We Go For It First! (3)

After the wall work for Soil City ended, at the meeting to decide the soldiers to be stationed there, I asked the reason for the claim that ten thousand people had to be stationed there permanently.

“Why do there need to be as many as ten thousand people?”

“Because the city’s scale is three times that of Ing City.”

Those were Wijel’s words, and it was also an argument he was making because he was the person guarding Ing City.

“Honestly, Ing City has no great difficulty maintaining public order. Most of them are long-time residents and humans, so they get along well without crime to the point that there is hardly anything to call public order.”

“Are you saying that ten thousand troops are needed because Soil City will definitely have many people coming and going from outside?”

“That can be said to be the case, but that is not the only concern behind wanting to station that number of people there.”

“Then you are saying there is another reason?”

Wijel said that was so and pointed to the map.

“This is the current location of Soil City. It can be called a newly formed city located in the center of Ingrad. For that reason, this place can be called a strategic key point. If we lose this place, it will have the effect of losing half of Ingrad.”

Wijel was saying that influence would occur over every area right up to the long-stretching barrier. It was not wrong. Moreover, considering the scale of Soil City, once development was complete, just in terms of size, it would have a massive scale comparable to the Empire’s capital.

“Soil City is being tallied as having a maximum permanent population of around five hundred thousand. Therefore, in order to guard and monitor that wide range, I judge that even ten thousand people will not be enough.”

Considering the work of patrolling in shifts to maintain public order, excluding those guarding the walls, Wijel’s words could be said to be correct.

However, the problem was that if we mobilized ten thousand people, our current military strength would inevitably suffer from a manpower shortage. But then Debik scratched the itchy spot.

“Are you saying that while knowing there are only twenty thousand soldiers in the domain?”

“Training will be necessary. Since we are no longer affected by the Demon God’s Moon, our population is rapidly increasing. Surely you do not fail to know that. Have you seen a female beastkin who has not become pregnant recently?”

“There are almost none, but do you also know that it will take fifteen years for them to be born, grow up, and do their part as one person?”

Wijel nodded at Debik’s rebuttal.

“If we select children who have just become adults as soldiers and train them, I think we can increase them by about one thousand every month.”

“I think that is unreasonable. Even if those children have just become adults, it is a time when they have difficulty controlling themselves. At the very least, they need to learn how to become independent under their parents for several years!”

Debik flared up and rebutted Wijel’s words, but honestly, it was a part where the two of them did not need to fight, so I cut in between them and spoke.

“I do not really understand why you two are fighting, so let me ask. Why are you not thinking of training humans?”

Only then did Wijel and Debik look back at me, and it was Wijel who answered.

“Can humans be trusted?”

“I am also human, and most of the vassals here are humans, though?”

Since those were words that could make one feel offended, I immediately rebutted them, and Wijel shook his head and spoke.

“That is not what I mean. If we recruit ordinary people, there will certainly be many humans who volunteer to become a strength to the domain. The lord’s treatment is also good, so everyone prefers to become a soldier. But the problem is the spies who will mix into that crowd of humans.”

I could understand what Wijel was worried about. Yes, I was also worried about our information leaking out. But no matter how much effort we made to stop it, there would inevitably be information that slipped out.

I did not think we could “monopolize” what we possessed forever.

“What if we operate a separate unit to monitor them? Moreover, a considerable amount of our information is already leaking through the Information Guild. We are spending a great deal of money to prevent that, but honestly, it is unknown how far we can trust it.”

“That is why I think we must be even more cautious.”

When it came to trust, the beginning was the most important. That was because when one trusted the other party, what often came back was trust as well.

Even so, not everything would return as good deeds.

“I do not think entrusting everything to the beastkin is the way. Our circumstances are a little special, are they not? So, hm… how about trying this?”

As they looked at me with expressions asking what I meant, I pulled out memories from when I had been on Earth and opened my mouth.

“Humans and beastkin, in pairs of two, will live and operate together. It will also make them monitor one another, but I think it would be fine to tie it together under the theme of harmony.”

“….Just as humans have their own strengths, beastkin have strengths as well. However, beastkin lose a great deal when they are together with humans. It would be better to allow beastkin to act separately as beastkin…”

“With that way of thinking, they will never truly mix for the rest of their lives. And do all of you not know that humans can also become strong enough through training?”

I was using human knights as an example. However, Wijel pointed out that the method by which they became strong was not simply done by swinging swords, and I also rebutted those words in a similar way.

“I think we can introduce the generalized training methods that human knights learn among the training methods.”

“You intend to make commoners undergo knight training?!”

Aenia, who had been quietly listening until then, said a word in surprise. At Aenia’s words, I thought for a moment and spoke.

“Why does that sound as if commoners must not use the training methods of knights?”

“That is only natural. Even if everyone were to receive training like knights, there is the matter of talent, and it is certain that it would take time and an enormous amount of money. To bear all of that…”

“If it is money, we are continuing to earn it. How much does it cost to train one knight?”

“….The cost to remove the apprentice tag is not that high. It can be resolved with around ten great gold coins.”

