Knight and Wand

Chapter 105 Gift
In the hall with the door closed, Lohak put the heavy cash box in his hand on the table.

After everyone sat around the table, Leon opened the lid.

A yellow-orange gold color.

This symbolizes the light of great wealth, which makes people's hearts beat faster.

Leon stretched out his hand and inserted his five fingers into the pile of money. He grabbed a handful of Kantadar gold coins, and the gold coins slid through his fingers with a clinking sound.

Feeling the cool touch and heavy weight, he finally understood why the dragons in the stories of his previous life liked to sleep on the mountain of gold. The joy brought by wealth was wonderful.

Although along the way, I have handled no less than 800 gold coins.

But that is incomparable to the sensory impact of piling up gold coins worth a thousand gold crowns at once.

It's a pity that this doesn't belong to him, otherwise Leon thought, he would definitely pour the hundreds of gold coins under the bed into it, and rub the pile of gold coins with his hands to feel good.

Lohak looked at it and sighed, "I didn't expect that Mamer's family could actually afford so much money and send it here obediently."

Hearing his partner's sigh, Leon put down the gold coins in his hand and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled: "Yes, carrying so much money all the way here is very risky. Besides, even if there is no accident, aren't they afraid that I will get the money and turn against them?"

"No, Mam'er's family is of course afraid that we will break our promise, but if we fail to rescue their master, their fate will be even worse." Old Brian couldn't help but speak up to clear up the confusion of the two young knights: "I can roughly guess the current situation of the Knight Kantadar's family.

In fact, they were so honest and took the risk to redeem him, perhaps out of family affection, but for a feudal knight like him whose feudal power was defeated, if he died in a foreign land, the loss suffered by his family would be immeasurable. His family's decision to save the master and bring him back home is completely understandable."

Upon hearing this, Leon immediately listened humbly to the old centurion's speculation. After the other party finished speaking in detail, he realized what kind of dangerous situation the Mamer family might face.

The feudal system of this western continent is similar to most of the ancient Europe on Earth in his previous life.

The status of a knight is not a hereditary noble title, and this is the same in both the Kingdom of Kantadar and the various Feru countries.

"Knight" is an independent title. After the person's death, this title cannot be inherited by his children and descendants.

In most cases, if the descendants of knights also want to become a knight, they will usually be sent to the home of a feudal lord or a high-ranking noble with whom they have a good relationship when they are around seven years old to serve as a page. They will not become the lord's attendants until they are around fourteen years old.

During this period, the knight's children will follow their lord and his family members, learn etiquette, knowledge, and martial arts, and serve and follow the monarch into battle.

Not until he is over twenty years old will his lord, based on his performance, canonize him as a real knight.

If one's performance is poor or for some other reason, it is not uncommon for one to still be a servant until he is nearly thirty years old.

Therefore, if the father of a knight's son dies unexpectedly, he may not necessarily be a knight at the moment.

Leon didn't know the specific situation in Mamer's family, but the other party's situation was probably much more complicated.

In a knight family, if the son fails to become a knight while his father is alive, it is not a big problem if he still has the protection of the feudal lord. He still has the opportunity to grow up under the protection of the monarch he is loyal to until he can stand on his own.

But at this moment, Baron Dossen's family power had almost been destroyed due to the loss of its main territory in the north and the baron's own death in battle.

If they continued to watch Mamur die in a foreign land, this small knight family would undoubtedly lose both its protectors and its pillars.

Although the descendants of knights can inherit the ownership of the original knight's fiefdom after paying an uncertain amount of taxes to the lord or the king.

But a family head died in battle and lost protection, the faction no longer existed, and a small family without a knight title still occupied the territory and accumulated wealth.
If this news were known to the surrounding lords, the territory of the small family would instantly become a piece of fat meat that everyone would want to swallow.

The impact of annexing a knight's territory is not comparable to that of annexing the land of a commoner family without the protection of the nobility.

