112
Salary Negotiation
“Hey, square one.”
The square didn’t look back to see if it was crooked.
‘The lord called me.’
I followed the square while thinking about it.
First of all, I looked back to see if there was anything I did wrong.
‘···There isn’t any?’
I was the one who carried out my duties as security guard more faithfully than anyone else.
There was no way it would get caught.
Of course, no one is perfect, so there were some minor things, but these were things that could be overcome if you were flexible.
‘Have you been too active lately?’
Suddenly, I nodded at the thought that occurred to me.
From breaking the enemy’s will with a fortress in a siege to making the enemy fight each other and driving them out without touching them.
It was a series of activities that perfectly combined both civil and military skills.
Also, although it was not voluntary, I was able to memorize quite a few prayers.
Since the divine was added to the civil and military arts, it would not be wrong to call it the new martial arts.
‘I guess we used new products at too cheap a price.’
The gold coins he received as extra allowances were not even worth the knight’s money, but they were all reasonable allowances earned through his efforts.
‘Come to think of it, it looks like the poop line will come from Fullfoot. Since Behart showed interest.’
Perhaps the reason he called me now was to negotiate my salary or to offer me an equivalent amount of compensation.
‘It’s salary negotiation…’
I thought of things I could offer in salary negotiations.
‘Introducing a flexible work schedule system.’
With the Garlic Farming in the Girton Mountains, Canna Body Tonic, and even Devil Candy collection, I had to adjust my work schedule as I was busy with the upcoming schedule.
Of course, I still went to work whenever I wanted, but it was human nature to want more freedom.
‘Change the work of the ignorant guards and increase the number of personnel.’
When I think about it, there were quite a few things I wanted to ask for.
I’ve never negotiated a salary, but in the Middle Ages, most problems were resolved by just swinging your fists.
The place we arrived at following the square that looked crooked even from the back was a room in the inner castle.
In that spacious room, a pale-faced Pulpouts was sitting alone.
‘It’s exclusive. It’s a bit burdensome.’
I quickly lowered my head.
“You’ve worked hard, Jace. Go out.”
At the lord’s words, Sa-gwak stepped back.
Sa-gwang-guk winked at me as he left the room.
Judging from the blinking, it seemed like he was lacking calcium.
‘I guess I’ll have to tell him to eat some dirt.’
“Sit over here.”
The lord’s voice was clearly filled with fatigue.
I sat down where the lord pointed and observed him.
The lord’s sunken eyes seemed to be due to a magnesium deficiency.
‘This kid needs to eat some dirt too.’
Baron Fullfoot.
It was not an easy opponent.
He ruled Cassidy for quite some time, and the fact that he is still alive and well proves it.
Most lords don’t rule for long and are killed by their families, die from illness, or are captured by commoners and skewered to death, but Pulpouts was still breathing, though he was pale.
That in itself was a great feat.
‘But how could such a bigot like that work under such a man…’
I clicked my tongue slightly, feeling a strange sense of kinship.
As expected, even the emperor could not do as he pleased with his children.
“This is the first time we’ve seen each other apart like this. Aaron, the head of the external security unit.”
“Yes, it is an honor.”
“It is an honor···.”
The lord muttered with a smile on his face.
‘It seems like salary negotiation is right.’
I took a deep breath and inflated my body.
As the lord took a deep breath and stepped back slightly, it seemed that inflating his size in salary negotiations was not effective.
“I haven’t talked to you in a while because I’ve been busy, but I know all the hard work you’ve done to make Cassadic shine. And also for saving Vivian this time. Thank you so much.”
The lord thanked me, listing my achievements one by one.
Each one sounded like a gold coin falling, and I nodded.
“Now that we have some free time at Cassidy, I have called you to have a meal with Captain Aaron, who has worked hard for Cassidy.”
As the lord said, Cassadic regained its long-awaited peace, but…
‘It’s a bit ominous to say it so specifically.’
It was okay to think that things were peaceful since the situation was resolved with the wisdom of modern people, but I still felt uneasy because of the cliche line that came out right away.
‘The royal knight’s feelings were a little hurt, but since he returned without any bloodshed, my brother and I will take care of it.’
