Chapter 18. Clouds of War (3)
External enemies.
A ti-honored thod to quell internal crises.
The conquest of the Vampire Archduke could be interpreted in that context.
Honestly, the Empire was in a precarious state.
“It looks fine on the surface, but it’s rotting inside, ready to burst.”
Lords busy with territorial wars.
Mage towers and guilds chasing short-term gains.
Even high nobles, ant to stabilize the center, were split into pro- and anti-Emperor factions, feuding for nearly a century.
Exaggerating a bit, the Empire was on the brink of existential crisis.
How did I know so well?
“…The Emperor hero start was notorious for its insane internal managent difficulty. I must’ve ruined about thirty Empires.”
That’s about it.
Anyway, the vampire conquest was a rare opportunity for the Empire.
Focusing on an external enemy made internal unity easier.
In the ga, the vampire conquest was a major Empire event with a high probability—about 50%, by my personal stats.
The other 50%?
That’s the scenario where vampires invaded the Empire.
“I’ve never seen these two nations team up.”
The issue was this:
While the war was inevitable, it had never happened this early.
A “conquest” wasn’t a minor border skirmish.
It was a full-scale war, naturally requiring long preparation and resolve.
Logistics. Administration. Command. Training.
The list of preparations was endless.
Even with all that, success wasn’t guaranteed—it was a gamble.
In the ga, the vampire conquest typically appeared closer to mid-ga.
This war was a new event added in World Scenario 4.0.
The viscount wasn’t assassinated.
I rescued his granddaughter.
And he learned the full story of her kidnapping.
A conditional event, so to speak.
“The surface reason is punishing traitors. The personal reason is family vengeance and his granddaughter’s retribution. The true hidden intent… strengthening imperial authority.”
I grasped the context.
Now, it was ti to gather information.
With World Scenario 4.0’s ripple effects hitting faster than expected,
I needed to collect as much intel as possible and read the flow of major events, including this war.
That’s why…
“Ma’am! Four beers here!”
I was sitting in a tavern.
The rcenary Guild Tavern, again.
“You know the foul-mouthed old man’s forge? I went to the shop behind it yesterday…”
“Pfft, nonsense!”
“What? Already finished your beer? Another one!”
In Warlord Conquest, fighting wasn’t everything.
Swift information gathering was one of the most critical activities for victory.
Since nearly all events in this luck-based garbage ga were probability-driven,
quick and accurate intel was essential to read precursors.
“The best early-ga info hub is the rcenary Guild Tavern.”
Taverns were natural rumor hubs.
Especially the guild tavern, where the main clientele was rcenaries.
Due to their wandering nature, they were well-versed in fresh rumors from all over.
It was no different now.
Amid the drunken shouts and roars, carefully sifted, there were so decent tidbits.
“The rchant guild’s looking for a rcenary corps to escort to the southern kingdom. If the trade succeeds, spice prices might drop.”
“Sothing’s up with the orcs. Rumors say they’re gathering a horde around a shaman.”
“A war out of nowhere? It hasn’t been long since those corpse-shovelers attacked!”
Rumors from afar.
Movents of big players.
Baseless nonsense.
A jumble of information.
Gathering intel here was simple.
Eat stew, keep ears open, and ntally sort the info nonstop.
Traits like [Keen Hearing] or [Spirit Contract: Sylph] would’ve helped.
But I had a problem.
I didn’t have a single sensory trait.
Sitting here for hours wouldn’t yield much.
Of course, there was always a way.
Like now…
“As you know, I’m a sword-wielder, so my handwriting isn’t exactly neat.”
…As long as soone else listened for .
I brought both lieutenants and Olif.
This guy could enhance his senses with aura.
“It’s fine. As long as I can read it.”
“…Understood.”
Olif, with aura-enhanced hearing, jotted down what he heard.
I scanned and sorted the scribbled notes.
It wasn’t an easy thod, naturally.
But what other choice was there?
“Vulcan rcenary Corps is coming.”
“Wasteland rcenary Alliance joining too.”
“Tenev rchants participating in the war. Impact on prices.”
Maybe because he’d been an aide, even without detailed guidance, Olif was already noting down significant details.
His handwriting was atrocious, though…
Was that a letter or a sword stroke diagram?
“…I’ll need help reviewing this later.”
“Yes.”
I’d leave the note-taking to Olif.
I pulled out an envelope from my pocket and spread its contents on the table.
There was a reason I gathered both lieutenants and Olif.
One important decision remained.
