Chapter 17
Episode 17
'Just as I expected...'
The situation unfolded exactly as Logan had anticipated.
There were two surefire ways to handle mercenaries:
Money and power.
Mercenaries sold their strength for gold, and selling strength meant risking their lives.
Thus, they instinctively recognized the strong and sought to befriend them.
As allies, standing beside the powerful increased their chances of survival. Even if they became enemies, it left room for mercy.
This was a survival instinct ingrained deeper the longer one worked as a mercenary—something Logan, who had lived decades as a mercenary in his past life, knew better than anyone.
"I'll have the territory's physician treat you with potions. You'll recover in a few days. You all know this is a light punishment for noble defamation, right?"
Tap.
When he nudged the fallen mercenary with his foot, the unconscious man trembled violently.
Yet no one dared mention the truth—that the son of a noble wasn't technically a noble himself, and the crime of noble defamation warranted nothing more than a flogging at worst.
No, right now, they had no room to dwell on such trivialities.
"A Force user?!"
"At that age?"
"That's insane—how is that possible?"
Whispers filled with shock rippled through the crowd, while those who had been mocking moments ago averted their gazes as if they had never spoken ill.
The spectacle of golden light radiating from Logan's hand was unmistakable.
"Hmm."
Even Kai, who had vaguely suspected this, let out a low hum. But he still had something to say.
"Was this really necessary, employer?"
"These aren't A-rank mercenaries like you. Even if they don't outright break contracts, they might slack off."
"What does that matter? If I keep them in line—"
Kai still seemed unconvinced, but Logan had no intention of persuading him further.
This was a necessary step—especially because of the weapons they would receive later.
"Since I'll be leading them eventually, establishing dominance now ensures they won't take my words lightly. It'll make training easier for you too, won't it?"
With Logan framing it that way, Kai had no choice but to reconsider.
'So he wasn't just playing soldier after all.'
The absurd notion of "crossbow cavalry" had initially made Kai skeptical, but now, tension seeped back into his mind.
Logan smiled inwardly. This was the second effect he had aimed for with this display.
"I am Logan MacLaine, the one who gathered you all here."
Only after the commotion settled did the formal introduction begin.
Standing atop a prepared podium, Logan delivered his words calmly, but the training grounds remained silent, still reeling from his earlier demonstration.
Enjoying the silence, Logan spoke again.
"Many of you must be wondering why I spent so much gold to gather you all here."
He paused, scanning the mercenaries' burning gazes one by one, before grinning and continuing.
"To ease your worries, I'll pay you for the days you've waited. Rest assured, this isn't some madman's scam after eating monster meat."
Scattered chuckles broke out.
With their tension slightly eased, Logan cut straight to the point.
"I intend to train you all as mounted cavalry. Naturally, this will be a long-term contract lasting at least a year."
"Whoa!"
"Seriously?!"
For mercenaries—who lived by the sword, earning gold through life-and-death battles—a long-term contract was nothing short of a dream.
Clients rarely offered long-term contracts when immediate battles loomed.
Every battle meant fewer surviving mercenaries, making long-term agreements meaningless before combat.
Thus, a long-term contract was both a guarantee of no imminent battles and a promise of steady income.
"However! You must undergo training under this A-rank mercenary, Kai. The training period will last at least three months."
The cheers dimmed.
"This is a bit..."
"Come on, no matter how you look at it..."
"Why at our age?"
"Ah, this is tough."
The mercenaries grew restless for entirely different reasons, but Logan's next words silenced them once more.
"The contract is for one year, with a monthly wage of 400 gold. Additionally, the horses provided will become your property once the contract ends."
Jaws dropped.
For a moment, the mercenaries just stared blankly at each other before snapping back to reality one by one.
"WOOOOAH!"
"Deal!"
The training grounds erupted in cheers again.
And why wouldn't they?
The standard rate for C-rank mercenaries was 400 gold—and that was wartime pricing.
In peacetime, especially for extended contracts, their value could plummet to less than half. Yet here was Logan, offering the full 400 gold without a single deduction.
On top of that, horses—worth at least 1,000 gold—were being handed over, effectively giving them a bonus equivalent to three months' wages just for signing.
No mercenary could refuse such terms.
"However, I plan to train you as crossbow cavalry. Those who aren't suited won't be accepted."
But at this condition, some mercenaries' faces darkened.
The ridiculous notion of "crossbow cavalry" aside, firing bows while riding required flexibility and agility.
Even if they were all skilled riders, riding and shooting were entirely different skills.
"Therefore, we'll begin a simple qualification test now."
Though murmurs rose, no one protested.
In the end, 312 mercenaries—excluding 13 who refused training and 25 who failed the test—signed contracts with Logan that day.
And starting the very next morning, Kai and the mercenary band began their specialized training.
-Become my knight.
Victor was prepared to do anything to achieve the goal his new master had set.
But the first order given upon arriving at the territory was utterly baffling.
"Eat well and sleep well for now."
"Excuse me?"
"That's all you need to do right now."
Whether Victor was stunned or not, his new master left those words and disappeared.
Moreover, the meals and sleeping arrangements provided from that day onward were luxuries Victor and his sister Ria had never experienced in their lives.
Soft bread, meat, and even plush bedding.
All of it only made Victor more uneasy.
'Why? Why is he doing this?'
Having steeled himself for harsh treatment, this was even stranger.
But on the morning of the third day, his confusion was resolved.
"Come out, Victor. Training starts now."
