Chapter 28: Recruitment (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: Recruitment (1)
The next day, Roman received the documents he had requested from Hans.
"This is the information on the Barco family," Hans said. "According to the information guild, their recent movements are highly unusual."
Roman had started looking into the Barco family a few days ago. While basic reports gave him a rough idea of their strength, he needed detailed intelligence for his future plans. Thus, he commissioned Black Moon—an information guild operating in the northeast region—to uncover Barco's recent activities and the true extent of their power.
Once Hans withdrew, Roman reviewed the dossier.
Rustle.
'The Barco family. Though they settled in the northeast about a century ago, they only truly rose to power when one of their own entered the Central Government. Their actual military strength isn't as formidable as one might think, but within the Cairo Kingdom, the Central Government's influence is absolute.'
The Cairo Kingdom was one of the weaker nations among the two empires and six kingdoms that made up the Salamander Continent.
Aside from the northeastern mountain ranges, Cairo shared borders with other nations on all sides, leaving it historically vulnerable to foreign invasions. Consequently, the Central Government naturally amassed significant power. Although local nobles fundamentally held the right to raise private armies, constant external threats forced them to unite under the crown simply to survive.
Above all, the authority to conscript was absolute.
If a noble refused a conscription order, they were deemed to have forfeited the Cairo Kingdom's protection. The Central Government would then dispatch troops to subjugate the rebellious faction and reclaim their territory. Neighboring lords who assisted in the subjugation would receive a portion of the land as a reward, while the remainder was handed over to a new, obedient noble.
Because of this system, the Central Government—specifically, the capital nobles—held immense power.
The Barco family had the Central Government backing them, a power structure that granted them an intangible yet formidable authority.
[The Barco family recently utilized their connections in the Central Government to secure a massive loan through the Golden Bank. While borrowing such an amount is typically impossible, it is estimated that they pushed the transaction through using credit guarantees without any special collateral. The secured funds have flowed into the Berge Mercenary Group. Led by the A-rank mercenary Berge, the group consists of about a hundred mercenaries and primarily operates by intervening in territorial disputes for a fee.]
The intelligence was detailed, outlining exactly how Barco had secured the funds and what they intended to do with them.
[Furthermore, given the recent conscription of their territory's residents, it is estimated that they will attack Lawrence within a fortnight.]
Barco had finished their preparations.
Ever since Dmitry announced the cancellation of the engagement, Barco had been moving in earnest. Now, due to a single critical mistake, Lawrence was left to face Barco's onslaught entirely alone. With war looming, rumors said Viscount Lawrence was desperately visiting neighboring nobles, begging for any support he could get.
'The Barco family gained power by leveraging their connections in the Central Government. The disparity in strength is clear. Other than Dmitry, no family would risk Barco's wrath to help Lawrence. If things continue like this, even if Lawrence attempts a siege defense, holding out for more than a month will be virtually impossible.'
The outcome was obvious.
Therefore, Roman set a different premise.
'What if Barco and Dmitry clash?'
He scaled up the opponent's strength. He calculated the variables and considered the worst-case scenarios, but his conclusion regarding this hypothetical situation never wavered.
'Even if they fought a hundred times, Dmitry would win all a hundred times.'
An overwhelming difference.
That was Roman's conclusion.
People often misunderstood something. They believed wealth and military power were separate, but that logic did not apply to a family with immense wealth like Dmitry.
Typically, ordinary nobles maintained around two hundred private soldiers. Since maintaining a larger standing army was highly expensive, they ruled their territories with a modest force and conscripted commoners to bolster their ranks during emergencies. The Barco family was no different, which was why hiring the combat-specialized Berge Mercenary Group was a move significant enough to sway the tide of war.
The Dmitry family, on the other hand, was different.
They always maintained over three hundred private soldiers and had nurtured the Dmitry Knights, a martial force far superior to ordinary infantry. Furthermore, while conscripted soldiers were usually poorly equipped, Dmitry—true to its reputation as a family of blacksmiths—provided even its conscripts with flawless gear. Instead of merely handing them bamboo spears and shoving them onto the battlefield, they supplied leather armor and sturdy iron spears so the men could actually protect themselves. Naturally, even their conscripts possessed far superior combat capabilities.
Lastly, Dmitry had originally started as a trading company.
To travel and trade across the continent, they fundamentally needed a means of self-defense, which had led to a close, decades-long relationship with the Benjamin Mercenary Group. In the beginning, the Benjamin Mercenary Group was small, but with the backing of the Dmitry Trading Company, they had grown into an organization commanding over five hundred mercenaries.
In other words, any conflict with Dmitry meant factoring in the intervention of the Benjamin Mercenary Group.
Barco and Dmitry.
The gap between the two was vast. The intangible power of the Central Government alone could never allow Barco to surpass Dmitry in the northeast.
'What Dmitry lacks is neither wealth nor military power. It is the fact that Romero Dmitry was born a commoner. Because the family's history is short and its origins humble, the nobles of Cairo do not recognize the Dmitry family as true nobility. Yet, regardless of their perception, it is an undeniable fact that Dmitry is the true powerhouse of the northeast.'
Dmitry had power.
If he borrowed that power, punishing Barco—the family that had driven the original Roman to his death—would be a simple matter.
However, Roman had no intention of doing so.