The most important thing was that there was no bloodshed.
I nodded, clicking my tongue inwardly.
“First, let’s have a quick meal. We can talk slowly.”
As the lord clapped, the maids brought out food.
Food served on a long table.
These were the things we ate at Youngae’s birthday party.
The washing machine’s cooking ability wasn’t bad, but since it was mainly used as a washing machine, it felt inadequate compared to the food it was made of.
“Eat as much as you want.”
With the lord’s permission, I grabbed the meat from both sides and tore at it.
“Are you married?”
“I didn’t do it.”
I shook my head at the unexpected question and chewed the meat.
“Well… you can chew and answer. I see. What I don’t understand is that a hero like you still isn’t married.”
I scratched my beard because it was a reasonable question.
The deep, sunken creases at the corners of his mouth were palpable.
Is it because of the wine I drank while my throat was blocked, or is it because the wound at the corner of my mouth no longer hurts when I touch it?
I don’t know for sure, but I answered lightly.
“It’s a promise.”
“Hmm… I see.”
It was a short and indifferent answer, but Pulpouts nodded nonchalantly.
Pulpouts sipped his wine and watched me eat.
I thought he was a good guy because he kept pushing the bowl in front of me every now and then.
After finishing my meal and patting my stomach, the maids cleared the plates.
“You really eat well. If you were a noble, you would be recognized wherever you went.”
At Fullfoot’s muttering, I bowed my head deeply again. My head felt light after eating a hearty meal.
“I have a few suggestions to make. These are simple suggestions, so if you don’t want to listen to them, you can decline.”
‘This is the first time I’ve seen a noble make an offer to a commoner.’
Plus, you can refuse if you want.
It seemed like he wasn’t called Park Daegari’s father for nothing.
“First, the position of Captain of the Inner Guard. The position of Captain of the Inner Guard has been vacant for a long time. There has been a lot of work lately, so I am looking to fill the position again. I think you would be a perfect fit.”
The first offer was a promotion to Captain of the Inner Guard.
If you were the captain of the inner guard, you would be one of the top five in Cassadic.
It was unprecedented for an outer guard captain to be promoted to inner guard captain.
‘The square face is something to behold.’
Plus, the captain’s face will be worth seeing.
However, that didn’t mean I was interested.
‘Why bother? It’ll just be annoying.’
How high can one’s position be in a castle where a baron is the lord?
Moreover, compared to the money he earned from Nova’s bribes and Hannah’s share, the salary of the captain of the inner palace guard was nothing more than a pittance.
There may be some things that become more comfortable as your status increases, but it was comfortable enough at Cassidy even then.
‘There’s just more work to do.’
It was just the right level of passing the time, like now, by beating up kids I didn’t like, checking them, and taking a little care of them.
“The second is gold. The Fener family recently sent gold coins as an apology, so I have some spare cash.”
I was about to nod my head in agreement at the story about gold coins, the more the better, but I held back.
The second proposal was better than the first.
Then, according to the syllogism, the third proposal was more likely to be better than the second.
‘Let’s listen and think until the end.’
There may be a greater reward than I ever imagined.
I forced myself to nod at the sound of the gold coins, but I resisted.
Pullputs paused for a moment, looked at me, and opened his mouth.
However, the syllogism, which is perfect logic, betrayed me.
“The last one is Vivian’s personal escort position. What does that position mean······”
I didn’t hear any gossip.
A personal escort position for an unmarried woman.
The intention behind proposing him was quite obvious.
‘I worked so hard and now you’re trying to take advantage of my downtime?!’
My hands were shaking with rage at the sight of kindness being repaid with enmity.
***
‘Hmm······?’
Fullfoot narrowed his eyes at Aaron’s unexpectedly passionate reaction.
Vivian’s personal escort position.
If feelings arose between the two, it was a place to think about and propose.
Vivian was objectively very beautiful, even though she was his daughter.
It was certain that a child who had never left the Catholic Church would be nicknamed the Flower of the East.
Moreover, since she was his only child, she would definitely inherit the Pulphus family once she got married. So, the value was very great.
An opportunity to rise in status from commoner to noble.
It was not a common occurrence… it was a rare opportunity.
