Chapter 28: Chivalric Literature and the Bastards Part 3

Keldric didn’t particularly need to hear Lord Hermann’s story.

The fact that Lord Hermann had subtly brought up the topic was something he could dismiss lightly as casual conversation.

However, Keldric had two main reasons for not doing so.

First, since he had already arrived in Belam, there was no urgent reason to move elsewhere.

Keldric had come out to explore the world beyond Carlton Village.

He wouldn’t refuse if it resulted in some monetary gain or perhaps even land, but that was something to consider depending on the circumstances.

Now that he could leisurely stay in Belam and explore the unfamiliar city, Keldric had enough flexibility to grant a small favor for someone else.

The second reason was to forge connections with nobles other than Baron Volpen and Lord Werner.

For someone like Keldric, who had only just burst out of a rural village, he had no such ties.

He’d indebted himself somewhat to Baron Volpen by defeating the Rock Troll, but since he had already received a hefty sum of silver for it, he couldn’t exactly hold it over him later.

He wasn’t exactly busy.

He had some money, but more money is always better.

If he could establish connections with the Kassel family and incur a debt from a prominent northern noble like Baron Volpen, all the better.

There was no need to make Lord Hermann sweat and draw out the conversation any longer.

He already seemed quite desperate.

In this situation, Keldric decisively abandoned any option that would leave him empty-handed.

‘Is there any reason to refuse?’

There was no specific reason to grant the favor, but there was equally no reason to flatly refuse it.

Besides, if he found it unreasonable after hearing the details, he could simply decline, saying, ‘It’s not exactly honorable.’

For a knight, honor is as essential as life itself.

Since Hermann himself was a knight, the likelihood of him pressing on despite hearing that excuse was low.

In that case, Lord Hermann might be displeased, but as he had his own reasons, it seemed he hadn’t even reported it to Baron Volpen.

In the end, Keldric had nothing to lose.

“It seems that there are some traitorous bastards within Belam who betrayed His Excellency.”

Although it was a somewhat sensitive issue to suggest that someone in the city had betrayed Baron Volpen, it was still worth listening to.

Keldric looked intently into Lord Hermann’s eyes.

“This seems like something I should decide only after hearing the whole story.”

“Lord Keldric… I understand your caution, but after hearing this much…”

“Are you saying, Lord Hermann, that I seem dishonorable enough to side with traitors?”

Keldric wasn’t particularly offended, but he deliberately scowled slightly.

Seeing Keldric’s expression, Lord Hermann frantically waved his hands in denial.

“N-No! That’s not what I meant! It seems there’s been a slight misunderstanding!”

“Lord Hermann. I hunted down the Rock Troll to assist Baron Volpen.”

Keldric didn’t intend to boast about his troll-slaying.

However, the underlying message was clear: ‘I helped Baron Volpen, yet you suspect me? Are you implying Baron Volpen lacks the judgment to recognize a trustworthy person?’

“Hmm… I was rude. I apologize.”

Realizing the implication, Lord Hermann reluctantly conceded.

Seeing him looking somewhat dejected, Keldric gave a slight nod, signaling his willingness to listen to the story.

“Are you curious as to why I didn’t tell His Excellency?”

“I am curious about that, but I think it’s best to hear the entire situation first.”

Keldric took a sip of wine and listened to Lord Hermann’s story.

To fully understand Lord Hermann’s story, it was necessary to go back three months.

Three months ago, as Lord Hermann was overseeing the security of the city and its surroundings, as usual, he had just received news about the Lord’s War in the territory of Robernst.

Though neither were as powerful as Baron Volpen, the two northern barons, who could hardly be looked down upon, had fought fiercely with the determination to destroy each other’s families.

Several knights, eager for action, joined the brutal battle, and Lord Hermann’s uncle also headed toward Robernst.

But a month later, Lord Hermann was forced to receive his uncle’s cold, lifeless body.

During his sorrow over his uncle’s death, Lord Hermann couldn’t ignore a particularly unsettling detail.

“My uncle, Sir Ulrich of the House of Hoenthuringen, did not die an honorable death.”

Rather than falling in a true knight’s battle or in a noble charge on horseback, he had been poisoned on the battlefield through someone’s trickery.

Sir Ulrich, Lord Hermann’s uncle, was an average knight, and like most knights, he was overly fond of drinking.

