Chapter 1- Morality
Secluded Courtyard, Saint Gerald Castle
Swoosh!
The sound of a sharp object stabbing through the air can be heard throughout the courtyard.
A young man with black hair and crimson colored eyes, those eyes who belong to someone who has barely seen the world, yet somehow possess knowledge of how the world works.
Like how an aged wine is transferred into a new bottle.
The bottle represents youth, new and untested, neither worn nor damaged. Still a perfect vessel.
On the other hand, the wine itself, aged and old, it already has its own pronounced taste. Its taste filled with untold stories from the long passage of time. Like how an adult who has been through a lot in life.
'Aged wine in a new bottle' In a way, this is the most fitting description for the young man.
An air of maturity, a demeanor that can only be described as cold and callous. An image of a weathered man, someone who has been long tired of the mundane, now reeks from a young man who appears to be no more than 18.
Wearing a loose fitting undershirt, tight leather pants, and muddied leather boots. Holding an arming sword, stabbing through the air with utmost focus. A straight stab, fast and precise.
An old man watches from afar, wearing a butler's uniform with an aging face, brown eyes, and graying hair. A man experienced in serving people of high position, with a demeanor no other servant can possess.
Standing straight, lowered presence, observing the young man as he repeatedly performs the stabbing action.
As time passes, perhaps tired from such repetitive action, the young man turns to the old butler. Staring into the old butler's brown eyes, he asks. "Ecish, what do you think?"
"Exquisite swordsmanship, My Lord." Ecish, the old butler, praised in a laid-back manner. Lacking the decorum and respect that a servant should have for his Lord.
"Right…" The young man's eyes twitched, scoffing at the old butler, perhaps unamused with the old butler's answer or perhaps of the attitude the old butler used to convey his response.
Ecish, the old butler, smirks as he notices his young Lord's expression.
To the old butler, serving this taciturn young lord, is as boring as being asked to wait for an apple to fall from a tree. Unless something big happens, nothing changes.
That's why a bit of slight wouldn't hurt, after all, what joy would there be in serving an ice cube. Better to incite more expression to come out on that ever dead serious face, than bear the torture of serving a dead-eyed, cold-faced master.
Like what the old sage from the ancient book that the Young Lord said that he picked up along the road used to say, "To every action, there is always an equal reaction".
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Done with his inner monologue, Ecish notifies his Young Lord of today's agenda.
"Important duties call my Lord, a letter expressing for a formal visit from the third son of the house Zalbaag has arrived." Ecish paused for a moment, staring at the young lord's face, carefully looking to see any changes in his expression.
Seeing no visible change in the young lord's face, Ecish sighed, before proceeding with the second agenda.
"Another matter, my Lord, the "Treading Hog" has returned from the Merchant City of Delberg. From the letter Captain Wiegraf sent, I can conclude that its voyage trip was a success, perhaps it's something worth celebrating."
The young man's eyes lit up for a moment before returning to their original cold and detached look.
The corners of Ecish's mouth rose slightly as he noticed the change in his young lord's expression.
'Even the coldest of person will melt at the arrival of sudden wealth' Ecish smiled as he thought to himself.
"Zalbaag.. I see. I understand, go and make preparations for our guest's arrival. As for Wiegraf's return, prepare a sizable retinue of guards. I'll head to Waldr to see the result of his trip" The young man answered as he casually swings the sword in his hands, in a bored and lax manner.
"Understood, My Lord" Receiving new orders from his young lord, Ecish bowed then turned and left.
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Secluded Courtyard, Saint Gerald Castle
Moments after Ecish left, silence descended over the courtyard. Followed by a tired sigh unfit for a young man.
"Sigh, I'm not cut out for this. Being a Lord and all… Why do I have to receive my memory from my last life so late? Why did I even reincarnate in the first place…" Mumbling to himself, the young man, swiped his right hand in front of him, suddenly a screen showed up from nowhere.
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Manifestation System - Manifesting a life form with utmost loyalty to the host.
1 point = Tier 1- Incapable of communicating with other beings, except for the host and other manifested life forms.
50 points = Tier 2- Capable of communicating with others. Have their own thoughts. The manifested life form is given a talent in a certain field. Once a Tier 2 perish, it can manifest again given enough points.
(Locked)
Name: Prewell Ih Leviathan
Number of Manifested Lifeform:
Tier 1= 163 Black Halberds
Tier 2= 3 (Wiegraf Felberg "The Captain", Lucius Marius "The Scout", Lancel Od "The Knight")
Points: 10 (Gained through ********, received every month)
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"With Wiegraf's return, Lucius and Lancel should be on their way back. Since they aren't back yet, might as well check up on Wiegraf's harvest" Prewell swiped his hand through the air once more, as the system screen vanished.
Returning the arming sword to its sheath, then placing it back to the weapon rack. Prewell couldn't help but recount his current situation.
