Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Morale
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After the Gale King's ultimatum, the soldiers' unrest was far greater than imagined.
“Shouldn't we... just run away now? The Gale King slaughters everyone.”
“Ah... this is driving me crazy. After all the hell we went through to get here...”
“I know. Where else am I going to get paid this well...? Why did he have to go and pick a fight with the Gale King of all people.”
They were frustrated and resentful of Lansen.
The vague fear they had cultivated for the Five Kings.
The moment they saw the Gale King's cavalry, it erupted.
To think horses could leap over castle walls...
To think the renowned Kalserik would be swatted away like a fly...
Of course, not every Ailun White Horse could clear the walls.
In truth, only a handful of elites, carefully selected from the Gale Cavalry, could perform such a feat, but the soldiers' minds couldn't grasp that right now.
They were simply afraid and resentful.
“Ah, I can't do this. I'm packing my things.”
“Hey, hey. Just wait a bit. It's not like we're fighting right away. We have a month's grace period. The Count might just bow his head.”
“That's true, but... Ah, why am I so anxious?”
Thinking rationally, fighting the Gale King now seemed absurd.
The army of the Gale King, who ruled the five wealthiest cities in Norverge, was incomparably larger and stronger than Lansen's, which had only just taken two frontier cities.
Wasn't this the same Gale King who had conquered even Kinalo City and now held Kushan by the throat?
And he had even made a generous offer: submit, and he would be treated as a brother and a friend.
So why the anxiety...?
The scene that came to their minds was that hellish, reckless operation to subjugate the demonic beasts in just one week.
Lansen's obstinate act of capturing Kashu City all by himself.
“He won't actually say we're going to fight, will he?”
“No way...”
The warriors said as much, but they shivered from a chill that kept seeping in.
* * *
Kalserik's face was grim.
“Commander. The soldiers' morale has plummeted. We can't fight like this. All they're thinking about is running away.”
What was it?
It was as if the entire world was screaming at me.
To submit.
That I was not yet a match for the Gale King.
My dream?
That could be postponed.
Shouldn't survival come first?
Couldn't I just survive, use the Book of Fate to travel through the past, and steadily build my strength?
‘Just sweet lies whispered in my ear...’
The Empire.
In the end, the dream of my Vanroah bloodline was inevitably tied to the Empire.
Either to bring down the Empire, or at the very least, to cultivate the strength to survive against it.
The Gale King?
The Ailun cavalry?
I admit it.
They are strong.
But that level of military might? The Empire was overflowing with it.
Was Vanroah, once called the Kingdom of Knights, weak?
No. It had long-spearmen and knight orders powerful enough to look down on the Gale Cavalry.
Though it had no Grand Masters, it had four Sword Masters, two of whom were considered masters approaching the Grand Master level, just like the Gale King.
In fact, Vanroah had achieved the feat of defeating the Imperial army on several occasions.
But the moment the Empire got serious, all of that crumbled in an instant.
The Sword Masters who protected the kingdom were slaughtered, and the heavily armored infantry and knight orders that were the kingdom's pride were crushed and painted across the land.
So if I... if we... were to retreat now?
If we were to break this great momentum while we're growing, and wait for an uncertain tomorrow in a more disadvantageous position?
The dream would probably recede forever, never to be within reach again.
‘If I can't overcome this... I'll never overcome the Empire either.’
It's frightening.
I was frightened, too.
More than my own death in defeat, I fear the meaningless deaths of my siblings, of Balseon, and of the people who have trusted and followed me until now.
But haven't I already made a promise?
To press forward, even if the worst should come.
I must lead my siblings.
“Commander, are you really going to fight the Gale King? If you say we fight, I'll trust you and fight alongside you, but... honestly, fighting with morale like this is nothing short of suicide.”
Kalserik's tone was peculiar.
At first glance, it seemed like he was urging me to submit to the Gale King, but if you listened closely, that wasn't it.
He was pleading. Asking for a solution. Asking if I had a plan.
A corner of his voice was clearly laced with that expectation.
To that,
I gladly respond.
“So. You're saying the penalty has gotten bigger, right?”
“Penalty?”
“Yes. From the soldiers' perspective, the penalty of possibly dying has become greater than the benefits I can offer, right? That's why morale is dropping.”
“That's... right?”
“Then it's simple. We just make the benefits bigger. Big enough to offset the penalty.”
“Benefits? How?”
Kalserik keeps forgetting.
That right now, we have an insane amount of money.
“We pour on the rewards. We only need to win this one time. Then everyone's minds will change. Considering that, no matter how much we invest, it won't be a loss.”
Good.
I've made up my mind.
I gave an order to the still-hesitant Kalserik.
“The entire 1st Regiment. Assemble every last one of them in the square before the lord's castle. The warriors from Kashu City we captured, too. Cavalry, berserkers, elite warriors, Experts—everyone, without exception. Assemble.”
Kalserik took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply as he replied.
“Yes! Understood.”
A hint of relief and a certain expectation shone on his face.
* * *
I can feel it.
