Episode 166: After a long discussion that left some people cheering and others feeling disappointed.
Logan calmed down the noisy crowd with a somewhat tired look.
“Whew. A lot of time has already passed, so let’s take care of the simple things quickly. First of all, Clayton, how much more support do you need for the Magic Tower?”
“First of all, the cost of the research is bigger than the cost of the Mage Tower and the problem of selecting disciples…” “
Yes. I am well aware of the need for the research. Please tell me the amount needed. I will support it in any amount.”
Even though no specific conditions were mentioned, an exciting permission was given.
Clayton’s face brightens at the tone of voice that says he will give him everything he wants.
“However, I will definitely check how the money was spent. I will make sure to audit the material purchase and consumption costs through Dwayne, so please tell me the amount needed without being excessive.”
Logan clearly drew the line.
A clear line between greed and investment.
Only then did Clayton realize his flushed expression and chuckled.
It was because I found myself being disappointed.
‘Since when did I have so much money to spare?’
Moreover, doesn’t this mean that they will provide any amount of support as long as there is solid evidence?
There was no reason to hesitate.
“I will keep this in mind, Grand Duke. I think the amount needed will be around 10 million gold.”
10 million gold.
The crowd became quiet for a moment at the huge amount that was thrown out so easily.
“Good. Dwayne, you can afford that much, right?”
“…Yes. Although it is a bit tight.”
“Then that’s it. Lord Clayton, so the research problem has been solved?”
“Yes, thank you, Confucius.”
“No, please work a little harder. The day the research is successful, I will reward you beyond all your hard work.”
“What a repayment! It’s already enough!”
“yes?”
“These days, I am making the dream of the school come true in real time, which is a reward for me. I will work harder and do my best to be more helpful to the territory.”
Good words exchanged with a smile.
However, the congratulatory message contained the meaning that the research that Clayton was currently conducting was just as important.
Most of the retainers noticed this and their eyes lit up, but no one could ask Logan what he did not want to say.
“Then, the next thing is the workshop. It’s a matter of bringing in dwarven craftsmen… hmm. The workshop’s budget is sufficient, so I’ll leave that to Philip, who has experience at the top. It’ll be no problem, Philip, right?”
Of course, I asked this question expecting a positive answer.
however.
“…I think it would be better to postpone it for now.”
The gray-eyed young man expressed his opinion with a perplexed expression.
“Why?”
Hamar is glaring at Philip, and Damien, who is next to him, is pulling Philip’s sleeve.
Philip paid no heed and began to explain his thoughts.
“The biggest slave… Harun Castle, where the human market exists, was one of the main stages of the civil war. If you try to save the dwarven artisans in a situation where the market itself is paralyzed, the original high price may be several times or tens of times higher. . Now is not the right time.”
“then?”
“If the supply is released again in the next one to two months at the earliest, or three months at the latest, the prices of artisans will drop significantly due to the volume released at once. It is much better for the estate to wait for then and then purchase… and bring them in.”
Hamar, who instinctively frowned at words such as purchasing quantity, etc., nodded when he heard those words.
‘As expected, Philip. ‘Money matters are like a sword.’
Logan couldn’t help but smile too.
Keeping in mind that he too will soon return to his main job instead of administrative work.
“Yes, Philip. That was a very good opinion. Hamar, wait a moment. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Huh. I understand, master.”
Once the dispute was settled, Logan’s gaze shifted to Heinkel.
“I think it would be better to discuss the issue related to the Knights that my father mentioned earlier with Lord Heinkel. Sir, if you have anything on your mind, please tell me openly.”
“…Confucius. As I already told you, this person is now thinking about retirement.”
“Uh huh. How can you say that!”
Padric even shouted in a pitiful tone, but Heinkel’s expression did not change.
“I don’t think it’s a good look for me to express my opinion regarding the Knights Templar.”
“Hmm. What a person…”
Logan couldn’t help but sigh.
“Sir. The family fully understands your situation. And we cannot express our gratitude enough for your sacrifice and loyalty to the family. However, Sir Heinkel’s family needs your experience now. If you could help us a little more, it would be great. Is that okay?”
“…my opinion may not be helpful.”
“No matter what your opinion, any knight of our order will respect Sir Heinkel’s opinion the most. Including my father and I.”
