I Reincarnated As the Third Son of a Count’s Family, Only To Find a Series of Funerals

48 – Choosing a Path

The reason I want to take these two with me is none other than…

I need talented individuals who can serve as my hands and feet.

Marcus and Allen, especially Allen, may not be the smartest, but… if I wanted someone smart, I would have taken one of my well-educated followers, rather than bringing these uneducated guys along.

Although I spend time with these two, they are still nobles and commoners.

While there may be differences and discrimination within each neighborhood, I do not truly believe that nobles and commoners are the same people regardless of where they go.

Naturally, nobles and commoners have different living environments and roles.

The reason I want to take these two to Westburn is exactly that. If I go to Westburn, I will be so busy mingling with the nobles that it will be difficult for me to do anything for the commoners. It’s because Westburn was only partially occupied by the royal family. I only dismissed Gates, the former Earl of Westburn, and haven’t done much more in practice.

Naturally, Gates’ followers and retainers who were not directly involved in the rebellion still hold their positions, and although they have been suppressed by the authority of the king so far, I don’t know what will happen if I, who is relatively easygoing, arrives on the scene.

That’s why I need someone who can take care of the lives of the commoners instead of me, who is busy with various matters, and that someone is these two.

Marcus is good at speaking and persuasion. If I have something to say to the commoners, I can do it through him. No matter what he says, it will be more effective if a familiar person like Marcus, who is from the same social class, speaks, rather than a noble who unnecessarily gives orders under the pretext of being a noble. It’s not like those politicians in my previous life who only visited traditional markets during election season.

Of course, the consciousness of the democratic country’s citizens in my previous life cannot be compared to the farmers who live off the land in this world, but anyway, it will surely have some effect.

Alan, on the other hand, is not silent, but he doesn’t talk as much. He is quite the opposite of Marcus, who likes to talk about this and that. In my opinion, he originally had a more reserved personality, but he became more talkative because of Marcus…

And people tend to tell everything to a taciturn person. It’s because they have trust that this person won’t spread the stories I told.

Of course, if that taciturn person looked too scary or had an unpleasant appearance, it might be different, as people would hesitate to talk to someone like that. But in Alan’s case, he looked average, neat enough for a commoner, and judging by how well he listened to Marcus, he seemed to be quite good at receiving stories. So, he could be considered a suitable person to understand the opinions of commoners.

Actually, Alan himself… doesn’t seem to know, but among the girls of our age in Silverwood, he is one of the most popular. It’s nice to see him silently listening no matter what you say.

By the way, Marcus became popular thanks to the previous war, but originally he was known for being talkative, so he wasn’t that popular…

So when I explained these circumstances to both of them, they showed different reactions.

“The Viscount has become the owner of Westburn?! Isn’t that amazing?”

“That’s right, you little rascal. Your brother has already achieved such success.”

“Wow… I didn’t want to see those snobbish folks who live in Westburn, thinking they’re so superior whenever we see them, but this is just perfect!”

“…Then what will happen to us?”

“Huh? Obviously, you’ll work under me. Ah, of course, I’ll pay you handsomely. You’ll definitely earn more than what you’re doing now, don’t you think?”

“Wow…so, are we going to serve as the Viscount’s attendants?”

“You’re not nobles, so it’s not about serving… Well, you can say it’s a similar kind of work.”

When Marcus heard my words, he immediately threw down the leather he was holding onto the ground.

Confused, I stared at Marcus, who suddenly straightened up and saluted.

“I have been waiting for this day with great anticipation. I, Marcus, will work diligently for Count Edric’s sake…”

Whack!

“What? Why did you hit me?!”

“You don’t have to overreact like that, damn it.”

“Overreact…? What does that mean…ugh! Fine, I understand! I won’t do it!”

“I actually liked the idea…”

“What?”

At Allen’s sudden words, both of us looked at Allen instead of arguing further.

“I don’t really want to go all the way to Westburn. I’m quite satisfied with being a woodcutter.”

“What? Hey, don’t you know how great an honor it is to serve under a noble like the Viscount?”

“I’ve only learned how to be a woodcutter from my father all my life and I’m not good at anything else. Following the Viscount probably wouldn’t be helpful for me. Marcus, you’re a hunter, inheriting your father’s profession too. Isn’t it too easy for you to give up on it?”

“It may be different for you, but I never wanted this job in the first place. It’s tiring to spend all day searching for prey in the forest and hunting. Do you know how difficult it is? Unless you’ve buried yourself in animal dung to hide your scent from the prey, don’t speak.”

“Well, maybe it’s not for you, but I enjoy this work. If you want to go, go alone. Viscount, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can follow.”

“Allen…”

If it were a different situation, I would have said something like, “Hey, is this a favor? Just shut up and follow.” But as someone who knows how heavy and valuable the weight of a “profession” is to people in this era, it was difficult for me to speak hastily. It’s not right and it’s not pleasant to change the path of someone who has been running along their lifelong path. Unless Marcus personally had significant dissatisfaction with his own “profession.”

I felt disappointed, but out of respect for my friend with whom I had been close for several years, I decided to let Allen go.

“Sure… If that’s your wish, I won’t force you…”

“Hey, what’s all this commotion in broad daylight! When did I ask you to do something, and you’re still not doing it…Oh my! You’re not the earl!”

