“Move a little faster! You want to become mercenaries, do you not? Show me what you are capable of!”
Four able-bodied men stood before me, paired off and swinging wooden clubs at each other.
With my arms folded, I watched their sparring—or, more precisely, their flailing movements.
Iris cautiously spoke to me.
“What do you think…… No, Captain, what do you think?”
“I do not know…….”
After seeing the prospective recruits flailing before me, I had the feeling that my mercenary company would remain a two-person operation for a while.
“What about you?”
“Their talent is dreadful.”
“I agree.”
In this world, new mercenaries were divided into three types.
1. Meat Shields.
There was no need to expect much from them. In the most extreme case, they did not even need to kill an enemy.
All they had to do was wear shabby armor, hold their position, and die as late as possible. Their role was to fill out the numbers and increase the size of the mercenary company.
2. Immediately Deployable Assets.
They were hired based on the performance they could show immediately, without considering their potential or room for growth.
They were like expensive missiles or grenades. They were responsible for defeating enemies in actual combat and buying time until the aces could grow.
3. High-Quality Rough Gems, the Late-Bloomer Type.
There was no need to consider how strong they were ‘right now.’ I equipped them with good armor so that they would not die, cared for them attentively, made them gain combat experience somehow, and raised them into the core of the mercenary company.
The basics of running a mercenary company were to hire these three types of mercenaries in proper balance, build a reputation, and acquire good armor and weapons.
‘And the men here…….’
They fit none of those three categories.
‘Even a meat shield needs a minimum level of ability.’
They did not need talent for martial arts or bodies that never tired.
‘Stamina and mental strength. They need at least those two.’
They needed stamina to carry heavy loads, block enemy attacks with a shield, and take two attacks before falling instead of collapsing after one.
Even in a slightly unfavorable situation, they needed at least enough character not to run away before the battle even began.
The role of a meat shield was to hold their place wherever they were needed, and those who could not perform that role were no different from men who did not even qualify to be meat shields.
Moreover, mercenaries of poor character easily betrayed their allies or formed groups that became rebel factions.
If mercenaries I had paid recruitment fees for, fed, and paid wages to openly revolted, the losses would be enormous.
Even if I put down the revolt without losses, it would not change the fact that I would lose my mercenaries in the end.
“There is no one worth recruiting.”
“Then, from now on…….”
“We move to another village.”
For the time being, there was no reason to go to a city or a castle. To find work that two mercenaries could take on, going to a village was more suitable than going to a city.
“Pack up. Let us prepare for the journey.”
I muttered in a gloomy voice.
***
After pitching a tent outside the village, I realized anew how precious the beds of that shabby old inn had been.
“Is it all right not to set a watch?”
“Split the watch between two people? We might as well lie back and take it. If wild dogs come, then we die.”
It was terribly dangerous, but there was no other choice.
There were two of us. Even if we gave ourselves six hours of sleep, one of us would sleep for three hours and stay awake for the other three.
“This should be…… good enough.”
I made an alarm with a string and a bell. It was nothing impressive, but it would allow us to deal with wild dogs, the enemies most easily encountered during travel.
Goblins or bandits would not fall for such a flimsy method, but we had to accept that.
“And before we sleep…… Watch my swordsmanship for me.”
“Your swordsmanship?”
“Yes.”
Holding my sword, I demonstrated a few simple stances before her.
The basic and simple movements of swinging, cutting, and thrusting.
“Tell me honestly. How is it?”
“Um…… May I truly speak without holding back?”
“Of course.”
“You are at the level of a beginner who has just learned the sword. The balance of your sword is good, and your body is strong, so those things conceal your weakness.”
“I thought so. Can you teach me?”
“I…… am to teach you?”
Iris gave a faint smile.
“I wondered why the captain needed a cripple like me, but you needed a swordsmanship instructor.”
“That is not the only reason. Can you teach me?”
“Of course, I can.”
I smiled faintly.
‘As expected…… It works!’
There was an enormous gap between beginners gathering together and sparring blindly, and having a true master beside them to correct their stances during swordsmanship training.
The rate of growth would be faster, and there would be fewer cases of bad habits forming, their sword paths becoming distorted, or injuries occurring during training.
‘Good…….’
No matter how I thought about it, bringing her along had been the best choice. Iris could not become a proper fighting force immediately, but with her as a teacher, I and the other members would grow rapidly stronger.
“Keep your back straight. Fix your gaze on the target, control your breathing, and erase all distracting thoughts in the very moment you thrust the sword.”
Under her instruction, I swung my sword without stopping.
I was continually growing stronger.
***
“We have finally arrived.”
Bvire Village. It was the village closest to the place where I had first arrived.
