Chapter 91
This was before Cavaldi knew the true nature of the rcenary company.
Cavaldi learned that after the battle where he was taken prisoner, the rcenaries had savored Urdino sausages.
“No, our town's sausages are delicious, but are they that good?”
The question soon turned into action.
“Well, if they like them, that's all that matters. I should take these to win them over.”
This act of goodwill was soon betrayed.
“You deceived , Leon!”
“If you must bla soone, bla your own competence.”
Overwheld by a flood of overti, Cavaldi nearly exploded, and by the ti only the Urdino-produced sausages were left.
“Finally, I have returned!”
Rhom returned from his long injury.
In truth, Rhom had only shone briefly at the beginning of the war before being sidelined by injury, so his contributions had been small compared to his reputation.
Naturally, he had never tasted an Urdino sausage, nor did he know the status it held within the company.
Furthermore, Rhom held a grudge against Cavaldi for injuring him.
High-level ntal activities like a hero recognizing a hero, or mutual respect based on the spirit of chivalry, were absent from Rhom's mind.
“Rhom! Overthrow Urdino! Rhom! Eat all the sausage!”
So, Rhom ate all the sausages that were set aside for the executives.
It was the wrong decision.
Fasa was a mariti city.
While agricultural and livestock products were relatively expensive, seafood was so cheap it was overflowing.
Naturally, under an agreent between the Fasa governnt and Leon to reduce expenses, seafood was a daily staple in the rcenaries' als.
However, even the most avid fish lover would get tired of eating only fish every day.
To the company executives who had been eagerly awaiting the Urdino sausages, Rhom's action was an unspeakable outrage.
“Hey, where did my sausage go?”
“Sorry!”
“So where is my sausage!”
“Sarry!”
The Urdino sausage possessed a magic powerful enough to make even Eleonor, the scholarly type among the company's swordsn, lose her reason.
As a result, Rhom found himself being kicked whenever he ca into Eleonor's sight.
“Sir Eleonor, people are watching. Please maintain your dignity.”
“Ugh, seriously. You just wait until next ti.”
As Randolfo diated, Eleonor reluctantly turned away.
Rhom managed to straighten his hunched body.
Although Rhom was recognized throughout the world for his valor, he had no confidence in winning against Eleonor.
If he acted tough, he might get summoned to a quiet latrine at night.
Besides, trolls had good regenerative abilities, so hitting them didn't leave much of a mark…
It was the price for bearing the original sin of gluttony.
Rhom resolved to avoid Eleonor from now on.
‘Ugh, so pathetic. I need to stay out of her sight next ti.’
Randolfo stepped before the youths who were dumbfounded by the scene.
“A pleasure to et you, gentlen. Welco to the Black Company. I am Randolfo Signori, the company's treasurer.”
Hanging around rough people, Randolfo’s original disposition had been colored by military life.
Naturally, his speech beca stiff.
Few of the young n recognized Randolfo, but their eyes widened at his self-introduction.
Everyone knew that the person managing the money was important.
Moreover, the Signori Family was the noble house that currently ruled Fasa.
It wasn't just that it wouldn't hurt to be friendly with him; it was imperative to beco friendly with him.
“From now on, you will undergo four weeks of training before being assigned to active duty. What is it? Do you have a question?”
One of the young n raised his hand.
It was Rene Calaci, who had been noisy from the start.
“Sir Randolfo.”
“You shouldn't use the title 'Sir' with . I do not have a knighthood.”
“Then what should we call you?”
“You can just use my position. So, what are you curious about?”
“Treasurer, you just ntioned we would receive training. I'm curious as to what that ans.”
Randolfo looked at Eleonor.
Eleonor then stepped forward in his place.
“It's exactly as it sounds. For the next four weeks, you will undergo training to adapt to the rcenary company. The training course will include combat drills and administrative work.”
“Pardon?”
Stunned expressions flickered across the young n's faces.
