Chapter 48: Armor and Arrangements

Mornings in the new house were refreshing.

Compared to where I’d lived before, my room was incredibly spacious with a fine bed, and solid wood furniture arranged in a way that made it unmistakably a wealthy noble’s quarters. What a difference—going from a shabby room to this in one leap. And my bride would be moving in a month from now.

My daily routine began when I woke at six. First thing after waking, I stretched. While I stretched, Sabine would always come to bring me drinking water and washing water. She’d been in high spirits ever since the move to Rosengarden.

"Good morning, Master."

"Good morning, Sabine. You look happy today as well."

"Of course. Living in a picture-perfect mansion like this has been my lifelong dream."

Sabine, who’d grown up in poverty, had always yearned for noble mansions. But realistically, the chances for a commoner to live in such a grand one were exceedingly slim. What would their lives have been like if I hadn’t hired Hans and Sabine? For the impoverished—worse off than ordinary commoners—it would have been a life of unending hardship.

After drinking cool, lime-free water and washing up, I changed into a tunic with good mobility. Heading down to the yard, Hans, Ted, and Oscar were already waiting, ready for our morning jog. As part of my repeatable quests, I ran for one hour every morning.

Except on rainy days, no matter how busy or exhausted I was, I never skipped this run.

"Good morning, Sir Wolfgang!"

"Gentlemen, good morning. Ready to run?"

"Yes!"

The jogging route went from Kisling Boulevard in the east to Linz Boulevard in the west and back. Since it had become a daily routine, familiar faces who recognized me had started to appear. Of course, they didn’t know I was the much-talked-about knight; they simply thought I was a diligent knight training with his retainers. Four sturdy men running together from the crack of dawn had also become something of a local spectacle.

The disputes between beggars panhandling in the plaza and church officials distributing rations to them continued as ever. After learning that beggars with official certificates earned more from begging than commoners did from working, I’d stopped giving alms, because the belief that charity to beggars earned you a place in heaven was completely irrelevant to me.

After the run, I ate a light breakfast. The clear soup, bratwurst, and white bread Sabine prepared I could now enjoy quite happily. Of course, I added pepper purchased with points to season everything properly. The reason for developing this palate was for later.

After breakfast, I moved on to lower and upper body training, finishing meticulously by balancing my body with yoga and Pilates. Then before lunch came wrestling practice with the soldiers; throwing Ted and Oscar around was entertaining. Hans found the whole spectacle gratifying.

This was how I usually spent my mornings when there was nothing out of the ordinary. I was earning points through repeatable quest training, and since the methods varied day to day, I averaged around 200 points in the morning alone. With June arriving, the garden with its roses in full bloom was beautiful. I’d picked up a new hobby: tending to these roses.

A gardener came regularly to maintain them, so I didn’t really need to do it myself, but spending time in the rose garden put my mind at ease. Originally, I’d had no particular fondness for flowers. But adapting to this harsh medieval world, I’d found myself needing something to settle my thoughts.

Simply looking at flowers lifted my mood. Sabine would also sit beside me and sew after finishing the housework. The rose scent was exquisite—it reminded me of Hilda, the woman I loved. The charm of rose fragrance lay in its layers of aroma that no words could fully capture.

So I’d also taken to brewing tea from fallen petals.

A different flavor entirely from green tea or coffee.

"Master, Daniel says studying is killing him."

"People dying from studying isn’t unheard of, but generally they don’t, so he’ll be fine."

"Right. I thought it was quite easy, myself."

Through Wilhelm Göring, Bertheim’s chamberlain, I’d been introduced to Josef, a student attending Breisburg University. Josef was refined, intellectual, and learned. As a theology student, his goal was to become a bishop one day.

"Is it all right for a university student to moonlight as a teacher? Won’t there be problems?" I’d asked.

"Tuition is expensive, so many university students, myself included, are often hired as tutors by noble families. However, cases of being hired to teach retainers to read are quite rare."

Josef had been flustered at first by how young I was, and flustered a second time by the request to teach my retainers to read. Being hired as a tutor for a noble’s children was one thing, but a request to teach retainers their letters was highly unusual. Regardless, Josef didn’t refuse.

Josef, who was studying theology and law, proved quite skilled at teaching. Since tuition was expensive, being hired as tutors for noble families was one of the main sources of income for university students. I had him teach all my retainers for one silver coin a month. Among them, Sabine had the best marks.

