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. Hard-headed Nobles who couldn't do that were either ruined or perished. ......I believe that blindly believing in the words of a commander from over 200 years ago, and being satisfied with gathering only the number of soldiers, will lead to no military growth, and above all, a narrow mindset. The reason that I started training the soldiers entrusted to me by Young Master was because I was concerned about such things.]

If you do something like that with the soldiers entrusted to you by your Master, you will eventually get the message from the upper echelons, and they will surely get angry at you, saying, [I've given you discretion, but don't keep doing unreasonable things].

I don't think Raylight is stupid enough to not know that, but continuing to train means having some kind of purpose.

I made a thoughtful gesture to stop Raylight from speaking.

[...Does this mean that you are raising a problem for the military officers as a whole by making a trial that is likely to provoke a backlash?]

I concluded that the upper echelons were going to bite at Raylight before long, so that might be the purpose.

He felt that the army needed to grow, but the military officers in the Quordenze territory had no awareness of the problem in the first place. Therefore, I think that he is trying to attract the interest of young military officers by making it easy to understand.

Since he's from the Gatoren family, his voice will reach a wide range, and others shouldn't be able to ignore it easily.

My expectations seemed to be right on the mark, and Raylight looked a little surprised.

[Young Master must've received the report then.]

[Report? No, I've never heard of it.]

[Is that really so? Here I thought it was a piece of wisdom specifically belonging to Ramon...]

Come to think of it, this guy was entrusted to be Ramon's brothel navigator.

According to him, that was the reason why they became friends, even though they were in different positions. It may be natural because they have become hole brothers through prostitutes.

Apparently Raylight, who wanted to do something about the rigidity of the Quordenze army, often consulted Ramon while they're winding the pipe in the bar. And Ramon seems to have had a lot of troubles in working with the military, and often consulted Raylight about his troubles.

[Is that so? So, Ramon said that it is important to first make the military aware that there is a problem.]

[Yessir. I'm afraid the Nambonan Corps is attracting the attention of the military officers because it is a unit under Young Master's direct control. And Young Master...]

[What's wrong? Continue.]

[Yessir. Young Master's ideas are often...well...there's something new about them. In particular, I get the feeling that your perception of the commoners is similar to that of the newly emerging Nobles of the reform faction who are starting to gain power in the south. Ramon also said that even commoners can feel happy when their abilities are appreciated.]

I feel like he chose his words extremely well, but let's ignore that for now.

Either way, what Raylight is trying to do is basically putting [Expectation] on the common militia. As someone who approves of Nambonan citizens governing, I [Expect] the work of citizens, so I may have found a common denominator there.

[Newly emerging Nobles of the reform faction, huh? The southern part of the continent is truly a land of ups and downs.]

[.....What originally comes from the ground, will fall back to the ground. That's the way of the world.]

[.....I see.]

With those words, I finally realized Raylight's true purpose.

Having seen many Nobles perish in the southern part of the continent, he must have something to think about. If the emerging Nobles prospered, there must have been old Nobles who disliked change and perished.

He is trying to show the way so that I, the next Head of the family, will not follow such Nobles. The world is wide, and it is wrong to be bound by boring conventions.

I could easily take it as an arrogant idea, but I felt like I wanted to cheer for a young man who was driven by the beliefs that had grown within him.

[Certainly, Quordenze didn't hone its war techniques by fighting for decades in a state of rivalry like the southern part of the continent. It may be correct to say that there is no change in the old military system and it might not be able to keep up with the times.]

During the turbulent times that started with St. Navempos, the Quordenze family owned the major city of Newnelly, and compared to the surrounding Nobles, they had not only military power, but also economic power, and a strong diplomatic influence.

We used our diplomatic skills and trickery to drive several Noble families to ruin, and we unified the land sandwiched between large rivers, which is now called the mainland. Old records tell the tales of how the battle was basically won by pushing the number of soldiers.

Since we own a blessed city and are blessed with a large population, we will somehow manage for the time being, as long as there is a large number of soldiers within our command.