There is no need to even start a war. One can just lead troops and forcibly "marry" the widow or orphan of the deceased knight, and then legally own the territory.

So in order to exchange 1000 gold crowns for the return of their knight master, Mamur's family must try to save the life of their master, no matter how great the risk.

As long as Mamur is still alive and his knighthood is still there, whether he uses years of relationships to find allies or contacts and seeks new great lords to pledge allegiance, there is still a chance to ensure the survival of the family and the territory.

If he died, not only would one person's life be lost, but the entire small family might be ruined.

After understanding the logic behind the feudal lord's defeat, Leon finally understood why Mamer believed in his family far away and was willing to sell everything he had to raise a huge sum of money to redeem them.

In this era, the importance of the head of the family to a family is far greater than it is today.

Ignoring the social rules of this world that he had learned from Old Brian, Leon turned his attention back to the ransom in front of him.

He picked out gold coins that were almost equal to the value of 15 gold crowns and put them away separately. This was the money he had paid for the messenger and the one hundred or so coffins.

Let’s put things in perspective and it’s time to claim reimbursement.

The remaining ransom, worth approximately 985 gold crowns, will be divided equally among dozens of Selva villagers.

After calculating the number, each household will receive fifteen gold crowns, six silver nabils, three dirhams and five copper cents, which is 1563.5 dirhams.

But the reality is not like playing a game. The money still needs to be changed into whole and small pieces before it can be divided. Gold coins are easy to divide, but the small pieces of nelers, dirs and copper cents still need to be sorted.

Physical currency looks cool, but it is really troublesome to circulate. Leon couldn't help but miss the electronic payment and online finance in his previous life.

When he first received the ransom letter, he had actually thought about building a manor bank in Selva, earning some interest from deposits to coax the people to deposit their money in his vault, and then withdraw it whenever he wanted with the vouchers.

If this method can be implemented, he can undoubtedly gain a great advantage, not only to fulfill his promise but also to quickly collect a large amount of available funds from the people.

This idea was a great one, but after discussing it with Old Brian and his friends, they finally gave up.

There are smart people in this world who are good at making money. Leon also saw the emerging urban banking industry in the Chamber of Commerce of Dragonmaw City, where business was well developed.

But that is something that can only be done on a small scale among the wealthy urban class and business groups. Instead of doing this with the illiterate poor guys in the village, it would be more efficient to just go back on your word and snatch the money from them.

Moreover, if we really want to build a small bank, managing money, recording accounts, and checking withdrawals will all require people who are literate and good at accounting, which will take more time and cost, and will cause a lot of trouble.

Leon didn't want to make a simple profit-sharing a mess. If he ended up causing grudges among the people under his rule, it would be like shooting himself in the foot.

Anyway, Selva is about to face construction, and according to the plan, every household in the territory will probably have to spend money soon, so there is no need to do anything unnecessary now.

It’s better to wait until we have more territory, financial resources and literate people before we have too many ideas.

"Leon, did you miscalculate?"

Olivia, who was sitting next to Leon, tilted her head, counted in her mind, and couldn’t help but remind him: “Have you forgotten that after Uncle Tok moved away, Selva is now one less household.”

Leon was stunned for a moment when he heard this, but he counted the numbers in his mind and looked at the girl helplessly: "I didn't make a mistake, but you didn't count yourself, right? There is also a share for your family."

"Ah? But didn't we decide to use this money to provide relief to the families of the victims? My father and I are safe and sound." Olivia asked puzzledly.

Leon laughed and held his forehead with his hand: "Alas, that's not how it's calculated. You defeated Mamuel, and he is your prisoner of war. Strictly speaking, this thousand-gold crown is all your money. Even if you are willing to share it with the suffering villagers, we can't not leave you a share."

He looked at the silly girl beside him and was really afraid that she would be sold and have to help others count money. He had to keep an eye on her in the future.

"This..." Olivia turned around and looked at her father. Seeing that the old father waved his hand at her and didn't care, she tried to tactfully give the funds to Leon: "Selva just needs money, I don't usually spend much, otherwise, my share is like the bank you mentioned before, I will keep it with you first, and then I will ask you for it when I need it."

