The Ultimate Weapon, the Bow (1)
It was, quite literally, a demonstration by the Lord (Acting). Since it was common knowledge that Aiden didn’t know how to ride a horse, the sight of him atop a white stallion, his black hair cascading to his shoulders as he galloped, was a shock to the onlookers.
It was a spectacle that would haunt the dreams of the beautiful women who had already been captivated by him, playing on an endless loop without a hint of fatigue.
“Look at that! He’s doing it! He’s actually doing it! Uhehehehe!”
If Groblin hadn’t been jumping up and down, shouting for everyone to look at the wild horse he’d tamed, it was certain that everyone would have remained spellbound, staring blankly at the horse and the beauty riding it.
“Whoa, whoa there.”
The white stallion, having made a wide loop around the village, threw its head back as if to show off, let out a long, proud neigh, and came to a halt.
Aiden, his face slightly flushed, smiled brightly and muttered happily, “So *this* is why people ride horses.”
The demonstration was, needless to say, a massive success.
“The examiners of the Credit Union have unanimously decided to invest.”
The investment in Groblin’s horse ranch was decided in an instant.
It was the natural result, given that the leader of a wild horse herd—which until just a few days ago had been galloping across the plains, refusing to let any human near it even at the cost of its life—had carried a novice rider on its back and spent the entire time showing off how clever it was to everyone watching.
Groblin’s stock had skyrocketed in an instant.
“I suspect that if this news spreads, the Groblins who are still wandering around without a place to settle will find it easier to find their footing. Now that everyone has seen the ability of a Groblin, wouldn’t there be people willing to learn the trade, even for no pay?”
“That’s good. But no unpaid work. We don’t tolerate that archaic apprenticeship system in the North. Tell the Chamber of Commerce and the Credit Union to monitor it properly. If I hear anything suspicious, it’s straight to the mines for them.”
“Yes, sir. I will double-check that.”
While establishing the Chamber of Commerce and the Credit Union, Aiden had been meticulous in ensuring that the Empire’s apprenticeship system didn’t take root in the North.
To the eyes of an MZ-generation civil servant, the apprenticeship method—where disciples work under a single master to learn the trade—was, at best, labor exploitation, illegal contracting, and intern fraud.
- We’re already short on labor as it is; if they work for free under a master, who’s going to pay taxes, and how will money circulate in the market? That’s absolute nonsense. Absolutely not!
- But the masters will protest quite strongly...
- Who are these ‘masters’ in our North, anyway?
- Oh, you’re right.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any masters in this vast land, but the only “genuine” ones with more than a dozen disciples were, at most, Old Man Faber from the mines and Lapisha the healer.
Old Man Faber was a convict, and Lapisha wasn’t the type to begrudge her disciples their wages, so the push was successful with just a single official document.
Small workshops with two or three disciples protested at first, but when they were asked, “Are you planning on not using the trading post or the post office anymore?”, they all bowed their heads.
Aiden’s stance—that he had offered enough carrots, and if they stood tall and stiff, they would have their heads broken by the administrative hammer—meant that, at least in the North, even a master’s disciples had become excellent economic citizens who could plan for their futures with decent wages.
“But is it really possible to start the horse ranch right away?”
“Of course. The ranch owner says there are three wild horse herds he’s been eyeing nearby. One large one, and two smaller ones. He says if you combine the populations, including the foals, there should be nearly two hundred horses.”
“That many? Will they be able to handle that?”
“Another Groblin has decided to help. He says they’ll use the investment money to hire more staff, too.”
“Still, it’s a ranch; if there’s nowhere to sell them—ah, I suppose that won’t be a problem.”
Aiden was a layman when it came to raising horses.
However, horses were livestock where demand always exceeded supply.
Even just within the North, there were countless places that would drool at the prospect if they only had the capacity to increase their numbers, and if they considered selling to regions outside the North, the demand would be explosive.
“They plan to send fifty horses to the barracks and the trading post first as soon as their training is complete.”
“The trading post? Not the post office?”
“The post office was pushed down the priority list because they said they could handle the workload with the horses they already have. Kalisa was throwing a fit, but she’s quieted down since it was decided to prioritize the trading post.”
“You can’t be greedy for both. You managed the traffic well.”
“Hehe. Oh, but the barracks made a rather unusual request. Here.”
Jamie brought the report to Aiden’s desk.
“...They want small horses supplied first? Why?”
The warhorses used in the barracks were larger and taller than the horses that pulled supply wagons. Since the knights riding them gained an advantage by securing height, they preferred larger horses.
“Is it to pull military rations?”
“I don’t think so. Mules are already sufficient for that.”
“Hmm.”
Jamie, who looked like a barracks expert but was surprisingly a brainy type, shrugged, saying he didn’t know either.
Just then, the door opened at the perfect moment, and the person who could provide the explanation appeared.
“It is to teach the beginners.”
It was Biyan, the Knight Commander in charge of the Northern barracks.
