Chapter 106: Deductions and Monopoly
Chapter 106: Deductions and Monopoly
Eugene commanded a force so formidable, in both quantity and quality, that it bordered on excessive for a single knight.
Yet the cost of maintaining them was surprisingly low, for he conducted a great variety of business among them.
In an age without the concept of a standing army funded by the state, soldiers had to cover a multitude of things at their own expense.
Weapons and armor went without saying, but even lodging and meals were all out of pocket.
By providing all of those services exclusively through the castle, Eugene could significantly reduce his military expenses.
"Castle Lord. Here is the list of those requesting a double room."
Rampage, a centurion of the Hammer Brotherhood, submitted the list.
When they first entered the castle, everyone had applied for cheaper dormitory rooms, but those willing to pay more for a double room had now grown in number.
"There are far more than I expected."
"It is due to the unusual working environment here, sir. With so much free time while on standby, many of the men want to spend it in comfort."
The primary duty of the mercenaries was not combat, but marching. Whether for reconnaissance or battle, one must first reach the destination to do anything, mustn't one?
It could mean marching for as little as a few days or as long as several months. Daily guard duty came on top of that.
"It's convenient, not having to march, isn't it? Imagine having to walk here from North Fork."
"Ugh. The mere thought is dreadful."
The Wandering Castle eliminated all that. Lodgings were no longer just a place to sleep but a space for leisure and hobbies.
"Besides, until now you have been our Castle Lord alone, but how many more people are going to join us from here on?"
As a warrior and military engineer, Rampage took pride in his subordinates' capabilities. But if he asked himself whether they were truly irreplaceable, that was not the case.
The contract with Eugene, on the other hand, was one of a kind.
-Captain, it is my first time seeing the Gorde Tournament and I am quite fond of it. Is it not a martial tournament of true men? It is far more thrilling than watching frail knights gallop about on horseback.
-I'd heard that sea fish taste different, and it was absolutely true.
Dwarves did not range far. They burned more calories than humans and could not ride horses.
But the Wandering Castle allowed them to experience adventures in a single month that other dwarves would only encounter over several years.
Add to that swift victories, plentiful spoils of war, and a pleasant workplace. None of this could be obtained elsewhere.
Like bees drawn to honey, it was obvious that more capable people would keep joining them.
-A strength training room or a room with a good view. That is the question.
-Why is this private room so spacious?
-Only those with wives and children can enter there. It is not a private room, but a family room.
The number of people seeking to move into smaller-occupancy rooms rose rapidly as they tried to secure good quarters early.
For Eugene, that all meant money, so he had no reason to refuse. He was effectively both their employer and their innkeeper.
"Centurion. You understand, yes? Lodging contracts are renewed every year, and the Black Hand Clan gets first priority when that happens."
"Yes. I have already explained it thoroughly to my men."
"I hope they won't take it ill. I am not discriminating against you all, but repaying the help I have received in kind."
"Any man with a conscience won't utter a word of complaint."
Under Eugene's command, the Black Hand Mercenary Company was special.
The entire clan was bound to Eugene by a contract tied to their shared fate. While stationed in the Wandering Castle, they did not even cost him hiring fees.
Naturally, Eugene also had a duty to repay their loyalty in many ways. Preferential treatment in lodging selection was merely one of them.
Rampage politely accepted the application bearing the Castle Lord's approved signature, and rendered a military salute.
"I shall take my leave now."
"Good work."
When he returned to his men and announced the contract was concluded, one of the decurions asked cautiously.
"Captain. While we have the chance, what if we also put ourselves directly under the Castle Lord, like those pointy-eared bastards..."
"Castle Lord."
"Ah, yes. The Castle Lord, of course."
The decurion corrected himself at Rampage's lowered voice.
The title of 'Sir Knight,' which they had used when they first met, was rapidly changing to 'Castle Lord.'
He still did not hold so much as a baronial title, yet there were his absurd martial strength, the legendary Wandering Castle, and the Black Hand House, which was practically his vassal already...
His stature had grown too great to simply call him 'Sir Knight.'
"What say you to becoming his sworn vassals at this opportunity?"
"Even if one does not become a founding contributor, those who have shown loyalty from the earliest days are always given a second glance."
"Please, just look at those pointy-ears. How quick they are on the uptake. They have already dispatched stable keepers, merchants, and servants. At this rate, they might simply..."
Rampage fell into deep thought as he listened to his men. It was a matter he had been mulling over himself these days.
'That the Black Hand Clan gets first priority.'
He had not let it show, but the moment Rampage heard those words, a surge of some emotion had welled up inside him.
That feeling was not discontent. It was something that existed between urgency and envy.
