Vol. 2 Chapter 181
Training and Discipline
Translated by Raizu
Day after day, I held Rose in my arms, held the maids to clean my mouth, and kicked away the Spierzeig army scouts who came from time to time. Before I knew it, it was already March.
The accumulated libido seemed to have become a bottleneck for improving my productivity, because since I started having sex with them, the number of letter processed was increased.
The economy is booming for the first time in a long time, with my testicles operating at full capacity and semen being consumed at the similar rate as the production. The healthiness of this economy must have spread to my whole body.
I am just grateful to Rose and the five maids.
Looking up at the sky from the roof of Reisleaf Castle, where I visited for a short break, I could see a dizzyingly blue sky.
The clear air that I took in after taking a deep breath felt supremely delicious.
[It’s nice weather.]
I turned my body to the direction of the sun, which will soon reach its peak, and closed my eyes.
Feel the cool air in the back of my lungs, and feel the gentle sunshine with a hint of the arrival of spring on my face.
The reason why I felt so radiant is because I have a fulfilling life.
As I was spreading my arms in a pose reminiscent of that of Jesus of Nazareth’s, surrounded by the light breeze of Reisleaf, I heard a shout coming from somewhere far away.
It’s not just one or two people, it’s the sound of hundreds of people. I slowly opened my eyelids and searched for the direction of the voice.
[…..That is?]
I beckoned the escort behind me, pointed at the group in the distance, and asked.
In addition to the undulating topography, the surroundings of Reisleaf Castle, which is located in the mountains, are surrounded by deep forests, making it impossible to see the whole group with the naked eye.
It was a story that could be solved immediately by using detection magic, but there was an indescribable tediousness in doing such a simple thing. For example, it’s similar to the feeling when you don’t feel like searching for keywords because a few clicks on a computer or typing a few characters feels strangely annoying.
The escort immediately answered after looking in the direction where the tip of my index finger was pointing at.
[Soldiers of our army.]
The group that was visible in the cracks in the forest was at least not an enemy unit. Since there was no further answer, the escorts probably didn’t know who the commander was. It seemed that Highlord-level detection magic can’t track them from this distance either.
After watching the movement of the group for a while, we moved to an open hill with a better view.
They seemed to be well-trained, and I could see them moving briskly according to the commander’s instructions.
[That is……]
One of the escorts opened his mouth. It seemed that they were able to identify the commander because they could see the whole thing.
[…..Raylight and Nambonan city militias.]
Continuing the escort’s remarks, another escort continued with a slightly exasperated voice.
[Haa, them again?]
[Really, what does he want to do by moving the soldiers for nothing?]
[I guess he’s excited because he was entrusted with the soldiers by Young Master.]
When I left Nambonan City to capture Reisleaf Castle, I entrusted the wandering son of the Gatoren family, Raylight, to lead the volunteer soldiers composed of Nambonan citizens. It was because I appreciated his tactics, which skillfully maneuvered the volunteer soldiers in the defense of the city.
After that, the Nambonan soldiers also seemed to be accustomed to the Raylight, so the unit commander was left to him as it was.
Whilst his position in Quordenze is still questionable, Nambonan City is under Wilk Quordenze’s lordship. In other words, he’s already under the direct control of the Quordenze family.
From a vassal’s point of view, the Nambonan soldiers were the property of the Master’s family, and it was an honor for a military officer to be entrusted with them.
Judging from the way the escorts speak, it seems that Raylight regularly moved the soldiers. I see, it’s logical and the movement is good.
[He seems to be working hard.]
I was just going to say my impressions, but for some reason the escorts seemed to perceive it as a question and there was a reply.
[Yessir. Apparently the commoner militia is emphasized in the south, and it seems that he’s trying to incorporate that idea into the Nambonan soldiers.]
[So, the idea came from his experience in the south?]
Until a few years ago, Raylight was wandering around the Free Cities and Conflict Zones in the southern part of the continent. At that time, he was earning his living as a mercenary, but as expected, he must have learned a lot from the military side of his main business as a military officer.
