Let's Raise Some Slaves

I gathered all the knights in the sword training grounds. These weren't slaves meant to fight in my place—they were fighters I planned to cultivate into real talent.

"Training starts now. I won't go easy even if you puke your guts out, so feel free to get it out of your system beforehand."

"C-Can I ask one question, my lord?"

One of the knights up front cautiously raised his hand.

"What is it?"

"We've heard you took down that monster, my lord, but... do you have enough swordsmanship expertise to oversee our training?"

Fair point. I nodded instinctively at the reasonable question.

"Good question. Step forward."

"P-Pardon?"

"Actions speak louder than words, right?"

The knight who got thoroughly thrashed didn't dare question me again.

"Hanson, you too."

"Me?! W-Why me..."

"It's the noble duty of a vice-captain to share the burdens of his subordinates."

"Gah! Agh! W-Wait! That hit bone... easy...!"

There was a bit of commotion, but training kicked off smoothly enough.

"In combat, the key is your lower body. A trained lower body generates power and speed—that's how you overpower enemies."

Basic of the basics, really. But basics were what you could never emphasize enough.

Especially with this knight order—their level is seriously lacking.

Knights were supposed to be among the better swordsmen out there. Yet they didn't impress me much. This rural territory was a big factor. Anyone with real talent would've jumped to bigger ponds early on. Half of them felt like they were just filling seats.

Well, that was a limitation of this romance fantasy world. If public authority was too strong, the protagonist couldn't shine.

The only decent ones are the vice-captain and the absent captain.

They needed to reach at least mid-tier adventurer level—not quite Iana, but solid enough for me to relax.

"From today, forget swordplay. Focus on leg strength. Just lower-body training and hill climbs, over and over."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Louder. Still need more training?"

"YES, SIR!"

The knights were already drenched in sweat, holding their stances. Their beet-red faces ready to burst made me grin.

Yeah, this is proper training.

I didn't enjoy tormenting people. This was all necessary.

Steel hardens with hammering, buildings need solid foundations to rise high.

People were the same.

To swing the sword you want, you endure insane hardship.

Chasing flashy, easy paths leads to dead ends. You had to suffer to call yourself battle-tested.

"Ughhhh! I'm dying already."

"How long do we have to keep this up?"

"Every day? We'll actually drop dead!"

I ignored the groans. This level was just "got some exercise today." Repeat it a month, and they'd have totally different bodies.

Gate surge in three weeks, right? Tight, but with Iana's party, we can manage.

As I cracked the heads of knights with sloppy form, Tavi approached.

"My lord."

"Oh, Tavi. Done with your tasks?"

"Yes. But this..."

Tavi glanced around, gauging the room. The knights shot her desperate looks.

'Save us, Secretary!'

'We're dying here!'

'Only you can stop the lord!'

...I could hear all that, idiots.

Tavi looked stunned at the knights' worsening states—limbs trembling.

"The training... it looks grueling even to me."

"Training has to be grueling. If it's comfy, it's just exercise."

"I-Is that so? That's not what I've seen."

Tavi blinked at the quivering knights.

"But won't overdoing it strain their bodies?"

"Better than getting eaten by monsters with no body left to recover."

"That's... persuasive."

She glanced between me and the knights, then awkwardly turned away.

"...Then I'll continue my report without worrying."

"Gaaaaah!"

The knights wailed like they'd been damned to hell. I flashed them a winner's grin—like I'd just nailed an NTL.

Sorry, boys. Tavi chose me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over you.

"Anyway, what'd Iana and her crew say?"

"...You call her by name so casually."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Anyway, they responded positively. But they want to discuss details with you directly."

"Figured. Not something you jump into blindly."

Even pro adventurers like them would want the full pitch. Conditions weren't bad, but details mattered.

"Honestly, I'm not fully clear on it either. This 'Hunter' thing—is it different from adventurers?"

"Similar, but fundamentally different."

Hunters were closer to mercenaries, if anything.

"Adventurers aren't tied to any group—it's not even an official job."

"True... it's just a label for those kinds of people."

