Roan smiled at Torin’s praise. In truth, he also liked his new armor quite a bit.
Because of his poverty, he had always gone around wearing the kind of leather armor worn by ordinary soldiers. As a result, it was true that he had lacked much of the dignity expected of a knight wherever he went.
But the Roan of today was different. He now looked every bit the proud knight, and if anything, he appeared stronger and more impressive than most ordinary knights.
“Thank you, Torin. But you are embarrassing me with so much praise.”
“Not at all, Sir Roan. I merely meant that the armor truly suits you. In truth, it is no easy thing to walk around wearing armor of that weight.”
Torin’s words were true.
The full plate armor Roan wore weighed roughly fifty kilograms. Living one’s daily life while wearing armor that heavy would have been impossible for an ordinary person.
Perhaps that was why Roan appeared even more remarkable in Torin’s eyes.
“In fact, no one would buy that armor because of its weight.”
“Hmm? So you used me to clear out unsold stock?”
“Gasp! N-No! That is not what I meant···”
When Torin became flustered, Baldor stepped in.
“Hoho, Sir Roan. Please do not misunderstand what Torin meant. In truth, I made that armor myself.”
“Oh, you did?”
“Yes. I lead a merchant company now, but I used to be a blacksmith. I could never forget that passion, so one day, when I had some free time, I tried making a suit of armor. I wanted to create the finest armor in the world, so I used all sorts of expensive materials. But once it was finished, it turned out to be far too heavy.”
At Baldor’s explanation, Roan looked down at his armor with fresh appreciation.
‘No wonder it looked unusually luxurious. It was made without sparing any expensive materials. And a dwarf made it himself!’
Roan suddenly felt even better.
In truth, the armor did not feel particularly heavy to him, probably thanks to the ‘Half-Ogre Strength’ skill.
“Now that I know you made this armor yourself, I ought to thank you once again. Baldor, I sincerely appreciate you making such a fine suit of armor.”
“···!”
Baldor was startled by Roan’s heartfelt gratitude.
A moment later, his eyes gradually reddened.
It was the first time he had ever received such sincere thanks from a knight, a member of the quasi-nobility.
What was more, Baldor was not an ordinary merchant, but a dwarf merchant who was easily subjected to discrimination.
Yet Roan paid no attention to any of that and expressed his gratitude sincerely.
In that sense, it was only natural that Baldor was moved.
“N-No, Sir Roan. You are our benefactor. If anything, I feel ashamed that I have repaid you with so little.”
“What are you talking about? What I did was only natural. If anything, I think receiving such magnificent armor in return was more than I deserved.”
“Sniff··· Sir Roan!”
In the end, Baldor could no longer hold back his tears.
When tears began streaming down his face, Roan looked at him in confusion.
‘Why is he suddenly crying? Are dwarves normally like this?’
The strange thing was that Baldor was not the only one.
Several of the other merchants were secretly wiping away tears as well.
Roan tried to figure out what they were thinking, but soon gave up.
There was something else he was more curious about right now.
“By the way, Baldor, do you happen to know what kind of man the lord of Dragonbane is?”
Roan’s greatest reason for heading to Dragonbane was to distinguish himself in the territorial war against Solsgard and receive a fief.
However, if the lord of Dragonbane turned out to be a foolish and greedy man, Roan might never receive a fief no matter how much he distinguished himself.
That was why Roan asked Baldor about the lord.
“Yes, I know a fair amount about him. I have traded with him several times.”
Fortunately, Baldor seemed to have met the lord of Dragonbane before.
Baldor continued.
“Baron Valdemar Dragonbane. He is a nobleman with a very warm heart.”
“A warm heart··· Could you be more specific?”
“Yes. Baron Valdemar genuinely cares for the people of his territory. He always helps the poor and supports orphanages and homes for the elderly. He also treats merchants fairly. He sets merchant taxes at reasonable levels and sometimes even reduces the taxes of merchants who are struggling.”
Baldor fell into thought for a moment before continuing.
“But that does not mean he is a weak nobleman. Quite the opposite. Baron Valdemar is also famous for his outstanding ability in battle.”
“Wait. If he is that kind of nobleman, should he not have many knights under his command? As far as I know, only a single knight currently swears loyalty to him.”
At Roan’s puzzled question, Baldor gave a bitter smile.
