72: Chapter 55: Can’t Afford to Support 72: Chapter 55: Can’t Afford to Support They took away only Dawson’s body, and General Trolsa’s grand troop set out once again.
The green stag flag dwindled into the distance, guarded by the knights.
At the village entrance, Little Lina kept waving farewell to the knights as they departed.
stood beside the poor girl, watching the stag flag disappear, finally allowing his tense heart to relax.
He glanced at Leon, who followed behind Baron Eriv, relieved that no mishap had occurred.
These three foreign youths had caught the attention of all the important figures, particularly Trolsa’s.
However, what he didn’t expect was that the supposedly unbelievable tales of crossing the Nightmare Forest were actually true…
“Lord, who exactly is that general?” Leon realized only now, as the other departed with his troops, that he still didn’t know who that old noble really was.
“Trolsa Forrest,” Baron Eriv introduced to Leon, “the Earl of Buck of Eldorsk and Laisen County, the famed ‘Kingmaker.'”
“Yes, it is a title of honor bestowed by the king.
Our current monarch, Lydwen III, ascended the throne with the support of this Old Earl, overthrowing the previous tyrant,” Baron Eriv explained.
After finishing, the baron patted the young man’s arm, “Let’s slowly catch up on the kingdom’s history later.
Now, come with me; I have some things to tell you, and there’s much you need to do to become a worthy knight.”
“I am ready to heed your guidance,” Leon nodded.
He followed the present Sealing Lord to his temporary residence in the village.
“Take a seat,” Baron Eriv instructed as soon as he entered the house, beckoning an attendant to help remove his armor.
“Do I need to call Lokhak and Azeryan here?” Leon asked the baron, who obviously had something important to say.
The two friends were not present because after the ceremony, the baron had sent Lokhak to take Azeryan back to rest.
Baron Eriv loosened his stiff body, sat down comfortably, and shook his head at Leon: “No need, let the injured boy rest well.
Besides, I can see they both look up to you.
Although Azeryan is a noble’s son, you are the leader among the three.
It’s enough to speak to you about important matters, making things easier for me.”
I don’t dare assume such a role, especially now that you are our lord,”
Leon felt somewhat awkward, nearly contemplating flattering with metaphors like ‘no two suns in the sky.’
After all, this was not a chat between ordinary friends.
Though along the journey, both companions indeed followed all his decisions.
But admitting this fact before the current Sealing Lord, would it seem like they had formed their own little faction?
“Don’t overthink it; I won’t suspect your loyalty over such a trivial matter, hehe…
or rather, I don’t believe you bear much loyalty to me at this moment,” Baron Thorny Flower waved off, the shocking statement delivered with a smile.
“Lord, you have already bestowed such grace upon us; we are not ungrateful,”
Leon’s expression remained unchanged, but he felt nervous inside.
What are you implying, testing the newcomer’s attitude right away?
“I’m not questioning your character.”
Baron Eriv didn’t leave much time for Leon’s wild thoughts, continuing smoothly: “But loyalty that can be bought with benefits isn’t true loyalty, at least not in my eyes.
If three knight titles and three estates could buy your loyalty…
then I wouldn’t start by granting fiefs.
If it were that simple to secure your ‘wholehearted devotion,’ wouldn’t it be just as easy for someone to bribe you to betray me with a hundredfold greater offer in the future?”
“What is loyalty in your eyes, then?”
Leon timely followed up, now familiar with the rhythm of the conversation.
It felt a bit like accompanying a company boss in a previous life.
Some senior leaders, once inspired, liked to expound life philosophies with their juniors, although sharing personal thoughts did help bridge relationships.
Baron Eriv didn’t rush to answer, instead posing a question, “If now offered higher titles and unimaginable wealth, would you kill Azeryan and Lokhak?”
Leon naturally shook his head; of course, he wouldn’t.
Not just for comrades who had been through thick and thin, but even for innocent bystanders who had done him no harm, he wouldn’t trade their lives for his benefit.
Such choices, if leveraged against the safety of someone important to him, might be hard for him to decisively answer.
But for mere inducements, no matter the promised rewards, they wouldn’t sway his principles in the slightest.
“See, that is true loyalty,” Baron Eriv smiled, “and I believe their answers would be exactly the same as yours.
I’m not foolish enough to think that merely granting knight titles and lands would engender their loyalty to me over you.”
Ease settled over Leon upon hearing such genuine confessions; Baron Thorny Flower was unexpectedly straightforward.
Baron waved his hand, “Enough of that, as your Sealing Lord, we will have plenty of opportunities to fight side by side and earn each other’s loyalty.
Let’s end the idle talk here.
Now, to more pressing matters for you—those warhorses in Selva Village, how do you plan to handle them?
Keep them yourself or sell them?”
Leon answered without hesitation, “If you need them, feel free to take them.”
Baron Eriv laughed and shook his head, “Do you think I am the type of lord who would seize a vassal’s spoils of war?
I think you haven’t considered the costs required to maintain such war spoils.
Do you think just feeding them grass is enough to keep warhorses?”
we can’t afford those horses?” Leon finally understood the Sealing Lord’s implication.
“I sent knights to check for you, and the Urian Warhorses, especially the three in the blacksmith’s backyard, are really burning money.