In this world, adventurers took dangerous gigs like monster hunts for pay. Hard to call it a proper profession. No guild or anything.

"No job security, and clients get nervous."

"Stories of them bailing mid-job or even attacking clients aren't rare."

"Exactly. Power without control."

Limit of the era's systems. No gates meant no need to manage them.

"Hunters will register officially, under management. Scale up, add ranks."

"Is that... feasible?"

"We'll make it so. Need a system to handle gates sustainably."

A formal system to consolidate talent. Essential against gates.

"That's why we're starting the Hunter Association in Armeyna Territory."

"Hunter Association..."

Knights, adventurers, soldiers, wandering mercs—gather the strong scattered nationwide, harness them properly.

"Even our territory has separate departments for admin, planning, soldiers, knights. Splits get finer."

Big organizations worked that way. Centralizing everything kills efficiency.

The association would specialize in gates and hunters.

Later, guilds or freelance hunters... but all register with the association.

"Armeyna Branch Hunter Association. That's the goal."

No more scrambling for gate-clearers like last time. Register and manage them solid.

"Any merits for adventurers to join?"

"Offer mining rights to mana stones based on jobs. They're in it for the money, same as anyone."

Wandering adventurers were still human. Offer ease and safety, they'll flock.

"Adventuring relies on luck. High risk, rare big payoffs."

"...Hunters could expect stable income from gate clears."

"Plus welfare and rank-based support—like a pro specialist job."

Irresistible for seasoned wanderers. They knew adventurers' grim ends best.

"Starting small—gather people, build the system."

Plenty of hurdles now. No need for perfection at launch. Prove efficiency, others follow.

Strengthening the knights is part of it.

Eventually, fold them into hunters. Need talent to fill the org. Waste to ignore them. Dispatch to other regions if needed.

"Iana's party will kick it off."

Protagonist with top-tier talent. If I'm derailing the story anyway, milk it dry.

"More power protecting the territory, the better. Gotta contract Iana."

"Yes. I'll escort you to the reception room."

Issue: would they bite?

They're established adventurers. Hunter Association is a brand-new concept here.

Like poaching a big-corp mid-level for a startup. Not easy.

****

"Ooh, sounds great! Let's sign right now, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my lord?"

Way quicker than expected. The tea hadn't even cooled.

"You sure? Means tying yourselves to our territory."

"But the pay's this good~ Adventuring, we'd run ragged for half this."

I'd offered decent rates—a bargain buy-low.

Gates popping means skilled adventurers' value skyrockets.

Luckily, funds were fine. Michelin loot, gate drops to sell to traders.

Work 'em right, multiply it.

Turned to Jenis next.

"...Travel funds were getting tight. Steady income sounds good."

"Contract's not short-term. Can you trust it?"

"Heard lots about you, my lord. All good. If you're asking, I trust you."

"Glad you think so."

Finally, Iana. She nodded like it was obvious.

"Means recruiting help faster, right? No reason to refuse."

Classic Iana. With everyone on board ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after all that, no issues.

"Great. Sign here."

I grinned wickedly, contracts in hand. Top slaves falling into my lap easy. Big-guild scouts would gawk.

"Uh, my lord? Your face is scary. This okay?"

"...Kinda regretting now."

"Nope. No take-backs. Too late."

Contracts signed—done. I'd grind 'em till academy escape.

"So, what's next? Hunters clear gates, right? New one now?"

"Not yet."

Shook my head at fired-up Iana.

"Three weeks till surge. Plenty of time."

"Better to clear fast, no?"

"No rush. Clear when stronger—less damage."

This gate was knight XP too. Luna and Jenis were skilled but gate-newbies.

"Raid in at least two weeks. Could drag, but not sooner."

"Ooh, super chill job! Free time till then? Shopping!"

"Who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said playtime?"

Crushed Luna's hopeful eyes.

"You start training today. At least one level up before gates."

"...Training how?"

"I'll teach, obviously."

"Y-You personally?!"

No need for surprise. My eyes could already see exactly how to power them up.

Maybe even beyond the original story's monsters.