Chapter 47

"Hmm, more soldiers have gathered than I thought."

I look at the soldiers who have responded to the recruitment.

Currently, we are in the middle of a test.

Surprisingly, seven hundred people have gathered, even though the quota was only five hundred and thirty.

Honestly, I am surprised.

I thought they would be tired of war after fighting for years under King Verm.

It seems I was wrong.

Many of them had been conscripted for a long time and had become accustomed to the military environment. When their master, King Verm, died, they were told to return to their hometowns, only to find that their fields had been taken away.

They were at a loss about what to do when this recruitment opportunity came up...

This seems to be the most common pattern.

The second most common is: "I can't do farming, so I'll go to the military if I can get paid!"

The third is: "I want to rise through the ranks and become a great leader!"

Honestly, I thought we would fall short of the quota, but upon reflection, this might be the norm.

War is as common as storms in the Adelnia Peninsula.

The tests are also quite competitive.

This is because many of the applicants are former soldiers.

Since they understand formations and such, the selection will be based purely on physical strength and age.

The army I am planning to form in As consists of five hundred heavy infantry, two hundred archers, and one hundred cavalry.

I already have a plan for the cavalry, so I need the heavy infantry and archers.

However, I can leave the testing to Boros, Ron, and Gram.

"Hey, Leader. Do we really have the budget to hire eight hundred soldiers? I heard King Verm barely managed with heavy taxes. Besides, we're hiring, not conscripting. Is the treasury okay?"

"It's not exactly easy, but we're not in dire straits."

"Why is that?"

Well, it is a concern, isn't it?

Tetra, please explain.

"I'll take care of it. Ron, do you know why King Verm had it so tough?"

"Um... because the As territory was poor? But that would be the same for you, right? ...I don't know."

"First, let's talk about subsidies. In the Kingdom of Rosais, there are lords who do not border foreign lands. They don't need to maintain an army, but they have the obligation to pay a certain amount of wheat to the kingdom. This wheat is then fairly distributed to the border lords. So, King Verm wasn't as hard-pressed."

"Okay... but even then, eight hundred is still a stretch, I think."

Tetra shows Ron a piece of paper.

The paper is already in mass production.

Not only widows, but also dedicated personnel and farmers who want a little extra money are involved in the mass production.

"Second, this. Sixty percent of As territory's income comes from paper. We sell this paper to Kirisia merchants, who pay us with Kirisia goldsmiths, Persis glassware, and Eastern spices. We then sell these to the nobles of the Kingdom of Rosais and Adelnia merchants. In return, we get wheat or salt. This is how our territory earns the salaries for eight hundred soldiers."

"I see..."

It seems Ron is convinced.

By the way, many of our customers are nobles from King Domorgal's country.

They don't claim to be from King Domorgal's country, but...

Well, if they pay, they are customers. Even if they are enemies, luxury goods won't turn into military power no matter what. In fact, I plan to buy as much as possible to deplete their wheat.

By the way, another reason is that embezzlement by village heads has been eliminated.

This is a minor factor, but...

Well, since Ron seems convinced, let's go to Rozward.

That's the main topic for today.

"Rozward."

"Yes?"

"Actually, today, Eyns is supposed to deliver one hundred horses and fifty combat slaves."

Even Eyns finds it difficult to prepare three hundred horses at once.

But I am surprised that he managed to prepare one hundred in such a short time.

"So?"

"I want you to command the cavalry. In other words, I want you to take care of the fifty combat slaves."

"Why me? Isn't Mr. Boros more experienced?"

I answer Rozward's question.

"First, Boros has no experience commanding cavalry. So, you and he are starting from the same point. And among the people I know, you are the best at riding horses. Plus, you get along well with Rea, right?"

When I say this, Rozward blushes.

"That's why I think you'll be well-liked by the Germanic slaves. It would be even better if you married one. Also, the fact that you can speak a bit of Germanic is a big plus."

I returned the Language Blessing, so communication will rely on Rea and Rozward.

"Understood. I'll do my best!"

Rozward nodded vigorously.

Eyns brought the horses and slaves a few hours later.

"Please check. One hundred horses."

"Thank you. Can I ask one thing? How did you manage to gather them so quickly?"

"We had thirty in stock. And just then, another Kirisia merchant brought in some horses, so we got fifty from there. The remaining twenty were bought from small nomadic states within the Adelnia Peninsula."

Wow... they can gather quite a bit.

Still, it makes sense that there are people whose main source of income is nomadism.

We should establish contact with them and start sourcing from there.

If we keep buying from Eyns, the costs will add up.

"These are the combat slaves. I chose the best quality ones I could find."

Eyns's tone was completely that of a merchant selling goods.

Indeed, that's how he feels.

I look at the slaves in front of me.

The first thing that catches my eye is their height. They are significantly taller than the average Adelnia person.

Most have black or brown hair, but there are a few with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I am Almus. I am your master. Nice to meet you."

