The door to the temporary reception room opened, and Kurt and Gregory, whom I had called for, entered.
The moment Gregory stepped into the room, he was startled upon seeing Wolf’s presence.
Come to think of it, this is the first time they’re meeting.
“Do you dislike beastmen?”
This question was more about confirming whether they would get along, rather than just a matter of preference.
Gregory, flustered, raised his hand and shook his head repeatedly.
“No, I don’t have any ill feelings toward beastmen. I was just surprised because many of the nobles dislike them.”
Ah, now that I think about it, when I went to the royal capital, there were people who looked down on Mimi for being a beastman. I don’t mind it, but why are they persecuted in the first place? Maybe I’ll ask Bishop Heinemann later. He’s knowledgeable.
My thoughts were veering off track, so I corrected myself.
“Well, let me introduce you properly. This is Wolf, who is in charge of our intelligence… or rather, our unit? Well, he’s the leader of that group.”
I suppose calling him the leader of the tribe is accurate, considering his daughter, Arte, is the tribe’s chief.
Wolf stood up and gave Gregory a slight bow.
“And this is Gregory, the newly hired sergeant… or is it unit leader? Of our group.”
Introducing them this way felt a bit awkward. Should I assign formal titles to both of them?
Gregory also bowed toward Wolf, who smiled confidently.
“I’m well aware of you, Lord Gregory, former mercenary band leader.”
Considering Gregory had mostly stayed on the gold mine security duty, it was impressive that Wolf knew him.
Gregory, taken aback, responded in surprise.
“Ah, I see. Honestly, it’s a little intimidating, but it’s reassuring to have you on our side.”
Surprised, Gregory stepped closer to Wolf and extended his right hand.
“Nice to meet you, Lord Wolf.”
Wolf firmly shook Gregory’s hand and smiled.
“The pleasure is mine, Lord Gregory.”
Well… it seems like they’re getting along, so that’s a relief.
I cleared my throat.
“Let’s start the mission briefing, so everyone please take a seat.”
As I motioned for them to sit, Wolf and Gregory took their seats across from me, and Kurt sat next to me. The two long benches felt a bit cramped with four men sitting, especially since Kurt was sitting so close to me. There’s plenty of space on the other side, though…
Well, whatever… I gave up and spread the map across the table.
It was the map showing the escape routes.
Ah, come to think of it, I called Gregory here but hadn’t explained the situation to him yet.
“Gregory, do you understand the situation regarding the encircling nobles?”
“Yes, of course.”
Well, Gregory had been right behind me when I met those nobles, even though I don’t know their names.
“Here’s the situation. As the encircling nobles’ territories become unstable, peasants have been fleeing to us. Our objective now is to protect those peasants.”
I looked at Gregory, who seemed to understand and nodded repeatedly.
“Now, for the specific plan, I’m thinking of dividing the unit into about 16 smaller groups.”
Gregory seemed to understand the plan and said, “Ah,” in realization.
“We’ll scatter and go underground, right?”
“…You caught on quickly.”
I didn’t expect Gregory to figure it out so fast. Was this plan too simple? Should I come up with other options? I began to doubt myself.
After I spoke, I fell silent with a serious expression, and Gregory, perhaps thinking he had offended me, quickly began to explain himself.
“No, no. It’s a common tactic used by mercenaries. If you try to escape as a group, the knights might take credit for it, so the idea is to scatter and regroup later.”
I see. Mercenaries probably have more combat experience than the peasant soldiers, so it makes sense. Now, the important question is…
“If the enemy has mercenaries, do you think they’ll notice and offer advice?”
Since Kurt, who used to be a knight, hadn’t noticed, I’m not too worried about the nobles or knights. The real question is whether any mercenaries hired by the nobles would notice and suggest something.
Gregory folded his arms and thought for a moment.
“Hm… I don’t think so. Considering the scale of the operation, it would be hard for them to notice, and even if they did, I don’t think they’d offer advice.”
I leaned forward a bit.
“Why’s that?”
“Simply put, a normal noble wouldn’t listen to the opinion of a mercenary. In fact, offering advice could create resentment, and that’s much more terrifying.”
Ah, that makes perfect sense. Nobles probably couldn’t care less about peasants, and mercenaries are probably just seen as disposable tools compared to peasant soldiers.
Still…
“The way you said that, it almost sounds like you’re implying that I’m not a normal noble for listening to the opinion of a former mercenary.”
“Huh? You thought I meant that?”
Gregory asked, surprised. Even Wolf and Kurt looked a bit surprised.
Hey, stop it. That’s a little hurtful…
