Chapter 38: What It Means to Be a Commander (1)
Chapter 38: What It Means to Be a Commander (1)
Rex washed the Wendigo head, applied preservative treatment, and coated the horns with a polishing compound. When Eugene saw the completed trophy, he couldn't help but applaud.
"Far more magnificent than I expected!"
"I too found myself speechless. It is the greatest masterpiece of my life."
The massive black horns gleamed like jewels. Even the slightest shift in viewing angle sent waves of luster racing from horn to horn as though dark tides were sweeping across them.
"I thought about cutting off the horns and putting them on a helmet, but the trophy came out far too good to ruin."
"Hahaha! It would certainly draw eyes in battle, but it wouldn't be good for your neck."
For a knight, establishing one's presence on the battlefield was no less important than piling up feats of arms. That was why some men adorned their helms with extravagant decorations.
"Monster trophies add to a warrior's prestige. Hang this in the corridor of your manor someday, and every visitor will be awed. Though I doubt this'll be the only trophy on the wall."
"A manor? Remember, I'm still only a wandering knight."
"For you, Sir Knight, it's only a matter of time. You will surely gain a domain and rule over it for all to see."
At Rex's gesture, a dark elf subordinate brought over a black cloak.
"Have a look at the hide too."
"So it was unsuitable for armor after all."
"It proved only a little tougher than bear hide, so it couldn't replace your steel armor. But the fur is fine and as dark as the night sky, which makes it perfect for a cloak."
Homi took the cloak and looked at Eugene.
"Try it on."
"Homi. If you would."
FLAP!
She sent the cloak swirling dramatically through the air and fastened it over Eugene's shoulders.
"Oh!"
"This is..."
Rex and his subordinate both widened their eyes.
As Eugene moved and the cloak swayed, darkness rippled like waves. The crushing weight of the Wendigo seemed to meld with the knight's shadow and follow at his heels.
"The otherworldly mystery the Wendigo harbored has lingered in the cloak."
Varda observed it with evident interest.
"Sir! You've no need for a horned helmet. Charge wearing that cloak, and lords will gaze upon you like maidens fallen in love."
Homi clasped both hands together, her tail wagging more wildly than ever.
"The trophy and the cloak both are excellently done. I should give you proper compensation."
"That won't be necessary, Sir Knight. I've already been paid generously for the work. The guard captain asked the Executor to cover the fee directly."
"..."
Eugene realized that the entire city of Bonyard, from bottom to top, was now firmly on his side.
Even if he went to seek advancement in another region and something went wrong, he now had a base to return to and bide his time for another day. He felt his heart grow considerably lighter.
"What do you lot plan to do from here?"
"If it were up to me, I'd be pestering you for more work, but our tribe has issued a summons."
The Black Hand Mercenary Company was a small society formed by the entire clan. It even had dedicated departments for administration, personnel, and diplomacy.
"As you know, plenty of work has opened up in Roman. It seems the clan intends to make a fortune while it can."
"Every time I start getting attached to someone, we end up parting ways. It's a shame."
"I am only glad to hear you say so."
Eugene approached Rex, who had already assumed a military salute, and embraced him.
"Ah!"
Rex, startled for a moment by the unfamiliar custom, soon smiled and returned Eugene's embrace.
There had been no triumphal procession, but Eugene still received a substantial reward worthy of his achievements. Above all, the magic stones recovered from the Wendigo and the animal carcasses sold for an enormous sum.
"Was there really any need to give that much to the mercenaries too? They already received ample pay and spoils."
Eugene had distributed a portion of the money from selling the magic stones to the dark elves as a bonus.
"They are friends who helped in many ways, in battle and beyond. They treat me with goodwill and respect, and I should repay them properly in silver coin."
Eugene had no intention of letting his ties with the Black Hand Tribe end there. Once he had established himself, he planned to hire them regularly.
Varda closed the heretic mage's research journal she had been leafing through and rested her chin on her hand.
"Several letters have arrived from lords who desire your service. Have you set your heart on any? Whether you accept or decline, you really ought to start giving answers soon."
"I'll go here."
Eugene unfolded a letter written on calfskin and held it out. It was an invitation from House Morad.
