How a Second Life Knight Lives

42. When fulfilling a contract.

People quickly gauged each other’s reactions.

It was only natural to reward a knight who had returned with merit.

No one would ever object to this.

In a situation where it was practically a declaration of war, capturing Baron Patson was such a great achievement that it was worth pondering what kind of reward should be given.

But a baronial title, no matter what!

There are only a few people here who hold the title of baron.

Most of them hold knightly titles or honorary positions within the county.

Of course, if you look at the entire county, there are quite a few barons.

There are those who have fallen and only have the name of a baron left, or nobles who have migrated from outside, with various origins.

However, they are not influential enough to affect the County of Kalmar.

The ruling class of the County of Kalmar is divided into three main groups.

The influential people backed by the merchant guilds,

The nobles based around the villages near Kalmar City,

And the group consisting of the Count’s personal retainers.

But a newcomer suddenly appears and rises rapidly based on the favor of the young Countess?

He performs meritorious deeds that no one can deny and acts as the Countess’s loyal servant?

And as soon as Countess Linnea had a justification, she immediately made him a baron.

It is the birth of a new influential person who holds both title and real power.

In such a situation, it would be normal for the group of the Count’s personal retainers to rebel rather than those based in the merchant guilds or villages, but everyone kept their mouths shut as if they had made a promise.

The people gathered here are those who are second to none in political power and tact.

They immediately sensed that something was strange.

This meant that something had been agreed upon between Countess Linnea and her retainers without their knowledge.

And although they didn’t know what it was, it was clear that they had to congratulate William on his promotion here and now.

Honestly, what does it matter to me if William suddenly becomes a baron?

It’s not like they gave him a separate estate, or took away someone’s business rights to give to him.

Although I’m a bit envious of his rapid rise, it’s not like he touched my cake, so it’s not bad to congratulate him with a good face.

And if we’re going to congratulate him, shouldn’t we do it properly? Who knows when, where, or how we might clash?

People quickly finished their calculations.

After Countess Linnea’s declaration and a moment of hesitation, they all began to cheer and congratulate William on his promotion.

The cheers, which had contained various thoughts and hesitations, soon turned into genuine cheers and joy.

Whatever the circumstances, they had avoided war.

And not just by glossing over it, but with a unilateral and decisive victory.

Now they just had to negotiate Baron Patson’s ransom and receive compensation for the damage the county had suffered.

Especially, the merchants and their associates, who had been suffering various damages unknowingly, could not hide their joy just from the fact that they would no longer suffer any more damage.

In the midst of this, Sorensen, the legal advisor, pointed out an important issue.

“But Count, there is one issue we need to clarify.”

“What is it?”

“Sir William is still legally a commoner. He hasn’t even been knighted yet. We need to appoint him to an official position in the county or knight him. Granting him the title of baron comes next. The inspector position is temporary, so it doesn’t apply.”

“Oh! Is that so? If the legal advisor says we must do it, then we must. Everyone, listen! We will hold Sir William’s knighting ceremony right now. Sir William, come forward.”

Once again, cheers erupted.

It was a festival.

*

However, the festive atmosphere did not last for two days.

Although we claimed victory, it wasn’t a war that everyone participated in, and the victory was practically achieved by me alone.

I was the only one who enjoyed the rewards of knighthood and promotion.

Of course, some people received prize money,

There was joy in avoiding the war, but it wasn’t a time to revel for long.

The city of Kalmar quickly returned to its daily routine.

However, there were people who couldn’t return to their daily lives.

One of them was me.

From my perspective, becoming a baron was part of the promised reward and something I had expected.

But to the influential people of the county, it seemed like a new power had suddenly parachuted in, so they needed time to learn about me.

I also had to show my face here and there as a newcomer.

This was social life.

Moreover, I had to engage in business activities.

The merchant group I ran, managed by Martin, was doing well with the tonic business, surpassing the level of just being profitable.

There was even talk of whether it was time to expand in earnest.

Everything was good.

In this chaos, there wouldn’t be many people whose situation was as good as mine.

It was worth celebrating and enjoying enough.

However, I was anxious.

Because I had a feeling that this peace wouldn’t last long.

No one else knew, but originally, after failing to subdue the bandit knight Kaal, the time when the control of the Dalaben River would be lost due to the increasing number of bandits, causing chaos in logistics distribution, was just around the corner.

However, the same future no longer exists.

Because I stopped it.

So I was even more anxious.

Did removing one Kaal really change the future?

Will the future where refugees flock to the Dalraven River, everyone wielding knives and looting boats, disappear?

No way. That can’t be.

The great flow of the world doesn’t change so easily.

The refugees who flocked along the Dalraven River surprisingly came from not too far away.

Most of them were from the Aalborg region.

Just three baronies away is the Aalborg region, and if you follow the Dalraven River, you can come down in a few days.

They fled along the Dalraven River when the territorial war between the nobles supporting Duke Glenn and Duke Holmberg developed to the level of a civil war, making it unbearable to endure the looting.

