Chapter 80: Count Brant Khalodian’s Territory (Khaloda Village)
“Wow, cool!”
“Knight! I want to be a knight when I grow up.”
“I want to see it too!”
Village kids tried to jump or squeeze into the crowd as they tried to steal a look at the knight that was visiting the village. Some even cried, but n.o.body cared.
“Shoo! This isn’t the place for you!”
The adults kicked the kids out of the group. The Ainos visit meant a huge trade and it was not a playground for the kids. Also, there were a lot of Galims and Durans pulling the carriage and carts, so it was dangerous for kids to be around.
“Look at his armor. Where is he from?”
“I don’t recognize the crest symbol.”
“Hah, Behil, you always claim you know every n.o.ble, but you don’t!”
“No! I have never seen such a crest! I know all the flags of the countries around here but… ugh.”
Behil let out a moan. The flag that was on top of the red carriage was made with precise craftsmans.h.i.+p. It wasn’t some rag with a drawing on it.
‘Where is he from? How did he come with the Ainos?’
Behil was confused, just like all the onlookers. Merchants who visited from different countries, including the Donian who owned the right to trade with Ainos alone, probably shared the same thought.
‘They’re clueless.’
Behil glanced at the merchant who frowned as he was looking at the sight of the unexpected n.o.ble.
‘They didn’t know the n.o.ble was coming.’
Merchants despised the unexpected. Bigger groups wanted to conduct stable trades and they aimed to trade small, stable goods with steady providers. The priority was the safety of the group. The group had hundreds to thousands of people working together. It was life or death for them.
‘The Ainos coming with a n.o.ble from a foreign country. I wonder where this will lead to.’
Behil thought about it, but nothing was certain at the moment.
‘I’ll just wait it out at the bar until something actually happens.’
Behil grinned. The trade usually lasted over fifteen days. It was only the beginning.
‘I will see if the Ainos come back out on top this time.’
“What is that monster?”
“Is that a carriage?”
“The white carriage is more amazing.”
“The wheel is black. Have you seen such wheels?”
“Look at the picture. Isn’t that the Guardian?”
People spoke amongst themselves as Joonb.u.m rode on Nite, staying close to the Marauder and the RV.
‘I am Knight Joonb.u.m Christos of the Daehan Empire, second son of Count Christos. I am…’
He repeated his own status endlessly in his mind. He straightened himself with a chin up, looking at people gathered arrogantly. People seemed to be convinced that Joonb.u.m was a n.o.ble.
“I wonder where he is from? Look at that horse armor! I’ve never seen such armor in my life.”
“It even covers the leg! Can it run in that?”
“Hey, look at the knight’s armor!”
Grato, a mercenary hired to protect the merchants, pointed at Joonb.u.m’s armor. Everyone turned their eyes toward the armor.
“Wow.”
“That’s something.”
“How many battles did he face to receive that kind of damage?”
The armor worn by the knight was full of rough markings. It was not like the clean armor worn by young n.o.bles that had never seen a battlefield. Mercenaries full of battle experience recognized it right away.
“My armor is like that too! You know when I was young…”
“Stop lying! You always guard the merchants to avoid any battles. I guess if you count quarreling at the bar…”
“He didn’t even fight! He was just trying to stop the fight, although he got beaten up for it.”
“Do you remember him saying you should slam the head with a club? Haha.”
Mercenaries and merchants alike were uneasy at the unexpected figure. Hectos frowned at such a sight as Jackson dragged him across.
‘Ugh, I don’t want to be embarra.s.sed in front of all these people…’
“H-hey, Jackson. Why don’t you take care of it? I don’t recognize that flag.”
“Huh? If you let me become captain, then I’ll happily do it.”
“Your sister will kill me if I do that.”
“I know, so do it yourself.”
Hectos walked out reluctantly. The guards followed as he appeared.
“C-Captain.”
They were puzzled.
“What did they say?” Jackson asked as Hectos did not say anything. A soldier named Todd came up.
“E-erm, there was nothing…”
Jackson pushed Hectos in front of Joonb.u.m.
“S-stop! I- I am… uh… t-the G-Captain of the Guards of Khaloda Village! Who are you and where are you from?”
The crowd fell silent as they curiously watched what was going to unfold. The Ainos also stopped moving. Joonb.u.m quietly pulled Nite’s reins to trot in front of Hectos. Hectos’ face grew pale as Joonb.u.m stood in front of him.
‘Is this a monster or a human?’
He had met many knights in his lifetime, but they were nothing like the one in front of him. The knight had a fearsome look and inexplicable aura that pressured Hectos. Even the Galim seemed to be scarier than any Galim he knew.