"Don't refuse. I don't need you. What belongs to you is yours. Even if you and Uncle Brian are fine, your family's belongings were smashed to pieces by those guys, right? And, I remember you also lost two riding horses."

Leon smiled, and immediately took out a gold coin worth about fifteen gold crowns from the box and stuffed it into the girl's hand: "You have been busy these days, managing public security and dealing with disputes among villagers. You have done so much work for Selva, how can I not receive some compensation? It's decided. I will bring the change to you in the room later, and you must keep it well!"

Seeing Leon’s tough attitude, Olivia pursed her lips and thought about it, and suddenly she thought of something and her brain moved.

The girl found that she seemed to need money somewhere, so she stopped refusing.

The next day, Leon did not bother Azerien to run errands. Taking advantage of the time when Corvis was recovering his magic, he took time off from his daily training and planned to take the gold coins to the Chamber of Commerce in the city to exchange for more daily currency so that he could distribute the money to the people.

I also stopped by the castle of Farolis to visit the heraldry artists of the Thorn Flower family and customize the flags that will be used soon in the future.

Go quickly and come back quickly. With Corvis here, he is not wearing armor and has no plan to bring other guards with him.

Captain Zabron of the guard was asked to continue leading Hawke and others outside the village and maintain strict training according to the program arranged by Old Brian. Leon and the other man led the horses out from the backyard.

Before she could mount her horse, Olivia in the armory warehouse heard the noise in the yard and couldn't help but stick her head out of the house.

"Hey? Are you guys going out now?" the girl asked, leaning towards the door.

"I plan to go to Farolis City for some business, but I will be back tomorrow." Leon said, stepping on the stirrups to mount the horse and replied to the girl.

Olivia's eyes lit up when she heard this: "What a coincidence, I also want to go to the city, how about we go together?"

"Okay, then you pack your luggage and I'll wait for you at the door." Leon nodded.

The girl turned around happily, put the thing she had been measuring for a long time back on the shelf in the warehouse, then picked up her skirt and ran back home briskly from the backyard.

Leon urged his horse to leave the backyard, but after a few steps he found that Corvis did not follow him.

He turned around and looked at the blond boy in confusion: "What's wrong? Did you drop something?"

Corvis sat on his horse, folding his arms in thought.

Thinking of how Olivia came to him this morning to ask for the warehouse key, the clever boy raised his eyebrows in sudden realization.

He thought quickly and then naturally put on a frown.

"My Lord, I feel a little unwell. It may be because I consumed too much magic power in the past few days. You see, Miss Olivia is traveling with me today. Can I rest at home this time?"

Leon couldn't help but feel worried. This was the first time his partner had reacted like this since the training began. He turned around and walked back: "Where do you feel uncomfortable? Is it serious? How about I go to the city and call a doctor to come back and check you out?"

Although Miss Lola assured him that this training method would not affect Corvis' health, Leon was still afraid.

The blond boy quickly smiled and waved his hands, knowing that he was being too pretentious.

"It's not that serious. Besides, I've seen doctors in the Western Continent in Kantardar. They're scary, so forget it. I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well."

Leon had no choice but to nod. Yes, Corvis's knowledge of Atias's medical skills was probably far better than those "Mongolian doctors" in Farolis. If they found a local doctor, it would be hard to tell who would treat whom. "Then you should stay home and have a good rest. Go back to sleep. Don't do anything else today. Take care of yourself."

Leon felt a little ashamed. You know what kind of sleeping environment the boy in front of him had slept in before?
Considering my own poor living conditions now, I really feel sorry for the other party.

"You can sleep in my room. My mattress is thick. When I come back from this trip, I will ask the carpenter at the camp to make a few big beds for everyone in the family."

To be honest, Leon really didn't know if it was a custom or what, but in this world, at least from what he had seen and heard, the beds that ordinary people slept in were pitifully small, and were basically only large enough for one person to lie down.