“That could be called Baron Valdemar’s only weakness. The baron always works hard for his people and possesses excellent personal martial prowess, but he is extremely poor. That is probably why he finds it difficult to maintain more knights.”
Knights were called human weapons for a reason, and their upkeep was correspondingly expensive.
Baldor continued cautiously.
“To begin with, the baron’s territory is not particularly wealthy. There are not many mines or fertile farmlands, and most of the territory consists of rugged mountains, so there are few sources of income. On top of that, poor harvests have continued for the past several years, and I hear the territory’s finances have become even more difficult.”
Roan’s brow furrowed on its own at Baldor’s words.
‘Wait, if that’s the case, even if I receive a fief, wouldn’t it barely make any money?’
What he wanted was a fertile fief, not a wasteland from which nothing could be gained.
At this point, Roan began to think seriously.
Perhaps going to Dragonbane had been the wrong choice.
‘···No. I’ve already come this far. I can’t turn back empty-handed. Besides, I have another objective.’
Roan needed certainty that ‘killing a Named enemy makes a Skillbook drop.’
If he discovered that he truly possessed such an ability, he would have to change every plan he had for his life.
If he possessed the extraordinary ability to obtain Skillbooks, how could he possibly remain satisfied with becoming a Landed Knight?
By using this ability, perhaps he could aim beyond becoming a Landed Knight and even obtain a hereditary noble title.
‘Maybe I could even become king···? No··· Let’s not get that greedy. A king? Come on!’
Roan chuckled and shook his head.
For now, he decided to focus only on the goal directly before him.
“Why are you heading to such a poor territory?”
“Hoho, no matter how poor a territory may be, it has no choice but to spend large sums of money during a war. That is precisely why we are heading to Dragonbane.”
“I see. Well, that does make sense. Even if a nobleman has no money, he can settle the payment with a promissory note.”
Roan understood Baldor’s explanation.
Baldor, on the other hand, was the one who was surprised.
In truth, he had expected Roan to rebuke them severely for trying to profit from Dragonbane’s difficult circumstances.
However, when Baldor pointed that out, Roan merely looked at him strangely.
“You are not doing business by digging money out of the ground either. As long as you are not taking an unreasonable profit, I have no reason to criticize you.”
“Sniff··· Sir Roan!”
Roan’s words deeply moved Baldor once again.
The other members of the merchant company felt the same way.
Every one of them became emotional and began showering Roan with praise.
Roan, meanwhile, merely stared at them as though he could not understand them at all.
‘There’s definitely something strange about this merchant company. Especially that Baldor fellow. Once we reach the territory, I should probably keep my distance from him.’
Completely unaware of Roan’s thoughts, the Northern Frost Merchant Company continued praising him.
And so, they continued their journey.
***
Baron Valdemar Dragonbane.
“···Haa.”
He stared out the window with a grave expression.
The view of Dragonbane beyond the window of his office was as bleak as his expression.
The territory had once been poor but peaceful, yet now, with the shadow of war hanging heavily over it, fear had spread throughout the land and the fields were rapidly falling into ruin.
“What am I supposed to do···?”
The baron looked over the reports on his desk once again.
Dragonbane’s situation was worsening by the day after repeated defeats in the territorial war against Solsgard.
What tormented him most was the suffering of his people.
Many had lost their homes and families because of the war.
Watching the people he cherished so deeply suffer was an unbearable pain.
“Is there truly nothing I can do?”
Valdemar despaired at his own helplessness.
In truth, he was an outstanding warrior, and in terms of individual martial prowess, he was second to none.
But a war could not be won through the strength of one person alone.
He lacked both troops and resources.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror hanging on one side of the office, he gave a bitter smile.
His once-proud face was now deeply marked by exhaustion and worry.
‘What would Father have done in a situation like this···?’
He suddenly thought of his late father.
His father had always taught him to regard the people of his territory as family.
And now, his family was suffering.
Valdemar spread the map on his desk open.
He considered where Solsgard’s army might attack from and how he could stop them.
But no matter how hard he thought, he could not come up with a clear solution.
“At this rate··· all of us will···”
Knock, knock!
Before he could finish speaking, someone hurriedly knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
The door soon opened, and his loyal knight, Adeline, entered.
“Baron, I bring good news! A merchant company loaded with supplies is entering our territory from the north! And apparently, some knight is traveling with them!”
“What? Is that true?”
Valdemar’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Perhaps this might be his final opportunity.