Knights, Let’s Smash Them

107 – You’re a Padrip (1)

It has been a month since the incident in the free city of Monterto was concluded.

The air that used to be crisp and cool around late summer and autumn was now tinged with a cold chill.

It snowed yesterday.

A lot of people came because they were afraid that someone might not be from the northern region.

Thanks to that, I was put into exciting snow removal work with the knights from dawn.

If the passage of wagons is blocked, the local economy will freeze on that day.

Besides, winters in the north are harsh. If you neglect it because it’s bothersome, you can’t really handle it later.

Having been working on snow removal since dawn like that, it gave off the ambience of Cheorwon, a land far away from home.

Of course, thanks to that, the goods coming into Petalonto were able to arrive on time.

As soon as the sun came up, the market in the city greeted a day like no other.

And among the merchants who came in the process was Roger Ruskey of Fisher Pepper.

“Lubern Magistrate! How are you!!”

“I almost lost my neck waiting.”

A man with impressive dark skin bursts into laughter.

Roger Rusky.

He is a merchant of Fisher Pepper, a small-scale spice association in the southern region that has signed an exclusive contract with Rupel Mansion.

As much as he has won a contract worth one manor, he has recently been promoted to the branch manager in charge of direct transactions with Rupel manor, and has become a true beneficiary of victory.

The reason I went to the southern region this time was because I was called by the head of the union as the branch manager, Rupell.

I’m finally back after finishing my schedule for almost a month.

In order to investigate the additional business that Roger and I are working on together.

“I heard that you have been quite dizzy. It was a huge commotion.”

“Yes, Monterto was upset.”

“Ttsuttsu…… What time of day are the warlocks still installing them?”

At the time of the incident in Monterto, Roger was already on his way south.

In this day and age, cell phones didn’t exist, and you must have heard now that a warlock was conspiring in Monterto.

“But was that really the end?”

“There are some suspicious circumstances, so I am personally continuing my investigation.”

I answered Roger’s sharp question straight away.

As soon as the black magician in question was killed, the inspectors dispatched from the imperial family and the heretic interrogators from the Imperial Office closed the knot with the conclusion of the case and withdrew.

Even though I tried to tell the story about the Blue Cross and Crowley, the reaction that came back was tepid.

-Generally, about a hundred Inquisition and heresy requests come in every month. And 80% of them are related to Crowley and the Blue Cross.

-Isn’t that serious?

-It has to be serious. Except for the fact that out of 80% of the problem, 90% are idiots who were deceived by a swindler who sold Crowley’s name, and only the remaining 10% are remnants of the Blue Cross.

From noble mtl dot com.

In short.

Since Crowley and the Blue Cross are such a well-known black magic organization, it means that they sell dogs and cattle names.

The Emperor’s Office was convinced that the black magician in question was one of them.

-Have you seen it? Except for Arachne, the chimeras weren’t too threatening either. Indeed, the worm was released in the North at best, but it was not properly controlled and left unattended.

It was a reasonable claim in its own way.

The Office of the Emperor, located in the Laterano Dominion, is not only in charge of the Boliber Empire.

Virtually the entire continent is their sphere of influence.

That’s why I feel like I can’t personally react to an incident like this.

The black magician has already been subjugated, and all the circumstances have been revealed.

Just because a few parts are suspicious, it means that there are a lot of people who have already invested precious manpower in the yard where the caster died.

I understand.

But this is a problem that is directly related to the safety of our territory.

In the end, I organized a separate investigation team and ordered our knights to conduct their own investigation without the help of the Imperial Inspector and the Imperial Office.

Andrei and Heinz, who are good at reconnaissance, search, and trail tracking, and even Decart, a priest and knight with excellent knowledge of black magic.

The investigation team, consisting of 3 average knights and 3 squires, was currently collecting evidence by traveling around the territory including Baron Kirten and Tiffen Village.

If the black magician who was killed at that time was just a tail and a mere tail, now is the time for those bastards to rest in peace, as the imperial inspector and the Imperial Office have pulled their feet out.

I’m sure those three will be able to catch the tail.

It’s been two weeks since I was dispatched.

“I hope nothing special happens.”

“No big deal.”

Even after that, we had a few small talk.

“So did you find out how to brew?”

I decided to get to the main topic.

Apart from the spice contract, Roger, the head of the Fischer Pepper Rupell branch, was traveling across the country working on how to make and commercialize the “Stout” Beer in question.

I also met a former liquor manager who made stout beer in the past, but the result was futile.

I don’t remember much because it was a few years ago, and all the information was not helpful, saying that it was stored in a barrel without any additives in the first place.

If it was normal, I would have just given up here.

I myself was very interested in the unique deep flavor of stout beer.

Countess Diona Osrupel, who was a lover in the first place, and Harald, Duke of Hebron, his neighbor.

And lastly, it has become a product that can never be given up since all the big and big VIPs, from the colossus Marco Firenze, all received favorable reviews.

General specialty products that are easily accessible to the common people are not bad, but the original brand value comes from expensive and delicious luxury items.

