I'm the Knight of This Town (3)
About three weeks had passed since the investigation team that visited the village returned to Valifield.
Slam!
As usual, Falco burst into his house without even knocking.
"Hey, do you seriously have no respect for other people's privacy—"
"Yohan. A messenger has arrived from Valifield."
"What?!"
Normally, Yohan would have bickered right back, but this time was different.
"They're waiting at the village entrance. Let's go right now."
"Okay. Finally, I'm officially becoming a knight."
Calling themselves a knight order was all well and good, but in reality, the Goddess Knights had been nothing more than an unlicensed private armed group. Now, they were finally being reborn as a true knight order recognized by the lord.
Quite excited, Yohan followed Falco toward the village entrance. Perhaps because of the unfamiliar visitor, several villagers had gathered near the gates.
"Oh, look, the Apostle is here already."
"Make way, everyone. Don't just stand there blocking the path like idiots."
In the middle of the crowd stood a man dressed in luxurious attire. Upon spotting the two, the man finally dismounted his horse. He then walked over to Yohan with steady, echoing steps.
Those clothes were unmistakable... It was the uniform worn by the vassals residing within Valifield Castle.
"Are you Yohan, the master of this village?"
"Yeah, that's me."
Yohan nodded deeply in response. The man then pulled out a large scroll he had been carrying on his back.
"This is a message from Baron Berriman, ruler of Valifield and the surrounding territories."
"Mhm. Go on."
Was he going to read the contents of the scroll aloud in front of everyone? Yohan watched the man quietly, harboring a slight expectation.
"Here. Take it."
"Ahem."
Apparently, it wasn't an issue that warranted that level of service. The man immediately thrust the scroll forward, and Yohan accepted it with a slightly disappointed look.
"Alright. Let's check it out right away."
He untied the knot securing the scroll and unrolled the paper.
...For these reasons, we wish to arrange a meeting to determine the exact boundaries of the fief and the quantity of tribute...
Figures. Yohan clicked his tongue.
In truth, this was a contract transferring control over a portion of the territory, so there was no way they would just gloss over the details.
In a typical knighthood investiture, all matters regarding the fief and taxes would be handled entirely by the lord granting the land.
However, Yohan's case was highly unusual; he had developed a wasteland into a habitable settlement. Although they were technically in a lord-vassal relationship on paper, in reality, it was more of a business contract based on mutual need.
Indeed, Yohan had consistently spoken casually to the Lord of Valifield, and the Lord hadn't raised any objections. This was proof that the Lord didn't view Yohan as a mere subordinate either. Thus, negotiations regarding taxes were inevitable.
"For that reason, if possible, I must ask you to accompany me to Valifield immediately."
"Ah, damn it. Fine, let's go right now."
Yohan stared blankly up at the sky. Suddenly, a bright light burst forth, and the Unnamed Goddess emerged from within it.
"Ohh!"
"The Goddess! The Goddess has manifested!"
The sudden appearance of the Goddess caused a stir among the crowd, but since everyone knew why she had popped out, they quickly quieted down.
"Riding horses all the way back to Valifield from here is going to take forever. Let's just get there in one shot."
"Indeed. Go and get this over with quickly."
With the help of the Goddess's power, Yohan and the messenger instantly teleported to the front of the Lord's castle in Valifield.
The sudden appearance of three people and several horses startled the nearby pedestrians, causing a brief commotion, but Yohan's irritable glare quickly silenced them.
"To travel such a distance in an instant without even a magic circle..."
Meanwhile, the messenger, experiencing the Goddess's teleportation for the first time, blinked repeatedly in sheer shock. To Yohan, it was just a daily occurrence, but to the residents of this fantasy world, the Goddess's teleportation was an ability truly worthy of being called an Authority.
Although teleportation magic circles existed, they were far too costly for a mere messenger to use unless it was an absolute emergency.
Thus, the messenger had prepared thoroughly, bringing several spare horses to make the round trip between Valifield and the Nameless Village. All that effort had been rendered meaningless in a single second.
"Amazing, right? If you're interested, you should join our church. You can experience the Goddess's miracles as much as you want."
"T-That is quite alright. I am already a believer in Justia, the Goddess of Justice."
"Ahem."
Yohan had attempted a surprise missionary pitch, but unfortunately, the messenger's heart was already taken. Still, seeing as he didn't recognize the Goddess's divine energy, he seemed to be an ordinary believer with no connection to miracle arts.
"Well, let's go see our dear Lord again."
"About that... Please, wait just a moment. Normally, you weren't expected to arrive for another ten days, so we need time to prepare."
That was true. For concrete negotiations, the Lord's side would need to adjust their schedule.
Leaving his horse on the street, the messenger hurriedly ran inside the castle. After waiting for about twenty minutes, the messenger returned, panting heavily.
"How did it go?"
"How did it go?"
"Wheeze—The, the Lord, gasp—asked if you could wait—*pant*—for two hours—wheeze."
The messenger had sprinted back and forth, looking as though he might collapse at any second.
"Two hours. Okay."
Looking down at the messenger who had collapsed onto his knees on the ground, Yohan pondered what to do to pass the time.
The easiest option was to open a dimensional portal and take a nap in his single-room. But... since he had come all the way to Valifield, it felt right to drop by and see his friends.
"Alright."
Decision made. He gave a light nod.
"An officially knighted lord... That's incredible."
"Then that means Yohan is going to be a high-ranking noble now."
"Haha. Well, something like that."
The place Yohan visited during his spare time was the general store run by Henry and Charles. Since he often came here to liquidate stolen goods obtained from shaking down wanted criminals around Valifield, the two weren't particularly surprised by his sudden visit.