“Oh, ma’am. It’s been a while.”

Suddenly, with a shout, Alan’s mother, or rather, Mrs. Manny, appeared at his house.

“Oh, please lower your voice. It hasn’t been long since the young master became an earl…So why did you come?”

“Oh, that’s because…I received Westburn as a reward from His Majesty for my services during the war and the palace inauguration. So I suggested that Marcus and Alan come with me to help me with my work there, but unfortunately, Alan declined.”

“What are you talking about! Alan refused the earl’s request?”

“Well…according to Alan, he wants to continue the family business…”

“You, you brat!!!!”

Woosh!

With a sound that cut the air, the great whip struck the back of Alan with tremendous force…!

As a result, Alan couldn’t even scream and writhed on the floor. Oh dear, look at the palm-shaped mark left on this thick leather jacket.

“Oh, ma’am. Please calm down…No, calm down. It was just a proposal. There was no need to go this far…”

“Yes, your lordship. This Mundizajang needs to be punished so he can come to his senses. How dare he refuse the earl’s request? If he had any sense of shame, he wouldn’t have done so.”

“Well, ma’am…”

Whether Alan regained his senses or not, he crawled up and clung to Manny’s leg.

“I want to work, too. You said I could be a great artisan someday. You even complimented me when I learned the job yesterday…”

“How is that the same as this!! Stop talking nonsense and stick to the earl. If you want to do well, you have no choice but to see the earl from now on, doing nothing but tanning leather and injuring your hands.”

“Ma’am, please…”

“You still talk back!”

Whack! Wham!

Under the furious onslaught of Manny’s wrath, Alan finally had to concede…

From then on, as they walked together, Markus and I said nothing, comforting Alan who was shedding tears.

Mother…is scary..!

**

“For now, let’s part ways here. We’re not leaving immediately. Marcus, you should tell your parents and um…Amanda about it.”

“Yes, sir. I will.”

“I understand…”

“Cheer up…I’ll take care of you properly, Alan…”

“Excuse me, my lord. And what about me? Now that I think about it, you clearly said that you would give me something better than bringing back the earl’s family crest last time.”

“Bang!”

“Ouch! Why are you hitting me again?!”

“Ugh… get whipped, get whipped. I’ll take care of you too, so stop with the nonsense. That’s the problem with you.”

“hehehe…”

“That’s not a compliment…”

And so, the three of us went our separate ways.

I was about to enter the castle, when suddenly an unknown figure appeared in front of me.

“W-who are you?”

“Who am I? Have you already forgotten about your humble servant for barely a month?”

“That… voice…?”

The true identity of that figure was none other than…

“Master…?”

“Yes, my lord. Why have you not come to visit me as soon as you returned? I was slightly injured.”

“T-that’s…”

I couldn’t tell the master that upon meeting with you, training would have resumed immediately, so I could only shake and tremble like a herbivore in front of a wild beast…

“Now, quickly, wield your swords and tear your muscles. You must become a true knight.”

“N-no… huh?”

Just as the cruel fate was about to come down on me, suddenly, memories from yesterday came to mind.

“But who will govern Silverwood while I am away?”

“Well, monetary management could be done by your mother, but… just as you said, it is necessary to have someone to govern the territory in your absence. Because there are limits to what can be done with the body of a child.”

“Should we entrust the governance to the Chief Advisor?”

“Well, the Chief Advisor is not a bad choice, but isn’t there someone else?”

“Someone else?”

Yes… that’s it!

“Master… no, Sir Gerard! As the Lord of Silverwood, I have one command for you.”

“..? And what might that command be? I don’t think I can accept a command that I shall not train-“

“You will govern Silverwood in my place for a while.”

“E-excuse me…?”

I explained the situation to the master. I was about to leave for Westburn, and during that time, someone was needed to manage Silverwood in my place. Originally, I had thought to entrust this to the Chief Advisor, but he already had a lot on his plate, so reluctantly, I decided to offer the position of governor to my most trusted person, the master, after excluding the Chief Advisor.

“However… But then, how will the Viscount train in Westburn?”

“I suppose I have no choice but to take a short break. But don’t worry. Where would what I’ve learned from you go? I will continue to train myself every day.”

“But…”

“Oh my! You mean you don’t believe in me?”

“Honestly, Your Lordship, I may not know much about other things, but when it comes to training, I’m not inexperienced…”

“Ahem…”

After pondering for a while, the master reluctantly nodded.

“…Very well. It is beyond my role for the Viscount to trust me like this, but I have no choice. I will follow your orders.”

“Thank you… Thank you so much…”

“But, my Lord. So, when are you leaving for Westburn?”

“Well, in about two days… Oops!”

“I see. That’s great news. Fortunately, there’s still some time.”

“G- Gerald. No, Master…”

“I will teach you training methods one by one, ‘thoroughly,’ so that you can continue to train well even in Westburn, Your Lordship.”

“Master, I’m a bit tired right now…”

“What are you saying, Viscount?”

Kwaaack…

The master grabbed my shoulder with a terrifying expression and spoke.

“A knight should never mention being ‘tired.'”

“Uh, ugh..!”

“Didn’t I already tell you when I taught you about the mindset of a knight?”

Like that, I was dragged away by my master and relentlessly trained in various methods for two whole days.

Don’t become a knight or anything like that…

Seriously…