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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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A feast was held in the grand hall where I had first met the Baron. It was a celebratory feast for my knighting ceremony.
The Baron and his family hadn’t appeared yet. The hastily arranged ceremony likely required some preparation time. The feast was probably just an excuse to buy them time.
No one approached me, the guest of honor. I was still a troublesome presence to the vassals, complicit in my father’s death and the Baron’s seizure of my manor.
Moreover, I had just killed three knights, who were likely well-connected to them. I should be grateful no one was seeking revenge.
So, I was alone. Until someone sought me out.
“Allen.”
The only person who addressed me so casually was Janbolt. But his expression was grim. It seemed to be due to the man standing behind him. I gestured towards the man and asked,
“Janbolt. Who is this?”
“Lord Joang Conrad. He wished to speak with you.”
Joang Conrad was a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard that extended from his sideburns. His thin mustache and small eyes gave him a cunning appearance.
This was the Baron’s strategist, the man second only to the Baron himself in involvement with my father’s death and the plot to seize my manor.
I extended my hand, masking my true intentions.
“I’ve heard so much about you. The Baron’s most trusted advisor and a strategist without equal.”
Joang Conrad stared at my outstretched hand, then, instead of shaking it, glared at me. The atmosphere was tense.
He finally spoke after I awkwardly withdrew my hand.
“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me?”
The Baron’s advisor addressed me with a reprimanding tone from the very first meeting. An inexperienced youngster would have been flustered and adopted a subservient attitude. He was trying to assert dominance from the start.
Of course, I wasn’t a youngster.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”
Joang Conrad’s brow twitched. He seemed intent on continuing his charade, his expression hardening as he spoke in an even more aggressive tone.
“Ha, yes. You could only slaughter knights because you’re clueless. That’s how knights are. They don’t understand that weakening our forces will only put us at a disadvantage in the truce negotiations.”
Joang Conrad was trying to shift the blame for the potential losses in the truce negotiations, which I knew nothing about, onto me. He was also trying to provoke me to gauge my reaction. It was a transparent tactic.
I decided to play along. After all, the persona I was portraying was that of a skilled yet arrogant and easily manipulated fool.
I chuckled.
“Then why did you lose?”
“What…?”
He probably hadn’t anticipated such a blunt response. He stared at me, speechless.
Wasn’t he losing his composure too easily for the Baron’s advisor?
“Truce negotiations? What a disgrace! This disaster, this act of disloyalty, is a result of your vassals’ incompetence. Tsk, tsk.”
“A… Are you mocking me?”
Joang Conrad, regaining his composure, glared at me. He was trembling, clearly not used to such treatment.
He was shameless. Was this what they called hypocrisy?
I scoffed at him.
“Then are you saying that you, Lord Joang, renowned as the Baron’s strategist, bear no responsibility for this humiliating incident? Tsk, before blaming others, reflect on your own shortcomings. If I were in your position, the Baron wouldn’t have suffered such disgrace.”
“What is this…?”
People panic when confronted with something far beyond their expectations. That’s what was happening to Joang Conrad. Having never met anyone like me before, he had lost the opportunity to get angry.
Janbolt, who had been watching nervously from behind, mouthed the words,
‘You’re insane.’
I grinned and walked away before Joang Conrad could recover. The Baron was entering the hall, followed by his two sons, contrasting in appearance, and his wife and daughter, who resembled sisters.
Having secured my life, it was time to make my move. I took in the two brothers and the mother and daughter at a glance.
The knighting ceremony was a long and complex affair. The one to be knighted was required to trim their hair, bathe thoroughly, and don new clothes the day before, then spend the night praying in the church.
On the day of the ceremony, they donned a red cloak, symbolizing their oath sealed in blood, and a grey belt, symbolizing purity. The ceremony itself was also held in the church.
Of course, that was for a formal knighting ceremony. Mine, hastily arranged amidst the ongoing war, was a simplified affair held in the lord’s castle’s banquet hall.
Shing.
The Baron drew his sword and placed it on my shoulder. I knelt before him, head bowed. The bustling banquet hall had fallen silent.
The Baron spoke,
“Fear no enemy, always act with courage, speak only truth to your lord, and protect the weak. This is the calling of a knight. Now, rise, Sir Knight.”
With each word, the Baron tapped my shoulder with his sword. He then returned the sword to an attendant standing beside him and received another from the same attendant, which he presented to me.
It was a magnificent sword, its polished blade etched with mesmerizing wave patterns, far superior to the one I had used in the duel.
While it was customary for the one bestowing knighthood to present the new knight with equipment, considering the Baron’s stinginess, even towards his own vassals, this gesture demonstrated the extent of his expectations.
I didn’t feel burdened. This was exactly what I had hoped for. A sense of exhilaration coursed through me.
I received the sword with both hands and spoke,
“I swear to be true and faithful to my lord, according to the laws of God and the order of the world, and to abstain from any words, actions, or deeds that displease him.”
The Baron nodded and received a sky-blue surcoat from the attendant, which he presented to me. The surcoat was embroidered with the Tolbatz family crest, a griffin.
