Ch.52The Road to Faelus Vale (4)

Arin Marin was younger than me.

About 13 or 14?

She was just at the age when her first period might begin… no, perhaps even before that, and that’s why I didn’t mind when Arin complained about side dishes or whined that her bottom hurt and we should go a bit slower.

“By the way, who is Arin’s marriage partner?”

“Ah. A newly rich nobleman who made a fortune doing business in Paerus Vale. His name is… Marius Revil, I believe.”

“Marius Revil.”

It was a name I’d never heard before, but I didn’t particularly care.

Because it wasn’t something I needed to concern myself with.

Why should I meddle in someone else’s marriage?

“Sir Keith.”

“Yes?”

“I ask out of concern, but do we have enough funds to purchase supplies along the way?”

“It’s tight, but we should manage. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing. Just that the condition of our food ingredients seems to be deteriorating with each meal.”

“….It’s not really your concern, but… since you’ve become something like Lady Arin’s personal chef, I won’t complain. The soldiers’ expressions aren’t good… if we’re attacked now, half of them might desert.”

“Even at the risk of offending a noble family?”

“The world is vast. What could we do to them once we settle in the city we’ll soon visit?”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Unless they had received special favors, soldiers employed by nobles typically didn’t have high loyalty.

Especially if they were escorting an employer who didn’t (or couldn’t) provide proper food during a long-distance journey.

Just as it’s justice to condemn a boss who withholds wages, even Karil, who abhors betrayal, doesn’t consider it treachery to flee from those who delay payment or treat their subordinates poorly.

Fortunately, Arin wasn’t causing trouble, and Sir Keith had been pacifying the soldiers, so nothing serious had happened yet. But if these terrible meals continued, completing the escort mission would become impossible, regardless of complaints.

Fighting off bandits while subsisting on a few pieces of boiled cabbage and salt soup was simply not feasible.

Trudge… trudge…

I was fine since I was riding a horse, but the soldiers had to walk barefoot, so their energy consumption would be twice as high.

Moreover, today there were no wells or streams to refill our water, so everyone was counting the minutes until mealtime when they could at least wet their throats.

*

Clop! Clop!

“We should reach the city tomorrow.”

“Then we’ll need to buy supplies at the city market…”

Sir Keith’s face darkened.

The budget allocated for this escort mission was probably not just tight but visibly insufficient.

The only thing keeping the soldiers going was the expectation of filling their bellies in the city tomorrow, but judging by Sir Keith’s expression, they’d be lucky if they got anything at all.

“Sir Keith. Come here for a moment…”

“?”

Feeling sorry for them, I took out 200 silver coins from my spatial storage and placed them in Sir Keith’s hand.

“!”

“If we continue like this, everyone will desert us. Paerus Vale is still far away, and at this rate, we’re truly doomed.”

Yeah, damn it. I’m a sucker.

But what can I do?

Who could object to me spending my own money to feed people properly?

If you disagree, I’ll dismember you in the name of Medina, goddess of love, and Moneta, goddess of abundance.

“Thank you… truly thank you… may the gods’ blessing be upon you..!”

“Don’t mention it, really.”

If a knight couldn’t even maintain the usual pretense of dignity, I could roughly guess how desperate their financial situation had become.

After detaching myself from Sir Keith, who kept expressing his gratitude, I began preparing a meal combining my portion with Arin’s.

*

The next day.

We arrived at “Avern,” one of the three cities on the way to Paerus Vale.

Avern was a vibrant city of about 20,000 people, with abundant resources thanks to a river flowing from the nearby mountains.

This meant prices were lower compared to other cities, which was excellent news for us.

“I’ll leave it to you then.”

“Leave it to me, sir. I’ll haggle them down hard.”

“Don’t overdo it. You might end up with a knife in your gut.”

First, Sir Keith gave some silver to a trusted subordinate (who had served the Marin family since his grandfather’s time) to replenish our supplies.

Then he gathered the guards and gave each of them one silver coin with orders to satisfy their desires until tomorrow morning.

“I’ll distribute one silver coin to each of you. Whether you spend it on women or drink is up to you.”

“Yes, sir!”

Their expressions changed from “I’m alive!” to “I’m going to live!” after receiving the money.

The power of money is truly magnificent.

After temporarily dismissing the soldiers, Sir Keith approached me.

We had business to settle between us as well.

“Let’s go to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Mm.”

The time when I was traveling with them purely out of goodwill had ended.

*

“Mr. Victor?”

“Here.”

“A designated request has arrived for you.”

“I’ll take it.”

It was a formality, but such formalities are crucial for establishing legal validity.

Having seen thugs on the streets get betrayed after making agreements without legal effect, I felt uneasy without following proper procedures.

I received the designated request form and tucked it away, and soon Sir Keith came down from the second floor.

“Sir Keith.”

“Now that our business is concluded, shall we leave?”

“Let’s do that.”

We left the guild and began chatting at a roadside tavern.

Of course, I paid for it.

“Really… as a knight, I should be the one treating you…”

“Don’t worry about it. Knights being poor isn’t anything new.”

“Heheh. Hearing it from someone as young as you makes it even more pathetic…”

Adventurers earn good money.

Because they risk their lives to complete requests.

The binary outcome of death or success had to be justified and rationalized with appropriate compensation.

But knights bound by honor and oaths earn less than adventurers of equal skill.

More precisely, their income floor and ceiling are lower and higher respectively.

A knight from a humble family might live in poverty, with their wages going toward maintaining armor and weapons, but a knight from a powerful family influential enough to make birds fall from the sky would have wagons full of armor and weapons and money to spare.

Even if I became an errant knight, I wouldn’t be joining a knightly order, so I could maintain an adventurer’s income, but he was a household knight sworn to serve the Marin family.

Breaking an oath made in the name of the gods was equivalent to disrespecting the four major deities, and without proper atonement, their souls would be unable to go anywhere after death and would simply cease to exist.

“The Marin family was once powerful. Based on maritime trade, they expanded into various businesses… they were prestigious enough to receive marriage proposals from other continents.”

“…”

“But since I became a knight, their fortunes gradually declined… then accelerated. Businesses were seized, connections with other nobles were severed, and eventually even the family castle was hounded by creditors.”

“…So their fortunes declined rapidly.”

Keith nodded.

I’d always heard about noble families rising and falling suddenly, but having someone who had actually experienced such hardship sitting before me left me speechless.

“Well, what goes down must eventually come up. Arin will be married, and you’ll return to your family home with the dowry. Since you mentioned all the daughters of the family are being married off, your connections will expand whether you like it or not. You can use that as capital to rebuild, can’t you?”

“Yes… the head of the family is pushing these marriages with that in mind. We should be able to breathe soon. I’m sorry for complaining. I’ve just been so frustrated lately…”

“Not at all. Growing up on the streets, I heard plenty of drunken lamentations.”

Those who boasted about their former glory or drunkenly rambled about the past didn’t gain sympathy on the streets and often didn’t survive the night.

The reason for their deaths was simple.

Their drunken ramblings were annoying.

“Let’s get going now. I feel ashamed accepting your hospitality.”

“If that’s what you want.”

We got up, settled the bill, and agreed to meet again tomorrow morning.

Then I went around the market replenishing the food and supplies we had consumed.

“I still have plenty of money. That’s good.”

I still had over one gold coin’s worth of silver in my possession. After looking at the abundant food in my spatial storage, I sought lodging at a high-class inn.