episode_0070

In the meantime, the inner castle gate finally opened slowly, making a loud rumbling noise. The man didn’t make such a loud noise when he entered the inner castle because he used the side door in the corner of the gate. It seems that they do not use the entire large gate when using it alone. But it seems like they are using it now because they have to bring in the carriage. Seeing this, the coachmen, including Donar, called those who were outside into the carriage.

“Living in a castle like this. What kind of person is he? That person.”

Usher, who was briefly distracted by the girl, also returned to the carriage with her, but he was stuck to the window, looking at the inner castle. He had never seen such a large castle before. Even if there was one, he had thought it would have nothing to do with him. Being inside makes him feel awkward and burdened, as if he were wearing clothes that don’t fit.

“Maybe he’s the lord.”

Belka answered his mumbling.

“Lord?”

“He’s the person who governs this land. Or maybe someone even higher than that.

“Why would such a person…?”

Usher stared at the large castle with a feeling of having lost something. Yes, he knew. He knew that the reason he was setting foot in this castle, which he would never have dreamed of entering, was because those traveling with him were members of the trading company. But no matter how he thought about it, the man’s expression as he looked at Belka was strange. Usher, who was looking around the inside of the castle with a complex and subtle feeling, soon discovered a dwarf guiding the carriage.

“That’s the dwarf we saw at the first wall, isn’t it?”

It was the picky dwarf who examined their entry. The dwarf seemed to be guiding the carriage to where it should go. But he thought he had made eye contact with that dwarf, so he looked again, but the picky dwarf was just continuing to do his job. He wanted to think it was a misunderstanding, but he felt even stranger. The inner castle was quite large, big enough for a small town to fit inside. It was by no means small, and there was enough space to accommodate all forty or more carriages.

The inner castle was that big and wide, as if to show how great the owner of this place was. Usually, he would be amazed by the appearance of this huge castle first, but Usher felt as if the appearance was pressing down on him. Following the dwarf’s guidance, the carriages were parked in a corner of the inner castle, and they got out of the carriages and followed the dwarf along with the people of the trading company. And what he could see when he returned to the front of the inner castle was nearly 100 knights lined up on both sides. Usher was nervous at the solemn sight, and he heard the coachmen talking.

“Ugh, that was tough.”

“Gite, were you in the guards?”

“Even if it’s not the guards, they often call them in to fill in when needed. All they have to do is act serious.”

Donar patted Gite’s trembling shoulder. In addition, those who showed similar behavior cast sympathetic glances at them. The knights who were receiving their gazes were rather puzzled as to why they were looking at them that way. Usher also found those who were acting that way strange and asked.

“Why are you guys shaking like that?”

“No, it’s just that a trauma came to mind.”

Donar glossed over it, thinking that if he started talking about it, it wouldn’t end in just a word or two. Other people may not know, but strict military discipline was a basic requirement for knights to the point that it was excessive. He understood because dragons often attacked, but that was that, and the hardship was the hardship. Moreover, the corruption that occurred openly within was a bonus. Among them, the Imperial Guard, which belonged to the elite forces, was even more famous for its strong military discipline, so how could he not sympathize as a fellow knight?

Usher, who didn’t know the situation, just thought they were making a fuss. And the inside of the castle that he entered was as splendid as the size of the castle. The marble floor, cleanly cut and shining like the surface of a calm lake, and the red carpet laid on the stairs leading to the upper floor. Even the decorations, which were not flashy but luxurious. The people of the trading company quietly followed the dwarf, perhaps feeling burdened. And the place they arrived at was in front of a large door, though not as large as the castle gate.

“Please come inside.”

Again. Usher made eye contact with that dwarf again. He thought it was a misunderstanding, but if he ran into him this many times, it was difficult to think it was a misunderstanding. But Usher realized why he had thought it was a misunderstanding so many times. The dwarf was not looking directly at him, but at Belka, who was next to him. Before he had a chance to solve the question of why, the dwarf knocked on the door, and as soon as he heard the word of permission, he opened the door. What was waiting beyond it was a splendid banquet hall lined with all kinds of food.

“I’m sorry that the preparation was late. Please sit down.”

And the voice he heard was the voice of the man he had seen earlier. If you follow that voice, you can see the man sitting in the middle of the banquet hall. But he was not in the unpleasant appearance of being covered in a robe. There sat a silver-haired man who was questionable whether he was the same person. His bangs were neatly swept back, and not a single strand of hair was out of place, and he was wearing transparent, square glasses, but that didn’t mean his sharp eyes had disappeared completely. Gray eyes beyond the lenses briefly swept over the girl.

“Do you like the food?”

“Yes.”

Donar answered stiffly with tension. He sat near him as the representative of the trading company and began to eat, but what good was it if the food was delicious? He couldn’t tell whether the food was going into his mouth or his nose. He wouldn’t have been so nervous if he was just a normal lord. Donar realized that this lord was no ordinary person. Despite his slender figure, he could see a firm body. Thanks to that, his well-tailored uniform and his low voice, which he hadn’t noticed, made him feel even more pressured.

His relaxed table manners were so overwhelming that he was breathless. Donar also knew the basics, but that was all. He wished he could just finish the meal like this, but he already knew that he couldn’t. The aide he had seen earlier seemed to be in a trusted position, silently guarding the man from behind.

