From Mercenary to King

Chapter 91: The Mercenary Bureau's First Request (5)

It was noon, the time when the sunlight felt most stinging.

The mercenaries entered the city of Knut with weary footsteps.

As the heavily armed mercenaries marched in, the citizens watched them with anxious eyes, but the mercenaries didn't care at all.

“Aaaah! I finally feel at ease now that we're in the city.”

“I’m dying of exhaustion, maybe because the battles happened one after another.”

“I want to take a bath with hot water for the first time in a while. Is that possible? My nose is practically paralyzed from the stench.”

“It’s already been a month since we left the Free City of Loren. I really don't know how we managed to camp out for a whole month.”

Complaints broke out here and there as voices longing for rest poured out.

Shatien just listened to those complaints in silence.

Miles, unable to watch any longer, leaned in and whispered.

“How about letting them rest for a bit? The mercenaries are very tired.”

“But the current scheduled itinerary is tight. Even if it's hard, we should rest after arriving at the front line.”

People might think he was being too harsh, but it couldn't be helped.

A contract was a contract.

Going to the front line and properly fulfilling the contract first was the priority.

They were just in the middle of performing the very first contract of the Mercenary Office.

To maintain trust, that was the right way to go.

Of course, it wasn't that Shatien didn't want to let them rest.

He just needed a proper justification.

‘There’s nothing worse for morale than letting it drop over nothing. Besides, they need a good rest to recover their strength so they can fight better.’

Even if they rested, it would only be for a short day, and there was no way the Lord, the ruler of the city, would allow an army of this size to stay inside the city.

In the end, it would mean camping out again.

Just then, the tax collector, who'd said he would go ahead, came running from afar.

It was quite impressive that he could run that distance while dragging his plump body.

“Huff, huff. Sir Shatien! Welcome to the city of Knut.”

Exhaling ragged breaths, the tax collector continued speaking.

“So, was the tax issue resolved well?”

“Yes. Thanks to you…. Phew….”

After taking a deep breath, the tax collector brought up something unexpected.

“The, well, Baron Knut has allowed the mercenary unit to be stationed inside the city.”

“Oh…?”

It was a surprising thing.

He was allowing mercenaries, who were an outside force and could cause a huge problem if they lost control, to be stationed within the city.

Well, for Shatien, there was nothing bad about it.

In fact, the mercenary members who heard the news let out a roar of cheers.

“Wooooah! This is the best.”

“Centurion! Can we reorganize as well? I’m desperate for hot water!”

“Hehehe. Please, I beg you.”

Since the mercenaries liked it so much, there was no other choice.

Shatien chuckled and allowed them a long awaited rest.

He granted them alcohol, delicious food, and cozy conversation partners.

Then he looked back at the tax collector.

He seemed to have more to say.

“Didn't I say there would be, well, a very wonderful banquet?”

“Well, you did say that. Why? Did the Lord of Knut really invite me?”

Then the tax collector jumped up and shouted brightly.

“Of course! Doesn't everyone see that Sir Shatien is a very great knight? You even lead subordinates with such incredible discipline.”

“They’re my subordinates, but they're mercenaries.”

He corrected his words, but the tax collector didn't care.

Whether they were mercenaries, squires, or vassals, weren't they all the same in the grand scheme of things?

Whether bound by money or by the land provided, the fact that they remained loyal as long as the contract existed was the same.

At least, that’s what the tax collector thought.

“Anyway, Baron Knut has invited you. He said he’s prepared a very grand banquet, so you can look forward to it. Hahahaha.”

“Uhahaha! As expected, the Lord here recognizes our captain too!”

“Hurrah! Hurrah for the banquet!”

Once again, thunderous cheers erupted.

There wasn't a subordinate who would feel bad about the captain they followed being recognized.

It was a situation that made Shatien smile naturally.

‘As expected, being a noble isn't easy.’

Shatien had no choice but to send someone to Sir Ragnarsson with a message explaining the circumstances in detail.

After doing all this, his heart felt much lighter.

‘Since things turned out this way, I should take a good rest before leaving.’

Thus, Shatien headed inside the castle following the tax collector’s guidance.

* * *

Shatien attended the banquet wearing the formal attire he'd received from his master a long time ago.

-Ting, ting, ting.

As soon as he entered, the sweet sound of a harp tickled his ears.

It was followed by the melodious song of a minstrel.

‘Oh, the scale is much larger than I thought.’

The ceiling was high and the floor was spacious.

In a space that could easily hold hundreds of people, massive tables were set out with an endless amount of food pouring onto them.

On silver platters, rare meats like goose, wild boar, and venison, seasoned heavily with spices, were sizzling and tempting him with their alluring appearance.

He’d definitely said he’d prepared a grand banquet, and he truly had reason to be proud of it.

While Shatien was scanning his surroundings, his gaze stopped at one spot.

In the middle of a table lined with colorful northern food, there was a middle aged elf.

Unlike an elf who loved battle, he had a bloated physique, and since half of one ear was cut off, his eyes naturally went to him.

“Uhahaha!”

Whether he’d spotted Shatien, Baron Knut burst into a boisterous laugh.

“Here! Over here! Our protagonist has arrived!”

The nobles who had arrived early and were sitting down let out praises all at once at those words.

“The Knight Killer Shatien!”

“Indeed, that reputation isn't for nothing. This band of bandits was led by some wandering knight, making them very difficult to subjugate.”

“This is the knight who blocked the Emperor’s advance, so would he really be stopped by a mere band of bandits? This person is making a joke.”

To elves, an outstanding warrior was an object of worship.

Even if they weren't a noble, their culture dictated that a superior warrior should naturally be respected.