“C-Captain. Is that…?”
Brol’s eyes widened as he stared at the paper I laid out.
“A formal employnt contract?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait, that signature…”
“Viscount Pewin.”
“…Damn.”
Whether our rcenary band would join this war.
That’s what we had to decide.
***
Yesterday morning, Viscount Pewin handed a contract.
“‘A formal employnt contract. Review it carefully, and if the terms suit you, sign and send it back.’”
“Formal employnt” was how high nobles typically hired rcenary bands.
In simple terms, it was like outsourcing troops.
The hired party had to stay near the employer’s forces for the contract’s duration.
If nothing happened, it passed quietly.
If a specific task was assigned, you’d perform it for additional paynt.
“…If nothing was going to happen, they wouldn’t hire you.”
Formal employnt missions usually fell into two categories:
Territorial wars between lords, where deploying the Imperial Army was officially forbidden, or large-scale wars too big for the standing Imperial Army to handle.
“This is the latter.”
The viscount offering formal employnt ant this war was serious.
Even mobilizing the Imperial Army from Burken Fortress and nearby domains wasn’t enough.
The mont I signed the contract, I’d be heading to the battlefield with the viscount, no question.
A battlefield was fundantally different from a reconnaissance or mop-up mission.
People would get hurt. So would die.
“…So you ca to hear our opinions.”
Personally, I’d already decided, but in cases like this, I needed to hear the mbers’ thoughts.
Even if I had the final say, listening or not made a big difference.
Leading a group ant that.
“Damn, what’s there to say? Let’s do it!”
Brol was in favor.
“Captain, this is a chance! No other band gets a formal employnt offer from a noble this fast!”
He wasn’t wrong.
Formal employnt was typically offered to bands with proven track records and trust.
Normally, rcenaries hired for war were placed under the existing command structure.
Think of the Burken defense battle.
Even after convincing the baron to make a commander, I still followed Olif’s orders, didn’t I?
Formal employnt was different.
You moved with the main army and followed orders, but the band itself was treated as an independent unit.
It ant acknowledging the band’s tactical judgnt to so extent.
Thus, formal employnt was a mark of a band’s recognized ability.
“Well, in this case, it’s more about the favor grind paying off.”
I cald the excited Brol and turned to the others.
I needed their opinions too.
“…Isn’t a large-scale battle a bit premature? We had mistakes during the last mission. Like Hanson and Samuel.”
Karen’s point was valid.
A battlefield wasn’t a simple reconnaissance mission.
The enemies were incomparable in scale and unit type.
“I’ll follow you wherever you go, Captain.”
Olif spoke.
No, give an opinion.
You’re the most experienced here.
“If you insist on asking, I’d say neutral. The pros and cons are clear.”
“Pros and cons?”
“Yes, the pros are high pay and gaining renown. The mbers will gain valuable experience too.”
“And the cons?”
“There’s one. The band could disband after a single mission.”
In short, high risk, high return.
Perspectives varied.
Focus on the risk, or the reward.
The three opinions split.
One for.
One against.
One neutral.
The decision was mine.
I’d already made up my mind.
After a brief silence, I picked up a pen and said,
“We’re joining the war.”
War was unavoidable.
This world was destined for a fiery abyss.
But nothing had changed.
I’d clear this ga.
And I was ready to do whatever it took.
“Build a faction to support and strengthen my own power.”
When I first arrived in this world, the strategy I set upon acquiring [Infernal teor] with [Warrior’s Insight] still held.
I needed to seek out places where I could observe the most skills in action.
And those places only existed on battlefields.
The paradoxical statent: “To survive, head to the battlefield.”
With [Warrior’s Insight] and [Warrior’s Binding], that was the closest thing to truth for .
And above all…
“Karen, Olif. Starting tomorrow, gather the mbers at 9 a.m. We’ll train daily until deploynt.”
For , this battlefield wasn’t high risk, high return.
It was low risk, high return.
***
After signing the contract, I visited the viscount.
He was delighted and told to stand by comfortably until deploynt.
“When do you expect to march?”
“Well, about two weeks, I’d say. Don’t worry. I’ll call when the ti cos.”
So, at least two weeks of free ti.
The biggest perk of formal employnt.
Usually, no tasks were assigned during the pre-deploynt wait.
It ant ample ti to prepare for battle.
And the first thing to do…
“Brol, Karen. We need to recruit more people.”
The war news had drawn rcenaries, flooding the market with manpower.
Ti to expand the band.
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