“I would like to know why you invited us.”

The food was definitely delicious. There were quite a few things that he had never seen before because the region was different, but he didn’t feel any aversion. Nevertheless, the pressure was so great that he couldn’t taste it properly. He thought it would be better to bring up the matter first and resolve it, so he spoke.

“Hmm, I see. To put it simply, I want to hire you.”

Donar was taken aback by his unexpected words. Wasn’t it because of the girl? Whether he did or not, he calmly continued.

“Pasiphaenia is famous for its excellent knights. As a lord, how could I ignore their martial arts that even confront dragons?”

That was a reason Donar could agree with. Monsters are a headache for people and countries wherever they go. Among those monsters, if knights with the martial prowess to fight against dragons, who can be said to be the strongest, want to enter the territory, they will inevitably receive the attention of the lord. Donar clicked his tongue inwardly at the fact that he had not thought in that direction. Whether he was interested in the girl or not, it was inevitable that they would be called to the lord. Their only purpose was to find a new home, so they did not expect this to happen.

“I don’t know why those with such martial arts have traveled so far from their home country, but.”

Donar sensed that he was suspicious of them. Well, it would be more strange if he wasn’t suspicious. If they were skilled knights, they would surely be treated well anywhere, but they had led a trading company that was tantamount to leaving the country.

“Anyway, it’s something that happened far away. It’s none of my business.”

No one would take that as simply turning a blind eye. That’s a debt to them. Then he soon took out a piece of parchment and handed it to him.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a simple contract. The details will have to be arranged individually, but I promise each of them conditions equivalent to that.”

At first, Donar wanted to reject his offer. No matter how accustomed he was to fighting dragons as a knight, he and his colleagues were mostly tired of being knights and were thinking of quitting. But he changed his mind a little after looking at the contents of the contract.

“Is the content of this contract true?”

“Yes, if you want to become my knight, I will gladly give you a title that is also valid here, and I will protect your families in the safest place. Of course, that’s only if you have the skills to back it up.”

Apart from the suspicious things in his words, he could tell that they were receiving considerable expectations.

“Would you give us time to discuss it with our colleagues?”

“I would like you to decide by the day after tomorrow. You will also need time to relieve your fatigue, and I would like to see your skills tomorrow.”

With those words, he got up from his seat.

“I have something to do, so I’ll get up first. Call Heath when you’re done eating. He will guide you to where you will be staying.”

After he and his aide left the banquet hall, Donar called his colleagues together.

“Hey, you’ve all heard the story, right?”

Even though it was a banquet, people were quietly eating, so they could hear their conversation.

“I don’t like it. Why did we leave Pasiphaenia?”

The first to complain was Gite. The others nodded at his words. Donar understood their feelings. He wouldn’t understand if he hadn’t gone through a similar situation, though not exactly the same. But that was because he hadn’t shown them the contents of the contract. He immediately shoved the example contract written in front of Gite’s face.

“Read it first and think about it.”

“A knight is the same wherever you go. What else is there to see…?”

He was about to say it was obvious, but Gite’s voice gradually decreased and then stopped.

“Is my eyesight wrong?”

And as if he couldn’t believe it, other colleagues, who seemed to be curious about what he said next, gathered closer to see the contract, so Gite jumped up.

“Don’t stick together like that, you guys. I’ll put it on the table, so read it one by one!”

The contract contained quite a lot of information, but the most important thing was exactly what the man had said.

First, a knight’s title that is also valid in Lantua. Being a knight is practically like being a professional soldier, and the name value has fallen as much as it has in Pasiphaenia, but it was still more convenient than not having one. Still, they could receive consideration in the areas where it was at least necessary.

Second, they would be allowed to stay in the inner castle at all times, limited to themselves and their families. Considering that there are many monster attacks, this is a significant advantage. Moreover, some of them had lost their families because they didn’t even have such benefits.

Third, and most importantly, was the salary paid every month.

“130 jeon…, is it?”

“They say it’s cheoljeon, not copper coins?”

“Are we weird? Or is this place good to us?”

For reference, the monthly salary they received in Pasiphaenia was 15 cheoljeon. That was even from when they were being respected to some extent. They were murmuring like that for a while.

“He said he’s going to see our skills tomorrow, right?”

“Is it a sparring match?”

“It could be monster hunting.”

“It would be more difficult to capture them alive, so it must be a sparring match.”

Without anyone deciding, they all closed their mouths and looked at each other after those words. They could tell that a decision had been made without having to say it.

“I’m going to sharpen my sword.”

“I need my mace!”

“I have to check the sling rope!”

Each of them exaggeratedly said they would prepare and scattered. The blacksmiths, who had been eating leisurely after the man left, were dragged out by their colleagues, wailing, and he let out a hollow laugh.

“Only the blacksmiths are going to be exploited for no reason.”

Chef, who had been watching those colleagues leisurely, approached Donar.

“You don’t seem to have any thoughts?”

“Well, I’m tired of it, but.”

It wasn’t that he wasn’t tempted by those conditions, but he thought it would be better to live as a mercenary hunting monsters unless there were other conditions.

“We already have a place in mind, right?”

“Ah, that village?”

He thought it would be better to stay away from the inner castle to protect the children. He seems to be thinking more rationally than he thought, but you never know what might happen with people’s affairs.