A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

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"Unfortunately, Lady Blackthorn, that is a riddle we are still in the middle of discussing, though it does not seem as if we'll reach any conclusions yet," Verdant said.

"You should get more retainers," Blackthorn said suddenly. She had moments like this amongst them, increasingly, where she would actually speak her mind. Trying to get her to speak around a crowd was still a virtual impossibility, though.

"Hm? Why that all of a sudden?" Oliver asked.

Blackthorn shrugged. "It's what anyone wanting to increase their Command would do."

"My Lady's cruel… Who would want to serve the likes of him?" Amelia whispered – or a least pretended to whisper – to Pauline. Pauline clamped a hand over Amelia's mouth and pointed at Verdant.

The priest smiled. "Indeed, little lady. It is my honour to serve him. But I am in agreement, my liege. Increasing your retainership would have a multitude of benefits. The Games is not the least of those."

"I don't have the resources to maintain a large number of people though," Oliver said. Blackthorn looked at him, surprised. "What's with that look?"

"I imagine the Lady is surprised that you would voice such a weakness out loud. Most nobles would try to disguise a lacking wealth," Verdant said.

"Well, she knows already, doesn't she? My house can't get more destitute. You can't be worth less than something that doesn't even exist," Oliver said.

"But… What of Lord Blackwell? Surely he would..?" Blackthorn asked, stating half a question, but her meaning was clear.

"Blackthorn has given me nothing but the bare minimum. He saw me outfitted and fit for the Academy. He hasn't given me the resources necessary for retainership. But Lombard did… Wait, that's surely wrong? How is Lombard looking like the kind one here?" Oliver looked to Verdant, as if the priest could explain away his sudden lack of faith in Lombard's cold character.

The priest shrugged with a smile. "I imagine you likely made quite the impression on him, if he gave you something that you would consider worth that much."

"Indeed…" Oliver agreed, suddenly distressed. If there was a world where Lombard was kind, then what other things were off? Were the trees suddenly made of rocks rather than wood? "Thirty golds is a startling amount."

"...Thirty, my liege?" Verdant didn't quite manage to keep his voice level.

"Wait, thirty?" Lasha put in, her voice similarly raised.

"Mm. I suppose even here that would be a lot. Perhaps I should have kept it quiet…" Oliver said.

"Ah… No… It's quite the contrary, my liege. Whilst that would be a sufficient amount to see a noble without ambition quite comfortably through his studies, for clothes and the like, it comes nowhere close to matching what is needed for success. The purpose of the Academy is to raise one's own position in the society, by securing what connections are needed for adulthood.

One would rely on the resources of their house for that. Thirty golds would never be enough," Verdant said. "I find this… troubling."

"I… didn't realize things were quite so bad," Lasha said, sparing him a pitying glance.

"Wait, what? What's with that look? Both of you? Wait, no, all of you!? I thought I was rich, how is it you're all treating me like a pauper?" Oliver asked, incredulous. "You two as well?" He pointed to Amelia and Pauline.

"Hm? No, to me you're pretty rich, and I'm kind of jealous," Amelia said, affecting a greedy look in her eyes. The type of look that Oliver would have expected to see when such vast wealth was mentioned. But then she immediately flipped to a look of pity. "But for a noble..? That's pretty embarrassing."

Oliver's head hit the table.

"What am I going to need to do, hunt monsters?" He murmured to himself.

"You could if you liked, but I do not think it would get you quite the wealth that you want," Verdant said.

It was not the answer Oliver was expecting. He'd said it half in jest. He cast away his more playful mood just for a second, to ask a more serious question. "Seriously?"

"Again, I'm surprised this is something that you do not know. The Academy's Grand Forest is open to all who wish to use it. It's cultivated and tended to like a farm, and the bounty it offers in herbs and fruit makes it popular, but monsters are bred there as well. Students are able to use it on a weekend. It's an effective training resource for nobles and their retainers," Verdant told him.

"What kind of monsters?" Oliver asked, sitting straight up. They were getting back into territory that he was familiar with. Nobles, politics, creating a faction, building a reputation – they were all complicated and new to him, apart from the reputation part, but it wasn't as though he was a particular expert at that either. Monster hunting, though? Monster hunting was something he could do.

"Goblins, of course," Verdant said. "They're the main enemy. There are Giant Spiders too, Black Wolves… A whole encyclopedia of enemies, if that's what you wish for. It's a matter of pride for the Gamemaster that nearly every subspecies of monster exists within the ecosystem of the forest to be hunted."

"What of Hobgoblins?" Oliver asked, eager.

"Rare, and strictly controlled, kept barred within certain sections of the Grand Forest, but they are there," Verdant told him.

"Konbreakers and Gorebeasts?" Oliver pressed.

"…I've only vaguely heard of those. Fighting and hunting were never my forte during my time at the Academy. But, I do believe that they have them," Verdant said. "Though, I must say, I'm surprised to see the magnitude of your interest in such things."

"Enemies, are there any stronger than Hobgoblins?" Oliver asked, unable to quiet his excitement, even if the others were beginning to look at him strangely.

"There are, though I do not know much about them. I do believe we have several species that are fundamentally stronger than Hobgoblins, but there are also outliers within the same species, that are said to be much stronger than the rest. They provide good targets for group training exercises," Verdant said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om