## Chapter 135 – 135. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into A Baron’S Family
135. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated into a Baron’s Family
After nagging at Pesus for a while, I took a look around the mansion that was being built.
Even though I had cursed the dwarves, objectively speaking, construction was progressing at an incredibly fast pace.
‘I want to see the completed mansion soon.’
I designed the mansion. To be precise, I commissioned an architectural designer to create a blueprint of the mansion in the shape I wanted.
The dwarves, after seeing the unfamiliar modern blueprint, understood it in just a few hours and immediately began the foundation work.
‘I need to build a prison away from the mansion, and a separate annex for guests… there’s a lot to do.’
I have enough money. Most of the construction materials were obtained through the Korea Trading Company. Any construction materials that were particularly difficult to find, I obtained from the modern world and brought over.
‘Hehehe… I’m going to fill this large mansion with women.’
I had no intention of letting any men other than myself into my mansion.
Knights or soldiers? I don’t need them right now. The security of the city of Tevra is quite good. Except for the sea monsters that occasionally come up to the city from the sea, there are no dangerous elements.
‘The guards can handle that. If the city of Tevra develops, I can hire them then.’
I couldn’t bring the Plun Knights of the Prukerus Baron family. Their affiliation is with the Prukerus Baron family, and their duty is to protect the mansion.
‘If I start building up my forces here, others will see it as me preparing for war.’
Gent would most likely react sensitively, so it’s better to build up my forces slowly later.
‘It wouldn’t be good if there were only women in the mansion… but I can just make them dress as men. Hehehe.’
I grinned, imagining the completion of this mansion.
***
Three groups of adventurers visited the Prukerus Baron family. Two were men, and one was a woman. Surprisingly, it was Hent, the leader of the Plun Knights, who greeted them.
“This way. This way. This is where our Plun Knights’ residence is.”
Hent guided the adventurers.
“Hent. I can’t believe you became the leader of the knights.”
A man with a sword at his waist muttered in disbelief. With a brown beard reaching his chest, he kept looking up and down at Hent’s body, who was wearing a handsome knight’s uniform.
“That’s rude, Nopl. Hent has enough skill to become a knight.”
The only woman in the group, Pnerin, said. Wearing a robe and holding a staff in her hand, she was a typical mage. Her face, revealed through the gaps in her robe, was beautiful, but the wrinkles here and there showed her middle age.
“I thought Hent would succeed. I just didn’t think he would succeed to the point of becoming the commander of a great lord’s knights.”
The other one was an elf man with long blonde hair. He had white skin and long ears. Over 150 years old this year, he looked very young except for a few wrinkles on his face. His name was Beder. He was a spirit archer.
“Haha. You guys haven’t changed much.”
Hent laughed happily.
Mercenaries and adventurers. They did not have much different jobs. They once gathered together to conquer dungeons and travel the continent. That was 15 years ago.
“But is it okay for us to come into the Prukerus Baron family like this?”
Pnerin looked around and asked cautiously. Even though she knew there was no one around, she felt self-conscious thinking it was the great lord’s mansion.
“It’s okay. I’ve already received permission from the Baroness for your entry. Besides, the mansion is quite relaxed these days… it’s very laid-back in many ways.”
“Laid-back? Isn’t the great lord’s mansion supposed to be busy?”
At Nopl’s question, Hent shrugged his shoulders.
“The Prukerus Baron family is a bit special. Currently, only the Baroness is in this mansion. The head of the family, Ention, and the eldest son, Gent, are living in Utren Castle.”
“Huh? Aren’t there three sons of the Prukerus Baron?”
“The third son, Eugene, received a barony about two months ago and became the lord of Tevra. And the second son, Kyle…”
Hent let out a hollow laugh. It was an absurd thing even when he thought about it now.
“This is a well-known secret that everyone pretends not to know, but Kyle ran away from home a month ago.”
“Ran away?! Why would a son do that? What was he lacking?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t that close to Kyle. He went on a trip to the Hughes Snow Mountain last time, maybe he was impressed by that.”
At Hent’s nonchalant tone, Beder asked in disbelief.
“Is it okay for a knight to say that?”
“It doesn’t matter since Kyle isn’t here. More importantly, come inside. This is our Plun Knights’ training ground and dormitory. You can call it our private barracks.”
The three followed Hent inside.
At the entrance, a knight squire, unlike usual, was fully armored, armed with a spear and sword, guarding the entrance. The squire’s face, standing still, was filled with an unhidden tension.
“You’ve arrived! Commander!”
The squire shouted loudly.
Hent nodded his head.
“Yes. You’ve worked hard today as well.”
After a brief greeting, Hent took his old friends inside the building.
“…They were very disciplined… did they do that on purpose because we were coming?”
It was Nopl’s question, who had excellent observation skills.
Hent smiled as if he had heard a funny joke.
‘That sharp bastard, Nopl. He noticed right away.’
In fact, Hent had given a firm warning to the entire Plun Knights. If his old friends came and he showed them a lax knight order, it wouldn’t be good for his image. Hent wanted to show them his dignity.
“What kind of insult is that? Our Plun Knights are always on alert. We never know when something will happen and we’ll have to go out. We need to keep our bodies tense so that we can properly wield our swords when the time comes.”
“Ah… sorry. I was reminded of the old you, and it didn’t seem to fit with the current you.”
“I understand. Sometimes when I think of the old me, I’m surprised that I’m the commander of the knights now. Come in. This is my office.”
