Chapter 95

Episode 94

Upon entering the castle, I noticed Balzac’s hard work everywhere.

I heard he had spared no expense in erasing all traces of the previous lord. The interior decorations had been mostly removed, replaced with a simpler style.

The most significant change was the complete absence of Baron Roman’s perverse cruelty.

All the servants who had suffered under Baron Roman had been sent back to their hometowns with generous severance pay and compensation. New staff had been recruited, mainly from my mansion.

Of course, I had selectively offered jobs to those who had expressed their willingness to stay. They would be working for the Lucius Trading Company in the city.

This castle was flawless, except for the fact that it had been Baron Roman’s residence.

The walls were sturdy, and the facilities, such as the training ground and the reception hall, were well-maintained.

The highlight was the banquet hall.

It was a large hall, unusual for a baronial castle, located in a separate building. It could accommodate about three hundred people.

It seemed like we could hold regular salons in the name of House Walker.

I hadn’t planned on entering the social scene, but I had changed my mind after establishing the trading company.

Networking and gathering information were essential for trade.

I had already informed Jericho and Hassale about this, so they would handle it.

“You’ve worked hard, Balzac.”

“It was my duty, Master.”

“There are many people in this world who can’t even do their duty properly. They’re all talk and no action. Have you identified all the secret passages within the castle?”

“Not all of them, but we’re still searching.”

Ideally, we should demolish the castle and rebuild it.

This place had been ruled by Baron Roman’s family for a long time. There could be secret passages anywhere.

If we were on good terms with Baron Roman, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but we were sworn enemies.

It wouldn’t be surprising if he sent assassins tonight.

Thankfully, we had deployed skilled investigators, and they were gradually uncovering the secret passages.

“Jericho, I need your help. Leave the interior to Balzac and focus on finding the passages connected to the outside.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll start searching immediately.”

I assigned Jericho this task because he could use his magic to detect them. It was similar to sonar.

Jericho descended the stairs leading to the basement, and I entered the office with Balzac. The furniture had been replaced with new ones.

“What’s our current financial situation?”

“We’re in good shape. Excluding the knight order budget, we have about 50,000 gold in reserve. We can survive for three years even if our income is cut off.”

“Three years…”

50,000 gold was equivalent to about $5 million in my previous life.

One might think that $5 million would be enough to live on for over ten years, but this wasn’t an ordinary household.

The servants’ salaries had increased tenfold because we had hired more staff.

The biggest expense was the knight order. We had to provide them with new weapons, armor, food, and even horses. Our funds would quickly deplete.

Thankfully, my territory had a lot of farmland, so I decided to pay the knights with land instead of gold.

“Master, this is the knight order establishment plan. Please review it.”

I received a thick document. The first page contained a concise summary, allowing me to grasp the overall context without reading the entire document.

“Did you write this?”

“To be precise, I wrote it after receiving advice from Lady Selendis.”

“Your writing skills are excellent. You could brag about being a top graduate of the academy like someone I know.”

According to the plan, the Walker Knight Order would consist of about twenty knights and five hundred soldiers.

We currently had five temporary knights, so we needed to recruit fifteen more. The soldiers would be divided into three hundred standing troops and two hundred reserve troops.

‘If we’re going to hunt demonic beasts, numbers aren’t important. Individual skills matter more. Utilizing knights is more effective.’

Soldiers were useless against demonic beasts unless they could use aura.

Deploying them against demonic beasts would be a waste of time.

Of course, battles weren’t limited to monsters and demonic beasts.

There could be border disputes, or another lord might declare war on us.

It wouldn’t be surprising if House Gerard declared war. The Duke would likely approve a territorial war if they had the justification of “revenge.”

In that case, we would need a lot of soldiers.

Even though our army was smaller than other territories, I wasn’t too concerned. We had two mages, which could be considered an asymmetric advantage.

If Baron Roman dared to point his sword at me, I would erase him from the map, using everything at my disposal.

“We’ll have no financial problems if we combine the reward money from Lady Lucia and the trading company’s profits.”

“I won’t be withdrawing any funds from the trading company. We’ll need a lot of money for now. And don’t expect too much from the Lady’s rewards.”

“Understood.”

Lucia had given me an option when she entrusted me with the trading company. Instead of a fixed salary, I would receive a percentage of the profits as an incentive.

I had accepted her offer, but I wanted to focus on growing the trading company for now.

“I would like to see the trading company’s warehouse. Can you guide me?”

Balzac bowed and led me to the warehouse, located in a separate building.

Two knights were guarding the entrance, and soldiers were stationed all around.

There were bells placed in front of the soldiers, allowing them to alert us immediately in case of a surprise attack.

The most impressive thing was that the warehouse had no windows.