Although there were some losses, victory in the territorial war was anticipated to go to the Robernst Baron.

After a revelry that went on until late into the night, Sir Ulrich was found dead the next morning.

According to his fellow knights, Lord Hermann had been deeply saddened upon hearing the news.

However, even in his sorrow, he noticed something odd.

“Isn’t it strange? I don’t mean to speak ill of him, but Sir Ulrich wasn’t particularly skilled.”

Sir Ulrich was an average knight in every way.

Average strength, a fondness for drinking, and a decently rowdy temperament.

He was the type of knight you’d encounter nine times out of ten, anywhere.

Yet, to target someone like Sir Ulrich specifically with poison in the dead of night was peculiar, as Lord Hermann explained.

“Poisoning may be an underhanded tactic, but if it works, it’s certainly effective.”

“But, Lord Hermann, based on what you’ve said, it seems unlikely there was any reason to poison Sir Ulrich.”

“That’s exactly my point!”

Was he poisoned due to his exceptional skills?

He wasn’t particularly powerful.

At least, that was Lord Hermann’s assessment.

Did someone have a grudge against him?

Sir Ulrich, although a bit rough like many knights, wasn’t someone prone to inciting grudges.

“There was no reason for him to be poisoned.”

“It is strange. But what does this have to do with the traitor in Belam?”

“Just listen further.”

With doubts surrounding his uncle’s death, Lord Hermann cautiously began gathering rumors.

The rumors circulating about the Robernst territory were dubious at best.

“There were all sorts of bizarre tales among the mercenaries.”

One rumor claimed that Baron Leibach had catapulted plague-ridden corpses, while another suggested the emperor was stirring up fights to test the loyalty of the border nobles.

Amidst the outlandish tales, there was one particularly suspicious rumor.

“Are you familiar with Duke Gottfried?”

“…Duke Gottfried? Why him?”

“Near the end of the territorial war, someone suspicious was reportedly captured in the Robernst Duke’s tent.”

Apparently, Duke Robernst, awakened by a suspicious noise in his sleep, captured the mysterious man, who, under interrogation, turned out to have been sent by Duke Gottfried.

Keldric felt a flicker of confusion.

‘Why is Duke Gottfried being brought up here?’

Having tangled with Baron Volpen to some extent, Keldric knew that Duke Gottfried was a crafty individual.

Even though Gottfried’s sent riders to Carlton Village, they always seemed to fail, revealing their ties to him in the end, likely due to unexpected factors.

In Carlton Village, Keldric himself was the variable, while in the Robernst territory, it was Duke Robernst’s sharp hearing that exposed them.

Although Gottfried’s efforts had been thwarted twice, the general consensus was that he had no reason to interfere with the territorial war in Robernst.

“Do you have any idea why?”

“Duke Robernst and Count Bogenberg are quite close.”

Keldric quickly changed his line of thought.

If Count Bogenberg was involved, it made sense.

“Then, Duke Gottfried wanted Duke Robernst to lose?”

“That’s not it. From the beginning, the advantage was on Duke Robernst’s side.”

Moreover, Duke Gottfried wasn’t influential enough to manipulate the outcome of another territory’s war.

Even poisoning Sir Ulrich wouldn’t drastically change the dynamics of the war.

“He simply wanted to disgrace Duke Robernst.”

“Disgrace?”

“Think about it. A knight was poisoned in the military tent. How do you think it would affect Duke Robernst’s reputation?”

“…Ah.”

Baron Robernst had gathered knights by flaunting his wealth and continued the territorial war.

However, it didn’t make sense that Sir Ulrich had died from poisoning in the safest place – the allied camp – rather than being isolated and killed in enemy territory.

Moreover, he was poisoned from food served at a banquet, food personally brought in by Baron Robernst.

A knight who ate that food and succumbed to poison the next day? Such a public disgrace would be unmatched, undoubtedly damaging Baron Robernst’s honor.

To make matters worse, Baron Robernst had spent an astonishing amount of money on the war effort.

His reputation was in tatters, and his wealth was exhausted.

Baron Robernst was left with nothing.

“Duke Gottfried poisoned my uncle.”

“That’s regrettable. Sir Ulrich was surely honorable and must have gone to heaven.”

“Thank you. Anyway, it didn’t end there.”

Without even allowing Lord Hermann a moment to vent his anger, a series of unfortunate events began to plague Belam.