At those words, the old and broken knight looked up at the head of the table with blank eyes.
The sad eyes and soft smile of my lord, whom I had tried my best to avoid because I knew he would be sorry, once again resonated with my tired heart.
Heinkel let out a deep sigh of regret and then fell into thought for a moment.
And he expressed his opinion while receiving everyone’s expectant gaze.
“I think the answer is to just roll with it.”
“…?”
There was silence in the conference room for a moment.
Shoot!
If there were sounds in the eyes, you would have heard them like this.
Expectations that ebb away, and disappointment that takes their place.
I can clearly feel the changing atmosphere of the audience piercing my skin.
Heinkel was most disturbed by the absurd look in his master’s eyes, staring at him with his mouth open, so he hurriedly spoke.
“I’m not saying let’s just roll with it!”
The loudest voice since the meeting began.
The old knight began to speak passionately.
“Isn’t the most important thing whether or not the Iron Blood Sword, which can now be said to be the symbol of our knights, be passed down?”
Expectations are rising again in everyone’s eyes.
“All you have to do is have the existing knights teach the Iron Blood Sword and lead the training as instructors for the new knights. In that way, you can recognize their status as existing senior knights and also aim for unity with the newly affiliated knights.”
One by one, the retainers nodded their heads in agreement.
“It would also be a good idea to pay special allowances to existing drivers who will serve as instructors.”
Heinkel expressed his opinions passionately, as if he had never been depressed.
It feels like flowers blooming on an old tree.
I don’t know if he knew it, but as he continued speaking, it felt like life was coming back to Heinkel’s face.
A smile spread on Padrick’s face when he saw that.
Logan also smiled and nodded.
“Good advice, Lord Heinkel. I will implement it. It will be of great help as expected.”
There is no guarantee that your opinion is truly a definitive solution.
However, the lord and archduke still actively respond.
At that sight, a faint smile appeared on Heinkel’s face.
‘Good.’
The knight who has been loyal to his family for a long time has regained his motivation.
The fact that the family will respect those who have given their loyalty even if they are injured or broken.
Logan wanted Heinkel to be a symbol of that. And for that reason alone, I felt it was worth testing Heinkel’s opinion.
Even if other, much better opinions emerge.
So it was better to end the meeting at this point.
“Okay! It looks like everyone’s opinions on the main agenda have now been expressed. Thank you all for your hard work during the long meeting. If there are any agenda items or problems that haven’t been mentioned yet, please let us know now.”
Just something I said to end the meeting.
However, as I looked around, just in case, there was someone whose hands were twitching.
“…Ronian? Is there anything you want to say?”
As the crowd’s attention focused on those words, Ronian hesitated for a moment and then took a step forward.
“Yes, brother. I have a problem I would like to talk to you about.”
“Really? Tell me anything.”
The younger brother who rarely expressed opinions during family meetings.
Logan was pleased with the sudden change, so he looked at his younger brother with shining eyes.
“As the status of the family rises, many merchants and refugees suddenly flock in. Perhaps because of this, crimes committed against the territory’s residents, such as theft and robbery, have become more frequent since immediately after the end of the war. If the situation continues like this, problems will grow even bigger in the near future. Seems to.”
At Ronian’s words, a murmur spread among the quiet vassals.
“Wasn’t there just a commotion because the festival had just ended?”
“When I think about it now, there was still a lot of noise.”
“I heard a rumor that the soldiers were having a hard time…”
The vassals also seemed to agree with Ronian’s opinion.
“It’s a security issue. By assigning more soldiers to the security team and increasing patrol time…”
“Brother, how about changing the system altogether?”
“Change the system?”
“Currently, the soldiers are divided into training, guard, dispatch, and rest groups and are taking turns performing their duties. I don’t know about other things, but I think it would be better for the territory to create dedicated soldiers to manage the security within the territory on a continuous basis.”
“Ho? Let’s create a security force?”
A smile appeared on Logan’s lips.
“Policy… unit? Yes. We are talking about creating a unit dedicated to public security. It would be appropriate if older soldiers or retired knights became the main force, so that it would be separated from the combat troops.”
“Oh my!”
“Good?”
“Second Confucius, you are also smart.”
Ronian’s words also drew a positive response from his vassals.
