Led by Andrea and the others, Ronin walked into Lake Castle.
The noble castles of this world were generally divided into three sections: the Outer Fortress, the Inner Castle, and the keep.
The Outer Fortress focused on defense. It included sturdy walls, gates, fortifications, traps, and the like. The living quarters for many noble families' servants were also built between the Outer Fortress and the Inner Castle.
Passing through the inner gate led into the Inner Castle. This was where the noble lords usually resided, and the environment was naturally a cut above that of the Outer Fortress.
The houses where the nobles lived normally had little in the way of defenses; some nobles even preferred to live in houses built entirely of wood.
Therefore, in the event of an enemy attack or if the castle was besieged, the nobles would all hide inside the keep.
Additionally, some important events were also held in the keep.
Back when Ronin had first arrived in this world, the meeting between the Wushan Clan and the Hyde Clan had taken place in the Wushan Fortress.
It was said that the Wushan Fortress was built not only with the finest stone but was also equipped with a defensive Magic Array. Once activated, even several Golden Knights working together would find it difficult to breach in a short amount of time.
Of course, Lake Castle couldn't compare to Wushan Castle in scale, but it likely ranked among the best of all the Barons' Castles. This was because Lake Town's seafood trade was quite profitable, bringing the Green Family a considerable fortune.
"Lord Ronin, please wait a moment. As we weren't prepared for your visit, it may take Baron German a little time to arrive."
After instructing a servant to bring out fruit and juice, Andrea withdrew from the keep.
Ronin sat on a chair, surveying his surroundings.
The furnishings in the keep's great hall were steeped in a rich, aristocratic atmosphere. A tall stone fireplace stood on the left side of the hall; once winter arrived and a fire was lit, it would surely fill the entire hall with warmth.
Ronin glanced at the chair he was sitting on. Though made of wood, it was carved with flowers, and the ends of the armrests were even... gilded?
'This can't be real gold, can it?'
He tried to pick at it, but nothing came off.
He felt it would be too impolite to try any harder.
Ronin stopped fidgeting and looked toward the high seat at the head of the hall. The chair there seemed to be forged from solid iron, covered in complex lines and patterns, though the only part of the design he recognized was the fish in the very center.
Behind the chair, a complete bearskin was draped. Judging by the massive and terrifying head on the pelt, it must have belonged to an incredibly powerful Magical Beast when it was alive.
At that moment, Ronin recalled some of the history of the family of the Baron of Lake Town.
About eighteen years ago, in the dead of winter, the previous Baron of Lake Town, Luton Green, went out hunting with his entire family: his wife, son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter.
This was a recreational activity many nobles enjoyed; some even seemed to never tire of it.
But who could have expected that on that very day, in a forest that should have been relatively safe, a massive Fifth-level Magical Beast would appear—a Jungle Fierce Bear!
Despite being protected by a Knight Squad, and with Baron Luton himself being an Advanced Level Knight, the Jungle Fierce Bear nearly wiped out the entire Green Clan in that battle.
In the end, only German, who was just a son at the time, survived. He is the current Lord of Lake Town.
Although the incident was a huge blow to the Green Clan, German fortunately held considerable prestige within the family and was very talented in his training. Thus, the Green Clan's situation gradually improved.
But his fate was fraught with hardship. Ten years ago, during a knightly tournament, German faced Baron Reisen of Sain Territory. In that battle, Baron Reisen severed German's left arm.
The relationship between the two families, which hadn't been good to begin with, deteriorated even further.
The one-armed German was despondent for a time, but then he unexpectedly advanced to become a Bronze Knight, which is how he earned the title of the "One-Armed Lone Wolf."
'This must be the pelt of that Fifth-level Magical Beast, the Jungle Fierce Bear, right?'
Ronin stood up and walked forward to get a closer look.
But just at that moment, a woman's voice drifted in from the entrance.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Baron of Mountain Forest Town!"
Ronin turned to see a noble lady in a formal gown walking slowly into the hall. She gave Ronin a slight bow. "Flavia Labor greets you. Thank you for your assistance. Because of you, the bloodline of the Green Family was fortunate enough to survive!"
