Chapter 5: Commanding the Empire's Thugs to Mobilize Ten Days Early

He issued the order to advance the deployment by a full ten days. Preparing three thousand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠troops for mobilization required extensive preparations. It wasn't for nothing that they said war was a money-devouring monster. Soldiers were a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠group that consumed resources as a matter of course, devouring enormous amounts of food and supplies. In truth, gathering everything within a month was nearly impossible, so advancing the schedule had everyone clutching their necks in shock.

"Oppa! Isn't this too much, even for you? What are we supposed to do if you push up the deployment?!"

At the gathering of his retainers, Sharel shrieked. She'd taken over running the merchant guild and was already scrambling to gather supplies on short notice; shaving off ten days was simply unfeasible. No one said it outright, but they all felt the same.

I had no intention of altering the setting where the protagonist was an irredeemable scoundrel. I could show a bit of mercy to the territory's people, but switching to some clichéd image of sudden redemption would trigger an instant death flag.

I shrugged at Sharel's outburst.

"Old man, how much funding do we have left in the territory?"

"Heh heh, we're in the red now, milord."

"In the red! See? That's why gathering supplies is such a bitch."

"However, thanks to your lordship's benevolence, the people are living decent lives."

"The money we've spent is gone, and we don't have enough leeway to prepare supplies either, right?"

"Hm, we're trying to borrow from other merchant guilds or take loans, but it's not easy."

"You know my temper's shit. Who'd lend money to a guy like me? They know I'd stiff 'em for sure."

"Ahem."

"Ehem!"

Coughs echoed from here and there. No sane merchant guild would lend to a certified trash noble like me.

So, I decided to aim higher.

"Fine, then. We'll borrow from the three eastern noble houses."

"……!"

"A hundred thousand each—three hundred thousand total should do it. That'll more than cover the deployment prep, yeah?"

"B-borrowing from n-nobles in the eastern territories, not even merchant guilds?!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"One of them's a great noble, you know?"

The three eastern houses I'd named bordered the Forbidden Zone. Of course, since my Blaine Barony blocked it, they weren't directly adjacent, but if Blaine fell, the blow would hit their lands immediately. That must be why even the emperor had agonized before just handing over a territory the size of a county.

I let Kane's words slide right off.

"So what? Asics Count's house is on the decline anyway."

"Even so, they're still a great noble house!"

For once, old man Kane sharpened his tone. It was a bold move, born of having no fear of me.

In short, my behavior would just be gossip fodder for the other nobles. Announcing I wanted to borrow money was as good as declaring I'd default on it.

"Hoo."

I scratched my ear. Kainus pondered deeply, then seemed to decide it wasn't feasible. With a graceful flick, he unfurled his fan to cover his mouth and spoke ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠firmly.

"Milord, if they mobilize, it'll be at least ten thousand troops. I don't doubt your strength, but you must prepare for some casualties."

"Can't be helped. Now, think about it. Those guys have been living fat and happy without a care, thanks to our territory. They should be sending armies to hunt monsters, but they've enjoyed a full year of free peace. So, we're just asking for a 'peace maintenance fee'! But out of my infinite mercy, I'll take it as a loan instead."

"Hm……."

My logic held water, leaving them all deep in thought. Finally, Kainus posed a more practical question.

"So, how many years for the three hundred thousand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gold, and what's the interest rate?"

"Obviously interest-free, indefinite term. One silver per year interest. Oh, and since I'm so generous, I'll prepay a hundred years' worth upfront! Deduct that and bring back 299,999 gold!"

"Argh, just say you're gonna rob them, you damn monk!"

Sharel finally lost it and yelled, but I let it go in one ear and out the other.

The heads of the empire's three great eastern houses gathered in one place. Grandiose as "three great houses" sounded, they were all fallen nobles relegated to backwater posts. Holding territories adjacent to the monster forest meant the central court had abandoned them.

But even worms writhe when stepped on. Asics Count, Leon Viscount, and Hamon Baron had been muddling along fine enough until Auron Blaine—lounging around boozing his days away—suddenly went berserk and pulled this insane stunt, solidifying their resolve to cooperate.

Bam!

"That crazy bastard! Just repackaging 'gimme money' as a loan for some bullshit justification?!"