“Balzac, you’ve impressed me multiple times today.”

The anti-monster equipment business itself wasn’t a secret. But the production process had to be kept confidential.

Balzac had eliminated all outside visibility by removing the windows.

We entered the warehouse, and a spacious, clean space unfolded before us.

One side was filled with the holy water we had brought, and next to it were the weapons and armor Hassale had purchased at a bargain price.

“We’ll start recruiting for the knight order as soon as Lady Selendis returns. Have you contacted the academy?”

“Yes. I’ve sent messages to the Kalisto Academy and the training facilities in each territory. The announcement should be posted by now.”

“We need to prepare for the influx of applicants.”

Don’t think for a second that people wouldn’t flock to a barony.

I was the Inspector of the Lucius Inspection Unit. I had recently defeated Prince Arthur in a formal duel and had been granted a new territory by the Duke.

Those with ambition would choose the Walker family, a startup with potential, over an established high-ranking noble family filled with veterans.

Typically, over five hundred people applied for knight order recruitment exams.

I expected at least that many applicants.

“Set up temporary tents near the training ground that can accommodate about five hundred people. Pay attention to the food as well. There shouldn’t be any shortages.”

“As you command.”

After Balzac left, Jericho returned to the warehouse.

“There are no secret passages connected to the outside from the basement. I also checked the first floor, and there’s nothing suspicious.”

“Good work.”

“Wow… What is all this?”

The sight of hundreds of pieces of equipment was a rare one. I patted his shoulder and asked, “How long will it take to enchant all of this?”

“It takes a few minutes to enchant one piece, and with breaks, it’ll probably take about a week.”

“Can you shorten it to five days?”

“Just kill me.”

“… “

“I’m kidding.”

I estimated that Selendis would return within five days. We needed to hold the knight order recruitment exam immediately, and I wanted Jericho to be present.

I explained my reasoning.

“Ah, in that case, I should hurry. I’m worried about Lady Selendis. Hunting a troll is no easy feat. Not without magic.”

“How do knights hunt trolls?”

“They hold a weapon in one hand and a torch in the other. A powerful one.”

“It’s been exactly one week since we left. We should hear from Lady Selendis tomorrow. Inform me as soon as you receive any news.”

“Of course.”

But we didn’t have to wait.

The next day, Lady Selendis arrived at the territory, not with a messenger, but on horseback. She was wearing a shining silver plate mail with a blue medal pinned to it.

It was the medal of a high-ranking knight.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Lady Selendis.”

“Wow! That was fast! It takes two days to travel here, so you must have hunted the troll almost immediately.”

“The hunt itself didn’t take long. It was finding a mature troll that took time.”

“I see. Wow! That’s amazing. You should have applied for the master-level exam.”

“It’s all thanks to your encouragement, Master.”

I had expected this, but it was still exhilarating.

I immediately ordered Balzac.

“Send a messenger to the capital and summon Manager Hassale. We’re holding a banquet. Oh, and send an invitation to Sir Paris as well.”

A few days later, all my summoned subordinates gathered. It wasn’t a large group: Jericho, Selendis, Hassale, five other knights including Ferguson, and that was it.

Sir Paris, whom I had specially invited, was also present. He had taken a precious vacation day to come here.

I had invited him because I planned to recruit him to our family.

There were a few things in life that money couldn’t buy.

Experience.

Especially a knight with a lot of combat experience. They were valuable not only for protecting the territory but also for serving as role models for younger knights.

I planned to formally offer Sir Paris a position at tonight’s banquet.

All the servants working in the castle were also gathered. I had summoned them because this knighting ceremony was a significant moment for House Walker.

“I’ve gathered you all here today to introduce the people who will lead House Walker in the future. They are the swords and shields of our family, protecting us from harm.”

As I descended the stairs, Selendis presented me with her sword, holding it with both hands. I could feel the cold aura of the Frost Sword.

*Shing!*

I drew the sword and placed the blade on Selendis’s shoulder.

“I hereby appoint Selendis Meyer as the captain of the Walker Knight Order. You shall dedicate your life to protecting me, our family, and the Kalisto Dukedom.”

“I pledge my eternal loyalty.”

The five other knights also pledged their loyalty in the same manner. The Walker Knight Order was officially established.

It was rare for a barony to have a high-ranking knight. They were expensive to hire, and high-ranking knights preferred prestigious families.

Selendis’s promotion was a blessing for me and my family.

“The knight order recruitment will begin tomorrow. Please enjoy yourselves tonight. And…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

The door opened silently, which was fine. But the person who appeared was completely unexpected.

“It’s rude of you to exclude me from such a joyous occasion, Aubrey.”

The mastermind had arrived.