Chapter 16. Clouds of War (1)
The chaos at the fortress gate was finally sorted out when Archduke Gabir arrived.
As expected, it took soone with high rank to calm things down.
“You, I’ll repay this favor. Co see tomorrow!”
“Grandfather, you mustn’t burden the Noble One.”
“Of course, Alina. I’ll keep that in mind, so rest well tonight and head to the temple tomorrow… You! You must co!”
…How to put it.
It felt like pushing today’s howork to tomorrow.
Anyway, after organizing the situation, the Archduke summoned to his office.
I dismissed the rcenary band at the gate and arrived a bit late.
“Enter.”
Perhaps he’d been inford in advance.
The guards at the lord’s castle opened the door without even checking my rcenary badge.
The Archduke’s office was on the third floor.
One of the few lit windows in the castle.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we could calm the viscount.”
The room had a tray of luxurious snacks prepared.
“Have so. You must be hungry after the long trip.”
I’d rather wash than eat… but that was probably too much to ask.
Had he stayed up all night?
The dark circles under the Archduke’s eyes were prominent.
In the bright light, they seed even darker.
“It seems Baron Burken’s corruption even reached the church.”
The Archduke sighed as he began.
“The holy Imperial Church developed a culture of shunning its own brothers and sisters.”
Here’s how it went.
Baron Burken’s embezzlent naturally corrupted the church in his domain.
Unlike the rigid hierarchy of the military, the church was a relatively loose organization.
Whenever new mbers were assigned from outside, they faced two choices:
Join the corruption or be ostracized.
“Most succumbed to persuasion, I found. Acolyte Alina didn’t. Must take after her grandfather, Viscount Pewin.”
And so, systematic bullying began.
Forcing her to do nial tasks like cleaning and washing dishes was the least of it.
They openly gossiped about her within earshot and spread baseless rumors around the village.
It wasn’t physical abuse, but she endured all forms of ntal tornt.
“She could’ve requested a transfer… She held on remarkably.”
I didn’t quite get it.
Well, maybe true heroes showed their ttle from the start.
The problem was that she was a hero for the vampire faction.
Anyway.
The real incident happened after the Burken defense battle.
Per church tradition, priests and paladins recovered and cremated the bodies of fallen soldiers.
The corrupt priests assigned Alina the hardest task:
Collecting remains farthest from the fortress walls.
“Normally, you wouldn’t send an acolyte to such a dangerous area. And the paladin ant to escort her was lounging in the village.”
That was the day Alina was kidnapped by the necromancer Tribus.
And it just so happened that Viscount Pewin, passing nearby, heard about the invasion and visited the fortress, worried about his granddaughter’s safety.
“…It must’ve turned everything upside down when he learned of her disappearance.”
“Exactly. Until then, it was just a missing person case. But when a viscount with many church connections started investigating, the truth unraveled.”
The Archduke gulped down his tea, as if his throat was parched.
…Isn’t that hot?
“Stopping him from demanding the priests’ and paladins’ heads was no easy task.”
That explained the dark circles.
I could understand Pewin’s position.
But actually executing the priests would’ve blown the issue out of proportion.
Steel. Magic. Faith.
The church, one of the three pillars of the Empire, was untouchable even for nobles.
“The temple will issue a ruling. It’ll take ti, but with Pewin’s connections, it won’t be as slow as usual.”
The Archduke, who’d been talking nonstop, suddenly fell silent after that.
Fiddling with his beard, he snapped his fingers.
A butler entered with a tray.
On it were two items:
An envelope that looked like it contained a check.
And a heavy coin pouch.
“I’ve taken too much of your ti. I received your report. You worked hard on the mission.”
[Achievent Unlocked! Completed a high-ranking noble’s mission for the first ti.]
[Acquired a fixed trait.]
Ti to settle accounts.
***
I accepted Archduke Gabir’s mission for two main reasons.
First, money.
Second, a trait.
[Freelancer]
[Gain additional favor when completing a noble’s mission.]
“A must-have trait for mid-ga preparation.”
Warlord Conquest is a strategy ga.
To win, you need to quickly grow your faction, and interacting with nobles from various factions is unavoidable.
[Freelancer] is essential in that context.
In the early ga, where you’re more likely to et nobles as clients than allies, this trait makes it easier to build a foothold with them.
The earlier you get it, the more missions it applies to, so it’s best to acquire it as soon as possible.
“The random favor boost is a downside… but what can you do?”
At least it doesn’t drop into the negative.
What more can you expect from this luck-based garbage ga?
Anyway, I got what I needed most, so next was the extra paynt.
That coin pouch… it looked heavier than expected.
“Twenty florins in a check. The rest in silver and gold coins.”
The Archduke spoke.
The butler beside him listed the additional paynt items and amounts.
Patrolling beyond the agreed route: one.
Eliminating five wandering undead groups: five.
Defeating a hidden human necromancer: six.
Rescuing a key church figure: fifteen.
All in gold coins.
That’s a whopping 27 florins.
“Crazy.”
The mission fee was 20 florins.
How did the bonus end up more than the original?
Sure, the unexpected random encounter was tough.
But even accounting for that, it was a hefty sum.
“You said you’re eting the viscount tomorrow. He’d give chests of gold for his daughter.”