“I am…”
A low, thick voice came out from the helmet. Hectos raised his head at the voice.
“I am Knight Joonb.u.m Christos! Second son of Count Christos of the Daehan Empire! I am traveling with the Countess, my mother. Are you the captain?”
Hectos bowed as Joonb.u.m asked.
“Y-Yes, sir! I am Captain Hectos, Captain of the Guards!”
Jackson and the other guards behind him bowed.
“Do I need to prove myself?”
Hectos s.h.i.+vered at the voice.
“Uh- uhm… ugh.”
“No, milord. We welcome your presence at Khaloda Village, governed by our honorable Count Brant Khalodian. We sincerely hope you enjoy your time in our village. Please let us know if you need anything and we will be at your service.” Jackson pushed Hectos away and answered for him. Joonb.u.m took off his helmet and watched Jackson arrogantly.
“And you are?”
“Milord, I am Jackson. Captain Lieutenant of the Guards.”
Joonb.u.m watched him bow. He then out something from his waist and threw it at the ground in front of Jackson.
It was a leather pouch that seemed to be made with high craftsmans.h.i.+p. Everyone looked at the pouch.
“You seem bright enough. Take it. Go and have a drink.”
“Thank you. I am grateful for your gift, milord.”
Joonb.u.m nodded at Jackson and pulled the reins.
“Let’s move!”
All of the Ainos people began moving toward their campground at his signal. People who fell silent began to murmur in silence. Jackson picked up the pouch and checked it. He was shocked by the contents.
“Ugh, you… oh and if you are going to drink, then-”
“G.o.d d****t! Are you crazy? Huh? I stopped you because you were going to ask some rude question to a n.o.ble! You crazy son of a-”
“H-hey, my brother-in-law. Aren’t you a bit aggressive right now-”
“Hah.”
Jackson let out a big sigh and showed what was inside to Hectos.
“G-gold? Are these all gold coins?”
“I’ve never seen this coin before. We can’t just take it as our own.”
“What?”
“We have to report it to the count, quickly. Hodd!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Prepare to go to the castle. Come to me for a letter when you’re ready.”
Hodd disappeared quickly, but Hectos was still looking at the pouch. Jackson sighed and ordered to another soldier, “Todd. Go get some liquor.”
“No! We should go to the saloon! Let’s go, Jackson!”
“Are you crazy? Merchants will start working now that the Ainos are here. We also have a knight here. The saloon’s going to be full of customers. We can drink at our place.”
“Ugh, sure.”
Hectos wasn’t happy, but Jackson did not care. He looked at the sight of Joonb.u.m who had disappeared from his sight.
‘I smell trouble brewing.’
Jackson realized he was a true n.o.ble the moment he saw his face. People who pretended to n.o.bles could not fake two things: their face and their skin.
‘The count will know how to take care of it. But a n.o.ble throwing this much gold for a drink…?’
Jackson was concerned, but he shook it away as he thought his work was done.
*
A sound of a knock was heard through the well-decorated wooden door before it was opened. A young man entered and bowed towards the middle-aged-man slouched on a sofa with a pipe in his hand.
“Master, the Ainos have arrived with their trade goods.”
“Oh, I knew it was about time. Great.”
Joseph Algony, Vice President of the Donian Merchant Group, nodded at the report.
“How much did they bring this time? Is it about the same as last year?”
“I-I couldn’t take a look at that yet.”
“What? What were you doing until now then?”
“They came with a n.o.ble from some unknown country. I couldn’t find the time to check on the goods as it caused a stir among the people.”
“A n.o.ble? From an unknown country?”
Joseph showed interest as Norman gave his report. He continued, “Yes, sir. Have you ever heard of the Daehan Empire?”
“Daehan Empire? An empire? Hmm. I never heard of such an empire. There are only three empires. Only three, REAL empires. They might be lying.”
“It seems like they come from the other side of the mountain. The Ainos said Knight and Countess Christos from the Daehan Empire visited them, and they came here together. Jackson from the Guards already welcomed them.”
“Huh? Welcome? What is he to welcome?”
Joseph frowned at the news, but Norman raised his hand and made it look like a coin.
“The knight threw him a pouch when Jackson bowed to him. I asked and found out that it was full of gold coins.”
“Hmmm.”
Joseph narrowed his eyes.
“I guess Hectos had no clue and Jackson figured out that it wasn’t for them to handle. I a.s.sume a messenger is on the run to the castle. We’ll see what he is soon enough.”