After entering Reisleaf Castle, I received a suggestion from Raylight. He said, “Is it okay to train the soldiers a little more?”. Naturally, I didn’t mind. I didn’t have time to worry about it, partly because I was so busy dealing with letters, dealing with Spierzeig, and my sexual desires.
This pretty much restored my view about Raylight’s military prowess. After all, I more often see him in a bar, either fooling around with a prostitute, or having fun with the commoners.
There are things that made him look like a reckless idiot, such as suddenly running away from home and going on a roaming trip to the continent. But after all, there may be a Gatoren boy who is unexpectedly solid at his roots.
[I see, that sounds interesting. …..But, there is also the matter of the letter, so let’s listen to the detailed story once.]
It would be nice to take a walk outside the castle for a change of pace.
I turned on my heels and left the rooftop.
Raylight and Nambonan militias were waiting in an open area in the forest.
They seemed to have noticed that I was approaching, and the squad was already lined up.
When I showed up, Raylight, the commander of the unit, gave a command. Then, the Nambonan militias all got down on one knee to greet me. Their movement felt a little awkward, but considering that they were originally just a citizen, it’s quite neat.
Common militiamen who have just been drafted basically don’t know how to show their gratitude, so they have no choice but to prostrate themselves. A veteran who has been drafted many times, or a person who has been working as a mercenary for a long time, will be able to take such an attitude.
[Young Master, what brings you here?]
[Well, I just wanted to see the movement of this unit up close. …..And it seems that there are soldiers who I have never seen before.]
Behind Commander Raylight were a number of Lord-class soldiers. All the volunteer soldiers brought from Nambonan City were Serfs, so these Lords are new faces.
I knew about their existence because I had received a written report about them, but this was the first time I had actually seen them.
Raylight sensed that I was asking for an explanation and responded immediately.
[These people are mercenaries that I knew when I was traveling in the south. All three are born commoners, but their identities are certain.]
The three mercenaries standing behind him lifted their heads to show their faces, and immediately bowed their heads again. This is the only self-introduction they can do now since they are not allowed to speak yet by the Nobles.
I could only catch a glimpse of them, but they were still young, and all three seemed to be about the age of high school boys or college students.
They seem to know how to bow down to Nobles, as they are the only ones among this group who made their living as mercenaries.
[Why did they come all the way to Reisleaf? Your acquaintances are mercenaries based in the southern part of the continent…Free Cities, aren’t they? If they want to continue working as mercenaries, I think there will be more business opportunities there.]
I’m not blaming him for hiring them. I was just wondering. But, I could feel the three mercenaries’ bodies stiffen in the air. Touching the wrath of the nobility is the most terrifying thing for the lower class after all.
Raylight, who understood that I’m not angry, answered the question calmly.
[It seems that they couldn’t find a good employer. Mercenaries like them, who were born with Lord-class bloodline, are difficult to handle.]
[Is that so?]
In response to my question, the explanation continues.
[A Lord who isn’t from a Knight family can never be given a trust.]
Raylight added that the Lord-class soldiers that the Nobles trust commonly belong to the Knights of their territory.
A Lord-class soldier born from commoners… Mercenaries with Lord-class bloodline, to put it in extreme terms, are temporary relationships with nothing but financial connections. A cut in gold is a cut in the edge, and how much they can tolerate the existence of such obscure people depends on the size of the Noble family and the capacity of the Head of the family.
If there are many Lord-class soldiers from Knights like the Quordenze family, and if all units are evenly allocated, it is easy to deal with a vagrant Lord. However, where there are few Lord-class soldiers from the Knight, the Lord-class mercenary becomes a lion in disguise. If the battle situation gets worse, they will run away, and if you do poorly, they might bite into your throat in response to the enemy.
The Lord-class soldiers are powerful. But if handled incorrectly, they can become a double-edged sword that can hurt you.
