From Mercenary to King

Chapter 5: Battle of the Rakiten Plains (2)

Inside the Black Raven Mercenary Company’s barracks.

“Ha, this is interesting.”

Captain Mordo sat alone at his desk and murmured with the corners of his mouth lifting without realizing it.

He had just remembered what the newcomer had said.

Bold, audacious words.

“There is a way huh…”

When he first heard it, Captain Mordo doubted his ears.

A way.

Of course, on the map there was a way to go straight to the Rakiten Plains.

In that case they could reach it in half a day.

But the formidable Arhen Mountains were planted squarely in the way. Even if it was the far end of the range and relatively lower in height, it was still an infamous mountainscape covered in jagged rock.

It wasn’t for nothing that Count Bellua and his staff had chosen to take a time-consuming detour.

That was why Mordo initially decided the newcomer’s words were bluster spat out from wounded pride.

‘He said to use the path of the mountain wardens…? The villages around the Arhen range use that route to trade and exchange supplies, so an army should be able to pass.’

It sounded plausible.

But what he liked even more was that the newcomer had accounted for the possibility that the mountain warden’s path might be too narrow for an army.

‘We have to pass through the village anyway. Check there, and if it’s impossible, we can just continue on our way.’

The crisp, decisive way he had said it still played vividly in Mordo’s mind.

Thanks to that, Captain Mordo couldn’t help but be impressed.

Plausible logic, and careful contingency planning for what might happen.

It was hard to believe those words had come from a newcomer out of some backwater.

‘Is he the heir of some fallen noble house?’

Or perhaps he was simply exceptionally bright and shrewd.

Either way, it was good.

What mattered was that someone worth cultivating had joined his mercenary company.

‘We were short on talent as it was. This is a stroke of luck.’

Of course, there was no need to rush.

A bull backing up might catch a goblin by accident.

Even if that wasn’t it, sudden attention could spark jealousy and envy within the company.

‘So I’ll take time and watch him slowly.’

They were already short on centurions after expanding the company.

If he watched closely and the newcomer racked up a few suitable achievements in succession, he could grant him that position.

‘As his lieutenant, I can assign Miles. They looked to have hit it off. Hm hm, yes, that’s right.’

A pairing of the seasoned Miles with the newcomer.

With such a convincing picture forming in his head, Mordo smiled in satisfaction without realizing it.

It looked like things could proceed just like this.

Thinking so, he ordered the runner outside to summon an officer.

“Well now, you called. It’s been ages since the captain summoned me at this hour.”

Before long, an officer came in, rubbing sleepy eyes.

“Centurion Jacri. I have a task for you.”

“At this late hour?”

“Yes. Why, you don’t like it?”

“Perish the thought. It’s just… sudden, that’s all.”

Shrugging as he grumbled, Centurion Jacri looked on.

Mordo chuckled and spoke.

“There is a village called Maduang along our route. I’ll assign you two riders. Go by horse and scout the path.”

“The path you say…?”

“The one that cuts through the Arhen Mountains. A rather sharp newcomer said there’s a route the mountain wardens use.”

“Huh… What a madman he is.”

Even mercenaries, as free as they were, had ranks and structure. And mercenary commanders generally came from fairly high stations.

A third son of a noble house, or a second son, or a knight who had lost his liege or his fief, and so on.

Yet a newcomer who brazenly went straight to the commander and spoke first.

Centurion Jacri clicked his tongue.

The centuria that newcomers would be assigned to was bound to suffer headaches.

“A madman, you say? Haha, that too is true.”

“Ugh… You can laugh because you’re the captain. If you were a centurion like me, you’d be screaming. Tsk. I’ll be quick about it. Here’s hoping there’s a path.”

“Good. I’ll rely on you.”

Almost before the words were finished, Centurion Jacri hurried out of the barracks.

He understood it was urgent without being told.

A truly reliable subordinate.

Of course, by contrast…

“Hmm... If he finds out the said madman’s going to be assigned under him, he’ll wring my neck, won’t he?”

Mordo had a sudden feeling he was going to be a bad boss.

* * *  

A rugged mountain trail.

“Grrk…”

“Huff, huff. I’m dying.”

Captain Mordo’s Black Raven Mercenaries, all with heavy packs, trudged along groaning.

For some reason, Shatien and Miles were at the very front with the guide, leading the vanguard.

“Huff, huff… Hey. Are you insane?”

Panting, Miles spoke. Shatien wiped the sweat on his brow and gave a faint smile.

“What do you mean?”

“What else! You had to open your mouth and wreck the mood. Argh…!”

Miles shouted as if he would lose his mind.

The previous night, Captain Mordo had confirmed there really was a path.

A route that went straight through the brutal Arhen range to the Rakiten Plains.

Thanks to that, Count Bellua immediately changed the line of march to this way, and as a result…

“We are wasting our energy for no reason!”

“Fucking hell. We’re climbing a mountain when there’s a perfectly good plain.”

“Why make a bullshit decision like this? I don’t know which bastard egged it on. Tch.”

The grumbling was fierce.

In truth, there was no way caravan merchants could follow such a narrow corridor.