Of course, that was the case when Aaron won Vivian’s heart.
A chance to be with the most beautiful woman in the East,
Opportunity for upward mobility,
A chance to become a lord.
It’s all a combined proposal, and I should be happy to hear it…
‘You look like you’ve been shit-faced.’
A vivid emotion appeared on Aaron’s face, which had rarely shown expression until now.
Pulpouts was embarrassed because the feeling was far from positive.
Aaron’s hammer-like fist trembled as if holding back anger.
‘···If this continues, I might get hit.’
Pulpouts swallowed hard as he thought for the first time in his life that he might be hit by someone.
‘Do you hate Vivian? No, that’s not possible. Who would hate such a beautiful and kind child? Is it something to do with the promise? You’re angry that you couldn’t accept him even though this great opportunity came… Yes, that must be right.’
Fullfoot quickly assessed the situation in his head.
It was clear that Aaron had made some sort of promise regarding marriage and was upset that he was not being given this golden opportunity.
‘Who would hate that kid?’
Pulpouts nodded and opened his mouth to organize his words.
“You can choose. If you want, I can give you all three.”
Phew···.
Aaron’s deep breathing, as if holding back anger.
‘You turned down a place like that because of a promise… You value promises more than I thought.’
I had some idea of how to keep Aaron.
“···Could you convert the first and third into gold and add them to the second?”
Aaron’s voice that followed was so gentle and burdensome that Pulpouts trembled slightly.
I couldn’t believe that a man like that had such a soft voice.
“It’s not something that can be converted into gold… but if you want, I’ll discuss it with Nova and pay you a small amount. In return, can you promise me one thing?”
“Is this a promise?”
Aaron’s voice suddenly became heavy.
Fullfoot intuitively felt that his prediction was correct.
“Yes. Can you promise to continue to serve faithfully as the head of the external security unit of Cassadic?”
Fullfoot spoke as concisely as possible.
I was worried for a moment that there might be a strong backlash, but Aaron’s expression changed abruptly.
‘···I don’t know what this is, but it’s a bothersome expression.’
“Yes, since you take such good care of me, of course I should work diligently and faithfully.”
It was a voice that strangely held back laughter. However, since it was an affirmative answer, I nodded.
Aaron left with a bright smile that didn’t match his grim expression.
‘···I think something happened.’
The strange feeling of discomfort in Pulpouts’ chest did not go away.
dripping.
“Come in.”
“Did you call?”
Nova’s rough voice.
Pulpouts pressed his temples and told what had just happened.
We also talked about Aaron’s reaction to it and discussed how to value it.
“Aaron… ahem… refused… ahem! What?!”
The sight of Nova twitching the corners of her lips after hearing her story made Pulpouts feel even more uncomfortable.
***
‘How could I leave such a good place where they give me money even if I just stay still?’
I nodded while looking at the inner self.
I was already working hard enough.
It was safe to say that the conditions for the gold had already been met.
Although I almost got caught in the middle of the fight, even that was converted into gold.
He was a very proactive and good boss.
I stopped by Marsha’s shop on the way and grabbed some garlic fish bread and a mug of beer and headed to the castle gate.
Berman was watching the checkpoint intently.
‘There are a lot of people from the Castle of Byzant. Is it because the road is open?’
There were many carriage drivers with mercenaries on the Byzant side, as it was a relatively strong area.
‘What was Bijent famous for?’
I sipped my beer and headed towards Berman, who was checking the checkpoint.
“Entrance fee! What are you talking about! That’s something you can’t even imagine at the Castle of Byzant!”
The coachman shouted as if he was having a seizure.
‘Isn’t there a traditional custom in the castle of Byzant?’
“It’s not an admission fee, it’s a long-standing custom between the guards and visitors. How could we charge an admission fee? But we can’t break this long-standing tradition at will. Do you see the head hanging over the gate? If you don’t follow the tradition….”
‘Well done, Berman.’
Although he was ugly, he was honest and had a good head on his shoulders.
The confession the guy made at the bar was shocking, but those moments happen once in a while in life.
Fortunately, there is no SNS here, so the only thing I could do was get teased a little while drinking.
