Chapter 11: Mobilization
Early in the morning, Baron Akaron, who had dozed off briefly, summoned Aria the moment he woke up. Gazing out the window, he saw Baron Aron already preparing for deployment. There was no telling if he was heading out to subjugate the monsters or straight to the capital.
"Father, did you call for me?"
"Aria! How did the negotiations go yesterday?"
"We settled it for 100,000 gold."
"100,000 gold... Well, at least the deal went through. But it breaks my heart that you had to lose your purity for it."
"I didn't lose my purity."
"What? What happened?"
Baron Akaron's eyes welled up with tears, but he couldn't make sense of the news that Baron Aron had let it slide, so he pressed for details.
"I don't know why the rumors spread like that, but he's not that much of a scoundrel. He's greedy, sure, but..."
"That can't be right."
Of course, any father would welcome news that his beloved daughter's virtue was intact. But something didn't add up. Plenty of noble daughters had been ruined by Baron Aron, and their family lords were grinding their teeth for revenge. It made no sense that mere rumors would make him back off.
And here was Aria defending him.
"Maybe it's because he's so handsome that noble ladies offered themselves up willingly? Just looking at him, he seems popular enough without forcing anyone. He's the empire's greatest knight, after all..."
Aria's cheeks flushed slightly.
Aron was a commoner who had earned his title and territory through monumental feats. Anyone could predict a monster like that would rise far. Add in his striking looks, as Aria said, and it was easy to imagine noble ladies falling for him—turning a few romances into vicious scandals.
Given Baron's usual conduct, such rumors weren't surprising at all.
"So that's how it is."
"A commoner-turned-noble. Which noble wouldn't envy that? I think there's a reason he acts out like he does."
"Hoho, from nothing to such achievements—he must have hordes of jealous rivals. Maybe he built that shield around himself just to survive."
"That's what I think."
"It makes sense."
Baron Akaron started to believe Aron had no choice but to become the empire's problem child. War nobles didn't sprout overnight, and no one would leave one alone once they did. It was probably unavoidable for self-protection.
And he kept his word. Mobilizing 3,000 troops and his entire knight order proved it.
"Father, Baron Aron looks ready to deploy soon. Shouldn't you go watch?"
"I should. Might as well join them myself."
"What? That's a death trap out there."
"I need to see this much-rumored warrior's strength with my own eyes. And if he's as decent as you say, allying our houses through marriage could be a huge boon. He's the rising sun."
"Th-then I'll come too."
Aria shyly voiced her wish.
A total of 2,000 soldiers and 100 knights from the territory stood arrayed for departure. Once they confirmed the advance route and checked a few final details, they'd cross the mountain boundary.
In the temporary command tent, Knight Captain Rommel, Soldier Captain Honus, Kainus, and Cecilia were gathered.
"Kainus, report on the advance route composition."
"Here it is."
As always, Kainus spoke with his fan covering his mouth.
Hmm, that look's still so unbalanced. I've been too deep into Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
That dawn, he'd ordered Kainus to draft the advance route plan. The guy had agreed without resistance. Finishing it overnight confirmed he was one hell of a strategist.
But the route didn't just target the ogre village.
[Primary Target: Ogre Village 10km West of the Boundary. Estimated 300 ogres in the group. Lone ogres banding together suggests a Twin-Headed Ogre leads them.]
[Secondary Target: Red Orc Tribe 15km West of the Boundary. Estimated 2,000 strong. Known to be ten times stronger than regular orcs, but their corpses fetch 500 gold each—should provide solid funds.]
"Red orcs?"
"Seems they've settled at the mountain's edge. They probably figured they could handle red orcs on their own, so they didn't request help for them."
"Oh ho! Quite the investigation. Must've been tough scouting."
"Hoho! I just asked the territory staff for records. Didn't scout myself."
"Oh, really?"
Well, dragon's gotta have his ways. Even without flying out himself.
The war merchant Amon, who'd joined the campaign, spoke up excitedly.