Standing at this crossroads, he knew exactly what he had to do to take his next step.
'Judging by the actions of the Barco family's knights, the nobles of the northeast do not view Roman Dmitry as a threat, regardless of his background. The original Roman lived a life that warranted such treatment, but I, Baek Joong-hyuk, am different. Antony Barco dared to touch me. He will pay the appropriate price, and relying on my family's power is not the right way to prove who I am.'
In the 12th Cave, Baek Joong-hyuk had personally crushed the leader's head. It was the moment he shattered his reputation of weakness. Now, he needed another definitive turning point.
Roman fell into deep thought.
How?
How can I achieve the maximum result with the minimum amount of blood?
One thing was certain: to build something of his own, he needed people to support him.
Therefore...
Ring, ring.
"Hans."
Roman called for his servant.
A fortnight remained. Until then, there was something he had to take care of first.
* * *
Around the time the clouds of war were gathering over the northeast, a man arrived in Dmitry.
"Dmitry is the same as ever, past or present."
The man's name was Lucas. He was a B-rank mercenary.
Having been through all kinds of hardships, he had recently endured a truly blood-curdling experience in a battle at the border. He genuinely thought he was going to die. Fortunately, he managed to survive by stepping over the corpses of his comrades. Deciding he desperately needed a rest, he left the battlefield without extending his mercenary contract.
Now, Lucas had come to Dmitry to regroup.
Though he wasn't a native, Dmitry's forge was famous among mercenaries for its exceptional quality.
"Fuck, I'm never going anywhere near the border again. Because of those shit-brained bastards running wild without knowing their place, my decade-long mercenary career almost ended right then and there. Sigh, sons of bitches."
Another sigh escaped him.
Looking down, he saw his chainmail armor, which had been reduced to a wretched state. The armor he had paid a hefty sum for was torn in places, exposing his bandaged wounds, and his completely chipped sword looked like it couldn't even cut bare skin. He had cursed bitterly during the battle, realizing he had almost thrown away his one and only life just because he foolishly bought gear from a new supplier.
As expected, steel had to be Dmitry-made.
That was why he headed straight for Dmitry. Upon arrival, he planned to go straight to the forge to commission a new set of armaments.
'For the time being, I'll just stay in Dmitry and recuperate.'
He was sick and tired of the battlefield. Just thinking about the moment he was covered in blood from head to toe made him shudder.
Lucas walked on.
He was planning to head to a tavern to grab a bite, but a large crowd had gathered in the city square, murmuring excitedly.
Murmur, murmur.
'What's going on?'
Curiosity got the better of him.
A decade-plus of mercenary life meant he lived by curiosity, and almost died by it. It was an undeniable part of Lucas's DNA. Like a piece of metal drawn to a magnet, he naturally pushed his way through the crowd.
There stood a bulletin board, primarily used for the lord's decrees or for commoners to share information. Pinned to the center, a single notice caught everyone's eye.
[Recruitment of Private Soldiers]
– Qualifications: A healthy body, a desire to become strong.
– Number of Recruits: 30
– Salary: 8 Silver per month
– Special Note: This position belongs solely to Roman Dmitry, not the Dmitry family. Keeping this in mind, only those willing to lay down their lives for Roman Dmitry should apply.
It was a recruitment notice.
The terms weren't bad at all. The average monthly living cost for a family of four was around 5 Silver, so offering 8 Silver was exceptionally generous, even factoring in hazard pay. Furthermore, the qualifications were nothing special. While it was a highly enticing offer for ordinary people, Lucas, a B-rank mercenary, looked on with indifference.
'This has nothing to do with me.'
A B-rank mercenary was not of a status to enlist as an ordinary private soldier. If he were to swear loyalty to a noble, he would need at least 50 Silver a month to even consider it.
Just then, a voice spoke up.
"If you're thinking of applying, don't bother. There must be hundreds of people trying to enlist right now."
It was an old man standing beside him. He seemed to have mistaken Lucas's gaze for interest.
Normally, Lucas would have ignored him and moved on, but he couldn't just let the old man's words slide.
'Hundreds of people want to become Roman Dmitry's private soldiers? Is it really worth that much?'
Roman Dmitry.
He was infamous in these parts. Since Lucas visited Dmitry from time to time, he knew all too well what a pathetic human being Roman Dmitry was.
Was it about two years ago? That was his last visit to Dmitry. Seeing Roman Dmitry throwing a tantrum after losing money at a gambling house had made Lucas think that even a giant like Romero Dmitry had failed at raising his children.
And yet, hundreds of people were applying to be his private soldiers? No matter how important money was, the bleak future under Roman Dmitry seemed painfully obvious.
Driven by his innate curiosity, Lucas asked, "Is it really worth that much? Even if he pays 8 Silver a month, the employer is Roman Dmitry, the Fool of Dmitry, isn't he? Who knows what kind of misery you'd suffer under his command."
At those words, the old man's eyes widened. Looking at Lucas with an expression of utter disbelief, he said,
"You must be an outsider, so you don't know how things are around here. Roman Dmitry is not the same Roman Dmitry we used to know. Not only did he subjugate Blood Fang, but he is also someone who truly treasures his people!"
Recently, a rumor had spread through Dmitry.
The fervor surrounding this recruitment notice was born from that very rumor.