The deductions applied to lodging costs, as well as to meal expenses.
"Welcome, Castle Lord."
Quartermaster Hoffman greeted Eugene in front of the refrigerated warehouse.
Despite the warm spring outside, given the nature of the place, Hoffman and the servants were clad in thick fur clothing.
"The mercenaries are at one hundred percent meal-plan enrollment again this quarter."
How much care Eugene devoted to his men's meals was something anyone would grasp after spending but a brief time with him.
Grain, meat, and fruit were served at every meal, and dairy products had joined the menu as more members of the Black Hand Tribe moved in.
Thanks to that, every single mercenary had signed up for the mess hall meals.
"Meal-plan enrollment among the newly arrived tribespeople is twenty-one percent. I expect that to keep rising as well."
"Make absolutely sure there's no atmosphere of coercion. Don't give them any sense of pressure either."
"Of course. Even if they don't sign up for meals, we still earn revenue from them, so there's no reason to pressure them."
Lords earned income by monopolizing the rights to watermills and mills within their domains.
Likewise, Eugene exclusively operated the refrigerated and frozen warehouses. The temporary shops set up inside the castle were also under his direct management.
Residents could not help but use these convenient facilities, so the money they spent flowed straight into Eugene's pocket. This income was truly substantial.
"Henceforth, the Castle Lord's wars will have no need to rely on camp merchants or the like, from start to finish."
Hoffman looked upon the foodstuffs filling the freezing warehouse with a deeply satisfied expression.
In this era, camp merchants were indispensable in war precisely because distribution networks and preservation techniques were sorely lacking.
Transporting enough food to feed soldiers and horses was itself a tremendous undertaking, and aside from a few preserved foods, the vast majority spoiled quickly.
In the end, they had no choice but to procure fresh provisions from the surroundings each time they arrived somewhere new.
But finding where and what shops existed in a place they had first arrived was also a headache. It was easy to be blatantly ripped off by local merchants who were like jackals.
They had no choice but to rely on professional merchant groups.
In such a situation, a cold warehouse that multiplied preservation periods by dozens of times, coupled with vast loading space, was nothing short of a miracle.
"Every time I step into this warehouse, I feel as though I have been embraced by God."
"That seems like an exaggeration."
"Far from it. Any merchant would feel the same as I do. Because the problem that has plagued us all our lives was solved in a single stroke. The tribal merchants also drop by here just to smile contentedly whenever they have a spare moment."
"I'm glad you're able to work with such satisfaction."
"I look forward to every chance to meet merchants from outside. It's entertaining just imagining their faces when they see this warehouse."
Hoffman, a former mercenary who had set down his sword and armor, beamed holding papers covered in numbers.
The food expenses Eugene collected were not limited to people.
Mercenaries who owned horses also had to pay for stable space and fodder whenever they stopped in a village or city.
Prrr—!
Munch, munch.
The warhorses, nibbling at the crops growing from the central feed trough, were all brimming with vigor. Their coats gleamed with luster and they seemed to have put on more muscle.
The feed was in a different league from the hay and scraps offered by cheap inn stables.
There were also chickens, pigs, and cattle, divided by sections and separated by wide fences.
"I-it's the Castle Lord!"
"Thank you for protecting us!"
Young dark elves collecting eggs spotted Eugene and bowed deeply at the waist.
That adorable sight softened the rigidity of a military base. Laughing children were one of the most important pieces of a true settlement.
"As commanded, we have brought in more livestock. Thanks to the backing of Count Andar, we were able to purchase them very cheaply."
The stable keeper, a middle-aged dark elf, reported.
He had once been a formidable warrior, but after sustaining a serious injury, he had changed his profession to tending warhorses.
"I wish to see the ones we captured during the recent subjugation."
"You mean the wargoats. They are over here."
Where the stable keeper led him, twelve wargoat kids resembling mountain goats were huddled together.
"Once their horns begin to grow, we shall move them to another location."
"Does their wild nature awaken from that point?"
"Yes. Perhaps this place was built with monsters in mind, because it even has a large enclosure for dangerous beasts. Raising them should be no problem."
Wolves were not the only animals with monstrous offshoots. Dire bears, unicorns, bicorns, and many other monster subspecies had split away from common ancestors.
The young wargoats now before Eugene were of that ilk. After subjugating the gnolls, while scouting the surrounding mountain range, he had been fortunate enough to discover a few nests.
"Rex was absolutely insistent that we must capture them. What exactly is their commercial value?"
"They are larger than horses and, being mountain goats, are exceedingly adept at climbing mountains. They are slow, but their endurance and durability are outstanding, making them far superior to warhorses in mountain warfare."
