Knights and Ladies

The Quest for Query III

*

"Tell me first, what is government style of Titledom?" I ask just as soon as David replies my question on the truth of the steward's words.

But just as I mouth it out, I hear and see shocked gasps and expressions all about me.

No… what did I ask wrong now?

David himself is frowning which is making things even more confusing because I had felt initially that, being the one who tried to save me then, he would most definitely be the one I can trust to answer the questions.

And in this way, helping me complete the mission that stupid system gave to me.

"Lady Samantha, you do not know the type of government here?" It is Claire asking from behind me.

So, I turn slightly with a raised eyebrow, confused.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you that, would I?"

"Surely, our lady must be joking…" George the steward claps his hands, erupting in laughter.

However his smile diminishes when I turn to face him squarely, my eyebrows almost meeting my eyelashes.

Like, seriously, this George guy has been getting on my nerves.

"Right?" George asks with a tilted, sweating face.

Yea, that's it, morraforger…. You sweat in my glare.

That's how it ought to be.

"No." David answers me from behind. "Our Lady has usually been shut in for long; it is imperative she desires to know how the town is run now that she is in charge."

Lucky you, George. Or I swear, I don't know what if you'd have your head standing there for longer.

Ooh… that's mean, Sam… Are you now a dictator?

Well…

Focus on the stupid mission and let's hope I actually know what to ask.

I mean, there's a possibility I could ask stuff but that wouldn't be what the stupid system classifies as the mission and believe you me, body failure and death is not very interesting.

Not especially when I have been close to death, even on my first game scene.

Ah, I remember, I wanted to ask what Vassal meant but the system refused me, saying I have to unlock System Query.

Which is the reward, even though the stupid system is too dumb to permutate it under mission rewards.

Instead, it wrote mission rewards as N/A.

Just breath, Samantha…

Eh? I mean, just breath Sam. Gee… I'm never getting used to this gender swap of a thing anytime soon.

"So, David." I eyeball him as I begin to walk forward under the arched ceiling of the corridor or walkway, I don't care.

"Ah… Yes!" David says, walking in line with him, hands to his back as we all move. "The government of Titledom is Feudalism."

Okay, more confusion.

David notices the frown and clears his throat before swallowing.

"Feudalism… it is a way of structuring society around relationships that are derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labor. In so doin, the nobles stay on top and in charge while the vassals render all types of services in accordance to their fee."

Hmm… I am frowning now. Not because he mentions Vassals there but because all of this is so…

I can't even find a word to say how I feel now.

Feudalism is actually a webwork that puts others in service and a few others in forever power. Great, no democracy!

Who am I kidding? I love it!

"So, how does Feudalism work, David?" I ask with a tilted smile.

David smiles, looking away instantly and in that same moment, I feel my cheek burn up with excitement.

Or wait… I'm blushing?

Oh Ma God!

Gee… Sam, you're gay!

Tch…

"Well" David starts again. "Like I said, Feudalism is structured around building relationships with a Lord being at the all mighty receiving end." He says, looking at me while pausing to allow me digest his words.

David extends his hands out and begins to gesticulate.

"A village, town, or city is ruled by a Lord. The Lord gives out Lands to people who sign up for them in charge of a fee. These people are called the Vassals."

"So, how many other types of people are out there?" I ask, a hand to my chin.

"Basically, every society in Xerxes has this system in place. In descending order, we have the Lord with ultimate power, Nobles with certain degree of power, Vassals who are tenants of the Lord or Nobles lands, Commoners who do not rent but are the lowest. However, we have another set of people who are called peasants." David inhales. "the peasants are the poorest of the poor."

"Oh…" I sigh, listening to the words.

"Yes. Although some places in Xerxes place Knights In a separate class just under Noble but since all knights are of Noble blood, it is satisfactory to still classify knights as nobles."

David says and keep silent.

In the following minutes, we walk round the castle square and my feet are beginning to hurt.

I am already sweaty, even though the sun is not so hot and considering that I just had my bath not so long ago.

Ah… that bath!

It was a bath basin, you know,those types you'd see in those medieval movies stuff.

Exactly!

I had a hot water bath, like really hot. Which makes me wonder how such a large basin of a tub was heated seeing there's nothing modern enough to heat it.

Or… magic?

But nope… in Earth, there's no magic right? Yet, there were hot water baths.

