Capítulo 37: Chapter 37
As Ian released a flock of birds to follow the manticore,
Lucy Talian had already met with the Count and discussed the future.
"...and that's how I barely managed to escape alone."
Lucy had initially resolved not to be swayed, a promise to herself.
But as she began to recount the story of her murdered parents, her resolve quickly weakened.
It was inevitable.
She was just an eighteen-year-old girl.
So, as she started to talk about escaping the domain, Lucy found it hard to control her emotions.
Seeing his niece in tears, Count Catina felt a mix of emotions.
'I warned them about those greedy bastards...'
The murdered Lady Talian was the Count's sister.
Even though she had left home when she was young, family was still family.
It would be a lie to say there was no affection.
The Count felt sympathy for his dead sister and her daughter.
At the same time, he was furious with the mercenary usurper who had murdered the Talian couple and was trying to marry Lucy.
The Talian couple might have made mistakes, but they were the ones who ended up murdered.
The Count had a suitable pretext for revenge.
'...Making Lucy a Baroness isn't a bad idea.'
Meddling in the succession of titles is clearly an external interference.
However, if Lucy asks for help first, it's a different story.
The Count quickly finished his calculations.
He would use Lucy to secure the domain and choose one of his vassals to marry her.
Thus, the Talian Barony would naturally fall under Count Catina's influence.
It was a good opportunity to expand his power under a suitable pretext during these chaotic times.
"I understand your feelings, Lucy."
"Count..."
"Call me uncle, not Count."
"...!"
Lucy was genuinely moved by the Count's kind attitude.
It was because she was in a very sensitive state.
"Don't worry about anything now. I will surely avenge your mother."
"Uncle...!"
The Count didn't bring up the tiresome 'If I help you, what will I get in return?'
Such unnecessary words would only raise Lucy's guard.
After all, it wasn't too late to ask for what he wanted after everything was over.
The Count's army would have already occupied the Talian domain; what choice would Lucy have?
Being a 'kind uncle' who 'voluntarily' raised an army 'to revenge his sister' was the best scenario.
Once everything was settled, the not-so-subtle threat of 'After all I've done for you, you can't do me this one favor?' would work.
The Count, comforting a sobbing Lucy, began to prepare for war.
After the Santiago Knights left,
Count Catina gathered his vassals, knights, and the wizard Ian to declare his intentions.
"You all know the story of my niece! I will execute the detestable usurper Graham and restore the law and order of this land!"
[A/N: Graham is the name of the merc that took over Lucy's territory. I originally thought the name was Baron Jin, many chappies ago, but it must have been a reference to something else back then, rather than the actual name.]
"Long live the Count!"
Some time later.
The Count's army marched out of the domain.
Under the banner of Count Catina, 400 mercenaries gathered.
In this era, wars were mostly fought by mercenaries.
Maintaining a standing army was difficult and expensive.
But mercenaries could be immediately utilized once paid.
Especially for domain conflicts, mercenaries were essential because it was unacceptable to sacrifice precious citizens (sources of income) in the power struggles of the high and mighty.
"What do you think, Raven?"
Count Catina, with Ian by his side, proudly displayed his army.
It was a characteristic of the rulers of this era to parade around with a wizard.
"With this kind of military force, we can easily dispose of that damn usurper, can't we?"
The Count looked at Ian with an expectant gaze, seeking the wisdom of the wizard.
As in the tales of old, wizards of this era often took on the role of lending their wisdom to monarchs.
"Ah. Yes. Well."
However, Ian, who knew nothing about military matters, had no advice to offer.
Since the war was the domain of mercenaries and knights, he figured they would manage things on their own.
So, Ian offered some common-sense advice.
"With such a large force, you should pay attention to food supplies, and if it rains, be mindful to prevent the spread of disease."
"Hmm... So, as long as we're not struck down by disease, we won't be defeated. Is that what you mean?"
It was a trivial piece of advice, but surprisingly, the Count nodded in satisfaction.
"Raven. I would like you to be my eyes from now on."
The Count made it quite clear he wanted Ian by his side.
While the Count might have desired a wizard advisor, Ian found it nothing but a nuisance.
"I'll help where I can."
"Good. I look forward to your achievements."
Ian shrugged.
Achievements?
He might as well have received a magic scroll.
He was just tagging along to earn his keep.
After all, the fighting would be done by the knights and mercenaries.