Leon couldn't sleep well because he couldn't roll around in bed every day.

"Okay, okay, it's not that exaggerated. I'm not that spoiled. Let's go quickly, my lord. Miss Olivia should be waiting outside." Corvis got off the horse, urging his master who was seriously concerned about him.

Leon had no choice but to give the young man a few more instructions to rest, then he urged his horse to leave.

When I got out of the yard, Olivia was already waiting outside on a horse.

The girl packed unexpectedly quickly, as if she had already packed her luggage in advance and planned to go to the city.

"Let's go." Leon urged his mount to trot.

Olivia also rode forward and walked side by side. Going out for a trip made her look very happy.

Neither of them wore armor, but only casual clothes, with long swords on their waists.

Leon thought that his martial arts skills were far superior to what they were before, and he also had Corvis as his guard, so there was no need for him to wear plate armor as if he was facing a powerful enemy during such a short journey. He only put on a cloak over his clothes.

Although Corvis has stayed for some reason.

But with a little sword master by his side, he was no longer worried about his safety on the road.

Olivia even changed out of her usual corseted long skirt. She rode on the saddle, wearing a simple farmer's original-color corseted shirt on the upper body, loose black cloth ankle-length trousers on the lower body, and tight short cloth boots on her feet. It was a complete set of men's clothing that was easy to move in.

But her delicate features and beautiful golden ponytail clearly revealed her identity as a girl.

The girl's chest was clearly raised and lowered, and anyone with eyes could tell her gender.

Leon glanced at Olivia's travel attire and suddenly remembered something funny. He couldn't help but humming with laughter.

Olivia looked over with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong? You are smiling so strangely. Is there something on my face?" The girl touched her cheek and asked in confusion.

"No, I just think that maybe in some distant world whose existence is unknown, a place called Britain, the people there are probably all blind." Leon shook his head and joked.

"?" Olivia was even more confused.

Although he was laughing, Leon also became alert.

After a long conversation that night, he realized that old Brian's worries were not unfounded.

It would be fine for other people, but the few people in the kingdom, especially Count Trosa, would inevitably make unnecessary associations if they saw Olivia's appearance.

And if they found out that this beautiful blonde girl also possessed extraordinary martial arts, things would become even more troublesome.

But I obviously can't dress a girl up as a man.

The people of Orlando are certainly not as blind as the British in a certain world.

It's normal to mistake a handsome boy like Corvis for a girl.

But I want to mistake Olivia, such a delicate girl, for a boy.
I'm afraid she has to be disfigured. Otherwise, even if Olivia's head is shaved, no one will mistake this girl for a man.

Leon sat on the swaying horse, stroking his chin and thinking.

What about magic?

Can magic conceal other people's perception of a girl?

I can only ask Miss Laura next time I go to the Mage Tower.

But after thinking about it, Leon clapped his hands and suddenly had an idea.

It would be best if Miss Laura had a spell to interfere with cognition, but if not, perhaps there would be no need to go through so much trouble.

As long as there is a way to change Olivia's eye color, since she and Corvis have the same hair color, and when they really can't avoid certain people, they can just pretend that Olivia is a distant relative of the Villanian royal family to fool people.

We are all of royal blood, so why should you, the royal family of Orlando, be allowed to be special?

Hey, blonde hair and golden eyes, this is the authentic color scheme of us old Villanians!

Using an eye-catching special identity to cover up some more sensitive identities may also be a way
They urged their horses to run for a while, walked for a while, rested for a while, and chatted, and they soon arrived at the city of Farolis.

After entering the town, the two of them walked with their horses, following the lively procession into the city. Olivia suddenly said to Leon, "Before going to the castle, I want to go to the market in the east first. Can you wait for me?"

"Are you going to the market to buy something? I'll go with you and help you get some." Leon said.

"Ah? No, no. Well, I... I can go by myself. I'll just buy some small things and will be back soon." Olivia waved her hands quickly.