-If you ever find yourself near our domain, you absolutely must visit! That is a promise!
He remembered Benjamin, looking half-dead from a hangover yet refusing to let go of Eugene's hand. The invitation was most likely Benjamin's doing.
"He told me I absolutely had to visit, but apparently he couldn't wait. He sent a letter right away."
"It bears the count's signature, so the family intends to receive you formally. A truly splendid opportunity."
If one of Roman's foremost great noble houses in wealth and military power had summoned him, this would not end with simple congratulations.
Homi brought over a few more letters.
"Those aren't bad either. One viscount's house even offered to grant you a fief outright."
"You mustn't accept rashly without confirming on a map first. Plenty of lords hand over land their effective control doesn't reach, or worthless tracts, as if dispensing generous favors."
"Naturally. Besides, I've already made up my mind."
Eugene slipped Count Morad's letter between his index and middle fingers and waved it.
"If possible, I'd rather go somewhere backed by someone firmly on my side. Besides, they say Roman will soon be engulfed in war."
There were already regions that had plunged into small-scale fighting. Soon great armies would be called up and the lords would begin tearing into one another.
A renowned great noble house, goodwill already built up, and a war. With all three together, there would be plenty for him to gain.
"It seems you've already steeled yourself for being swept up in other men's wars."
"Isn't that the very nature of a knight's life anyway? I never intended to settle for safety and tranquility from the start."
A knight's life was a gamble at every turn, and the stakes were always all-in. He wagered not only his wealth but his life. Eugene had been prepared for that for a very long time.
When Eugene said he intended to go to House Morad, the Executor reacted as though he had expected as much.
"You were stuck together like sweethearts at the banquet, so I was certain they'd call for you. The next time I see you, I may well have to address you as Lord. Hehehe."
Panis, who had accompanied them, looked miserable and couldn't say a word. Once Eugene left, the chances of his returning to the frontier city of Bonyard were low.
"I believed you would soon spread your wings, Sir Knight, but you're already departing."
"I'm sorry to part with you as well, Chief Magistrate. You've treated me truly well."
Panis had been a major supporter in Eugene's rise. He had connected Eugene with opportunities where his martial prowess could earn the highest price and had helped him in countless practical ways.
"The proud Chief Magistrate of Bonyard, showing tears?"
"I-I'm sorry."
Eugene hadn't expected Panis to actually cry and was taken aback. The Executor seated beside him looked even more surprised.
Eugene knew how ruthlessly Panis had lived while clawing his way up from the bottom. Of everyone on the council, Panis came closest to fitting the description of a man without blood or tears.
Only after drinking enough of Eugene's wine to get drunk did Panis finally sob through his farewell.
In the days that followed, Eugene bustled about the city from place to place.
He could no longer operate as a mere knight. He needed the standing and organization of a commander. Safety mattered, but he also needed people to lead if he wanted to seize more opportunities.
"My word! I never imagined you would come looking for us yourself, Sir Knight."
A mercenary captain drinking beer at the Undine tavern jumped to his feet and bowed respectfully.
"All of you, stay seated."
Eugene calmed the men who were starting to rise with their captain and pulled up a chair.
"The drinks you're having now are on me. Would you mind if I joined you for a while?"
"Of course! Who's going to turn down free booze?"
Whenever the subjugation army made camp, Eugene had walked through the position looking for disciplined, capable men worth recruiting.
The mercenaries before him had served among the elite on the right wing, and they were diligent enough to keep training with their weapons even during rest periods.
"It's an honor that you came to us first. We'll serve you with everything we've got."
They needed new work anyway if they wanted to save money before winter. The strongest knight they had ever seen was offering to hire them, so there was no reason to refuse.
And he sat shoulder to shoulder with mercenaries, drank beer with them, and traded jokes. He showed none of the arrogance so common among knights.
"I heard only two of Branden's lot survived."
"We were next after them. You saved our lives, Sir Knight."
Everyone had witnessed up close how veteran mercenaries were butchered when the bandits attacked with the Wendigo leading the charge.
They themselves had been on the right wing, so if Eugene's arrival had been even a little later, over half of them would have been corpses.
