Chapter 136: Peter Yaeger’s Holiday (2)

Chapter 136: Peter Yaeger’s Holiday (2)

In disbelief at the scene, I slowly got out of the carriage and stood there, watching a man who was kicking Charlottes crudely mud-plastered house wall as if to break it down, approach me.

The man, a loan shark who seemed to earn a decent amount, was wearing cheap silk clothing and a sword adorned with various tacky decorations.

As he approached me, he touched the handle of his sheathed sword as if ready to draw it at any moment, emanating an air of irritation, and said,

Look here, young officer. Dont stand there so tensely; lets just quietly go our separate ways. Im just here to collect some money owed by the resident.

I had left my cap with two stars in the carriage to gauge what kind of people they were. Although it felt a bit suffocating, I wore my dress coat to cover my shoulder rank insignia.

To that man, I must have appeared as nothing more than a captain at best.

Usually, loan sharks act like tyrants in front of commoners and serfs but grovel before nobles, especially those they havent lent money to.

It seemed like these damned folks had some backing.

Ah, so just continue on your way. What are you doing by stopping your carriage and drawing attention like this? Think of the consequences. We may look like this, but we have the backing of Baron Belphe and Secretary Oldenbourg. If you confront us here, youll get hurt, hinder your career, and cause a lot of trouble. Its the impetuousness of youth, getting involved where you shouldnt and ruining your life in one go.

Then, at the mans signal, the thugs around, armed with wooden sticks, hammers, and axes, started to surround me.

A typical officer might have retreated quietly, intimidated by being surrounded by about five armed thugs, especially when backed by a baron and a secretary (equivalent to a colonel), fearing that intervening out of a sense of justice might ruin their life in one go.

But I was a Baron by title and a Lieutenant General by military rank, putting me on par with a senior bureaucrat who could command a secretary with a nod.

Moreover, having trained to nearly a Sword Masters skill, I could easily handle such rabble alone.

If, by chance, he was a conscientious loan shark who only charged legally set interest, I might pay off the principal and interest to spare them.

How much is Charlottes debt?

Upon hearing this, the man laughed derisively, as if he had lost his senses, and replied to me with mockery.

Noble sir, since you seem to have a close relationship with Charlotte, let me inform you. The total debt, principal and interest combined, is 150 gold. But that damned house has been dragging out the repayment, paying just 1 gold a month, so the debt has been increasing. If they cant pay, they should offer their daughter as a settlement. The oldest daughter, the most valuable, is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Ill have to take the youngest daughter. Ive told you everything, so I assume youll be leaving now. I trust a promising young officer like you wouldnt want to antagonize Baron Belphe and Secretary Oldenbourg.

Honestly, I could pay 150 gold right now if I needed to.

But the problem was that these bastards were trying to exploit Charlottes family, who was essentially my subordinate, with interest rates exceeding the legal limit.

Moreover, they made the entire process of diligently repaying the debt meaningless by charging ridiculous interest, which consumed most of Charlottes wages sent home.

From the start, they were targeting Charlotte and her sister for their looks rather than money.

Of course, there was also the chance theyd still demand more even after taking them.

I heard that her debt was only 40 gold. It was incurred 4 years ago, so at most, it should not exceed 90 gold. Where did the additional 60 gold come from?

Her father failed to pay the debt for a long time, so it increased accordingly.

What nonsense!

As I was about to continue, the apparent leader of the loan sharks drew his sword, stood before me with an annoyed expression, and spoke accusingly.

Do you think your officers uniform will stop my blade? Do you want to die? Honestly, its a bit tricky to sheathe my sword now. If you keep obstructing our way, Ill have to show you something unpleasant. This is as far as my leniency goes. Get lost.

The leader, seemingly intending to immediately show me that unpleasantness, raised his right fist to strike down at me.

Moreover, no matter how much those loan sharks had abandoned their humanity, they wouldnt dare return after attempting to assault someone with more powerful backing than theirs.

This was because, despite having abandoned human morality, those fools become insignificant in the presence of someone more powerful than themselves.

After waiting a moment, the three in the corner came out, their expressions somewhat relieved.

Seeing my uniform with two stars on it, they became rigid in a different sense, so Charlotte stepped in to explain to her flustered mother and siblings.

This is Lieutenant General Peter Yaeger, whom I serve. He wanted to visit our house on his way back from work, and coincidentally, he chased away the debt collectors and paid off all our debts. We dont owe anything anymore, mother.

Upon hearing this, Charlottes mother, sister, and brother, who seemed about the age to enter the academy, appeared stunned by the sudden stroke of luck.

It seemed they were overwhelmed by the resolution of the enormous debt that had been troubling them and the shock of such a high-ranking person whom Charlotte served being in their humble home.

However, they soon realized they were being disrespectful in front of a noble and started to kneel, but I stopped them, saying,

Im a commoner by origin, so theres no need to be so formal. And though I came here today and unintentionally helped, Im indebted to Charlotte in many ways, so I came to repay her a little.

Is that so?

Shes been a great help, assisting me and even taking care of administrative tasks for my unit. Without Charlotte, I would have struggled a lot with paperwork. Im truly grateful for how well youve raised her.

Although some of my Korean values were still intact, it felt somewhat awkward to speak informally to her family, who were civilians, and especially to a woman who had lived much longer than I had.

Yet, with this respectful attitude towards her, Charlottes mother and siblings seemed almost moved to tears.

And now, to earn Charlottes firm loyalty, what I needed to do was provide appropriate help and open a path of survival for her family.

Also, after hearing about your situation, I understand that raising children alone since your husband left has been hard. So, you should live in a better place. I have a house that can comfortably accommodate three people; you should move there.

The house I was referring to, suitable for three, was one I bought with my reward money when I first became a captain.

It had about four rooms, suitable for lower nobility or fairly well-off commoners.

Then, looking at the young boy in front of me, I asked,

Do you have any thoughts of attending the academy? If youre confident in passing the written exam, Ill give you a recommendation letter for next years academy entrance.

This wasnt just for Charlottes sake; it was also a proposal for my reputation.

After all, if I, who quickly rose from commoner to noble in the empire, opened a path for the talented brother of my personal maid, from a fallen merchant family, to become an officer through the academy, it would become a favorable rumor that would spread throughout the country.

I-I will do my best!

Then, in five years, lets meet in the military as officers.

Thank you, Lieutenant General! I will really work hard.

Thus, as I had an appointment to be squeezed by Laura in the evening, I promised Charlottes family suitable jobs and adequate support that fit their circumstances and got into the carriage to leave, saying,

Youve got a lot of things to do, like packing, so stay with your family until the day after tomorrow.

Thank you, Lieutenant General. But I want to serve you, not just as a Lieutenant General, but as my Master.

It was unusual for her to address me as Master instead of Lieutenant General, but her change in attitude was likely an expression of her determination to repay me for helping her family in many ways.

Good. I should continue to solidify my surroundings like this.