For that reason, in an area like the Free Cities where small-scale forces are rampant, if a number of mercenaries suddenly start surrounding a Noble, the alert level from the surroundings will inevitably explode. Something along the lines of [The fact that you’re gathering a large number of unreliable Lord-class mercenaries means that you’re planning to attack somewhere in the near future, aren’t you?]. If you make a mistake in steering, you may end up getting beaten up by the surrounding Nobles.
Basically, Lord-class mercenaries are things that temporarily increase the offensive and defensive power of the army. In video games, they are similar to buff items that increase the status only during battle.
Listening to Raylight talking about the southern part of the continent, I feel like I can understand how difficult it is to deal with these three Lord-class soldiers. Even if there are only three, the Lord-class soldiers are powerful. It may be difficult to hire new people in a tense area that maintains the last-minute balance, even during duress.
In addition, the unit price of Lord-class mercenaries is high. If you hire three people at once, the labor cost would be stupid high. The small Nobles naturally have small wallets.
[So, they came all the way here while you had connections?]
[Yessir. Originally, they were planning to go to the Zeldomitra family…]
[That would be a safe bet.]
[However, after hearing rumors about Operation Serpent’s Fang, they changed their direction to ours.]
The Zeldomitra territory is close to the southern part of the continent, and since it is active in aggressive wars against Free Cities, there is also demand for mercenaries.
Besides, the Zeldomitra family is one of the most prominent Nobles in the Kingdom of Levios. The possibility of being hired should be high because they have a large capacity as a Noble. They should be able to afford hiring three Lord-class mercenaries.
To be honest, I feel like it would be more profitable for them to work for the Zeldomitra army, which seems to have more opportunities for looting. It was strange that they chose to come all the way to the distant Quordenze territory due to just one rumor. Perhaps they wanted to go sightseeing in Reisleaf on the side.
[What do the rumors have to do with their decision?]
[As the captain who led the Nambonan militias to take down Reisleaf Castle, my name seems to have spread quite a bit…]
A fellow mercenary who was indebted to them in the past seems to have returned to his hometown and is succeeding in his career… Hearing rumors, the trio of Lord mercenaries came all the way to Reisleaf Castle to make use of that connection.
Raylight was well aware of their identities, so he had no hesitation in talking to senior military officers. It’s the pinnacle of nepotism, but no one blames it. Being able to enclose somewhat credible Lord-class mercenaries is a plus for the army.
For the mercenary side, having someone they know in the Quordenze army will make it easier for them to work than being hired by the Zeldomitra army, where they have no acquaintance at all.
[I see. …..So, all three of them are now your subordinates, correct? Well done.]
Although Raylight is from the Gatoren family, he is still young, and since he was wandering until a few years ago, he has not been in the Quordenze army for many years. In spite of this, it was a strange story that he was able to hold on to three Lord mercenaries who were costly. Originally, they should have been assigned to another military officer’s unit with more achievements.
[Yessir. Does that mean their wishes were granted…?]
Raylight who spoke as if something was stuck in his back teeth, and the mercenaries who were fidgety as if wanting to say something. Seeing that, I gave one of the mercenaries permission to speak.
The appointed mercenary looked surprised and shook his head from side to side as if looking for someone, and then hesitantly began to speak while paying close attention not to be rude.
[I want to fight alongside my bro…that’s all. Even if my salary is low…]
To summarize his remarks, it seems that he requested that he be allowed to choose the unit Raylight belongs to, even if his salary is reduced.
If this was a stray mercenary, he would have been suspected of being a spy and would have been refused, but for the time being, he had a guarantor named Raylight, so permission was granted relatively easily. A relatively trustworthy Lord-class soldier jumped in at a reasonable price, so the person in charge of personnel must be smiling.
I decided to ask them about Raylight’s time as a mercenary since he seemed to be very well-liked by his bros.
The first to answer was a young man who seemed to be the youngest of the three mercenaries.
[Big bro is strong and smart.]
It’s a rather stupid remark.
However, it captured the essence.
It seems that they and Raylight met at a fairly large Noble family among the Free Cities in the southern part of the continent.