Even for the Spierzeig family, which controlled the Voistra plains, the fact that the Head of the family at the time was capable was a big part of it, but it can be said that the driving force behind their breakthrough was their possession of the major city of Othelloria.

Justice in numbers... No, the idea that only numbers are justice was a success story and rule of thumb for the Quordentze and Spierzeig families, so there was no need or opportunity to review it.

[I think the idea of using the Spierzeig to explore new forms for the Quordentze army is an interesting one.]

Fortunately or unfortunately, the Quordenze family is at war. So, an unlimited number of verification environments can be prepared.

[But, Young Master...]

[Let's just try it out.]

The escort was still trying to say something, but once I stopped him, he gave up and spoke again.

[.....If it's only Nambonan soldiers and units directly under Young Master, it might be a good idea to try training them once. If it's on that scale, Master won't say anything in particular.]

[He? Here I thought you're going to preach at me?]

[I think there is merit in trying it at least once.]

I feel that he's implying that I'll understand once after I see the failure myself rather than trying to explain it to me.

I wonder what it's like to be a parent watching over a child from a distance to make sure they don't get hurt while playing a game that will definitely fail. Even if you fail, learn something from it and make it your future sustenance.

I may look like a 12 years old boy on the outside, but on the inside I'm basically an old man...but in the end, it's an undeniable fact that I was fascinated by the creation of a special unit unlike any other. is. It may not be fundamentally different from a boy wanting a new toy.

Parent-child conversations such as [I want that toy], [But, you'll end up breaking it soon], [I won't], [It can't be helped, just don't cry when it breaks] come to mind.

.....Well, if it's a small scale, it doesn't matter if it fails. If there is room to try it, I would like to try it.

I glanced at the escorts and then turned to face Raylight.

[....Well, as you heard. Try as much as you like.]

[Yessir! I will do my best to live up to your expectations.]

[Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.]

If I say this, one of the escorts will probably talk to the senior military officer.

I'm sorry for the enthusiastic Raylight, but I think most of this will end in failure.

I hear that the Noble families in the southern part of the continent don't have many followers, and their territory is in ruins. The measures that Raylight has learned are probably suitable for such a small-scale environment, and I don't think that all of them can be applied to Quordenze as they are. This is because on a large scale there is something called efficiency that takes advantage of the scale. As the escorts say, in the Quordenze territory, which is rich in human resources, it may be more efficient as a result to push through with the amount of material rather than doing small tricks.

But, that's not the point.

What I should do is pick up only the results that can be used from his trial and error, and praise his challenger spirit.

Ultimately, the key is to converge to a vague form of [A project that made various discoveries] rather than [A project that ended in failure]. If I do that, it should be easier for other military officers in the future, and me too, to express their opinions without fear of failure.

Regardless of whether this attempt succeeds or fails, I believe that the most important thing in the end is to create an environment in which ambitious people can proactively make proposals.

Raylight is from the Gatoren family, and since he is a Lord, I don't think he's felt that much, but the serf's military officers have a low voice and are often narrow-minded. The best form for Quordenze is to create an environment in which he can contribute something to such military officers and be evaluated, and in the end, this should be what he wants.

Although it's easier said than done, it's more difficult than anything else.

A performance-based system cannot be established without a manager who can correctly evaluate the results, and I am sadly aware of the reality that if it is introduced in a haphazard manner, it will only make it difficult for the people at the end of the line to work. Isn't this the scene where my knowledge of Japan in the previous life is most useful?

Just like the escorts say, it's good to learn from small mistakes and improve little by little.

I don't have enough self-confidence to firmly deny the opposition of those around me and push forward with reforms, so this is enough.

For the time being, my goal is to create an environment where everyone can speak up if they have a good idea, regardless of whether they are Lords or Serfs.

[Lastly, let me ask you one thing. Do you have any goals for the training? Even if you refer to the southern part of the continent, aren't they all using the same system?]

Since he is still a young military officer, there may be some parts that demand change more than necessary, but the fact that he is moving with such enthusiasm means that he has a sense of crisis for the future of the Quordenze army.

In other words, he had an ideal military form in his head. Considering the flow of the story, of course, it should be based on the noble family in the southern part of the continent.

