Reincarnated Into The Middle Ages

"No way, right?" Norn muttered in disbelief, staring at the ledger in his hands. After double-checking the numbers, he slowly put it down and shook his head in amazement. "This can't be right. There must be some mistake."

The ledger clearly detailed all of Norn's expenses and income from the war. Initially, Norn had been prepared to spend everything he had to save his uncle. Just hiring 1,500 soldiers had cost him 3,000 gold nominals, and another 3,000 for supplies. Before even setting out, a quarter of his savings was gone.

After departing, to boost morale, Norn had doled out several rounds of wages and bonuses, totaling another 2,000 gold nominals. The battles at Ascalon and Montgisard were both decisive victories, with substantial spoils. Norn had paid out nearly 8,000 gold nominals to the mercenaries based on the number of enemy heads taken.

Upon returning, expenses for doctors, alcohol production, and pensions amounted to over 4,000 gold nominals. Norn did the math: a war that cost him 20,000 gold nominals in just under two months.

Reflecting on the expenses, Norn sighed deeply. The money he had painstakingly saved over two years was gone in the blink of an eye. "Oh well, at least my uncle is safe," he consoled himself.

Flipping to the income page, Norn saw the first item: ransom for prisoners. The Templars had paid a hefty 8,000 gold nominals for Tadjuddin, and Saladin had redeemed Emir's body for a more modest 3,000 gold nominals. Norn couldn't help but marvel at the allure of ransom money.

He had also captured over 200 slaves, all strong men skilled in combat, mining, and rowing. A self-proclaimed slave trader, who acted as a ransom broker, offered 20 gold nominals per man. Norn felt a pang of guilt thinking about these men. Selling them would weigh on his conscience; releasing them might lead to more trouble; and killing them was out of the question.

"I'll just hold on to them for now and see if I can find some other work for them," Norn decided, reluctantly paying for their upkeep.

The second source of income was the captured supplies. Saladin's army had plundered nearly half the kingdom, seizing countless cattle, valuables, and slaves. But at Montgisard, Saladin had lost it all. These spoils were now divided among the kingdom's nobles who had fought bravely at Montgisard.

Norn had secured a small portion: about 100 cattle, 300 sheep, and miscellaneous valuables worth around 8,000 gold nominals. However, some nobles clamored that these were taken from their lands and should be returned. Norn and the other nobles dismissed this claim. Duke Reynald was particularly vocal, saying, "What Saladin took from you is between you and him. I took it from Saladin."

Beyond the valuables, Norn was pleased to have rescued many kingdom residents. Around 200 Latin immigrants, scarred by war, chose to stay with Norn rather than return home. Norn was glad his manor wouldn't be filled entirely with Saracens.

The third source of income was equipment. Norn was grateful for his foresight. Because he paid well, his contract with the mercenaries had shifted the usual 50-50 split of spoils to 70% for himself. The spoils from Ascalon were mostly junk, which he sold off cheaply to the mercenaries as wages, offsetting about 4,000 gold nominals. At Montgisard, he had acquired nearly 300 sets of Mamluk armor and 100 fine Arabian horses.

DeMol had wanted to keep the horses and less damaged armor, selling only the severely damaged pieces. But Norn had other plans.

He had his men build racks to display the damaged Mamluk armor. To serve his own ulterior motives, he had the armor styled to highlight Saracen characteristics, leaving the wounds and bloodstains untouched. Then he invited prominent merchants from Jerusalem—especially those from Venice—to visit his manor.

Norn regaled the guests with the history of each suit of armor. "This was a mighty pagan warrior who trained tirelessly, his scimitar having taken many lives and his lance having tasted knightly blood," Norn embellished. "I crossed paths with him at the foot of Montgisard, and we were evenly matched."

In a dramatic recounting, Norn described the epic battle, using exaggerated terms like "Saracen secret techniques" and "sword of victory," painting a picture of an epic duel that darkened the skies and lasted 500 rounds before he finally triumphed.

In the end, Norn sighed, "Alas, the owner of this armor can no longer recount his heroic deeds."

The merchants, captivated by the tales, understood the subtext: these damaged armors were a display of martial prowess. They immediately offered to buy the armors at a high price, which Norn gladly accepted.

The intact Mamluk armors would normally fetch 50 gold nominals per set, but Norn sold the damaged ones for 55 gold nominals each. The crown jewel was Saladin's ruby-encrusted helmet, which Norn auctioned off for a staggering 1,700 gold nominals.

Anna's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Norn, how did you get these merchants to pay such high prices for your damaged armor?" she asked, in awe.

"Because I'm not selling a product," Norn replied sagely. "I'm selling a story."

As for what the merchants did with the armor—whether they sold it to nouveau riche nobles in Italy to flaunt their bravery or resold it in Damascus to help Saladin save face—was beyond Norn's concern.

In total, the Mamluk equipment, along with the infantry gear, sold for 22,000 gold nominals. After setting aside 5,000 gold nominals' worth of Arabian horses and 4,000 gold nominals' worth of slaves for his own use, Norn's total income shone brightly at 41,612 gold nominals.

Overwhelmed with joy, Norn fainted from happiness.