Horses were surprisingly delicate animals. They injured themselves easily even on flat ground, and fighting up and down mountains with heavily armored knights on their backs could quickly ruin their joints.
"Here, we can raise them well enough. You will certainly receive a handsome return on your investment. I stake my name on it."
"Far better than dire wolves, then."
"Indeed. Comparing wargoats to those flashy luxuries would be an insult to them."
"If they're that good, why aren't they used by armies?"
"Because outside mountain warfare, they lose to warhorses in every respect. They eat more than twice as much, too. They are docile for monsters, but controlling them still takes the animal-handling skill of a nomadic tribe."
Having heard the explanation, Eugene understood. There had been many factors that were difficult to reconcile with one another.
"So they are mounts specialized for mountain warfare, but keeping them requires the skill of nomads and the wealth of settled people?"
"Exactly. Thus, simply bringing in warhorses of good pedigree is far cheaper, more convenient, and more reliable."
The stable keeper's eyes burned with a pioneering spirit. He had the look of a man excited by the chance to write a new chapter in mounted warfare with his own hands.
"Tell me whatever you need, and I shall have it brought to you."
"We already have everything we need here, so we should be fine. And..."
The keeper glanced around.
"There is something special about this place. How should I put it... it feels as if there is an energy here that calms—no, suppresses—the beasts."
He stroked one of the wargoat kids. The creature, eyes half-open, quietly accepted the touch.
"No matter how young, a monster is still a monster. The moment they open their eyes, they should at least show some sign of rebellion, but they show no such inclination."
"Isn't that a good thing, then?"
"True, it is. I am merely curious if this, too, is the work of magic."
"Hard to say. I'm still learning about this castle myself. It's not as though I had a predecessor to explain everything to me."
When Eugene held out a yellow crop he had plucked from the feed trough, the wargoat kids immediately reacted, sniffling with their noses.
Livestock or monster, every animal went mad for it and lunged for more. It must have tasted that good.
Eugene brought it to his nose and sniffed.
"Is there something mixed into this?"
"...That might be a possibility as well."
Just as merchants marveled most at the cold-storage warehouse, what astonished the stable keeper was the feed trough.
The crop that grew like bamboo shoots from the trough running across the center of the stables seemed a gift from the gods. So rich was it in nutrients and so delicious that even the most stubborn horse could be easily coaxed with it.
It was already a miracle in and of itself, so it wouldn't seem strange if it contained one more mysterious function.
In the Castle Lord's office, Eugene examined the reports detailing income and expenditure, and the state of various supplies and finances.
It looked as though a larger resident population would let him turn a profit even while maintaining an abnormally large garrison.
Tap, tap.
"Ah, thank you. This part was wrong."
He rechecked the numbers in the section Homi, seated beside him, had pointed to.
Homi, who had lived as an herbalist and hunter in Kingdom's End, was sharp with numbers from dealing with villages.
Squish, squish.
He kneaded her plush, soft tail or used it as a cushion when resting his chin.
A pleasant fragrance wafted up gently, bringing him peace of mind and body alike.
"To be honest, at first, I felt like I'd become a scummy employer."
"???"
Homi rounded her eyes as if asking what he meant.
"I deduct all sorts of things from the troops' pay, don't I? Lodging fees, meal fees..."
Shake, shake.
Homi shook her head furiously. It wasn't simply to defend Eugene, but because the subordinates were genuinely satisfied.
These were mercenaries who had suffered under far worse and yet more expensive deductions while having their wages swindled. Life under Eugene's command was practically heaven.
The quality and price of the castle's services were unmatched by any other garrison of the age.
"I also want to expand the shops further and fully restore the strength training room and the indoor garden for walking."
There were quite a few convenience facilities inside the castle that still were not functioning.
But none of them would operate properly until more residents moved in.
Now it was time to depart for the next location.
But there was no need to pack bags, nor to send out scouts. It was merely a matter of confirming that all residents had come inside the castle.
Looking at the landscape painting sent by Chieftain Alessa, Eugene materialized the image in his mind.
Loaded heavily with spoils of war, trade goods, local specialties, and food from southern Gord, the Wandering Castle transformed into a single bolt of lightning and ascended into the sky.
Amid the core's violently screaming flash of light, Eugene recalled what Rex had said.
-The opposition faction is none too pleased about settling in the Wandering Castle, but they fear the prophesied destruction. Naturally, the lands they search are places far from the continent.
FLASH!
RUMBLE—!
The place where the Wandering Castle newly revealed itself was the southern part of the continent.
A strange land composed of a central desert, jungles surrounding it, and farmland along the eastern and southern coasts.
It was Samur, the nation with the most distinctive culture on the continent.