I Was Reincarnated as a Marquis in Another World

The day after conveying future policies to Sub-Noble Laurent.

As soon as I woke up, I completed a few simple administrative tasks and headed out to the outskirts of our military camp to meet directly with those who had voiced complaints about the conscription.

Some might wonder why I would go out of my way to meet such insignificant people, but whether in modern Korea or the Middle Ages, when a four-star general comes to personally deliver orders, the soldiers feel they are highly regarded.

Additionally, it would alleviate any distrust concerning my own authority in issuing such commands… They would likely take this duty seriously.

Of course, there might be assassins among them attempting to take my life, which makes revealing such vulnerabilities dangerous…

However, Colonel Samuel from the Intelligence Corps has already screened them once, and I plan to bring my own guards for protection.

With the guidance of two soldiers, I found the complainers. Though they did not speak out loud, they whispered among themselves in hushed tones.

“Is that the Marquis SIEL von Croilet? Damn… they say he shows a benevolent face to his allies but is merciless to his enemies… Why did I hear that in Architel…”

“Damn, if I had known it would come to this, I should have kept my mouth shut… This mouth of mine is a curse. Now that our superior is coming, it’s over for us, isn’t it?”

“Stop with the ominous talk! Why would a high-ranking noble like the Marquis come to kill us lowly folk?”

While other lords might show mercy to serfs by not killing or pillaging them, providing food and money in exchange for conscription, thus asking why there would be complaints about being conscripted, from their perspective, no matter how much food and money is offered, it is perfectly understandable to grumble about excessive labor.

Moreover, we have not fully occupied this territory; we merely led soldiers to temporarily seize it.

Given this situation, it would be reasonable to overlook their complaints unless they were outright insulting or confrontational…

However, if I did nothing, the soldiers and knights might think I am being disrespected by serfs, which could lower morale.

Thus, it seems best to yell at them as if ready to kill before threatening them again if such things happen again.

“Enough! What have you done to deserve such grumbling?!”

At that, the serfs looked at me with fearful eyes, while the soldiers expressed some relief.

“Although I have considered that you had no choice but to serve under the lord, I have not looted or killed you. Furthermore, I provided you with food and money during your conscription, taking into account your difficult circumstances. I cannot comprehend why you are so discontent.”

I took a deep breath and continued.

“However, you have not once raised a hand against me or the Eraline Empire after battle. Instead, you rebuked and reported those who proposed such rebellious acts. Therefore, I will forgive your grumbling this one time. Additionally, I will offer you a new opportunity. Are you interested?”

Despite having complained behind my back, none of the serfs dared to respond to my question.

Even in a modern Korean military with less hierarchical authority than in the Middle Ages, when a commanding officer asks an indiscriminate crowd, they hesitate to answer. Here, the urge to speak is even less.

They simply exchanged looks, silently urging, ‘You ask.’ ‘No, you ask.’

As this continued, a planted associate of mine cautiously posed a question.

“I am grateful for your forgiveness, but what sort of opportunity do you speak of?”

“It’s simple. While accompanying my army down to the end of Count Iris’s territory, I want you to relay your experiences to the village before us during our army’s breaks. This mission will take about a month, and once completed, I will ensure you return in time for the merchants of the Margerita Trading Company to supply resources. Of course, since I’ve called it an opportunity, I will also pay a proper reward.”

“A reward…?”

“If you complete the duties I assign over the month, I will give you four silver coins. Additionally, I will offer extra compensation to those who exceed my expectations. And, there might even be a life-changing opportunity, so think this through. Furthermore, I swear in my name, SIEL von Croilet, that not accepting my offer will result in no repercussions for you.”

A moment later, as expected, my associate agreed to my proposal, and about 70 of the serfs before me accepted my offer.

I then commanded those who did not agree to my proposal to return home without any penalties, as I had promised.

**

My late mother and father warned me that if anyone ever offered a lot of money to follow them, I should be careful…

Damn, why did I, Matthias, fall for the offer of three silver coins from the Marquis Croilet… leading to this hellish experience?

Sometimes, marching at a leisurely pace with an army led by nobles is already incredibly exhausting; here, we were making a forced march, carrying heavy loads at a brisk pace, except during meal and sleep times.

After a day or two of this relentless pace, my body finally gave out, and I fell asleep while walking…

When I opened my eyes, remarkably, I was still marching along, carrying a heavy load on my back.

And just as I began to regret getting entangled in such madness over money, my immediate superior, Sergeant Martin, approached me.

“Matthias, from now on, our army will remain here. However, we will not linger but ride directly to the village of Rine, which is about 40 kilometers away. I will be wearing the armor provided to me, and you will act as my lowly serf attendant.”

Although I was from a serf background… pretending to be a noble’s servant like a quartermaster would not be easy…

“A servant is merely a lowly porter, who accompanies the bailiffs when collecting taxes. You should be able to manage that, right? While I search around the village for what I can conscript, you should approach the village serfs and tell them how the Excellency has treated you.”

There’s no turning back now, and I’ve seen my friend Sam working as a porter under a bailiff so I…

I should be able to handle something of that level.

No, if I don’t do it well, I may indeed face severe consequences for not delivering even that, despite having received money… I must succeed.

“Understood.”

“Then we’ll eat, pack up, and set off.”

Shortly after, the soldier on meal duty brought us pickled herring and hardtack/pasta with dried seaweed and salted meat dipped in a sweet sauce, which are the usual rations.

Except for the salted meat in sweet sauce, I had eaten this meal three times a day for four days, but I still found it far too luxurious to adapt to.

Because normally, I could hardly fill my stomach with anything more than a thin porridge that barley or wheat barely touched.

So, during those exhausting days, I managed to persevere by thinking about the delicious meals coming at each meal time…

But now, perhaps because of the tension of the mission, I felt no taste at all.

The pickled herring was just salty, the hardtack was crumbly, and the pasta tasted like chewing on a lump of wheat.

After finishing the meal, I rode with Sergeant Martin towards Rine village.

While others said riding a horse for the first time was fun, I found myself desperately holding onto Martin’s waist to avoid falling off as the horse galloped at an incredible speed.

After several hours of riding, Martin tapped my waist, signaling me to get down.

“Matthias, tell them that the quartermaster sent by Marquis Croilet has arrived and they must come out immediately.”

“Is the village head of Rine present? I have come to your village under the orders of Marquis Croilet, Master Martin!! Please come out and cooperate!”

After shouting for about five minutes, the village head rushed out in a frenzy.

“Quartermaster?! We hardly have any food right now! Please show mercy…”