How a Second Life Knight Lives

7. The sudden rich man carefully avoided the mines.

It was a jackpot.

I suddenly became rich.

Of course, it doesn’t mean I became truly rich, but it means I could live without worrying about money for a while. The bandits had given me money. A lot of it.

As a rule, when subjugating bandits, the general loot is collected and fairly distributed among the participants.

However, there is an exception. If you fight and kill or capture the enemy leader or someone equivalent, the victor can monopolize what the opponent has.

The case of me taking down Kaal was clearly an exception. There was no one else who helped, so there was no need to share the spoils. Thus, all the armor and weapons Kaal was wearing were given to me.

“This is the full plate armor, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it needs repairs, but I heard the quality is quite good. They say it’s strong enough to deflect arrows due to some new heat treatment method.”

“For something like that, there are holes in the shoes, holes in the waist, and even the helmet is dented. The repair costs will be no joke.”

“Mr. Martin, just sell everything as you see fit.”

“Don’t expect too much, Sir William. If it were a custom order, it would be expensive enough to exceed a knight’s annual income, but this armor was used by a fallen knight and is heavily damaged, so the price will drop significantly.”

“It’s fine. Plate armor is still plate armor. No matter how cheap it is, it will be an amount I’ve never had before.”

“Shall I dispose of the weapons as well?”

“Yes, please dispose of all my spoils.”

“Understood.”

I entrusted the sale of all the spoils I received to the broker Martin.

The value of the spoils I received was too great to entrust to just any merchant, and I had decided to get along well with Martin since I met him.

Martin was a well-connected merchant, so much so that even I had heard of his name before my return. It seemed his reputation was not just a rumor, as I was able to get involved in the significant event of subjugating Kaal through him.

And I was able to bring about a result that was vastly different from before my return.

Originally, Kaal would fend off the subjugation force and even kill all three knights of the force.

As a result, Count Kalmar faced a situation where people like Kaal began to spring up like mushrooms along the Dalaben River.

I was one of them.

I am not ashamed.

When I escaped from the salt mine and was about to die on the road, I was saved, so it was natural to join the group. The regional situation was a mess due to the disputes among the electors, so self-help was a daily occurrence.

I was with people who were trying to survive.

Could I sit and watch my family starve to death while searching for morality?

At one time, it wasn’t bad.

Just tapping into the logistics flowing through Kalmar was enough to feed a village.

I realized then that food is heaven.

If the end had been good, I would have been happy.

The suppression was too brutal, treating it as a peasant rebellion.

Yet, Kaal, that bastard, lived well, boasting as a knight.

Unlike us, who set out because we didn’t want to die sitting down, he must have had a formidable backer.

But this time, I captured Kaal. And that bastard was dragged to Kalmar City and hanged.

History changed. And so did my situation. If before I was in a position to plunder Kalmar, now I stood on Kalmar’s side.

Isn’t it a bit much to go down a path that has already failed once?

“And Sir William, it will take some time for the proceeds from the sale of the spoils to come in, given the price. Will you just rest in the meantime?”

“I haven’t decided yet. But if it’s something Mr. Martin is arranging, I should give it a try.”

“In that case, could you help me?”

“I should help if I can. There might be something to be grateful for, like this time.”

As I had decided from my first meeting with Martin, I was welcome to get along well with him.

I didn’t know what it would be this time, but I had enough reason to expect it to be something worthwhile, like the subjugation of Kaal.

If a well-connected merchant like Martin needed help, it wouldn’t be a trivial matter.

Indeed, my expectations were not in vain.

What Martin proposed to me was a champion for a trial by combat.

It was a good way to gain fame and make useful connections if done well.

“Sir William, you have received knight training, so you must know about trial by combat?”

“Of course. But only the basics. I don’t know the complicated parts.”

“That’s enough. As you know, trial by combat itself is customary law, so its scope is broad and ambiguous. There have even been cases where treason was claimed to be innocent through trial by combat. But the sure thing is that trial by combat is valid in both civil and criminal matters.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that too. But because trial by combat is too advantageous for nobles, those who care about their reputation avoid it.”

“That’s right. A normal noble who cares about their reputation would avoid trial by combat unless it’s a special case. Especially if it’s something like a rape case.”