Raylight took his time to put together his words, then after taking a deep breath, slowly shared his idea.

[There is a form to aim for. Even in the south, there are small Noble families and large Noble families. Especially in places with strong economic power, there are places that organize permanent soldiers. It's like the engineer soldiers, so to speak.]

[Hoo...]

[They have high morale, can understand orders well and move precisely, and have more physical strength than normal soldiers, so they can deal with a little unreasonableness. From the leader's point of view, they are very easy to use, and they can use physical strengthening magic to the maximum. It is a unit that can be pulled out to. Unlike engineer soldiers, there is no loss of construction personnel with specialized skills when they are lost. They earn their living by fighting.]

I honestly thought that was good.

Engineers are professional architects, carpenters, and loyal soldiers. If they die in battle, you may lose even the knowledge and skills of architecture.

I always thought that it was a very inefficient system, but it is a part that has not been touched because it has been like that until now. I think it's precisely because the engineer soldier system is closely related to the governing structure of the nobility that it hasn't been reviewed until now.

In the southern part of the continent, as a result of reviewing and reforming the Noble system itself, they settled on a new system called the standing army.

As someone who knows the Earth Age, I don't think a standing army is anything special, but it must be an innovative idea in the Eruo continent, where conscription and mercenaries are the main focus.

[A high-level and stable commoner unit is much stronger than we think. A unit that can skillfully manipulate weapons with complex mechanisms and understand arcane orders, it can serve as a unit led by multiple Lords for a long period of time. It was even possible to still use them, even though the commander was just a serf.]

I could hear the three mercenaries standing behind Raylight whispering.

[Is he talking about the Orville family?]

[That's right.]

[They did nail us perfectly back then.]

Raylight and the trio who noticed my gaze hurriedly closed their mouths and turned their faces to the ground.

[...It seems that they were quite an impressive enemy.]

[Ha. It's an embarrassing story....At the time, I was employed as a mercenary by a relatively powerful nobleman in the south. And the Orville family was hostile to this family. This Orville family was originally a Noble family with only a very small territory. But, after the old Head was replaced by the Head of the family with innovative ideas, under his guidance, it reached the peak of its prosperity in an instant. It is said that the widely spread standing army system also originated from the Orville family.]

I already knew what kind of Noble family that the Orville family was at the moment, but I decided to just give a backhand so as not to break the story.

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[A battle with the ever-expanding Orville family became inevitable, and we decided to participate in a surprise attack under the command of the Head of the family. There were several forts on the invasion route. However, it had already been investigated that only commoner militia were stationed there, so it was not given much importance, as all units were decked out with Lord-class mercenaries to complete the operation.]

In the do-or-die situation, using doping items is the best.

[To make it short, the operation failed. The Lord-class army led by me and the Head of the family succeeded in attacking the enemy's base, but the rest of the army was stranded for a while and didn't arrive as planned. As you may have guessed by now, it was the standing army units that were stationed in the fort that held them back. I let my guard down and wasted a lot of time.]

Judging from the conversation just now, the three mercenaries in the back were in the unit that got held back.

If they lost to another Lords, it might not be too much of a problem. But losing to serf troops, it must be really frustrating.

[It has long been known that the common militia belonging to the House Orville's standing army is strong. Even so, we underestimated them because they consisted of serfs.]

In the wake of the failure, Raylight began to research the Orville family on his own.

It is said that he sometimes infiltrated the Orville territory like a spy in order to find out why the Orville family was so successful.

I see, that's how he gradually envisioned the shape of my ideal army.

Seeing the timing when Raylight stopped talking, I came to an abrupt conclusion.

[The target form is the Orville army... No, it would be better to call it the Rickarga army.]

At those words, Raylight's eyes widened.

[As expected of Young Master...did you know about them already?]

[Not really, I just heard about them from travelers. I don't know the details, of course.]

The territory is small, and the only specialty is the salt fields where high-quality salt can be harvested. Such a weak Noble family went through a bold territorial reform in the wake of the change of the Head of the family, and now it has grown to become the chief of the Noble alliance in the Rickarga region.

The Rickarga Alliance.