As I had requested, the griffin was depicted with its wings spread wide, its haughty gaze, looking down upon the world, mirroring my own.
“With this, I become a fortunate lord, having received the loyalty of both father and son. Welcome to my banner.”
“I will serve you with courtesy and honesty, honor and generosity, prowess and courage, loyalty and wisdom, and patience.”
The Baron smiled with satisfaction. He seemed to be happily contemplating how to best utilize the unexpected gift that had fallen into his lap.
‘We’ll see who’s using whom.’
Of course, the Baron must have suspected I had my own agenda, that keeping me close was dangerous. However, his greed wouldn’t allow him to eliminate me. This situation was proof of that.
Moreover, I would diligently feed his greed, stuffing him until he burst, then gut him and claim everything he possessed.
This was just the beginning.
As the knighting ceremony neared its end, Joang Conrad, who had been glaring at me with a frown, approached the Baron.
The Baron’s eyes widened slightly as he heard Joang Conrad’s whispered words, then curved into a smile.
Joang Conrad, having finished whispering, stepped behind the Baron and gave me a knowing smile.
The Baron spoke,
“Ah, but you have committed a transgression, haven’t you? Until you perform a service befitting your crime, you will be a knight in name only.”
He was using my execution of Jude Horn, his envoy, as an excuse to withhold my fief and salary. The vague wording of “befitting” suggested he could decide the timing and nature of this service as he pleased.
It was Joang Conrad’s scheme.
As expected of the strategist, he knew exactly how to exploit the Baron’s sensitivities.
However, his tactics were pathetic. If I were him, I wouldn’t have given me such a public opportunity to gain leverage. I smiled and replied,
“You are absolutely right. Which is why I’m bringing this up, but I’ve heard that my father’s remains haven’t been returned.”
The Baron and Joang Conrad exchanged glances, their expressions clearly flustered. Joang Conrad spoke up,
“Baron Debussy is a man without honor. He refused to return the body, even for a king’s ransom. He likely intends to further dishonor Lord Maxim’s remains out of spite for his losses. However, don’t worry. We’ll retrieve it, no matter the cost.”
It was a lie. Neither the Baron nor Joang Conrad had requested the return of my father’s body. I knew this thanks to Jude Horn, whom I had interrogated.
I played along.
“There’s no need for you to lower yourself before a man without honor. My father wouldn’t want that either. With your permission, I will personally retrieve my father’s remains.”
“Now, now, don’t be rash.”
This time, the Baron intervened. If I went myself and Baron Debussy readily returned the body, his lie would be exposed, and he would lose face.
Joang Conrad added,
“Baron Debussy won’t give it up easily. So, leave this matter to the Baron and me…”
I cut him off and exclaimed,
“Easily? What are you talking about? We should punish that shameless, dishonorable man with our swords and retrieve it by force!”
“What?”
Ignoring the flustered Joang Conrad, I continued, addressing the equally shocked Baron,
“What will people think if we agree to a truce under such circumstances? I, for one, won’t tolerate such humiliation. With your permission, I will spend my entire fortune hiring mercenaries to punish Baron Debussy and restore your honor, thereby atoning for my transgression.”
The declaration of a newly knighted knight was audacious. Joang Conrad couldn’t hide his disbelief.
“What nonsense…”
However, the Baron likely thought differently.
“Enough.”
The Baron raised his hand, silencing Joang Conrad. Joang Conrad looked at the Baron urgently.
“My Lord?”
The Baron didn’t answer. He simply remained silent, lost in thought.
It was a proposition the Baron couldn’t easily dismiss. The only risk was the potential loss of the fine sword he had just given me and a somewhat useful pawn like myself.
On the other hand, if I succeeded, as I had boasted, it would be a chance to restore his tarnished reputation.
It was a low-risk, high-reward proposition.
Moreover, the unease surrounding Sophia and Roland’s disappearance and Jude Horn’s death must have been lingering.
The Baron had no choice but to accept. After all, things easily gained are easily spent.
“Sir Allen, are you sincere?”
As expected, the Baron’s expression was filled with interest. I placed my hand over my heart and bowed my head once more.
“I have already sworn to speak only truth to my lord.”
“My Lord…”
Joang Conrad seemed to have sensed the Baron’s change of heart. However, the Baron remained silent, lost in thought. He finally reached a decision after a while.
“This isn’t a matter I can decide lightly. However, as a lord, I cannot simply refuse a knight’s request. If you are so determined, I see no reason to object.”
After much deliberation, the Baron gave his permission.
“I will repay your generosity with results.”
“I trust you will.”
The Baron and I exchanged smiles, though our thoughts were vastly different. Only Joang Conrad, his face grim, clung to the Baron like a leech as he left the banquet hall.
“My Lord, the negotiations are already halfway concluded…”
Joang Conrad’s pleading voice faded away. I watched until the two of them were out of sight.
‘The war must continue.’
Cao Cao from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was described as a capable minister in times of peace and a cunning hero in times of chaos. If it weren’t for the chaotic times, Cao Cao would have ended his life as a mere subject.
For me to devour the Rasino Barony, the war and the chaos it brought had to continue.
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Let’s devour it all!!