Eleonor shook her head.
“You're young, but you're slow on the uptake. We are a rcenary company. That ans we are hired by soone to conduct battles. Therefore, it's natural that you too will need to train in basic combat skills.”
“That's absurd. We were not told that we would be participating in combat.”
“Why is it absurd? Do you think the enemy will spare you just because you're non-combat personnel when we're surprise-attacked? Raise your hand if you think this is strange.”
Of course, no one raised their hand.
Eleonor’s words were reasonable, and they didn't want to look foolish in front of others by raising their hands for no reason.
Still, Rene Calaci felt a sense of rejection.
“We are confident that we have received sufficient training from our families. Besides, we ca here as representatives of our nations, not to receive sothing like training.”
Luca, who had no fondness for Rene, found himself nodding in agreent.
It was an era fraught with danger just to live.
The children of wealthy families would invite famous martial arts masters to learn self-defense, while the children of poor families would learn survival skills in the alleys.
Naturally, everyone was confident in their skills to so extent.
Eleonor scoffed at them.
“Are you saying we should treat you well because you have skills?”
“That is correct.”
“Really? So you're confident? We've got a very arrogant newcor. Step forward.”
“Pardon?”
“You said you were confident in your skills, didn't you? I'm giving you a chance to show them off. What's wrong? Scared? You're looking very stiff right now?”
“A man from ssina is never scared!”
This was also an age of romanticism, where honor and pride were valued above all else.
It was teeming with people who believed it was better to die bravely than to live as a coward, and Rene was no exception.
Rene, incensed, stepped forward.
“Who should I face? Please tell . I will try.”
“Rhom. Step forward.”
The designated Rhom stepped forward with a mischievous grin.
He had been under a lot of stress lately from Eleonor's tornt, and he was delighted that a target to vent his frustrations on had walked right up to him.
And Rene couldn't manage his expression.
He had moved out of pride, but he suddenly felt regret.
“No, but you didn't say my opponent was Sir Rhom. I just thought I'd be facing a regular mber.”
“Kid. When you go into battle, are you going to pick and choose your opponents? Do you think you'll get that chance?”
“……”
Coming from Rhom, who had been crushed by Cavaldi, the words carried a different weight.
Besides, what Rhom said wasn't wrong, so Rene couldn't refute it.
“Hurry up and take the wooden sword. You have to keep your word.”
Rhom thrust the wooden sword right in front of his face.
Under the intangible pressure from his surroundings, Rene squeezed his eyes shut and accepted the wooden sword.
'A man dies once, not twice.'
“Uyaaaah!”
Exactly thirty seconds later.
Rene was rolling on the floor, beaten to a pulp.
As Eleonor had said, Rhom's skills were by no ans lacking.
He was just unlucky, always facing formidable opponents.
Compared to that, dealing with one inexperienced brat was a piece of cake.
As Rene, who had stepped forward as their representative, was utterly defeated, hope vanished from the young n's faces.
Eleonor sneered.
“Seeing how quiet it's gotten, you must have realized your place. It's a relief you have so sense.”
“……”
“What's this, no answer when your superior is speaking?”
“We're sorry!”
“Good? Then run imdiately to that training ground over there, now!”
The young n, realizing their fate, were completely overwheld and imdiately ran as if their backsides were on fire.
Rhom, who gave the fleeing Rene a kick on the butt, chuckled heartily.
“Still, among the new guys, that one has so grit.”
Those who joined a rcenary company were rarely of a gentle disposition.
They were all defiant and lived on their own terms, so if left alone, they were prone to causing trouble.
It was Rhom's role to crush them once and break their spirit before that happened.
Therefore, a guy like Rene was very familiar to Rhom.
“But this is a bit of a headache.”
“What is it, now?”
“It's about the newcors from Pescara and ssina. Their minds are still soft, so it'll take ti for them to beco useful. We're already busy as it is, and to have more work piled on at a ti like this. Is it necessary to allocate manpower for recruit training?”
