Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Wandering Knight Bandits
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Word had spread that he was now in charge of the territory. And trailing behind him were only a ragged handful of escorts. But Kyle had already done the math in an instant. He knew that sticking with him now would secure his position.
In George's eyes, Kyle looked like a golden lifeline fallen from the heavens—a rope that would keep him in his place. He decided to latch onto Kyle's coattails.
"I'll guide you to the count's office. This way..."
Kyle already knew where the office was, but he pretended not to and followed along. The deeper they went into the castle, the clearer it became that things were even worse than he'd thought. They hadn't been plundered, but the economy hadn't improved either, leaving the castle in a state of utter decay.
The food stores had been depleted entertaining Cligrove's army, and the caravans that should have brought in more supplies couldn't even enter because of the swarming bandits. That alone gave Kyle a solid grasp of what he needed to tackle first.
Meanwhile, George, who had led Kyle to the office, shook his head.
"Here it is. The count was hauled off without anyone so much as touching it."
"Can you swear to that?"
Would any noble pass up the count's hidden fortune? But at Kyle's question, George shook his head.
"Hidden fortune, you mean? If there really was one, the count would've used it himself. It's obvious there's nothing, so no one's even bothered searching the office."
Kyle decided to hire him on the spot, seeing how freely he now called his former lord "the count." Loyalty might be a bust, but for someone with no foundation like himself, a man like this was exactly what he needed.
Better than those wailing over the fallen Sarisa Count and obstructing everything at every turn. And you couldn't just kill off nobles easily.
"Thanks. Now go gather all the remaining nobles. I have something to say to them."
"Understood, Viscount."
George bowed as if already acknowledging him as the new lord and stepped out. Optimistically, quick on the uptake; pessimistically, a slippery opportunist. Watching him go, Kyle rummaged through the papers. Finally, Gringem, who had kept silent until now, spoke up.
"You've really become a noble."
"Yeah, something like that. More importantly, what are your plans now? Your caravan seems pretty much done for."
Kyle was blunt with Gringem. But even poked in a sore spot, he replied with his usual stoic face.
"I wasn't always the caravan leader. Just a merchant. Life throws all sorts of curveballs..."
Thud!
Kyle set down the paper he was holding, cutting him off.
"Be straight with me, Gringem. Want to work under me?"
It wasn't the coercive approach a typical noble might take. Forcing him wouldn't guarantee good work anyway. A capable man harboring resentment was far more dangerous. Kyle knew that.
"..."
Gringem stared at him for a moment. The green kid who'd haggled over hides was gone; now there was just a noble before him. Though he suited the role of knight even more.
Maybe this guy was greater than him after all. He'd heard whispers that Gringem, starting as an apprentice, had built a caravan in nearly a decade and was on track for merchant lord status. Having lost everything and back to square one, Gringem decided to invest in him once more.
"If even a fallen merchant like me is useful... I'll give it my all."
As Gringem bowed his head, Kyle smiled in satisfaction. He'd found someone to handle the territory's finances. At the very least, Gringem wouldn't pull any shady tricks, he figured.
"Then sort these out and report back."
Kyle, whose literacy was still rudimentary, shoved all the scattered documents on the desk toward Gringem. He sat down at the office desk and quietly eyed the door, preparing to face the nobles who would soon swarm in.
Meanwhile, the nobles who had gathered in front of the mansion upon hearing Baron George's words were chattering among themselves instead of going in. Their numbers were far fewer than before, though.
The surviving knights had mostly retreated to their own manors upon losing their lord. The poor ones without manors were at a crossroads—become wandering knights or just sit idle—when news arrived of a new lord for the territory, drawing them running.
"That guy... no, the baron, became a viscount and came here?"
"Heh... Well, Cligrove's witch must've been desperate. The man's loyalty is something else, right? Stayed and fought in the heart of enemy lines for his lord."
"Come to think of it, they say he killed a werewolf."
"Word is, if something rubs him wrong, he rips people apart without blinking. Apparently, the witch kept him in check last time so he didn't go berserk."
Amid the chatter, one quiet noble spoke up.
"But maybe we shouldn't call her a witch anymore? Considering we're about to serve her as our lord..."