Hent introduced his office to his old friends. The office was sparkling. He had called the squires yesterday to clean every corner. Currently, Hent’s office was so clean that you couldn’t find a single speck of dust.
“Oooooh.”
Hent’s nose went up at the admiration of his old friends. Especially the swords that were displayed on the wall were very popular.
“Wait a moment. I’ll serve you tea myself.”
“Serve tea? You?”
“I enjoy tea often now. I’ll take out a special tea for you.”
Hent took out a magic kettle and teacups that he had prepared in advance. When he activated the magic kettle, the water inside began to boil.
Pnerin tilted her head, watching Hent, who had grabbed something and started putting it into the teacups.
“Huh? What is that?”
“Ah. This is… instant coffee. With just hot water and a teacup, anyone can easily make coffee.”
“Coffee?”
As a mage who enjoyed tea, she had never heard of a tea called coffee.
“It just looks like black powder and white powder… is this tea?”
“It’s a type of tea invented by Eugene. It’s popular in the Prukerus territory these days. The Baroness also enjoys this coffee often.”
Hent picked up the magic kettle and started pouring hot water into the teacups.
“…The scent is quite good.”
“Is this the popular tea…?
“Did you say coffee? The color isn’t very good. It’s the color of muddy water.”
The appearance of the coffee wasn’t good. The dark brown color looked like muddy water. But the scent was quite good, enough to stimulate their curiosity.
“Just try it once. You’ll know once you drink it.”
Hent said confidently. Hent didn’t like coffee much at first. He wasn’t the type to enjoy tea from the start. But strangely, this instant coffee was strangely appealing whenever he worked. These days, he drinks it at least once a day.
Slurp.
Hent drank the coffee first, and then his old friends cautiously picked up their teacups and began to drink the coffee.
Their eyes widened.
“This is…”
“It’s delicious! It’s even more delicious than black tea?!”
“It’s really delicious, unlike its muddy appearance. The scent is also excellent. Is there sugar in it?”
Pnerin looked at a box on one side of the desk. Was it called instant coffee? You can easily make it by just tearing open that packet, putting it in a teacup, and pouring hot water. Plus, it was packaged in a bag, so it seemed easy to carry.
“You said it’s instant coffee? Where did you get it? Is it possible to buy it separately?”
“This… is not something that’s being sold yet. According to Eugene, it will be properly sold through the Korea Trading Company in a few months. I have a few boxes, so I’ll give you one box later.”
“Really? Thank you, Hent! No, Sir Hent!”
“Just call me comfortably. More importantly, try this too. It’s a snack that Eugene invented, and the knights like it very much.”
“It looks strange. Is it a snack?”
“Ah. This is called a Choco Pie.”
***
Hent took his old friends to the training ground.
The knights were sweating profusely as they trained.
“You’ve arrived! Commander!”
“Yes. Sir Maretin. You’re training hard today as well. Is there anything unusual?”
“No, sir!”
The old friends held their breath and watched the knights’ training. It was rare to see the knights’ training directly. Even if it was just acting.
“Hent. What are those things the knights are using?”
The elf Beder asked.
“It’s exercise equipment made by Eugene. It’s easier to train muscles using equipment like that than just exercising.”
“…It’s Eugene again. He’s a very amazing person.”
“Yes. He’s a very amazing person.”
Hent’s voice was slightly gloomy.
Since Eugene left the mansion, he could no longer receive the gifts he always received from Eugene. He just wanted Eugene’s Korea Trading Company to do its job properly as soon as possible. That way, he could buy various things like canned beer and cigarettes.
“What are those shoes? They’re all wearing the same ones.”
“Ah. Those are combat boots invented by Eugene. They’re easy to wear, have excellent durability, and are waterproof, so we wear them when we’re not wearing armor. If they sell those officially, they’ll probably sell like hotcakes.”
“Hoo. Really?”
The old friends showed deep interest. As adventurers, they all had experiences of suffering from their shoes breaking during their travels. If they were really durable, they would be willing to buy them.
Then, when it became evening. Hent took out the canned beer and ramen that he had saved for his old friends.
“Kuhhhhh! This canned beer! It’s amazing!”
“Hahaha. Nopl. I knew you would say that. Here. Try this too. It’s ramen. This is very precious. I’m treating you because it’s you guys. I wouldn’t even show it to anyone else.”
The old friends tilted their heads, looking at the ramen being cooked in the pot.
“Is this that precious?”
“The cooking is just putting the ingredients in hot water and boiling it, so it’s very simple. And it doesn’t look that precious either?”
“Hehe. Just try it once. It’ll be a whole new world.”
Hent skillfully picked up the ramen with chopsticks, while they awkwardly held forks and began to eat the ramen.
“Mmm!?”
The old friends’ eyes widened. Salty and spicy taste. It was a stimulating taste they had never experienced before. But it wasn’t bad. Rather, it kept drawing them in.
“Try this too. It’s a drink that you can’t try anywhere else.”
“It’s black water. Is it ink? It even has bubbles rising. Is it poison?”
“Poison? That’s a boring joke, Beder.”
Beder cautiously picked up the cup of cola and brought it to his mouth. His handsome face instantly crumpled. But he didn’t take his mouth off the cup and started gulping it down.
“Hoo. This, this is amazing too. Did Eugene make this too?”
“That’s right. Eugene is a true genius.”
After that. After the meal, Hent naturally took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter.
The old friends stared at him.
Hent smiled and offered them cigarettes.
“Hehe. You guys should try it too.”
