Chapter 86
“Whoa whoa whoa~.”
The man leading the group of knights who rode into the manor stroked his horse’s mane.
The man had narrow, slanted eyes and a deep diagonal scar etched across his face.
The man, already possessing a fierce countenance, looked even more unpleasant with the added scar.
“It’s been a while, Commander.”
His words were polite, but his attitude was insolent.
He remained on horseback, looking down at Commander Definir.
“Sir Diogo, what brings you all the way here?”
“I’m hurt, Commander.
It’s not like I only come when there’s business, is it?”
“Of course not, but it seems you have something to say now.”
“Well, as I mentioned last time, the amount of tribute owed to Alcantara has increased.
Therefore, shouldn’t we share the burden?”
“Are you saying Alcantara told you to pay double the tribute?”
“Well, that’s not quite it, but what can we do when we’re short on funds trying to make ends meet?”
“We cannot pay double the tribute.
It’s impossible for us to sustain ourselves that way.”
The two men continued their conversation facing each other without yielding an inch.
“I understand that even when other knight orders raised their protection and commission fees, Commander Definir did not.
Why not just raise them?”
“…Are we robbers?
Does it make sense for knights to extort more money from the domain residents and nearby villagers they are supposed to help?
They already pay taxes to the lord.”
“Why doesn't it make sense?
Thanks to whom can they farm safely and continue their livelihoods?”
“That’s sophistry.
Thanks to whom are we able to live in such comfort?”
“Ha, well, fine.
If you insist on acting this way, we can just sever our ties with the Yustia Knights.”
“…As you wish-.”
Just as Definir was about to retort with the same 'as you wish', Embraga ran out, knelt before Diogo, and bowed his head low.
“Father, no, our Commander is very tired from fighting a difficult battle yesterday.
Please understand, Sir Diogo.
We will somehow arrange the tribute-”
“Silence, you fool!
Know shame!”
“Father, you should be quiet!
Look at reality!
If we are told we are no longer Yustia’s cooperating knight order right now, can the order survive?
Won't people come rushing at us from all sides, targeting us?”
“…”
Definir closed his mouth, watching his son speak without even pausing for breath.
“Bring it quickly!”
Just then, Embraga instructed one of the members to bring the gold coins and handed them directly to Diogo.
“This is this month’s tribute.
We’ve filled it to double the amount.”
“Hahahahahaha, well, well.
Commander Definir.
You have raised a fine son with a realistic outlook.”
Diogo’s loud laughter made Definir’s complexion darken further.
“If it weren't for your son, we had no intention of cooperating with the Yustia Knights any longer, but seeing Sir Embraga's sincerity, the cooperation will continue.
However!”
He grinned.
Embraga was pleased, thinking the cooperative relationship with the Maltia Knights was maintained thanks to him.
“We will receive triple the original tribute amount.
We were already stretching ourselves by reducing the increase to only double, but if you act like this, we have no choice but to go with the original plan.”
“…What on earth are you talking about?
Triple?”
“Oh, Sir Embraga.
Since you are a man who knows loyalty, you must understand well, right?
How difficult it is to run a knight order.
If the cooperating knight orders don’t help, it’s difficult for us to operate too.
So, prepare triple starting next month.”
“Triple is impossible…!
I will somehow prepare up to double…”
“Sorry, but.
If it’s not triple, the cooperative relationship is over.”
Embraga’s face crumpled on the spot.
“What are you talking about!
What we initially discussed wasn’t double!”
“So what?”
“What?”
“You half-wit, did I sign a document with you?
So what if you don’t give triple?
There are plenty of small knight orders around willing to cooperate with us, why should we accommodate you?”
At his words, Embraga collapsed onto the spot with a dumbfounded expression.
“We will come to collect the remainder of this month’s tribute in three days, so prepare it by then.
If you cannot pay the tribute, you will have to leave this place.
Another knight order will take over here.”
“…”
Dumbfounded, Embraga sat collapsed on the floor, unable to say anything, while Definir merely stared ahead with an indifferent expression.
After Diogo and the Maltia Knights accompanying him roughly departed, Definir stared indifferently at his son.
“Do you know what you have done?”
“…So what are you telling me to do?
Was I supposed to just watch the cooperation break off before my eyes?
Look now!
Aren't they telling us to leave!”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Definir slowly walked over, and his fist struck his son’s face.
Smack!
The son’s head snapped back, and he collapsed straight onto the floor.
“They intended to drive us out anyway.
If you give them one, they will demand two, and if you give them two, they would have demanded three.