“Oh, Captain. You’re here. These guys are curious about our long-standing tradition.”
At Berman’s appropriate call, I approached him with my face wrinkled as hard as I could.
“Who says we ignore our traditions? There is a saying that if you don’t keep traditions, you will be beaten.”
The guys who had been hesitating quickly became docile when I introduced them to Geral.
“Thank you, Geralt!”
“Chief, but I still have to thank someone who only has a head left······.”
“What’s not nice to see is your face.”
“···yes?”
“What’s not nice to see is Berman’s face.”
“That··· I didn’t ask because I couldn’t hear it··· Okay.”
Berman glanced at me, sighed deeply, and approached the next carriage driver.
If it had been Kel, I would have had a fit, but Berman listened to me well, so I didn’t feel like teasing him.
The checkpoints continued, and I greeted Gerald and instructed him on the dangers of being a visitor.
He stood guard diligently like that until the sun went down.
‘Oh, I need to cultivate garlic.’
It was clear that the sooner you plant it, the fresher it would be.
After completing the final check, Berman’s face appeared as he lowered the gate.
‘Well, since I haven’t been training lately, I think it would be good to use this opportunity to train while doing farm work.’
There is an automatic cultivation function, so I didn’t need to plant it by hand.
‘After all, tomorrow is a day off.’
It didn’t seem like a bad idea to take the kids camping in the Kirton Mountains.
If we were to call it a workshop, we could group them together to promote cooperation, even if it meant having them plant garlic.
‘I think the first workshop in the Kirton Mountains would be good.’
Berman, who had lowered the pulley to the end, suddenly felt a gaze from the side and shivered slightly.
I turned my head and saw Captain Aaron with his eyes shining in the darkness.
Berman tried to look away because the gaze was so burdensome.
***
The Cassadic Chapter of the White Leaf Guild,
Razbeth pursed his lips as he looked at the box in front of him.
It was a reply to the letter sent to Ethan, who was then king.
Inside were several gold coins dotted with red blood.
‘···Are you going to kill me if it’s a lie?’
At the clearly conveyed malice, Razbeth frowned and wiped the blood with a cloth.
No matter what was buried, the value of the gold coin did not change.
Even if it was covered in blood and dirt, gold was gold.
As I was frantically wiping away the blood, a familiar feeling of foreboding came to me.
The air felt heavy and cold somewhere.
‘···Here we go again.’
Razbeth looked up, secretly hiding the gold coins.
dark room,
He was sitting across from me.
Deep-set eyes that are hard to read and rumbling breathing.
Judging by the cold air, it was clear that they had broken through the wall again.
‘···Why at a time like this?’
I was wiping the gold I got for selling his information, and he was sitting right in front of me.
Although his heart sank, Razbeth tried to control his expression.
“Precious gold coins.”
“yes?”
To his words that seemed to grasp at clouds, Razbeth answered pointedly.
“What about the information you asked for back then?”
He ignored Razbeth’s question and spoke of something else.
‘I didn’t get caught. Calm down.’
Razbeth desperately raised the corners of his mouth.
He was just wiping bloody gold coins, there was nothing suspicious about it.
“I’ve put the request up there. The wizard side is particularly closed off, so it’ll take a while.”
“hmm···.”
Razbeth frowned at the small slur he let out.
‘Where’s the kid who only gives one gold coin for a request to the wizard’s meeting?’
It was a request that required at least 10 gold coins.
Since it was a request that had to be raised separately as it was not public information, Razbet also mobilized personal funds to fill it.
Of course, it wasn’t a large sum of money considering the money he would later make from Aaron’s information, but he couldn’t help but feel sick to his stomach.
“You’re so slow, it’s a shame to call yourself Google.”
How can you say such shameless things!
Razbeth was furious, but he forced the corners of his mouth to rise.
It wasn’t an opponent he could win against anyway.
If you’re weak, you have to crawl on your own.
“Among the information guilds, the White Leaf Guild has the fastest information gathering speed.”
“Isn’t the Thunderbird faster?”
‘······Do you know the Thunderbird?’
Razbeth’s brow furrowed.
That would be the case. Thunderbird was the highest ranking guild among the information guilds. It was a place that dealt with only a select few, so it was not widely known.
