Chapter 9: The Second Summon
"Alright, milady, you can stop painting pretty pictures for me. If your connections were truly that effective, you wouldn't need to forge an alliance with my family."
Starting with a county sounded tempting, but it came with no shortage of problems. The first and foremost would likely be wearing a green hat. A considerable number of noblewomen of this era had rather chaotic private lives. This often depended on the balance of power within the marriage; if the husband was strong and the wife weak, she naturally wouldn't dare to be too outrageous.
Of course, harmonious couples existed, but they were a minority.
For many people of this era, wearing a cuckold's green hat was nothing significant. Each played their own game. You have your lover, I'll find my mistress; it was a political marriage, after all. As long as the child was Lothar's, the title of Count would fall to the Habsburg family. If Count Werner were negotiating with this countess, he would likely agree quite readily.
Green hats aside for a moment. Within the territory, whether it was lower vassals or soldiers, their loyalty was to the Countess. He would also provoke a powerful count backed by Henry the Lion. This would severely limit his development.
Moreover, in the traditional Catholic world, any attempt at expansion was prone to alarming one's neighbors. Historically, Henry the Lion himself, after successively acquiring the two great duchies of Saxony and Bavaria and even attempting to claim the imperial throne, was confronted by an "anti-Henry the Lion coalition" formed by a group of princes. The two sides fought for a full two years. Although Henry the Lion won, he was later exiled by the Emperor, thus losing in the game of power.
Lothar never underestimated the movers and shakers of this world just because he had a golden finger. One mustn't forget that witches wielding extraordinary powers also existed in this world. If there were witches, there would be other supernatural forces to balance them; he just didn't know about them yet.
Having thought this through, Lothar immediately firmed his resolve. "Milady, please forgive me, but I cannot accept your proposal."
The Countess snorted coldly. "Knight, are you doubting the heritage of the House of Calw?"
Lothar shook his head. "My apologies, milady. I mean no offense. I simply feel that an elected emperor, lacking personal strength, might not be able to sit securely on the throne. Moreover, Henry the Lion of the Welf family, being the most powerful prince in the Empire, is the true strong contender for the imperial throne."
Henry the Lion held immense influence in both Bavaria and Saxony; his power within the Empire could rival that of the Emperor himself.
The Countess smiled faintly. "But don't you think, young knight of Habsburg, that for that very reason, it's even more unlikely he'll ascend to the throne? No one wants an overly dominant and powerful superior."
Lothar fell silent. There was truth in what the Countess said. But the more this was the case, the more he felt that remaining within the Great Germania Empire would constrain his development. Even if he went through immense trouble to obtain an empty imperial title, he would still have to face numerous internal resistance forces, a truly vexing prospect. He'd be better off developing his strength in the Holy Land and returning one day with a mighty army – that seemed more reliable.
"My apologies, milady. Your charm is like the stars in the sky, but I bear the great mission of defending the Holy Land. My life's pursuit is for the glory of the Heavenly Father, to battle the infidels. Therefore, I can only refuse your kind offer."
"Very well." The Countess seemed rather disheartened. She naturally knew Lothar's words were mere pleasantries, so her attitude immediately turned cold. "Then tell me, Knight Lothar, how shall I reward your valiant assistance?"
Lothar replied without hesitation, "Two warhorses and some coin will suffice. As you know, the County of Aargau is a poor land, and my father's support for me is limited."
"This is a noble endeavor; I am willing to sponsor you." The Countess nodded slightly. "You may select two warhorses from those left behind by the Magyars; they should rightfully be your spoils of war. In addition, I will gift you one hundred Solidus gold coins of good quality."
The price of an ordinary warhorse was roughly equivalent to ten Solidus gold coins. The Solidus was a gold coin minted by the Eastern Empire. Its purchasing power was once very stable, but as the Eastern Empire declined, the purity of the coins had worsened. However, a recently issued batch was said to have a high gold content, reportedly over ninety percent. It wasn't just gold coins; Silver coins also faced the problem of declining purity.
One hundred Solidus gold coins of good quality was indeed a considerable sum of wealth. But it was merely a fair reward. After all, the value of the mounts left by the defeated Magyars alone exceeded this amount, not to mention the potential losses the convoy could have suffered had Lothar not intervened.
However, it wasn't entirely accurate to say Lothar was cheated. Ultimately, Lothar had only killed six Magyar cavalrymen. Selling all those spoils wouldn't even fetch one hundred Solidus gold coins.
"Thank you for your generosity, milady." Lothar bowed to the Countess, his face showing no hint of dissatisfaction.
The Countess snorted. "You may leave, you ungrateful barbarian." With that, she flicked her sleeve and departed.
