Chapter 93

「To Zeta. How have you been these days?

I am doing well. (Traces of much deliberation, erasing and rewriting several times, are visible here.)

The subjugation of the southern part of the peninsula is coming to an end. My forces are not yet sufficient to claim what was originally mine.

Once the reorganization is complete, I plan to advance north. I believe there will be more opportunities there.

However, running a mercenary company is truly not easy. Absurd things keep happening. The new recruits who just joined are causing trouble...

It's a bit difficult to think that these kinds of problems will arise as the scale of the company grows. (Tearstain)

I hope all is well there.

I sincerely hope you are doing well.」

***

Knock, knock.

Late at night.

Someone was knocking on the window of the mercenary headquarters.

When I opened the window, the usual little wizard, Esil, was floating there on a broomstick.

“A letter has arrived.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Have this while you work.”

“I told you I'm not a child.”

When I gave her a handful of candy as I took the letter, she pouted again.

Even so, she didn't forget to take the candy.

“Mister, are you working overtime alone today?”

“I told you not to call me mister. Anyway, some days are like that. Want to come in and rest?”

“I'm busy.”

Esil answered curtly, but she didn't leave right away and continued to float in the air.

“How about getting a job with the mercenary company? Have you thought about it?”

“My master told me not to follow strangers.”

“Oh my. They educated you well.”

“And if I leave, there's no one to deliver the letters.”

“I suppose so.”

As usual, I offered Esil a job and got rejected.

I wasn't too attached to the idea of scouting Esil anymore either.

But I have no idea who Esil's master is.

There are quite a few wizards who appear in the game, but she won't tell me who it is.

“Esil, would your master perhaps be interested in the mercenary company? Our company pays quite well.”

Wizards have a lot of expenses from various experiments, so they might be tempted.

That's why rare wizards sometimes serve in the military or become advisors to the court.

But Esil looked at me dumbfounded.

“Now that you can't get me, you're extending your evil clutches to my master?”

“Hey, it sounds weird when you put it like that. I'm just offering a good job.”

“Hmph.”

“Hmph to you too.”

Esil pouted her lips and retorted.

“Anyway, my master is busy, so they wouldn't be interested. They run the Mage Guild.”

There are two types of wealthy wizards.

Those who run large workshops, and those who are operators of a Mage Guild branch.

Both make money just by breathing, so there's no reason to go through the trouble of serving in the military.

That's why I'm not expecting much either.

“Is that so, can't be helped. Ask them to sell me some magic items later.”

“I'll mention it. But I can't promise anything.”

“Alright.”

Esil flew away, her mouth full of candy.

Though I gave up quickly, I couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of disappointment.

From the company's perspective, having a wizard would be very convenient.

A wizard is the only profession that can physically transcend space and time.

Is that too difficult to understand?

Simply put, they can act as a walking walkie-talkie.

A wise person would understand just from this how endlessly versatile a wizard is.

In this medieval era where communication is undeveloped, just being able to exchange messages quickly increases the chances of a successful tactic.

Anyone can execute a tactic.

Until the messenger doesn't arrive, or a misunderstanding arises between commanders, or a communication problem leads to getting beaten by the enemy…

Soothing my disappointment, I opened the letter Esil had given me.

As expected, the sender was Zeta.

Including the cursed letters, there are many people who send me letters, but there is only one who uses the Mage Guild's mail service.

「To Leon. News of your deeds has reached me well. I am very surprised that the boundless delinquent has grown up so splendidly. I am relieved that my education was not entirely useless.

The situation in the Imperial Capital is very stable. However, the civil war among the ambitious is intensifying, and warlords are rampant everywhere.

If we had not declared neutrality in the name of the Senate, the Imperial Capital would have been attacked by now.」

Huh.

The situation is turning out very differently from what I expected.

The blow from Duke Isak falling into a trap seems to be greater than I thought.

Good for me.

Still, a letter doesn't convey enough information.

Until Selvi establishes an intelligence network in the Empire, I have no choice but to rely on the regular correspondence with Zeta.

Sometimes I miss the game screen.

The information from letters is limited, but in the game, I could easily grasp the situation by checking the log records.

It would be really great if the alarm sound that went off whenever I achieved something could do this for me instead.

“Hey, you got anything? Say something.”

…….

“Well, I guess not.”

As expected, there was no response.

I shrugged my shoulders and continued reading the letter.

「Also, be careful. I have heard that a trend of trying to imitate you is emerging in Apennia. Perhaps a powerful competitor will appear before you.」

I scratched the back of my head.

What's this now?

A powerful competitor?

***

I didn't understand exactly what the abstract words meant, but soon, information came in, and I learned what had happened.

A sudden boom in the establishment of mercenary companies had swept through Apennia.

This was an unexpected event.

But at the same time, it was also foretold.

In fact, when Fasa first established its mercenary company, the reaction from other nations was not good.

They rather pointed fingers, saying they were delving into such a business because they were poor.

