Departure

Before setting out, Derek personally outfitted Simon with new gear in front of all the soldiers.

For these young men born as farmers, this meant crossing half a social class.

Their eyes were therefore filled with envy and jealousy.

"In the name of Von Derek, I grant you the status of Knight Squire and bestow upon you the name Simon. I hope that one day, you will possess a glorious surname of your own."

Simon knelt on one knee, imitating the manner of a knight receiving his title.

But he was clearly awkward and nervous, making the whole thing look rather ridiculous.

Yet the others paid no attention to his embarrassment. They only felt envy.

"I will serve you... Knight Derek. I... Simon, swear to offer you my life and loyalty."

The honest country boy excitedly accepted the longsword.

Derek pulled him to his feet and had him hang the sword at his waist.

With that slight change, he no longer looked like a Spearman.

His future treatment would also be different.

Derek struck while the iron was hot. Turning to face the Spearmen standing in three rows, he roused them. "I hope Simon's today can become your tomorrow. Train hard, fight bravely, and I will grant you wealth, status, and honor."

"We serve Lord Derek!"

Morale soared.

Selling dreams was a skill too, and Derek was clearly more proficient at it than many people in this world.

Then Derek led his newly invigorated soldiers to meet up with the Goat Merchant Guild.

The Goat Merchant Guild had its own guards and workers. Hiring a squad of soldiers was only a temporary measure.

After all, maintaining a squad of soldiers was no small annual expense. And since a merchant guild was in business, it naturally had to maximize its profits.

Rather than waste effort trying to save that hard-earned money, it was better to make another trip along the trade route.

Even these guards were inadequate in Derek's eyes.

They looked fairly alert, but they were still far from strong.

Their weapons were an even greater mishmash: some carried knives, some swords, some shouldered spears—there was everything.

There was even a bow, though Derek had no idea how skilled its owner was.

The sparse Caravan had only thirty or forty people, yet more than twenty carriages.

Before Derek could get a good look at the goods, Steward Vincent of the Caravan came over to greet him.

"Knight Derek, are these your family's private soldiers?"

It was no wonder he thought so. Three months of training, enough food to eat, and most importantly, the Panel's boost—

These soldiers had grown stronger as if they had been inflated like balloons.

High-level soldiers could not possibly remain skinny and frail.

Their equipment was merely a little lacking. Even Derek himself rode an ordinary horse and wore Leather Armor reinforced with plenty of iron plates.

Still, they were fully equipped and robust. Compared to the Goat Caravan's own guards, the contrast was especially stark.

No wonder Derek dared to demand such a high price. He had gotten a bargain.

The smile on Steward Vincent's face became a little more genuine. In the end, respect still had to be earned through strength.

Derek did not answer directly. Since he could borrow the prestige of a great name, there was naturally no reason to let the opportunity pass.

"Steward Vincent, I told you I was worth a higher price. Next time, my fee will go up."

"No problem, no problem," Steward Vincent readily agreed.

But next time, he would hire someone else.

A Gold Coin was still money. A passable group of mercenaries would do; after all, the odds of trouble were low.

With the Caravan's guards and hired men, they had twenty or thirty fighters. In a pinch, there were another thirty-odd workers and servants. That was generally enough to deal with ordinary bandits.

Expecting merchants to pay more without a knife at their throats was wishful thinking.

Once the Caravan had finished preparing, it quickly set off.

It was Derek's first time handling this work independently, but it was not unfamiliar to him.

He had done plenty of similar work during his time as a Knight Apprentice.

Escorting Caravans, armed combat, long-distance raids, and battle command—

All of these were part of a knight's complete training, which was why training a knight cost so much.

They had never been treated as cannon fodder.

In a Knight Order, aside from heavily armored Cavalry used purely for charging enemy formations, most warriors served as low- and mid-ranking officers.

Noble knights in particular—one proper knight could lead a Banner Unit or a hundred-man unit in battle.

Ordinary armed clashes between nobles were easy enough to handle, and when lives truly had to be risked, they could raise a temporary army and still ensure a basic level of combat effectiveness.

So Derek relied partly on this life's training and partly on memories from his previous life. He was not particularly flustered.

He arranged the march and made occasional patrols.

He even looked quite convincing.

The only drawback was that their equipment was too poor.

Even the horse beneath him was nothing special.

During his service, he had ridden the Count's Warhorse.

If he returned home, his family would also have equipment prepared for him.

But now that he was on his own, he could only make do.

Simon, the Knight Squire, rode a Nag, looking especially shabby.

They trained the Knight Squire while traveling.

Even the Spearmen received training.

From the Panel, Derek could see that the data of many people who had long remained unchanged would occasionally rise by one or two points.

But more often, it was the Experience Pool that accumulated.

A few days earlier, they had been close to Watch City, which was not a place the Caravan sought to do business.

But after entering Count Perez's Territory, the Goat Caravan followed a planned route.

It was a detour, but they passed more Estates and villages.

Derek was familiar with these places, since he had served here before.

Although he had not dealt with the Goat Merchant Guild in the past, it probably had not been important enough to attract the Count's attention.

Once truly large merchant guilds entered the Earldom, they were escorted by troops. Derek had accumulated his experience at such times.

As they spent more time together, he and Steward Vincent became more familiar as well.

Through their conversations, Derek learned a great deal.

The Goat Caravan dealt mainly in commoners' business and seemed to have connections with someone in the Count's household.

The hemp cloth, farming tools, and small amount of pots and jars carried by the Caravan could all be sold for good prices.

Then, with the emptied carriages, they would buy small amounts of furs and grain along the way, intending to take them back for resale.

The profit from a round trip was not small either.

Of course, they would not tell Derek the exact profits.

The journey went smoothly. They even encountered a Knight Order on patrol, and Derek greeted several Knight Squires he knew.

Most of those noble knights were surprised that he had chosen to become a Wandering Knight.

Only after they left Count Perez's Territory did the Caravan's atmosphere grow somewhat tense.

"This area is close to the mountains. Occasionally, some barbarians cross over the range, but the greatest threat is still the Bandits people talk about."

Steward Vincent had specifically warned Derek in advance.

But Derek was more familiar with the area than he was. Derek had even taken part in battles against Bandits.

After recalling the situation nearby, Derek asked curiously, "There should only be scattered villages and mountain strongholds here, outside any noble's territory. Why does the Caravan come here?"