"By the way... the atmosphere of the shop has changed a lot, hasn't it?"
At Yohan's remark, Charles and Henry exchanged glances before nodding simultaneously.
"Right? For starters, we've hired two more employees besides me."
"Well, we reached a point where the two of us couldn't handle all the work anymore."
"That's great."
It was truly a wonderful development. For a merchant, being busy with work meant making that much more money.
"Actually, it's not just the staff that increased. The variety of products we carry has grown significantly as well."
"It certainly looks that way."
As far as Yohan knew, the second floor of the building was originally Henry and Charles's living quarters. However, they had expanded the store to the second floor, and recently, they had even signed a long-term contract for a room at a nearby inn to live in.
"..."
A business expansion. An idea suddenly flashed in Yohan's mind.
"Come to think of it, old man, you turned me down when I invited you to join our church last time."
"I did. Don't tell me you're trying to convert me again?"
"No, it's not that. Instead..."
As Yohan trailed off, Henry tilted his head in confusion.
"Our village is about to officially become a settlement under Baron Berriman's rule."
Charles, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, seemed to immediately grasp Yohan's intention, a subtle smile playing on his lips.
"First of all, the population is quite large. It's over two thousand. On top of that, word has spread, so we get travelers dropping by from time to time."
The Nameless Village had just built a brewery and a blacksmith to achieve self-sufficiency. In addition, they needed to establish infrastructure for the convenience of the residents' daily lives.
"Old man, do you have any interest in opening a second branch?"
"What?"
The Nameless Village was certainly a settlement where believers of the Church of the Unnamed Goddess gathered. However, that didn't mean they persecuted or drove away non-believers.
"I'll waive the key money and give you the best possible terms."
Henry would expand his business to secure greater profits, while Yohan and the villagers would be able to easily purchase all kinds of goods supplied by Henry. Originally, Henry was a merchant who sold stolen goods procured from black markets, but recently, as the shop expanded, he had begun handling a large volume of "legitimate" merchandise.
Until now, Yohan had relied on the Goddess's power to procure necessary items for the villagers, but they couldn't keep doing that forever.
"Hmm."
Henry, who had looked momentarily taken aback, quickly adopted the expression of a true merchant who had caught the scent of money.
After meeting Henry and Charles during the brief interlude, Yohan headed back to the Lord's castle. However, he now had a companion.
"Thanks. Honestly, the other guys in the village aren't exactly great with financial calculations, so I was planning to come alone... but..."
"No, not at all. If anything, I'm the one who should be grateful for such a valuable experience."
Charles, a boy with an appearance so delicate and pretty that he was easily mistaken for a girl, walked alongside Yohan.
"You've arrived. The Lord has just finished his work and is waiting for you."
As they reached the castle entrance, an attending servant soon approached them with a polite bow.
"But the companion with you is..."
"My business partner. I vouch for his identity, so it's fine."
"Even if you say so..."
The servant glanced at Charles, looking troubled.
"Look, I said it's fine. Besides, he's a resident of Valifield. His identity is absolutely solid."
"U-Understood."
What are you going to do if I say no anyway? Yohan confidently declared that he would bring Charles along to the negotiations.
"Then, please follow me."
"Yeah. Let's go, lead the way."
Guided by the servant, Yohan and Charles moved to the reception room inside the castle.
"You've arrived."
"Yeah. We're here."
"Wait, is the kid next to you your squire? It looks like you've dressed a girl in boy's clothes..."
"Nope. Despite how he looks, he's way better at math and money than me. It's fine to keep him by my side, right?"
"Well, I don't mind."
The Lord of Valifield didn't particularly object. Charles, whose gender had been mistaken in an instant, tugged at the hem of Yohan's coat to express his annoyance, but Yohan casually ignored him.
Meanwhile, there were several other vassals present in the reception room besides the Lord. They seemed to be witnesses brought in to observe the negotiations and verify that the terms were correct.
"Alright, neither of us has much time, so let's make this quick."
Yohan immediately sat in the chair opposite the Lord, and Charles carefully took a seat beside him.
"Very well. Let's get straight to the point."
And so, the negotiations began. Leaning back in his chair, Yohan briefly scanned the table in front of him.
On the table lay two sheets of parchment, with an inkwell and a quill pen placed between them. Aside from those, there were several books containing records of the various territories within Baron Berriman's domain.
"First, regarding the tax rate, we will grant you preferential treatment compared to other regions for the next thirty years. Consider this a reward for your contribution in building a large-scale village in the lawless lands."
"What about the payment method? Cash is convenient, but our village has more physical goods than money."
"I am aware. The quality of the fruits and vegetables produced in your village is quite excellent. The alcohol you brew yourself was also quite good."
The tax issue, which could be considered the core of the negotiations, was settled surprisingly easily. The Lord of Valifield actually proposed terms that were overall highly favorable to Yohan and the Nameless Village first. It seemed he did so because if the negotiations fell through, the Lord himself would be the one losing out.
"Now, let us discuss the specific boundaries of the fief you will govern."
"Sure."
Round two. Yohan nodded in response to the Lord's declaration.
"First, we intend to designate the Nameless Village, the surrounding forest, and the entirety of the mountainous region in western Valifield as the fief of Knight Yohan."
"Sounds good."
This was within his expectations.
"However... regarding the wasteland town I mentioned before, Junk Town, it seems it will be difficult to incorporate it into your fief."
"Sou—Wait, what?"
This statement went far beyond his expectations. Not only Yohan, but even Charles widened his eyes in surprise.