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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Knights Are Upset
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『Rikain Bach』
He was a veteran knight in his fifties, the captain of the Cron Family's knight order, with brown hair and a sturdy build.
In World Archive, he wasn't an SSR but an SR character with solid performance.
His leadership stats rivaled those of SSR characters, and his combat prowess could even take down SSRs depending on magic tools and support character synergies.
He had served the Cron Family for nearly twenty years, starting from the previous lord.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd devoted more than half his life to protecting them.
He had always pledged unwavering loyalty to the Cron Family, but lately, his heart felt troubled.
"Did it really have to go that far, Captain?"
"What are you talking about?"
Rikain quietly watched the soldiers gathering after their night shift, grumbling their complaints.
They didn't hide their dissatisfaction.
"I heard the salt farm workers' wages doubled?"
"That's what I heard too."
"But what about our pay?"
The soldiers vented their frustrations.
Ever since word spread that the salt farm workers' wages had doubled overnight, discontent had begun brewing not just among the soldiers but even among the knights.
Soldiers trained all day and guarded the territory.
Yet the salt workers had suddenly doubled their pay.
Even if knights earned more than twice what the workers did, the fact that their own wages stayed the same while the workers' went up left a bitter taste.
"We risk our lives for the territory too—how is it fair that only they get double?"
Rikain understood the soldiers' feelings.
But he was the captain of the Cron Family's knights.
No matter their grievances, he couldn't let discipline crumble.
"That's enough!"
He barked in the heavy tone of a knight captain.
"The lord's decision must have its reasons. We knights fight for honor, not a few silver coins. Don't complain."
The soldiers fell silent.
But even Rikain himself felt his resolve waver.
'Couldn't our knights get better treatment too?'
A bitter thought lingered in the corner of his mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"My lord, how shall we use the increased revenue?"
I scratched my head at Hart's question.
The workers' efforts had generated excessive extra income.
If I didn't spend it quickly, some other faction would just plunder it, benefiting them instead.
How should I blow through this money...?
How can I spend it in a way that wins the people's hearts while building my reputation as incompetent?
As I pondered, Hart cautiously suggested,
"My lord, why not take this chance to renovate the castle lavishly? The Cron Family's castle is too outdated for you to live in."
Hart proposed sprucing up the castle.
I shot it down immediately.
"No extravagance."
The moment I started living lavishly, my reputation would tank, and so would my survival odds.
I needed a way to spend money that boosted public sentiment.
As I mulled it over, I glanced outside the castle.
I saw farmers, workers, merchants, and knights in training.
'Come to think of it...'
Suddenly, a lesson from my past life's history class popped into my head.
Ming Dynasty's Hongwu Emperor had withheld officials' salaries, leading them to take bribes. I slapped my thigh.
'Yes! Invest in the knights!'
I was the lord, after all.
I couldn't ignore that the knights were a key pillar of my power base.
History class taught that underpaid officials turned corrupt, ultimately burdening the people.
This would win the knights' favor, free the people from knightly corruption, and waste money.
A perfect three-birds-one-stone solution.
But handing out cash directly might cause weird butterfly effects, so I decided on another way to support them.
"Hart."
"Yes, my lord."
I explained my plan for supporting the knights to Steward Hart.
Go forth, Steward Hart!!
Not with a body slam... but to support the knights!!
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At my command, Hart launched full-scale reforms for the Cron Family's knight order.
First, replace the knights' equipment.
All the rusted, ancient swords and armor—barely distinguishable as iron or copper—were sent to the forge.
They were replaced with gleaming new swords, spears, armor, and shields forged from top-grade iron ore.
The stables were expanded to provide each knight with a dedicated warhorse.
According to Calix's knowledge, even in this era, warhorse care was a personal burden for knight commanders, which was a strain.
Now the territory would cover it.
Second, improve the knights' living conditions.
Renovate barracks for soldiers and knights into clean spaces.
Lower-ranking soldiers and regular knights lived in crumbling wooden huts over fifty years old.
It was a black plague waiting to happen, so I prioritized fixes.
Finally, secure the knights' futures.
Grant unused territory land as personal property to knights.
This was Hart's idea: rather than letting knights idle, giving them land for farming would secure their retirement and reclaim fallow fields.
It reminded me of the "tuntian" system from Romance of the Three Kingdoms—a great idea, so I approved it on the spot.
Thus, the "money waste"—er, "reforms"—proceeded smoothly.
Not handing out cash, but transforming their lives entirely.
This way, I'd burn through the funds and win their hearts.
So thinking, I sipped tea while watching the sunset.
This time, a flawless plan.
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Rikain and the Cron Family knights could hardly believe it.
They tensed at the sudden reforms from the lord, but soon tasted paradise.
"Captain! All equipment replaced with new gear!"
"Captain!! The territory will handle warhorse care from now on!"
"Captain!!! The barracks are like new!!! No more leaks in the rain!!!"
It uprooted their pent-up grievances.
And it didn't stop there.
"Is this really our land?"
"Yes, from here to there—land granted by the lord to the knights."
Land had been bestowed upon them.
Not yet cleared, but near the village with good soil—perfect for farming.
"Land for us...?"
"I can't believe it, Captain!"
The other knights stared at their new holdings in disbelief.
Knighthood was glamorous and romantic, but deadly and short-lived.
Everyone craved stable retirement income; farmland was the ideal plan.
Rikain's heart trembled at the lord's consideration.
Knights should exemplify loyalty without greed.
Showing avarice tarnished honor, deterring open demands.
Calix had respected that, safeguarding their honor while granting their wishes.
'Ah... to serve such a great lord...'
Rikain felt ashamed.
The young lord had ascended abruptly after the previous one's sudden death.
Everyone mocked him; instead of supporting, they schemed to exploit.
He'd focused on the people's happiness from reforms, ignoring his knights' gains.
Even he himself.
Yet the lord clearly cared for them—honor included.
Overwhelmed by emotion and shame, Rikain drew his sword and plunged it into the ground.
In the setting sun, it cast a cross-shaped shadow.
He knelt on one knee and swore the Knight's Oath to Lord Calix.
"I, Rikain Bach, swear to the God of Knights and Honor, Ashuron. Until my last breath against the enemy's blade, I pledge eternal loyalty to Lord Calix."
『Knight's Oath』 The absolute vow knights make to the God of Knights and Honor, Ashuron. Those who break it are said to be pierced by his spear even after death, mocked until world's end.
A vow made only to a self-chosen lord—one he hadn't even made to the previous one. Rikain swore it publicly to Lord Calix.
Seeing this, one by one, the other knights followed, pledging loyalty to Lord Calix.
It was the birth of the 『Cron Knight Order』, whose unimaginable loyalty would later terrify other lords.
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Having reformed the knights and burned through the salt farm surplus, I pondered my next money sink.
Then Hart rushed in.
"My lord!!"
"What is it, Hart?"
Hart looked utterly shocked as he hurried over.
Sensing unease, I asked carefully. He handed me a report.
"The territory's revenue has increased again!!"
"......Again!?"
No way—another surge!?