Chapter 7 - 6: Lurking Crisis

"This is what my father gave me?"

By the light of the torches, Ronin looked at the few carriages parked in the estate’s Outer Fortress, his voice tinged with disappointment.

Before him were a single warhorse, six carriages loaded with grain, and ten servants standing beside them.

Seven horses, six carriages, and ten servants.

Holwart stood to the side, explaining, "Young Master, this is a fine-quality warhorse. It would sell for as much as 100 Gold Coins on the market! And while these other six horses aren’t warhorses, they are still of good quality. Each one is worth at least twenty Gold Coins."

"The carriages are loaded with two thousand catties of barley, five hundred catties of wheat, five hundred catties of flour, two hundred catties of dried meat, fifty catties of coarse salt, and ten catties of fine salt. This is enough food for you, these nine Elite Soldiers, and your manservant for a year."

"Additionally, there are pots, utensils, cups, and other daily necessities. It’s not much, but it’s enough for your daily use."

Ronin chuckled dryly. ’It’s all here, I guess, just not very much of it.’

’This barley and wheat haven’t even been hulled. It might be three thousand catties in total, but how much of it is actually edible?’

’Is the Count expecting me to spend the next year alternating between starving and being full?’

’As for the nine "Elite Soldiers"...’

Ronin glanced at the nine men standing by the carriages. They carried only swords, without even a scrap of armor. Seeing their listless, dispirited expressions, he thought, ’These are the Elite Soldiers of Wushan Castle?’

’What a joke!’

The manservant standing to the side, however, seemed decent enough to Ronin. He looked strong.

’Ah, forget it...’

Ronin shook his head to himself. ’I’m in no position to be picky right now. I’ll just have to take what I can get.’

Comforting himself, he asked, "Besides all this, is there anything else? What about the One Hundred Gold Coins my grandfather gave me?"

He was more concerned about this. As long as he had money, he could buy whatever he was missing.

Barley sold for 3 Copper Coins per catty on the market. Buying another three thousand catties would only cost him 9 Gold Coins, which was affordable.

"Right here!"

Holwart pulled a black pouch from his coat. The jingling sound of coins colliding was music to the ears.

"In addition to the 100 Gold Coins from the Marquis, Lady Dianey has also given you 50 Gold Coins. She said you should focus on developing your territory and that you should remember to come home and visit when you have time."

Ronin’s eyes lit up.

’Well now, my predecessor’s stepmother isn’t so bad after all. To think she’d sponsor me 50 Gold Coins on her own initiative.’

’Why would she sponsor me?’

Ronin wondered, ’Isn’t she worried that if I rise up, I’ll threaten her own son’s position?’

In reality, Ronin was overthinking things.

From Dianey’s perspective, it was questionable whether Ronin could even survive in Mountain Forest Town, let alone rise to power.

Besides, how could an ordinary person rise up from nothing?

So in Dianey’s eyes, Ronin and her son were not on the same level. There was no need for her to compete with him.

On the contrary, by doing this, in the eyes of Marquis Lurans, she was showing that she truly cared for the descendants of the Wushan Clan.

"Please express my gratitude to Dianey!"

Ronin said casually as he took the money pouch from Holwart. ’This heavy feeling is really quite nice.’

Holwart nodded in acknowledgment. "Also, Young Master, the master asked me to relay a message to you."

"Oh?"

Ronin was a little surprised. He had previously asked Holwart to pass a message to Wiggin, and he hadn’t expected a reply.

"What did the Count want you to tell me?"

The message seemed to be a bit awkward, making it difficult for Holwart to say. He spoke in a low voice, "The master said that once you have received these things, you should leave Wushan Castle first thing tomorrow morning."

Ronin: "..."

Before, when Holwart delivered the letter of appointment, Wiggin had just told him to leave within two days. Now that he had the resources, he was being told to leave tomorrow morning.

It seemed that giving him this much had already displeased Wiggin.

At this thought, Ronin couldn’t help but laugh.

"Holwart, please thank my father for me."

"Ah?" Holwart was a bit confused.

"Thank him for his tolerance in allowing me to stay one more night in the castle."

Holwart forced a smile. He could detect the faint sarcasm and provocation in the words, but he could also understand why a son would resent a father with such an attitude.

Ronin put the money pouch away and pointed at the manservant he was relatively pleased with. This fellow had much more spirit than the nine "Elite Soldiers".

"What’s your name?"

The manservant stepped forward and performed a standard servant’s bow. "Your most faithful servant, Chahar, at your service, my lord!"

"Hello, Chahar."

