Chapter 46

"Ahem, ahem. I will now begin the recruitment."

Rozward gathered the villagers and said.

The villagers exchanged glances.

"Are you taking soldiers?"

"Looks like this lord is... just like the others..."

"But there's no place without conscription..."

"I hope I'm not chosen."

The villagers began to murmur.

Rozward cleared his throat loudly to calm them down.

"I said recruitment. There will be no forced conscription. I will now state the conditions. Rea, show them."

Rozward read from the paper Rea handed him.

"Um... The target is adult males aged fifteen to forty. Payment will be in wheat. You must bring your own weapons, but if you don't have any, the As family will lend them to you, so those without weapons can also participate. If you are hired, you will live around the palace and receive daily training. You will take turns guarding the border. Once hired, you will not be dismissed unless you lose a limb or are ill. If you must leave due to old age, injury, or illness, you will receive a severance pay. Those who wish to apply must inform the village chief within two weeks. The quota is five hundred and thirty. If the quota is exceeded, there will be a test. That's all."

Upon hearing Rozward's words, the villagers began to murmur again.

"So it's not forced, right?"

"Great!!"

"Hmm, what should I do? If I get paid, maybe I'll try it?"

"Farming is such a hassle... but do I have to move...?"

"I'm scared of dying."

Rozward cleared his throat loudly.

The villagers' attention returned to him.

"Also, in addition to the recruitment, there is one more thing I want to announce."

Rozward took a paper from Rea and read it.

"If there are orphans... children under fifteen without parents, please bring them to the palace."

"Huh... Why is that?"

"I don't know, so don't ask." (You don't need to know that.)

"...The real reason and the official reason are reversed, aren't they?"

Rea's comment made Rozward hastily cover his mouth.

He glared at the villagers.

"Anyway!! I have conveyed the lord's orders!!"

Rozward hurriedly left to avoid further questions.

---

In a mountain in the As territory, it was there.

A thick fur that even ordinary arrows couldn't penetrate.

Sharp fangs and claws.

A sense of smell superior to that of a dog.

And the strength to fell trees.

It... the brown bear was searching for honey.

The bees bravely stung the bear, but to no avail.

Just as the bear raised its head to return to its den, an arrow pierced its face.

The arrow penetrated the bear's eye and went through its head.

The bear fell with a loud thud.

"Thank you, Lord Gram."

"Not at all, a bear that has tasted human flesh is dangerous, so it had to be killed. It was just doing what needed to be done," Gram replied with a smile.

This time, he had stopped by the village to announce the recruitment and the collection of orphans.

He was asked to slay a bear that had tasted human flesh.

After getting permission from Almus, he quickly returned and shot the bear dead.

"As a token of gratitude..."

"Please give me the bear's fur. I don't need anything else."

When Gram said this, the villagers were surprised.

The bear's fur belonged to Gram, who had killed it.

It was only natural for him to take it. Normally, one would ask for grain, alcohol, or a woman as a token of gratitude.

"Is that so... By the way, how many servants do you have at your mansion, Lord Gram?"

"Huh? None... I don't have any..."

Gram answered, confused, and the village chief smiled slyly.

"Then would you consider hiring my fourth daughter as a servant?"

"Huh? Um..."

Before Gram could answer, Lulu intervened.

"That's not necessary."

"Huh? But I was thinking of Lord Gram..."

"Ah?"

"No, never mind."

The village chief stepped back from Lulu's intense gaze.

Lulu took the opportunity to pull Gram's ear and drag him away.

"Listen, that was the village chief's plan to send his daughter as a servant, hoping she would bear your child and become your wife! You must not accept it!"

"But... I actually do need a servant... You know, I just got this place..."

"Then I'll live in and take care of the house. We mages are usually idle, so it's fine, right?"

"Um... But..."

Gram hesitated, and Lulu's eyes narrowed.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, there isn't..."

As they were talking, about ten children ran up to Gram.

"Hey! We want to become soldiers too!"

"No, no, you're clearly not fifteen yet."

Gram chuckled.

All of them looked to be around ten years old, and some were girls.

"But..."

"For now, eat well and grow bigger. When you're fifteen, come back and try again."

Gram patted the children's heads.

---

After the children left, Gram muttered.

"If more children like that join and the army grows stronger... Almus will be able to advance further."

"Yeah, but it's not just the army. Mages are important too, you know?"

The two of them smiled at each other.

---

In front of me were the gathered orphans. No, I had them gathered.

They all looked anxious.

Now then...

I raised my voice to address them.

"You have two options. One is to stay at this mansion, where you will learn martial arts, mathematics, and Kirisian. In the future, you can work as a knight. The other is to return to the village where you lived. You can choose either one. I won't force you."

