"Your Grace, we've brought Knight Wassima back," Pat said.
"Who?"
Sedecamp explained: "Your Grace, after we left the Kenmays Family's camp, Pat mentioned that you greatly admired that free knight Wassima who won three bouts in a row that morning, and that you wanted to recruit him as a Family Knight. So we went back to the battlefield trading company to find out where Knight Wassima's tent was, and went to visit. When we arrived at Knight Wassima's tent, we discovered that both the Pegasus Family and the Kenmays Family had sent people to recruit Knight Wassima as well."
"Oh..." Lorist's interest was piqued, though he had never heard of the Pegasus Family, and he couldn't recall any family in the Northland going by that name. "Wait — which noble house is the Pegasus Family? How come I've never heard of them?"
"Your Grace, have you forgotten? That knight who challenged us first yesterday — the one called Lambewe — didn't he have a silver pegasus emblem on him? He's a knight of the Pegasus Family. Hmm, does Your Grace know about the Crescent War and the Phelim Family?"
"The Crescent War? The Phelim Family? I know about that. A hundred years ago, over a moon-shaped magic stone discovered in some ruins that was said to still contain magical power, Krisen IV and seven noble houses went to war with each other. It's known to history as the Crescent Uprising or the Crescent War. In the end, Krisen IV barely managed to win, and the seven noble houses were utterly destroyed. But that Crescent Moon magic stone vanished without a trace and was never seen again. Krisen IV destroyed half the empire and got nothing for it — all that effort only to become a laughingstock for posterity. That's how it's recorded in the Galentea Chronicle. The Phelim Family — I believe they were one of those seven rebellious houses?" Lorist recalled.
Sedecamp said: "Your Grace has an excellent memory. The Phelim Family's coat of arms is a silver pegasus, and just as we're called the Furious Bear Family, they were known as the Pegasus Family. That wandering knight who paid a large sum of gold and was granted lands in the Northland as a landed noble by the
"And then there was the envoy sent by the Kenmays Family," Pat continued. "He said the Kenmays Family is willing to pay Knight Wassima double the annual stipend, and if Knight Wassima advances to the Gold rank, he'll immediately receive a fully equipped manor rich in produce."
"Oh? Then why did Knight Wassima come back with you? What kind of offer did you make him?" Lorist asked with keen interest.
"Well..." Sedecamp scratched his head in bewilderment and shook it.
Pat scratched his head and said, "To be honest, we don't know why Knight Wassima came back with us either. We didn't offer any conditions at all. Your Grace, when we arrived, the envoys from both families were already there. When we met Knight Wassima, we were straightforward and cut right to the chase — we simply asked on Your Grace's behalf whether he had any interest in joining our family. The moment we finished speaking, the envoys from the Pegasus Family and the Kenmays Family started trying to persuade Knight Wassima, each putting forward their own offers. We thought there was no chance, so we were about to take our leave. But to our surprise, Knight Wassima listened to what those two envoys had to say, then simply shook his head and rejected both of their solicitations. He picked up his sword, mounted his horse, and followed us back..."
"Then where is Knight Wassima now?"
"Your Grace, Knight Wassima is waiting outside just now. I asked him to come in with us earlier, but he said it would be impolite to enter the lord's chambers without being summoned, as it would violate knightly etiquette. So we had no choice but to let him be and allow him to wait outside..." Pat said.
"Blast it, you should have come in and told me about this first. Making Knight Wassima wait outside for so long is terribly rude..." Lorist grumbled as he hurried toward the exit.
…
Knight Wassima was a tall, lean man of few words, every gesture precise and measured. It was immediately apparent that he had received a very traditional knightly education and placed great importance on knightly etiquette. He seemed somewhat ill at ease with Lorist's warm hospitality, accepting the tea Lorist had personally brewed with a touch of awkwardness.
"Knight Wassima, forgive my forwardness, but what made you decline the solicitations of the Pegasus Family and the Kenmays Family? I hear the conditions they offered were quite generous..." Lorist studied the knight before him. He was genuinely interested in Knight Wassima — when he had watched him fight his challenge duels against other knights, he had noticed how solid his martial foundations were, every attack and defense steady and assured. Now, sitting across from him, he gave off an impression of sturdiness, composure, and reliability. Steady as a mountain — somehow, the idiom from his previous life came to Lorist's mind unbidden.
Knight Wassima was silent for a moment, then finally produced a small gold badge of the Furious Bear from inside his coat and placed it on the table. "I came for this."
The Furious Bear badge? Lorist picked it up and turned it over. On the back of the badge, four characters were engraved: Aberrid.
"Eldest brother?" Lorist looked at Knight Wassima — that was his eldest brother's badge. How had it ended up in his hands?
"He smiled and told me that once I advanced to the Silver tier, I could use this badge to find him, and he would make me his knight. But by the time I reached the Silver tier, word came that he had died in battle..."
