Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!-Chapter 34: Justice Corrupted

Rosengarden was a beautiful mansion with roses, but before Bertheim owned it, the place had a terrifying nickname. It was called the Cursed Mansion of Lorden, and as it turned out, the original owner had indeed been the Lorden family.

When rumors spread about a servant of Satan appearing to snatch away young boys, the Constance family happened to purchase the mansion. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The Constance family, needing a residence in the capital, bought the abandoned Lorden mansion for a pittance thanks to all the wild rumors. The Baron didn’t believe the stories about Satan’s servant and buried those rumors by creating a beautiful rose garden.

His aesthetic sense was so exceptional that he made rose gardens fashionable among nobles, which was how the estate came to be called Rosengarden.

However, Constance’s glory faded all too quickly, and the beautiful rose garden couldn’t overcome Lorden’s curse. After Baron Constance died in battle against France without an heir, people grew even more terrified, saying Lorden’s curse had returned.

The glorious Rose Baron had buried Lorden’s curse, but supposedly a servant of Satan, jealous of the Lord’s glorious knight, had dragged him away for his sins? Even for the Grand Duke at the time, this mansion had been quite the headache. The monastery insisted on tearing down the mansion and building a grand sanctuary to honor the Lord in its place.

Worried about construction costs, location, and the Church’s expanding influence, the Grand Duke passed it off to Bertheim as a "gift," since Bertheim had considerable connections with the monastery. Bertheim had no children and stubbornly remained unmarried.

The reason he held such a high title as marquis was that the previous king figured the old man would live alone and die anyway, so it wouldn’t cause any problems. This absurd arrangement was only possible because Bertheim had no interest in power and maintained friendly relations with ministers and local princes alike.

Talking with Bertheim, he drew out secrets before you even realized it. I’d caught on midway through, thank God, or it could’ve been disastrous. Judging by how he’d mentioned being just a tight-lipped old man, he seemed to have gone easy on me.

If he’d seriously tried to extract secrets, a greenhorn like me might’ve spilled everything without even noticing. What must he have been like in his prime?

Perhaps Bertheim had been favored by the previous king because he uncovered nobles’ weaknesses—and not by digging them up, but by getting nobles to hand them over willingly through sheer force of conversation.

I might be overthinking this, but one thing was certain: Bertheim was an old man you couldn’t afford to let your guard down around. Anyway, after hearing the hidden history of Rosengarden from Göring, I understood that this mansion was a fascinating place with layers of meaning and history woven together.

Hans and Oscar probably thought it was an ill-omened mansion, but I genuinely liked it. Plus, it even had a secret space—one of my fantasies come true—and the possibilities were endless.

"So someone has definitely been living here."

"C-could it be Satan’s servant? What about Lorden’s curse!"

"What the hell?"

Hans, being devout, was thoroughly spooked. His face had looked off ever since hearing Göring’s explanation about this being the Lorden mansion. He was clearly the type to crumble at these kinds of stories.

Oscar (16) and I (15) were perfectly fine despite being far younger, but this mountain of a man (22) was trembling—it was pretty hilarious. The secret space extended deep like a long corridor.

"These walls look like they were built during Roman times."

Running my hands along the old stone walls, Göring, as knowledgeable as he was elderly, suggested the passage seemed to have been built a very long time ago. It did feel ancient, but honestly, I couldn’t tell.

I’m not a historian or archaeologist. How could I date a wall just by looking at the materials? Anyway, it was fascinating.

There were six rooms on either side of the corridor, and judging by the rusty iron bars, they were probably prison cells. Instead of people being locked up, various supplies were stored inside like a warehouse.

Enough supplies to hole up here for a long time.

"There are sacks of barley, beans, and various vegetables!"

"This room has linen, fabric, leather, and firewood too."

"How on earth did they bring all this in from outside? I’ve never noticed anything suspicious in all the years I’ve been managing this mansion."

"That means there must be another passage connected to this place."

