章 194: Personal Guards
"Captain, congratulations!" Jake had just parted ways with Eli, and Brenton and the others came over one by one to congratulate him.
"You all know already?" Jake smiled and asked.
"Yeah, the news has spread throughout the camp," Brenton replied. "Captain, you're a noble now. You don't even have to kneel when you see the county magistrate; the county magistrate has to bow to you. And you don't have to serve in the military or pay taxes." Being a noble came with many privileges; otherwise, so many people wouldn't want noble titles.
"I was actually planning to go and see the mansion they rewarded me," Jake said. "If you're not busy, you can come along."
"Sure." Brenton and the others readily agreed.
After walking for about ten minutes, Jake and his group finally arrived at a mansion. At the entrance of the mansion, a steward-like person stood there. Jake walked up to him and handed over the recently received Baron's insignia, saying, "I'm Jake, here to take possession of the mansion."
The steward-like person glanced at the insignia in Jake's hand and quickly bowed, saying, "My Lord Baron, I am the chief steward of the county magistrate. I have been instructed to wait here for you. Please follow me inside, my Lord, and I will show you around this mansion."
"Alright." Jake nodded.
Then, under the guidance of the steward, everyone entered the mansion.
"It's so big!"
"Yes, but it looks a bit run-down."
"Don't worry, with some cleaning, this place will be a mansion. It's even bigger than our homes."
"How can your homes compare to the captain's mansion? This is a reward from the court for the captain. Not something ordinary people can have."
Brenton and the other team members were captivated by the mansion as they entered. They all came from humble backgrounds and had never seen such a fine house before. Their hearts were filled with envy.
"My Lord Baron, this house has been vacant for a long time, so there's quite a bit of dust. But with a little cleaning, it can be made habitable," the steward said somewhat awkwardly.
"No problem, I'll take care of it," Jake replied.
In reality, the house not only had a lot of dust but also appeared quite run-down in some areas. It was clear that nobody had lived here for a long time. However, the mansion had a large area and even came with a garden, a small lake, and artificial hills, showing that it had once been a grand residence. With some cleaning and repairs, it would be perfectly livable.
"As long as my Lord Baron doesn't mind," the steward said. "This mansion is quite spacious. My Lord, since you're alone, it might be inconvenient to clean it all by yourself. You can go to the city market and purchase some maids and servants to help."
Jake nodded. Buying servants was indeed necessary. Otherwise, cleaning such a large mansion on his own would be very inconvenient. Also, Jake's intention was to spend most of his time in the Hidden Village, so he would need someone to look after the mansion.
After the steward led Jake and the others on a tour and left the house deed behind, he departed. It was quite surprising how big the mansion was; they had spent nearly half an hour just walking through it.
Jake looked at the house deed in his hand and smiled. He hadn't even owned a house in the real world yet, but in this world, he already had a set, and it was a grand one at that.
While Jake was feeling emotional, he noticed Brenton and the others huddled together, whispering about something. Then, they pushed Brenton forward and brought him in front of Jake.
"What's going on? Is there something you want to tell me?" Jake asked.
"Captain, we...we have something to say," Brenton, who was usually carefree and straightforward, was somewhat nervous and even stuttered a bit.
"Just say it straight, don't beat around the bush," Jake said.
"Captain, now that you've been granted the title of Baron, can you recruit personal guards?" Brenton gathered his courage and asked, looking at Jake.
Jake could guess what they were thinking and replied, "Yes."
"Captain, what do you think about us?" Brenton said, "All of us want to be your personal guards. We understand that our current strength isn't up to par with those seasoned veterans, but we're willing to train hard. We won't embarrass you on the battlefield. When we're out there, we'll be your shield. If the enemy wants to harm you, they'll have to go through us."
"Captain, we'll train diligently, and when danger comes, we'll protect you," Adrian added. Jake looked at the others, and aside from the three severely injured members who weren't present, the rest were all hopeful as they gazed at him. Clearly, Brenton's words were the result of their discussion, and he had been chosen as their representative.
"Have you all thought this through?" Jake asked. "Becoming my personal guards means you can't go back to farming. You'll have to stay by my side for the rest of your lives."
The role of a personal guard was different from that of an ordinary soldier. The relationship between regular soldiers and their officers was simply hierarchical, subject to change at any time. In contrast, personal guards were more like private soldiers loyal to their commander, closely bound to their leader. In the eyes of personal guards, their commander's orders were even more important than the emperor's decrees. Under normal circumstances, personal guards couldn't leave their commander, and if their commander committed a crime, all the personal guards would be implicated.
"Yes, Captain, we've all thought it through!" they all replied in unison.
"Alright then, all six of you will become my personal guards. I won't mistreat you, but you should also be diligent in your training," Jake said.
Personal guards were the last line of defense for a commander, similar to bodyguards in real life. Jake naturally hoped that their skills would continue to improve.
"Captain, you can rest assured, we won't slack off," Brenton said confidently, patting his chest.
"Good." Jake knew his team members well; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to keep them.
"By the way, how are the other three?" Jake asked.
After returning to Pergamon County, Jake had gone to meet with Eli, while the other three members had gone for treatment. Therefore, Jake didn't yet know the condition of the three seriously injured members.
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