Ronin nodded at him. "Go with Holwart and have him help arrange accommodations for the night. Also, be prepared. We leave tomorrow after breakfast."

"As you wish, my lord!" Chahar bowed in acceptance and turned to make the arrangements.

Although Mountain Forest Town was no paradise, Chahar’s dream was to become the steward of a great noble, just like Holwart.

So when he heard that Holwart was looking for a manservant to attend to Ronin, he had volunteered.

He knew that while going to Mountain Forest Town was dangerous, it was also an opportunity.

Life as a minor servant in Wushan Castle might be more stable, but it would be far too difficult to achieve his dream.

’I hope the Baron can establish a foothold in Mountain Forest Town!’

Chahar prayed in his heart. Only if his master was secure would he have a chance to realize his own ambitions.

Ronin then asked Holwart to arrange lodging for the guards and his manservant before returning to his room with the money pouch.

His savings now amounted to 173 gold, 54 silver, and 18 copper, which came out to just over 173 Gold Coins in total.

Including the invisible assets like the warhorse, other horses, and carriages, Ronin’s net worth might now exceed that of some nearly bankrupt Barons.

To receive these resources even after being despised by his father and stripped of his inheritance rights, frankly, had far exceeded his expectations.

’I’m leaving tomorrow. I have to take everything that’s mine!’

Ronin surveyed the room. It held a good number of clothes and books—all his belongings. He couldn’t leave them behind.

’Hmm, I’ll leave the desk. It’s too big to transport, and there’s no shortage of wood in the mountains. I can just build a few myself when I get there.’

’Oh, right, the blankets. I’ll need those on the road.’

Ronin got busy.

...

Night had fallen. In Wushan Castle, aside from the guards on watch and the servants who hadn’t finished their work, most people who could rest were already asleep.

But in a longhouse, the nine guards chosen to accompany Ronin to Mountain Forest Town could not sleep.

Unlike Chahar, they had not volunteered to go to Mountain Forest Town. They had been forcibly assigned, and as dependents of Wushan Castle, they had no right to object.

"Sigh, just thinking about leaving Wushan City in a couple of days makes me feel weak all over!"

A guard lay on his side on the hay, his voice full of worry.

"I heard that Mountain Forest Town is a dangerous place. Who knows how many people get eaten by Magical Beasts there every year. And deep in those old woods, you can’t even guarantee one meal a day. Going there is just waiting to die."

"Yeah, I don’t know what the higher-ups are thinking. Lord Ronin is going to Mountain Forest Town to be a Lord, so they should at least assign a Professional Knight to him, right? Sending a few ordinary guys like us to escort him—doesn’t that mean they don’t even care about Lord Ronin’s safety?"

"Heh, you don’t know? That Ronin has already been stripped of his inheritance. It’s the same as being abandoned by the Count. Do you think the Count would arrange for a Knight to protect someone like that?"

"That really happened?"

Inside the longhouse, the nine guards talked back and forth. The more they talked, the more hopeless they became, and the more they felt that they, too, had been abandoned and sent to Mountain Forest Town to die.

Perhaps immersed in this atmosphere of despair, two of the more timid men began to whimper softly. They didn’t want to die.

Finally, a large, burly man suddenly lowered his voice. "Since none of us want to go to Mountain Forest Town, what do you say we ditch that Ronin on the road and make a run for it?"

For servants to abandon their master was a capital crime.

When he finished speaking, a deathly silence fell over the longhouse.

After a long moment, someone finally asked timidly, "If we do that, won’t we be hunted down?"

"Heh, don’t you forget, that Holwart fellow just gave Ronin over a hundred Gold Coins! With that kind of money, where couldn’t we go?"

At the mention of this, a light seemed to appear in everyone’s eyes.

That was a full one hundred and fifty Gold Coins. All of them together couldn’t earn that much money even if they worked as guards for a hundred years.

"We... we’re going to rob Young Master Ronin? But he’s a noble!"

"What’s there to be afraid of? The road to Mountain Forest Town is full of remote, deserted places. If we make our move there, who’s to know it was us?"

"As for our lives after that, once we have that much gold, we can live anywhere we want!"

The man incited them. In truth, this idea had been circling in his mind for a long time; he just lacked the support.

Now, he just needed to convince these guards. When they made their move, Ronin and Chahar, being ordinary people, would have no way to resist.

Then they would have money, horses, and supplies—everything. It wouldn’t be a bad life, becoming thieves. After all, the number of Thief Gangs in Wushan Territory was only growing.

Spurred on by his words, the greed in the others’ hearts began to swell. The longhouse was filled with the stench of betrayal.