'I'm the Baron of Zalzac, Lord of Saint Gerald Castle, a descendant of Saint Gerald. A monster hunter, given sainthood by the Order of the Three Sea's for slaying an abyss monster, which had been terrorizing the land of the Order for over a century.
Wild Beast, Monsters, Orcs, Beast Men, Elves, Dwarves and many more creatures considered as mere fantasy in my previous world are creatures that coexist with us humans in this world.'
'A Barony of a small territory beside the coast of Eldore. My fief consists of a castle, 3 villages, and a newly refurbished port town. As a coastal territory, having a ship is a necessity. In my possession includes an old ship similar to a caravel and a new vessel based on a carrack aptly named 'Treading Hog'.
A population of 8,500, dispersed throughout various holdings. Production wise, my fief is capable of producing various rarities from the sea like shells, pearls, and oysters. There are also the common goods such as salt, dried fish, and coconuts from along the shore.
Luckily, because my land is the only safe way to reach other territories without going through the rough roads of the region. The barony next door under the House of Zalbaag tends to pay for passage and fee to transport their goods alongside ours, to the port cities around the territory of the Order.
Although barely enough, it can still provide a steady stream of income to purchase materials lacking in the development of the territory. It also enables me as the Lord to purchase the necessities of my people and resell it at a price lower than what it is in the market.'
'Geography wise, my fiefdom, the barony of Zalsac is at a remote corner of the Order. Bordering a barony of equal size and facing a resource rich forest, which can be used as a point of expansion given there were available resources and manpower in the territory'.
'Situated to the North of the territory is the territory of House Zalbaag, a barony with almost the same holdings minus the port. To the East lies the Great Forest of Pluma, named after the hero who sealed a vicious wild beast in the deepest part of the forest. The Great Forest of Pluma is a forest spanning across the land of the Order over to the Andal mountain, which is a natural barrier separating the Order of the Three Seas and the Lyzanese Empire.
To the West and South lies the sea of Eldore, one of the three seas worshiped by the order. Due to the abundance of wildlife in the coast and its neighboring forest. Abyss Monster and Wild beast tends to roam this area. With the abundant amount of wild life which acts as sustenance and a lack of strong security force in the territory, the part of the barony located there has long been abandoned'
Prewell's musing continued as he neared the gate of the Castle. His shoulder slacked and jaw slackened as he was reminded of his responsibility as a lord and the graver issue related to the denizens of his territory.
'Eight thousand Five hundred people under my rule and protection. It takes too many resources to keep such a population protected, let alone fed. One way or another, the people under me will perish if not given enough support, Zalsac is a coastal territory if this is in my previous world, the 'Port Waldr' should be capable of enriching the territory's wealth via trade, it is a land good starting point with a high potential of development.
If the wealth gained from the trade is used to develop the territory, it should address the issue regarding the necessity of the people to rely on my alms. If this is my previous world, that is… wild beasts and abyss creatures hinder the development of these lands. Any mass movement of humans draws the gaze of those feral beings.
Without enough armed forces to protect its denizens, developing rashly will lead to high casualties, and with the church's strict prohibition in the strengthening of personnel retinues and its recent pacifist view. In due time, Zalsac will experience a famine, and the number of casualties from that is not something someone like me can bear.
From a rational standpoint, as a Lord, I only need to rule and protect them in times of grave danger, protecting them is just a manner of retaining the labor force to keep the territory running and wealth accumulating.
I can live contently like other nobility in this world, after all in the view of this world, a commoner's life cannot equal one of nobility… if push comes to shove, purchasing slaves to replace the dead to keep the territory running is just a matter of spending a small amount wealth... but as a person who remembers his memories of his previous world, it takes a lot to disregard the life others.
Profiting from others is one thing, but to knowingly throw away other's life just because it's the most rational and beneficial thing to do is something which is difficult to swallow. It will haunt me if I let thousand's die knowingly. It's just wrong.. Morally wrong.' Prewell sighed in sorrow as he faced this dilemma.
'From an out-of-the-box perspective… I'm just a lone foreigner in this fantasy world… So to remind of my past... at least let me keep my morality. After all, this is one of the few things I have left from my previous life.
Just this one thing to keep me from breaking because of the sudden change in what I consider as normal and real.
After all, only when you are truly away from the normalcy that you know. Will you truly realize how frightening it must be… As a reincarnated person who has suddenly recovered his memory from his previous life, which of the two can I truly consider to be my reality.
My lifetime as Prewel Ih Leviathan that denies everything about my previous life as a mad man's rambling, or my previous life which considers everything about my current life as children's fantasy...'
*Heavy Breathing,* Prewell reigned himself in, as various thoughts passed through his head.
*Inhaling, Exhaling* After a moment of respite, he raised his head, staring blankly at what lies beyond the gate.
As he stared at what lies beyond the gate. He muttered to himself. "I guess it's time to perform my duty as a Lord…"
Devoid of emotion, gone was the manic behavior before. Replaced by that cold and rigid demeanor that Ecish and the other members of the barony are familiar with. "At least for now, unless necessary... let me keep my morality..."