Why don’t you understand that?
Do you know what a knight is?
Do you truly understand the meaning of the word?”
“…”
“Us giving up one thing means the people living here must reduce their two meals a day to one.
Those who ate one meal will mean they cannot even eat that one meal properly.
If we leave, someone else will come, and they will eventually change everything according to the current Maltia Knights’ desires.
Why do you not know that?”
“…”
Definir looked up at the sky out of frustration.
When he first established the small knight order and settled here, he believed everything would work out well.
However, the world wasn't so easy.
He tried tirelessly to walk the right path, but all surrounding circumstances pointed fingers at him for living righteously.
‘Even so… I cannot call what is not right, right.’
His knight order, Yustia, was derived from Justitia, meaning justice.
To die as a knight, even if it meant death.
That was the conviction Definir had upheld throughout his life.
***
That evening, Definir gathered all the members of the knight order.
“In three days, they will attack us.
Or we will have to leave this place.
Leaving is not frightening.
However, thinking about what will happen after we leave, I have no intention of retreating.”
Everyone held their breath and listened intently to what might be their commander’s final speech.
“I know, this might just be the desperate struggle of a small knight order.
I intend to show them that even something small, if venomous, should not be trifled with carelessly.
However, I do not wish to force a choice upon you.
Those who wish to leave, depart within two days.
I will not resent those who leave.”
Everyone fell silent at his words.
This was a path to death.
Nevertheless, the knights who had spent nearly ten years with the commander and learned his chivalry couldn't easily make a choice.
“If it’s a place to die anyway, I will be with the Commander.”
Definir’s most trusted knight, Roberio, raised his sword.
Following him, all the knights, now numbering 28, raised their swords, vowing to stand with the commander.
He clenched his teeth tightly and nodded in response.
Definir, having heard the knights' pledge, walked towards the training ground and saw Karl swinging his sword.
“Sir Basko, in three days, a battle will occur with the Maltia Knights.
Please leave this place before then.”
If there had been more time, Definir would have wanted to talk more with the man before him.
In a short time, Definir had received much comfort from him.
It felt like receiving solace for his life, which he had always lived with questions.
“If you fight, you will die.”
“Aren’t we knights?
Sometimes, there is justice that must be confronted even knowing it’s impossible.”
Karl thought once again about what a knight was.
He remembered the day he received his first knighthood.
Never fear the enemy before you.
Always act virtuously with courage.
Speak the truth, risking your life, and always protect the weak with goodwill.
That is your calling.
I didn't know if only the words and form were passed down, but with such phrases, Karl became a knight amidst the desert sandstorms.
It was an investiture received on a hill of only corpses and sand, so I hadn't thought seriously about it back then.
But thinking about it now, a true knight meant those who upheld the words spoken at that investiture ceremony.
Come to think of it, he had always introduced himself as a Free Knight.
A question I hadn't thought deeply about despite experiencing so many things was posed to myself at this moment.
He had been moved by the situation called 'quests'.
On the other hand, what about Definir and the knights before him?
They didn't hesitate even in the face of the fear that they could lose their lives.
The man who raised his sword before him now was a real knight.
And Karl respected such a Definir.
“…It is said that helping a faithful friend is the greatest virtue of a knight.
I intend to help my friend.”
No quest window appeared, but Karl decided to help the man before him.
This was Karl’s purely own decision, without any external influence involved.
And he thought this decision was the beginning of taking a new step forward by himself after entering this crappy game.
“Sir Basko…?”
“Commander Definir, you are a knight worthy of respect.”
Definir was suddenly dumbfounded.
***
Three days passed, and Diogo arrived at the manor with 50 knights of Maltia.
They were already fully armed.
They looked nothing like knights visiting a cooperating knight order.
“So, have you prepared the tribute?”
Diogo of Maltia was smiling with a twisted sneer.
“There is no such thing as tribute.”
Diogo looked at the Yustia Knights, who had come out fully armed like themselves, and smiled wryly once more.
“You intend to stop us with merely that number?”
“Think we can’t?”
“Naturally, yes.”
“Even if we cannot win.
You too will have to endure losses.”
“Why are you stepping forward to die?
You should have run away during the three days.”
“Sometimes, there are times when one must not retreat.”
“Even though you will die?”
“Of course.
Isn't that why we are knights?”
For the first time, Diogo frowned instead of sneering.
“If you want to die, I’ll grant your wish.”
The Yustia Knights drew their swords.
The sky was clear, and light reflected off the blades.
At that moment, the Maltia Knights began to charge towards the manor.