It is the southernmost emerging country on the continent that recently declared its founding, and its leader is the Orville family who came up in Raylight's story.

[Judging from the failure of the surprise attack, the Noble that you were employed by is the Charlotte family?]

[...it is as Young Master guessed.]

[It's an interesting story. Tell me more about the details after we return to Nambonan City.]

The situation in the southern part of the continent is very interesting, but it would be annoying to talk for a long time with the soldiers on hold.

So, I sought to end the conversation for now.

[Yessir. Please contact me anytime.]

I took out a letter from my pocket in response to Raylight, who replied with the atmosphere that it would still be a long way to go.

While making a showy move, I raised my voice a little so that even the militias who were still standing could hear it.

[I will return to Nambonan City in three days. And I plan to bring the Nambonan militias with me.]

The militias shouted in response.

The color of joy oozes from their voices. It's easy to imagine that the Nambonan militias were starting to miss their hometown.

I took a step in the direction of the Nambonan militias and continued.

[You all have made a name as the Heroes who bravely attacked the impregnable Reisleaf. The rumor has spread wide across the land. Let us make a triumphant return.]

All the soldiers raised their heads at once and stared at us.

The Nambonan militias fought on the front lines of the capture of Reisleaf Castle, leaving behind a great deal of achievement. Such rumors are widely spread in Nambonan City. It's because I gave instructions to secretly spread the rumors.

The fact that Nambonan City went against the Quordenze family is still fresh in our memory. In the midst of all this, the fact that the volunteer soldiers who served as representatives of the city played an active role and were able to contribute to the Quordenze family was a joyous event considering the city's position in the future, and it seems that the citizens are squeezing their hearts out.

These Nambonan militias had become Heroes of the city without themselves knowing.

[You should be proud of your work this time. Feel free tell the story of conquering Reisleaf together even to the generations of your grandchildren's grandchildren.]

My words caused the soldiers to make a fuss.

Now that they have received the approval of the Nobles, they will be able to brag without hesitation to anyone.

The concept of having Nambonan soldiers as a standing army has become a reality due to Raylight's proposal, so preparations are underway. In composing the standing army, I want to improve the image as much as possible.

Nambonan boys who are looking for a job, they can instead apply to become Nambonan soldiers... With such an honor, more citizens will respond to recruitment, which will increase the motivation of the unit.

[Will you be staying in Nambonan City?]

In contrast to the happy Nambonan soldiers, Raylight asked with a serious look.

[No, I will return to Newnelly after staying in Nambonan for a few days.]

[...Does that mean General Galfis will guard the castle here?]

The letter that arrived in the morning determined my future schedule, so the military officer on the scene had not been notified yet.

It seems that my absence made him feel uneasy about protecting Reisleaf, and his face turned serious. The one who answered the question was the escort.

[The General is scheduled to enter the castle the day after tomorrow.]

The escort continued to the unconvinced Raylight.

[Don't be so worried. I certainly want the Young Master to be able to stare at the foreign land with the General for as long as possible.]

My grandfather was attacked by the Spierzeig family when he was alone in the foreign land, so it is natural for a military officer to want the two Highlords who can fight for a while to avoid a surprise attack again.

Originally, I was planning to attend the nobility gathering meeting scheduled to be held in the Royal Capital in the spring, but I thought it was quite possible that I have to pass it on now that Reisleaf Castle was taken.

I'm in a state where I've received an unofficial position as the next Head of the family. Here, I can feel my father's intention to keep me in a position where I can afford to be absent from the Royal Capital's social gathering.

It's rude not to show up at the Royal Capital's society even though the next Head of the family has been decided, but if it's an unofficial decision, it won't be seen as a big problem because it will end as a story within the Quordenze family.

But, considering the movement of the Spierzeig family, the adjustment of interests within the kingdom, and the situation on the continent, there is no doubt that my father's policy was to take me to the capital if possible.

In such a situation, I received a letter from my father asking me to return to Newnelly to prepare for the Royal Capital social gathering.

[From now on, Spierzeig will be in the gutter for a while. We won't be subjected to a pincer operation like the last time.]

In short, the problem has been solved.