Leon didn't care too much, he was just being polite.

This is not like shopping with the delicate girl in the previous life. The girl in front of him looks petite and cute, but in fact she is very strong. If she can't lift something, Leon can't help her.

Following the girl, we squeezed through the narrow road, turned around amid the chattering of pedestrians, and came to a street that was obviously much cleaner.

The residents and pedestrians on the road were wearing neat clothes, the shops and stalls on the roadside were distributed more neatly, and there were two guards in red robes standing against the wall at the intersection, yawning.

The sound of metal forging could be faintly heard across the street; perhaps there was a blacksmith's workshop nearby.

It was called a market, but it was obviously not the unmanaged and messy bazaar that Leon had seen before.

"Remember to wait for me~"

Olivia waved to her companions and quickly led her horse into a street.

Leon had no choice but to stay where he was.

He looked around in boredom.

The people who go in and out of the shops on the street are obviously from the urban class who are wealthier than the residents in the west of the city.

High-end tailor workshops, jewelry shops, and furniture stores are definitely unaffordable for ordinary lower-class residents.

This place reminded Leon of the bustling streets of Dragonmaw City.

Remember there
As he was reminiscing, Leon's eyes swept across a young couple who walked out of a tailor shop not far away.

The woman in the new dress had a big smile on her face and walked in a disorderly manner. She would circle in front of her husband after every two steps. It took her twice as long to walk across the street, which could have been walked in a few steps. However, her husband's eyes were full of doting. The two of them strolled happily and passed by Leon.

Looking back at the happy citizen couple, Leon's heart moved.

It reminded me that I also wanted to buy some souvenirs for my friends in Dragonmaw City, but I was short of money at the time and didn't dare to spend money.

But now
He touched the pocket on the right side of his waist under his robe.

The big leather bag contains gold coins that need to be exchanged for change at the City Chamber of Commerce. This is "public funds."

In the other small cloth bag were his personal belongings that he had consciously separated for daily use.

hiss.
Come here.

For some unknown reason, Leonmai walked towards the tailor shop.

Tying his horse to the door, he removed his hood and went inside.

The well-dressed old tailor heard the voice and looked up from the table where he was cutting cloth.

Seeing that the young man who came in had a clean face, a gentleness and heroism that made people feel comfortable, and a gorgeous aristocratic sword on his waist, the old tailor immediately walked towards him with shining eyes.

"Ah~ Gods bless you, welcome~! Honorable sir." The old tailor held his chest and bowed.

"What do you need? Whether it's dress or casual clothes, pajamas or robes, for men or women, Old Salto's store has it all~!"

Seeing the enthusiasm of the old tailor, Leon looked at the finished clothes hanging on the surrounding racks. They all looked good, but he didn't know how much they cost.

He asked the old tailor tentatively, "I want to order a simple women's dress. The style may be a little special. I wonder if you can make it."

"Ha, look at what you said. Old Sarto has been making clothes all his life. He can even make the dress that Her Majesty the Queen is wearing~" the old tailor boasted in a rhythmic tone.

"Okay, do you have a pen and paper? I can draw it for you." Leon asked. Although the clothes he wanted to make were not complicated and the style was simple, they were still significantly different from the dressing style of ordinary people in this world.

"Yes, of course, but the store only has good paper for drawing, which is really expensive. Take a look."

"Don't worry, I'll pay you." Leon waved his hand and asked, "By the way, besides clothes, do you have headbands or hair accessories for sale? Preferably blue."

"We have all kinds of colors. Even if we don't have them, Old Sarto can make them for you. I guarantee that the lady you love will fall in love with you~." The old tailor clapped his hands with a smile.

Leon scratched his face awkwardly when he heard this: “Don’t talk nonsense, it’s just a gift for a friend.”

The old tailor shut his mouth and didn't argue. He nodded repeatedly. "I've already given you a hairband, and you still want to be friends? But if you say it is, then it is."

(End of this chapter)