Sabine was the only one at ease during the study sessions held after lunch, having passed the test early. Next, Daniel and Bodo were neck and neck. Despite all his complaining, Daniel had progressed to the point of reading short paragraphs.

So I asked Josef to give Daniel intensive instruction.

Bodo was a sharp lad who carried out every task I assigned him with excellence, collecting all manner of information and playing an enormous role in keeping me informed about goings-on in the streets and the slums. But his progress in class was slow because he loathed studying. If he’d applied himself properly, his marks might well have surpassed Sabine’s.

Oscar’s marks were also solid, after Daniel and Bodo. He could now write his own name and read short sentences. The most driven among the soldiers, Oscar had confided in me honestly that he hoped to rise to a position commanding the family’s soldiers.

Unfortunately, Hans and Ted learned the slowest and struggled the most. Josef’s assessment was that they’d managed to learn to write their names, but beyond that would be difficult. Both preferred straightforward physical work, so fieldwork was clearly a better fit for them.

When progress stalled, I shared the marriage proposal news with the dejected Hans to give his spirits a lift. It would be hard to arrange a meeting before my own wedding, but that was better than him knowing nothing at all. Hans’s reaction, however, was completely unexpected—his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.

"A marriage proposal for me? I can get married?"

"Really, Master? My brother’s finally getting married? Wow!"

Hans was stunned, but Sabine was overjoyed. What she’d felt guiltiest about while getting engaged to Daniel was her brother remaining single, and I’d neatly resolved that. Hans seemed as though it had never crossed his mind that he’d get married.

"Hilda’s maid Priscilla is your match. She’s two years younger than you—not bad, right?"

"The War Minister’s family’s maid is my match? And the mistress’s maid at that?! But I’m from the gutter and only just learned to write my name! How could I possibly be worthy of her?"

"Hans, I know you have an inferiority complex, but you’re not a gutter rat anymore. You’re a member of the Streit household and the first retainer the Gale Knight ever hired."

The man who’d been the most overjoyed when I earned the Gale Knight title had now sunk into self-doubt, so I couldn’t help but set him straight. Being born into poverty wasn’t a mark of shame, and he was someone who’d done his utmost to secure Sabine a good match. At the time, I’d calculated on his blind loyalty by exploiting that desperation, but I genuinely wanted Hans to be happy.

"Sabine, when Priscilla arrives, you’ll have much to learn from her. She’s been looking after Hilda since childhood, so there’s a great deal she can teach you."

"I’ll learn everything I can from my future sister-in-law."

Sabine, who’d gained a beautiful house full of roses, a fiancé, and a sister-in-law, seemed like the happiest person in the world. She was so happy it warmed my heart. But I wasn’t sure Hans would take to the icy Priscilla. Still, it was a match his master had arranged, so he wouldn’t refuse.

Lately I’d also become very interested in Josef. Watching him teach my retainers, I found his reasoning impressively clear.

His skill in defusing Daniel and Bodo’s complaints about hating their studies through patient persuasion was admirable. Though he’d written off Hans and Ted as hopeless cases, seeing him teach them with persistence so they could grasp even the basics told me real talent wasn’t far off. So I’d made him a proposal.

"Though I was nothing but a lowly commoner, Father Anstas noticed me and took me under his wing, and with the church’s support I was able to enter university. That a mere commoner could rise to this station is entirely the gift of Father Anstas and the Lord," Josef said.

"So what will you do after graduating?" I asked.

"I studied theology and Latin. I plan to walk the path of the priesthood under Father Anstas. I’m grateful for Sir Streit’s proposal, but I am merely the Lord’s faithful servant."

Josef politely declined my proposal to enter my family’s service. I couldn’t forcibly recruit someone who’d chosen the path of the clergy. I wasn’t desperate for people right away, and if fate willed it, talent might come to me of its own accord—so I decided not to be impatient.

Before I knew it, the knight investiture ceremony hosted by the crown prince was upon me. Ordinarily, investiture ceremonies were hosted by the Grand Duke, since I was a duchy knight and hereditary knight who swore loyalty to the Grand Duke alone. But this time, special permission had been granted for the crown prince to preside.

As a result, I’d gained the honor of being the first knight the crown prince had ever invested.

"Look, Wolf. Isn’t it magnificent? Splendid armor befitting the Gale Knight."