"I didn't know what to do. When I advanced to Silver Two-Star, I decided to go to the
"I spent over three months settling the estate's affairs, dismissed the servants, returned the estate to Viscount Besaith, and then set out for here with my wife and son, along with a few retainers and attendants. We only arrived yesterday. This morning I meant to come pay my respects to you, my lord, but that wandering knight in front of the castle grounds thought I was challenging him and charged at me. I had to defeat him and two other challengers. I figured if I went to knock on the gate then, your people would think I was issuing a challenge as well, so I withdrew. I never expected you would send someone to find me tonight, so I came along..."
Knight Wassima's tone as he recounted all of this was utterly flat, as if he were merely describing some perfectly mundane triviality.
Lorist, Pat, and
"You returned the knight estate your father left you to that lord?" Lorist asked in astonishment.
"Yes, my lord." Knight Wassima replied calmly. "The Viscount Besaith my father served loyally was the grandfather of the current lord. When I failed my second
"Knight Wassima, I am deeply moved. Your actions have shown me the dignity and honor of a true knight. Your unwavering devotion to your word is the most precious reward the Norton Family has ever received. However, our family's current situation is extremely grave. I won't hide it from you — Duke
"My lord, the path of a knight has always been winding and perilous. I once regretted not coming sooner, and I won't let myself regret it a second time. If I back down now, then when my child grows up, he will be ashamed to have a father like me..." Knight Wassima stepped forward to stand before Lorist and dropped to one knee. "My lord, if you are unwilling to take me on as a Norton Family knight, would you allow me to join the Norton Family's armed forces as an ordinary soldier, to fight alongside you against the invading enemy?"
"That is the most moving knight's oath I have ever heard. Rise, my knight." Lorist drew his sword and tapped it twice upon Knight Wassima's shoulder. "Pat..."
Pat presented a silver angry bear emblem to Lorist, then embraced Wassima tightly. "Welcome to our ranks, my brother. Your arrival is an honor for the Norton Family."
…
Having just become a Norton Family knight, the elated Wassima set off under Sedekamp's escort to bring back his wife, son, and a few retainer servants to the city. Lorist toyed with his eldest brother's gold emblem, overcome with emotion, when Pat entered and reported, "My lord,
"Oh, bring him in right away."
"Jim, what did those four mercenary captains have to say?" Before Jim could even catch his breath, Lorist asked eagerly.
Jim wiped the beads of sweat from his face and answered between gasps, "My lord, the price you offered them was already extremely generous, and they all agreed to accept your contract. However, they have one small request..."
"What is it?" Lorist asked.
"They want you to supply them with a batch of weapons and equipment..."
Lorist's face darkened. "They still want iron armor?"
"No, they don't want iron armor..." Jim hurriedly explained. "My lord, if they wanted iron armor, I would have torn them to shreds on the spot. They want to disguise themselves as our Family's soldiers and then carry out the missions you've assigned them. That way, even if they fail, they'll be mistaken for our Family's soldiers rather than mercenaries from a mercenary company. My lord, you know that if they're captured and found to be mercenaries, they'll likely be beheaded, and it would also let Duke Lukins know which mercenary company is helping our Family. If they pass as our Family's soldiers, they may be mistreated, but they'll keep their lives, and it won't offend the Grand Duke of the Northland..."
Lorist's expression softened, and he nodded. "Very well, I can provide them with a batch of leather armor and weapons, all engraved with our Family's insignia, but they'll need to supply their own mounts. Also, after they sign the agreement, have the four mercenary companies enter the city in batches. Once they've collected the weapons and equipment, they're to leave the city immediately and set up camp at the original encampment. The moment I receive word from Paul Binns, I'll set out with them at once."
"Yes, my lord. I'll head out to the city right now and draw up the agreement with them. I'll have them come in tomorrow night to collect their gear." Jim hurried off once more.
"My lord, can these mercenary companies really be of any use?" Pat asked.
"Better than nothing, I suppose. In terms of individual combat strength, they should surpass the soldiers of the Northland Corps. But in a formation charge, they'd be nothing but a ragtag mob. We don't have enough Family soldiers to fight Duke Lukins' army in open battle, let alone with the traitors of Northwild Town backing them. In terms of sheer numbers, they already dwarf us—we have no choice but to adopt a defensive posture. But we can't just hole up inside the castle and take a beating either. We need a counterattack strategy; only then can our defense hold out long enough. Hiring these mercenary companies is meant to have them fight the way they're accustomed to—conducting guerrilla operations in the field, eliminating enemy scouts, raiding enemy supply lines and baggage trains, and tying down enemy assault forces so they can't focus their full strength on besieging our castle..." Lorist laid out his tactical vision for Pat.
"But hiring even one mercenary company costs a fortune. A single company's retainer fee is a hundred gold Fordes, and they receive an Imperial gold coin for every enemy they kill, on top of which we have to supply them with leather armor, weapons, and food provisions. My lord, I don't think spending this much gold on mercenaries is really worth it." Pat winced at the thought of the hire costs.
"Without massive bounties, there's no way to make these mercenary companies fight with their full effort. We already reaped nearly two hundred thousand in wealth from the Red River Valley estate castle of the Kemmish Family. Our Family has gold to spare right now—if we can use that gold to crush Duke Lukins' army, then no amount of spending is too much." Lorist said.
…