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𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 (𝟏𝟐)
The orc shook his head.
It was unthinkable. A knight with intellectual culture was as unlikely as an orc who believed in God.
“Do you understand the current situation?”
The orc cleared his throat to enlighten this young knight. The knight was brave and strong, but apparently still lacked the ability to see the bigger picture.
It was understandable.
Most people only saw what was immediately before them. Only a few wise individuals could see the broader future.
“Huh. . . Alright. Let me explain. Repiata-gong has received Umdim city. What does this mean?”
“Does it mean that His Grace the duke is going to start a serious competition among the stars of the family? Umdim is a threatening place, so managing it well could be a way to demonstrate one’s abilities.”
“. . . . . .”
“Am I right? I just thought of it and said it.”
“. . .T-That. . . Yes. That’s what I was about to talk about.”
The orc said, hiding his surprise.
“Why would the stars of the Brduhe family leave their own fief to stay in the duke’s palace? To catch the duke’s eye more often. The situation around Repiata-gong is similar. Now that Umdim has been obtained, many places will arise for the capable to shine. It’s time to boldly step forward, isn’t it?”
“Hmm. I see.”
“Do you understand what I’m saying? That’s why, instead of looking at the fiefdom now, you should quickly find a place near the duke and show your face more often. You are lucky. You have made such achievements this time, and Repiata-gong thinks highly of you. It’s important to establish your position at such times. . .”
The orc’s words were not wrong. Lower nobles who did not inherit a fiefdom needed to catch the eyes of higher nobles to advance.
Those gathered near Repiata had similar motives. Of course, it wasn’t that they lacked loyalty to Repiata.
But apart from loyalty, it’s natural for people to have ambitions for the future.
Each had their own desired future and ambitions for staying close to it.
“I heard you received the position of standard-bearer from the duke. But relying on that and having expectations is too impractical. Look. The standard-bearer is honorable and splendid, but its substance is not that great. Moreover, there are many who have served loyally for more than a decade near the duke. Whom would the duke care for first? No matter how great your achievements, there are limits.”
As Johan listened quietly, the orc became more passionate in his speech. Unbeknownst to himself, he was sincerely making an argument that didn’t need to be made.
There was also the fact that Johan had saved his life, but that could be repaid with gold. He didn’t need to advise this much.
It was because of Johan’s attentive listening.
Other nobles didn’t listen as seriously. Even the knight dastard, who barely escaped a beggar’s fate, ignored the orc’s advice.
“The fief you’ve received is not enough. You must quickly catch the duke’s eye to receive more fiefdoms and positions, and arrange a marriage to expand further. . .”
“Wait. Hold on.”
“?”
“Are you by any chance my vassal?”
At Johan’s words, the orc blushed. It seemed he had gone too far with his advice.
“I appreciate the advice. You speak so seriously, I have to respond seriously too. I understand that being near Repiata-gong is a great opportunity.”
Indeed, not only Repiata but also the stars of Brduhe were opportunities themselves for the young lower nobility. There was a reason why young people, who did not receive a fiefdom, came trusting in their one talent.
“Do you think Repiata-gong will inherit the duke’s title?”
“How would I know? But being afraid of such a thing and doing nothing is very foolish…”
“I asked the wrong question then. Do you think you are worthy to pledge your loyalty to Repiata-gong?”
“Of course, I think so. That’s why I am here, isn’t it?”
“A person as smart as you wouldn’t need to show their face to know who is loyal to them, right?”
“. . . . . .”
The orc was at a loss for words. He stammered out his response.
“W-Well, of course, but the heart of a person tends to lean towards those they see often…”
The lower nobility tried hard to make their presence known at the courts or castles of the nobles they served.
They participated in events or hunts hosted by the nobles, and took the lead in wars. . .
All of this was a desperate attempt to get noticed.
However, Johan did not think it was necessary. Especially in the case of Repiata.
‘𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.’
Checking the fiefdom and inspecting the mercenaries seemed like a more worthwhile task.
“Of course, since my fief is not too far, I intend to cooperate with the governance as much as possible. That should be enough.”
“I-Is that so…”
Somehow, the conversation had taken a turn where the orc seemed to be trying to pull Johan in.
Even though that wasn’t the intention.
‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?’
“Returning to our earlier conversation, do you have anyone in mind who could be recommended as an administrator?”
“. . .Are you seriously asking me that now? Are you sincere?”
The orc was flustered. Was this a suggestion that he would appoint the orc as an administrator?
Usually, they would choose a young lower noble who had studied, or a priest skilled in numbers. . .
“I don’t care much about status if they are only good at numbers. But if they are worse at calculations than me, that’s a problem…”
“Are you good at calculations?”
Johan looked at him intently. The orc spoke again, scared.
“I didn’t mean to insult you! I was just surprised and asked.”
“I’m better than most since I learned from a priest skilled in arithmetic.”
“. . .I’ll give you a problem. A person bequeathed one gold coin and one-seventh of the remainder to the eldest, then two coins and one-seventh of the remainder to the second, and so on in the same way to the youngest, resulting in an equal distribution for all. How many children and how many gold coins…”
“6 children and 36 coins. And if you’re not going to introduce someone smart, could you stop the pointless talk?”
“!!!”