The soldiers' anxiety.
Standing on the terrace jutting out from the center of the lord's castle, I could see thousands of pairs of eyes.
Wavering pupils, darting back and forth, and brows furrowed with worry.
In a situation like this, using flowery language is a poor strategy. Especially with the warriors of Roverland.
At times like this, it's best to just beat them over the head with reality, with possibility.
*Hoo-*
After a short breath to compose myself, I threw out my prepared introduction and cut straight to the chase.
“For regular warriors, 300 dallons.”
A stir—
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Of course. Their current monthly salary is 12 dallons, so 300 dallons is two years' worth of pay.
A fortune large enough to buy a decent house within the inner walls.
“Elite warriors will immediately be given the promised ancient armaments, unconditionally.”
The eyes of the elite warriors widened.
A high-grade ancient armament is worth 1,500 dallons if sold, but in truth, it's a treasure you can't get even if you have the money.
“If killed in action, a regular warrior's designated heir will receive 500 dallons. For an elite warrior, their heir will immediately be paid 2,500 dallons.”
By the time I finished, the atmosphere had changed considerably.
The fear and anxiety that had risen to their chins were momentarily forgotten as everyone busied themselves with mental calculations. It was a reward they had never even imagined.
In another corner, the Experts' eyes gleamed, wondering what would fall to them.
“Experts will be immediately given masterpiece to treasure-grade ancient armaments according to their rank. Upon death, their heirs will be paid 10,000, 18,000, and 30,000 dallons, according to their low, mid, and high levels of mastery, respectively.”
A masterpiece-grade ancient armament was worth anywhere from 6,000 to over 15,000 dallons, and a treasure-grade one could be valued from 20,000 to 50,000.
In other words, this was an offer that was hard to refuse.
An offer that would keep flickering before their eyes, even if it meant putting their lives on the line.
“All of this will be paid as a special bonus for a single battle, disbursed immediately after the fighting is over.”
At those words, the warriors' reactions polarized.
On one hand, they were shocked that such a massive price would be paid for a single battle; on the other, discontent swelled over the fact that they wouldn't get the money if they lost.
Right.
They must be anxious.
No matter what I promise, if I fall in battle against the Gale King, all those promises will become worthless scraps of paper.
But it can't be helped.
I can't pay them upfront.
What trust is there to pay them upfront?
This is Roverland.
This is a land full of men who would call you a fool for not taking the advance payment and running.
So,
I had to convince them.
“Right now, you must be thinking, 'What good are these promises if we lose?'”
This next part is the most important.
To ensure the incentives I offered don't seem empty,
I had to persuade them.
By betting everything I've shown them and the path I've walked so far.
“But think carefully. Will I lose? Really? The difference in troop numbers isn't that great. As long as the Maritime King holds the south, the forces the Gale King can mobilize won't be that much greater than our own.”
Not yet. This isn't enough to convince the soldiers.
I could see some of them pouting.
I ignited a fire called pride in their hearts.
The kindling for it was already packed tightly within them.
“Are you afraid of the Gale Cavalry? But you can stop them. Who was it that blocked the charge of the demonic beast, the Rok-u? Was it an Expert? No. It was you, with your shields and spears, with your arrows, who stopped them.”
At those words, a little light returned to the soldiers' eyes.
Because it was true.
No matter how terrifying the charge of an Ailun White Horse, it couldn't compare to that of the demonic Rok-u.
We stopped the Rok-u's charge. And we did it several times.
“Are you afraid of the Ailun horse archers? There's no need. The Black Bows we possess have greater range and power.”
This, too, was true.
Light entered the archers' eyes.
They clearly remembered the destructive power of the Black Bows, which had pierced the tough hides of demonic beasts time and again.
And finally...
“I want to ask you. The Gale King, Harun. Do you think I would lose to a man like that? I, Lansen, who killed Ksias and conquered Kashu alone?!”
In truth, it wasn't much of a statement.
'You think I'll lose?' Any neighborhood kid could say that.
But when I'm the one saying it, it feels a little different, doesn't it?
I have continuously proven and shown it.
I took the head of Ksias, who had smashed a castle with his Aura Blade. I subdued four top-tier Experts and the Red Warrior band in an instant. I have slain countless large demonic beasts that even Sword Masters would hesitate to face. I broke through the coordinated attacks of Experts and the wave of berserkers to capture Kashu City alone.
Can these men, who have witnessed my martial prowess up close, so easily deny my words?
‘You think I'll lose?’
The stakes I raised with that simple question were my life and my everything.
A murmur—
The warriors murmured.
But the pitch was different from before.
A murmur like water just beginning to boil, a hot bubbling sound, spread throughout the square.
The mood was ripe. Now for the finish.
“You will fight, and you will win. And you will receive the promised rewards. I will make it so.”
The warriors' eyes were fixed on me.
Their raised eyebrows straightened with resolve.
As if in a staring contest, I stood tall and met those thousands of pairs of eyes.
I was satisfied.
At least those were no longer the eyes of frightened losers.