“It's not training, it's orientation.”
“Let's just say it is.”
As a historian, Eleonor knew the importance of defining and distinguishing terms, but Rhom, who rarely attended church, did not.
In fact, to Rhom, who possessed a dieval mindset, the plan Leon had devised seed strange.
It was natural for a newcor's mind to be soft.
The purpose of group life was for the seniors to shape them into people with proper character.
So, it seed strange to set aside separate ti to train the newcors.
Rhom thought Eleonor would agree and said so, but the response he received was cold.
“Then why don't you go and suggest it yourself.”
“That's a bit…”
“Right? You're scared of that, aren't you?”
“Very scared. I'm afraid he'll tell to work more overti if I have ti to say such things…”
Rhom lost all his courage as he recalled the overti that had been postponed thanks to this training.
Though he often forgot, Leon Gryph was younger than he looked.
He was even younger than the young n they had just t.
However, when Leon did sothing, there was always a reason that those around him could accept.
A judgnt that was uncharacteristic of his age, perhaps.
It was far better to stay quiet than to go asking for a reason and end up with more work.
The old saying that if you stay quiet, you'll at least be average, wasn't for nothing.
It was also burdenso to have Theo glaring at him from the side, whose quitting ti was delayed whenever the docunt approvals were late.
Anyway, thanks to this training, or orientation, or whatever it was, he had avoided overti.
“The captain always has his reasons for doing things.”
“That's true.”
“If you know, then stop talking and get a move on. You're in charge of training. Why aren't you chasing after them?”
“Yes…”
“Drill them properly and give them a good ntal education. I'll check on them later.”
“Yes…”
“And don't forget to stop those guys from brawling. If an accident happens, you'll have to answer to!”
“Aack!”
Rhom finally started running towards the training ground to escape the storm of nagging.
As he ran, he thought to himself.
‘This is crazy. I really have to avoid her from now on. She must be really angry about the sausage.’
Rhom didn't know that the sausage incident had turned the entire executive staff of the rcenary company against him.
Nor did he know that his only path to survival was to sohow procure more sausages.
Eleonor watched Rhom's fleeing back and smirked.
Teasing Rhom had beco her recent pleasure in life.
‘Still, that guy isn't that stupid. He doesn't even go near dangerous places.’
In fact, the nagging Eleonor had given Rhom was what she had first heard from Leon.
It was just that it had been filtered and softened by one degree.
Eleonor, too, had a dieval soul like Rhom, but her initiative surpassed his.
To satisfy her curiosity, she had actually gone to Leon and asked.
In Eleonor's mory, Leon had looked at his coffee cup for a mont, lost in thought, before speaking.
“Just think of it simply.”
“Simply?”
“As you know, these friends are from different regions. Moreover, they don't get along and have no reason to beco close. The only thing they have in common is that they were defeated together this ti? But that's not a reason for them to feel a sense of camaraderie.”
“That's true.”
“If left as they are, they'll surely just fight amongst themselves. It's better to exhaust them from the start so they don't have the energy for other thoughts and won't cause trouble. And won't they develop a sense of unity and group consciousness only after they've suffered together?”
Eleonor was genuinely impressed by Leon's insight, which flowed like a torrent.
But Leon's words didn't stop there.
“That's when we conduct the ntal education. We instill loyalty in them, to devote themselves not to their region of birth or country, but to this organization and the comrades beside them. Do you understand?”
It was easy to let his words go in one ear and out the other, but Eleonor didn't miss the core point.
Leon never said that the object of loyalty was Fasa.
He only ntioned the organization and comrades.
It was a very significant point.
‘One day, the man nad Leon Gryph will surely go on to a bigger stage and achieve great things.’
As a historian, Eleonor was satisfied with that fact.
‘Perhaps this might be my lifelong job. Just following Duke Gryph will provide more than enough stories to record in the chronicles.’
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