Chapter 81. The Imperial Capital (6)

The day after my audience with the Emperor.

I told the members to prepare to leave the Imperial Capital.

Although the Emperor had agreed with my opinion to stop the operation, only God knew where the thoughts of that psychopathic, iron-blooded monarch might stray.

Of course, that wasn’t all.

“Ugh, it’s suddenly gotten chilly. Is it because the Northern Archduke came?”

“Last time, you said that was a superstition. And the Archduke Petroke has already returned.”

“Huh? H-He did?”

“Yes.”

A light rain had fallen overnight.

And this morning, the temperature had dropped sharply.

Winter was coming.

It was a sign that we needed to start moving.

Beginning a march after the start of a full-blown winter was a dangerous act.

It was the same on modern-day Earth.

It’s a well-known fact that during World War II, on the Eastern Front where Germany and the Soviet Union clashed, the number of soldiers who froze to death was in the hundreds of thousands.

The occasional accidents during the military’s cold-weather training were in the same vein.

Moreover, this was a medieval society with a touch of fantasy.

Being a fantasy world, there was magic to overcome the cold, but it wasn't a panacea.

Above all, magic costs money.

A lot of it.

“Warming magical tools, you say? Calculating for our mercenary band’s numbers on a two-month march… wouldn’t it easily cost at least two thousand florins?”

An insane amount.

My entire fortune was less than five thousand florins.

This five thousand florins was the amount I barely managed to scrape together by adding the money I had saved up, various extra allowances and rewards I received after coming to the Imperial Capital, congratulatory gifts from my enfeoffment, the support funds allocated to the pioneer settlement, and other money pouches or potion bundles I had passively ‘farmed’ in the capital while being mindful of the Emperor's surveillance.

To begin with, our mercenary band's monthly salary was just over three hundred florins.

And this was for our mercenary band, whose average abilities were much higher not only compared to other mercenaries but even to the Imperial army, and whose size had nearly doubled from before.

For reference, the increase in personnel was due to the publicity effect.

After my enfeoffment, a reputation as the ‘Hero of the Civil War’ and the ‘Mercenary Viscount’ had spread throughout the Imperial Capital.

It was similar to how applicants had flocked to us because of the moniker ‘Hero of Wolfskrig’ before.

This time, several times more applicants had lined up.

“There were about four or five thousand of them. We would’ve been in big trouble if we hadn't created an administrative team under that friend, Bart.”

“Perhaps because of the budget management experience they gained from what you ordered in Berenburg, they adapted quite well even though it was their first time doing this.”

When we were recruiting members in Wolfskrig, the civil war was just around the corner.

It was a time when we needed every single person we could get.

Compared to then, we weren't in a hurry to expand our ranks now.

We were as selective as we could be.

What I realized anew was that the Imperial Capital had a lot of high-quality personnel.

Considering we accepted nearly a thousand people even after being so picky.

The number of members, which had been twelve hundred, was now over two thousand.

We were gradually approaching the size of a regiment.

“To be precise, it’s two thousand two hundred and sixty. We are reorganizing the companies into a battalion structure.”

“Are the preparations for the march going well?”

“Yes, well. I think three days should be plenty. The existing members are training the new ones well, and we only picked guys with experience.”

Bart and old man Brol reported in sequence.

At times like these, I felt a new sense of emotion.

It felt like just yesterday that I had founded the mercenary band and was buried in paperwork.

To see them now as officers who had grown so much and handled their work so competently.

I wondered if this was what a parent felt looking at their child.

“Commander, are you alright? Your gaze seems to have gotten a bit strange…”

“I agree. Commander, are you on something?”

“……”

Anyway, three days was enough time.

Because even if we were leaving, I had to finish what I had planned.

There was one last task to do before leaving the Imperial Capital.

Delivering compensation and last wills for the fallen.

In fact, the reason I was out on the streets with these two was to handle this task together.

The first house.

The home of the mercenary who had asked for his twin daughters to be sent to university.

Bart knocked on the door.

“Is anyone home? We’re from the Ash Mercenary Band.”

Soon, after a clattering sound, the door opened.

It was a little girl.

The child, who looked to be barely ten years old, was quite thin.

The child, with a gaze full of caution, seemed ready to close the partially opened door at any moment.

Of course, we hadn’t come unprepared.

“My mom told me not to let strangers in… huh?”

A pie, freshly baked and fragrant, was an effective key.

***

“Hey guys, look at this!”

“Wow! What is it? A pie?”

“Sis, there’s meat inside this!”

A floor where a few planks had rotted away here and there.

Wooden furniture that was well-maintained but creaked, unable to overcome the passage of time.

Besides the girl, there were three more children in the house.

Their mother seemed to be out for work.

“This one is ten like me, this one is seven, and this one is four!”

“I-I’m seven…!”

“I already told them, you idiot!”

“I can say it too!”

The siblings glared at each other and bickered.

Of course, that was short-lived, as they were soon busy gobbling down the meat pie.

The children were all gaunt.

Still, it was a relief that they didn’t seem to have any major health problems at the moment.

However, there was no telling what would happen once the harvest season of autumn passed and winter arrived.

“But aren’t you mister-uncles eating?”

“I’m full. And I’m not a mister-uncle.”

“Yes, mister-uncle!”

“……”

It wasn’t an uncommon sight.

In this world, malnutrition was just about the average for the populace.

Anyway, twin daughters and two sons.

I knew about the twin daughters, but were there sons too?

Considering her husband was a mercenary and thus away from home for long periods, they must have been a very loving couple.

Before long, the mother also arrived home.

Dropping her shopping basket with a thud, she pulled a short dagger from her bosom and pointed it at us.