“That’s how it looked.”
“Tell him you’ve already been paid enough by . Asking for more using family as leverage is poison.”
Oh, he wanted to smooth things over with the viscount.
No wonder the “key figure rescue” paynt was on a different scale.
Thinking about it, whether it was the necromancer or the corrupt church, this happened in a region under the Archduke’s temporary jurisdiction.
The root cause might trace back to Baron Burken.
“But you can’t hold a beheaded man accountable.”
Since the Archduke wasn’t entirely blaless, he was sending a gesture of reconciliation through .
I knew he was giving too much information earlier.
Even if it sounded like complaints…
I knew better than anyone that the Archduke wasn’t the type to whine to a rcenary.
Sly old fox.
[I activated Lord’s Unyielding Mind.]
“Ultimately, rescuing the acolyte was thanks to your mission, Archduke. I’ll make sure to convey that, so don’t worry.”
Thanks to the trait, I greased my words, and the Archduke nodded.
His expression didn’t change, but his favor probably ticked up a bit.
“You understand well. You may go.”
With the clean dismissal, I gathered the money and left the castle.
By the ti I passed through the fortress' side gate, opened by a guard, the sun had fully set.
…Wait.
It’s a three-hour walk to the village from here.
Won’t I arrive at sunrise?
***
The next day.
I headed to the rcenary Guild Tavern early in the morning.
“Alright, folks, wake up! Don’t want your pay?”
“Everyone, get up! The captain’s here!”
The gathered mbers rubbed sleepy eyes and stood.
Even the ones usually late by minutes were on ti for this.
I fairly distributed the 7 florins of extra paynt, excluding the check, from yesterday.
Fair, of course, ant based on rcenary rank.
It’d be unfair if veterans, who did most of the work, got the sa as green rookies.
Two were exceptions.
“Hanson, Samuel. You two are excluded.”
“…Understood.”
rits must be rewarded, but mistakes must be addressed.
In the first battle, Hanson fired on , and Samuel hit a friendly spearman with a crossbow.
Friendly fire wasn’t just about one extra casualty.
The possibility of stray shots from the rear could make frontline infantry hesitate.
The first battle showed that clearly.
Their mistakes could’ve led to a major accident.
In fact, Samuel’s arrow did injure a spearman.
It was only because the battle was nearly over that it wasn’t worse.
“Even if you feel wronged, it’s fair punishnt per guild rules. Another band would’ve docked your next month’s pay too. Don’t hold grudges.”
“…Yes.”
“Answer.”
“Yes!!”
It wasn’t a lie.
By guild rules, causing harm or clear danger to allies could lead to summary execution, depending on the mission.
Though it’s mostly a nominal rule, and each band has its own code.
“Karen, buy those two a drink.”
Maybe thanks to [Lord’s Unyielding Mind], I dismissed the teary-eyed n and slipped so silver to their lieutenant.
Mistakes were mistakes, but their efforts were efforts.
One mistake shouldn’t tank morale completely.
“…Cool captain.”
“Even as a guy, I think so. Oh, I know a good tavern. If you’re going, let’s…”
After settling accounts, I left the village with Olif.
Viscount Pewin, whom I was visiting today, was staying as a guest at the lord’s castle.
“I rented two horses for the day.”
“Just one day? Is that possible?”
“Yes, from a horse trader I’ve known for years in the village.”
Thanks to Olif’s connections and preparedness, I didn’t have to walk three hours.
“Haha… You ca quickly. Good to see you.”
Thankfully, Viscount Pewin wasn’t as agitated as last night.
Maybe he’d cald down overnight.
Or maybe Alina’s sharp gaze kept him in check.
I wasn’t sure which, but it didn’t matter much.
“Do you know the Pewin family motto?”
“Please tell .”
“‘Forget neither kindness nor enmity.’”
Starting with proper noble pleasantries,
“I heard from my granddaughter what happened. Kindness must be repaid. Tell , what do you want?”
“That’s too much. I only did my duty. Archduke Gabir has already paid sufficiently.”
A question about desired rewards, t with a planned polite refusal.
Honestly, I considered asking for a chest of gold behind the Archduke’s back…
But I settled on building a good relationship.
It was true the Archduke had paid enough.
More importantly, this was a favor done outside the mission.
In such cases, refusing paynt boosts favor more.
[I activated Freelancer.]
[Torburn Pewin’s favor significantly increased.]
Even in cases like this, [Freelancer] worked.
Even without a formal contract, fulfilling a noble’s wishes counted as a mission.
That’s why it’s a must-have trait.
Now to the main point.
I got what I needed. The real work started now.
“Hahaha! You’re destined for great things! I want to work with you for a long ti. If you wish, I could arrange a marriage with my granddaughter!”
“G-Grandfather!”
I’d thought about it last night.
Torburn Pewin.
Head of the Pewin Viscounty.
Despite his disheveled hair and ragged appearance,
failing to recognize soone from one of the Empire’s top ten noble houses wasn’t a coincidence.
One reason was that the Pewin Viscounty had no playable characters…
“But this guy was supposed to have died long ago.”
[I activated Lord’s Unyielding Mind.]
Let’s think.
Why was this old man still alive?
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