Chapter 10. rcenary Band (2)
Olif Kalbang.
A bastard of the Kalbang family. An imperial high-ranking knight.
A white-haired veteran. An upright soldier.
At fifty-five years old, he carried many nicknas.
As those nas suggested, Olif was a man who had dedicated his entire youth and middle age to the Empire.
“‘As of today, you are soldiers of the great Empire! Stand proud before the na of Luark and swear loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor…’”
He enlisted at fifteen, starting as a common soldier.
Through steadfast service, he rose to beco a commander.
Eventually, he was granted the knightly title every soldier dread of.
Not just any title, but that of a high-ranking knight—the highest position a common knight could attain.
“‘Olif Kalbang. By the solemn authority of the Imperial Emperor and in the sacred na of Luark, with the Mage Tower as witness, I appoint you as a high-ranking knight…’”
It was by no ans an easy life.
Ascending from a low-ranking knight to a high-ranking one was as difficult as a re soldier becoming a low-ranking knight.
It required decades of grueling training and countless battles.
Yet Olif never wavered.
“‘The only place that took in an abandoned child like … was the Imperial Army.’”
To avoid bringing sha to that Empire, he was always diligent and honest.
So much so that so might call him foolishly loyal to the Empire and its Emperor.
Everyone who knew him rembered two defining traits: his white hair and his integrity.
That was precisely why he felt it so deeply.
“‘The Empire is rotting from within.’”
Even as a quasi-noble knight, such blasphemous words could never be spoken aloud by a common knight.
But it was the truth.
The lords were busy squabbling over land.
The electors were preoccupied with extorting favors from the imperial court in exchange for their votes.
Commanders caught up in public feuds and nobles who beca central bureaucrats due to a lack of land were no different.
To them, what mattered was bigger estates, more luxurious lifestyles, more admiration, and more bragging rights among noble families.
Territorial wars broke out with predictable regularity.
This, despite the fact that other races were constantly eyeing the borders.
In the process, dead soldiers were treated as re expendables.
Few cared about the starving commoners.
“‘I’ve heard rumors that the newly elected Emperor is attempting reforms…’”
But by the ti those reforms bore fruit, he’d likely already be dead.
So he had given up hope.
Until recently.
“Ash.”
That man was different.
A mage whose talent and effort had borne fruit.
A high-ranking mber of the Imperial Secret Knights.
Despite his exceptional abilities and status, he never spared himself.
At first, I thought he was a fraud.
I mistook him for a swindler trying to exploit the naive Baron Burken during a crisis.
So I sent Terren, a knight I cherished, to infiltrate as his adjutant and even pushed him toward the collapsed breach in the wall.
“It was my mistake. A clear error on my part.”
Even when thrown into the jaws of death,
Ash defended Burken Fortress more successfully than anyone else.
Without him, the fortress would have fallen long ago.
“Yet, the mont you executed that final strategy, my mind was once again filled with suspicion.”
That day.
When I saw [Infernal teor] falling from the sky.
“It was a petty suspicion. That mont was so terrifying… Instead of acknowledging my narrow-mindedness, I chose to doubt you.”
Even I, a forty-year veteran of the battlefield, was montarily gripped by fear.
It was the instinctive terror any living being would feel when facing a catastrophe.
No necromancer I’d ever encountered could summon a fireball of that size and control it freely.
Especially not with just a few potions and no sacrifices.
Even while believing he was part of the Imperial Secret Knights, a part of wondered if he was a spy for the Vampire Archduchy.
I bribed the innkeeper and secretly tracked his movents.
“And so… I ended up here.”
In front of the urns of soldiers who died in the last battle.
Watching the back of a commander who bowed to each naplate in mourning.
“Please forgive all my misguided suspicions and my attempts to dig into your past.”
If he were a spy, it made no sense for him to risk his life defending the gate.
If he were a spy, there’d be no reason to risk being branded a heretic by dropping [Infernal teor] on the enemy.
His act of mourning the fallen left no room for doubt.
This wasn’t sothing a necromancer who treated souls as tools could do.
“You, Sir Ash, are the truest commander I’ve ever seen—one the Empire and His Majesty absolutely need.”
If he was part of the Imperial Secret Knights, everything made sense.
Sotis, those in power needed to hide a blade in the shadows.
If he was the Emperor’s hidden sword, mastering heretical magic was understandable.
To defeat an enemy, you must first know them, after all.
“I heard you ford a rcenary band.”
I finally made my decision.
I would follow him, regardless of status or origin.
Ash was the commander I’d been searching for my entire life.
Since coming under Baron Burken, he was the one who rekindled the hope I’d lost.
And so…
“Let join. No, please let join.”
I was prepared to abandon everything for this.