Right on cue, plate armor—one of the dowry gifts—was delivered to me.

Originally I was supposed to receive five hundred silver coins in cash, but Hilda had proposed receiving a set of plate armor from the War Minister’s personal collection in lieu of coin. Because it was the crown prince’s first investiture ceremony, and given the symbolism and honor involved, attending in magnificent armor would uphold both sides’ dignity. I’d agreed with that reasoning.

And in any case I needed to acquire armor, and ceremony aside, I’d honestly been coveting the Venetian luxury plate armor displayed in the War Minister’s study. After Hilda spent several days wearing her father down, it came to me.

Fortunately, the fit was perfect, so there was no trouble with adjustments.

This Gothic-style armor featured an overall pointed design, and the slim silhouette that followed the body’s curves along with the fluted pattern across the chest also served to deflect enemy strikes and improve defense.

This plate armor was worth a staggering 120 silver coins.

"Hilda, let’s give Father-in-law a fine gift in return sometime."

"Let’s do that. Father will be very pleased."

Having his cherished collection piece pried away by his daughter and handed over entirely to his son-in-law, my father-in-law’s sense of loss must have been considerable. So as his son-in-law, presenting a worthy gift in return seemed only proper. I was a family man myself, so I could well face the same thing someday. No father could refuse what his daughter earnestly begged for.

"Master, is my match that big fellow behind the maid?"

"That’s him. A bit hapless, but loyal and brave."

"...Is the brave part true?"

"He only seems to turn into a coward in front of a beautiful Fräulein."

Priscilla, who’d come with Hilda, began showing interest in Hans. Hans, on the other hand, found her thoroughly intimidating because Priscilla rarely smiled and came across as cold. I’d noticed it back when he’d had a crush on Rosemary’s daughter—no wonder Bodo had been exasperated.

"If it’s Hans, he seems fine."

"I’m a little worried since he’s so hapless, but having laid the groundwork like this, Priscilla will take care of the rest."

"Of course. I felt so guilty that she was missing her window for marriage because of me."

"Why was that?"

"I threw a tantrum, telling her not to get married until I did."

At first Priscilla had been touched by the sentiment that she was needed, but if that led to becoming an old maid, she surely wouldn’t have made that promise. Rather than Hans, it was Sabine who proved more proactive, working hard as a go-between for the shy Hans and Priscilla.

"Now then, leave those two be. Shall we try on the armor?"

"But this... I can’t put it on by myself?"

"Normally a squire does it, but you don’t have a squire, Wolf? Just have a soldier stand in until you find one."

So the lucky one was Oscar. I’d been thinking of using Hans, but he was busy building a rapport with Priscilla, so I called Oscar instead. Ted was still stuck with Josef, studying. Oscar seemed genuinely moved to be given the role of helping me into my armor.

"Being entrusted to handle the master’s armor is a sign of deep trust."

"I was originally going to have Hans do it, though."

"Hans coming first is only natural. I’m just moved that I’m next. I’ll repay the trust Sir Wolfgang has placed in me, without fail."

"R-right."

Oscar invested it with great meaning and burned with motivation. Hilda, who giggled watching the whole thing, taught Oscar how to put on each piece one by one. I wondered how Hilda knew how to don armor; she said she’d learned from her brother Michael so she could teach her future husband.

It wasn’t just investiture procedures—Hilda especially enjoyed teaching me things. In truth, most noble men of this era would have found a woman meddling too much off-putting, but rather than taking it that way, I accepted it as proof that Hilda truly cared for me. That was a difference of era and mindset. So with Hilda’s guidance and Oscar’s assistance, I was able to don the plate armor without incident.

"More comfortable to move in than I expected. Light, too."

"Magnificent, Wolf. Like a gallant knight straight out of legend."

Hilda gazed at me with enchanted eyes, her imagination clearly running wild. More than that, I focused on the fact that movement was remarkably comfortable. I hadn’t noticed during the fitting, but true to its quality as a luxury piece, it was light yet sturdy, and the smooth surface promised excellent defense.

Then, stepping out into the garden, I drew my longsword.

No real difficulty executing swordsmanship; running was feasible, wrestling was feasible. I’d assumed plate armor would be cumbersome, but at this level, I could wear it all day without tiring much. The only drawback was that putting it on and taking it off was time-consuming and tedious.

I’d have to drill Ted and Oscar hard on that.