I thought that was cheap. However, Aenia pointed out something else.

“However, that is a story for when they have talent. It means that just because someone without talent receives knight education, not everyone can become as strong as a knight.”

“I also have thoughts on the problem of talent. For example, in this world, when people are given their talents, most keep them secret. However, when recruiting soldiers, if we separately pick out and accept only those who possess the virtues or essential talents needed for knights and give them knight training, while giving the remaining applicants ordinary soldier training, would that not roughly strike a balance?”

“….It is easy to say, but…”

Aenia looked like she had a lot to say, so I spoke to her.

“Aenia, you were also a commoner, were you not?”

“….That is so.”

Now she had reached the highest-grade Expert level and was in a position to challenge Master. This was also the same for the other four knights, including Aenia.

I also knew that they were constantly engaging in real sparring with Wijel and the others to improve their skills. Because even a single increase in Masters would bring great benefit to Ingrad, Wijel and the others were actively cooperating, but the five knights still had not grasped a clue to becoming Masters.

“If you yourselves were able to do it, why do you conclude that other ordinary people cannot?”

“….”

Aenia could not say anything. So I spoke directly to her.

“That is prejudice. You may think you were able to do it because you had talent. But among commoners or Free Citizens, there may also be people who possess talent equal to or greater than yours, Aenia. The world’s hidden truths are greater and heavier than the truths that have been revealed.”

“Even so…”

“In reality, until we try it, no one knows the result, do they? Moreover, I have a lot of money. Even ordinary soldiers, if they receive knight training, will become a little stronger as soldiers, will they not?”

“….I think it is a waste.”

“I know. It is a waste. But if that waste acts as an opportunity to save someone’s life even once, I do not think it is a waste. So let us try training them. Wijel, I also think discrimination between beastkin and humans is not good. Has this not now become a place where we all live together?”

“That is so… We are all living together.”

I looked around and spoke.

“We are people who hold the meanings of Ing and Rad in our hearts. This Ingrad is now changing. It means it is no longer that old closed-off and backward place from before. So I do not think there is any need to continue carrying bad old habits with us.”

Perhaps I was chasing an empty ideal. If teaching knight education to commoners and Free Citizens produced knights, then the Empire or somewhere else would have already done it.

But even among them, there would inevitably be people like a protruding stone or an awl in a pocket. If we could dig out even a few with that kind of talent, I thought the money spent would be worth it.

Moreover, as I had said before, when an ordinary soldier who had received knight training fought an ordinary soldier who had not received it, who would have the higher chance of winning?

Thinking of that, I made up my mind.

“Do not worry about money. And while we are at it, let us also recruit magical forces on a large scale.”

At those words, Richard and Hare, among others, suddenly brightened up, but Richard ended up looking dispirited at the words I said afterward.

“If there are any, that is.”

Afterward, discussion proceeded regarding the domain’s future direction, and it concluded with the decision to first select five thousand humans as soldiers and try educating them.

The Sain Tribe decided to take full charge of that training, and we were able to decide on a direction where, rather than having them handle firearms from the beginning, they would be taught basic physical training and basic weapon arts to build a foundation, then issued firearms and educated in their use.

“Leaving the schedule aside, the problem is the Demon Tribe’s movements. You are saying they are continuing to push down?”

“That is correct. As far as I know, the Demon King has currently pushed down as far as the Ishtain border.”

After we drove out the Empire, now the Demon King was raising hell, I thought. To put it bluntly, it was a case where only Ishtain was bleeding from the rear, but the Demon King’s direction was the problem.

“For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this.”

At my words, everyone’s attention focused on me. They had expressions asking why, and I approached the map, drew a line straight across it, and spoke.

“This is the route the Demon King has moved along, is it not? Look at where the end of it is.”

Only then did the vassals’ expressions become serious. I spoke to them.

“If the Demon King’s goal is our domain, I think rather than immediately sending the Masters to the Empire, we may have to join forces with them and face the Demon King. Would that not be difficult with our forces?”

“….Certainly, if the Demon King comes, that would be true.”

Hare’s voice was also tinged with concern. Demina and Wijel were the same, and Gamung and Debik also could not say anything. I felt as if all the actual strong people of our domain were being pressed down by the weight carried by the name Demon King, and I spoke to them.

“I am not saying we should go out and fight immediately. If we really are the target, would it not be enough to prepare thoroughly and receive them? Through this war, we learned just how powerful the firepower we possess is, did we not?”

“Well… if they are subjected to concentrated bombardment by two hundred mana cannons… even if it is the Demon King…”

Everyone nodded at Debik’s words. Two hundred sounded simple when said like that, but if each and every one of them was loaded and fired, whether with freezing shells or flame shells, it was enough to think that even they would die helplessly.

“I am concerned that they say ominous premonitions often come true, but if we prepare sufficiently, would we not manage somehow?”

At my words, everyone had expressions like they had chewed on shit. They did not openly curse, but their faces seemed to say, That bastard’s mouth is flapping again.