“Sir Biyan.”
“I greet my Lord.”
“‘My Lord,’ that is unnecessary. Please, rise.”
Aiden helped up Biyan, who had bent one knee to show respect.
Biyan, who offered his respects and said it had been a long time, was a somewhat difficult person for Aiden to deal with.
‘Soldiers are always a bit...’
Perhaps because of his past life, where the boundary between the civil and military was clear, Aiden had tried his best not to interfere in military affairs while serving as an Administrative Officer.
Unless there was a problem, that is.
Unlike the administrative side, which had been a complete mess—not even conducting proper household surveys and failing to update records for over five years—the Northern barracks, led by knights, were clean. Even if they were poor and lacking, every soldier’s eyes and the blades of their weapons were sharp, so Aiden had simply trusted them and left it to them, thinking, ‘I don’t know much about the military, so the knights will handle it.’
- A-Administrative Officer!
- ...I will not disappoint you.
- Salute!
The knights and soldiers leading the North interpreted Aiden’s attitude differently, and a layer of one-sided misunderstandings had piled up, but Aiden himself was oblivious.
“I should have greeted you more often; I apologize. But Sir Biyan, may I ask why small horses are needed to teach beginners? In my limited opinion, the soldiers will eventually use standard-sized horses after learning to ride, so I don’t see why small horses are necessary at the start.”
“...Actually, I inspected the civil militias of each village this spring.”
“Ah, I remember receiving that report.”
Aiden recalled a report he had received last month.
“I remember there being no particular problems.”
“Yes. In fact, with the creation of regular village-level hunting competitions, the militias’ readiness and skills have improved significantly.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“The barracks do not want to miss this opportunity.”
“Opportunity?”
“The militarization of the militia—it is the dream of all Northern knights.”
No, what is this now?
Aiden cast a look at Jamie for help, but Jamie shook his head, saying he didn’t know much about the barracks either.
“...It seems we need to talk about this in more detail.”
Aiden stood up and led Biyan to the conference table.
He poured the tea himself and called a maid to request snacks. Biyan was touched, but Jamie sighed.
‘Since he even ordered snacks, this won’t end early.’
Aiden, who rarely took tea or snacks while working, had ordered them himself? That was a declaration that they would be working past mealtime.
The poor knight didn’t seem to know that yet.
“...So, the militarization of the militia means that every village in the North ultimately functions as part of the barracks, capable of being absorbed into the barracks in an emergency and becoming immediately available resources. Is that what I understand correctly?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Training conditions in the Northern barracks, goals and intermediate steps, tactics and strategy, defense plans, preparations for emergencies like monster waves, ranger operations, veteran management, organic connections with the militia, and more.
Biyan, who had finished a sort of intensive tutoring session on the Northern barracks that lasted for several hours, looked visibly haggard, but Aiden, having learned something new for the first time in a while, looked as bright and rejuvenated as if he had sucked the very life force out of the knight.
“And you needed small horses for the beginners to facilitate the militarization of the militia?”
“That is correct. When the barracks inquired with the Groblin who will be operating the horse ranch, he said that smaller wild horses could be supplied at a lower cost. Furthermore, he replied that they are docile, making them easy to train, and have a social temperament, making them perfect for beginners.”
“I’m sure there are downsides as well.”
“You are correct. Northern wild horses are generally smaller than the crossbreeds commonly used, so if they were to clash directly on the battlefield, the height disadvantage would be a significant drawback.”
“Even so, if the barracks requested small horses, may I understand that you have a countermeasure?”
“By any chance, my Lord, do you know what weapon is currently trending in the militias of each village?”
Aiden tilted his head at Biyan’s words.
He had never received such a report.
“Well, I don’t.”
When he answered while scratching his cheek, Biyan smiled and replied.
“It is natural that you do not know. Even in our barracks, we were completely unaware of this until we went out for the fact-finding survey. Since the militia is, after all, an autonomous armed group of the village, there is no fixed weapon organization.”
“Hearing you say that makes me feel better. I was a bit embarrassed. I felt like I didn’t know something I should have known. Haha.”
Biyan, who had laughed along with Aiden’s lighthearted remark while drinking tea, straightened his expression and became serious again.
“Before I answer, I have one question. May I ask?”
“Please, speak freely.”
“Did you, my Lord, perhaps anticipate that the aftermath of the hunting competition would lead to this?”
At Biyan’s question, Jamie, who had been taking notes on the meeting, felt his cheekbones rise slightly. He assumed the knight was wearing rose-colored glasses and had misunderstood something.
Aiden, too, initially tried to wave it off. Because he couldn’t fathom the relationship between the hunting competition, the militia’s weapons, and the small horses for beginners.
‘...Huh?’
But after placing the three keywords side by side, something didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar.
‘This feels familiar, somehow?’
Aiden blinked twice, and before he knew it, he let out a single word.
“...A bow?”