Viscount Comas was a tall, thin man. When
Lorist suddenly understood why Viscount Comas had suffered two crushing defeats against the bandits.
Having received the urgent message from the Fengyata Town garrison that the bandits had blocked the mountain pass and were threatening to slaughter the city, the viscount, as the lord of the territory, had no choice but to rush to their aid. So this time, the viscount had brought a large force. It was just that this large force looked rather pathetic. Many of the men wore tattered rags that barely covered their bodies, looking weak and sickly. Forget armor and shields — they didn't even have decent weapons. They carried either farming tools or long wooden poles. When Lorist finally spotted a few holding shields, a closer look revealed they weren't shields at all, but pot lids.
This — this was the reinforcement force Viscount Comas had brought? Lorist was stunned. To put it bluntly, calling them a large band of refugees would be more believable. Fortunately, the bandits had already been dealt with by Lorist and his party, otherwise Viscount Comas's third catastrophic defeat would have been inevitable.
Viscount Comas was exceedingly, incredibly enthusiastic. This much was clear from how he gripped Lorist's hand and refused to let go from the moment they met, showing just how grateful he was. Lorist tried several times to pull his right hand free from the viscount's claw-like grip but failed.
The viscount had been delivering a nonstop stream of praise for over half an hour. In his words, Lorist was nothing less than the incarnation of the God of War, a paragon of brave and fearless knighthood, a descending angel of salvation who delivered the suffering…
Lorist was amazed to discover that throughout more than half an hour of laudatory speech, Viscount Comas had not repeated a single phrase. Such eloquence — it was truly a waste for him not to become a traveling bard.
Viscount Comas finally grew tired of talking. Perhaps he had run out of fresh compliments. He picked up the tea the garrison captain had brought and prepared to wet his throat. Lorist finally managed to extract his right hand and casually wiped the viscount's spittle from his face.
Lorist feared the viscount might launch into another passionate, lengthy speech, which would mean he'd have to sit and listen attentively all over again. So he cut straight to the point, asking the viscount about the bounty for eliminating the bandits and slaying their chief, Panshan Wolf, along with the other leaders.
The look Viscount Comas gave Lorist was one of deep disappointment — as if he were shocked that Lorist could ask such a vulgar question. It was so unbecoming of the incarnation of the God of War, the paragon of brave and fearless knighthood, the descending angel of salvation that the viscount had just praised. That expression of regret made Lorist feel genuinely ashamed…
"Ahem, ahem…" After a few dry coughs, Comas apologized to Lorist in an extremely apologetic and very, very sincere tone. Because earlier, out of concern for Fengyata Town's safety, he had signed a non-aggression agreement with the bandits. To gain their trust, he had been forced to cancel the bounty on Panshan Wolf and the other bandit chiefs. So while Lorist's elimination of the bandits was certainly a good thing, there was no bounty to collect…
So we wiped out the bandits for nothing — just free labor for you lot! Lorist glanced at the garrison captain standing nearby with an embarrassed expression, then at the viscount with his warm smile, and the realization dawned. This Viscount Comas was all talk. In reality, not only did he reap the rewards without lifting a finger, he was also utterly stingy. The wretched, malnourished faces of the peasant soldiers he had brought made it clear that life under this miserly lord was anything but comfortable.
However, the viscount had already learned from the garrison captain about Lorist's situation — that Lorist needed to return to Northland to inherit his title and family lands. So he launched into another round of praise for the famous Roaring Bear family of Northland, and apologized for the delay Lorist had suffered in his territory due to the bandits. In the spirit of nobles helping one another in times of need, Viscount Comas was willing to take in the bandit prisoners at no cost, sparing Lorist the trouble of deciding what to do with them, so that he wouldn't be delayed in the most important matter of returning to Northland to inherit his title and lands.
Furthermore, with the weather growing hotter by the day, the severed heads of Panshan Wolf and the other chiefs would soon rot and stink, potentially polluting the surrounding area and causing plague. Viscount Comas offered to dispose of the heads on Lorist's behalf, so as not to disrupt the normal lives of Fengyata Town's residents. As he spoke, the viscount pulled his bear-fur coat tighter around himself — a gust of cold wind had just swept past, and he shivered, feeling a bit chilly.
Ha! This Viscount Comas was utterly shameless. Not only had he designs on the bandit prisoners Lorist had captured, he even wanted to get Panshan Wolf's and the other chiefs' heads for free. Lorist wore a smile on his face, but his eyes grew colder by the second.
He first thanked the viscount for his generosity, expressing sincere admiration for his warm-hearted and helpful spirit. Then Lorist stated that for his spoils of war, he already had a proper plan for their disposal, so there was no need to trouble the viscount.