When the rookie mercenary Raylight suddenly appeared, they started a fight with him while pretending to be seniors, and apparently Raylight returned the favor brilliantly.
Between the Knight-born Lord and the commoner-born Lord, the former is almost 100% stronger.
This is because those from a Knight family have a perfect environment to train their magical powers from the time they are born. This is the part where the difference in magic training in childhood comes out clearly. To put it the other way around, it would be better to doubt that a Lord from a Knight family has magical powers on par with a Lord from a commoner family.
Of course, the difference is not as absolute as between Lord and Serf. If the Knight-born Lord is the Tosa fighting dog, then the commoner-born Lord is the Shiba Inu. It’s not a hopeless difference, but if they fight head-on, one can easily see who will be the victor.
The story of how a Tosa fighting dog defeated a group of Shiba Inu and became their boss. That sounds like a plot from a shonen manga.
By the way, the most noticeable difference between those who came from a Knight family and those who came from a commoner is not the combat ability, but the education aspect.
A Lord born to a Knight’s family was promised to become an executive-class military officer in the future. He’d possess knowledge that commoners cannot possess, such as reading and writing, calculation, military knowledge, and etiquette. Just by looking at his actions, it’s obvious that he comes from a good place.
Before long, Raylight was appointed commander of the common militia. It was quite a drastic decision to entrust the soldiers to an outsider Lord-class mercenary and make him the unit commander.
In the southern part of the continent, conflicts are constant, and many places may actively recruit talented people, even if they are Lord-class mercenaries. Of course, it would be impossible without a certain amount of trust.
The three came to admire Raylight as a sort of older brother, as he could talk openly with his employer, a nobleman, and earned his employer’s trust as he rose through the ranks.
After listening to the story, I turned my gaze to the main character of the story.
[You seem to be very well-liked. But, why didn’t you bring them with you when you returned home? The Gatoren family could afford to hire one or two Lord-class mercenaries.]
Knights have their own army. Most of them are formed by conscripting the citizens of the Knight territory, but there are also places where the Knights who have the finances to hire mercenaries.
Although the Gatoren family is a Knight family, they are much more financially capable than the weak Noble families in the southern part of the continent. If you compare the Quordenze family to Japan and the area around Newnelly to Tokyo, then the Gatoren territory can be said to be in a position corresponding to Osaka Prefecture or Aichi Prefecture, so it’s only natural.
[………Well, I ran away from home for selfish reasons, so I didn’t know if I could get forgiveness from my father and grandfather.]
[I see.]
The Gatoren family is known for being strict. Raylight that popped out at will can’t be forgiven so easily. In fact, even after he returned to the Gatoren territory upon finishing his wandering life, he was put in confinement for a while.
Even when he was appointed the leader of the Nambonan soldiers after entering Reisleaf Castle, Knight Gatoren still didn’t see him in a good light. My grandson still doesn’t have enough self-reflection, so he said… However, there was actually no strong opposition from Knight Gatoren. As a grandfather, he still wanted to discipline his grandson, but he had no choice but to praise him as a warrior for inspiring the citizens and fulfilling the defense of the city.
[That’s good. So, what about the Nambonan militias? I would like to hear your opinion as the commander of the unit.]
Raylight answered that question without hesitation.
[Honest, high morale, courageous and good soldiers.]
An indescribable murmur echoes from the Nambonan militias who were keeping their bodies low. The atmosphere was such that they were both happy and relieved to be praised.
[I overheard a little, but it seems that you are trying to incorporate the ideas of the southern part of the continent. What kind of ideas are they?]
I don’t think it’s a story limited to the Quordenze family, but the military officer who became the unit commander has a lot of discretion in commanding their unit. As long as it’s a story that ends within the unit, you can do whatever you want.
I think this is the wisdom in making good use of the power of Lords.
It is difficult for a Lord who can use the special power of magic to equalize their abilities like a slave, and there is little merit in doing so. If you do such a thing, the bloodline will just be wasted.
It is at the root of rational thinking that it is better to give freedom to those with power and let them play an active role to their heart’s content.