It was definitely connected to other passages. There was a door at the end of the corridor, and I figured there’d be a room beyond it. And Günter von Klugen, showing on my scouter, was definitely beyond that door.

He must’ve noticed we’d entered. But he hadn’t fled because he was waiting for us to open the door and come through.

"Oscar, you take point."

I signaled Oscar to raise his shield. Sharp as he was, Oscar had probably realized someone was lying in wait beyond the door. I couldn’t put Hans, still clumsy with shield work, in the vanguard.

Ted was still recovering from his injuries and resting at home, so Oscar was the only one of my retainers currently fit for this. Oscar planted himself firmly in front of the door with his shield up. I drew my longsword, and Hans drew his arming sword too.

Crash!

Oscar kicked the door open and charged in first, followed by Hans, then me. The room wasn’t dark, since lanterns were lit. There was furniture too—kitchen utensils, a bed, training equipment, everything one person would need to live.

And in the middle of that room sat a man in a chair.

"Sir Klugen!"

Göring cried out like a shriek, recognizing him. My scouter showed Günter von Klugen, but nothing beats confirmation from someone who actually knows the person. For a Rose Knight, he looked rather haggard. So I checked with the Manager Scouter.

[Günter von Klugen, 25 years old. Mindset: Resentment–Revenge. Disposition: Justice (corrupted).]

Corrupted? His justice had been corrupted? A complicated disposition in many ways.

But what was with the resentment and revenge?

Oscar held the front while I moved to the side.

"Why on earth were you hiding in a place like this? Do you know how desperately Clara searched for you?" Göring asked.

Was Clara the name of the maid who’d married Klugen? But Klugen showed no reaction. He just stared at Göring with hollow eyes, not even stirring.

What the hell? What should I do in this situation? Göring was desperately trying to reach him, bringing up Clara and the Marquis, but there was zero reaction—as if he’d gone completely mute.

"The late Baron Constance wouldn’t want to see you like this either," Göring continued.

"Lord Richard died unjustly," Klugen replied.

"Sir Klugen? Baron Constance..." Göring stammered.

Shing.

Klugen quietly drew his longsword.

[Rose’s Phantom I completed.]

[500 points, 500 copper coins awarded.]

[Rose’s Phantom II Quest]

[Fight the Rose Knight and survive]

[Reward — 2,000 points, 20 silver coins (hazard pay)]

[Danger Rating ★★★☆☆]

A three-star danger rating? And the quest objective was insane too—not to beat him, but to survive? From this alone, I could tell Klugen was far more skilled than me. Since my opponent had drawn his sword, I had to respond.

I assumed an Ochs guard stance and called out to Klugen.

"Sir Klugen! We don’t want to fight you! Drop your weapon and we won’t attack!"

"...No trembling at your sword tip. A skilled young knight."

Klugen suddenly showed interest in me. He slowly took his stance—Vom Tag, the most aggressive high guard in German swordsmanship. Even though this was an underground space, the ceiling was high and the area wide enough to swing a longsword.

I recalled the most fundamental counter from the German swordsmanship manual.

The most effective technique against Vom Tag is Zwerchhau.

To keep Klugen from moving freely, I raised my grip to forehead level and held my sword horizontal, pointing the tip at Klugen, locking eyes with him.

While Klugen and I faced off, Oscar circled behind him. Divided attention means sluggish movement. Klugen now had enemies front and back. That’s why I never give up my back, even when facing multiple opponents.

"Hans! Take Göring and fall back! Don’t you dare step forward!"

"Sir Wolfgang! I can help too!"

"How is a man still in training going to block a knight’s sword? Don’t throw your life away for nothing!"

Hans, still learning under Oscar, was facing far too dangerous an opponent to step in. Even Oscar had only just barely graduated from being a rookie after seeing real combat; how could Hans, not even a rookie yet, withstand a knight’s blade? That would be a senseless death.

"You don’t force your subordinates into a pointless death. Good judgment," Klugen said.

"I’ll say it one more time! Drop your sword!"