The chivalry of Westeros was born from the Faith of the Seven, brought by the Andals, with its core tenet being "Honor above all."
So even if most knights treated their titles as tools for social climbing, even if tourneys had become nothing but vanity shows, and even if their honor could be bought!
At least on the surface, whether in the North with its Old Gods or the South with its Faith of the Seven, personal reputation was paramount.
Personal reputation was the core logic that kept Westeros running, often holding more binding power than laws or brute force.
A lord's control over his vassals, trade between individuals, the fulfillment of oaths—all of it relied on "personal reputation" as collateral.
You could say that in Westeros, reputation wasn't just a hypocritical moral label.
It was capital that could be exchanged for survival resources, an intangible asset for the great houses, and the source of legitimacy for the privileges enjoyed by nobles and sworn knights.
Hearing this, Tom and the others nodded in agreement:
"Naturally. If a knight loses his reputation, he's not fit to be a knight anymore!"
"But for freelance knights like us, where does reputation come from?" Don Quixote continued:
"It comes from not abandoning your employer when things get tough! From delivering on your promises!
"From keeping your employer's secrets! Especially from not fleeing in the face of battle or turning your coat!
"And of course, from protecting the weak and not abandoning injured comrades—the basic tenets of chivalry!
"But people won't believe us just because we say these things!
"It takes years of steadfast adherence for our personal reputation to show!
"But for us, that's too late, isn't it?
"We need to maintain a basic standard of living, which means we can't go too long without work.
"But what if, right now, there was a recognized organization willing to vouch for you?
"Look at those young sworn knights. Do they win their knightly honor through their own true reputation?
"No. I'm not saying all of them, but at least some are accepted by society purely because of the family name behind them!"
> "Young sworn knights are not born with reputation; their swords are unbloodied, their oaths unfulfilled. What the world recognizes is merely the centuries of honor held by the family behind them." — Medieval Knights (Amy Best)
Don Quixote paused, looked at the three men before him, and smiled slowly:
"If, right now, there was a recognized organization willing to vouch for your reputation, would you have the confidence to find an employer?"
Tom and the others looked at each other for a moment before finally shouting in excitement:
"Yes!"
...As for the fact that this "recognized organization" would initially rely on the hard work of you founding members to build its reputation step by step—well, no need to go into those details right now.
Don Quixote smiled with satisfaction and added one more point:
"We live off our mercenary pay, but jobs aren't always easy to find.
"If we have an organization behind us, then even if you can't find a contract for a while, life can go on.
"We are all knights! We couldn't possibly watch a comrade face hardship without lending a hand!"
At this point, Don Quixote stopped painting pretty pictures.
Before long.
Tom was the first to speak:
"Captain! If you'll have me, I'm willing to follow your lead!"
"Captain! Us too! If you want to build a mercenary company, we want in!"
Shane and Warren immediately chimed in.
Don Quixote had spent all this breath just to convince the three of them to join the mercenary company he was about to build.
He immediately smiled:
"Your skills and your spirit meet the standards of true knights!
"Naturally, I hope you'll join me in building a great mercenary company! A company whose reputation will ring across the North, the South, and even the Seven Kingdoms!"
Though Don Quixote's voice wasn't loud, it still filled Tom and the others with excitement and anticipation. They hurriedly declared:
"By the sword, from this day forth, we follow Don Quixote. In life and death, we trust!"
Tom and the others were willing to trust Don Quixote not just because they had seen his strength.
Strength far greater than the three of them combined!
But because they were genuinely moved by his words.
It seemed... it really might work?
————
The next day, early morning.
Don Quixote stood outside the wooden cabin, his breath forming a net of mist in the cold air.
Not far away, Alden and Cole had already started a small fire, pine wood crackling softly in the ashes.
The chaos at Cerwyn Market last night had naturally spilled over to the Iron Axe Tavern.
Fortunately, Elise usually stayed in Castle Cerwyn at night.
Cole's grandmother, Lady Nadine, was experienced; she hid quickly and in an inconspicuous spot.
She hadn't been discovered.
But there was misfortune too. Don Quixote's acquaintance Ronan, along with another errand boy from the Iron Axe Tavern, hadn't been so lucky.
Looking at Cole, Don Quixote subconsciously thought of the past, suddenly feeling a sense of how much things had changed.
As he silently reminisced, Adele soon walked out of the wooden cabin.
Before long, Tom and the others woke up as well.
The group gathered around the campfire and ate a simple, filling meal.
Then everyone began to pack their belongings.
Cole looked at Don Quixote and said:
"Lord Don Quixote, I'd like to go home and say goodbye to my grandmother one last time."
Don Quixote smiled:
"Go ahead. Be careful."
"Yes, My Lord!"
Cole responded respectfully and immediately turned to run toward a village near Castle Cerwyn.
Don Quixote turned to Adele beside him and asked:
"Adele, is there anyone you need to say goodbye to?"
Adele shook her head and said in a low voice:
"My Lord, I have no one I want to say goodbye to!"
As they spoke, two figures suddenly appeared from the direction of Castle Cerwyn.
Soon.
Nathan and Vincent rode up quickly to Don Quixote.
Dismounting, they hurriedly said:
"The Earl released this month's pay early for everyone. We brought it to you!"
Don Quixote was surprised for a moment, then nodded quickly and smiled:
"Please give the Earl our thanks!"
After the four of them accepted their pay, Don Quixote chatted with Nathan and Vincent for a while.
"Alden, from now on, listen carefully to Lord Don Quixote," Nathan looked at his son beside him and let out a soft breath:
"Train hard!"
After speaking, Nathan looked at Don Quixote again and said respectfully:
"Lord Don Quixote, I'm entrusting Alden to your care!"
Don Quixote nodded and smiled:
"Rest assured, Nathan. I'll make sure he learns real skills!"
Alden looked at Nathan and said earnestly:
"Father, I will train hard! I will listen to Lord Don Quixote!"
After chatting a bit longer, Nathan and Vincent soon left.
Only then did Don Quixote have time to look at his quest panel.
[Employer: Earl Medger]
[Quest: Maintain order in the trade market outside Castle Cerwyn daily (This quest is settled monthly; rewards are random)]
[Reward: 173 Gold Dragons (Claimable)]
...