Knight Exemplar: Gasroter's Mysterious Treasure

Yveta had them put away their weapons, as the situation ahead didn't seem like one involving assassins or a knight order.

Instead, in front of a stall, a young, burly man in chainmail had beaten down five people who looked like vagrants.

The stall owner was an old woman, appearing to be over seventy, very old indeed. Her clothes were also peculiar, a robe made of fox fur, decorated with silver-grey eagle feathers at the collar.

One could tell at a glance that anyone wearing such a robe would be very warm.

From the surrounding crowd, Yveta learned the reason for the incident.

It seemed that the five vagrant-like individuals had accidentally stepped on and broken the old woman's clay pot as they passed by.

The old woman had asked them to pay for it, but instead, they had treated her rudely and unreasonably.

The young man in the padded armor, who happened to be passing by, couldn't stand seeing them attack the old woman, so he beat them up.

The vagrants in the carriage were kicked out by Black Wolf. "It was already crowded enough."

"Get out."

On the street, the vagrants frantically shouted hysterically at the young man in chainmail.

"How dare you hit people! You're finished, we're going to inform the mayor! We'll inform the guild officers in town!"

"We won't let you go, we'll report you as a dangerous element!"

"My name is Gasroter Nubiss," the young man said calmly. "I'm telling you my name so it's easier for you to report me."

"I am also a knight traveling through."

The vagrants' faces changed drastically, and their arrogance vanished. Since he had a surname, it meant he was a noble.

And if he was also a knight, they couldn't afford to offend him.

They had only dared to bully the old woman because she was old and her mind was muddled.

"Even so... this is a town, this isn't your noble territory!" one vagrant said guiltily. "This is the West March of the Viscount's domain, not your East March."

"I am a knight from out of town, I don't know the difference between the West March and the East March," Gasroter Nubiss sneered. "But I do know one thing: do you have territorial rights?"

"I heard that in towns, if a person wants to be protected by town law and receive citizen treatment, they need to have territorial rights."

"Do you have them?"

Several vagrants, their faces pale, couldn't speak.

Gasroter Nubiss drew his sword and took half a step forward. "Ah, so you don't have territorial rights, you are not citizens of Kali Town. Then even if I kill you here,"

"the town court will only make me pay a little money."

The faces of several vagrants changed drastically.

One vagrant frantically took off his shoe and took out three pennies from inside.

Perhaps this was all he owned.

He didn't care if it was enough, he threw it on the ground and then ran away.

Seeing this, the other vagrants also ran.

Yveta asked Leili and the others, "What are territorial rights?"

Leili replied, "Master. Territorial rights are the ownership of houses and small plots of land within the town. Only those who own these are citizens of the town."

"However, even passersby are protected by law."

"If the master is a noble."

"And if a noble kills a commoner, provided that commoner is not a citizen of that town, the town court will definitely side with the noble."

Leili, who was always thinking about regaining his noble status, understood the privileges nobles had over commoners. "In principle, secular courts will try to find nobles not guilty as much as possible."

"It's the church courts that are a bit fairer, but not much."

Yveta nodded. It seemed that towns and manors were completely different economic and political structures.

In manors, there were only serfs, nobles, and hired laborers.

But in towns, there were concepts like citizens and guilds.

Those vagrants earlier talking about the West March and East March, it seemed the western and eastern parts of this Viscount's domain were entirely different worlds.

Yveta thought for a moment. It was probably similar to the differences between the North and South in the United States before the Civil War on Earth in his previous life.

The old woman in front of the stall looked up and said with a smile to Gasroter Nubiss, "Thank you, young knight."

"May the God of All Things bless you and grant you your heart's desires."

"You can head east, there might be something you need there, but it's more likely you'll just be disappointed."

"The condition of the child in your carriage, no one can solve it anymore. Only God can save him in this world."

"Give up resisting fate. Sometimes, human suffering only comes from the pain of wanting to defy fate but being powerless to do so. Let that child have a final happy childhood before he dies."

Gasroter was stunned for a moment, then looked back at the carriage behind him, a sudden realization dawning on him.

No one should have known about his friend's child's condition.

Perhaps this old woman was just talking nonsense.

Gasroter knew that every minute his friend's child lingered in this town was a grave irresponsibility towards other people's lives.

They had to leave quickly.

Gasroter gave the old woman a slight nod. "I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave. Please forgive my rudeness."

He took two shillings from his pocket and tossed them to Yveta, but his pupils suddenly shrank when he saw the magnificent ornaments on Yveta's right hand.

Clearly, he realized Yveta was either rich or noble.

Gasroter bowed to Yveta. "Please forgive my rudeness. This is my compensation. If not for the urgent matters I must attend to, I would certainly apologize to you properly."

Then, the man drove his carriage away.

Yveta watched his receding back. "That knight was so polite and had a sense of justice. It completely overturned my impression of knights. I thought everyone was like the Boar Knight Order."

"He seems very capable and has his own principles. It would be great if he could serve me."

Leili gave a wry smile.

Black Wolf suddenly reminded Yveta. "Your Highness, the chainmail that fellow is wearing could buy a small manor. The warhorses pulling his carriage are White-Browed Horses, worth at least half a town. You won't be able to recruit him."

"Because he's too rich. Unless he's willing to become your creditor."

Yveta rolled his eyes speechlessly. "Good heavens, you're practically branding 'King of Debt' on my forehead. Are you mocking me?"

The old woman suddenly walked in front of the carriage and said to Yveta, "Young man, I find you quite agreeable. I wish to give you a treasure."

"This is my thanks."

Yveta was stunned. Setting aside the treasure, Gasroter had just helped her, yet she wasn't giving him anything, but was giving it to him?

"You're thanking me? But you didn't even give the knight a gift just now."

The old woman shook her head. "It's not like that."

"Just now, when I said 'thank you,' that was my repayment to him for helping me."

"But I didn't actually need his help, so I only said 'thank you'."

"He even drew people's attention to me because of it. In fact, it harmed my interests. It was precisely because of my kindness and experience that I didn't get angry with him."

"But I will give you a treasure because you are worthy of this treasure."

"Therefore, I thank fate for bringing you before me."

Yveta felt dizzy. He suddenly realized that at some point, the old witch hadn't said a word, but had been staring intently at this old woman selling goods from a stall.