Lothar merely smiled, unconcerned. Beside him, a servant, who had been watching him with an expression that suggested he was looking at a fool, placed a heavy coin pouch into Lothar's hand.
He turned and left cheerfully, his mood not only unaffected but exceptionally bright. Firstly, he had gained a significant sum of wealth today and completed a milestone. Secondly, he had finally confirmed his own strength.
He was indeed formidable!
He decided that at the next place they lodged, he would use the card draw chance he had obtained from completing the milestone!
***
That evening, they entered a small town in Tyrol and settled into an inn. As before, Lothar shared a room with Banu.
As soon as they entered, Lothar said eagerly, "Banu, today I plan to summon a new comrade for you. Perhaps even an old acquaintance of yours."
In her background setting, although Banu had a somewhat aloof personality, there were quite a few familiar retainers within her "Hell" faction. If he could summon enough retainers from the same faction, they could form bonds, providing an all-around boost to the retainers' attributes.
Banu said nothing, merely looking at Lothar with a faint, indifferent gaze, as if observing an idiot.
Lothar chuckled, made a sign of the cross before him, and prayed, "Heavenly Father above, please bless me with a 5-star or 6-star!"
Then, he initiated the draw.
The system's crisp notification sound chimed:
[Congratulations! You have obtained a 1-Star Retainer: Reserve Knight.]
Lothar's expression immediately darkened. In the game, 1-star retainers were something no one would bother developing unless they had no other choice during the novice stage. Even if players couldn't afford a full team of all 5-star and 6-star units, they would at least make do with a lineup of 3-star or 4-star units. The sole purpose of 1-star retainers was to pollute the card pool.
Therefore, not only were their stats terrible, but even their character art was sloppy, often not even showing a face, obscuring it with hair or a helmet. They also lacked official names – the epitome of cutting corners.
This probability was set by him; he had no one else to blame. He gritted his teeth but could only accept reality.
'Come forth, Reserve Knight.'
A man clad in iron armor and wearing a visor slowly materialized in the room, lacking the dazzling golden light and god-like aura that had accompanied Banu's first appearance.
[Rating: Common (1-Star)
Level: 1
Affection: Indifferent
Strength: 10
Agility: 7
Constitution: 10
Endurance: 8
Spirit: 5
Skills: None
Profile: This is a reserve knight trained in the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, which has existed since the late Middle Ages. They have undergone rigorous knightly training from childhood and are excellent warriors on the battlefield.]
With just a flash of white light, the Reserve Knight was summoned by Lothar.
Lothar sized him up. The Reserve Knight looked much more imposing than his character portrait suggested. He wore a white surcoat emblazoned with a black cross, over a full suit of chainmail. He held a kite shield painted with a white field, a yellow cross, and a single-headed eagle escutcheon. In his other hand, he gripped a knightly sword, and on his head, he wore a winged helmet resembling bull's horns.
Lothar knew that, historically, reserve knights wouldn't wear winged helmets. Winged helmets were decorative, a symbol of honor, and also served as a commander's insignia.
The problem was, the game he had designed had never bothered with historical accuracy. This fact brought Lothar some comfort. No matter how poor the Reserve Knight's quality was, at least his armor was real – the kind that could be stripped off and exchanged for a village fief. It was much better than Banu's black, form-fitting motorcycle suit.
Judging solely from the stats, this 1-star retainer was on par with himself. Which meant he, Lothar, was also equivalent to a 1-star retainer. No wonder Banu didn't think much of him.
"You are my Master, correct?" The man's voice was surprisingly magnetic. He removed his helmet, revealing a head of brilliant golden hair and a remarkably handsome young Germanic face.
"Correct."
Banu frowned. "This is the companion you said you'd summon for me? I've never worked alongside such a weak mortal."
Lothar said sheepishly, "Heh, there was a slight deviation from my estimate."
"General Banu?" A hint of pleasant surprise appeared on the 1-star retainer's face. "This is truly incredible! To think I would have the chance to follow you into battle?"
Banu glanced at him coolly, her expression unchanging. "You are not following me. You are following our Lord."
Lothar inquired, "What is your name, Reserve Knight?"
Hans, upon hearing this, quickly knelt on one knee and saluted. "My name is Hans, from the State of the Teutonic Order in East Prussia. It is my honor to become your retainer."
'Hans. How pitiful, even his name is like an afterthought.'
Lothar felt a twinge of regret. As for Hans's claim of being "from the State of the Teutonic Order"... it was merely something Lothar had fabricated for the game's background, borrowing the historical Teutonic Order's coat of arms. After all, this was just a 1-star retainer; it was best to save as much on art costs as possible.
Of course, a Teutonic Order did exist in this world. They were currently in the Holy Land, officially named the "Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem," but they were entirely incomparable to the two major knightly orders, the Templars and the Hospitallers.