The sky was clear and blue, without a single speck in sight.
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, four days had gone by since Roan's group joined the Northern Frost Merchant Company.
“Sir Roan! Look over there! It is Dragonbane at last!”
“I see.”
“B-But it seems much poorer than I imagined. The people of the territory do not look to be in very good condition, either.”
“Hmm···.”
Roan could not offer any rebuttal to Paul's words. After all, what he had said was true.
“Huh.”
“Well, this is something. I wonder whether they even have enough money to buy our goods.”
The members of the Northern Frost Merchant Company also began murmuring loudly, apparently finding Dragonbane poorer than expected. Only Baldor, the Merchant Company Head, and his close aide Torin remained relatively calm.
“Everyone, settle down! Someone from the lord's castle will be coming out to meet us soon. Are you going to keep making a scene like this?”
“N-No, sir!”
At Baldor's shout, the company members answered in sharp, disciplined voices.
After roughly another half day of travel, just as Baldor had said, a group of soldiers came from the lord's castle.
There were twenty of them in all. Their mouths watered when they saw the Northern Frost Merchant Company's wagons loaded to the brim with supplies, but then they spotted Roan standing behind them and gulped dryly.
The man who appeared to be the soldiers' representative cautiously asked Roan,
“S-Sir, what business brings you to our territory?”
He seemed deeply afraid of Roan. The other soldiers were the same. They watched the knight warily for his reaction.
“I am Roan, a knight. And these people are from the Northern Frost Merchant Company. We have come to meet the lord of Dragonbane.”
Roan simply explained the purpose of their visit. There was no need to go into detail.
Indeed, the soldiers' representative merely nodded in silence. In truth, Dragonbane's soldiers already knew about their approach and intentions. A territorial war was underway, and rangers were active throughout the territory.
“Then we will escort you from here.”
“Very well.”
Afterward, Roan and the Northern Frost Merchant Company headed toward the lord's castle under the soldiers' escort.
It was time to meet the lord.
* * *
Valdemar Dragonbane.
Seeing him in person, Roan found him to be an enormous man.
He stood about 190 cm tall, and his entire body was covered in lean, solid muscle. Had Roan not already been told that he was a baron, he would have taken him for a high-ranking warrior of some barbarian tribe rather than a nobleman.
‘So the stories about Baron Valdemar's martial prowess were no exaggeration.’
Roan studied Baron Valdemar with admiration.
The amusing part was that Baron Valdemar was looking at Roan with just as much admiration.
‘Hah! What an extraordinary physique this knight possesses!’
Under his father's influence, Baron Valdemar had trained his body from the age of three. Perhaps that was why his eye for judging a warrior's physique was keener than anyone else's.
To him, the knight standing before him looked like a flawless statue sculpted by a god.
The knight's shoulders were broad and sturdy, and his chest was as solid as though encased in iron armor. The muscles in his arms and legs displayed perfectly balanced strength, while his waist and abdomen looked as hard as if they were armored.
What especially caught Baron Valdemar's eye were his forearms. The muscles there bulged like tightly twisted ropes, making them look almost like the forearms of an ogre.
‘Hah, just what is this man's name? He must surely be a famous knight···!’
Baron Valdemar grew curious.
And yet, what was this?
When he finally heard the man's introduction, Baron Valdemar tilted his head. It was the first time he had ever heard the name ‘Roan.’
Still, just in case, Baron Valdemar searched his memory once more. But no matter how hard he thought, he could not recall ever hearing the name Roan.
“May I ask which house you hail from?”
“It is an obscure house, so you likely would not know it even if I told you. House Brighton.”
“Oh, House Brighton? I have heard of that house as well!”
Baron Valdemar spoke with his eyes wide open.
Of course, what he had said was a blatant lie. He had never once heard of such a house. But saying, ‘I have never heard of a house like that,’ right in front of one of its members would have been terribly discourteous.
‘I shall have to look into them properly later!’
“···Baron?”
When Baron Valdemar remained silent, lost in thought, Roan called to him. The baron cleared his throat a couple of times before replying.
“Ahem, ahem. My apologies. I have never seen such an impressive knight as you before, so I lost myself for a moment. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Valdemar Dragonbane.”
When the baron offered his hand, Roan clasped it without much thought.
GRIP!
‘···Hup!’
At that moment, the baron was startled once again. Roan's grip strength was far greater than he had expected.
‘G-Good heavens···! Does this knight truly have ogre blood in his veins? What tremendous grip strength!’
In truth, Baron Valdemar had intended to use the handshake to test the strength of the knight named Roan. There was always the chance that he was all appearance and no substance.
But the moment he actually shook Roan's hand, he realized that the man's grip was no joke. Fearing that his hand might be crushed at this rate, he hurriedly pulled it free.
“Ahem. You truly possess extraordinary strength.”
“Not at all. You possess remarkable strength as well, Baron.”
“Come now. There is no need to flatter me. Compared to you, I am little more than a novice.”
At Roan's modest reply, Baron Valdemar answered with a serious expression.
Yet inwardly, he was pleased.
Judging by what he had seen, the knight named Roan seemed to possess a fairly admirable character despite his tremendous physical strength.
Those who were exceptionally strong often had poor character. After all, when one possessed enough strength, there was little consequence for behaving that way. But in Baron Valdemar's eyes, Roan was different. He knew how to be humble, and he knew how to respect others. Baron Valdemar found himself quite taken with Roan.
“Sir Roan, I am a rather straightforward man. Unlike most nobles, I tend to dispense with the preamble in conversation and get straight to the point.”
“I also prefer getting straight to the point.”
“Oh, is that so? Excellent! Then, at the risk of being rude, I shall ask you directly. Sir Roan, what business could possibly bring a remarkable knight like you to this poor territory? Could it be··· that you came here to serve me as your lord?”
Baron Valdemar asked in a voice filled with anticipation.
He had already taken a great liking to the knight named Roan. Roan lacked nothing in either martial ability or character. If he could bring such a knight into his fold, his territory would prosper greatly.
“···My apologies, but I have no intention of serving a lord yet.”
Roan's answer, however, was more than enough to disappoint Baron Valdemar.
The baron let out a sigh, then suddenly gave a bitter smile. Truthfully, even if he himself were a knight, he doubted he would want to serve a poor noble like himself as his lord.
‘To begin with, I do not even have the wealth to keep a knight like this under me right now. There is no use dwelling on it.’
Suddenly, Baron Valdemar realized that his expectations had been far too presumptuous. He smiled awkwardly and continued.
“Ha ha, there is nothing for you to apologize for. Then what business brings you to me?”
“I came because I would like to help you in the territorial war.”
“The territorial war? Then you intend to participate as a mercenary knight?”
“Yes. If you permit it, I will fight to the best of my ability.”
At Roan's words, Baron Valdemar broke into a broad smile as though his gloomy mood had never existed.
Roan's participation would be a tremendous help to Dragonbane. Baron Valdemar nodded vigorously and replied,
“What news could possibly be better than this! Sir Roan, I welcome your participation! With the help of an exceptional knight like you, we will be able to win this territorial war!”