“We have used a fair amount of food…… I hope there is work here.”
There were three urgent problems at hand.
The first was that I needed money to repair my armor. There would be no problem for a while, but armor gradually lost its usefulness merely by being carried about.
Because it was valuable armor, finding someone who could repair it reliably was not easy either. It would cost an enormous amount of money to commission a good blacksmith.
The second problem was Iris’s treatment. She looked fine for the moment, but until a proper healer assured me that all her wounds had been healed, I could not put her through anything harsh.
‘Whew…….’
Of course, receiving treatment from a priest or healer would not erase her permanent injuries.
Still, if her wounds were left untreated, they might worsen and put her life in danger. At least once, we had to find a proper healer and have her treated.
The third was hiring new members. We had to begin as quickly as possible. Moving around with only two people was no different from asking to be killed.
To minimize our losses if an unexpectedly strong enemy appeared or we were ambushed, we needed to have as many members as possible.
“Let us unpack first and rest a little.”
Travel itself was hard labor. After walking such a long distance, we had to rest for even a moment and set our affairs in order.
Iris and I entered an inn. My armor and Iris’s armor drew a few looks, but that was all.
‘The atmosphere seems rather gloomy…….’
An inn was normally a noisy place. Drunken people brawling or bragging should have been scattered all over the place.
But the people in this inn were far too quiet and dejected. It was as though a tragedy had passed through them.
“Food, water for washing, and beer. We will stay for today.”
“Y-yes…….”
My hard-earned money went into the innkeeper’s grasp. I still had a fair amount left, but if I wasted time meaninglessly or failed a request, I would soon be sleeping rough.
After waiting a while, the innkeeper brought stew and beer. Iris and I sat side by side and ate.
“Are you planning to recruit members here as well?”
“I have to try. Whew…… Will an ace-class prospect not show up somewhere?”
I took a sip of beer. At that moment, it felt as though a heavenly melody drifted into my ears.
‘……What?’
-Beyond the deep forest,
Across the wind-swept pass.
Our steps shall not stop,
For beneath the starlight, there is a road.
Victory is with us,
And honor awaits at the end of courage.
Together, we shall fight and seize it
For our friends and our family.
‘……What is this?’
The lyrics themselves were not especially remarkable. But the skill of the bard who sang them was astonishing.
It was clearly a hopeful song with a bright melody, yet that melody was filled with sorrow.
Her voice and song were so beautiful and mournful that it was impossible to believe she was a bard at a country inn like this.
‘……A rough gem!’
I pressed my lips together and looked at the bard who had sung the song.
A small, adorable halfling bard was catching her breath with her eyes closed.
“Excuse me?”
“Y-yes? A-are you a mercenary? Did you listen to my song?”
“Yes. I am a mercenary.”
I treated her politely.
Judging a halfling’s age by appearance was as foolish as judging an elf’s age by appearance. If I treated her like a child and gave her a bad impression of me, the loss would be enormous.
“I am the captain of a mercenary company. Unfortunately, ours has only two members at the moment.”
“Ah…… B-but you are strong, right?”
“Of course we are strong. That is why there is a request I truly want to make of you…….”
I calmly held out my hand to her.
“If you are willing, would you consider joining our mercenary company?”
Bards were important. Incredibly important.
As a mercenary company grew, and as each mercenary’s abilities rose, it became increasingly difficult to manage their discontent.
The most difficult and complicated part was relieving their boredom.
It could be done through plunder or rape, but that would devastate the mercenary company’s reputation. Their boredom could also be eased with expensive toys or sports, but all of that was inefficient.
But if I had a bard of that caliber, the story changed somewhat.
If such a bard sang at every camp, that alone could soothe the unsettled hearts of the mercenaries.
Moreover, bards were useful in actual combat.
They could raise allied morale on the battlefield and bring the hearts of allied mercenaries together through song.
They could also weave mystical power into song to create miracles or restrain enemies.
‘She is an irreplaceable asset.’
I had to bring her with me, no matter what. If I let her go now, I might not find a bard like her even if I searched the entire world.
If I let this chance pass with the complacent thought that I would meet another bard like her later, I might fail to obtain one of her caliber even if my mercenary company shook the Empire and gained a reputation feared by the king.
“A-ah, all right…… I-I will do it!”
“Really?”
“But, um, in exchange…… Could you take just one request for me?”
“Just tell me what it is.”
I smiled and nodded. To bring a bard with talent like hers into my mercenary company, I could give up everything except my life.
“Man-Eating Spiders kidnapped my family. If you save them…… I-I will definitely follow you!”
“Pardon?”
Unfortunately, it seemed as though she wanted my life.
The Man-Eating Spider request was a mission my current strength could never carry out.