Razbet also only heard the name by chance.
But it was hard to accept that he, as the branch manager of the Information Guild, didn’t know what he knew.
“The Thunderbird perished two years ago.”
It was quite expensive information, but Razbet blurted it out as if it were nothing.
“Ah, so that’s what happened.”
However, his strange tone of voice irritated Razbeth.
“···But how do you know the Thunderbird?”
“The Information Guild is trying to get information for free.”
“What?”
How much is the value of the information I have thrown away so far!
Razbeth couldn’t stand Aaron’s shameless answer and spoke sharply.
As Razbeth straightened up, startled by his own mistake, he shuffled through the papers on the table as if he had no interest in doing so.
Among them was Aaron’s movements that he would hand over to Nova, so Razbeth was surprised and pulled the paper.
“···Are you paying for the information and reading it?”
“Is there any information about the Kirton Mountains?”
“Yes, of course. It’s a place where many mercenary units used to go.”
Razbeth answered, his fingertips twitching from nervousness.
“Then I’ll buy information about him. The price is 1 gold?”
Information about the Kirton Mountains was both plentiful and risky, and therefore quite expensive.
‘It’s guild information anyway. It’s not my money, and the gold I’ll get from selling him later is more important.’
Razbeth was thinking of taking over not only the guild but also the empire itself if he could just get the information he needed.
There was no need to blush over a few gold coins that weren’t even his.
Razbeth tried to suppress his anger, muttering to himself as he searched through his bag.
The Kirten Mountains were a very busy place before the Troll Crisis, so there was quite a bit of detailed information available.
The amount is so much that you have to hold it with both hands.
It wasn’t worth a single gold coin, but Razbeth readily offered it to him, muttering, “It’s okay, it’s not mine.”
But Aaron just frowned and didn’t accept him, and Razbeth’s hands trembled under the weight of the paper.
“······You’re not accepting it?”
“There are too many. There must be a service that reads a summary.”
It was a world where many people were illiterate.
Of course it was there.
Of course, it was expensive…
Looking at his shameless face, it seemed like he really thought it was ‘service’.
It seemed like he had no intention of paying.
‘You can make up for it later. Just hold on for the gold that will pour in.’
Razbeth was so angry that he trembled and quickly looked through the paper.
“Oh, there are some langbellet leaves. They smell really good.”
Aaron, who searches the inside without permission and drinks tea.
Razbeth’s hands trembled as he looked at him.
Horororok-.
A mean sound that doesn’t match his size.
‘I can do it in one go… Just bear with it for a bit… Anyway, even if it’s not me, Marquis Ethan…’
“The Kirten Mountains are where the ancient dragon Kirten Bahali’shark once resided······.”
“Tch, tch, this is fake. The original Langbelt flavor isn’t like this. You’re in the Information Guild, but you’re drinking fake tea.”
“There is also a story about a dragon staying there······.”
A grinding sound came out of Razbeth’s mouth over and over again.
***
Warm sunshine.
Brick was smiling broadly as he looked out the window where the sunlight was streaming in.
Charlotte went to work at Marsha’s store and had no work today or tomorrow.
How long has it been since I had a break?
Brick rolled to the left, feeling the preciousness of rest that he had forgotten.
After rolling about five times, I hit a wall and rolled over to the other side this time.
After repeating this several times, it quickly became boring.
The break was sweet, but it quickly became boring.
‘Should I call the kids and buy them a beer?’
It had been quite some time since Brick had had a drink with his crew, as he would run straight to Charlotte after work.
As I thought about that, my butt suddenly started to wiggle.
Having a beer with colleagues outside!
How sweet these words are!
Brick struggled to get up, his back hunched.
‘And I have to practice a bit in the evening.’
Lately, that Dylan guy has been attacking me whenever he gets a chance.
He was originally a guy who couldn’t even be compared to others, but he must have practiced on his own because his skills were quite sharp.
If I let my guard down, I could really get away with it like that guy said.
Feeling a sense of crisis, he has been swinging his sword occasionally lately.
‘Because Hana said we won’t charge for drinks.’
My mouth started watering at the thought of beer.
Knock knock knock!