“Haha, those poor fellows. Now they're even trying to sell off their own people!”

That's just how the mercenary business is.

When there's no decent income or industry, you end up selling people.

For the government to push for it was a matter that would tarnish the nation's prestige.

But the Black Company succeeded, didn't it?

And Fasa got rich from it, didn't it?

“Hey, isn't this worth a try?”

“Tsk. I'm jealous for no reason. I'm not the only one, right?”

Although there were problems in the process, Fasa earned a huge income by using its mercenary company, and they also played a major role in an international war that started as a three-on-one, defeating other nations as well.

It was only natural that people's attention turned to the massive profits the investors had made.

With its track record thus proven, the mercenary business' perception changed to that of an attractive venture.

“Let's make a killing on this opportunity too.”

“Yeah, let's try to become like Fasa too!”

Naturally, the new entrepreneurs entering the market tried to imitate the Black Company, which had proven its business viability.

Simply put, benchmarking.

The first step is always the hardest; imitating is easy.

The fast-follower strategy doesn't exist for nothing.

In an era without copyright, it wouldn't be difficult to copy.

This was what Zeta had warned about when she said a competitor might emerge.

“But what on earth are they making money with?”

If you analyze the flow of the business, you'll see that the Black Company built its foundation by catching pirates.

But now, pirates have almost disappeared from the Golden Sea.

All that's left are small fry that are not easy to hunt and don't make much money even if you do.

So what will these mercenary companies use to make money?

I had a negative view of the competitors who followed the Black Company into the mercenary business.

“Aren't these guys just creating mercenary companies to commit fraud? Aren't they trying to run off with the investment funds?”

“I see what the young master was thinking when he established the mercenary company.”

“No, mark my words, this is a scam. If it were me, I'd really take the money and run.”

...There was a time when I thought so too.

I must have underestimated the medieval people here.

The people in this neighborhood had a good habit of thinking very simply when faced with a predicament.

They asked this question.

Why do we have to go all the way to the sea to rob pirates?

When there are plenty of neighbors who are thorns in our side right next to us?

This must be what they call flexible thinking.

Absurdly, for this reason, a military arms race was currently underway in Apennia, with new mercenary companies sprouting up, backed by both government and private investment.

“Are they really crazy? I can't accept this!”

I yelled at Selvi, who brought the information.

Selvi replied mechanically, like a judge.

“Captain, even if you say that, facts are facts. Nothing changes.”

“No, but what the hell is this.”

“That's not the only problem.”

“What else is there?”

“The mercenary market is in a state of oversaturation as companies from other regions have also flocked in.”

“...Still, I'd think there's at least one country that would hire us additionally?”

I looked at Selvi with a hopeful expression, but for once, he showed a troubled look.

“……”

“Is it that bad?”

“There are just too many mercenary companies.”

“But those guys haven't shown anything. We have a track record!”

“Among the mercenary companies from other regions, there are quite a few that are older and larger than us. In comparison, we are far away and our rates are high.”

“This is driving me crazy.”

As the military tension in Apennia rose, the mercenary market boomed, but none of the benefits came our way.

The problem was the ambiguous status of the Black Company.

For the price of hiring us, it was better to hire a new mercenary company with much lower rates, or a more expensive one with a better track record.

Because of this, the Black Company's plan to advance north also hit a snag.

And with hardly any connections, it was not good for business development either.

“At this rate, it's going to be difficult to get a new contract for a while. Should I go out and do some sales? Right, should I just go and visit Levona? With the situation as it is, they must be in a pinch too, right?”

Although they have the original sin of stabbing us in the back right after we subjugated Tospol.

A true hero doesn't care about petty grudges.

But Selvi opposed it again this time.

“That might be a bit difficult as well.”

“Why again?”

“Levona also entered the mercenary business this time.”

“What? No, isn't this too much! What are they lacking that they have to get into the mercenary business? Aren't they doing this to keep us in check?”

“Do you really think they would go that far?”

“You don't know. Levona would do that.”

It's not for nothing that Levona is one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations in Apennia.

They became a powerful nation because of that amazing tenacity.

“Then what should we do?”

“There's no other way. We have to wait for time to solve it. Until the new entrepreneurs go bankrupt.”

I raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Let's put getting a new contract on hold for now, and let's just watch the situation. If it really doesn't work out, we'll have to go out and do some sales. And let's try to get some work through our internal connections in the company.”

“Understood.”

“Right. Dismissed.”

Although I gave the order, I actually think there's no chance of getting a contract.

The connections of the young friends who newly joined the company are concentrated in the south, and Cavaldi's status is too high, which ironically limits his connections.

Think about it.

A company chairman would know other company chairmen, but who among the working-level staff would they know?

And yet, the mercenary company is hired based on on-site and practical evaluations.

Hmm, should I change the plan altogether and try to cross over to Caledonia or Elance?

With Eleonor's or Selvi's connections, we might be able to find work there.