Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Dividing the Spoils
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The first item to emerge from the chest was a hide covered in black, glossy scales.
It wasn't hard to recognize what it was.
Over the few days spent in the fortress, he'd watched the soldiers tirelessly washing, singeing, and drying it.
"It's the Lord's hide, isn't it."
"Right. If we make it into underarmor to wear beneath, it'll block just about any attack. At least... how much did we get?"
"Enough for about five hundred upper garments."
The man standing nearby, who looked like an administrator, answered.
Arsen took the hide and tugged at it to test its texture.
It might tear if he put his full strength into it, but at a moderate pull, it showed no signs of damage.
An attack that had pierced through armor and lost its momentum wouldn't easily penetrate this.
"How many people do you have?"
"Twenty-six."
"Distribute enough for everyone to get three sets each."
At the estate lord's words, Arsen's eyes widened involuntarily.
It wasn't because it was too little—it was excessively generous.
"The usual share of spoils is..."
"Yes. Ten percent. I remember."
Ten percent of the spoils. That had been the agreed-upon condition.
It was due to the numerical disparity with Exekia's soldiers, as well as the advance payment they'd received.
Even accounting for the three knights on Arsen's side, which had already allotted them a generous share, this was extraordinarily lenient.
The estate lord grinned.
"But with the feats you've accomplished, does that make any sense? The other knights all agreed. No one else showed valor like yours."
"I'll gratefully accept, then."
Praise for the Lord's scales followed.
Not only did it withstand piercing and slashing attacks well, but it was also resistant to fire—on paper, it sounded like an all-purpose material.
"But it's not without flaws. It doesn't absorb shock very well."
"It's thin, after all. That's why it needs to be layered underneath?"
"Exactly. A cloak would work too. Flip it over your shoulders, and it'll block most fire attacks."
The estate lord snapped his fingers with a chuckle.
"Next."
This time, it was a reddish crystal orb-like object.
Something seemed to flicker and burn within it, making it easy to guess what it was.
The orb was contained in crudely shaped pottery.
"Fire Essence..."
"Right. We got three in total."
Bringing it close made his face feel hot.
Considering the blaze that beast had unleashed—one that even a knight couldn't face head-on without retreating—this was no ordinary item.
"Honestly, it's something I covet greatly."
When metal was brought near the Fire Essence, it softened from the heat, with such intense power that metals requiring prolonged effort in a normal forge could be melted effortlessly.
In iron-clad Exekia, there was no need to explain how valuable this treasure was.
'It doesn't appeal to me much.'
Eloise was one example, but mages could melt metal easily with heating spells.
It might be incredibly useful for Exekia, which lacked mages, but Arsen found it hard to feel drawn to it.
One might think he could carry it and sell it to someone, but storage was too inconvenient.
Anything it touched would burn, so it couldn't even be contained without a pottery vessel.
"So, while one should rightfully be yours by rights... I'd like to buy them all, paying a price."
"What do you mean?"
"With our estate's most precious resource!"
The estate lord smiled confidently.
"Blue Silver Iron—one chest worth."
Blue Silver Iron was an alloy of iron and various rare metals, used in Exekia to craft knights' equipment.
The gear Bazkal had received was made from it as well.
"How much is one chest?"
"Probably enough for two full sets of plate armor."
At the estate lord's gesture, two soldiers grunted as they brought over another pre-prepared chest and opened it.
Arsen eyed the ingots piled inside and carefully calculated.
Arsen had some blacksmithing knowledge himself. In certain situations, he'd need to maintain his own weapons.
Based on what he'd learned back then, there was indeed enough here for two full suits of plate armor, as the lord claimed.
After some thought, Arsen nodded.
He'd already yielded first during the Lord's hide trade, so there was no need to be stubborn over something he didn't need.
It wasn't a bad deal by any means.
"As you wish, my lord."
"Good! Next up are the Lord's claws..."
From there, the distribution proceeded smoothly.
It was possible because their positions differed greatly.
Arsen entrusted most of the bulky, hard-to-carry items to the estate lord, who in turn compensated by allotting more of the other goods.
Many of the odd-effect byproducts the lord wanted could be replicated with magic, so Arsen didn't cling to them and handed them over readily.
Giving what the other wanted and taking what he wanted left no room for arguments.
When the chest was finally empty, the estate lord pulled a rolled-up parchment from his bosom.
"Take this too."
Unfurling it revealed a contract of sorts.
Signed by Exekia's estate lord, it permitted a mage's residence in a monastery on the southern outskirts of the estate.
The term was exactly fifty years from today.
Below were stipulations: provide the mage with enough daily sustenance to survive; the mage must depart within a month of registration; no approaching the village; and various other conditions.
Naturally, it wasn't for just any mage—only those with a pre-agreed specific mark were allowed entry.
"This was actually the hardest part! Those old fogeys whined endlessly. They said they could never allow a mage to dwell on sacred Mikelin's land, even in death. So I used some strong wording."
