[Raising the Count's House (Working Title)]
-Tutorial Complete
-Progress: -80%
As Ron evaded the answer Adelia wanted and shifted the responsibility onto Sir Ternoar, the Status Window from his Hunter days appeared before his eyes.
He showed no reaction.
He had already lived through two worlds where nothing that happened could be considered strange. Moreover, game systems and Status Windows were required general education for modern people, and they invariably activated in another world.
Used properly, this could be sweet as hell.
‘Only I can see it.’
Adelia and the old man were not looking at the window. If they had seen it, their eyes would have wavered or they would have asked what it was.
Either way, this development had come out of nowhere.
It was true that being forced into it without so much as an explanation made him uncomfortable.
However, if it appeared like this, he also had to consider the penalty for refusing to comply.
The appearance of the Status Window itself was already an exercise of compulsion. It was like Awakening, a Tower, a Gate, a Demon King, or an Outer God.
Intervention by a god was especially troublesome. Do not expect fairness simply because it was a god. The gods of Greek mythology might have been the mild ones.
What should he do?
He was glad to see it, yet it also gave him pause.
The best-case scenario would be sweet as hell, but he had to consider the worst as well.
At the very least, he wanted to avoid losing the peaceful life he currently had.
‘Stats!’
He did not shout it aloud like a beginner.
He called it out in his mind.
If it summarized his stats, it would help with training. Better still, if it displayed an opponent's stats and even their mental state—
‘Nothing.’
So it could be useful, but it would not let him have everything for free.
Then he would work with what he had been given.
There was not much to the Status Window, but he calmly examined its contents.
Its objective could be inferred from the title, ‘Raising the Count's House.’ However, even the title was marked as a working title.
That could be interpreted to mean it might change the title whenever the hell it pleased.
It was also extraordinarily unhelpful.
It offered no explanation of what he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to do it. It merely displayed the progress. Worse, that progress was not even 0%, but -80%.
‘What if the progress represents the count's house's current condition?’
Ron drew several inferences.
The count's house had reached its golden age three hundred years ago, then declined year after year until arriving at its present state.
That -80% might represent its current condition compared with its golden age. Otherwise, there was no way the count's house could have fallen into negative progress in such a short time.
If so, bringing the progress to 0% meant restoring the count's house to at least the level of its golden age.
Ron felt relieved.
‘Even at its height, the count's house probably wasn't anything extraordinary.’
House Leonard might have begun as a prestigious noble house rewarded for helping found the Empire, but it still fell far short of grand dukes, dukes·marquises. Given that even at the time people said it had been fortunate, the pride preserved in the present might have been exaggerated.
Like most people, he had never seen anyone describe their own origins as insignificant. The higher a noble's rank, the more likely they were to idolize their roots.
‘At the very least, it has to become better than it is now.’
That also meant the count's house was presently in poor condition. The fact that a viscount's house dared challenge it made that obvious. Even with support from a marquis's house that held real power in the imperial capital, an uncrossable gulf existed between a count and a viscount.
For one thing, a count's authority was incomparably greater than a viscount's. Examples included the authority to emancipate commoners from bondage and the right to appoint nobles. Though nobles appointed in that manner held their titles for only one lifetime, their influence existed on an entirely different level.
Before worrying about the future, however—
The fact that the tutorial had ended bothered him.
The Status Window had remained silent until now.
It would not suddenly have a fit without a reason.
The answer to that was—
“Do you truly not know?”
Adelia's questioning continued.
This was Ron's first direct meeting with Adelia. Even during today's attack, he would not have become involved if the old man had not selected him as one of her escorts.
He had acted because he had considered the repercussions her death would cause.
That suggested the progress was connected to her.
He decided to ask a little more.
“It was Viscount Rehalt's scheme, backed by Marquis Calix.”
“Hmm.”
When a proper answer suddenly came from Ron, who had consistently pretended ignorance, Adelia fell silent for a moment.
