Knights, Let’s Smash Them

5 – Starting from Zero (2)

It has already been three days since he took office as the ‘only’ administrator of the Knights of the White Rose of Count Rupel due to a sudden change of heart.

In the meantime, I was able to fully grasp the overall administrative situation of the knights.

From personnel, administration, distribution, and training.

In addition to the knights, it was a bonus to figure out the situation in the Rupel estate.

As a result, I came to a conclusion.

“The Knights are a dog.”

To be precise, it wasn’t that the Knights were discontinued, but the overall operational situation of Count Rupel itself was not very good.

This isn’t even a magic platoon made up of platoon members with one screw missing somewhere.

I had a strong feeling that Count Rupel’s knights were talented people who somehow managed to gather from the territory, so it was almost a pity.

Of course it wasn’t meant to be.

Considering the current state of Count Rupel, it was fortunate that the size of the knights and guards were rather small.

Unexpectedly, quite a lot of money is needed to properly operate the ‘normal scale’ knights and guards.

The labor and food expenses alone are staggering.

Including the consumption of equipment, munitions supply, and other small amounts…….

It’s normal for a decent baron’s annual budget to be consumed just by maintaining the knights.

So, most of the nobles who originally had knights were counts or higher unless there were unusual circumstances.

A virtual money-eating hippo.

But Rupel’s estate is no different from a dog beggar’s estate.

It is a northern territory that is difficult to cover for economic power, but in addition to that, there were no special products produced in the territory itself, and there was no place that could be called a proper trading city.

Since the market is not active, there is no way the economy of the territory is functioning properly.

What if the knights were all right?

It is clear that the economy was virtually in a state of collapse. It must have been only a matter of time before it became the Zimbabwe of this world.

It’s snowing in Zimbabwea.

It’s full of romance, but for Young Ji-min, there’s no hell more than that.

If that was really the case, I would have broken Count Rupel’s earthen pot right away and started restructuring the Knights.

In other words, to summarize the current state of Count Rupel in three lines.

1. Financial bankruptcy, unknown potential for estate development.

2. Security management forces cannot be expected.

3. However, the life satisfaction of residents is high.

This isn’t quite Bangladesh.

Bangladesh to Zimbabwe. It was the tomb of the administration that made all the terrible situations of all kinds of developing countries black.

Until a few years ago, I was a modern person living in an advanced country, and even after falling here, working in the capital of the empire overflowing with gold coins, I was close to culture shock.

“What were the vassals doing?”

When I asked a serious question, Captain Xianne struggled to answer.

“That…… That’s right, our county owes a lot to the neighboring estate, Baron Kirten, so we couldn’t afford to store the safe to fill that part.”

Baron Kirten?

It was rare for a baron to have its own estate. He’s mostly a count.

As I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she gently ran her fingers through her blonde hair.

“Baron Kirten was originally a vassal who served Count Rupel. At the time of the last expedition, he left the count’s separate estate…….”

“Did you bite the owner?”

“Oh no! It’s not even like that…… As the power of the county rapidly weakened due to damage from the expedition, it should be said that the baron’s right to speak has strangely strengthened…….”

Ah.

I seemed to know roughly.

Judging by Count Rupel’s gentle personality, it’s highly likely that he didn’t dare to take the authority back from the baron who was properly running the estate.

A local baron who is nothing more than a vassal anyway.

If the barony prospered, it was also the benefit of the county above it.

However, that is only the case when the state of the county is ‘relatively normal’.

It is Count Rupel’s territory that suffered enough damage that the Count’s knights were completely annihilated. In order to maintain the territory, the tribute from the barony must have been insufficient.

The count’s vassals probably suggested to Baron Kirten a way to make up for the lack of finances through tax cuts or the transfer of additional authority.

In short, it is debt.

After all, the subject of the order is the count, and the Baron Kirten, which is only an attached island, can develop the territory much more by having its authority guaranteed.

‘Not a bad choice. In the short term, there is nothing that can more reliably maintain the territory.’

However, it is only a short-term method.

If Count Rupel and his vassals had properly used the funds they brought in from the Baron, there wouldn’t have been any problems.

According to the papers I have now checked, this was absolutely not the case.

Dungeon development also failed.

Failed to secure trade routes.

The lives of the people of the territory may have been stabilized, but Count Rupel is gradually being encroached upon by the influence of its subsidiary island, the Baron.

“This is not a problem with the Templars.”

“Well, then what? … ?”

“Captain Xianne, do you know that?”

“Yes?”

“According to Imperial statutes, an administrator of a knight order may concurrently hold the position of administrator of a lord assisted by the order.”

I whirled the quill in my hand. The quill is barely balanced as if it will fall from the tip of your finger.

