Returning Home

Home!

Derek's first stop after retiring was to return to his family.

Although he did not intend to develop within the family, as a member of the Ferrera Family, he could still receive some help.

For example... money.

Derek stood in the study as Leandro, the current Baron Ferrera and his father, looked at him.

From childhood, the family had educated and trained him in martial skills, then sent him to serve under Count Perez as a Knight Apprentice for three years.

A proper knightly education lasted twelve years. The cost had been enormous.

"Derek, as the head of the Ferrera Family, I do not approve of your choice. It will make the family's investment go down the drain.

"As your father... I also do not approve of your choice. The outside world is more dangerous and difficult than you imagine.

"I will ask you one last time. Are you prepared to become a Wandering Knight?"

Derek's gaze was firm. There was no need to reconsider his answer. "Of course. I've already made up my mind."

"Good!" Baron Ferrera rose to his feet and tossed a bag of coins to Derek. "This is my support for you. If you can't make it out there, come back and work for me to repay your debt."

Derek smiled. Wasn't this one of the reasons he had come back?

Without money, one could not take a single step. The same was true even in this world.

He opened the money bag without the slightest ceremony. The glittering little darlings inside seemed to make his eyes shine.

He counted them once. Exactly fifty Gold Coins.

Was that a lot?

Yes. A professional soldier only earned one Gold Coin a year.

Was it little? The Ferrera Family collected roughly seven to eight hundred Gold Coins annually in head taxes. With their other estates and businesses, their income could reach two thousand Gold Coins in good years and around a thousand in poor ones.

But after deducting the cost of maintaining a guard unit and the family's expenses, there was definitely not much left.

Fifty Gold Coins was no small sum. Ordinary commoners could not save that much in an entire lifetime.

He could not afford a knight's heavy plate armor, but it was enough for a set of ordinary half-plate armor.

If he lowered his standards, Iron-Studded Leather Armor only cost one or two Gold Coins.

It was enough to maintain a fully equipped squad of professional soldiers for a year. If he made it, he could keep going. If not, he could crawl home and repay his debt.

"Thank you for your generosity. I'll definitely make something of myself and strive to expand the Ferrera Family's line of noble titles."

"I hope so." Baron Ferrera's voice did not sound particularly confident in him.

Perhaps he believed that his third son would either die outside or return with his tail between his legs.

Being a Wandering Knight was truly not easy.

Derek naturally caught that. Without the Data Panel, he would surely have stayed home obediently and found himself a job, just like his uncles.

"By the way, Father, I need to recruit several soldiers from the family's territory." Derek made another request.

"That is fine. I'll have the security officer cooperate with you.

"You can stay a while longer and train them into shape before setting out."

Recruiting soldiers from his own family's territory meant they were relatively trustworthy. Everyone knew each other's background, so anyone considering mischief would have to think twice.

Moreover, there was plenty of room to choose. At the very least, he could select some Militia who had received training.

After eating a few meals at home, Derek could not wait to leave the castle.

Speaking of the Ferrera Family, their Fief consisted of two villages and one castle.

Because it was located deep within the kingdom, many residents had gathered outside the castle. Its military purpose was less important than its political purpose.

Along with two tiny estates and a few properties in the nearby city, their strength could be considered formidable.

Haystack Village was far from Ferreira Castle and lay at the northernmost edge of the territory.

Holding Baron Ferrera's written order, Derek strode straight into the Security Office.

The village had more than a thousand residents. The Security Office permanently stationed a squad of regular infantry there, along with twenty temporary Militia drafted in rotation, forming the most basic security force.

Derek had been there many times. In fact, no one would have made things difficult for him even without the written order.

That was because the security officer was his Second Uncle, a middle-aged... layabout who had undergone knightly training and barely passed.

When Derek saw his Second Uncle Andrew again, he was deeply envious that the man had managed to develop a small belly even in this era.

Looking at his swaying gait, it was clear that little of his youthful skill remained.

Though he was a layabout, he did carry the blood of the Ferrera Family and had received a complete education. He could still be considered a rare talent.

The moment they met, Andrew gave him an enthusiastic hug.

"Von, my dear nephew, I heard you completed your knightly studies with outstanding grades. You should have stayed there."

Andrew knew very well what outstanding grades meant. They meant one was competitive.

Derek was not surprised in the slightest that his family had learned of his performance so quickly. If one's family was the local power, their information network would be just as well-informed.

He said nothing else and merely explained casually, "You understand the relationship between Knight Cloya and Father."

Andrew was not fooled so easily. Having gone through knightly training himself, he knew that no one would trip you up if you merely scraped by with a passing grade. But outstanding grades were not simply awarded for good performance.

A smart man did not dig to the bottom of everything. He wisely skipped over the matter.

After all, the current Baron Ferrera was named Leandro. Andrew held Derek's hand and kept calling him nephew, displaying his own status to everyone else.

It was very calculating, yet very necessary.

The family's lingering favor had mostly run out by Andrew's generation.

Derek had many brothers, and important positions would certainly be reserved for them.

Andrew needed to think about his own son.

"Derek, I hope your choice is the right one. How many men do you need this time? I'll introduce you to the finest lads." Andrew hesitated, but ultimately suppressed the thought of placing his son under Derek's command. Still, he generously added, "I've prepared some gifts for you. I hope you'll like them."

Money, of course, would not be given so directly. After all, he was Derek's actual Second Uncle.

So Andrew had prepared a Fine Iron Longsword.

"This is part of your uncle's collection. Unfortunately, I can no longer wield a sword. Well? Satisfied?"

Andrew patted his small belly regretfully. A Fine Iron Longsword required at least ten-odd days of hammering by a blacksmith and was worth five to six Gold Coins.

Derek was only the baron's third son, and he had chosen to make his way outside. This gift was more about family affection.

Otherwise, giving him a few iron spearheads would already have counted as doing him a favor.

Seeing this, Derek drew the Fine Iron Longsword with one hand.

Dense hammer-forged patterns covered the blade, making it look exceedingly beautiful.

The cold gleam of the sharp edge showed that it was no decorative piece.

Derek flicked the sword through a flourish one-handed, displaying his superb swordsmanship without question.

Andrew's eyes lit up. "That level... is stronger than most of the family's knights."

After playing with it for a few moments, Derek was extremely satisfied. He sheathed it smoothly, once again demonstrating his familiarity with the sword.

"A wonderful gift. Thank you."