Even the noble title I’d longed for my whole life, born as an abandoned bastard.
“…”
No imdiate response ca.
I slowly rose from my knees.
“…I see.”
Silence.
A gentle rejection.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Though I prided myself on my integrity and diligence, I couldn’t claim to be without flaws.
My aging body.
My innate lack of mana.
These had held back from joining knightly orders before.
“It can’t be helped. I’ll bla my own shortcomings.”
“No, wait a mont.”
It wasn’t Ash’s fault.
The mission he’d been given likely transcended a re knightly order.
“I bear no resentnt. I’ll wish you luck from afar.”
“Hold on. I’m not saying I won’t hire you.”
“…Pardon?”
What did I just hear?
I stopped in my tracks.
“You’ll accept my request?”
“…Yeah, well. Let’s be honest. Who’d turn down a high-ranking knight joining a new rcenary band?”
So why the hesitation?
I couldn’t help but wonder.
As if reading the aning behind my silence, the gray-haired young man sighed deeply and spoke.
“Let’s talk about your salary.”
“Pardon?”
“No joke, I can’t afford a high-ranking knight’s pay right now. If I did, I’d be flat broke.”
“…Oh.”
It was about money.
***
To put it bluntly, I ended up broke.
No, not because of Olif.
That guy… he was way more generous than I expected.
“‘As for my salary, consider unpaid for now.’”
“‘Is that really okay?’”
“‘As you said, a newly ford rcenary band doesn’t have much money. And Sir Ash’s status… it’s tied to the Imperial… No, please forget I said that.’”
Passion pay?
In the cutthroat rcenary business?
He’s a rare find in this harsh world.
Damn it, Olif, you old man, I’m going to make sure you thrive no matter what.
Of course…
“‘…After I get past this imdiate cash crunch.’”
Starting from the first day, I visited the rcenary Guild Tavern daily.
Thanks to Brol’s gaphone marketing, it only took four days to fill the roster.
Eleven apprentice rcenaries.
Twenty-nine regular rcenaries.
Eighteen veteran rcenaries.
And even a high-ranking knight.
Including , the rcenary band leader, a total of sixty mbers.
That far exceeded the planned thirty—the minimum needed for a rcenary band to operate.
And that’s where the problem started.
“‘Hey, Carlson, Carlson, right? It’s , Brol! Don’t rember ?’”
“‘Brol.’”
“‘We served a few weeks under Captain Tail! How’s the missus doing?’”
“‘Lieutenant Brol.’”
“‘Hahaha! Oh, hold on. Captain, you called for ?’”
“‘Stop recruiting.’”
“‘Huh?’”
Reality needs to be looked at from multiple angles.
Sure, more heads are better in a fight.
But heads and mouths go hand in hand.
In short, I ran out of money.
“…Damn inflation. Or rather, damn labor costs.”
rcenaries’ salaries are expensive.
The advance pay for a month’s wages for the mbers alone cost nearly 12 florins.
After filling the roster, we imdiately started training.
Border reconnaissance and mop-up weren’t particularly tough missions…
But for people who’d just t, so basic training was necessary to synchronize.
“‘Shields! Up!’”
Like the infantry’s shield wall formation.
“‘Fire!’”
Or the archers’ volley.
Just a few basic maneuvers, but it took three full days to perfect their coordination.
On the last day, I formally appointed lieutenants to establish the chain of command.
After that, I distributed pre-purchased supplies to the lieutenants and mbers.
First aid kits including potions, rations, and other items added up to about 6 florins.
For the record, few rcenary bands provide such benefits.
“Wages and supplies together cost about 18 florins. I started with 22 florins, 4 shillings, and 12 pennies.”
Forty silver coins from the purse Archduke Gabir gave for defending the fortress.
Four silver coins and twelve coppers from the “inherited” cash from my ntor.
Plus two 10-florin checks received as an advance.
“My current balance… 1 shilling and 4 pennies.”
Sothing seem off with the math?
You’re exactly right.
The missing 4 florins or so were spent on the last day…
On sothing absolutely necessary.
“Wow, is this solid steel? Were you a knight?”
The gleaming armor and sword I was wearing right now.
For the record, it was secondhand, bought from the Imperial Army after the Burken defense battle.
The battlefield is a place where you can die from a stray arrow at any mont.
No matter how good potions are, they can’t bring back the dead.
“…My heart aches.”
“Pardon?”
I could almost hear the wails of the gold coins that left my hands…
Must be my imagination.
Still, I got it at a used price with a previous-user discount.
The plate armor and sword set cost exactly 3 florins, 19 shillings, and 9 coppers.
“…Ahem, what did you say?”
“Your armor’s cool! Were you a knight?”
For the record, this talkative woman was a rcenary I’d just hired.
Brown hair, sharp features.