As for the bandit chiefs' heads, Lorist intended to have them processed into decorative items — as proof that he had eliminated the bandits in Viscount Comas's territory. Let everyone know that the vicious bandits who had twice routed the viscount's forces now had their heads serving as mere ornaments. First, it would build his own reputation. Second, it would cement the viscount's praise of him as the incarnation of the God of War, the paragon of knighthood, the descending angel of salvation…
The iron mine and the stronghold likewise belonged to Lorist. He planned to put the bandit prisoners to work mining, and to build a castle on the ruins of the Panshan stronghold. Once he returned and inherited his title, he would come back here to govern — after all, this was far better than the desolate family lands. Besides, having eliminated the bandits, he could naturally post men along the Panshan road to collect tolls from passing merchants, as payment for freeing them from the bandit menace.
Lorist said he was quite fond of the scenery and sights of Fengyata Town, especially after seeing the viscount's reinforcement force. Compared to his own family's armed forces — Lorist pointed to the guard squad training nearby — he was very optimistic about the prospects of governing here. Perhaps he could even expand the
Viscount Comas was still all smiles, though the smile had turned somewhat bitter. He looked at the guard squad Lorist had indicated, then at his own men, and couldn't help but swallow hard. He realized he had miscalculated. He had originally planned to take advantage of Lorist's youth and eagerness to return and inherit his family title and lands — with enough sweet talk and flattery, this young noble would surely be delighted and willing to give up his tangible gains in exchange for a good reputation. That way, Lorist got his praise, and the viscount got the real benefits. Everyone would be happy.
What he hadn't expected was that Lorist wasn't like those naive young nobles who lost their heads at the first words of flattery and willingly sacrificed material gains for a good name. Instead, Lorist had turned the tables on him. Just imagine — turning the bandit chiefs' heads into decorations. If word of that got out, the viscount would become a laughingstock. As the lord, he had twice failed to suppress the bandits, yet Lorist and a handful of men had wiped them out entirely. If people found out, wouldn't he become synonymous with incompetence, cowardice, and spinelessness?
And then there was the iron ore deposit Lorist had mentioned — a source of endless wealth. If this young noble seized control of the iron mine and built a castle there, who would really be in charge of the territory? Viscount Comas wasn't worried about the bandits anymore, but Lorist was a different matter entirely. This young noble had already very subtly expressed his interest in Fengyata Town and his ambition regarding the viscount's domain. Plus, with that squad of well-armed guards, crushing the territory's garrison forces would be no trouble at all…
He absolutely could not allow Lorist to establish a foothold in his territory, at any cost. Viscount Comas grabbed Lorist, who was about to take his leave, and with a beaming smile, requested that Lorist transfer the iron mine and the stronghold to him. His reasoning was that his domain lacked iron ore resources, which was why his people lived in such dire poverty. With this iron mine, he could improve the livelihood of his subjects and strengthen his territory's defenses, ensuring that bandit raids would never happen again. He hoped Lorist would act on his spirit of public-spirited generosity and extend a helping hand to the viscount's domain…
Lorist coldly cut through the viscount's babbling: "Lord Viscount, are you suggesting a buyback?"
A buyback was an unwritten tradition among nobles of different territories. If a lord's domain was invaded and bandits seized his lands, and the lord couldn't fight them off, he could request aid from another lord. If that other lord drove out the bandits and reclaimed the territory, the original lord had to pay a certain price to regain his lands. Everything from mineral deposits down to a single house or tree fell within the scope of a buyback.
Viscount Comas grimaced but could find no grounds for rebuttal, so he reluctantly agreed that it was indeed a buyback. Since it was a buyback, proper procedures applied. Lorist called over
Viscount Comas began his complaints again, saying that because his territory was impoverished, he was unable to produce that much coin. However, he could pay in goods instead.
What goods do we need? Lorist looked to Sedekamp, who immediately answered: carts and packhorses, riding horses, grain, and fabric.
So Lorist resumed his verbal sparring with Viscount Comas, and they finally agreed on terms. The viscount would provide three hundred and fifty packhorses and riding horses, fifty four-wheeled long-distance carts, seven carts of grain, and three carts of fabric in exchange for ownership of the iron mine and stronghold. In addition, Lorist would hand over the bandit prisoners and the chiefs' severed heads to the viscount as a little something to sweeten the deal.
Viscount Comas cheerfully agreed that everything would be ready before noon the next day, and Lorist would hand over the prisoners and heads at that time.
In front of Lorist and Sedekamp, the viscount ordered the garrison captain to immediately procure carts and packhorses from Fengyata Town, and to prepare the grain and fabric as well. He said that as a distribution center for mountain goods within a hundred li, Fengyata Town more than had the resources to provide these items — the shops and merchants had plenty of carts and packhorses.