They respected his overwhelming strength, but more than that, he had effectively saved their lives. Every one of them felt grateful to Eugene.
"I've heard quite a few mercenary companies were broken apart in that battle. I plan to pick out the useful men among the survivors. Can I count on your help?"
"Leave that to me. I've got a wide network of contacts in this city."
Eugene watched the mercenary captain thump his chest and smiled with satisfaction.
"All those you gather will be placed under your command. If any fail to follow orders, you have my leave to punish them at your discretion."
"Thank you!"
Recruiting skilled men would raise the standing of the mercenary company. The drawback was that men with skills that strong often had egos to match, making them difficult to control at first.
'There won't be any idiot trying to throw his weight around under this knight.'
With Eugene backing him, the captain could absorb veteran recruits without those problems. He had no intention of letting such a double stroke of good fortune slip away.
After several days spent gathering capable mercenaries and stockpiling food and supplies for the march, Eugene's company assembled outside the city.
"Hoo. I'd better keep my wits about me."
Eugene drew a deep breath.
Traveling like this was different from wandering with Homi alone. He now had fixed expenses, so he had to keep earning money.
The coin he had earned from the Hall War and the bandit subjugation was substantial, but the feeling of money leaking away just from breathing was enough to make his skin crawl.
The twenty-three veteran mercenaries had plenty of experience, strong reputations, and excellent equipment. With four donkeys added to carry supplies, the group finally looked like a proper company.
"Sir Knight, I've served plenty of employers, but I've never met one who genuinely cared this much about the men under him."
The mercenary captain looked at the donkeys' loads with delight.
That was because the packs were filled not with luxuries for a noble's dignity, but with provisions for the mercenaries. Medicines, camping supplies, and all manner of preserved foodstuffs were loaded on.
"We're all just trying to earn a living, aren't we? A man needs some small expectation in life to keep his spirits up."
The mercenaries were moved even before setting out by how matter-of-factly their employer said it.
"He speaks truly. There is little as simple as food, and yet few things grant as much hope."
"Thank you as well, Varda-nim. This wasn't work a mage should have had to do, yet you went out of your way to help."
Eugene bowed his head toward her. While he had been recruiting the mercenaries, Varda and Homi had been out procuring the donkeys and supplies.
An elf's eyes and a beastkin's nose had picked out the highest-quality goods with ease. The results were as follows:
Hardtack, the eternal companion of infantry across all ages and lands, to keep their bellies full.
Dried jujubes, a specialty imported from Samur, to satisfy the party's sweet tooth.
Pickled, fermented cabbage.
Sacks containing a blend of several grains.
Smoked herring, a famous specialty of Gord.
Salt-cured pork similar to jamón.
Rum, for lifting morale after battle and helping wounded men settle their nerves.
The food prioritized preservation and transport over taste, but to mercenaries in the field it was practically a feast.
The mercenary captain was so pleased that he actually began to worry.
'They aren't going to get drunk on the knight's generosity and start slacking off, are they?'
Mercenaries had a habit of losing discipline when treated too well. He didn't even want to imagine the All-Conquering Knight's wrath coming down on him for lax management.
Fortunately, neither the men who had been with him originally nor the newcomers showed any such signs at all.
-This employer is someone we have to treat seriously. If anyone screws around, I'll deal with him myself.
He had given the new recruits a stern warning, and every one of them had nodded as if it went without saying.
-What are you worried about? Everyone here saw Sir Knight rip that magical beast's head off. What idiot would dare act up?
-Honestly, the javelin scared me more. I doubt even a ballista bolt flies that straight.
-Exactly. What kind of spear flies more than a hundred meters and skewers two armored men? That was the first fucking time I'd seen a knight stop a melee of hundreds with one javelin.
-The man right in front of me was torn apart, and then the magical beast looked straight at me. That was when Sir Knight appeared. I owe him my life.
Not one of them even considered falling out of line. The mercenaries watched the knight riding ahead of them.
FLAP!
Whenever the wind caught the black cloak, they felt swallowed by its overwhelming presence. At the same time, they felt proud.
That terrifying knight was leading them!
They passed beyond Bonyard's borders, and the plains leading into Roman opened before them. Everyone marched with light steps and brimming energy.