Chapter 43

This is a work of fiction.

The characters, organizations, and names are all fictitious and have no relation to any real entities.

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041＿Knight Gandarban

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Waking up, I feel the weight of Annelise and Rosalina's heads on my arms. Waking up to the sight of these adorable girls' sleeping faces is the best way to start the day.

"If only I didn't have muscle pain..."

My arms, legs, abs, and back muscles are all sore from holding two heads all night.

"Master... mmm..."

Rosalina calls out, but it seems to be in her sleep. She looks so happy.

"Good morning, Master."

Annelise seems to be awake, her emerald green eyes, like jewels, looking straight at me. Her eyes are so clear, I feel like I could get lost in them.

Rosalina is also awake, but I can't get out of bed because of the muscle pain.

The morning of my 19th day of reincarnation started with me in a state where even moving is difficult.

It's embarrassing, but I have to be supported by the two of them to go downstairs. Montalque and the others have already prepared breakfast.

"Good morning, Sir."

"Good morning."

Sitting in the chair, I let out a sigh of relief.

But the problem starts here. I can't lift my arms.

"Master, I'll feed you."

"Sorry, I'll have to rely on you."

Annelise moves to my side.

Annelise, who has taken her place beside me, starts cutting the food.

"Master, aah."

Annelise feeds me a piece of the cut egg.

"Aah, chew chew... delicious."

Zoppa's cooking is already delicious, but when Annelise feeds me, it's like a magical spice has been added, making it even more delicious.

Thanks to Annelise, I don't have to go hungry. I really appreciate it.

"Sir, after breakfast, please interview the knight candidate."

"Understood."

It seems a knight candidate, a friend of Montalque, is coming soon. Come to think of it, I don't have any noble clothes. I didn't dress formally when I met the Duke, but it doesn't matter.

"And I've called a tailor. Please see to it after the interview."

"Tailor?"

What's that?

"A tailor is someone who makes clothes. Since you don't care about clothes, I called one."

"Oh, okay... Understood."

Did Montalque read my mind about the clothes?

While reading the materials given by Zeigen in my room, a friend of Montalque arrived.

Entering the reception room, I saw a large bear beastman. He looks familiar, but where have I seen him?

"I'm Toi. Nice to meet you."

"My name is Milis Gandarban."

"Milis..."

He looks like a man, but is he a woman? Bear beastmen can be large, even if they are women, but does he have such a tough face? It would be rude to get the gender wrong. I should ask the detailed appraisal.

"I'm often mistaken for a woman, but I'm a man."

I was lost in thought, and he gave a wry smile. I must have done something wrong.

"...Sorry."

"No problem."

Sitting on the sofa, I invite Milis... Gandarban to sit as well. Then I remember, I met this Gandarban in front of the boss room on the 4th floor of the dungeon.

"It's been a while."

"I never thought the person I met then would become a noble. I was very rude at that time."

No, Gandarban wasn't rude. The rude one was the wolf beastman in his party.

Gandarban has short, black fur with a bluish tint. He is about 2 meters tall and broad-shouldered, taking up two seats on the sofa. He has cute, round ears on his head. He looks tough, but his ears are adorable.

"Is the wolf beastman doing well?"

I tried to bring up a common topic.

"He went back to the countryside."

"Hmm, what happened?"

Did they have a falling out? I can understand that feeling. If I were in charge, I would have kicked him out of the party right away. Even if he's the protagonist of a story about being kicked out, I wouldn't know.

"We managed to defeat the 4th floor boss, but I lost my arm to the maze bull on the 5th floor and couldn't continue as an adventurer."

The wolf beastman, as I suspected, was a problem child, fighting without coordinating with the team. Gandarban warned him multiple times, but the wolf beastman ignored him.

The maze bull on the 5th floor sometimes appears in pairs. While Gandarban was dealing with one, the other five were supposed to take down the other. However, the wolf beastman charged at the maze bull alone and was impaled by its sharp horn, resulting in a severe injury that required his arm to be amputated.