Hmmm… I hope to understand that soon enough.

"What do the Vassals do exactly?" I ask, breaking the silence.

"The vassals constitute for the castle guard, that is, they can't be knights so they are castle gaurds who serve in garrisons of the Lord, guard duty. Vassals make up the Lord's entourage when travelling out, make up his court for advices and the likes. They also pay mercenary acquiring fees, knights duty fees, aids to the Lord especially in times of war aftermath and others as well as serve as potential heirs in the event of a heir defaulting."

"What is aids?" I ask, dragging my feet on the ground because I am tired but I don't want to say.

I mean, it's just a walk, how can I get so tired like this?

"Lord Aids are fees," George says from behind me. "monetary or otherwise paid to the Lord in times of need. We already received some aids on ground. And because of that, work is to begin on reconstruction of the damaged parts of the castle already."

"Yea… but does it seem not strange that the King's reinforcement is yet to come, even as at now?" David turns his head to ask George.

"Indeed, it is. But we all know the history, don't we?" George replies with a shrug. " Still, Titledom as a town should be spared of their feud."

Whoa… that went from zero to hundred so fast.

I don't remember asking Georgey to talk, did I?

"Hello, did I ask your opinion, George?" I ask, making my voice sounds as grave as possible.

I hear Claire sigh and a snack followed by a pained grunt from George. And I assume that must be Claire smacking that blabbermouth for me.

Good, lady Claire. You just went up in my favourism charts.

And to be honest, George deserves that.

I am so confused.

So much information already.

Kings reinforcement… vassals duty… Aids, construction work...

Oh God!

Pooh…

I sigh, and throw my head back in frustration.

"I need to know, David." I heave heavily with hands on my waist as I lean against a pillar partially embedded in the wall of the castle.

"M'lady, are you okay?" Claire says, hands extended to me with her worried eyes.

But now is not the time for her cat l*****g.

"Oh, shut it, Claire." I erupt in her face, rubbing my temples.

Claire looks shocked and frightened as she takes an unsteady foot backward.

I didn't mean to yell like that but I just got info bombed and my head feels like exploding. Now, I don't even know if the stupid system has a time limit for me to achieve my mission because I feel like my body is failing already.

My head is pounding, my eyes are getting blurry and I feel like slumping. To be honest, the only thing still holding me up is because I still want to know.

I could get some rest but, I don't want to believe that the system will pardon me and not let me die because of rest, especially since I still don't know anything.

That said, I cannot die in my second mission, not yet.

Until I figure out if all of this is real or not so that I can go home.

But till then, dying is no-no.

"What are the duties of the other types? Nobles, Commoners, facts! All of them!" I snap at the semi circle around me.

"You should rest." David says but looks away as I give him my signature death glare.

Great! At least you guys are scared of my glare, yippee…

"I'm waiting!" I snap again.

"The Nobles provide work, land, and protection to the peasants while providing funding, supplies, and military service to the king.

Knights are sometimes considered lower type nobility.

I already explained duty of a Vassal, my Lady." David says, intently locking his eyes with mine.

I do not reply, instead I snap my fingers urging him to continue as the heaviness makes my head spin continuously.

"Commoners pay tax from food produce, trading or occupation as well as provide bodily labour for the Lord."

David splays his left fingers as he faces me, flanked at both sides by George and Claire.

"A commoner could be a farmer, trader, hunter, carpenter and the likes. And to do most of the duties, he has to join a guild inorder to get permit for occupation.

The typical commoner lives in cottages with thatched roofs.

Peasants are lowest of the heirachy and mostly are extraction type workers, like miners, farmers. Unlike Commoners who deal with refined or partially refined resources, these ones do the real hard work. And the typical peasant farmed would plough his field in Autumn, sow in Spring and harvest in August.

The harvests will be paid as tax and sold to the commoners who then would refine it into the finished goods you see all about.

Sometimes however, peasants are owned by nobles to do rough jobs." David pauses.

"which may seem cruel but very important to our society." He says and I think he says that because of the way I am frowning, totally pissed with this Feudalism of a thing.

I swear, as soon as I pass this mission, things would take a drastic change in Titledom.

Because it's not just right some people are out somewhere working asses off to make a society work and get, remain the poorest of the masses.

No, it doesn't make sense, at all!