Ronin mulled over his manpower shortage and came up with two main solutions.
The first was to buy slaves.
Slavery hadn't been abolished in this world; on the contrary, almost every city had a Slave House.
Ronin pulled out a map in his carriage and took a look. The road from Wushan City to Mountain Forest Town passed through the territories of many nobles. If he was set on buying slaves, he could probably acquire a few in any number of those lands.
But as for the most suitable city, there were really only two options. The first was Pasture City, the largest city near Mountain Forest Town.
The second was Wushan City, which he had just left.
'Buy them in Pasture City? Or go back to Wushan City?'
Ronin tapped his fingers against the carriage wall, lost in thought for a long time.
Of course, besides buying slaves, there was another way to expand his workforce: recruitment.
He could spend money to hire people to go to Mountain Forest Town.
However, recruitment wasn't something he could do in just any city. First, he would need the consent of the local Lords.
In essence, a territory's subjects were also considered a Lord's property. If Ronin were to recruit people without permission, he would be breaking the laws that governed lords. A serious enough offense could even be used as a pretext for war.
After much deliberation, Ronin's thoughts returned to Wushan City.
Whether he bought slaves or hired commoners, returning to Wushan City was his best option.
He was confident that even if he privately recruited a group of people in Wushan City to take to Mountain Forest Town, Lurans likely wouldn't interfere. As for Wiggin, he would probably turn a blind eye, hoping Ronin would just take his people and get as far away as possible.
The only problem was, if he turned back, the whole day's journey would have been for nothing.
'If I'm really going back, I might as well try to get something more from the Count.'
To put it bluntly, he wanted manpower but didn't want to spend his own money.
So what could he do? He would just have to be shameless and "borrow" from Wushan Castle.
'Just playing the victim or appealing to emotion obviously won't work. Is there another way?'
Ronin pondered for a long time.
'First of all, the nine guards Wiggin assigned to me betrayed me. It's perfectly reasonable for me to go back and get a new batch, right?'
Once this idea took root in his mind, he couldn't shake it. Ultimately, he decided to return to Wushan Castle.
'A good horse doesn't turn back for grass it's already passed? Who cares? As long as the grass behind you is better, what does it matter if you turn back?'
Once the guards had fed the horses and everyone had finished a hasty meal, Ronin gave a decisive wave of his hand. "Chahar, tell the convoy to turn around! We're going back to Wushan City!"
"Huh?"
Chahar was stunned. "My Lord, are we not going to Mountain Forest Town?"
"Of course we are. I just remembered I have something important to take care of!"
Though Chahar was still confused, he didn't press the matter and quickly relayed the Baron's command.
The five traitors grew anxious the moment they heard they were returning to Wushan City. If Ronin took them back and handed them over to Wushan Castle, wouldn't they be done for?
But at the sight of Macken Knight on his warhorse, any thought of escape vanished.
The carriage swayed along. After another four-odd hours, the convoy passed through Wushan City and arrived outside Wushan Castle.
Ronin didn't stop to buy slaves in the city, choosing instead to return to the castle first to try his luck. If he managed to get the resources he needed there, he wouldn't have to spend his own money, would he?
When the guards at the castle gate saw him, they were dumbfounded.
"My Lord, what...?"
The gate guard was utterly bewildered. 'Didn't this Young Master leave this morning? Why is he back tonight?'
Ronin's face was grim. He scoffed, "Go tell Earl Wiggin that the 'Elite Soldiers' he assigned me are all traitors! They tried to assassinate me on the road!"
"What?"
The gate guard thought he must have misheard. 'Traitors among the Wushan Castle guards? And they tried to assassinate the eldest grandson of the Wushan Clan?'
Upon hearing this, the five traitors Ronin had temporarily spared felt as if they'd been plunged into an icy chasm. The color drained from their faces.
'It's just as we feared on the way back. The Baron isn't letting us go after all.'
"My Lord, spare us! Spare our lives!" They dropped to their knees and begged relentlessly.
Ronin didn't give them a second glance. He wasn't going to kill them himself; he was just going to hand them over to Wushan Castle.
How Wushan Castle chose to deal with them was none of his concern.
"Macken, Chahar, come with me to see the Marquis."
Ronin said as he strode into Wushan Castle, "I'm leaving these traitors to you guards. Don't let them get away."
"Don't worry, my Lord!"
The gate guards immediately took the five traitors into custody, while one of their own hurried into the castle, presumably to relay the news to Wiggin.
Without a moment's delay, Ronin rushed to Lurans's personal villa.
"Grandfather! Grandfather!"
He yelled as he walked, his expression growing frantic.
"Young Master Ronin?"
The old butler, Mosite, came forward in surprise. "Didn't you set out this morning? Why are you back?"
Ronin fully committed to his act, demanding frantically, "Where is my grandfather? I need to see him!"
"Ah, well... The master is in his room." Mosite stepped aside to let Ronin pass.
But at that moment, Marquis Lurans emerged from the house into the courtyard, leaning on a cane.
"I could hear your shouting all the way from inside. What's happened? Why are you back?"
The Marquis was draped in a robe and looked as if he had just gotten out of bed.
Ronin rushed forward. "Grandfather, the guards Father sent with me tried to assassinate me on the road!"
As he spoke, he grabbed Lurans's hand, his own hand trembling uncontrollably. "I suspect... I suspect they were acting on Father's orders. Father wants to kill me!"
Lurans's expression changed. 'Could Wiggin be so foolish as to try to kill his own son?'
"Bullshit!"
The voice arrived before the man. Earl Wiggin, rushing over, heard Ronin's false accusation from a distance. His furious roar sounded powerful enough to rip the roof off.
"I might wish you'd drop dead out there, but I'm not idle enough to arrange for someone to kill you!"
As his voice faded, Wiggin strode into the courtyard.
Though he was only an Advanced Level Knight—a level of power that wouldn't impress the great nobles—the surging Fighting Qi radiating from his body still put considerable pressure on Ronin.
"Halt!" Macken stepped forward, shielding Ronin.
Wiggin snorted in fury. "Get the hell out of my way!"
He lifted his leg and aimed a kick at Macken. Macken didn't evade, instead raising his own leg to block.
With a loud THUD, their legs slammed into each other. The tremendous Power sent them both stumbling back, their stances broken.
"Are you alright?"
Ronin quickly steadied Macken. It was clear Wiggin had come out on top in that exchange.
This wasn't surprising. His opponent was an Advanced Level Knight, after all, while Macken was only at the Basic Level.
If Wiggin had used his full strength, or even his Fighting Qi, Macken would likely be bedridden for months after taking a direct hit like that.
"Who are you?" Wiggin demanded, his voice cold and his brow furrowed.
A peculiar glint flashed in Lurans's eyes as he watched from the side. 'Since when does Ronin have a Knight at his side? And based on his performance, while his Level isn't high, his fundamentals are quite solid.'
Once again, his grandson had managed to impress him.
"Come inside and talk."
The Old Marquis turned and walked toward the house. "Getting physical in the courtyard... If word of this gets out, the other noble families will think the Wushan Clan is falling apart!"
"Hmph!"
With an angry flick of his robes, Wiggin followed him into the house.
Ronin had Macken check himself over. After confirming he wasn't seriously hurt, Ronin followed them inside.
Once the three of them were seated, Lurans finally spoke. "Ronin, explain today's events clearly. Why do you suspect your father wants to kill you?"