At that time, some of the refugees who fled caused tremendous chaos by pushing all the way to the vicinity of the Kalmar County.

The paralysis of the Dalraven River can also be said to be an extension of that.

There were quite a few cases where the refugees who came down the river turned to banditry.

The place I influenced by returning was the city of Kalmar and its vicinity.

Then what about farther places?

How far did my return influence?

Did it affect the territorial war in the Aalborg region?

If it didn’t, it’s only a matter of time before the refugees flock.

This was a problem that needed to be reviewed and addressed in advance.

I came to meet Master Johan at his summons.

“Sir William. It’s been a while.”

“You must have had a hard time negotiating all the way to the Patson Barony. Master Johan.”

Master Johan, whom I met after a long time, seemed to be in a good mood.

“It was nothing. It was an easy negotiation. We had Baron Patson in our grasp. It wasn’t a negotiation, we practically drove the territorial army and gave notice. It’s all thanks to you.”

“Don’t mention it. Is the agreement decided?”

“Yes. I’ve reported to the Count, so everyone will know soon. Half of the annual tax revenue of the Patson Barony, half of the personal property. The ransom of the Baron himself and the compensation for this war. That should be enough, right?”

“That’s a huge amount. But why didn’t you specify the amount and left it like that? Ah! You left a pretext.”

“Yes. I heard something a bit strange and felt uneasy. I wanted to hold a pretext to push the territorial army into the Patson Barony for a while.”

“What kind of story did you hear?”

Master Johan tilted his head.

“Baron Patson was saying something strange. It seems that some weird people have been coming and going from his territory, and he said they were the ones who attacked our village. Even though he sometimes talks nonsense, he’s not one to lie.”

“Well, the Baron Patson I saw had a mean side, contrary to the rumors.”

“In fact, when I saw him after a long time, he had changed. He used to be so cunning and patient, but I don’t know why he became so ruined.”

“When a person is cornered, their true nature comes out. It means he was originally that kind of person.”

Master Johan stopped talking to me and took out a necklace, placing it on the table.

It was the same kind of necklace I had taken from the skinny man.

“What is this necklace?”

“Baron Patson presented it as evidence. Have you seen it before?”

“Yes. When I infiltrated the Baron’s castle, I dealt with a suspicious man and took it as evidence.”

“Don’t show it around. It could cause trouble.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“Yes. I’ve seen a lot of things while traveling around the continent in my younger days. This is one of them. It’s a symbol used by a secret society called Masau, which advocates equality and brotherhood. It’s strange that they suddenly appeared in this area where they shouldn’t be. These kinds of people come in various forms, including secret societies, underground religions, and other public organizations under different names. Even if they look normal on the outside, many of them are crazy, so it’s best to avoid dealing with these kinds of people.”

It would be good not to deal with crazy people.

But can I control that?

Just because you drive safely doesn’t mean you can avoid accidents.

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And these people,

The ones who were coming and going from Baron Patson’s territory.

Maybe they also reached out to Baron Ash’s rock salt mine.

The feeling I had when I caught that skinny man,

It was too similar to the damn sensation of him inspecting my mouth and touching my muscles.

“Then let’s talk about weapon production now. You said you signed new contracts with craftsmen?”

“Yes. We hurriedly signed contracts with performance bonuses in addition to the base salary. The territorial war in the Aalborg region seems to be serious, so we rushed. Rumor has it that it’s almost at the level of a civil war, so there will definitely be a refugee problem. We need a plan.”

“A plan, huh.”

But the discussion about the refugee plan ended before it even started.

Because the count’s servant urgently informed us of Lady Linnea’s summons.

Lady Linnea had a serious look on her face.

It wouldn’t be surprising if someone had invaded the count’s territory.

Lady Sarah, the head maid, had a similar expression.

“It seems that Duke Glenn is going to throw Erik Kalmar at us.”

“Hmm! That scoundrel?”

Erik Kalmar?

Who is he?

I don’t remember him.

But seeing the surname Kalmar, I can roughly guess who he is.

He is probably the closest relative of the Kalmars, except for Countess Linnea.

“According to the person who secretly sent me a message, Erik Kalmar plans to point out that I am unmarried and therefore not qualified as a successor, and then appeal to the influential people of Kalmar City that his legitimacy is not inferior.”

“What nonsense!”

“This is a threat from Duke Glenn to us. He intends to damage my authority and shake Kalmar City. However, if we side with Duke Glenn, Erik Kalmar will be abandoned.”

“What will you do?”

“The Count of Kalmar is always neutral. I have no intention of yielding to threats. Sir William, it seems it’s time to fulfill the contract.”

I nodded.

It was time to risk my life for real.

The next day, Countess Linnea of Kalmar summoned all the influential people and vassals of the territory.

And in front of everyone, she declared.

“Sir William and I will soon hold an engagement ceremony.”

A bomb was dropped.