The other nobles stared at him in disbelief, but the one who'd spoken cleared his throat and slipped into the mansion.
"Tch... That spineless..."
An elderly noble clicked his tongue. How soon after their lord's fall could someone switch like that? True loyalty lost was as good as losing one's life... But the mood had already shifted.
"Ahem! The viscount summoned us; it wouldn't do to keep him waiting."
"My lord! I'm coming now!"
As the nobles rushed into the mansion en masse, even the old one who'd criticized the firstcomer cleared his throat and followed. Come to think of it, wasn't his granddaughter just the right age?
"You're late."
Kyle, waiting in the office, said coolly. Facing them now was no mere baron pretender, but the viscount dispatched to govern the territory. Sweat poured from the nobles at his voice.
"We... thought it best to go in together..."
"It won't happen again."
Some had plotted before meeting him on how to devour this lightning-promoted noble, but those thoughts shattered upon seeing him. A murderous aura poured from him, promising to crush skulls for any funny business.
"As some of you saw recently, I'm Lucas Kyle. A few might know me from before, but then I was a baron. Now, by the lady's undeserved grace, I've become a viscount."
"Haha! Congratulations!"
"I knew from the first sight you were no ordinary man!"
Overpowered by his presence, the nobles fawned and forced smiles.
"I called you here to assess the territory's situation. Guard captain, what's the current state of our forces?"
At his words, Baron George fell silent. Truth was, even he didn't know how many soldiers remained in the city.
"I'll... look into it."
That was all he could say. The mood in the office grew heavier.
"Then what's the current tax rate? Anyone know?"
"We'd need the sheriffs for that..."
In the end, they knew nothing. But Kyle didn't blame them. No expectations meant no disappointment. He'd had none since entering the castle.
"You all know nothing..."
"..."
The nobles sat like mutes eating honey. Moments later, Kyle spoke again.
"Then find out. You have one day. And guard captain."
"Baron George, Viscount."
"Right, Baron George. Have your guards focus on internal security as much as possible. I'll handle the outside for a while."
"By yourself?"
Baron George asked incredulously, but Kyle shook his head. Even he wasn't planning to go alone. And he had staunch allies in this territory.
"Knight!"
"Baron!"
After issuing orders to the nobles, Kyle headed to the tavern. There, the elite swordsmen were still lounging about with nothing to do. Eriksen and the swordsmen lit up at the sight of him and greeted warmly.
"How've you all been?"
"Haha! Doing great. Bandits are everywhere lately, so we've been picking up some mercenary gigs. But why's the knight here...?"
Eriksen glanced outside.
"Is the lady here? As the new lord?"
The count was still alive, so it seemed plausible. But he was way off.
"I'm the lord."
"Pardon?"
Ancient curses come in various forms: primitive spells, black magic, grudges born of hatred. They all share two traits. First, they're executed through utterly vile means. Second, they have a source that controls and sustains them.
And the curse Sarisa Count had prepared to neutralize Cligrove Count was rooted in Sarisa territory.
Thump... Thump...
The dark crimson heart pulsed. A wicked curse born from sacrificing pure virgins and innocent children. What started as the count's superstitious whim had toppled Cligrove Count as wished—a miracle by mystical power. Satisfied, the count reveled in his creation. But the primitive curse, born by chance, began to evolve beyond his expectations. It started with the two wars and Cligrove's rampaging soldiers.
Absorbing the grudge of the dead, the curse spread its power as if announcing its accidental birth. It began in the cave where it resided.
Meanwhile, near Sarisa Castle.
"Wh... why a knight?"
"Sh..."
The bandits' end was miserable. Kyle moved with elite swordsmen familiar with the terrain, who sniffed them out like ghosts. The bandits dropped their farm tools without resistance upon sighting them. Ringleaders lost their heads.
Even villages not caught red-handed but showing bandit traces got new chiefs. Village heads weren't replaced lightly, but this was a hardline measure to maintain order before things worsened.
In the midst of smooth bandit suppression, Kyle heard ominous news in a village he stopped at. The chief, desperately claiming innocence and barely spared, prostrated himself and spilled what he'd heard.
"A knight-like figure is leading stragglers and mercenaries in banditry... They hit our village regularly for food, so they're probably operating nearby..."