At the contract's end, it stated that if Exekia's estate lord altered or voided it without consent, he could no longer claim to be a Mikelin follower.
"An outsider might not know, but for a native-born here to not be a Mikelin believer means he's no human. He'd get no respect as lord or even as a person."
Thus, the estate lord boasted, he himself risked undermining his own authority to make this unbreakable.
"How about it? To your liking?"
"I am truly grateful."
"I promised, didn't I? Gotta keep my word."
"There are far more scoundrels in this world who treat promises lighter than feathers. That's what makes your virtue shine even brighter, my lord."
Pleased by Arsen's flattery, the estate lord laughed heartily.
"A black falcon in battle, sweet as honey in words. Such a shame. I'd love to make you my knight if possible."
Ever since the successful subjugation of the Lord, the estate lord had repeatedly proposed that Arsen become his knight.
It wasn't empty words, given the sizable force Arsen already commanded.
Offers ranged from his daughter in marriage to a heirloom sword of great power, but Arsen had refused them all.
"Anyway, seems like business is wrapped up... Shame to part like this. Join me for a meal. See the other comrades' faces too."
* * *
Having finished the trades, Arsen ended up attending the evening banquet due to the estate lord's insistent invitations.
The venue overflowed with dishes heavy on spicy seasonings and milk liquor.
Several knights who'd joined the Lord subjugation were there too.
Exekia's knights, Karik, and even the last survivor from the valiant Elta estate knights, whose name Arsen struggled to recall.
"Have a drink, hero!"
A man offered a cup with a tone that sounded mocking at first glance but was too jovial to take that way.
Arsen accepted politely, racking his brain for the man's name. Around thirty, long chin beard, thick eyebrows...
"Thank you, Sir Anun."
The leader of the Elta knights and sole survivor, Sir Anun grinned as he extended his cup.
The metal goblets clanged.
"I hear you're heading west soon?"
"Yes. Planning to rest here about a week."
Sir Anun beamed as if it were perfect timing.
"As you know, Arsen, the two comrades I brought both went to the War God's side this time."
"Yes, they did."
Even mentioning his comrades' deaths, not a shadow crossed Anun's face.
It mixed joy with a hint of envy.
Seeing Arsen's bemused expression, Anun grinned and explained.
"No need for that look. The War God took them to his shrine. They died fighting mighty foes, so they'll hold high seats among the ancestors."
Exekia and the central regions, compared to Arsen's eastern lands, tended to think in deeply religious terms.
Beluan worshipped the local deity Rha too, but its teachings were worldly—like Confucian scriptures—demanding fidelity to daily life and obedience to the lord. To Arsen, this mindset felt alien.
"I talked with Sir Karik. Both of us plan to cross the mountains."
Karik, eating nearby, nodded in agreement, his mouth stuffed full.
"Not returning to Elta?"
"Not yet. Still got business."
Sir Anun downed a cup firmly.
"Gah... Anyway, crossing alone is daunting, and asking Exekia for troops now, with their situation, is tough."
Arsen understood easily.
The raiders they'd subjugated numbered vastly, so remnants likely lingered.
A lone knight—or two—crossing bandit-infested mountains with no men was risky.
Even knights died to a knife in the dark.
From experience, knights couldn't cartoonishly wake to faint sounds mid-sleep and fight.
Unless innately light sleepers or specially trained.
"Want to join my group?"
"Exactly. Me and Sir Karik just need to go the same way till paths split. We'll help if blades are needed. What do you say?"
"You know we have a mage."
"No issue. Karik agrees, and I don't mind."
"Where to? If directions differ, we might part right after the mountains."
"Satien. The ruin city."
Arsen let out an involuntary exclamation.
"May I ask why?"
"Nothing much. Just some revenge."
Sir Anun's expression was odd as he answered breezily.
It showed anger mingled with delight in his smile.
"A Satien knight once humiliated our estate's knights. Our trio's goal was to go there, challenge him to a fair duel, and thrash him. Two died, but we Elta men don't quit till we achieve our aims."
Arsen scratched under his eye, pondering.
They were battle-comrades, and two extra knights would boost safety.
Cost? Just more rations.
"Conveniently, we're Satien-bound too, so you can come all the way. But I don't want to get dragged into your revenge. We have our own tasks."
"Of course! That's my business. We'll part before entering Satien, or delay till you're done and gone."
"That works. Agreed."
"Thanks! Another round, for gratitude."
Sir Anun boisterously offered his cup again.
* * *
Naturally, "rest" didn't mean a week of idle lounging.
First, they processed the Lord's hide into undergarments and cloaks for all.
Damaged weapons and armor from the battle got repaired.
Arsen and the other knights lent their superhuman strength, but Eloise suffered most in the process.
After a week of rest and refitting, Arsen instructed Rino to double-check nothing was forgotten.
The soldiers, refreshed from the break, brimmed with energy but showed clear reluctance to leave.
"Time to depart."
Now a 28-strong expedition, bolstered by two more knights, set off from Exekia.
Toward the western side of the Wei Zhu Mountains, which bisected the continent.