Contrasted by a soft, slightly dim-witted personality.
Her na was Karen, I think.
Among the veteran rcenaries I hired, she was the only one not from the Imperial Army.
Of course, her skills were no less than the others’.
She was a ranger by origin.
A ranger who could hunt not just beasts but monsters with a single bow.
“Better than a knight. Look over there. He’s got a high-ranking knight serving as his adjutant.”
“Wow… really? By the way, what’s your na, mister?”
“…Mister? That hurts. It’s Brol.”
So Brol’s sensitive about his age.
I’d better avoid calling him “uncle” to his face by mistake.
Anyway, I set aside Olif, the high-ranking knight, as a special asset and appointed Brol and Karen as lieutenants of the rcenary band.
And despite everything, it was good for the commanders to bond.
“Ahem, by the way, where’s Miss Karen from? A ranger’s kind of a big deal in their region, right?”
“Not really… I was born in the north. Ca to the Empire with my parents when I was a baby.”
“Oh, that explains your fair skin! Hahaha!”
“Exactly! Ahaha!”
…Are they getting too friendly?
Listening to them chatter on both sides of was making my head spin.
Both of them had voices well above average volu.
Plus, I was already struggling just to keep walking.
“…”
It had been three hours since we started marching with full gear.
The sun in the southern Empire was blisteringly hot.
“…And so, I followed in my father’s footsteps to beco a ranger!”
“Wow, impressive! To beco a ranger in a place with no connections, you and your father must be quite skilled! Captain! You don’t have to worry about wasting money on her!”
“Ugh… Was the money spent on a waste…?”
Why was she suddenly teary-eyed after laughing so hard?
And when did I say her pay was a waste?
I only said the rcenary band’s funds were nearly in the red.
Of course, it’s a deficit that could be resolved if we successfully completed the three-day mission.
The archduke said he’d pay extra based on the scale of enemies we defeated.
“Halt! Ten-minute break!”
Finally, it was ti to rest.
I raised my hand, and the mbers following stopped.
They collapsed here and there, groaning.
Carrying equipnt and supply packs for hours—it was only natural.
“Pfft, rookies.”
The veteran rcenaries, on the other hand, were far more relaxed.
Accustod to marching, they munched on jerky or apples, trading jokes while resting.
Watching them, I couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle.
“Heh…”
I wasn’t showing it, but I was dying too.
What kind of garbage body was this?
Should I have realized when I didn’t even have a single stamina trait, sothing most heroes have?
“Captain, how’s your wallet holding up?”
Brol, the chatty bandit uncle, tossed half an apple with a sly grin.
I raised my hand a bit too late and got hit in the head.
“Oops, sorry. Didn’t think you’d miss it. A guy who took down a Necro Ogre.”
That was because of skills and morized sync motions, damn it.
“Please don’t execute for insulting a superior.”
“…Even the Imperial Army wouldn’t do that.”
“Heh, true.”
Brol plopped down against the tree I was leaning on.
Say what you will, I owed him a lot.
My heavy purse was now completely empty, but…
Being able to hire veteran rcenaries from the military was a huge advantage for a new rcenary band.
All thanks to Brol’s gaphone marketing.
“Captain, southwest. Five hundred ters. Undead.”
Karen approached quickly and reported.
No rest for the weary, huh?
I rallied the exhausted soldiers and craned my neck to look.
Five hundred ters gave us so leeway, so…
“Southwest, you said? All I see is a hill.”
Could she see beyond the hill?
“Sounds. The clattering of bones and the slapping of flesh. Zombies and skeleton soldiers. Doesn’t seem like a big group.”
…She could hear that?
Well, so rangers have elven blood mixed in.
Anyway, it was the mont I’d been waiting for.
Unlike the fortress defense, this was my first real battle commanding my own unit.
Due to the short training period, we’d only mastered basic formations…
But skeletons and zombies wandering the border without a master should be manageable.
“Infantry, forward! Archers, to the rear!”
I had the soldiers form ranks and gave a quick briefing on dealing with zombies and skeleton soldiers.
By then, the enemy was about to co into view.
“Huh, that’s a new sound…”
What now?
Don’t say ominous things.
The mont I turned to Karen, a soldier with wide eyes shouted.
“Necro Ogre!”
Damn it.
Why was that thing showing up now?
Even on Inferno difficulty, a mid-tier undead appearing in a border region we’d just won a battle in…
[Conditions t. A perk is unlocked.]
Huh?
[Warrior’s Binding]
[Low chance to bind enemies defeated in battle.]
[Bound enemies can be summoned as minions.]
[First defeated enemy type receives a 100% binding chance bonus.]
[Cannot be used on hero characters.]
[Applies to kills by subordinate units as well.]
What the hell?
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