“Wh-Who are you? I’ll call the guards.”

“Please calm down, madam. I am the commander of the Ash Mercenary Band. As I mentioned in the letter, I’ve come to deliver your husband’s belongings.”

“B-Belongings? Ah, ahh… Teddy……”

Teddy was part of the spearman corps.

1st Company, 2nd Platoon.

During the siege of Berenburg, he was shot in the face by a crossbow bolt while climbing the castle wall and fell from the ladder.

I handed over his spear and shield, along with the money he had saved plus five gold coins.

In addition, regarding his rather difficult wish about university admission.

[My daughters. They are twins. Both are bright and clever. If possible, could you send them to university?]

“Teddy wrote this wish in his last will. As he wished, I have obtained the qualification for your two daughters to take the university entrance examination.”

“What?”

“However, as they are still young and haven’t studied academics in depth before, I will first connect you to a school where they can prepare for admission. They can build their academic foundation there, and if your children wish to continue their studies, they can take the exam then.”

“Oh, thank you…!”

The tears she had been desperately holding back burst forth.

The children, not knowing why, started crying along with their mother.

It couldn’t be a complete comfort.

Because the dead do not return.

Still, I hoped it could be of some help to the remaining family.

Seeing the wife and children crying over the shield, I offered one last word.

“If you find it difficult to make a living, come to the Wolfskrig Viscounty. I will at least find you a job.”

“Viscount Wolfskrig… Ah, Your Lordship! Viscount Ash! I’m so sorry! I didn’t recognize you! An honor to meet you, Your Lordship!”

“It’s alright. We’ll be on our way now.”

I politely declined the wife’s plea to treat us to something and headed to the next house.

Of the forty-six fallen, seventeen had families living in the Imperial Capital.

Still, perhaps because they were families of mercenaries who lived by the sword, almost none of them lived in the slums.

It was a world where the value of a life was cheap, but at the same time, a world where the demand for swordsmen was overflowing.

That didn’t mean they lived with warm backs and full bellies, though.

[Please tell my daughter in the Imperial Capital that I love her. Along with the money I saved.]

“Daddy……”

We stayed for a while beside the crying daughter.

[I cut ties with my older brother a long time ago, but I’m still curious how he’s doing. He’s a fucking asshole, but he’s the only family I have, so just tell him how I’m doing.]

“…*Sob*, I’m sorry.”

We also saw brothers who reconciled only after they could no longer meet.

[Please let my mother have warm white bread just once.]

“Wh-What is this?”

“It’s freshly baked wheat bread. Your son said he really wanted you to have some.”

“I won’t eat it. It’s tasteless. I wouldn’t eat it even if it were coated in gold! Frankly, isn’t this the price of my son’s blood? Hmph, all of you, get lost!”

It only happened once, but we were turned away at the door.

The white-haired old woman looked at the paper bag containing the bread with a look of disgust and roughly slammed the door.

“You don’t have to go this far…”

‘Good grief! Like a senile old hag. What sin did the food commit? And it’s her dead son’s wish!’

Old man Brol’s face turned flustered, and Kkumteuli spewed venomous remarks that were almost demonic, completely lacking in empathy.

‘What? Did I say something wrong?’

‘Tick-tock!’

…Right.

These guys were evil gods.

By the way, the [Sensitive Ears] trait.

It wasn't always a good thing.

Just because my hearing had become sensitive didn't mean I could only hear what I wanted to hear.

For instance, things like the sound of tears falling from beyond the wall I had my back to, or the sound of the old woman’s sobbing as she forced herself to chew and swallow the bread.

‘*Sob*, my son, my son…….’

I looked up at the sky for a moment before heading to the next house.

Thanks to our diligent running around, on the third day, we had some time left even after visiting the last house.

Just then, Viscount Pewin called me over, saying we should see each other before he left, so I went to see him.

“Congratulations, Viscount Ash.”

“It is all thanks to you, Your Lordship.”

“Haha, so humble. I’m the one who should be grateful. Thanks to you, many people are seeking me out, saying I have a good eye.”

It seemed he wasn’t just saying that.

I could tell from the seals of noble families stamped on the pile of letters on his desk.

Viscount Pewin had been a supporter who had aided the mercenary band in various ways since Alina’s rescue.

A mutually beneficial relationship would be ideal.

“Still, while I’m happy, I’m also a bit sad. I wanted to work with you for much longer.”

Slurp.

I took a sip of tea while listening to Viscount Pewin.

It was good tea.

Not made of sugar water like Archduke Gabir’s.

‘Slurp, slurp.’

For reference, in the subspace, Kkumteuli was sipping sugar water.

What’s with this guy?

Does it want to join in?

“Even if we are no longer in a relationship of a mercenary band and an employer, there will be many more things we can do together in the future.”

“Indeed, if there’s anything you need help with, just let me know. The Pewin family motto is…”

“Never forget a favor or a grudge. Is that correct?”

“Hahaha, precisely. You will continue to be an invaluable ally of the Pewin family. I shall let those around me know as well.”

He was a truly kind-hearted old man.

To think he would continue to look out for me even after I had left his service.

At this point, his alliance was a great source of strength for me and my domain.

Not all viscounts were on the same footing, after all.

The Pewin family was a powerful house, ranking within the top ten of the pro-Emperor faction.

So much so that there was talk of giving them one of the two vacant Elector seats from the civil war.

From my position of just starting to develop my domain, a good relationship with such a family would serve as a stepping stone in my relationships with other nobles.

“So, about that.”

Slurp.

Viscount Pewin took a sip of tea and continued.

“What do you think of my granddaughter?”

‘Pfft!! Cough, hack! M-Master?’

……Why did you spit it out?