I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 217 Fane
A caravan of mules stopped in the forest by the river.

A small wooden house sits there, with dappled sunlight filtering through the gaps in the trees and splashing onto the muddy ground in front of it.

"Boss, another cup of hot malt liquor!" Sitting at the wooden table in the tavern, a tall, thin man drunkenly put down his wooden cup, reached out and scratched his greasy hair, pulled out a louse, glanced at it casually, then crushed it and threw it into his mouth.

"Here you go, freshly warmed malt liquor."

"Ha, I say, Paul, your wine is definitely different from what I usually drink."

The man downed half a glass in one gulp, his filthy hair emitting a foul stench, but he seemed oblivious: "It's just a bit too expensive."

"This is ale that the Holy Knight received as a gift from God at the Aachen Cathedral. It should be worth a penny a glass, but it's only half a penny now. You should be content!"

“The Holy Knight.” The dwarf sitting next to him chimed in, chewing on the unfamiliar words. He had indeed heard people singing the knight’s poems on his way north.

“That’s not what I meant, Bauer,” the man quickly shook his head. “I meant, your tavern can’t just sell drinks, can it? What about bread? What about hay? You know, we can’t just get drunk and then spend half a day traveling to Cooper’s Castle to stay, can we?”

“That’s right, and there’s one more crucial thing,” the short man rubbed his crotch, a lewd grin spreading across his face, “I think you should find a damn voluptuous and slutty bitch to serve the drinks.”

"I don't want to look at a man's face every day."

“Food and lodging will be provided sooner or later,” Bauer said, taking the empty wooden cup away. “As for prostitutes, this is a church-sanctioned tavern; we don’t offer that service.”

“But if you’re looking for some fun,” Bauer’s eyes darted around, “I have a pretty good game.”

"Oh?" The man plucked another flea and put it in his mouth. "Tell me about it?"

Bauer withdrew his disgusted look and soon brought out a chessboard and a set of wooden dice.

Looking at the empty spaces on the chessboard that resembled a fishing net, the two were puzzled: "What is this?"

"Gomoku, but it's currently an improved version."

"How about this, each of us takes a glass of wine as the wager, and the winner gets to keep the other's wine."

Bauer gave a knowing smile: "Interested in playing around?"

……

“My lord, I swear by God, I can guarantee with absolute certainty that that damned Luke did more than just dig up a Roman tomb. He built a tavern at the Treff Bridge and started selling drinks. Where did he get the money to brew his own drinks?”

Furman, supporting his longsword, followed behind the short Berry, watching the Baron's second son wielding his sword on the training field as he spoke angrily.

"Perhaps he made a lot of money contracting the church; it has always been a well-paid position."

Berry remained expressionless. His second son's swordsmanship was terrible; he hadn't inherited even a fraction of his father's fighting talent.

"But he stole all the business from the Cooper's Castle tavern."

“The Finney he stole was from a traveler’s wallet, and many of these guys will never even enter Fort Cooper. Besides, if he makes money, wouldn’t that be perfect for me to collect taxes?” Berry frowned as his second son’s sword went astray.

"But you've already asked for bridge repair fees."

"As long as he remains my vassal, there will always be a way!"

Then, seeing his second son trip over a stone as he stepped back, Berry could no longer contain himself and impatiently interrupted his training.

"Stop, Finn!"

"Your swordsmanship is so bad that you can't even be sent out to be a duke's squire."

“It seems that little Joseph is right. Perhaps sending you to a monastery is the best way out.”

Hearing his father's rebuke, fifteen-year-old Finn lowered his head. "Father, please reconsider. I really don't want to go to the convent."

The influence of Cluny's reforms had reached the Abbey of Saint Martin. At least in Magdeville, many extravagant monks were gradually dismissed and replaced by impoverished ascetics.

Finn didn't want to live that kind of life.

"Damn it, you don't want to go in this, you don't want to go out that, do you expect me to reward you with a whole village? With your lousy swordsmanship, do you think you can protect your family's territory?"

Berry's face was stern, and his tone was harsh: "It's decided. Once you come of age, you'll be sent to a monastery!" Ignoring the dejected Finn, Berry turned and walked back to the wooden castle.