Ian would hardly have anything to do on the battlefield.
"Ian!"
Lucy also joined the expedition.
Her role was essentially that of a mascot.
More precisely, she was the living justification for the campaign.
It was natural for Lucy to accompany them on their mission to reclaim her usurped domain.
"Hehe, we're almost at the end!"
"...Didn't we just leave yesterday?"
Lucy was already acting like they had won the battle.
Lucy's optimism was somewhat understandable, as intelligence reports suggested that the usurper Graham's forces numbered only around 150.
"Even if he uses his reputation as a former mercenary to gather additional forces, it's said that it won't exceed 200."
The Count's army was 400.
Just by the numbers, it was more than double.
It was practically a won battle.
"So what! We have more numbers, and we have a wizard."
"Indeed."
Lucy was already acting as if she were the Baroness of Talian.
Meaning, she was counting her chickens before they hatched.
"Hmm... I wonder what kind of reward I should give Ian for his help~ Gold would be too much, wouldn't it? Wouldn't he be tired of it?"
Me? Really?
Ian looked at Lucy in disbelief, but Lucy had already decided that Ian was a wizard who had transcended the need for gold, largely because Ian hadn't been fussy about money.
In reality, Ian wasn't poor.
He still had the travel money Eredith had given him.
But that's one thing, and this is another.
It's not that he needed money, but having more wouldn't hurt!
Unaware of Ian's thoughts, Lucy skipped over the idea of a gold reward altogether.
"Ah! I have something Ian would like. Do you want to take it?"
"What is it?"
"The magical sword said to be used by the first Baron Talian!"
"...?"
Anor-lsil. A magical sword forged from sunlight and moonlight."
[A/N: Anor-lsil is written in english in the raws, and is in the Elvish tongue in LotR(the lord of the rings), Anor means sun and lsil means moon, Anor-lsil meaning Sun and Moon?]
Lucy chattered away, explaining the family history.
The first Baron Talian, in his youth, had fallen in love with a fairy he met.
While fighting against goblins that threatened the fairy forest, the fairies made a magical sword imbued with the power of the sun and the moon as a gift for the baron, who then defeated the goblins and became the savior of the fairies... or so the story goes.
'What, is this some old fantasy novel?'
It was embarrassing to even call it old.
The scenario reeked of a 1900s Anglo-American traditional fantasy vibe.
Could the author be a Tolkienist?
Listening to the story, Ian suddenly had a strange thought.
"That... what's it called? Anor-lsil? If you have such a great magical sword, why are you still barons?"
"Baron? That sounds weird! That's an insult, isn't it?!"
Ian shook his head.
It was obvious.
They'd probably bring out some kind of Bronze Age harp-shaped bronze sword and claim 'This is the magical sword Anor-lsil~'.
He knew it from the moment the storytelling felt outdated.
If Anor-lsil was truly a magnificent magical sword, the Talian Family wouldn't still be barons!
"It's been over 400 years anyway!"
"Oh. Your family's older than I thought?"
"And... and!"
Lucy's face turned slightly red.
"Anor-lsil is... in the tomb of the first baron."
"What?"
Ian was shocked.
What, they're offering a magical sword as a gift?
As if it were just hanging on a rack in their room.
The magical sword is in the baron's tomb?
As Ian reacted, Lucy's face turned even redder.
"So, to take it out... we have to open the tomb."
"Wow..."
Ian was fully alert now.
A descendant digging up something sealed by the first baron in his own tomb to hand it out?
Is this... the typical integrity of a medieval person?
"Is the ancestral tomb some kind of time capsule? To be opened and closed whenever you feel like it?"
"I'm the baron, what does it matter!"
Ah, Ian sighed deeply.
Digging up an ancestor's tomb for treasure.
For a man from a Confucian country, where the teachings of Confucius were alive and well, this was a shocking proposal that was hard to accept.
And reopening a sealed tomb didn't seem easy either.
If it were, that unlucky tomb raider, wouldn't have just dug around in Joseon and left empty-handed.
In fantasy novels, tombs are dungeons teeming with all sorts of monsters and traps.
Was this Lucy's evil strategy to get rid of him by pushing him into a dungeon because she didn't want to give him a reward...?
"And you're not even a baron yet..."
"I am too! I just haven't officially succeeded yet, but I'm definitely a baron! So, it's up to me to decide what to do with the things on my land!"