Peddlers were bringing plague-stricken children into the city, and gate guards were beating up knights, even if they were stripped bare.

On top of everything, even the iron supply had recently been completely blocked, leaving the city intact on the outside but rotten within.

“The situation is festering. The continuous streak of these unfortunate incidents seemed strange to me.”

Lord Hermann responded quite rationally.

He somehow managed to calm the chaos temporarily, eager to investigate the root cause of these misfortunes as quickly as possible.

Then, a month ago, Lord Hermann finally found a clue.

“The church in Belam began to take in the sick, and even after the gates closed, security became stricter… These were all decisions made by the city council.”

“The city council?”

“Yes. And just recently, they tried to force carts through, claiming the iron supply shouldn’t be cut off. Isn’t that odd?”

Every decision the city council made seemed to threaten the city.

By taking in the sick, they nearly unleashed an epidemic; and while strict gate security was beneficial, a knight had been beaten under this policy.

“The one beaten by the guards was a knight who once served as a guest at Count Bogenberg’s castle.”

“Isn’t that a curious coincidence? Not only was my uncle murdered, but now a knight who served as a guest for Count Bogenberg was beaten by soldiers.”

Indeed. Keldric nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t unreasonable for Lord Hermann to draw connections regarding his uncle’s matter.

And then there was the attempt to force people through the iron supply route blocked by Rock Trolls.

“Lord Keldric. I have no concrete proof, but something feels off.”

“Indeed…”

The unfolding situation was undeniably suspicious.

It wasn’t unreasonable for Lord Hermann to suspect there was a traitor within Belam.

While it was possible everything had happened by coincidence, reasoning that way was boundless.

“That’s also why I haven’t told His Excellency. Unable to address all these issues effectively and adding the possibility of a traitor within Belam would devastate my reputation.”

And it wouldn’t stop at his reputation; his honor would be chipped away in real-time.

Honor isn’t merely about protecting the weak and the helpless.

Fulfilling one’s duty as commanded by one’s lord is also an act that holds honor in high regard.

Moreover, Baron Volpen wouldn’t overlook Lord Hermann’s string of failures, so severe censure would undoubtedly follow.

“Even if I explained everything, the fact remains that nothing has been definitively revealed. His Excellency is already busy dealing with matters related to Duke Gottfried…”

Keldric, who had been quietly listening to Lord Hermann, nodded.

He understood why it hadn’t been reported to Baron Volpen and recognized that Hermann was in a difficult situation.

“However, it doesn’t seem like something I can resolve, does it?”

What Keldric excelled at was physical tasks.

If this had been about slaying some monster like the Rock Troll, Keldric would have accepted readily.

But dealing with such a complex, tangled affair was not to his liking.

“There’s a separate favor I’d like to ask in that regard.”

“What is it?”

“Since you’ve defeated the Rock Troll and the band of marauders for Belam, I could publicly honor your deeds.”

This was Lord Hermann’s plan:

Since Keldric had accomplished feats for Belam by defeating the Rock Troll and the marauders, Hermann would publicly celebrate Keldric’s achievements before the city council and other influential figures.

During that staged ceremony, they’d identify anyone who showed discontent over Keldric’s accomplishments.

If there were a traitor in the city, they wouldn’t view Keldric, who had eradicated the Rock Troll and marauders, favorably and would try to discredit him in some way.

“For example, they might spread rumors to tarnish your honor, or perhaps…”

“Or use some sort of force to hinder me.”

Keldric nodded.

Lord Hermann’s idea seemed plausible, and it was also verging on the use of physical prowess.

With his keen instincts and sharp intuition, Keldric thought uncovering the traitor might not be too difficult.

“I’ll ensure the reward is satisfactory. Rooting out Belam’s traitor is in the city’s best interests, so there’ll be a substantial reward from the city as well.”

“What if I fail?”

“Even if that happens, I won’t hold you accountable.”

And since the reward was promised to be generous, Keldric saw no reason to refuse.

“I hope it will be of some assistance to His Excellency and to you.”

“Does that mean…?”

“I’ll help. How could I turn away from your difficult situation?”

“Oh! Truly, you are an exemplar among knights!”

Watching Lord Hermann’s overly enthusiastic reaction, Keldric quickly organized his thoughts.

‘If things get out of hand, I’ll just back out.’

Since he wouldn’t be held accountable in case of failure, he had no intention of taking it too seriously.