I Picked Up a Saintess from the Ruins

50 – 8. Mountain Village

The Black Finger Bandits have made a name for themselves in the nearby area.

First of all, he got extra points for being a former mercenary and not an idiot. Notoriety was also a definite reputation, and the cheerful rebellion at Villach contributed especially greatly.

In particular, the leader, Marcus, has been running rampant for over ten years from the mercenary group to the bandit group, accumulating a lot of dislike here and there.

In order to rise high, there were many cases of defeating others in competition and taking away what they had.

In that sense, it was not strange that the name of Raven, who dealt with Marcus, was often mentioned among the nearby people.

However, it should be taken into account that the knight’s reputation was once manipulated to please the earldom of the Count of Canossa, who was soon to become his own reputation, by a bishop seeking to win the lottery.

“He said he saved a village before, so it looks like he wasn’t just bragging.”

“Isn’t this exactly what you can tell by looking at his glow-in-the-dark sword? “That alone is an extraordinary relic.”

“This is news I heard from the soldiers who were with us during the process of retrieving Villach, and they said he had a family story that couldn’t be heard without tears. “Are you willing to listen?”

“I should listen to it sometime as a snack. “Owner, please give me three beers!”

The novel that the soldiers had created using all their imagination was once again distributed nearby.

This new story, which was created by appropriately mixing the tragic clichés of this era with touching emotions, was so delicious that other people also fell in love with it.

There were people here who were anxious to boast about what they had seen.

These were the soldiers who infiltrated the castle with Raven and watched the battle from beginning to end.

“Did you hear the story about the glow-in-the-dark sword?”

“I heard it all. “It was a good story, but there’s no need to repeat it.”

“No, I came to tell you the story behind it. “This body, along with the knight, bravely jumped into the enemy’s camp.”

“I am also very interested in that story. Should I listen to it sometime as a snack? “Owner, give me four beers here!”

Although there may have been some exaggeration and biased content toward the speaker, the story, at least without any gossip, spread again.

I made fun of the person who was chopping up the armor in the first place, and I can’t sleep well because I’m scared of getting chopped into small pieces at night.

So, this story came to the following conclusion.

It was a brilliant and bright line that it would be a shame to discount because it was just luminous.

God bless you, the straight line cut down the leader of the thieves with his entire armor in one blow.

For the price of a few beers, the soldiers willingly opened their mouths and testified to this miraculous majesty.

Of course, it may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was a good story to hear during difficult times.

And such a hero had to be given a proper nickname.

So, out of respect and admiration, people gave his weapon imbued with divine magic the most wonderful names they could imagine.

*****

Nobles received nicknames for their achievements.

If you conquer the land, you become the conquering king, and if you lose it, you become the actual king.

However, unlike nobles, knights do not rule, so a nickname cannot be created in that way.

A knight is a being who only extracts tax money rather than governing. The management of the village will be handled by the village manager.

For a knight, a weapon is his pride in force, and armor is his last trustworthy friend in a chaotic battlefield.

Therefore, the knight’s nickname was created by taking ideas from the armor or weapons that could represent them.

The most famous case on this floor is Jenny of the Chain Scythe, and wasn’t I also called the Luminous Sword?

So, I expected that this time I would be able to get a cooler nickname in proportion to my performance.

“Luminous sword. “His reputation was well-known around here, and people started calling him by a new nickname.”

“What is it?”

Sure enough, I heard that the dice for resetting nicknames were rolling.

Although I didn’t show it, I listened with excitement.

“Of course, the word luminous has the power to touch the heart, but it is said that it does not contain the full power of the sutra.”

“Hmm.”

Degurrr. I reset it a third time and this time it doesn’t work.

Moreover, this time, the name was derived by a larger group, so it is more reliable. It is right to have high hopes for this collective intelligence.

“So, we decided to call it ‘light saber.'”

“Um…… ?”

Great failure!

*****

Something is strange.

Before I even tried anything, my nickname was set in stone.

“I heard good news about your performance. “You lived up to my expectations wonderfully.”