Ian clicked his tongue.
Judging by her eagerness to sell off her family's possessions now that she's become a baroness (not yet), it seemed the Talian baronial line might end with Lucy.
"Magical sword or whatever, it's a treasure, right? You're giving it to a wandering wizard like me?"
Ian, genuinely concerned for Lucy, tried his best to lecture her.
"It sounds like a valuable item. Why not use it for your family? That would be much better than bragging about being a baroness and then squandering it."
"..."
Lucy glared at Ian silently, her lips pressed tightly together.
She seemed about to say something... then shook her head and yelled.
"...I'm saying I'll give that precious thing to you! You idiot!"
"Lucy!"
Lucy, like a character out of a romance novel, blurted out her piece and disappeared somewhere.
Left alone, Ian awkwardly scratched his head.
Did I say something too harsh?
But no matter how much he thought about it, giving away a family treasure to a complete stranger seemed off...
Even if it was a reward for his hardships, Ian felt uneasy taking the magical sword.
Ian, embarking on a real march for the first time in his life, felt a very slight thrill.
Wow!
Medieval warfare!
Soldiers marching to enemy territory!
However, Ian's excitement did not last more than three days.
There was nothing particularly special about the war.
The march was more boring than he had imagined.
If this were a game or a movie, there would be grand BGM playing, unfolding the story of soldiers and generals facing war.
But reality is not a work of fiction.
Grand BGM my ass.
Only suffocating silence, awkwardness, and the irritation of tired soldiers filled the air.
The mercenaries stuck to their own groups, sharing stories they knew...
Mercenaries from different factions treated each other like complete strangers, awkwardly interacting as if they were neighbors at best.
Their uniforms were mismatched, their armaments varied, creating a ragtag army with no sense of belonging to the so-called "Count's army."
This was the army assembled by a "Count" in this medieval fantasy world.
'I wonder if they can even fight properly.'
They were mercenaries that lived by the sword, so they would charge at the enemy, but as for their combat effectiveness...?
Ian, now somewhat seasoned in this medieval fantasy world, had a rough idea of the composition of mercenaries.
More than half were foolish commoners who had run away from their duties.
Wearing nothing but linen armor and wielding a simple weapon, declaring, "Hello~ I'm a mercenary~" made up more than half of them.
Their role was essentially to serve as meat shields.
They were extras, providing opportunities for the more experienced and better-equipped veterans to shine.
Even among mercenaries, a commoner remained a commoner.
The only consolation was that their numbers reached 400?
"Ian, what are you doing?"
"Boiling spoons."
Not a single mercenary dared to initiate conversation with Ian, the wizard.
Ian's presence had significantly changed since he first arrived in this world.
He had a staff and even kept a crow.
He reached a point where he didn't have to announce he was a wizard; people just knew.
"...Boiling spoons? Why?"
Lucy was the only one, besides the Count, who would talk to Ian.
Lucy visited Ian whenever she felt bored.
"You're not... planning to eat them, are you?"
Unintentionally, Lucy spread rumors about Ian's "eccentricities."
Seeing Ian boil spoons in a pot, the mercenaries murmured, "The wizard is brewing spoon soup...!"
Of course, Ian hadn't gone mad enough to actually cook soup with spoons.
Seeing Lucy's horrified expression, Ian sighed deeply.
"There's this thing called sterilization."
"Sterilization?"
"It kills very tiny bugs that you can't see..."
"There are such things?!"
Ah, they don't know.
These uncivilized people of another world.
This is called "sterilization," the act of killing germs.
Ian explained kindly, but Lucy couldn't grasp the concept.
"If they're so small that you can't see them... how do they stay alive?"
Right?
Ian didn't know much about microbiology either. He just went along with what Pasteur said.
[A/N: Louis Pasteur, french chemist, 'renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization']
Fortunately, Ian was a wizard.
He had the cheat key of making up explanations for anything.
"It's a mystery."
"Ah... I see!"
Lucy brought her spoon to boil with Ian's.
Bubbling away, the "Spoon Soup" simmered.
Watching this, a few mercenaries approached and said,
"Um... Mr. Wizard. Could you boil ours too?"
What the mercenaries offered was salted meat.
They were desperate to share in the wizard's mysterious soup.
'...Dumbf*cks, it's not for making soup.'
It would take centuries for these uncivilized medieval folks to understand Ian.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder