23 Ethan the Baron

"Father, if I may, may I speak to you privately?" Said Mia.

Ethan took this as his cue to leave the room, and he followed a servant out of the great hall, up the stairs, and to a guest room on the second floor. He then went inside and closed the door behind him. The room was about four and a third meters in length and four and a third meters in width, with a tall ceiling. There was a wood burning fireplace at one end of the room, and a featherbed with feather-pillows in silk pillowcases, silk sheets, and a wool blanket at the other end. The floor was marble, and there was a silk rug covering most of the floor, with the exception of the space immediately in front of the fireplace, which was left bare marble, and the space in front of the door which had a hemp mat for wiping one's feet. There was a stained glass window depicting a battle on the wall that let in multicolored sunlight. The window could be opened completely to allow air to circulate, and more light to come in, could be closed as they were now, or could even have steel shutters placed over them. There was also a glass chandelier with candles on it. There was a wardrobe with silk clothing in it. There was a table next to the bed on the right side with a feather-pen, some ink, and some parchment on it, and on the left side of the bed there was a table with a pitcher of beer, an empty porcelain, and an oil lantern. Beneath the bed, there was a porcelain chamberpot. All things considered, Ethan was impressed with the guest bedroom.

[So this is the Castle Von Ritter then. I do have to give Friedrich credit, it is exactly as he described it. It really makes you wonder just how much money the Von Ritters have. This is just a guest bedroom, and its furnishings alone must have cost a fortune. This window must have taken a skilled artisan to make with all of the colored glass. I doubt that they make silk or porcelain in this kingdom, as all the people who were selling it in the market back there looked to be foreign merchants. They must have imported it over the sea, which is of course infested with sea monsters. And for a carpet this size? I almost don't want to walk on it, it is so valuable. Needless to say, I am thoroughly impressed by the wealth of Mia's family.] Ethan thought while he put his stuff in it.

He put his bag under the bed as it seemed to be the most out of the way location. He then sat on the bed and used the parchment, pen, and ink to draw a schematic diagram of a tesla tower as best as he could from his memories of reading about them in his previous world. He didn't really plan on making one, but he felt bored with nothing to do so it seemed like the best thing to do to kill time. He figured that it wasn't a big deal if this diagram fell into the wrong hands as the people in this world probably couldn't decipher a schematic diagram anyway. Just as he was finishing up drawing it, there was a knock on the door, and one of the duke's servants spoke to Ethan.

"Mister Ethan, the duke requests your presence in the great hall." the servant said.

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll be right down." Ethan said as he got up and left the room.

He then followed the servant downstairs and entered the great hall once again. There, he found Mia and Augustus waiting for him. Augustus greeted him with a warm smile, in stark contrast to the suspicious glance that he gave him when he first entered the castle.

"I'd like to thank you for helping my daughter, young Ethan." said the duke.

"Your gratitude is most appreciated." Said Ethan.

"No need for modesty here. My daughter has just told me about your adventures through the forest. And, to think that you were in a land so different from your homeland, you've certainly adapted to the situation quickly. I really think that a smart and brave young man like you would be a good asset to this duchy. Plus, you helped out my daughter when she needed it. I'd really like to give you a reward. Mia, is there currently a baron in the Kastell Barony?" Said Augustus.

"No, Father. That barony is administered directly by you for now." said Mia.

"Excellent. Young man, I will make you baron of the Kastell Barony." said Augustus.

"Yes sir." said Ethan.

[That makes sense. I guess that this duke is trying to tie me down with a title and land so that I will have an interest in protecting this area so that I may share more of my knowledge with them, and more importantly, not share my knowledge with the Western Empire. From the look of him he looks like a very physically strong person, but I guess that he has a fair amount of intelligence too. Anyway, it's not going to be that bad. If I remember correctly from medieval history, baronies usually had a castle at the center of them and then a lot of land surrounding the castle. I guess that that means that I will live in a luxurious castle like this one.] thought Ethan.

"The Kastell Barrony does have a castle at the center of it, and farmland surrounding the castle, but it's not quite as luxurious of a castle as this one. It's a simple motte and bailey castle with wooden walls on the bailey and a stone keep on the motte." Said Augustus.

Motte and bailey castles were relatively simple and inexpensive castles. They consisted of two parts: The motte, a well fortified keep built on an elevated position, usually on a small hill or mound of earth, where the lord of the castle usually lived; and the bailey which was an open aired walled area, not quite as well fortified as the motte, but larger in size and could even hold a small village or some livestock. An enemy force laying siege to a motte and bailey castle may be able to capture the bailey, but it would take a very determined enemy to capture the well fortified motte. There was usually a fortified passageway going from the motte to the bailey, and there was no way into the motte except through the bailey.

"Yes sir" Said Ethan.

[Well, that's okay. I will have a title of nobility now, meaning that I will be able to do what I want with no one bossing me around.] Thought Ethan.

"Barons are expected to support the count of the county that they are in, the duke of the duchy that they are in, and the king of the kingdom. In this case, the Kastell Barony is not far from here, and it is therefore in the Ritter County which is directly controlled by me, and I am the duke of the Ritter Duchy. Therefore, you will only need to serve me and the King, although only me directly, and the king indirectly because he is my liege and I am your liege." Said Augustus.

"Yes sir." Said Ethan

[That also makes sense. I guess that I be in charge of this piece of land and i will have to pay taxes to the duke, as well as raise an army in times of war, which unfortunately will be soon. It could be worse. At least I won't be expected to fight on the front lines.] Thought Ethan.

"You'll be expected to fight on the front lines during times of war as well as raise troops whom you will lead into battle. Even when we are not in war, you will still need to pay taxes to me, and it would not be a bad idea to keep at least a small force of knights at all times. From today on, you will be known as Baron Ethan Von Kastell" Said Augustus.

"Yes sir."said Ethan.

[Well that's going to be scary! Doesn't the Western Empire have like a super powerful military?! And I, who have virtually no combat or leadership experience whatsoever am going to have to raise a force that I will have to lead into battle in a little over two months. Don't freak out Ethan, you can figure this out. I have knowledge that no one else in this world has. I will be a wealthy feudal aristocrat for months. That's more than enough time to hire blacksmiths and artisans to make flintlock muskets and even cannons, plus I can learn more magic, maybe even protective barriers. I can even teach my people to make full plate armor, way superior to the chainmail that this world seems to have. I can figure this out. I guess that the best decision that I could make right now would be to show the duke and the king better applications for gunpowder than those makeshift explosive devices. I can draw them diagrams of flintlock muskets as well as cannons and then at least if they arm their people who aren't good at magic with these, they might have a better chance of defeating the Western Empire. In other words, The better the Kingdom of Vorbei's armies do against the Western Empire, the better chance I have of surviving the war.] thought Ethan.

"Do you have any questions?" Asked August.

"Yes, or rather more of a statement. I believe that the Western Empire is going to attack this country in a little more than two months." Said Ethan.

"Yes, I am aware. My daughter has already told me." Said Augustus.

"Then I assume that she has also told you about the gunpowder that I created." Said Ethan.

"Yes." Said Augustus.

"The thing is, those gunpowder weapons that I made at Verafgelegen weren't actually the most effective application of gunpowder." Said Ethan.

The duke smiled and looked like he had been waiting to hear that and he said "Do go on."

"In my homeland, gunpowder was used as a fuel for a weapon called the 'gun' which uses the explosion of gunpowder to propel forward a small piece of metal to kill enemies. I understand that you like to use attack magic in this land, but I feel that for those of your soldiers who can not effectively use attack magic, guns may be a better option for them." Said Ethan.

"What did these 'guns' look like?" Asked the duke enthusiastically.

"If I could have some parchment and a pen, I could draw you a diagram." said Ethan.

Ethan was soon given a parchment and a pen, and he neatly drew out an accurate diagram of a British Land Pattern Musket (Aka Brown Bess) complete with ramrod and bayonet. His diagram was complete with exact dimensions, materials used, as well as written instructions on how to load and maintain it and what quantities of gunpowder to put in. Once that drawing was complete, he then drew an accurate diagram of an American Revolutionary War era six pounder cannon, also complete with dimensions, materials used, and instructions on how to operate and maintain it. Once he finished the drawings, he handed the parchment back to Augustus.

"Incredible. So simple, and yet I would imagine that if you get enough soldiers wielding this standing in a row and firing at the enemy if would be a terrifying sight to gaze at. Like this is an army that can call the thunder down, despite no magic being used." Said Augustus.

"Yes sir, that's the idea." Said Ethan.

[I'm honestly impressed that he figured out that popular musket tactic all on his own that quickly.] Thought Ethan.

"And this 'Bayonet', it makes the gun double as a spear, yes?" Asked Augustus.

"Yes sir. It is so that the soldiers can charge at an enemy to rout them from the field." Said Ethan.

"These cannons would be good against enemy fortifications." Said Augustus.

"That is indeed what they were commonly used for." Said Ethan.

"Incredible. You've given me a lot to think about. Get a good night's rest, young baron. You will continue your journey to the capital tomorrow." Said Augustus.

"Thank you, sir." Said Ethan.

He then followed a servant leading him back to his guest bedroom. When he got there, he poured himself a cup of beer, drank it, and went to sleep for the night not wanting to think about all of the responsibilities that he would have as a baron.