Seeing this, Furman quickly followed. He dared not express any opinion on the arrangements for the Berry family's offspring, his mind preoccupied with the tavern's affairs.

"Sir, what do you think? Should I lead a raid on the tavern tonight? Collecting taxes alone might not be enough to gather that many pfennigs, so..."

Furman spoke with his head down, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized that the surroundings were extremely quiet. He looked up slightly and saw Berry staring intently at him.

"A midnight attack?" Berry's brows furrowed with rage, his chest heaving as he roared, "Damn it! You attacked in the middle of the night six months ago too, and did you succeed?! Not only did you fail to get a single grain of food, but you also lost seven of my soldiers and several sets of leather armor!"

"You still dare to mention a midnight attack?!"

"I wanted to teach him a lesson because he was getting too close to David, but who knew he had a crossbow, and besides..."

Forman lowered his head even further. He had been severely punished for the crushing defeat six months ago. Every time he thought about it, he felt fear towards Berry and his hatred for Luc grew even stronger.

"Besides, he also stole your knighthood, didn't he?"

Noticing Furman's expression, Berry's anger subsided somewhat. "How many times have I told you not to hold a grudge against Luke for taking your knighthood? It was never yours to begin with. A mere bridge's fief—and you still can't forget it."

"But the crossbows are indeed unexpected. Could he have purchased them from northern Italy through the Cluny Church?"

Berry narrowed his eyes. Initially, he hadn't cared about Luc at all, simply using him as a tool. Only after discovering the unknown wealth did he become slightly more interested and extort a sum from him. But now, not only had the other party established a connection with the Bishop of Macon County, but he had also somehow acquired a batch of crossbows capable of defeating Furman's army, demonstrating considerable combat strength.

"Not only that, sir, Luke's construction team of fifty men vanished into thin air after completing the church. They neither returned to Macon County with the monks nor appeared around the baron's territory. Ordinary contractors would simply disband their teams, but they seem to have evaporated into thin air. Surely Luke couldn't have taken them with him?"

Furman recalled his informant's report and gritted his teeth, saying, "And even if he took them, where could he take them? And how would he support these people? He can afford five or six guards, but could he support the entire population of a small manor? Based on the contractor's income and the profits from the Treff Bridge?"

"That's why I said it's definitely not just a simple matter of him digging up an ancient tomb!"

Listening to Furman's words, Berrymo stroked the jade ring on his finger.

The scraping sound echoed all around, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

"Luc, what on earth is he doing?"

After a pause, Berry opened his mouth and said, "Send two thugs to the tavern every day. I want them to keep watch over Treff Bridge 24/7. Also, send some capable guys this time, so they don't get killed without any explanation like last time!"

"Also, send a letter to Pierre; I want to know the details of Luc's background."

“Yes!” Furman shouted.

"By the way, isn't the Duke's birthday coming up soon?"

"That's right, sir. The Duke of Burgundy's birthday is in two months. Would you like to send a gift?"

"Of course we'll send it!" Berry nodded decisively. He didn't simply think that becoming an earl was enough based on military achievements; maintaining a good relationship with the lord was equally important.

"Does Fort Cooper have any other presentable gifts?"

"Never mind, in a few days I'll personally lead a group to hunt a black bear and make a large bearskin coat for His Excellency the Duke. I'll also send someone to Dijon in advance to have a gold ring made by the artisans in the city."

Having amassed considerable wealth through the war, Luc's situation needs attention, but the Duke's birthday is the most important matter.

After finishing their business, the two entered the wooden fort together.

"Where is little Joseph?"

Berry watched with disgust as his second son went upstairs. He looked around the hall but couldn't find his beloved eldest son. Seeing Furman stammering, Berry, who knew what was going on, took a deep breath.

"Going on another date with some maid, huh? Damn it, isn't he afraid of having an illegitimate child!"

"Call him over. He's not allowed to go out for the next few days. Once he's recovered, he'll come with me to hunt bears!"

“This time, send him to deliver the gift to the Duke.”

(End of this chapter)