“Brick! I know what’s inside! Come out!”
Berman’s voice was heard.
They came at such an early hour, it seemed like they didn’t even have a holiday.
Brick ran quickly and opened the door.
There was not only Berman, but also Grass and Kel.
However, everyone’s expressions were subtle.
Just like when the leader talked about training before…
A natural sense of anxiety came over me.
The moment Brick realized this, he hurriedly tried to close the door.
Kel’s foot stopped him.
“The leader is going to the Kirton Mountains… for a workshop.”
“······Workshop? What the heck is that! And today is a rest··· holiday!”
“You’re the leader.”
It was an answer that didn’t fit the context, but it was so exquisite that I couldn’t think of a rebuttal.
“Oh, the leader said that if you don’t want to participate, you don’t have to.”
Brick’s eyebrows moved up and down at Kel’s continued words.
It was true.
Even though he was originally an ignorant leader, his judgment was respected in some strange places.
It was clear that even without participating in the workshop, I would only get a few hits.
Of course, it didn’t matter because he usually hit for strange reasons···.
“···What about Dylan?”
“I decided to meet you at the castle gate since you’re coming with the captain.”
‘Even though the leader’s training is fucking hard and tough, it’s really effective…’
Brick wondered what if Dylan had trained himself and become stronger than he was.
[Keuheu··· Hey, youngest Brick. Come and shake your butt! Keuhehe!]
Dylan’s signature mischievous smile came to mind, and even though it was just my imagination, my blood rushed to my cheeks.
‘Ah… no!’
Even though he was receiving training from the captain, he could never be pushed aside by Dylan.
“I’m going too! I’m going! Damn it!!”
Brick shouted, swallowing his tears.
Kel nodded as if he understood.
***
‘How dare you, a count…’
Imperial Knight Gromwalbetz swung his spear wildly.
The air around the window was torn apart and the floor split open.
Even though the aura wasn’t drawn, the surging dragon power stretched out through the window.
‘The intended purpose has been achieved. But it has caused friction with Behart.’
I tried to suppress my boiling anger, but the bastard’s insults kept coming back to my mind.
‘How dare you call me, a royal knight, a dog…?’
Booooow-.
The spear, swung roughly, cut a straight line across the floor.
The mud split to either side along that line.
The spear, unable to release its full power, shook from side to side and cried out, “Jiing!”
Phew···.
Gromwalbetz, who felt like his stomach would turn if he didn’t swing his spear, came out to a place a little away from the campsite.
‘Still, it’s a little better since you’re swinging a spear. ···You will pay for your crime of daring to insult the royal family later.’
He held the window open and let out a hot breath.
As I was swinging the spear without thinking, the surroundings became dark before I knew it.
It was a forest with few people, but that didn’t make me feel afraid.
Because he was a true knight, a member of the Imperial Knights.
Just then, a very small sound was heard.
Hey knight- Hey knight-.
A voice mixed with the sound of swaying grass.
Run far away-.
Gromwalbetz thrust his spear in without thinking too much.
Kuuung-!
Instead of cutting the grass, it was smashed and pieces of wood were scattered around.
A spear that seemed poised to shatter everything in its path was blocked by something.
Oily skin and wrinkled face.
He is obviously old, but he has a mature build.
Gromwalbetz’s spear trembled as it was blocked by the old man’s rusted sword.
Although they had only exchanged one move, Gromwalbetz felt an instinctive sense of crisis.
‘···It’s dangerous.’
Gromwalbetz stepped back and swung his spear sharply.
When dealing with a sword, the most important thing was to maintain distance.
I swung harder, expecting my opponent to follow right away, but he just stood there.
An expression as if telling me to run away.
Gromwalbetz’s face crumpled at that presumptuous leisure.
“A royal knight… he must be nervous.”
The opponent’s muttering continued.
That voice sounded somehow familiar.
Gromwalbetz looked at his opponent, and soon remembered someone from his old memories.
The first mission he went on a long time ago after becoming an imperial knight.
“You······!”
“Do you know me?”
Gromwalbetz swallowed hard, his throat burning.
“···The third devil,”
The deepened corners of his lips seemed to be speaking.
That’s correct.
