Command Training
The mercenaries understood what Joseph meant and exchanged glances with each other.
Then one of them asked in a somewhat trembling voice.
“……Are you planning to exterminate the demonic beasts?”
“Yes. I’m considering some low-level demonic beasts. It’s not that difficult, is it?”
But no one answered Joseph’s question with a resounding yes.
After all, no matter how low-level the beasts were, hunting them meant risking one’s life.
Moreover, why would they hunt demonic beasts just to train? Even if Joseph was a mage, he couldn’t handle every single one himself.
Especially since the goal was training the private soldiers in command, they themselves would have to face the beasts directly.
“……”
The mercenaries were men who lived off their blades, but the ones in Caladon were a bit different from those in other regions.
Working as mercenaries in Caladon mostly meant guarding people—escorting merchants in the city or guarding warehouses.
But jumping into places swarming with demonic beasts just to make money was something only those who had no other choice would do.
Still, they couldn’t back out now.
Everyone had already given their consent to the request.
Then one of the mercenaries raised his hand.
It was Lento of the Faye Mercenary Troop, who had said he would do anything.
“If it’s demonic beasts, there’s the Harbert Forest.”
“Harbert Forest?”
“Yes. It’s a forest about two days’ walk from here. There are many demonic beasts, so few people approach it.”
Harbert Forest was located northeast of Caladon.
Geographically, passing through it would allow quick access to the eastern territories of Favidea from Caladon.
At that, Joseph’s expression turned curious.
“Why leave such a place untouched in the city?”
“That’s…… According to what I know, no one has bothered to clear it out.”
Even the merchants of Caladon weren’t unaware of the value of Harbert Forest.
If the forest paths were opened, they wouldn’t need to detour along the coast anymore.
They wouldn’t have to waste time facing the sea breeze.
But despite that, no one tried to solve the problem.
The cost of hunting and clearing the beasts wasn’t a small amount.
And if they failed in the hunt, the losses would be even greater.
Since it didn’t cause much inconvenience now, there was no need to take the risk.
It would have been different if it were a city ruled by a single noble.
But since each individual moved for their own benefit, such things happened.
“Wait, setting that aside, what about Viscount Favidea?”
“Viscount Favidea doesn’t care about the area around Caladon.”
The viscount interacted with Caladon merchants, but he didn’t view Caladon itself favorably.
After all, the enormous taxes collected in Caladon flowed directly to the royal court without passing through him.
Since Harbert Forest wasn’t important to him, he wasn’t making any effort to help Caladon.
Ultimately, because of this special situation, Harbert Forest remained a nest of demonic beasts.
“……It doesn’t seem bad.”
Joseph scratched his chin and thought.
Whatever the reason, it was a good thing for Joseph, who needed training at the moment.
It wasn’t far from the city, and most of the beasts were low-level, so they wouldn’t pose a great threat to Joseph now.
The private soldiers had already faced low-level beasts in Malešov, so they wouldn’t be scared.
“Good. Then let’s train there.”
“……Understood.”
At Joseph’s words, the mercenaries hid their uneasy expressions and nodded.
What could they do? It was already done.
***
Joseph divided the mercenaries in half.
“It’s too many to take everyone, and we need to guard the estate.”
Even half of them was ten men, which seemed just right for training a beginner commander.
Moreover, since they were seasoned mercenaries, he thought they would adapt well.
“We’ll need somewhere for the mercenaries to stay.”
He had thought they wouldn’t need a big place until they found lodging, but now the mansion felt a bit cramped.
“Later, when we settle outside the castle, we should definitely find a bigger place.”
It would be good to keep in mind a location that could be expanded as needed, even if it wasn’t a huge building.
Anyway, Joseph instructed Gibra to give the mercenaries a few empty rooms through him, then told Gibra to buy furniture.
It wasn’t what he intended, but that day the mansion of Joseph was bustling with people all day long.
“We depart in a week.”
Joseph told the mercenaries.
If he could, he would have left immediately after the opportunity arose, but there were still things to do.
Even a short trip out of the city would require supplies.(In such cases, it seemed the employer handled basic preparations.)
“Understood.”
The mercenaries, who had initially shown subtle expressions, eventually nodded as if they had accepted.
No matter what problems arose, they couldn’t refuse Joseph’s request, who was clearly destined to become a powerful figure in the city.
And during that time, Joseph handled the remaining tasks.
First, he visited Braham and the Silver Ice Merchant Guild to draft the contract for the Fire Artifacts.
Joseph had worried that trouble might arise between the two, but it was unnecessary worry.
“If it’s a medium that suits fire, don’t worry.”
“Oh, what concern would I have? Master Braham isn’t unfamiliar with artifacts, is he? If you need anything, please tell me anytime.”
Instead, the two seemed close like old friends.
They didn’t dwell on the past.
For them, past friction was nothing compared to the money they would earn.
“Heh heh heh……”
“Annoying.”
Seeing the merchants’ eyes gleam with greed, Joseph let out a small chuckle.
There seemed to have been some transaction between them, but he didn’t worry about it much.