Counting nineteen warhorses in total, their annual food and care alone would burn through at least two hundred gold crowns…
The Baron, as if knowing the costs by heart, taught everything about horse maintenance to this naive child.
While talking, he also felt the sting; this lad had only about a dozen horses.
But the ones in the Baron’s own stable, that big bunch of money-burners, cost far more than that each year…
Leon listened to the expenses from the Baron’s mouth and couldn’t help furrowing his eyebrows.
He took back his previous statement.
Maintaining horses wasn’t similar to maintaining cars at all; it was more like maintaining armored vehicles.
It was just nineteen warhorses, yet they burned through over two hundred gold crowns a year.
The little treasury they had hidden under Olivia’s bed would just about suffice for a year and a half if all of it were used for maintaining the warhorses.
Unless they sold their Kantadar noble armor and noble long swords to subsidize the costs, which might yield around four hundred forty gold crowns.
And the remaining regular attendants and mercenaries’ weapons and armor, despite their large quantities, would sell for only about two hundred and fifty gold crowns, which could cover another year’s expenses, a drop in the bucket.
This was under the condition of them not considering other daily expenses, going broke just to maintain horses.
“Excuse me asking, my Lord, but even if we include Selva under our feet, as well as Longka and Platon that you bestowed upon us, the combined annual income of these three fiefs still isn’t enough to maintain these warhorses?” Leon still persisted in his inquiry.
“Hmm, if Selva Village promptly recovers its agriculture, along with those two fiefs, the expenses of these three estates together would be manageable.
But aren’t you considering other costs?
You maintain warhorses, always needing soldiers to ride them, their salaries, and then there are your attendants, servants, cooks, stewards, accountants, blacksmiths, Herald Officers…
Even if you’re not planning to build your own castle, your annual expenses won’t be small.
Don’t forget, we are still at war with the south.
If the King suddenly imposes taxes or the Royal Family whimsically collects miscellaneous tributes one day, even squeezing dry the farmers in your estates wouldn’t be enough.”
As he spoke, Baron Eriv’s face unwittingly took on a wry smile, recalling the plight of the Thorns Flower family aligning with the wrong side years ago and falling into decline.
Leon massaged his forehead helplessly, finally abandoning his impractical ideas.
If he still wanted to use money for other significant purposes soon, he could only retain a part of these warhorses.
Ultimately, including the three noble warhorses, Leon kept nine, and the remaining were purchased by Baron Eriv at market price.
Not knowing the cost of household essentials until running one, Leon, merely by doing some preliminary calculations, truly felt how rapidly money was spent.
“Considering the current dire state of this place, upon my return, I will dispatch all able-bodied men of Selva serving at the border forts back to their homes.
This is the last help I can offer you.
From now on, you are the true masters of this land.
I will no longer interfere with any affairs within your territory.
Learn how to be a competent lord, young man.”
Baron Eriv genuinely hoped that these three young men would soon grow into talents under his command.
“Don’t worry, before I leave, I will have a senior knight stay to guide you for a while.
He will tell you how to manage your territory and how to fulfill your duties to me and the Kingdom, and you can ask him anything you don’t understand.”
“We will not let your appreciation go in vain.” With that said, Leon realized the conversation was over and stood up, bowing sincerely.
Whether in this era or in his previous life, encountering such a sincerely appreciative leader was a fortunate thing.
He also understood why a lord like Liu Bei was especially able to command respect and loyalty from his followers.
Watching the Sealing Lord nod, indicating he could leave, Leon was about to turn around when suddenly, he remembered something.
Reaching to his waist, Leon opened his personal pouch, sorting through its contents until he touched the parchment that had since been pushed to the bottom.
“My Lord, it’s been so long I almost forgot.
When I ‘picked up’ your family’s treasure sword previously, I also found a strange little map roll.
I don’t know if it belongs to you, too.”
Leon handed the enigmatic parchment to the Baron.
What’s this?” Eriv took it, unfolding it carelessly.
As he observed the very familiar outlines revealed on the two hand-sized parchment pieces, a flicker of complex emotions crossed his eyes.
“Yes, this is also a property of the Thorns Flower family.” The Baron sighed, taking a candlestick from the nearby table.
He then placed the parchment over the flame.
Leon’s eyes sharpened instantly like those of an alert rabbit.
Did the map contain secrets that would only appear after being burnt?
Just when he thought he was about to witness some special encrypted treasure map technique.
The parchment merely burned plainly and turned straight into ash, with no encryption.
“This unrealistic hope…
should have ended long ago.”
Baron Eriv murmured as he looked at Leon, “Forget this specter that devoured generation after generation, it’s an insubstantial lie, not worth mentioning.”
Leon watched the Sealing Lord’s demeanor sink and nodded, albeit confused.
He had never really expected that unexplained roll of parchment to be of any help.
Turning, he left Baron Eriv’s abode, stepping hastily down the stairs, ready to discuss the matters of the territory and spoils with his companions.
“Boy, do you have a moment?
Oh no, I should address you as Lord Leon now.”
Leon turned to see, the robe-armored burly man, previously referred to as the Magician advisor by General Trolsa, seemed to have been waiting for him for a while downstairs.
“Didn’t you leave with General Trolsa?” Leon asked, puzzled.
“No worries, I can catch up with the general’s troops anytime.
Now, let me see that crossbow arrow you mentioned.”