At dawn, just as the sun began to rise, his day with his new master began unusually early.
"As expected of a young boy—just a few days of proper food and rest, and you're already changing."
Logan's words as he stood Victor in the training yard and observed him.
The moment he heard them, Victor felt an inexplicable chill of foreboding.
"Then, run."
And that foreboding became reality instantly.
"Haah... haah..."
"Your pace is slowing again! You can do more—run!"
Victor gritted his teeth at the roar echoing across the training grounds.
Of course, his exhausted body didn't suddenly speed up, but Logan was already impressed by what Victor was showing.
'Just a few days of proper meals, and he's already at this level...'
Marveling, Logan carefully monitored Victor's condition before stopping the training right at the limit of his endurance.
"Rest!"
"Guh—hah!"
Victor collapsed the moment the word left Logan's mouth.
"Brother!"
His younger sister, Victoria, who had been watching anxiously, cried out.
Then she turned pleading eyes toward Logan.
When Logan chuckled and nodded,
Pat pat pat!
She dashed toward her brother with a water bottle and towel—prepared who knows when.
Logan watched the scene with satisfaction.
"As I thought, you have talent. And..."
A boy of just fourteen—malnourished and smaller than his peers—had run nearly 20 kilometers before his stamina gave out.
At the very least, his potential far surpassed that of an ordinary human.
Most of all, Logan admired his tenacity—the determination to keep running despite looking ready to collapse at any moment.
That endurance and patience slowly erased one of Logan's concerns.
'At least the Noble Slayer wasn't born that way.'
Though Victor in his past life had been synonymous with brutality, from what he'd seen so far, it didn't seem to be his true nature.
'If a kid like this turned out that way, there must have been a reason. Probably...'
Logan's gaze shifted to the girl fanning her brother with all her might.
After watching the siblings for a moment, Logan soon called out firmly again.
"Enough! Get up—next training."
Only fifteen minutes had passed since Victor collapsed.
"What I'll show you now is the royal swordsmanship taught to every knight trainee in the Grandia Kingdom. This swordsmanship..."
Even as he demonstrated, Logan closely observed Victor's condition.
"When transitioning from this stance to the next, pay attention to your feet..."
His trembling body, ragged breathing, and unrecovered stamina should have dulled his focus.
Yet Victor's eyes showed not a hint of wavering.
'Good.'
Satisfied, Logan extended his demonstration, explaining the swordsmanship in greater detail—partly to give Victor more time to recover.
"Here, breathing is crucial. When inhaling..."
'Focus. Focus!'
Victor fought to keep his blurring mind sharp.
The urge to collapse and sleep gnawed at him constantly.
No—he wasn't even sure he could stand back up if he fell now.
Only one thing kept him going.
'Good food, good sleep. If this is the price, I'll pay it as many times as it takes...'
Recalling past hardships, Victor bit his lip until it bled.
Suddenly, his mind cleared.
With sharper eyes, he focused on the swordsmanship his new master demonstrated.
"Hmm..."
Logan had to suppress his astonishment.
'After seeing it just once, he's copying it this easily?'
Even if it was basic swordsmanship, it wasn't something an amateur could replicate after a single viewing.
Especially after pushing Victor's body to its limits.
There was no way he had any concentration left—yet aside from minor stumbles, his movements were flawless.
'How many days did it take me to reach that level?'
Unable to compare Victor to himself, Logan could only measure him against the greatest genius he knew.
'...Even Ronian wasn't this good, was he? Did he need to see it twice?'
The more he thought about it, the more astounding Victor's talent seemed. Then, a sudden realization struck him.
'This kid... come to think of it, he's the same age as Ronian.'
In his past life, Victor had been infamous as the Noble Slayer, while Ronian had earned fame as the youngest aura user.
Back then, comparing the two had never crossed Logan's mind, but...
'This kid might surpass Ronian...'
It was only the first day of training.
Judging based on just two exercises was premature, but Logan couldn't suppress the deep smile spreading across his face.
And with that pride swelling in his chest, he shouted:
"Again! Your footwork was slightly off. Today's goal is 100 perfect demonstrations! No meals until then!"
Swordsmanship training ended three hours later.
"Haah... haah..."
"Good work. What you did today will be your daily basic training from now on."
"Guh... huuah..."
"I won't always be here to oversee your training. So when I'm absent, you'll have to do it yourself. Understood?"
"Ugh... huuah..."
Too busy gasping for air on the ground, Victor couldn't respond.
Logan looked down at him fondly.
"Once you've built your stamina and can flawlessly execute the royal swordsmanship 1,000 times in a row, you'll be worthy of being called a knight."
Instead of the vague term "Force," he gave a concrete number.
In truth, achieving that would require reaching the level of a Force user.
But Victor's expression changed instantly at those words.
"A knight..."
He didn't know how difficult that condition was—or even if it was true.
But it didn't matter.
To Victor, that word meant freedom.
It meant success.
It meant hope.
And—
'Ria, my sister.'
It meant safety for his sister, who was still watching him with worried eyes from afar.
"Can you do it?"
"Yes!"
The most determined answer he'd given since training began.
"Good. If you need anything else for your training, tell Rick. He'll arrange most things."
"...There's nothing."
Victor hesitated briefly before shaking his head.
A tiny pause—but Logan didn't miss it.
"Hmm. Really nothing?"
"Well..."
"Well?"
"...Just keep treating my sister as you have been. That's enough."
The expected answer. But it was enough to make Logan smile.