Chapter 235 - 13: Captain Jason’s Homecoming
Chapter 235: Chapter 13: Captain Jason’s Homecoming
The joy of the noble lords had little to do with Jason. As they beamed with delight, he was just an ordinary Soldier, standing guard behind the carriages, braving the wind and frost.
No, he couldn’t be considered an ordinary Soldier, either.
Jason glanced at the carriage behind him, loaded with daily necessities.
He heard the great lord had spent a fortune on them. Jason’s main task this time was to deliver these supplies and some Copper Coins to the families of those who had died in battle.
’Supplies for the families of the fallen?’
When Jason first heard the news, he suspected he’d misheard, wondering if the other person was speaking some dialect he couldn’t understand.
It wasn’t until the Officer had repeated it twice that it dawned on Jason: they really were supplies for the families of the fallen—compensation and a reward for them.
’Compensation?’ It was a truly unfamiliar word, so much so that Jason had to ask the Officer issuing the order what it even meant.
Jason had never heard of the fallen receiving any money before.
In the past, when a Peasant died, that was it. The Peasant’s family? If they were lucky and encountered a lord with a conscience, they might get to see their son’s or father’s ashes. If they were unlucky, their loved one simply became a memory. No one would even remember it happened.
It was even more tragic if a family had only one male heir. Although Peasants were the property of the noble lords, and the lords forbade them from fighting amongst themselves...
...in reality, there was a pecking order even among the Peasants. This hierarchy was generally based on how close one was to the noble lord’s own household servants.
If their connections were good, or if one of their children worked in the noble lord’s residence, that Peasant family would certainly receive preferential treatment.
They would often bully the widows and orphans. Such things were all too common in this world.
Most importantly, in this era, men were the primary source of productivity.
If a family’s men were all dead, they could barely produce any grain.
At that point, forget about paying the lord’s heavy taxes; they couldn’t even cover their own living expenses. The final outcome would be the noble lord revoking their right to use the farmland and giving it to other Peasants who could produce.
But now, this Lord Robson was actually providing compensation to the families of the fallen! And it wasn’t a small amount, either.
Jason had seen it with his own eyes. Not to mention the compensation of several Silver Coins, the salt and wheat flour alone were enough for a person to survive the harshest winter, as long as they were frugal.
When spring arrived next year, although they’d still be short on labor, everyone’s situation would be much better. And there were rumors of help from the Baron’s Mansion...
"Master Buri, this is the place," Jason said, looking at the elderly man in coarse cloth clothes walking beside him.
This Master Buri was a steward from the Baron’s Mansion. A year ago, Buri would have been someone completely out of Jason’s reach.
But now, here he was, helping him distribute the compensation funds.
"Alright, since we’re here, let’s get moving."
The voice was sharp and decisive. Even though they were doing something good like handing out money, the way he said it made it sound like they were about to drag someone off to be beheaded.
Jason didn’t pay it much mind. This was Harvey, one of the great lord’s Personal Guards, here to help Jason distribute the money.
Jason looked behind him at the members of his squad.
Although Robson hadn’t brought all the outsiders with him, he had brought a small contingent for tasks just like this.
After all, the local Soldiers had to go find their own families.
"Alright, you all remember who you’re delivering to, right? State it again!" Jason said to his Soldiers behind him.
Hearing them repeat the assignments flawlessly, Captain Jason nodded.
"Listen up. All of this was bought with our brothers’ lives!
Not a single coin can go missing! Everything must be delivered to the specified locations and handed to the specified people! There will be someone checking up on this afterward. This is a military order, understand?" Jason said.
The word "brothers" wasn’t something Jason came up with himself. The Officers had passed it down to him, saying the order came from the great lord above.
Since the great lord had commanded it, Jason naturally complied in full.
"Understood!"
replied the troop of Soldiers.
Only after hearing the Soldiers’ response did Captain Jason dismiss them to their individual tasks.
....
"Jason! You’re back!"
When Jason, relying on memory, returned to his small wooden cabin, Mary was just coming back to their little home, carrying a wooden farm tool that resembled a shovel—a tool unique to the Human World.
Mary was Jason’s wife. Theirs wasn’t a so-called romance between childhood sweethearts; they had been assigned to each other by the lord.
Of course, Peasants didn’t ask for much. They had long grown accustomed to this way of life.
"Mary..." Captain Jason walked up to her.
"I’m back. You need to pack your things quickly. We’re moving," Captain Jason said.
"Moving? Where are we moving? Jason, without the noble lord’s..." Mary froze, asking in confusion.
"The noble lord’s side said it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, just hurry up and pack..."
"But... our house, and the fire-greens in the field, the noble lord won’t..."
Listening to his wife, Captain Jason hugged her from behind and pulled out a dozen shiny Silver Coins.
"Don’t worry, Mary. Look, look what this is..." Captain Jason opened his hand.
"Nothing is... Silver Coins! So many Silver Coins!
Jason, you haven’t done something terrible, have you? But even if we move, can we really escape the noble lord’s reckoning? Jason, you..."
"Don’t worry, don’t worry. This is a reward from the noble lord. You know him, right? He’s the son of the lord in town. If you don’t believe me, surely you believe the town’s lord?" Jason explained.
"But, why would they give you so much money?" Mary calmed down a bit after hearing this, but she was still confused.
Mary was a very ordinary woman from a commoner family. Seeing her husband bring home a large sum of money, her first thought wasn’t how to enjoy it, but whether the money had been obtained legitimately.
"For killing Beastmen, understand? One Beastman for three, two Beastmen for six. I killed three whole Beastmen. This is all my reward from the noble lord," Jason said.
"Really? You killed Beastmen?
I heard those things are like giants, all covered in terrifying purple skin, and the axes in their hands can split mountains in two."
"Ha, those are just rumors. They’re just like us, with two arms and two legs. Hmm, they are a bit tall, I’ll admit.
But that doesn’t matter. One stab of my sword, and they’re no match for me," Jason said.
Hearing her husband’s words, Mary turned her head in shock.
"You’re that strong?
Which means, these Silver Coins."
"That’s right. We can spend these Silver Coins however we want. They’re completely legitimate! They’re rewards the noble lord gives to the Soldiers. They said that as long as we keep killing the enemy, there will be an endless supply of Silver Coins," Jason said.
"Being a Soldier is that profitable? You can even get rewards from a noble lord?"
Seeing his wife’s reaction, Jason’s heart swelled with pride.
In fact, from the moment he first took out the Silver Coins and saw his wife’s reaction, he had felt an inexplicable sense of pride. He could see her pride in him reflected in her eyes.
"Mother! Mother! I heard Father was back! Oh, Father, you’re here."
Just as they were talking, Captain Jason’s son also rushed home. Seeing his old man, he charged forward excitedly.
"Is that your sword? I heard one of the uncles say you’re the strongest among them!" Little Jason said excitedly.
"Those uncles were just joking. This is the daily life of a Soldier, understand? Our duty is to kill Beastmen."
"Wow! That’s so cool! I want to be a Soldier when I grow up, too!"