“It seems the victim is looking for a champion to fight on their behalf.”

“To be precise, the victim’s parents are looking for a champion. The victim is already dead.”

I had always thought of myself as perceptive. Especially good at distinguishing people with malice or hidden agendas.

The experience of working as a salesman on the front lines for decades doesn’t suddenly disappear just because the world changes. Besides, people here and there aren’t that different.

From my perspective, I could assert that Martin was working on something.

Occasionally drifting eyes, slightly awkward hand movements, more smiles than usual, a more friendly and persuasive tone.

I didn’t think he had malice. Wouldn’t it be a waste to use and discard me once? But it was clear that Martin had his own agenda. Even if it was goodwill.

“What exactly is the situation?”

“A young noble with bad conduct raped a commoner woman. The woman announced that her honor had been damaged and committed suicide. Her brother filed a complaint with the city’s court. The young noble claimed it was a false accusation and counter-sued the brother for false charges. And he requested a trial by combat. The young noble is quite skilled, and the brother is just a merchant. So his parents are looking for a champion.”

“Mr. Martin, you want me to be the champion for the brother.”

“That’s right. I am confident that this will be a very good opportunity for Sir William.”

Martin’s words about a good opportunity completely killed my interest.

Good information, good items, good opportunities.

These are common lines used by scammers and are more effective than one might think.

When blinded by greed, one becomes blind.

Even if it feels strange, you just go ahead and end up doing something good for others.

Even if it stems from goodwill, you cannot dance to music you do not know.

It’s entangled with nobility and a love affair. You never know what kind of landmine might explode.

I decided to reject Martin’s proposal.

“Well, I was taught not to meddle in other people’s lawsuits.”

“Sir William. You have received knight training, but you are not yet a knight. You are not in a position to be called ‘Sir.’ People call you ‘Sir’ out of respect because they see that you will soon be knighted due to your achievements and skills. The knighthood itself is not difficult to obtain if you prove your qualifications. However, what really matters is who grants you the knighthood. Even among knights, there is a difference between those knighted by the king and those knighted by a rural lord, don’t you think?”

“I’m not that naive.”

“That’s why you need fame. This case is very sensational. An evil noble’s offspring and a pure maiden, a brother seeking revenge and the threat of retaliation, and a knight who volunteers to be the champion of justice. If you win the trial by combat, it would be perfect. Many people across various regions will come to know about Sir William. Although people have come to know about your skills through this subjugation, that is not fame. That is reputation. Sir William, if you want to be knighted by a high-ranking noble, you need fame.”

“Still, it doesn’t feel right. I want to settle in Kalmar, not gain fame and rise in the world.”

Martin stepped back, pretending to understand my refusal.

*

Martin decided not to be impatient.

Forcing someone can lead to resistance beyond mere rejection.

Let’s give up on the initial plan.

It was a pity that the picture of offering a knighthood from the count’s family when William was in trouble after clashing with a rogue noble looked good.

Since William decided to stay in Kalmar, it wouldn’t be bad to bring him in as a vassal of the count’s family later.

Martin decided to wait for the next opportunity.

*

A few days later, I headed towards the port that occupies half of Kalmar.

There is a market there that is hard to find elsewhere.

It is fundamentally different from the market used by the general citizens of Kalmar, with shops and warehouses of merchants trading with foreign countries, shops and warehouses that also serve as headquarters for various merchant groups, and offices set up by representatives of the king and nobles.

It is the heart of Kalmar, where vast amounts of goods and money flow and stay.

I came here for a kind of market research.

Since I knew about myself, I thought I needed to know about the place where I should live.

Myself? Yes.

Now I have become confident that I possess considerable strength.

With this level of power, wouldn’t it be possible to make a living by selling my martial skills?

Maybe I could even bring in and use subordinates from the past, or rather, the future?

I keep spinning the wheel of happiness.

However, maintaining a family is not possible with individual force alone.

Money and talent are essential.

Isn’t there a saying that while you can build a country on horseback, you can’t govern it on horseback?

Unless you create a mercenary company and do business with mercenaries, there isn’t much that can be done with the strong force of an individual. They are merely used as tools by those in power.

If that force is strong enough to take on a hundred or a thousand men, then it’s a different story.

So, I carefully looked around the market near the port.