‘This guy…’
I think this is my first time hearing the name ‘police force’, but I can’t believe he came up with something like this on his own.
The security force was a system that was only implemented in the empire’s largest cities, but it was a method that had proven to be effective.
However, when it was a small territory, there was no need to worry about security to the extent of having a separate security force, so I couldn’t think of it….
Sikh.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s do it. You should try it yourself, Ronnie.”
“Yes? Me?”
“Yes. Since you are the one who gave the opinion, you should create your own security force. I think there will be results if you operate it around the two towns and a large castle like Bipros Castle.”
“…Yes, brother. I will do my best.”
“Yes, please take care of me. In the future….”
“Yes?”
“Be good.”
Smirk.
“Yes brother.”
That day’s meeting ended with Logan’s strange smile.
* * *
“Lord Heinkel, please speak to me for a moment.”
“Grand Duke….”
“I heard that you refused my father’s offer to give you territory. Don’t you think it was a waste? It was an opportunity to create the Viscounty of Fides.”
Fides.
It is an ancient word meaning loyalty and faithfulness, and was a surname given to Heinkel by his father when he gave him the title of Viscount.
“…What would this childless person do with his fiefdom? He will only become Numan in the family after my death.”
“You’re still correcting it, but why are you saying that? Even if you lose the Force, living healthy is… Oh, I’m sorry.”
“What is there to be sorry for? It was a wound I received while trying to save my master. On the contrary, I feel proud.”
“…Yes?”
Logan looked at Heinkel with blank eyes.
“I am well aware of the lord’s consideration and concern. However, I only refused because I thought I was not good enough, so please tell me not to feel pressured.”
“…We want to repay your sacrifice in some way. Please tell me anything you want. My father and I are willing to do anything for you.”
“I know. “I know very well that you want to compensate me for what I have lost.”
“Then I hope you will accept that feeling. “My father is depressed because he has been rejected so many times.”
Logan’s voice was sincere, and Heinkel spoke again after a short silence.
“…There is something you always said when I first met you when I was young.”
“What…?”
“He will someday revive the glory of McLane’s past, and I ask you to join him on that path.”
“….”
“The young lord always emphasized that to me, and the lord’s words are like that. The dream suddenly became my dream.”
“Sir…”
Heinkel’s calm voice continued.
“Of course, then we ran into reality and were frustrated. I lived like that for a while forgetting about my dream, but Confucius made that dream come true.”
“…Thanks to you, it was possible.”
“Is that possible? Of course, I won’t deny that I also had some small balls. That’s why I’m even more grateful.”
Looking at Heinkel who suddenly lowered his head, Logan couldn’t hide his embarrassment.
“Thanks to Confucius, I have achieved my dream in abundance. So, what more can I ask for?”
A soft smile appeared on Heinkel’s lips.
That smile looked truly reassuring. He seemed to have left the world,
as if he had no regrets left.
So, it felt like he was going to go somewhere else, so Logan hurried away. I grabbed his hand.
“We still need your strength. Even if you’re not a driver, there’s a lot you can do with just that experience. I don’t know about the territory, but I think
you should reconsider retirement…” “Yes, I will reverse my retirement.”
“…Huh?”
The moment when the task asked by his father was done so easily.
Logan ended up asking back with a rather foolish expression.
” What now…?”
“I thought I had lost my strength and become inadequate. So I decided to retire, ignoring the lord’s request. But during this meeting, I realized it again. There is still something I can do for this family.”
“….”
“It may be too much for a knight, but I am confident that I can fulfill my role as an instructor who disciplines soldiers. Of course, I know that Kaisolon instructors are great, but I think I can help in my own way. Please appoint me as military advisor. I will do my best to help the family.”
“Lord Heinkel…” Logan was unable to find anything to say at the sight of a man who had earned the title of Viscount volunteering to be an instructor for soldiers.
“It has already been accomplished .
Rather than living satisfied with my dreams, I want to see my dreams become bigger. I would like to dream some more with you, Lord and Confucius. Would you give permission?”
“…Of course, Lord Heinkel. “No matter what dream you have, I will make it possible for you to see more.”
Logan said, “I will make it so that this loyalist can dream as he wants. No, I will make it so that he can see his big and splendid dream come true.”
He promised this over and over again. I just did it.