He himself would simply complete the artifacts and receive payment, just like now.
***
While Joseph was moving, the private soldiers entered training with the remaining half of the mercenaries.
The first to take the lead was Auk.
Since Derik and Jiren were still guarding Joseph and Toban, Auk, who had originally been the gatekeeper, was the first to step up.
Auk and the mercenaries gathered in the small garden of the mansion.
“……”
“……”
An awkward silence hung in the air.
Auk hadn’t been particularly worried when he heard he had to do command training.
He had seen Ogier’s soldiers training conscript soldiers right next to him.
But standing before the mercenaries like this, he couldn’t adapt well.
“It would have been better if they were younger than me……”
It might have been easier if they were his peers like the conscript soldiers from Doran Village.
But the ones in front of him now were mercenaries who had been active for at least five years.
No matter how he steeled himself, he felt intimidated.
“……”
But the mercenaries felt the same discomfort.
They were in a position to help with training, but they couldn’t really lead it.
If the commander was like that, they had no choice but to stand awkwardly.
“It would have been nice if Master Mage were here……”
He gave the training methods to the mercenaries and quickly slipped away to take care of some business.
He had heard that other mages usually locked themselves in their rooms, but why did their mage seem so busy?
“Hmph, what should we do first?”
Then one of the mercenaries cleared his throat and asked.
It was to break the ice and move forward somehow.
“Ah, um……”
At that, Auk fell into thought for a moment.
The first thing that came to mind was forming a formation.
Demonic beasts were basically aggressive.
They were monsters that prioritized devouring the humans in front of them over fear of death.
To counter that, making a wall was essential.
“Shields…… Everyone has them.”
Auk tried to instruct the mercenaries to form a formation.
“Wait a minute.”
Then suddenly, the image of his previous employer flashed in his mind.
What would Joseph do here?
He probably wouldn’t just order them to form a formation blindly.
He would have examined various things to reduce gaps somehow.
Auk, who had reached that far, opened his mouth.
“……Among you, is there anyone who has fought demonic beasts before……?”
Then most of the mercenaries raised their hands.
Because of their long experience, encounters with demonic beasts weren’t rare.
“Then I suppose you know what kind of beasts are around here.”
“Yes. Well……”
“What kind of beasts? If you know anything about their size, nature, or anything else, please tell me.”
Auk’s past fights had been only with wild dog demonic beasts and kobolds.
Fighting a giant troll was out of the question.
He began gathering the necessary information bit by bit.
Then, gradually, he felt his mind easing.
It was as if he understood why Joseph always tried to collect information first about anything.
“Moths? Giant moths?”
“Yes. Occasionally, they come out when passing near the forest. They don’t usually come out into bright areas…… but there were some that rushed at campfires.”
Auk nodded.
Then, during nighttime patrols, managing lights would be important.
“Then we shouldn’t light campfires at night.”
“It’s not exactly like that. Since they’re so big, you can detect them before they attack. Their wing sounds are enormous.”
At that, Auk showed interest.
“Then the patrol can detect them in advance.”
“That’s right. But since they fly, it’s hard to block their approach.”
Auk fell into thought for a moment.
If they were flying beasts, a formation alone wouldn’t be enough to stop them.
But if they were large, they could be harassed with arrows.
“Anyone who can use a bow?”
Several raised their hands.
Auk gradually felt the picture forming.
“So that’s how it’s done.”
It wasn’t blindly forming a formation, but observing the opponent and devising countermeasures accordingly.
The mercenaries began answering Auk’s questions more seriously.
At first awkward, they naturally started offering opinions as they approached this way.
“Then let’s try this.”
Auk opened his mouth.
The tremor had left his voice.
***
At that time, Joseph was in the workshop with Toban.
“Are you looking for another artisan?”
“I’m getting help from Gibra, but I haven’t found a reliable person yet. For now, I’m handling this work alone.”
Joseph nodded, and Toban placed several minerals on the desk.
“How do you feel about the medium for the Fire Artifact?”
The minerals Toban placed on the desk were various other materials.
They had a reddish glow, different from Tetra Mountain quartz.
“What is this?”
“It’s red crystal. It’s said to have high affinity with fire elemental magic.”
Joseph picked up the red crystal and examined it.
It felt similar to the Tetra Mountain quartz used in Ice Artifacts, but there was definitely something different.
“Price?”
“A bit more expensive than Tetra Mountain quartz. But it’s not difficult to obtain.”
Joseph nodded.
So that was what Braham meant by not worrying about the medium.
“Let’s make a test version with this first.”
Joseph began infusing magic into the red crystal.
Since it was the first material he handled, he was cautious, but it progressed more smoothly than expected.
“Red crystal seems pretty good too.”
After several adjustments, Joseph succeeded in containing fire in a small red crystal fragment.
When tested, it wasn’t as stable as the Ice Artifact, but it was usable enough.
“This should be fine.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Toban showed a relieved expression.
He was also cautious since it was the first material he handled.
“Then let’s move on to full-scale production.”
Joseph nodded with a satisfied expression.