Therefore, the looks directed at Shatien, who was both a noble and a great warrior, were truly enthusiastic.

‘Hmmm. This is quite burdensome.’

He knew it would be like this, but experiencing it in person was definitely different.

The cringeworthy praises pouring toward him were quite burdensome for Shatien.

Of course, he did his best not to show it.

“I greet the Baron.”

“No. There’s no need to be so formal, Sir Shatien. Come, come. Sit beside me and have some delicious food!”

“It’s an honor.”

Shatien followed the Baron’s guidance and sat in the seat next to him.

Then, Baron Knut spoke to him as if he’d been waiting.

“Haha. Thank you so much for accepting the invitation, Sir Shatien. Even without this, rumors about you are hitting the North hard these days. They say a formidable new knight has appeared. I didn't know I would see you in person like this.”

It was a burdensome thing to hear, but Shatien replied with as much of a smile as possible.

“I’m nothing special. It’s all a hollow reputation.”

“Haha. What do you mean hollow? I’ve already heard of your exploits through the tax collector. I heard you didn't just kill the leader of the bandits by yourself, but also wiped out everyone from the officers to the rest of the bandits?”

“…….?”

He hadn't wiped out all the bandits, though?

Anyway, that tax collector, he didn't see him that way, but he was a person with more exaggeration than Shatien had thought.

However, Shatien wasn't someone whose social skills were so ruined that he would say "that isn't true" to his face.

He just left his words vague.

“Ah, yes….”

“Hahahaha. That was truly satisfying. If even one of them had been alive, I would’ve chewed them up, bones and all. Thanks to you, I can finally stretch my legs and rest in peace!”

“…I’m glad to hear that.”

Shatien thought to himself that he should absolutely never bring up the story of his newly recruited subordinates who were former bandits to this Baron Knut.

“Come, come. Let’s not just talk, let’s have a toast!”

“To Sir Shatien who has visited the North!”

“To Sir Shatien!”

“Uhahahaha!”

Shatien fell into the atmosphere as he clinked glasses filled with mead.

The atmosphere, which was more natural, rustic, and boisterous than he’d expected, wasn't bad.

‘The northern nobles' culture is certainly a bit… different.’

Should he say they didn't act like typical nobles?

Of course, this wasn't in a bad sense.

It meant they were that much easier to approach and felt more human.

Well, they were elves, not humans.

If he had to be precise, they felt more like warriors than nobles.

The Baron felt like a leader of warriors leading a tribe.

Then again, thinking of Ragnarsson, it was obvious they would be like that.

“So you're on your way to being dispatched to the North?”

Suddenly, Baron Knut shifted the topic of interest.

“Yes. I’m going to suppress the rebels. After clashing with the bandits this time, I’m a bit worried, but well… aren't they just from serf backgrounds after all?”

At Shatien’s confident words, Baron Knut gave a hearty laugh.

“You saw it exactly! Right, where did those damn serfs go crazy enough to dare to commit banditry. And they did it by hiding cowardly like that.”

“Well… I don't think it'll be much of a problem as long as we watch out for ambushes. Their equipment and nutritional status were mostly poor. It’s just that I don't have a guide who knows the paths in this area….”

When he mentioned it tentatively, Baron Knut spoke with a grin.

“Why worry about something like that? I’ll help you.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yeah. What’s the big deal about something like that? I’ll attach a friend to you who’s a total pro at finding paths, so don't worry.”

“Thank you, Baron.”

Thanks to that, he felt like he’d achieved the goal of attending this banquet very quickly.

“By the way, how on earth did this rebellion grow so large?”

Baron Knut gave a bitter smile.

“Various problems are a bit complicated. Do you know that pagans still remain in the North?”

“Hm, yes, I know.”

There was an ancient northern faith that the elves and some people living in the North used to believe in.

Gods who loved blood, battle, and honorable deaths.

That faith had turned into culture and was maintained even after conversion, but some northerners were rejecting even that.

Because of this, these pagans were always targets of oppression in the North.

“Then it’ll be easy for you to understand. While cracking down on those pagans, the sparks hit the serfs too. The pagans joined hands with the serfs, and when a famine hit on top of that, lords who apostatized by calling it the will of the gods appeared, making the situation grow bigger and bigger.”

After hearing the rough explanation, it was ultimately a matter of religion and culture.

‘He’s talking while… completely leaving out the tax issue.’

He was acting just like a typical noble. Shatien let out an involuntary dry laugh.

Would they risk their lives to start a rebellion if he just let them have enough to eat and live?

They started a rebellion because they were squeezed until it reached that point.

Of course, he had no intention of telling this opinion to Baron Knut.

Anyway, what he needed was more information.

“Since the brave northern nobles have taken up their swords, the rebels will be suppressed soon, right?”

“Right. They’ll be suppressed in no time. Aren't they just serfs at most? The nobles and pagans hanging onto them are all small fry. It’s a matter that’ll end if we gather the cavalry and push through. Haha.”

It was a tone literally overflowing with a competitive spirit and confidence.

The problem was that it felt like he was missing some self objectivity.

“Then do they say there's a military procurement plan or a movement plan according to the mobilization order? I think I should head that way to match it….”

“Huh? Why is something like that necessary?”

“Pardon?”

“Uhahaha. Aren't they just serfs and leftovers anyway? We’ll win just by gathering and fighting. You have too many worries.”

“Ah, ahahaha. You're right.”

He played along, but Shatien became worried for a moment.

These northern nobles….

They were thinking too complacently.

‘The war looks like it'll grow much bigger than I thought. The fight with the Emperor also grew faster, and he’s already been defeated….’

Because of that, their confidence might be even higher.

Shatien once again felt that the wheels of history might be changing.