"My lord, if the red orcs number 2,000, that's potentially a million gold on paper! Sure, combat losses will eat 30-50% in processing, but it's still a fortune!"
"A million gold!"
The tent buzzed with murmurs.
Even in the territory's Forbidden Zone, red orc hordes this size were rare.
Hmm, what to do? I can feel the gods watching. Especially Talos—he's got me on trial, poking and prodding. Pull in Talos, and maybe Odin's faction flips en masse?
"We'll hit the red orcs too."
"Woo!"
"It'll end in a day anyway. We're ten days ahead of schedule leaving the territory."
"Wise judgment, my lord!"
As excitement built, Baron Akaron and Lady Aria—who'd snuck in at dawn—entered the tent.
Flutter!
"Oh, Baron Aron! Thank you for your aid!"
"No need. Help for pay? Can't call it that."
"Might my daughter and I join? Not that I doubt you— I just want to witness the Herculean Knight's might firsthand."
"That's up to the lord, but do you really need to drag a lady into battle? It's dangerous."
"Hoho! Thanks for your concern, but no worries. I'll handle our escort."
"Whatever."
"But this..."
The baron eyed the operations map.
Hm, tricky. They hired me 'cause ogres are too much for them, but they knew red orcs meant money, so stopped the request there. Can't let 'em snatch this.
"Ah! Heard there's 2,000 red orcs nesting? Figured we'd clean 'em up while we're at it."
"Oh, thank you! We were tearing our hair out over those red orcs!"
"R-really?"
Something's off. And their eyes... got some scheme brewing. Gotta stay sharp.
He exited the tent and issued the deployment order.
"Alright, deploy!"
"Deploy! The lord's command is given!"
"Ooh!"
As troops marched out, monster merchants trailed behind in droves. Monster corpses needed immediate preservation to maximize value, so merchants tagged along.
Regular merc bands rarely got merchants—too risky for total wipes, even with guards.
But a full knight order with an army? Rare chance. Local merchants joined the war traders.
Merchants don't skip profit.
Finally, Amon begged them not to shred the monsters, and the force marched west.
By Baron Akaron's decree, the mountains were a Forbidden Zone—to scare folk straight and minimize civilian losses. Border villages were evacuated as a precaution.
Above all, Akaron's efforts shone: no monsters for kilometers past the boundary. Proof of regular sweeps.
As the boring march dragged on, Baron Akaron approached.
"Baron Aron."
"Something up? Stay safe in the rear. We've taken your coin—we'll finish the job."
Even a loose cannon like me doesn't bite the hand after payday. Got the strength and no reason to lose face. Plus, tossing in those red orc pushovers? Makes me like the guy.
"Hoho. Body's old, but decades of swordplay mean I can guard myself. Thanks for worrying."
"Heh, tough old bird. Careful, bones don't heal easy at your age."
"See? Far kinder than the rumors."
"Kind? Me?"
"My lord, any marriage plans?"
"Marriage?"
Here, he was mid-20s. Prime bachelor age.
But which sane woman marries me? My rep kills that dead.
Lord or not, wedding a commoner was beneath him, and who'd say yes anyway?
Except Cecilia, who ignores purity like a priestess shouldn't.
"Haha! Would you send your daughter to a guy like me? You know my rep."
Not bragging, but he laid out his notoriety.
The baron's response surprised him.
"Yes! I'd send her."
"..."
"Figured you might be considering it, so I came to propose. Aria's quite the beauty, well-trained as a bride-to-be. She'd help you greatly."
"Haha! You're too kind."
He laughed it off.
Old man's not senile—no way he'd push a match on me.
As he bantered idly with Baron Akaron, a scout galloped up.
"My lord! Three ogres ahead!"
He nodded lightly.
True to the scout's word, earth-shaking thuds echoed from afar. Roars spread—proof they neared the ogre village.
He beckoned casually to Baron Akaron.
"Fun chat, but time to earn my keep."
Whoosh!
He spurred his horse forward.
"Alright, let's play."