I dispatch tax collectors throughout the territory to collect taxes.

I also have them handle various documents.

In other words, it's a bit of a bureaucratic system.

But a bureaucratic system always needs talented people.

Right now, it's fine, but in a few decades, Ron and the others will be old and unable to collect taxes...

New talent is always needed.

The question is how to gather them.

First, I could hold exams to gather talented people.

But this was immediately rejected. If someone can take an exam, it means they can read and write.

The problem is that there are no such people.

Second, I could gather children who want to learn.

I thought about this deeply.

But I rejected it.

Most parents don't understand the value of education, so no one would come.

Those who would come would be the children of people who understand education and can afford to lose a laborer... like the village chief's children.

Naturally, the village chief is the enemy of the tax collector.

Is it wise to make the enemy's children tax collectors?

So I came up with the idea of gathering orphans and making them bureaucrats.

A two-for-one strategy of rescuing orphans and gathering talent.

However, there is a slightly dirty reason for this.

First, they have no family, so there's no worry about external influence.

Second, they will be grateful to me for raising them, so there's less risk of betrayal.

There's no guarantee that they will be talented...

But I'm not asking them to do the kind of high-level work that modern Japanese bureaucrats do.

All I need is for them to be able to read and write Kirisian and do math.

If I focus on these two skills, they should be proficient by the time they're fifteen.

"How about it?"

I asked them again.

"Those who want to return to their hometown, please raise your hands. I will respect your choice."

As I said this, hands began to rise.

About a third of them.

Fewer than I expected.

Well, if they return to the village now, they'll just be a burden. If they stay, they can become important figures.

It's natural that more children would choose to stay.

"Then I'll leave their care to Lulu and Soyong. Tethra and I will also check on them regularly. Is that okay?"

"Sure!"

"Well, as long as it's part-time."

They agreed.

There were reasons for choosing them as caretakers.

First, they are good with children. Second, they are mages, so they are usually idle.

And they are not official tax collectors.

I occasionally have them help, but their main job is magic.

If bureaucrats train bureaucrats, it's a problem.

A mentor-student relationship can lead to covering up each other's mistakes.

This is a big problem for an organization.

That's why I chose two mages who are not official tax collectors.

I've become quite cynical.

Now that the selection of the children is over...

I need to attend to the guests.

"Hello, I am Almus As. I am Ismea."

"I am Yang Qingming."

The two bowed to me.

Ismea is definitely Kirisian.

But this Yang Qingming... who is he?

He looks Asian...

Noticing my puzzled expression, Yang Qingming smiled and answered.

"I come from the Far East... the Crimson Empire, which you call the Land of Silk. Yang is my surname, and Qingming is my given name."

The Land of Silk...

I've never heard of it.

Am I just a country bumpkin?

"Are you sure you want to be hired? That was your request, right?"

When I asked, they nodded deeply.

"I am aiming for the farthest sea... and I achieved my goal a month ago. I want to write a book about my experiences... and I learned about paper. I have the blessing of 'Language Mastery,' which allows me to speak any language. I am also good at math. I can definitely be of use."

"Ah, I see. You want to work for me in exchange for food, lodging, and the time to finish your book, right?"

When I asked, Qingming smiled and nodded.

"That's right. You are indeed the hero rumored to have been raised by a griffin."

Hey, don't believe that rumor.

It's grown to the point where I can fly and breathe fire.

"And you?"

"I am an architect. I can design various defensive structures and comfortable homes."

Ismea handed me a parchment.

It was filled with designs and completed drawings of various buildings.

Nice.

The border fort with King Dorgal is made of wood.

I've been worried about it.

But...

"Why did you come to me with such skills? Surely you have other options. King Rosais or King Dorgal, for example."

Why would you come to me?

Normally.

"No, I thought that as the son of a griffin and a hero, you would make good use of my designs..."

"Lie."

When I said this, Ismea's body trembled.

"See, it's better to tell the truth, right?"

Qingming said, and Ismea, with tears in her eyes, told the truth.

"Actually..."

---

To summarize her story...

She was rejected everywhere else.

The reason was that she was a woman. They already had architects. And they couldn't understand her Kirisian.

Of course, powerful kings already have architects, usually from Adelnyan.

It's understandable that kings wouldn't see the need to hire a woman they couldn't understand.

But I'm surprised. I thought King Rosais would welcome her.

He understands Kirisian.

When she heard this...

"King Rosais suggested I come to you..."

What's going on?

I don't understand.

But...

"Alright. I understand. I'll hire you."

"Really!!"

"Yes. We'll discuss the salary later. And please design something practical, okay?"

When I said this, Ismea bowed deeply.

Training bureaucrats

But how many years will it take for them to become effective?