Chapter 14

After carrying out the pest control, we publicized the results widely—of course, keeping the matter of the gunpowder under wraps. Only I and the knights of my vassalage knew about the gunpowder. Even the troops borrowed from the count’s house believed that the victory was due to Erich’s magic.

Regardless of the method, the result was the annihilation of over 100 remnants, including dozens of knights. As for the damage, it was limited to the gunpowder, a wagon, and a few horses. I chose old horses unsuitable for military use, but rest in peace. Or should I say “amen”? Though this world’s religion resembles Christianity, I hadn’t really looked into their prayers.

Anyway, there were two main reasons for publicizing this outcome. First, it was to reassure the citizens by showing that we had dealt with the troublemakers, and second, to keep the remaining stragglers and bandits who didn’t join them in check. With most of them defeated, the region’s security should stabilize.

With this incident, most of the stragglers have been dealt with, but the neighboring noble families might increase their vigilance. Anticipating the future, I head to observe the training of new recruits.

“Erich, how are the new recruits doing?”

“I think they’ve come a long way.”

Ahead of us, 500 new recruits were maintaining their formation, marching in step. They followed Erich’s commands precisely, executing turns with discipline.

“What do you think of the training?”

This question was meant to gauge his thoughts on this entire endeavor.

Erich took a moment to consider before speaking slowly.

“…It’s intriguing. It opens up more options on the battlefield… It feels like a kind of frustration has been lifted.”

A relief from frustration, huh… It might be like the feeling when lag disappears in a game.

“If they grow and we have ten thousand soldiers like them, what do you think?”

Erich kept his eyes fixed on the recruits, not turning toward me. His gaze seemed even more intense.

“…With that number, we could probably defeat an enemy force two to three times our size. We would match even the Gustav Warriors of the north.”

The Gustav Warriors Erich spoke of were a coalition of nobles in the northern part of the kingdom. They had a history of being defeated and incorporated into the kingdom. In the north, nobles were more like tribal chiefs, and due to the cold and poor conditions, they once sustained themselves through raids. Their strength is well-documented in history, and it remains unchanged even now. Though recognized as knights within the kingdom, they traditionally referred to themselves as warriors, hence the term “Warrior Corps” instead of “Knight Corps.”

“If we were to assemble ten thousand of them… do you think we might even aim for the throne?”

As I recalled the knowledge from books, Erich’s question caught me off guard. His eyes seemed to be assessing me.

“No, no, that’s just hypothetical… I’m not fit to be a king.”

I forced a wry smile as I denied the notion. Feeling awkward in the silence that followed, I excused myself, saying I would go take a closer look at the recruits, and walked away.

“…In times like these, neither you nor I can predict what kind of future awaits us,” Erich said, taking a deep breath before heading off toward the duke.