Episode 109

In any place, to rise in rank, one must work while others play.

More precisely, after achieving a prominent position, one must work even when others rest, for greater rewards…

Proving this point, Captain Dalton summoned me late at night, when everyone else was resting.

“Captain Dalton, acting crazy like that. I hope he suffers a hangover from drinking too much.”

Though the inn where the captain stays is a bit far, and it’s time for everyone else to be enjoying themselves, none of our mercenary guys should be around…

But just in case someone overheard, I looked around.

“Maybe if someone heard, I’d have to buy them a drink to keep their mouth shut…”

But even after activating Aura and listening carefully, I couldn’t hear anything nearby.

“Ah, damn. Thought my heart was gonna stop.”

Without muttering to myself or thinking anything else, I immediately headed to the room where Dalton was staying.

“Captain Dalton, I’m coming in.”

“Come in.”

Upon hearing his response and entering, I saw several documents piled up on the captain’s desk.

Dalton, looking at my face, slightly lifted one corner of his mouth and asked pointedly.

“Why are you so late? I called for you a while ago. If it were any other officer, they would have been here an hour ago.”

Didn’t he give me a three-month leave after the war ended?

Telling the mercenaries staying in the city to do as they please within limits, and then suddenly sending an administrative officer to call me to his lodging tonight…

I don’t understand why he’s so dissatisfied.

“Well, I was staying at a different lodging, busy dating Lucia and Karin. Weren’t the captain and the others all together, enjoying themselves with women? I heard you earned a lot this time and treated the other officers to women from a brothel that only serves nobles.”

“Heh, has our Martin grown up a lot?”

Back in my rookie days, I couldn’t even meet Dalton’s eyes directly. But now, in terms of swordsmanship, Dalton and I are nearly at the same level.

There’s an insurmountable difference in salary, treatment, and status between a rookie and a unit captain. Of course, I’ve grown a lot.

“It’s you who raised me like this, Captain. So, why did you call me? I want to go back and touch Karin’s chest, so please tell me what you need quickly.”

“Have you not done it with Lucia yet?”

Even though we are mercenaries, we don’t speak so directly when the women, Lucia or Karin, are present.

But among men, it’s common to make such crude jokes or speak openly like this.

If this were Korea, I wouldn’t have anything to say even if I were serious, but among mercenary men, this level of sexual harassment is as common as asking ‘Have you eaten?’

“I bought her a ring today, and she was so happy she cried and fell asleep with it on her left hand. How could I do that to such a girl?”

“… You’re disgustingly sentimental for a mercenary. Frankly, with your status, you could be surrounded by ten women.”

Until I became a senior squad leader, Dalton and I weren’t this close. But after becoming a unit captain, our relationship rapidly grew closer.

As I shrugged, Dalton changed his expression.

“Martin, you didn’t join us when I bought drinks for the other officers today, so you didn’t hear, but a vacation is a vacation. Don’t we need to decide where to go next?”

“Is the royal family not continuing the standing mercenary contract?”

“With the Baron Pappenheim incident and the current chaos in the Rheinfalz Empire, the Emperor just died, and the second prince temporarily became the Emperor. But discontent is about to explode, and a civil war seems imminent. Do you think they’ll renew the standing mercenary contract?”

Hearing that sent shivers down my spine.

The reason Count Estel, the Border Count, attempted to recruit me by offering the title of Baron of Pappenheim was precisely because of the looming civil war.

Given how well one performs in this, even a fallen knight like myself could earn a title and an opportunity to start anew…

‘Is this finally my chance for a significant turnaround in life?’

Ah, I can’t help but smile.

“You crazy careerist. Our mercenary officers are worried about a brutal war, yet why are you so thrilled?”

“Isn’t war, regardless of its scale, always about risking our lives? So, if I’m going to participate, it’s better to do so on a grander stage.”

Dalton nodded, hearing my words.

“True, if I, like you, Martin, am to bring the guys who’ve been with our mercenary group from the start into some noble’s house as a vassal and secure a position… It’s better to perform on a grander stage.”

“So, did you call me here to discuss what we should do next? Wouldn’t it be better to discuss this with all the other officers?”

Our mercenary group operates democratically.

When a mercenary leader retires, the next leader is elected, and decisions on where to fight next are made through discussions among the officers, including the leader.

But deciding the direction just between the captain and me, ignoring the others…

As I remained silent with a grim expression, Dalton smiled slyly.

“Don’t worry about that. The others said since you’re the smartest, we should leave the decision to you.”

Has my standing within the mercenary group risen to this extent?

Although I couldn’t openly rejoice in such a serious situation, a surge of pride welled up within me.

“Before that, Captain, what do you want to do? You aim to climb higher, right?”

Dalton nodded.

“We’re doing this because we don’t want to live like fallen knights or those without any land or cultivation rights. So, I want to seize this opportunity to make a significant impact.”

“If we want to provide a share to the other guys as well, this time we’ll have to align with the ‘Rheinfalz Empire,’ which will pay the highest for us…”

“So, you want to sell our mercenary group at a high price to the nobles participating in the upcoming civil war? Then…”

I picked up a noticeable document from the pile on Captain Dalton’s desk.

“Let’s make a big splash fighting on the side of the Rheinfalz Empire’s enemies.”

Hearing my suggestion, Dalton’s mouth fell open in surprise.

“Why would you want to side with the Medici Republic against the Rheinfalz Empire? We’ll have to prove how much help we can be to them.”

“That’s right. That way, when a civil war breaks out in the empire, they’ll try to recruit us under better terms.”

Just like a company considers how much profit a new employee can bring before deciding their salary.

Whether it’s nobles or nations hiring us, they consider how much we can contribute in war before making an ‘employment’ contract.

Especially those who promise ‘titles’ and ‘rights’ to hire us expect ‘more than just participation.’

“So, shouldn’t we fight on the empire’s side to prove our worth?”

I sighed at that thought.

“Usually, yes. But consider this. What if a crazy merchant is selling a cheap sword worth seven copper coins for thirty gold coins? Would you buy it?”

Dalton, confused by my sudden analogy, clicked his tongue.

“Why make it so complicated. Would you buy it yourself? I’d rather twist that merchant’s neck.”

Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t buy an item marked up hundreds of times its value.

For that price, one could buy a much better quality sword. Thirty gold coins for a cheap sword?

Only a madman would buy that.

I leaned on the desk with my finger and asked.

“Now, imagine you’re trapped in a room with an enemy of similar skill as the captain, and you have to kill each other. The same merchant offers the sword at the same price. Would you buy it begrudgingly, or would you twist the merchant’s neck?”

A wicked smile appeared on Dalton’s face.

“Damn, you’re crazy. No wonder the other officers want to follow your lead.”

Dalton clapped his hands in agreement.

“Yes, I’d buy it begrudgingly. If not, my neck would be on the line, right?”

“Our value has similarly risen now. In a situation like a civil war where our lives are at stake, we’re ‘overpriced.’”

It’s like selling a bottle of water for a diamond to someone dying of thirst.

“But isn’t that situation alone insufficient? That’s why we show them directly. What a terrifying thing it would be to turn our mercenary group into an enemy.”

People who haven’t tasted lemons don’t drool at the sight of them.

Because they don’t know how sour lemons are.

Similarly, the empire folks haven’t turned us into enemies, so they don’t know how formidable the Whitebeard Mercenary Group can be.

Then, I slammed my hand on Dalton’s desk and asked.

“How about it? Joining the Medici Republic and participating in the battle?”

Dalton, hearing my proposal, immediately nodded.

“Let’s do that right away.”