If stout beer can be established as an expensive alcoholic beverage that can only be obtained in the Rupell Mansion, the dripping water effect that falls below it is sure to be indescribable.

Besides the self-recognition of Rupel estate, the name value of ‘Petaronto Lager’ and ‘Rupel Ale’, which will be produced in the same brewery, will naturally rise.

“I even remember hearing from the last letter that you were looking for a liquor with a similar scent.”

As I look at Roger with a look of anticipation, he responds by waving his hand as if asking what he’s talking about.

“Yes, I did. Thanks to that, I was able to come to know the brewing method.”

“Oh…… !!”

“What we missed was not how much it was aged in the barrel, but what barrel it was put in.”

He pulls out a clear bottle from my bag. Clear liquid that slicks over the surface of the bottle.

“Is it whiskey?”

“Yes, it’s bourbon whiskey. It’s made from fermented corn.”

Roger added with a grin.

“Bourbon is particularly developed in the South. The taste at the end of stout beer felt like I had drank it somewhere before…… Come to think of it, it must have been bourbon.”

When he opens the lid, you can feel the strong scent unique to distilled spirits.

Surely, when I smelled it well, there were quite a few parts similar to the scent felt in stout.

“If you store it in the barrel used to produce this bourbon whiskey, mature it enough, and add vanilla bean and cacao to it, it will have the right flavor.”

“Umm…… !”

It was a satisfactory result.

Still, it’s a recipe that can only be established after brewing it at a brewery, but just acquiring this amount of information can be considered a significant achievement.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh, and I have this too.”

Roger put the bourbon back in his bag and set the small leather bag on the desk.

“What is this?”

“That’s what you asked for last time.”

When I sneakily opened the leather bag, black seeds filled in the sack appeared.

Recognizing the identity immediately, I hurriedly tied the strap of the sack.

“Keuhmm, hmm…… ! Hmm!!”

‘f*ck, I forgot!’

It was a poppy seed.

“How is cultivation going?”

“No…… Well, it’s going pretty well. So, I expressed my intention to purchase more.”

“You don’t know how much I begged the general manager. It’s an expensive spice, but since it’s Rupel’s estate, I barely made any profits.”

“Because we signed a contract under the condition that it would not be used as a spice in the first place.”

I put the sack down on the floor and laughed.

Actually, there is no reason to be afraid.

It was only illegal in Korea, but it’s not particularly illegal here, right?

“That is unusual. If you don’t use poppy as a spice, what are you thinking of using it for? ….”

“I have several things in mind. For now, let’s just say it’s a ‘strategic’ item.”

“Strategic supplies?”

Roger didn’t seem to understand at all. If possible, I hope you continue to understand.

You never know.

Whether poppy is used for therapeutic purposes or for other purposes.

Once you have it, wouldn’t it be useful somehow???

“Come on, by the way, weren’t there any interesting stories from the South?”

“Oh, there were a few, but…”

We used an interlude to finish the secret deal, and after that, we talked a little more and parted ways.

It was because, unlike before, when he was a simple peddler, Roger became busy in many ways as he took on a decent managerial position.

As the Rupel estate, which was a wasteland with nothing, started to develop steadily, it is the exact opposite situation to me, with less work to do.

Of course, it’s only natural that Petra has been newly appointed administrator.

‘I said it when the work efficiency doubled.’

No matter how effective it is, Vice-captain Emain’s crumbly skin, which was always tired, is gradually regaining vitality.

On top of that, the corners of his mouth hanging over his ears all day are a bonus.

-Petra! Have me!

When I liked it, I almost sang Yongbieocheonga…… Petra herself seems to be burdened, so I just told her to get used to it.

‘It’s only been a year since I entered Rupel Manor, and the atmosphere has changed quite a bit in that time.’

I licked my lips recalling the not-so-distant past.

Comparing then and now, I can’t help but feel really new.

Petaronto was steadily developing, and now it has reached the point where it can be called the capital of a proper county.

Luchhyeop did not stop at the northern region, but was expanding its reputation nationwide through aggressive business attraction.

The power of the Snow Leopard Knights has also been greatly strengthened, to the point where they can even hold 8v8 friendly tournaments.

Yes.

I’m raising knights for this taste.

Compared to the Wolfpack Knights, the strongest knights in the northern part of the world, there is still a long way to go, but even this much is a great improvement.

With a little more effort, it is clear that it can be raised to a similar level.

Because we don’t have enough people, it’s absolutely not that our skills are lagging behind. It’s great to see everyone, from the low-level squire to the leader, Xianne, working hard without neglecting their training.

‘Shall we go to training or observe?’

I thought as I got up from my seat.

Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I haven’t properly wielded my sword.

Now that the weather is getting colder, I don’t want to leave the warm Knights Headquarters for nothing.

This isn’t just me.

Among the toxic knights, even Barbara, who is sensitive to the cold, doesn’t go out because of the cold.

In this kind of weather, the only person who can participate in training hard is Lonz, whose pain cells are completely frozen, or…….

“What? Lubern Administrator. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you at the training ground.”

“I thought you would be there.”

It was Captain Xianne who was sweating profusely.