Had he named anyone else, there might have been room for misunderstanding, but she had been thinking the same thing.
“Sir Ron, you seem well informed about the political situation.”
“It hardly qualifies as politics. The mine was discovered, and it is true that its location is ambiguous. Under ordinary circumstances, a mere viscount's house would never dare act, but being related by marriage to a marquis's house might give them the gall to let their liver swell beyond their belly.”
Knights were generally poorly informed about politics. That was because they were meant to exclude personal judgment. A knight was nothing more than a loyal tool that followed his lord's commands.
In reality, despite being known as embodiments of honor, most knights were swayed entirely by the disposition of their lords.
That was where a knight's dilemma arose.
Would he follow justice, or would he follow his lord?
Following justice made him a traitor. Following his lord made him a sycophant.
A daughter-in-law's lot was said to be like a gourd dipper, determined by where it hung. In the same way, a knight's fate depended entirely on his lord.
“If Viscount Rehalt was behind it, why would he try to abduct me?”
“This is only my personal speculation, but he is likely aiming for a Knight Duel.”
Even if the Empire had stagnated and begun to rot, it was still a peaceful era both internally and externally. In such times, most nobles avoided wars that wagered the very survival of their territories.
The first noble to start a war would become the one who shattered the peace and attract the concentrated attention of the emperor and the other nobles.
In the end, the remaining method was a Knight Duel. Such duels were normally held between houses of similar standing, but there were no examples of a high-ranking noble refusing a proposal from a lower-ranking noble.
If the higher-ranking noble refused, he would become a laughingstock. It would appear that a high noble was frightened of a lesser one.
“Viscount Rehalt will certainly claim he had nothing to do with the abduction.”
“It only matters that the people who need to know understand the truth. He does not have to announce it himself. You already know, do you not?”
Even if Viscount Rehalt denied the abduction, the circumstances would only deepen suspicion. House Leonard could not help but believe that Viscount Rehalt was involved.
“Though my house has declined from its former glory, it has not fallen so far that House Rehalt can dare challenge us.”
“That is precisely why they would have needed you, my lady.”
“Dad… That was a mistake. You did not hear it. In any case, the count would not stake the fate of the house simply to save me.”
“I see.”
When Ron readily agreed, Adelia furrowed her brow.
Her father's excessive love for his daughter was an open secret.
I know that, but I am pretending I do not.
That was Ron's tactful way of putting it.
For some reason, Adelia found Ron's detached attitude irritating.
‘Father is a fair man, but if I am involved, he may fail to make the wisest decision for the house.’
However, pressing the matter would be no different from spitting on her own house.
“I have heard your opinion, Sir Ron.”
“As I have said repeatedly, my opinion is not important.”
“You still need to hear several opinions to make the correct decision, do you not?”
“If opinions become too divided, the conclusion may wander off into the mountains. I pray that you make a wise decision as one of noble blood.”
The war of nerves between Ron and Adelia remained taut.
Adelia intended to draw Ron in under the pretext of respecting his opinion, while Ron kept his distance and tried not to become involved.
Amid the chaotic clash of spear and shield—
‘Damn it!’
Only Radon was caught in an awkward position.
He could not take either side. Neither the young lady nor Ron resembled the people he had known until today. Moreover, even choosing a side was ambiguous. He could not decide who was right and who was wrong.
‘I was a blind man with my eyes wide open!’
As Radon grew older, his laments only multiplied.
Still, he could not show it. Frustrated though he was, he had no choice but to remain quietly silent.
“Ah, come to think of it, I never thanked you. It is late, but thank you for saving me. Had something gone wrong, Dad… A mistake! You did not hear it. Father would have been deeply saddened.”
“It was only my duty as a knight. I did not hear it, so you need not concern yourself.”
“I cannot treat the person who saved my life coldly. I am not that sort of person.”
As though this were the answer he had been waiting for—
“Then I will accept only 200 gold.”
Ha.