The garrison captain stammered and asked the viscount how he planned to pay for these goods. The viscount glared at him — pay? Just write them an IOU. Tell them it can be used to offset future taxes, and that's that!
The following day, the prisoners and heads would be handed over to the viscount. Also, Lorist instructed, pick out the beautiful wives of the slain bandit chiefs and the young women among the bandits' families — they could be matched with the men below as wives, so that when they reached the family lands, they wouldn't find themselves with too many men and too few women, throwing things out of balance.
Although Pat and Ovikis didn't quite understand what Lorist meant by "throwing things out of balance," they eagerly went to carry out his orders.
…
Evening. The Red Wine and Weary Bird Inn.
Sedekamp was giving his report to Lorist: "We seized thirteen four-wheeled carts from the Panshan stronghold. I purchased eleven more in town, and adding our own cart, plus the fifty arriving tomorrow and Miss Tressti's two carts, that gives us a total of seventy-six carts…"
"We originally had twelve Zeno horses. I selected fifty-three more in town, and the bandit elimination yielded forty-eight. Adding the three hundred and fifty the local lord viscount will transfer tomorrow, that gives us a total of four hundred and sixty-three — enough to guarantee four horses per cart, with one horse per man for the guard squad, and several dozen spare packhorses for rotating the caravan…"
"Today Pat and Ovikis selected one hundred and eleven able-bodied men from the bandits to serve as cart drivers, including twenty-three who had families. Additionally, there are thirty-nine young women. The guard squad numbers one hundred and twenty, of whom forty-six have families. The families and young women together total two hundred and seventy-four people. Together with Master Sid's family of fourteen, they will need thirty four-wheeled carts…"
"The supplies we seized from the Panshan stronghold are substantial. In terms of currency: twelve thousand seven hundred and forty-two gold Forde coins, thirty-four thousand two hundred and sixty-one Empire gold coins, over seventy thousand Empire silver coins, approximately one hundred and eighty thousand Empire copper coins, two chests of large and small Forde Commercial Alliance silver coins, and three chests of copper coins. There are also two and a half chests of jewelry and accessories. Transporting all of this will require five carts…"
"At the Panshan stronghold, we also seized three carts of silk, six carts of fine linen, eleven carts of grain, and eight carts of miscellaneous goods — four of which were the specialized equipment Master Sid used for crafting chain mail and ring mail. Additionally, there are five carts of refined iron ingots from the iron mine and three carts of confiscated weapons and armor. If we include the ten carts of supplies the viscount is delivering tomorrow, we'll need eighty-one carts to transport everything. But we currently only have seventy-three carts available for supplies and personnel…"
"My lord, I plan to go back to town tomorrow to see if I can buy a few more carts. I'll also check with the shops to see if we can exchange those one hundred and eighty thousand Empire copper coins for silver or gold coins, which would save two carts' worth of space. If that doesn't work, we can have the families in the carts squeeze together a bit to free up two carts, and pack some of the supplies onto the extra packhorses. That way, it won't affect our march."
Lorist shook his head. That Sedekamp — he valued supplies more than life itself. In truth, simply selling off some excess supplies would solve the cart shortage, but he insisted on bringing everything back. Truly a man with too much time on his hands.
"What about that Miss Tressti? Did you find out anything about her?" Lorist asked.
"I've learned most of it. Miss Tressti arrived in Fengyata Town three months ago. Her party consisted of three — two masters and a servant — along with two drivers, two carts, and four packhorses. Apparently, they had originally traveled with a Commercial Alliance trade caravan to the border of the Madras Duchy, where they separated due to different destinations. After staying there for over a month without finding a northbound caravan, they decided to return to the Imperial Capital, but when they reached this area, the bandits blocked the road and they were forced to remain in Fengyata Town. The two drivers found other work and left. They rented a rundown attic in town and have been surviving by selling their packhorses and occasionally copying books to sell. Of the four packhorses they originally had, only one remains, and of their two carts, one is entirely filled with books," Sedekamp explained.
Lorist nodded. "Tomorrow, prepare the horses and drivers for their carts. Also, notify them to pack up and get ready to depart. We've already been delayed here for two days, and no matter what, we leave the day after tomorrow. After tomorrow's handover, do a final inspection and make all departure preparations. We leave here the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"Yes, my lord." Sedekamp turned to leave.
"Oh, wait. Ask the innkeeper to prepare meals for three extra people these next two days and deliver them to Miss Tressti's place," Lorist said.
"Understood, my lord. I'll see to it right away."