Neighborhood Visitor (10)

“I don’t want to do it.”

“Why don’t you want to do it!”

Gind, a professional soldier and the lowest-ranking officer, threw down the soldier.

In Dedran City, he was the only one enthusiastic about training.

Naturally, the soldiers’ expressions were sour.

“Please stop! No one else is training, so why are we the only ones doing it every day!”

Of course, only his decenary was undergoing such training. Other soldiers in Dedran City who were conscripted didn’t even train; instead, their routine was drinking during the day.

“What the hell! Come here! There’s no such thing! If you’re a soldier, you should train!”

Gind twisted the soldier’s body.

In any case, the rule of obedience in the military hadn’t been broken, so the soldier cried out with a pained expression.

“Sir, I surrender, I surrender!”

“You bastard, a man doesn’t say ‘I surrender’!”

“So what, am I going to die? Let me go quickly. I’m dying here.”

“If you die, you die.”

“Hey, Gind. What are you doing in the middle of the day? Everyone else is lounging around, so don’t show off by working alone. Get up.”

Another decenary approached the barracks and scratched his cheek.

“The Lord has summoned everyone. Get up and gather.”

“The Lord?”

Gind’s expression brightened. He released the soldier and his eyes sparkled.

“Didn’t the Lord say recently that those who are struggling to make a living don’t have to pay taxes and only those with income need to? And he even made food for the soldiers. Don’t you remember?”

“I do. It was delicious. Something called Jingisukan? It was a strange name.”

“That’s right. In the pot! Man, just like that! Boiling the meat vigorously, and the broth was just… Ah, I remember it again. Before, with the likes of Count Dedran and other officials, and even Rieden, this never happened. This new Lord is different. Something’s different. I believe it. The day will come when the soldiers I’ve trained will show their strength!”

“You’re being ridiculous. He does a lot of things, but will it really matter? Stop the nonsense and let’s just gather.”

His fellow decenary said this dismissively and disappeared.

“Everyone dust off your clothes and gather!”

Gind shouted loudly to his decenary. Regardless of what anyone said, Gind was full of energy.

There is no spirit.

Having fought in the Monster War, I was always a soldier. So I know the military very well.

A wizard as a soldier.

So I was always an officer, not an ordinary soldier, but time is time.

The conscripted soldiers in Dedran City showed no sense of duty.

And that’s not all.

Even the officers and deputies, who are supposed to be professional soldiers, had dull eyes.

Eyes that were nothing but hazy.

The urgent fire was extinguished, but the most important thing in Dedran City was public security. Without proper public security, peace would not come.

I had instructed Mohen, the judge, to impose strict penalties for actions that disturbed public security.

But that alone was not enough.

After all, if the City’s soldiers maintaining security are not properly disciplined.

The most important thing for that is to select a proper commander.

Even if I disappear and the Greek boy becomes the official Lord, he will stay in the Lord’s castle of Greek City, not here. Therefore, a reliable security officer is basically needed.

But.

I wonder if such a talent exists.

Dedran City is that much of a mess.

I realized it greatly when I deliberately got caught and went to prison before.

As part of the security maintenance, I gathered all the soldiers in the barracks.

The purpose is to find talent.

A man with the scent of a true soldier is needed. A man with the sense I have seen in the battlefield all this time. I wonder if there really is one.

“We greet the Lord!”

When I appeared, the soldiers all knelt down simultaneously.

In the past, I have led more than 100 times this number of troops. It’s a familiar number.

There is no spirit at all.

Here and there.

Their faces showed they didn’t even want to stand.

“Are you the centurion?”

“Yes, my Lord!”

“What do you think of the current public security?”

“I think we need to work hard!”

The sound echoed in my ears. Just because the voice is loud doesn’t mean there’s spirit. A big voice just to get through the moment is useless.

His eyes were already looking elsewhere.

Pathetic.

“From now on, forget the army as it was until yesterday! If you don’t move strictly according to the manual, I will report to His Majesty, and for lack of diligence, your service period will be extended, and officers will face salary cuts. Of course, those who perform well, both soldiers and officers, will be rewarded. This includes salary, promotions, and even a shortened service period! It’s all up to your attitude.”

“Is that really true?”

The soldiers became rapidly agitated.

In this state, you have to use both the carrot and the stick effectively. If you only use the stick on such a slack discipline, things could get worse.

Well, such an incentive system works for those with motivation, but it has no effect on those without even that desire.

Above all, the important thing is the commander who will lead such people.

But such a person was not visible.

Of course, you can’t tell just by appearances. Someone with determination. How do I recognize someone with a firm mind?

Maybe I should use the method I used on the battlefield in the past.

“And the reason for today’s assembly is to see the soldiers’ determination! We will now hold mock battles. And among them, one person selected from each centuria will spar with me. The winner will receive a prize. Show me your determination!”

