Episode 25
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The top tier of serpents had contacted several other talented individuals besides Amy. However, only Amy accepted my invitation.
‘I thought Hebron was a place that only the most eager people could visit, but it turned out to be an unattractive place even for them.’
It also cost money to meet and flirt with talent at the top of the serpentine. Naturally, the further away they lived, the more money they had to spend.
‘I guess it’s better to start by contacting the guys who are reliable.’
The Hebron fief expanded by swallowing up Nurha.
I kept in the employ of Nurkha’s knights, soldiers, and vassals, but none of them caught my eye.
“I brought Lord Baryan.”
He was one of the three people I was eagerly waiting for.
Now that we’ve called in Amy and Varyan, only Dante remains.
Baryan was a man in his late 30s.
He had a stocky build and there were burn marks all over his body.
Because he was a blacksmith who handled fire and iron.
“Variyan, it is an honor to meet you.”
I greeted Baryan with courtesy.
Although he only slightly lowered his head, Baryan was so surprised that he fell flat on the floor.
“Oh, how could someone as lowly as me… … .”
“I heard that Baryan’s legs gave hope to the knight who lost his legs. As a citizen of the kingdom of Zenon who reveres knights and respects chivalry, it is only natural that I express my gratitude to you.”
The Varyan’s leg was a prosthetic leg sold in the capital. Its maker was Varyan, but despite his fame, he did not make much money.
Because he was a commoner.
Baryan was not the only blacksmith who barely made a living by paying huge taxes. The common people generally lived in poverty like Baryan.
“I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“I wish I could leave your body, which I don’t know where to put it, in Hebron.”
It meant to move to Hebron.
It was not easy to bring the people living in the capital to the countryside. Taxes in the capital were relatively low, and there were many customers who placed orders with Baryan.
“I heard from the head of the serpentine. But what do you want me to do?”
“I was looking for the person who drew the blueprint for the rainbow bridge.”
“That’s a design that was rejected from the contest.”
“The Count of Torrens was troubled over the design of the four rainbow bridges and the Bethany Bridge.”
The Bethany Bridge was built on the river Toil in the household of the Counts of Torend.
The lower reaches of the Toil River have strong currents and frequently change depth, so Count Torend wanted to build a bridge without installing pillars in the riverbed.
In terms of design, Bethany’s plan was far superior. As a result, Bethany became a renowned architect in the capital, while Baryan barely made a living by doing small construction and prosthetic limb work.
“Is that so? I didn’t know.”
Tears welled up in Baryan’s eyes.
This was because he had never received much recognition as an architect.
The Bethany Bridge was a bridge supported by magic. Only nobles and wealthy merchants could pass through. Beryan, on the other hand, designed a long bridge to be supported by pure technology.
“I need your rainbow bridge.”
Baryan nodded with his mouth shut. His face looked like he would make any sacrifice if it meant creating a rainbow bridge.
“There is a place you can go with me.”
He took Baryan to the western cliff.
There was now a cloud bridge there, and the merchants belonging to the upper class of Serpens were crossing it.
“What a nice bridge. I heard that the bridge here was broken down a long time ago. Did you build a new one?”
“It was built a while ago. The wind spirit carried the rope.”
“Good idea.”
“It keeps shaking.”
“Well… … .”
I raised my hand and covered Baryan’s mouth. It was not acceptable in Hebron to tear out the architect’s spine without paying the proper price.
It would be impossible to cultivate talent that way.
“I will formally request you to do this. I will pay the fee and provide you with a house to live in and a blacksmith shop.”
“Oh, how could someone as lowly as me… … ?”
“Your talent is not insignificant.”
Baryan’s gaping mouth trembled.
“Your talent will change Hebron. I will invest in your talent.”
Baryan couldn’t answer. He just hung his head and shed tears.
He nodded, crying out loud, as if he was worried that I might change my mind.
He bent deeply and then straightened up.
“After you fix the Cloud Bridge, build a bridge for Baryan. The construction of the Rainbow Bridge comes next.”
Baryan, who had calmed down a little, looked up at me with bloodshot eyes.
“Who uses prosthetic limbs?”
“This is Ambrod de Jielsson. I’ll let you meet him later.”
“I will follow your orders.”
“This is a down payment. I heard you have a family. Use this money to take care of your family.”
He gave Baryan 20 gold. It was a lot of money that a commoner would never touch in his lifetime. After Baryan finished making the prosthetic leg, which took over a month, he was given 2 gold after deducting taxes.
After deducting the production cost, it was just over 1 gold.
“Thank you! I, I will truly serve the House of Hebron with all my might.”
“That makes sense.”
“Yes! I will prove it with my actions!”
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By raiding the warehouse of Baron Nurhah, he was able to obtain 1,100 gold coins, but 700 gold coins were used as taxes and bribes in the process of absorbing the Baron.
The remaining money was used to maintain public facilities in both territories and to strengthen security.
‘There are so many places where money can go.’
It was my first time running a estate.
It was also my first time experiencing gold coins drying up in the warehouse.
Louis de Hebron was accustomed to poverty, but running an estate was a distant dream for him.
The soldiers were learning the Monolith spear technique well, and the number of knights of Hebron increased to three: Brown, Solon, and Adol.