As a result, they had to carry all their own provisions across the mountain.

Weapons and armor alone were hard enough to bear, and now food on top of that.

Complaints erupting among the mercenaries were only natural.

“You… need to be careful. Don’t go blabbing. Some hothead might stick a knife in your ribs. Ugh.”

“Aw, come on. Surely not. Haha.”

“Good grief… Such doubts get people killed, you know.”

Has this newcomer forgotten about fear? Miles felt his insides corrode.

He had thought he’d found a decent new friend, only to discover the kid was a walking disaster.

Regardless, Shatien only shrugged despite the ugly mood.

‘It’s hard now, but later they’ll feel relief and be glad.’

Better to suffer a little than walk into an ambush and be wiped out. So Shatien thought.

Miles, who didn’t know what was in his head, groaned that the young fellow was exasperating.

“Yeah. Good for you. Ugh...”

Watching the grumbling Miles, Shatien smiled faintly.

Rough as he was, the man worried about him in his way. A kind heart, contrary to his intimidating face.

‘Now then, what should I do…’

Shatien wiped the sweat from the corner of his eye and glanced aside for a moment.

Once they broke into the Rakiten Plains, the real war would begin.

A grand war spanning more than twenty years.

What had begun as the familiar power struggle between the emperor of the Holy Empire and the prince-electors had gradually drawn in the Kingdom of Ellang, the Duchy of Burgundy, the Kingdom of Hungar, the Kingdom of Catalina, the Holy See, and more.

Most great lords of the continent had joined, and it had become a practically endless great war.

Shatien himself had not seen its end, even to the day he died.

That was why this first step was crucial.

‘How to advance from here… It’s time to plan and choose.’

It would be precarious and risky, but within the bounds of what he knew, he felt he could make the best choices and manage well enough.

Twenty years of future knowledge.

He had it tucked away in his mind.

Of course, he could not rely on it completely either.

Assuming the future he knew would play out fully would be far too optimistic.

So what mattered most now was…

‘Building the foundation.’

At least for the next three years.

Within those three years, he needed to prepare a foundation he could present. Things would not improve. They would keep getting worse. If it dragged on, the whole world would turn into a battleground where a normal life was impossible.

‘So I need to firmly secure my place within the mercenary company.’

So that when unknown variables erupted in the future, he would not be swept away.

The Black Raven Mercenaries under Captain Mordo would later grow to the size called a grand mercenary army.

They would employ over three thousand mercenaries.

Maintaining such a force meant their power was at a count’s level.

If he steadily built trust and gained Captain Mordo’s recognition…

‘Then I could lay the foundation for the revival of the house I want.’

Not bad at all.

The direction he needed to take had come into focus. If he went further and used the future knowledge in his head to expand the Black Ravens’ size, that might be even better.

Thanks to that, the tangle in his thoughts began to unwind.

“…”

Of course, watching Shatien’s ever-shifting expressions from the side, Miles felt like the kid had finally gone mad.

-Neighhh

Just then, a shrill neigh cut the air and a man appeared.

“Whoa there.”

It was Centurion Jacri, leader of the centuria that Shatien and the other recruits had been assigned to.

“C-Centurion Jacri?”

With the scar running across one eye, Jacri made an impression. Though his hauberk showed patches of rust, it was still more than most mercenaries could afford, and he looked down at them with a stern face.

“What brings you here…?”

“I came to inspect the recruits.”

Answering curtly, Centurion Jacri fixed Shatien with a displeased glare.

“You’re Shatien?”

“Yes, Centurion Jacri.”

“Hmph. You had the nerve to push for this operation? To Captain Mordo, no less?”

“That is a misunderstanding, Centurion. I only spoke because Captain Mordo suddenly asked me to…”

“Enough!”

Shatien tried to continue quickly, but Centurion Jacri cut him off at once.

“A recruit already using the commander’s name as a shield to make excuses... Tsk.”

“No, that’s uh…”

Miles started to interject, but Shatien hurriedly tapped his side to stop him.

The way this was unfolding left a bad impression. If he spoke now, anything would sound like an excuse.

Better to bow his head and look penitent in silence.

“Hmph.”

Sure enough, after watching the two of them briefly, Centurion Jacri spoke, crisp and stern.

“Shatien. Do not try to stand out. Fellows like you come in every time. Do you know how it always ends?”

Jacri had seen many recruits like this one.

Hotheads who trusted their own ability and rampaged.

They flaunted their cleverness and fostered jealousy in the company.

They boasted of their prowess and ruined the formation.

If something went wrong, they might manage to slip away, but their ordinary comrades paid with their lives.

He didn’t know why Captain Mordo wanted to keep an eye on this one, but…

‘He won’t be different. He’s at the age to run wild.’

Accidents had to be stopped before they happened.

Centurion Jacri resolved to handle this recruit with utmost strictness.

“Battles, war, are not fought alone. They are fought together. If you try to break rank, I will put a stop to it, deliberately. Keep that in mind, recruit.”

The words were cold as steel.

Shatien could only force an awkward smile as he looked at Jacri.

“Ah, haha…”

He didn’t have a good feeling about this.

From the start, something had twisted badly.

Damn it-!