“This is too much praise. How could I have accomplished this alone? “It is the result of the hard work of everyone, including His Excellency the Bishop.”

“I am humbled. Thanks to you, we were able to bring true peace to Villach. “People are already calling you by a new name.”

Stop.

“Raven from ‘Lightsaber’.”

Gyaaagh.

Why did the sky give birth to me?

Has this given birth to Bolle’s plague, Villach’s glow-in-the-dark sword, and lightsaber again? Look at how many have been born.

… No, it was my fault for not immediately understanding their naming sense. Therefore, we must humbly accept this.

After thinking about it carefully, I think it might be better than glow-in-the-dark.

“This is the promised compensation. Of course, as per the contract, gold coins from the Papal States.”

A series of days where I endlessly withered next to the Count.

The bishop, who had finally regained some of his past greenness with Villach, handed me a box.

Heavy clanking sound and pleasant weight. The bishop seemed to faithfully fulfill his contract with a sense of responsibility commensurate with his position.

After the battle is over, a fun time to collect money always comes.

The count distributed the items obtained by disassembling the thieves to the soldiers or exchanged them for money.

And for those who made a personal contract like me, all they had to do was meet separately, receive the promised compensation, and conclude the contract.

The money came late, so I only received it now.

The bishop personally wrote in the customer evaluation section of my status window that he was very satisfied.

The customer’s wishes were fulfilled and the payment was made. With these proceedings the contract between me and the Bishop comes to an end.

“I heard that a loyalty contract will be signed. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you. “I received a lot of help.”

“You’ve received a reward commensurate with the work you’ve done, right? “Then I guess our relationship ends here.”

I received my oath back from the bishop. This made me a complete stranger in the employment relationship, so it was time to part ways.

No, the bishop was probably busier with cleaning up than I was. Just because he returned the situation to the way it was, didn’t mean his mistake went away.

The bishop stopped as he was about to turn, looked around, and then spoke to me in a low voice.

“… If you happen to meet Guiberto later, be careful. He is definitely someone who will show his teeth to the Holy Father one day.”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

“Please don’t forget what I said. Well then, thank you for your hard work. “May God watch over your future path.”

“May God look down on us.”

The bishop gave me a slight nod of his head, then turned and walked away.

There was no grand farewell party or promises for the next time. In this confusing world, every meeting had to presuppose eternal separation, and if God guided us well, we would meet each other someday.

I looked at the back for a moment, then put the box I was carrying on Sancho, who had been dragged next to him.

Licia, who was nibbling on a piece of bread across the alley for the bishop’s privacy, came up to her when the conversation ended.

“Can we leave now?”

“Okay. Slowly, the time has come.”

I raised my head. The streets of Villach were lined with carriages and soldiers.

The road was a little dirty due to the banquet the day before, but the weather was clear and good for a trip.

First, I made the girl sit on Sancho, and then I jumped up.

It still seemed like an unfamiliar combination to others, but it seemed familiar to us as we had been going around like this for several months.

“Are you here, glow-in-the-dark sword?”

“No, it’s a lightsaber now. “The Count is in front of me.”

With countless welcomes from the soldiers who had already formalized their nicknames, the Count of Canossa, who confirmed my arrival, sent the group on their way.

I left Villach in the summer when the days were getting hotter.

And four days later.

The Count of Canossa, who returned to his estate in triumph, immediately summoned his vassals.

And without delay, he signed a loyalty contract right there in front of everyone.

“Will you swear that you will be loyal to me and faithfully perform the duties assigned to you?”

“I swear.”

“Then, take it.”

The Count gave me a handful of dirt. This was an act symbolizing the granting of a fief to a knight.

Fine dirt flowed lightly between my hands. I answered, clutching it tightly.

“I will protect the people of this land and be loyal to my lord.”

“Then, from now on, Alpen is yours, so please keep in mind that it is a huge responsibility and take care of it.”

4 Years as a knight, one hot summer.

I finally became a knight with a decent amount of land.