Chương 10: Impressions of Alden Town
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Hansel sat in the carriage, feeling gloomy. This state had persisted for two weeks now.
Over half a month ago, he had joyfully received his royal appointment letter. However, upon opening it, he was dumbfounded to find himself assigned as a permanent representative to a place he had never even heard of before—the Earldom of Grayman on the northwest coast. God knows where that forsaken place was.
Later, in the military camp, he coincidentally met an old man he had encountered on his way to seek refuge. The man had finished his affairs and was prepared to return, reminding Hansel that the Grayman Earldom was where the old man was headed. At least he had company on the journey now.
Images of his old classmate Matthew surfaced in Hansel's mind. That guy had such good luck, remaining under the Princess's command. He had even said, "Although our positions differ, we both serve His Majesty the King equally!" Such smug words.
Bah, Princess or not, she could use Matthew for his accounting skills, and that would be putting him to good use. But as soon as Hansel thought of Matthew's smug face, he felt like retching.
The steward Ford, who shared the carriage with him, was quite pleased. Things had gone smoothly; the Grand Princess readily acknowledged Paul Grayman's inheritance of the title. Upon hearing of the old Earl's brave fight against pirates resulting in his demise, she not only expressed condolences but also, considering the pressure from pirate invasions on the territory, granted exemption from sending troops to defend the realm. Finally, she volunteered 50 sets of leather armor and 50 long spears.
On the journey, Hansel learned about the situation in the territory through casual conversation with Steward Ford.
The Grayman family could trace their lineage back to a prominent family during the ancient Bela Empire. After the empire's collapse, their ancestors had established themselves independently. Generations later, the family followed the Aldor Kingdom's founding king in battles across the realm, making significant contributions to the kingdom.
However, during a political struggle over the throne succession, they backed the wrong horse. In those days, the royal control over local lords wasn't as weak as it is now, and those who sided with the losing faction were bound to face retribution.
Although the title of Earl had been preserved through political maneuvering behind the scenes, the formerly prosperous estate was reclaimed by the new king. The entire family was kicked to the barren northwest coast. Since then, successive heads of the family had kept a low profile, gradually fading from the kingdom's political stage.
No wonder Hansel hadn't heard much about them before. He thought to himself, "Ah... my life is so bleak, an obscure rural noble, in an unknown backwater region. All my fervor, all my talent, is it all going to be buried like this?"
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He then began to resent his own background. If only he weren't a bastard, if only his mother had come from a better family... But no, there were no ifs in life.
Some things could never be changed. He needed to focus on completing his current task and striving to return to the presence of His Majesty the King and the Grand Princess. His efforts would be recognized someday. He quickly adjusted his mindset.
Beside him, Steward Ford glanced out of the window excitedly. "Look, Sir Abbott, ahead is Lake Alden, officially known as the Alden Domain. It's named after this lake. We're about to reach Alden Town."
As the trees along the road gradually thinned out, a large lake came into view. The opposite shore was barely visible, and there was a huge island near their side of the water, dotted with many buildings. Apart from the castle standing in the center of the island, it looked like a fairly large town.
Hansel muttered to himself, "This 'town' is the capital of an earldom? It's worse than the outskirts near the capital."
Actually, this could only be blamed on Hansel's "limited" knowledge. In this era, many lords built their castles like this, either on cliffs or on islands surrounded by water—easy to defend and hard to attack. They guarded against bandits, rebellious subjects, and even neighboring lords' covetous eyes.
However, young nobles from the capital like Hansel rarely ventured beyond the immediate vicinity of Crystal Castle. Even if they did travel, it was along bustling trade routes. Naturally, they had never seen such sights.
Approaching the lakeshore, they found a huge floating bridge. The bridge was made by linking specially made boats as nodes. It seemed sturdy enough that a mere carriage crossing was no challenge.
"Shouldn't we get off and walk to the island?" Hansel was worried whether the floating bridge could support the carriage's passage. Hearing his concern, Steward Ford chuckled and assured him, "Sir Abbott, rest assured. This floating bridge is very sturdy; a carriage crossing is nothing to worry about."
Seeing the locals so reassuring, Hansel felt somewhat relieved, but he still sat nervously in the carriage as it crossed the floating bridge. It was only after reaching the island that he finally let go of his anxiety.
"So, Lord Abbott, I must first go report to the Lord about the matter at hand. Please rest in the castle guest room with my servant, and I'll arrange for you to meet the Lord shortly."
"Very well, Master Ford."
The carriage slowly entered through the gates of the castle walls, where they saw Steward Philip coming their way.
"Master Ford, you're finally back."
"Steward Philip, good timing. Take me to see the Earl."
"I was just about to inform you about Earl's whereabouts."