Potions can heal minor wounds instantly, but they can't regrow a severed arm. They can only stop the bleeding by sealing the wound.

"From what I hear, it's his own fault, but telling me this might lower your evaluation."

It sounds like a lack of leadership.

You're here for an interview to serve me, yet you're telling me negative things.

"I have no intention of hiding such things to serve you."

You're honest. I like that.

I intended to make small talk, but it turned into a heavy conversation. Let's get to the point.

"I heard you served as a knight for a noble family before. I won't ask about the family, but I'd like to know what you did there."

What kind of work you did is important. I need someone who can command soldiers and lead on the battlefield. Other than that, it would be for the family's security.

Of course, I don't want to go to the battlefield. I just want to explore the dungeon and have fun.

"I was a squad leader in my previous job."

You did what I need. But that's not enough.

"How many people were in your squad?"

"About 50 to 60."

Wow, you had quite a few subordinates. You must have been in a decent position.

In the Duke's household, a knight is assigned 5 soldiers to form a squad. Two to three squads form a platoon, and two to three platoons form a company. By the Duke's standards, Gandarban would be a company commander.

"What's your job class?"

"I'm a Brawny Knight, level 22."

My detailed appraisal also shows Brawny Knight Lv22. That's correct.

With his bear beastman traits and Brawny Knight class, his STR and VIT stats are excellent.

"If you serve me, what will happen to your party?"

"I have a request regarding that, Sir."

"Go on."

"I would like you to hire the other party members as soldiers. Since the wolf beastman went back to the countryside, if I leave, the remaining four will either continue adventuring as a group of four, recruit new members, or disband and go their separate ways. I would like to train and develop the people I know well."

This isn't a bad deal for me.

If I hire soldiers, I usually have to rely on introductions from Zeigen or poach adventurers. It's rare to have a convenient candidate like Gandarban, who is a friend of Montalque.

Soldiers introduced by Zeigen might be spies, and I'm afraid they might leak information. Yes, we have a magic contract, but it's risky. Someone like Zeigen, who seems to have a bad character, might find a loophole.

Poaching adventurers would be difficult, and good adventurers are likely to be snapped up by the Duke's household or other noble families. It's rare for someone to want to serve a new noble like me.

"If I hire Gandarban, the other four will come with him. But I don't know their character, so I can't give an easy answer."

"That's a fair point. The four are waiting in front of the house. If you'd like, you can evaluate them."

What thorough preparation. Did he assume I would definitely hire him? He's quite confident.

I went outside with Gandarban.

"There's no need for you to come out, Sir. I can bring them in."

I turned to Gandarban, who said that.

"Wait here, Gandarban."

"...Understood."

I left Gandarban waiting at the front door. The house is quite large, so there's a fair distance from the door to the gate.

I took a route away from the gate and jumped onto the wall. The wall is about 2.5 meters high and 50 centimeters wide, so it's safe to stand on.

The problem is my muscle pain. If I didn't have it, I could have jumped up easily, but it was a bit risky.

Gandarban's party members were waiting along the wall. It was cold with the north wind, but they stood in a line without moving.

I didn't like the wolf beastman, but these four seemed good.

To get hired, they need to be serious. These four stood straight and waited for me, which I appreciated.

I can't tell if people who show such dedication are trustworthy, but they seem to be serious about their work.

I jumped down from the wall and rejoined Gandarban.

"I'll hire you and the four. Bring them here."

"Are you sure?"

"Isn't that why you came?"

"But you haven't even checked their record cards..."

Right, criminal records are checked on record cards. I forgot because the detailed appraisal gives more information than the record card.

"I said I'm fine with it. Bring the four before I change my mind."

I said that to cover up. It's a bit forceful, but it's fine. Gandarban and the others have no criminal records.

"Hai!"

Gandarban saluted sharply and ran out the gate.

The four are two men and two women: a dog beastman male, a swordsman Lv11 named Barce; a lizardman male, a swordsman Lv12 named Jojok; a cat beastwoman, a spearwoman Lv11 named Rin; and a fox beastwoman, a spearwoman Lv10 named Solidia.

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