That’s why it’s never a bad thing for Raylight to use the Nambonan soldiers entrusted to him and go through trial and error.
He thought a little about my question before answering.
[In the south, we train commoner soldiers.]
That was a really simple answer.
[….is that all?]
[Yes.]
I demanded a detailed explanation for the overly concise answer.
He purposely introduced the know-how of other places, so I wanted there to be surprises and rediscoveries. In other words, something remarkable.
However, the word [Soldier Training] that Raylight was as literal as it can be. Training to improve basic physical strength, giving soldiers the necessary military knowledge, etc., which could only be described as [Soldier Training].
[Is that so… just soldier training? I see…]
Introducing an epoch-making military system that sets it apart from the conventional military system, creating a new wind in the Quordenze army! A new battle doctrine led by Wilk Quordenze, the birth of the Nambonan Doctrine! ……I was disappointed as I let out a sigh because I was expecting something like this to happen.
But, it’s all natural. If it’s an idea that I can judge useful just by hearing it for a while, other senior military officers must have already considered introducing it.
[Indeed. ……Nambonan militias will often move under my direct control. So train them as much as you can. If you need money, report it. I should be able to provide it.]
The ransom that I collected from the Spierzeig family using the corpse of Verret Spierzeig became mine in its entirety. At first, I was going to put it in the Quordenze family vault, but my military exploits have changed into gold and silver coins, so my father told me to use them as I please.
Money is no longer a problem, but it’s hard to think about how to use it since I have so much all of a sudden.
Investing in a pioneering association is one way to go, but now that I’ve received an unofficial offer as the next Head of the family, I thought it might be okay to use the money in various ways on the military side as well.
As a former small-time citizen, I can’t live like a hobbyist, spending all my time collecting books and art as a hobby. …..Well, I’m going to turn it around for a little while.
[Are you sure?]
The one who answered that was not Raylight, but one of the escorts behind him. The tone of his voice contains the nuance that he doesn’t care much.
[Isn’t it fine, it’s just training, isn’t it? It’s something other units are doing too. It’s not something that’s going to make you go crazy.]
I answered lightly, but the escort hesitated with a difficult face. This is their usual reaction when my perception is wrong.
[I allow you to speak.]
[…..Yessir! What common militia need is training, not discipline. Raylight is implementing the latter, so please understand there.]
[Umu…of course.]
A long time ago, there was a General on the Eruo continent who said that the strength of an army is determined by its numbers.
When I heard this, I interpreted it as preaching the importance of the number of soldiers in a war, but that is a fundamentally wrong way of thinking.
The difference between individual commoners barely means anything in front of magic. If you’re going to make your army stronger, just get the numbers together… The essence of this phrase is in preaching how to deal with the existence of serfs.
A commoner with a tough and macho constitution and a commoner with a weak constitution are nothing more than the same “weak human beings” in the eyes of Nobles and Knights.
This is an idea that can be said to be almost common knowledge among military personnel on the Eruo continent, and it is also rooted in the Quordenze army. Rather than spending money on training individual soldiers, they tend to think that hiring mercenaries with that money and arranging them in numbers will increase their military strength more efficiently.
[I think I understand the difference between training and discipline, but…]
[In that case, please use the money for training and hiring soldiers. It’s a unit sometimes led personally by Young Master after all.]
Because it is based on such an idea, the Eruo Continental War theory is basically based on material operations and human-wave tactics as justice, but only the proficiency of the army and unit rather than the individual unit is emphasized.
In the case of an army led by a lord, the commoner militia of serfs can forcibly increase their physical strength with magic that enhances their physical abilities.
Therefore, you have to learn how to move your body differently than usual. Also, being strengthened makes them feel high, so it is also important to teach them self-control to the extent that they can listen to the orders of the squad even in such an excited state. And it is necessary to get them used to the poor physical condition that is the recoil when the body strengthening magic is dispelled.
It is important to give them [Training] several times under the command of a Lord-class military officer, such as giving them body strengthening magic and making them perform simple marches.