So I shouted again. The reactions were polarizing. Soldiers tempted by the prize. And those with annoyed faces.

Of course, they didn’t openly complain in front of the Lord.

This is the current state of Dedran City.

It gets more and more depressing.

Bringing in soldiers from Greek City isn’t appealing either. In this situation, having soldiers from another region take command could face more resistance than promoting a lower-ranking soldier to a commander.

Someone with determination.

It’s better to find them through direct sparring than just standing and looking.

And soon the mock battles began.

Fifteen were selected.

So I took up my sword and stepped forward.

Of course, my sword skills can’t compare to those of a proper knight commander, and compared to my magic, it’s like the difference between a mountain and a sand dune.

But still, having rolled around on the battlefield for more than ten years, I was confident that I was stronger than the soldiers here.

I could handle at least one orc with a sword and kill it.

Before obtaining the Dragon Lord’s Heart, it was difficult to fight monsters with just magic, so I learned swordsmanship desperately to survive.

In actual combat, that is.

“Anyway, the 15 winners will receive a prize. Sparring with me from now on is separate from the prize.”

I deliberately said that to the 15 men.

As I’ve been saying, this is all to find a man with determination and perseverance.

Having already received a reward, their attitude towards sparring will be completely different.

Those who don’t fight properly after getting the prize are already hopeless.

The first soldier charged with his sword. I swung down fiercely, aiming to cut him in half. The charging soldier blocked the attack awkwardly but ended up dropping his sword.

So I kicked him away.

The soldier’s body rolled on the ground. He trembled and then shouted while lying down.

“I… I lost!”

Pathetic.

So very pathetic.

“Next! Next!”

Hoping this wouldn’t be in vain, I fought the next soldier. I charged first and clashed swords with the soldier. Overwhelmed by my strength, he was pushed back.

I kicked the chest of the soldier who had been pushed back. He rolled on the ground.

No answer.

Again, I don’t have the level of swordsmanship of a knight commander.

And the sparring continued.

But not a single one was useful.

If the entire barracks are this lax, who can I entrust the security to?

Now I desperately want to return to the dining hall.

Fighting with soldiers who had eyes like dead fish was not exciting.

Still, I used my body, and despite the chilly weather, sweat poured down like rain. Then, the next soldier.

I attacked with irritation.

-Clang!

My sword and the soldier’s sword clashed.

As usual, the soldier dropped his sword. I tried to kick him down as always.

But unexpectedly, my strong kick missed.

The soldier rolled on the ground and desperately crawled to pick up his dropped sword. I had no choice but to slash vertically at his waist again. The soldier blocked my attack with his sword again.

-Clang!

-Clang!

After a few clashes, the soldier dropped his sword again due to my overwhelming strength.

Then the soldier charged at me with his bare body, as if he was going to crush me.

It was a desperate action, as if he were really on the battlefield, and I quickly dodged his charge and swung my sword.

Blood splattered soon.

An unexpected bloody incident.

The soldier grabbed his arm. I didn’t miss the opportunity and kicked him again, finally making him roll to the ground.

But it was different.

He wasn’t exceptionally skilled.

But he had the determination I had been talking about. And even though it seemed over, he crawled and grabbed my leg while bleeding from his arm.

Of course, if this was just a result of losing reason in a fight or an uncontrolled rush due to anger, it was unnecessary.

So I loudly shouted,

“Stop!”

The soldier quickly stood up and bowed his head.

“Y-you are amazing! I’ve lost!”

His voice was strong. I didn’t know about his character, but as a soldier, he had significant determination and perseverance.

“What is your name?”

“I’m Gind!”

The man shouted loudly again. Despite the blood still flowing from his wound, he didn’t care at all.

“Alright. Good job.”

I shouted that on the spot. But I probably had a smile on my face.

Because the sweat I shed today didn’t seem in vain.

Soon, Gind was given the position of security officer.

An unprecedented promotion from decenary to centurion level.

When Gind heard the news, he frowned with a face that couldn’t believe it.

“What do you mean? How can someone like me be an officer?”

“Yeah. It’s funny even to me.”

The decenary who delivered the news said that.

“But it’s true. The Lord is calling for you, so go.”

“How can that be? There must be some mistake!”

Gind, with a confused face, went to see El.

And soon he realized it was true. He felt somewhat bewildered.

But Gind was already a man with great enthusiasm for his duties. He didn’t know why the Lord trusted him.

He was genuinely moved by the words, “You will become a great soldier one day”.

The way the Lord kindly cared for the citizens, tried various policies, cooked for the soldiers, and trained with them was still vivid in his mind.

Gind thought it was the first time he had ever seen such a Lord.

That was enough to risk his life.

If someone believes in you, it’s natural to risk your life.

Gind felt his heart swell with emotion.

No one had ever believed in him until now.

Not a single person in his entire life. He didn’t even trust his parents.

That was enough reason to dedicate his life to the Lord.