Make a Loyal Knight Betray His Lord

Tale of Survival was a management simulation game.

It required mastering more than a dozen life skills.

In Romain's eyes, these life skills were extremely important.

These days, whoever mastered various skills mastered advanced productivity.

The way to gain experience and raise skill levels was simple: participate in daily labor and slowly earn experience in the process.

Construction skill could be raised through building houses and decorating;

Planting skill could be raised through farming and harvesting crops;

Gathering skill could be raised through chopping trees and mining veins...

Not only that, Tale of Survival's system had milestone rewards—Origin Stones could be obtained after skills leveled up.

Other than that, the only way to obtain additional Origin Stones was by converting Extraordinary Resources. But Romain did not yet know what Origin Stones did, so he did not act rashly—he had no money to recharge anyway, since Extraordinary Resources were rare.

The free skill milestone resources currently available were very important to Romain.

Raising a skill from level 1 to level 2 would grant 500 Origin Stones, equivalent to instantly checking in for five extra days.

But based on Romain's own experience, raising skill levels was probably a rather lengthy process.

After working for most of the day, he had only gained 10 points of Construction experience.

Going from level 1 to level 2 required 100 experience points.

Those 10 points of experience might seem like insignificant scraps, but they were still useful.

For every point of experience he gained, a little more knowledge about civil engineering and construction appeared in his mind.

Innate Earth and Wood Saint Physique!

Though he had worked for less than a day, Romain performed like a seasoned construction worker who had been in the trade for months. His efficiency was incredibly high; one man could do the work of ten, leaving the Slaves thoroughly astonished. They could barely tell who was supposed to be the slave anymore.

Otherwise, Romain might not have managed to build five wooden cabins before nightfall.

They were crude—four walls stacked from logs, slanted roofs covered with thatch. They could keep out the wind, but not the rain.

In the eyes of nobles, they were a miserable sight, so ugly there was nowhere to step.

But in Romain's eyes, these cabins embodied the fruits of his labor. Plain and unadorned, they pleased him no matter how he looked at them.

"My lord, forgive my bluntness, but your status is not suited to doing such things. It does not accord with noble etiquette." A sigh came from behind Romain.

After receiving his fief, Romain naturally had to bring a group of retainers from home, lest he arrive in his territory with no one to use.

However, the resources allocated to him were not particularly generous.

Two armored War Knights, one steward, two clerks, one chef, three kitchen assistants, five male Slaves, and five Maids, for a total of nineteen people.

There were also five fine horses, a carriage, and various daily supplies.

Including Romain himself, they barely numbered twenty.

For an ordinary noble, these resources would have been more than sufficient.

But for an illegitimate son of the Armor-Splitting Family, they seemed somewhat shabby.

Though there were many people, the only true insiders were the two War Knights and the steward. Only those three had been trained by the Armored Breaker family.

The two clerks were commoner employees selected by Romain, bound by contracts.

The chef, male Slaves, and Maids were of low status and could only be considered private property.

The one speaking was Seth, the steward responsible for assisting Romain in managing his fief and property.

Seth was nearly forty. His expression was solemn, his posture ramrod straight, and his clothes neat without a wrinkle, making him look clean and professional. He was also the only person present who had not carried logs alongside Romain.

Romain smiled. "If noble etiquette can conjure up a manor out of thin air for me, then I wouldn't mind using it."

Seth had once served as the Armored Breaker family's tutor, which meant he had been Romain's etiquette teacher. However, his rigid personality and emphasis on elegance made him unpopular—otherwise, Romain would not have gotten him so cheaply. Romain valued the man's extensive management experience and did not care in the least for his lectures.

The old man was a genuine gentleman, the sort one could bully without worry.

Romain then looked toward the two War Knights he had selected from the family.

One was named Aaron, and the other Green.

Neither had been granted a fief or knightly title, but they were formidable and, more importantly, young. Their futures held great promise; they were the talented type.

"You two tidy up and get ready to move in," Romain told them.

Green found it unbelievable. "You're really going to live here?"

Romain snorted. "Why else would I build the houses before dark?"

Mol wiped his sweat away. After spending half the day with Romain, he felt that Romain did not intend to demote him to a pigsty, so he suggested, "Lord Romain, my lords knights, if you do not mind, you may stay in Sigg Town for the night..."

"I mind." Romain cut him off with a wave.

Medieval market towns were complete pigsties. Not even dogs would live there. Sleeping in the wilderness was better; at least the air was clean and sanitary.

Seeing that Romain had made up his mind, Aaron turned and drove the carriage over, beginning to unload the luggage.

Green, however, said faintly, "I don't mind."

Romain gave him a sidelong glance. "Then go. And don't come back once you do."

"Understood!"

With the expression of a man marching to his death, Green called out to Mol, "You lead the way."

"Ah?" Mol looked blankly from Romain to Green, then at Aaron unloading the luggage, and finally at Seth, who looked unable to bear the sight.

One sentence had made a War Knight betray his own lord.

And the one sowing discord was me?

Mol was deeply shaken.

"This..." Mol looked troubled. Was this a test of his loyalty? If he really led Green away, would Romain immediately smash a cup as a signal, sending five hundred axemen leaping from the grass to chop him into mincemeat?

But a War Knight was also a lordly figure to him.

Green walked toward Mol, only for Romain to kick him.

He staggered, then turned and looked at Romain resentfully. It was one thing for you to suffer here yourself, but you were even stopping me from finding another place to stay?

Romain glared at him.

Green could be considered a house-born servant of the Armored Breaker family. He had received the family's special training since childhood, and the odds of his betrayal were far lower than Romain pulling a six-star character from a single draw.

Romain was tolerant enough. The main issue was that he had led Green astray—they had grown up together and influenced each other. Otherwise, Green would never have said something so outrageously disloyal.

Romain stopped Green from fooling around, then turned to Mol. "You may leave. Come early tomorrow. I have matters to assign you."

With that, he waved Mol and the group of Slaves away.

Mol hesitated, wanting to say something. His life had been spared for the moment, but he still had doubts about the future. This did not feel like a proper noble.

Unable to think of an answer, he could only leave with the others.

The Slaves were also utterly amazed. Today felt like the most surreal episode of their lives.

A newly appointed Lord, you know? I carried logs with him.

Who would believe that?

After sending Mol away, Romain's accompanying chef had finished dinner. It was not lavish, but it was passable.

There was nothing much to say about room assignments.

Romain had one room to himself, the two knights and the steward shared one, and everyone else could arrange themselves freely.

Early spring had arrived, and the earth had only recently awakened. There were not many mosquitoes.

Several planks formed a temporary bed. Romain lay on it, studying the game interface and its functions, unable to sleep for a long while.