"What's happened?" Master Ford's heart tightened. Could it be that Lord Grayman's old wound had recurred?
"The Earl took newly recruited soldiers out for some exercises. It may take a few days before they return to Alden Town."
"What? You let him lead a group of new recruits out like that? Don't you know how rampant the pirates are out there?"
"We tried to advise against it, but couldn't dissuade him. We had Lord Claude lead the castle guards to accompany and protect them."
Only then did Steward Ford feel reassured. He immediately said, "Send someone to find the Earl and bring him back, saying that a royal commissioner is awaiting his audience."
"Yes, I'll send someone right away."
After a courteous bow to Hansel, Steward Philip hurried off. Master Ford turned to Hansel and said, "I'm terribly sorry, Lord Abbott, looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer."
"That's alright. Since the Earl cannot return immediately, may I explore the vicinity?"
"Of course, you're a distinguished guest from afar. Please make yourself at home. But I also need to return home briefly, so I won't accompany you." With that, Steward Ford sent his personal servant as Hansel's guide and took his leave.
Hansel decided to have a drink, so he instructed his guide to take him and Tomann to the tavern in town.
The tavern was quite crowded; patrons were engaged in lively discussions. Suddenly, a well-dressed young nobleman walked in. Some astute observers immediately identified him as a nobleman based on his attire. The fact that he was accompanied by Master Ford's servant further confirmed his distinguished status, quieting the tavern's chatter.
"Boss, bring me three beers, in glasses that haven't been used."
"Yes, sir, please wait a moment. I'll prepare them right away."
The tavern's proprietor, in his forties and having never encountered a nobleman from out of town so closely before, hurriedly and nervously prepared the beers.
"Haha, the people in this small place are quite inexperienced!" Hansel chuckled to himself. He found a seat by the window and instructed Tomann to lay out some fabric on the seat and table before sitting down.
The tavern was a good place to gather information. Since he was here, he didn't plan to just sit and drink. But how should he start the inquiry?
At that moment, the landlord brought over the three beers. Hansel took one for himself and had Tomann and the flattered guide take the remaining two.
Surveying the customers around him, he noticed most were avoiding his gaze, afraid that any misstep might displease the noble gentleman. Only one person behaved furtively, occasionally sneaking glances at him.
"You, come over! Yes, you, the one wearing the leather hat."
"Me?" The young man Hansel pointed out quickly transitioned from surprise to fear. Had his curiosity offended the nobleman? What should he do? Would he be executed?
People around him quickly distanced themselves, fearing they might get involved.
Trembling, he approached Hansel and knelt down as soon as he stopped, tears streaming down his face as he desperately kowtowed. "Sir, I was just curious for a moment, truly without any ill intent, I beg you to please spare my worthless life..."
"Alright, alright, you're scared out of your wits. I don't intend to harm you! I just have a few questions, just asking around. Get up!"
Only then did the young man rise as if granted a pardon.
"Sit there!" Hansel pointed to the empty seat beside him.
"How... how dare I?"
"Baron's orders, if he asks you to sit, you sit!" Tomann interjected, playing the role of a sycophant at the right time.
The young man could only thank profusely as he sat down.
"I want to ask you, is the pirate situation really that serious now?"
"Yes, although they haven't appeared around here yet, rumors are spreading fear. Now, even traveling between villages requires a large group."
"Do you just let your lord handle it?"
"Not really. As you may have heard, the old lord sacrificed himself in the battle against the pirates. The new lord recruited soldiers as soon as he took over, seeking to hold them accountable both publicly and privately."
"I heard your new lord is still just a child?"
"Yes, and I wonder if he can bear the burden. Honestly, young Master Paul... uh, our current young Earl, was spoiled by the old Earl since childhood, causing mischief..."
The young man suddenly stopped speaking, realizing he was talking about another nobleman in front of this nobleman, moreover, their own lord. Wouldn't that get him into trouble?
Hansel smiled and had the landlord serve the young man another beer, soothing him. After continuing to inquire for a while, he suddenly found this young lord quite interesting.
For instance, at the start of his tenure, he issued a decree against indiscriminate defecation. Besides encouraging households to build their own latrines, he even funded the construction of several public toilets in town.
He also prohibited dumping waste and garbage into the lake, instead placing large boxes called "trash bins" at intervals on the streets, where pedestrians and residents must deposit their garbage. The lord's household organized daily clean-ups of the garbage.
Hansel held a higher regard for this young lord: "Not bad at all, a rural lord who seems more meticulous than the nobles in the capital. Hopefully, he doesn't have the various flaws of those rural noble bumpkins."
He stood up, tipped the young man a few coins, and instructed Tomann and the guide to continue exploring elsewhere.
(End of this chapter)
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