Asics Count's beard quivered with rage. The others were equally dumbfounded, especially at the demand to prepay a hundred years' interest and cough up three hundred thousand gold as a "loan"—it nearly snapped their reason.

Leon Viscount stared at the absurd letter in disbelief, speechless.

"...He claims the eastern nobles haven't contributed to peace maintenance, and out of his mercy, rather than demanding fees, he's honoring His Majesty's solemn command by offering a loan to contribute to the empire's peace—what utter nonsense."

"It's just a pretext! How's that any different from openly declaring he'll rob us?! What do you think, Hamon Baron?"

"Ugh…… I'm worried. Didn't he single-handedly wipe out the Espado palace?"

"You idiot! You can't seriously believe those exaggerated rumors?!"

"Th-then you're saying Blaine Baron's skills are just hot air?"

"He's strong, sure. But no matter how much he boasts the empire's greatest might, he's still flesh and blood. If we muster ten thousand to block him, even he can't do shit."

"Hm…… There are rumors he pierced through hundreds of thousands and slaughtered them."

"As if that's possible!"

"Indeed. It seems Hamon Baron's little brother was killed by him, so fear's taken root deep in his heart."

"Ugh, that guy……."

Hamon Baron shuddered. His eyes had rolled back in rage over his romance with Sharel; he'd barged in, beat the knights to death, and tore Hamon's younger brother limb from limb on the spot. Having endured that, Hamon broke out in hysterics at Blaine Baron's name. They'd decided to cooperate after much deliberation, but the terror lingered deep in his mind.

Asics Count thumped his chest.

"Trust in me! My White Lion Knights are peerlessly valiant. And united, ten thousand's no problem? I'll add two thousand more troops!"

"Ooh! Then we can surely smash that bastard flat!"

"Let's kill Blaine Baron and carve up his territory. We can handle the monsters from the forest together. What he can do, we can too. Plus, don't you want revenge for your brother?"

"……!"

Bloodshot veins burst in Hamon Baron's eyes. Fear had suppressed his rage until now, but Asics Count's words made him see there was no reason they couldn't crush him. The bastard was human; he couldn't take on twelve thousand alone. And the clincher dropped.

"Besides, two thousand of his three thousand are green recruits. That's doable, right?"

Bam!

Hearing Auron's troop composition, he suddenly seemed manageable. Hamon Baron finally bared his madness.

"I'd chew his guts raw and it wouldn't be enough, that fucker!"

"Hohoho, that's the spirit! Now you're acting like a man!"

"This time, we'll kill that bastard!"

"Good! He's as good as dead!"

In the three nobles' minds, they were already vividly slaughtering Blaine Baron a thousand ways.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The three thousand troops somehow scraped together and marched out. I'd newly recruited two thousand greenhorns to free up the veterans for monster defense. I'd repaired the walls, written defense manuals, and assigned even mercenaries, so they should hold. At least until spring, probably. I'd personally smashed monster hordes and returned a few times, after all.

What I'd drilled into the troops for three weeks was basic drill and encirclement annihilation. Without proper drill, they'd look like rabble, and there was no time for complex formations, so encirclement it was. Expecting more from rookies was pointless anyway.

Three days into the march, over ten thousand troops appeared on the Erdene Plains. I paid more attention to the plains than the enemy army.

With no talent in the territory, I'd pulled administrative officer Kainus as strategist and brought him along. Many found it odd, but Kainus was a dragon. In the original novel, he'd shone as a strategist with great merits; no reason not to use him here.

Finally, we faced off about five hundred meters apart.

"Hey, Kainus, once we take the Erdene Plains, production's gonna skyrocket."

"Heh heh heh, milord. The Erdene Plains are the lifeblood of the eastern territories. And we'd need far more population than our territory has to farm it."

"Just rip off land and people. Isn't that what territorial wars are for?"

"Hm, land and population. You're right."

"Exactly! A territory grows through plunder and war! That's the mission of a Herculean Knight!"

It was some seriously chuunibyou bullshit. But the gods would eat it up. A fight was brewing soon, after all. Nothing gods loved more than watching fights or fires. Same for them.

And sure enough.

Yeah, that much was predictable. My subscribers, more or less. But I wanted new gods. The current ones weren't cutting it—I felt like my asshole was clenching, on the verge of death.

A mad shout erupted from afar.

"Auron Blaine, you trash! Explain this loan bullshit you've proposed!"

That was when it happened.