Flavia Labor was Baron German's second wife.
Behind her, Malik, who had also changed into formal attire, bowed as well.
Ronin found it a little strange. 'Shouldn't Baron German be the one appearing in the great hall? Why is it this mother and son instead?'
Though confused, Ronin still maintained his etiquette.
"Greetings to you, Lady Flavia."
Flavia gestured for Ronin to sit, and then she and Malik sat in the chairs opposite him.
"I'm very sorry, Lord Ronin," Malik said. "My father's chest wound has not yet healed, and he cannot move about freely. Therefore, he is unable to come to Lake Castle to personally thank you for rescuing my sister and me."
Ronin feigned a look of understanding and then smiled slightly. "The Baron's health is what's most important!"
'Earlier, outside the castle, Andrea had told Malik and his sister Marina that Baron German's injuries were almost completely healed. Judging by how casually he spoke, normal movement should have been no problem at all.'
'But now Malik was saying German wasn't healed and couldn't move freely. This was interesting.'
Ronin first ruled out the possibility of some drama within the Green Clan over the succession of the barony. After all, German was a Bronze Knight and the pillar of the Green Clan's combat strength. His death would be a great loss to the clan.
Besides, German only had one son, Malik, who was still young and couldn't possibly make a move to seize the barony.
'That could only mean one thing: Baron German didn't want to see him.'
Ronin's lips twitched into an imperceptible, wry smile. It seemed the Baron was doing this because he didn't want to be associated with him.
'Why would that be?'
Ronin thought for a moment. 'The Baron is deliberately avoiding him, clearly afraid that outsiders would mistakenly believe the Green Family wants to align with me.'
'Befriending someone who had been stripped of his inheritance... would that make people suspect the Green Family had ambitions of backing a new master?'
'After all, once the Old Marquis died, who knew what the power structure of the Wushan Territory would become.'
So, Ronin guessed that German's refusal to appear was probably a show for the Hyde Clan.
"Lord Ronin, thank you so much for everything!"
Lady Flavia's grateful voice interrupted Ronin's thoughts.
"German told me that Mountain Forest Town is remote, its land is barren, and its resources are scarce. He specifically instructed me to prepare a shipment of supplies and money for you. This will both help you develop Mountain Forest Town and serve as a small token of Lake Castle's gratitude!"
Ronin snapped out of his thoughts and couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing this.
"Please convey my thanks to Baron German. I believe that with his support, the development of Mountain Forest Town will be faster than I imagined!"
'It doesn't matter whether we meet or not. At worst, I lose a little face, and people will have a laugh at my expense if word gets out.'
'None of that is the point. The point is getting the goods.'
'Isn't this the whole reason he went out of his way to escort Malik and his sister home?'
Flavia and Malik glanced at each other, both surprised that Ronin showed no sign of displeasure. After all, rumor had it that Ronin, like his father, was hot-tempered and had a foul mouth.
But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
Flavia sat up a little straighter. "Considering the poverty of Mountain Forest Town, we will provide you with a total of 3,000 catties of grain."
"Also, Malik mentioned that your party is short on horses. We will give you an additional three carriages, plus five ordinary horses and two ordinary warhorses."
"On top of that, as a token of our gratitude and in case you have need of it, we have also prepared 200 Gold Coins!"
The more Ronin listened, the more pleased he felt.
Even though German hadn't appeared, their show of gratitude was more than generous.
The 3,000 catties of grain were one thing, but the ten horses were probably worth around 200 Gold Coins. Adding the other 200 Gold Coins on top, this trip to Lake Town had netted him over 400 Gold Coins. A great profit!
He couldn't help but stand up and bow to Lady Flavia. "Thank you for your generosity, my lady. Please also convey my most sincere gratitude to Baron German!"
He added, "If possible, could you please exchange some of the Gold Coins for Copper Coins? As you know, in a poor place like Mountain Forest Town, Gold and Silver Coins would probably be difficult to spend."
Lady Flavia and Malik also stood up. "That is very thoughtful of you."