I say to the slaves, and Rea translates it into Germanic.

The slaves say something to me.

"They're saying they're hungry and want food," Rea says, looking up at me with a worried face.

Her expression suggests she's unsure if she should have translated that.

I look at the slaves.

The one who said he was hungry is a blonde Germanic man in his late thirties.

He has a muscular build with scars here and there.

The most noticeable scar runs straight from his ear to his jaw.

He is grinning at me.

Still, not all of them have such a disrespectful attitude.

Most of the Germanic slave men are glaring at the blonde man as if to say, "What are you saying?"

"Alright. Prepare food for them. And boil a special bath for them to clean up... tell them that."

I say to Rea, and she relays the message to the slaves.

The blonde man's eyes widen.

After the meal, the slaves, now dressed in clean clothes, gather around as Rozward says:

"I am Rozward. The lord has entrusted me with your management. Your job is to fight as cavalry. If you perform well, you will be freed from slavery. I will also give you pocket money."

Rozward, though hesitantly, said this in Germanic.

His pronunciation was awkward, but he managed to speak in Germanic with Rea's help.

This was a shock to the Germanic people.

Usually, masters don't adjust to the language of their slaves.

"Is that true? Promises like 'work hard and you'll be freed' are common. It's definitely a lie."

The blonde man says with a grin.

Rozward, slightly annoyed, asks:

"What's your name?"

"Vilgar. Master. It's quite amusing for a master to ask a slave's name."

He grins again.

"How can I make you believe me?"

"Hmm, let's see. I won't believe it until I see someone actually freed..."

"It's me."

Rea interrupts Vilgar.

"I was freed."

Hearing this, Vilgar falls silent.

He thought Rea was just an interpreter slave.

Now that he thinks about it, she is wearing clean clothes and doesn't have a collar.

It's clear she is a freed slave.

Of course, Rea was freed not because of her performance but to support Rozward's romantic endeavors, but we shouldn't get into the details.

"So, are you willing to follow me?"

Rozward asks, and Vilgar shakes his head.

"I don't like following someone weaker than me. So, no thanks."

"Then if I prove I'm stronger, will you follow me?"

Rozward says, and Vilgar grins.

"Of course. Let's have a horseback duel, Master. But there's no benefit for me if I win... So, if I win, free me. You'll accept, right? You're not afraid of losing, are you?"

"Yes. If you win, I'll free you. In return, if you lose, you must obey me."

Thus, the horseback duel is set.

"Hey, Eyns. I was thinking, are the Germanic people nomads?"

I ask as Rozward and the golden-haired man prepare for the duel.

If they are, Rozward doesn't stand a chance.

"No, the Germanic people mostly live by farming and hunting. However, their living areas often border those of nomadic people, so they often learn horseback skills. Also, the Germanic region has both forests and vast plains, which are good for raising horses."

I see.

So, they are not pure cavalry.

That means Rozward has a good chance of winning.

"What's this?"

Vilgar looks at the stirrups attached to the horse and says something.

Rea translates it immediately.

"Stirrups. They help you stay stable on the horse. It wouldn't be fair if I use them and you don't, right?"

Rozward says, and Vilgar snorts.

"Thank you, Master. But I'll remove them. I can't use unfamiliar equipment."

Rea translates this quickly.

It's not a bad decision. Stirrups do help with stability, but using unfamiliar equipment could lead to failure.

Both mount their horses and prepare.

Both are wearing armor, making it a realistic combat scenario.

However, we don't want anyone to die, so they are using wooden sticks with cloth wrapped around the ends as safe weapons.

Still, a bad hit could be fatal.

"So, let's confirm the rules. No hitting the head. Anywhere else is fair game. The one who surrenders or falls off the horse loses. Ready... start!!"

I clap my hands to signal the start, and the two horses charge forward.

Their sticks clash.

The match is over in an instant.

Rozward knocks the golden-haired man off his horse.

Rozward, skilled with a spear, and with the advantage of stirrups, was the expected winner.

The golden-haired man looks up at Rozward with a regretful expression.

Rozward dismounts and extends a hand to the golden-haired man.

"Come on, get up."

"...Thank you."

The golden-haired man gets up with Rozward's help.

Rozward, looking smug, asks:

"So, do you recognize me as your superior?"

"...Alright, I recognize you. Master."

The golden-haired man says this with a twisted, regretful face.

At least the issue is resolved. That's good.

"By the way, stop calling me 'Master.' Your master is the lord. Just call me... Captain."

"Understood. Captain. I look forward to working with you."

The golden-haired man bows to Rozward.

"Later, clean my house."

"What? But I'm a combat slave..."

"You said you would obey, right? A man's word is his bond, isn't it?"

Rozward's words make the golden-haired man sigh deeply.

Well, now that we have the cavalry, we are fully prepared.

Almus: "I wouldn't be happy being called 'Master' by someone like him."