The old knight Alberto was appointed as a training instructor for the soldiers.
The slave soldiers also followed my training method faithfully. All 96 of them, except those who were drafted as magicians and spiritists, awakened the modified Hebron Aura training method and learned Sardia swordsmanship.
Elle was freed from her slave status and given a home near the lord’s castle. Elle was more diligent than I expected, and it seemed that she would soon be able to make a contract with a mid-level spirit. The slave soldiers who saw her achievements also eagerly joined in the training to catch my eye.
Although the bridge connected to Zielson increased the tax revenue, Hebron was still poor. If the administrator Amy had not joined and intervened in the finances, Hebron would have ruined itself.
Amy was searching through a pile of old papers for something of value.
I was thinking about leading the soldiers and going on a wild beast hunt, but the Serpens merchant brought me a chest full of gold coins.
“… … What kind of money is this?”
“This is the money left over from selling the Baron Hebron’s clothes!”
“491 gold?”
“Yes, my lord! There is chaos in the Jayleston Territory. The Baron Hebron’s clothes are so scarce that he cannot sell them!”
I had expected it to some extent. My father’s dexterity was excellent, and he readily accepted my advice. The work he created was so good that it was not much different from the clothes worn by the Duke of Braiot.
When it was first introduced to the market, the response was lukewarm.
But the county of Jayson was different. It was home to people who understood the fashions of the capital.
“Did you tell your father?”
“Yes, your highness.”
“So that’s why you’re so excited.”
Somehow, I had been hearing a thumping sound from upstairs. It was my father’s footsteps, but they were so light that I wondered if my second child had already been born and grown up.
For a while now, my father has been loitering in front of my office, as if he was waiting for the right moment to speak to me.
As the office grew quiet, my father opened the door slightly and stuck his face out. It was nice to see his bright complexion.
“Hmm! Ahhhh~!”
“Come in.”
“Son, have you heard the news?”
“Yes, Father. Thank you.”
“Hmm! I wonder if I was of any help in running the estate.”
“You came back from the dead. You have done a great thing.”
My father was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears.
It seemed that it wasn’t only when a father acknowledged his child that he felt moved.
The father was also impressed when he was recognized by his child.
After solving the poverty in Hebron, I planned to support my father’s dream.
But his father’s dream saved Hebron.
“Since it has come to this, I think I should open a store in Zielson. I will meet with Viscount Zielson and discuss it.”
“A store? Are you saying you’re going to open a store with my name on it?”
“Yes, I would like to try and create a proper brand. Is that possible?”
“Now, just wait a minute!”
My father became so excited that he lost his noble dignity.
I didn’t even frown at the sight.
A smile came to my face without me knowing it.
‘You are cute, Father.’
My father came back from the upstairs studio and found a large book there.
It was a book I was seeing for the first time.
“Hey, look at this.”
My father placed a book on my desk. It was filled with various designs he had come up with and sketches of my mother’s body type.
The latter half of the book that my father had spread out was full of brand pictures. It seemed that my father had been waiting eagerly for this moment to come and had created his own brand.
I examined them carefully.
And among them, I pointed out the most prominent brands with my hand.
It was a trademark with the word Hebron written in cursive letters on a simple drawing of a pair of wings.
“This seems best.”
“I thought so too. My son really does have eyes like mine! Haha!”
“Please discuss specific matters with the head of the Serpens. How many more sets of clothes did you make?”
“Seventeen dresses, eight dress shirts, seven pairs of trousers, six skirts, and four long vest jackets.”
It had been less than two weeks since he had brought a wagonload of clothes from the top of the serpent, and in the meantime my father had been faithfully filling his time. It had been an effort that could only be described as enormous.
“I would also like a suit of clothes. I need a suit to wear when I go to see Viscount Zailson.”
In an instant, my father’s gaze changed. He looked me up and down sharply, like a knight about to fight for his life.
My father woke me up.
Before I knew it, my father was holding a measuring tape in his hand.
“My son has really grown up a lot. His chest has gotten wider, and his legs have gotten longer. Oh, when did he grow so big…?”
“It’s all thanks to my father who raised me well.”
“In that sense, it would be good for you to become the owner of that seal.”
I blinked.
Since his rebirth from Luis de Breio to Luis de Hebron, I have heard the most shocking story.
The father continued speaking nonchalantly, as if he was handing his child a piece of candy he had kept in his pocket.
“It was a seal that didn’t suit me in the first place.”
“What, what do you mean by that? Are you saying you’re going to hand over the Baron title to me? Is it that simple?”
It was a story that the Breyo family could not even dream of.
No, it wasn’t the Duke of Bray, but even among lowly barons, it was common for fathers and sons to fight over titles.
But my father didn’t seem to have any lingering attachment to the Baron.
“Thanks to you, I found my calling. I made clothes as you instructed me, and people liked them so much. This is the first time in my life that something like this has happened. I’ll row while I’m at it, and you take the seal.”
It was truly the incomprehensible way of Hebron.
I looked up at the sky outside the window.
A laugh escaped my lips without me knowing it.
“Ha, haha! Hahahaha!”
“Yeah, that’s it! Smile at the sky! Hahaha!”
The rich man of Hebron laughed until his belly burst open.
Just like our ancestors’ wish.