In order to make full use of the lord’s power, it can be said that the soldiers were required to have the proficiency to be used as a [Tool].
[Commoners’ bodies are terribly fragile. Young Master may think that there is no difference between us Lords and serfs, but there is a clear difference. By the way, it is the existence of serfs that easily disappears.]
The Rulers of the Eruo continent don’t expect much from the commoners. This is because there is a strong perception that serfs can easily die.
If they catch a cold, it will get worse and they will die. If they eat something bad, they will die from food poisoning. They will die from being attacked by a carnivorous beast. They will die from a snake bite. They will die from various minor things. Since the medical technology on the Eruo continent is almost undeveloped, commoners die from really trivial and silly reasons.
From the point of view of those who live with strong bodies such as Highlords and Lords, [Commoners die as soon as you take your eyes off them], like taking care of a beetle inside an insect cage.
[Commoners with an honest temperament are suitable to become soldiers. I think we should let them get accustomed to physical strengthening as soon as possible and let them experience actual battles.]
[Considering the character of the Nambonan militias, it would be better to spend the money on equipment rather than hiring new mercenaries.]
[Commoner soldiers need to develop the habit of winning. By letting them experience winning battles, they gain confidence, and getting rid of their fear of battle leads to their strength.]
It’s a story from my previous life on Earth, but I’ve heard that in order to raise beetles that are strong in fights, it’s better to let them defeat weaker opponents and build up their confidence, instead of doing muscle training. Apparently comparing commoners to beetles wasn’t the wrong way to describe them.
From the escorts’ assertions, I could understand the naivety of my understanding.
There seems to be some resistance to the idea of training serfs more than I thought. Their determination to not do irrational things was stronger than I imagined.
[I hear that the Lord-class soldiers are valuable in the south, where wars continue. Isn’t it a last resort to train the common militia?]
[If you impose unnecessary training, exhaustion and dissatisfaction will accumulate.]
[The people’s main occupation is agriculture. Don’t forget that you should wield not a spear and a sword, but a hoe and a sickle.]
If you want to strengthen your army, just increase the number of soldiers. If you want to increase your army, you should enrich your territory and wait for commoners to breed. If the number of commoners increases, the number of people who can be recruited will also increase, and the tax revenue necessary to hire mercenaries will also increase. Commoners die easily, so there’s no point in training them.
The strong can do what the strong can do, and the weak can do what the weak can do. It is a wild way of thinking that cuts off individuality with a single stroke, but there is a certain rationality in this world and era.
The people of the Eruo continent have a rather severe view of things like that.
What they said was really logical. As far as I can think of, there is no room for objection.
I was at a loss for words and turned my gaze to Raylight. It is best to hit the military officer’s opinion with another military officer’s opinion.
[You must be well aware of that point, but why did you think of training them anyway?]
[Since the Nambonan militias would sometimes be directly led by Young Master, I thought they should be strong in all aspects. If you don’t train your mind as well as your body, in the worst case, you could end up as a cripple. As the military officer who is entrusted with the soldiers of Quordenze, I can’t just waste them.]
Hearing that, I remembered the battle in Nambonan City. After the battle, the horse that had been continuously cast with my physical strengthening magic collapsed from exhaustion, and for several days after that I couldn’t even ride it.
With physical enhancement magic, the greater the enhancement, the worse the recoil once the magic wears off. Even my well-trained military officers seemed to be in a lot of pain after being strengthened by me.
If a commoner with a fragile mind and body was seriously strengthened, it would likely cause a heart attack the moment the strengthening was terminated. I feel a little terrified at the words of Raylight who said that one might end up a cripple.
However, it seemed that this is not what he really wanted to say.
For a moment, he turned his gaze to the guards behind him, and then he looked at me with eyes laced in a strong will.
[…I apologize for my rudeness. I felt that the ideas of the Quordenze army were old and stagnant.]
Before the escorts could speak, I silenced them with a palm of my hand.
Seeing this, Raylight continued without stopping.
[In the south, new systems, tactics, equipment, and weapons are always actively adopted. H
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