sufficient. The mercenary group contracted long-term with the Powell merchant guild is not that bad. The place where Double Sword Mihau is positioned as an executive. Bandits are not really a problem. However, if these people are not bandits but the private soldiers of a noble family who came to rob, the problem becomes serious. It exceeds the level we can handle.”

“In that case, can’t you just give up the trade? Even if there is a penalty for breaching the contract, if you assume that you will lose goods and people will be killed or injured, wouldn’t it be more profitable to just give up the trade?”

“If we think about profit, yes.”

“Then why are you insisting on continuing the trade? From what you are saying and the preparations you have made, it seems you intend to proceed with the trade normally.”

“Well, there are various reasons.”

*

Brandon sighed. He also knew that stopping the trade would be profitable. However, if the Powell merchant guild stopped the trade, they would be looked down upon.

Not the Powell merchant guild, but the Kalmar Count family.

The Powell merchant guild was not just a simple merchant guild. It even held shares, albeit a small portion, in the surrounding rock salt mines owned solely by the Kalmar Count family. Although it was considered lower in status, it was possible because they were tied by blood to the Kalmar Count family.

Therefore, from the outside, the Powell merchant guild was seen as part of the Kalmar Count family. The late Count even treated the Powell merchant guild as similar to his vassals, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.

They would think that the Powell merchant guild followed the judgment of the Kalmar Count family.

So, they couldn’t stop the trade.

If they stopped the trade due to violence, they would judge that violence works.

Then, how far would they go?

If the bandits attempting looting were connected to a noble, and that noble was connected to one of the electors, what would they do to Kalmar, which showed a weakness to violence?

Brandon couldn’t be sure.

So, he explained that point slowly.