Although it varied depending on a knight's grade, a knight's basic monthly salary generally did not exceed twenty gold. Ron was asking for an entire year's pay at once.
It was a great deal of money, yet it was also within a reasonable range.
If the value of a count's daughter were converted into money, even tens of thousands of gold would be laughably little.
However, knights almost never asked for money. They usually refused compensation repeatedly or settled for a sword or equipment.
In reality, most simply accepted whatever their master gave them. This was one of the difficulties inherent in a relationship between lord and retainer.
A knight found it difficult to ask directly for money, while a lord had to offer a reward that demonstrated sincerity. If the knight was left feeling slighted, a blade might end up buried in the lord's back later.
As was always true of betrayal, it was only complete when it came from someone close. If a stranger did it, that was merely stepping in shit.
‘This bastard is really—!’
This time, even Radon could not endure it.
When the young lady thanked him, he should simply have said, ‘Yes, thank you.’ How dare he ask for money? Radon needed to remind him of everything he had been taught.
“150 gold.”
FLINCH!
Radon, who had been about to correct Ron's behavior, hesitated and stopped in an awkward posture. He only needed to take one more step, yet he could not bring his foot down.
The moment the young lady stepped in, he lost his direction.
Hmm.
Ron realized that Adelia was no easy opponent. Normally, when he named a price like that, he expected her to retort, ‘Is that all I am worth?’ and raise the amount herself.
‘I thought I would get 400 gold.’
Considering her high status and honor, he could have driven the price up in an instant. Instead, Adelia chose practical benefit over honor. In that respect, she had a different temperament from an ordinary noble young lady.
This feels like traveling in Southeast Asia. Buy at the first price and you are an instant sucker.
Ron did not back down meekly.
Adelia did not seem to want it to end here either, so he decided to play along. He also needed to confirm whether she was the person who had ended the tutorial.
“190 gold. I will not accept less.”
“Too expensive. 160 gold!”
“180!”
“167!”
“170!”
“Deal.”
Ron showed his disappointment.
Adelia smiled as the victor.
The dumbfounded Radon sighed.
The three of them experienced sharply different emotions.
Despite the satisfactory outcome, Adelia still looked regretful.
It showed just how mistaken the commoner belief that rich people never begrudged money truly was. Having a great deal of money meant managing it with equal care. If anything, the poorer someone was, the sloppier their financial management tended to be.
“This will leave me short on spending money.”
“That spending money is my entire annual stipend.”
“If you think it is unfair, improve your station.”
“Unfair? Not at all! I know my place well, and I am satisfied with it.”
The push and pull between Ron and Adelia continued. Neither stopped probing the other.
The sight was too sordid to call it a majestic clash between dragon and tiger.
“Oh? So you were a hidden dragon concealing your abilities while waiting for the day you could soar.”
“Saying I concealed them is misleading. I gained enlightenment along the way, so it would be more accurate to say I was blessed by heavenly fortune.”
“Fortune? Reaching mid-level Expert at your age is an extraordinary achievement.”
“I am not yet an Expert.”
Merely learning aura did not automatically make someone an Expert. One had to reach the realm of projecting it outside the body.
Experts were divided into low, middle, and high levels according to the form, strength, and color of the projected aura. Above them came the highest level and then Master.
However, even an Aura Master who had perfected the operation of aura could not reach the realm of Sword Master without completing sword intent.
Even so, treating an Aura Master and a Sword Master as the same concept was such an inflated comparison that it nearly invoked the principle that all streams return to a single source.
“With your talent, Sir Ron, I am certain you can surpass Expert and reach Master.”
“They say praise can make even a troll dance, but I am only a human who can be wounded and broken by hardship.”
“Thirty gold extra.”
“…Sir Ternoar said a knight must be as straight as split bamboo, like a pine tree.”
“You seemed to hesitate.”
“You imagined it.”
You bastard, when did I ever say that?!
And what kind of tree is a pine supposed to be, anyway?