“I will have to rebuild the county from the ground up.”

I have to do it properly.

There is no uglier person than leaving the loud voice behind and saying ‘Wow, Youngji here is more stupid than I thought.’

This is a challenge given to my administrative skills, which I have practically honed over eight years.

And Koreans are originally people who are crazy about the word ‘challenge’ and jump up and down.

“So, as part of that first activity, we, the Knights of the White Rose, have something to do.”

“What is that!?”

Xian Ne asked, clenching her fists. It was a look full of trust in me.

“Let’s change the name first.”

“Yes, I see! …… Yes? To? What did you say?”

“Let’s change the name. Something other than a white rose.”

As soon as Cianne heard my words, she froze in place as if under a time-stopping spell.

“No matter how you think about it, white roses are not good. Even if there is a history, weren’t the knights actually completely annihilated? Using the name of the annihilated knights as it is doesn’t look very good.”

I feel sorry for Cianne and Count Rupel, who must have had their own pride.

It was important to start with something simple like this.

The Knights of the White Rose.

How f*cking stupid you look.

I don’t know if it was a black rose. Because Black Rose has a special forces feel to it.

But a white rose?

Usually, the knights with this kind of naming usually appear in mass market novels, and it was common for them to be swept away as a measure of the fighting power of the main character or villain.

If you go further into the shadows than that, it’s a perfect name for the knights under your command to suffer.

Even the captain of the knights is a blonde beauty?

Cyanene, bound by her chains, with her resentful face, “Kuu, kill me…” … !” The scene of saying that passed by.

No, no.

It’s a really good name for a cheating ride.

“Then…… What name do you think the magistrate is?”

“I am not from the Black Lion Knights.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Doing something with a carnivore has a cool name and looks strong. The image of the Knights is also important.”

I was troubled for a moment.

While taking the characteristics of Count Rupel, what kind of carnivore would be strong?

In that moment, I remembered the lofty snowy mountains I saw when I first set foot in Count Rupel.

Snow Mountain.

White snow.

“Leopard…… How about a snow leopard?”

“The Knights of the Snow Leopard?”

Snow Leopard.

In Chinese characters, snow leopard (雪豹).

Not bad?

***

When I met a black fox from the Battle of Lechenberg at a bar I stopped by for a holiday, even if it was for a while.

Count Dionaos Rupel regarded the meeting as a mere coincidence.

Why did the chief administrator of the Black Lion Knights visit such a remote territory? As the saying goes, the meeting of the two was a pure coincidence.

But when Alroy of Luvern asked himself if the manor didn’t need a magistrate.

Earl Rupel was overcome by an indescribable sensation.

It is said that once in a lifetime, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes.

No one knew whether it would be an intangible opportunity such as a simple ‘proposition’, or a tangible opportunity such as a person, property, or place.

Earl Rupel thought that Lubern’s offer was the first and last chance to revive his declining estate.

Lee Geon-man, Countess Rupel, who once stood shoulder to shoulder with the ‘Duke of Hebron’, who was once called the only Grand Duke of the North.

Now he is on the verge of being completely defeated by Baron Kirten, who was once his vassal.

Even Count Rupel couldn’t ignore the sense of defeat and loss stemming from that fact.

So he agreed without hesitation.

Isn’t it a black fox wearing a hat even if you pay more and bring it back?

But…….

What’s all this about?

“Lubern Administrator. What the heck is this…… ?”

“The guild building is being cleaned.”

“I know you clean it, but what is that ear growing on his head?”

Pointy cat ears.

Are cat ears right? Judging by the mottled spots, it looked like a leopard.

“Ah, while changing the name of the guild, we are holding an event to raise awareness among the guild members.”

At the attitude of the worldly Lubern magistrate, Count Rupel turned his head and looked at Xianne, who was trembling beside him.

The commander of the knights couldn’t bear to even meet his eyes with his white face dyed red.

“Bae, Hundred, Earl…… Dear, oh, oh, are you here? … ?”

There were also tiny cat ears pricked up on top of her head. At first she thought it was a real ear, but upon closer inspection it was her headband.

It wasn’t just Xianne.

Aren’t the other knights wearing the same outfit?

Everyone was blushing with shame.

Except for one person, Lonz.

He was jumping up and down like a beast of prey, excited at the fact that he had become a snow leopard. Although he was already massive, his ears fluttered every time he moved, which was a strangely terrible look.

“How are you? Isn’t it like a strong snow leopard? I used the motif of a snow leopard beast I often saw during my active duty.”

Shrug.

In the figure of the administrative officer lifting his shoulders.

For the first time, Count Rupel had to seriously consider whether the man in front of him was really the rumored ‘black fox’.