NOVEL NEXT Chapter 496 Payment
Once they returned home, Rain explained his plans to everyone. Those two groups proved their worth, so they could be trusted to some extent. With that in mind, they would become the core of the fighting force that Rain wanted to make, but only to the extent that they would lead squads of ten members.
"I see… an army of two thousand isn't something to be underestimated, even more so if they are trained by you," Roan nodded. "Still, I think that you are being too cautious. Having two hundred people to report to you will be quite the hassle."
"They won't only report to me, they will report to us all," Rain said. "If something happens and we need a fighting force, we will split them and make one or several of us to lead them. When the time comes, we will split them to work directly under us, and they will report their findings, their progress, and such things.
If anything sounds suspicious, you will tell me, and I will check the suspicious individuals thoroughly."
"I guess it can't be helped… Rain is becoming cautious to a fault now," Jori said. "We can trust those guys since they have been working for us, and they are also kids that who Terra and the others raised, but since this is the start of a military organization, keeping some distance for the sake of appearances will be the wise thing to do."
"My original plan was to build an army that would protect Dana, Kei, and Gila since their magic power combined rivals mine, and they can stop an army as they showed yesterday," Rain said. "Still, we can't only rely on them, and it will expose them too much."
"Hehehe, I like the idea of having a lot of underlings," Kei grinned.
"I don't like the idea of being followed everywhere by so many people," Gila frowned.
"They won't do that all the time, only when you need to leave and also need some escorts," Rain said. "Anyway, I am going to talk with Branden for him and Esmeralda to spread the word. It will be better if their mouths are the ones that spread that news."
Another thing that Rain wanted with that army was to protect the western border, his family, and friends while he searched for the enemy. They wouldn't live in peace until this human is dealt with as soon as possible.
In any case, when Rain went to talk with Branden and Esmeralda, they liked the idea. It covered all the troublesome issues to avoid future problems.
"Some people might think that we are discriminating against them if they aren't given the chance to join this group because of their relationship with the former soldiers," Branden said. "Opening those slots might help improve the image of the group as a whole as well. When do you intend to do that?"
"Perhaps in one year? That should be a small enough amount of time for people to patiently wait," Rain said. "I don't have the obligation to teach those that I don't want to teach, but I guess it will be fine eventually."
"The disappearance of people stopped for some reason, but I have the feeling that it is far from over," Esmeralda said. "In any case, we will help you with that. We will also provide the funds to pay the soldiers."
"Oh, yeah… I have to pay them, huh?" Rain said. "I totally forgot that."
Branden and Esmeralda exchanged incredulous glances, left utterly speechless by Rain's words. It was a situation that seemed almost comical in its absurdity, yet there was an undeniable element of madness to it as well. Rain was proposing to maintain a fighting force at his side, all without any form of compensation… it was ridiculous.
They couldn't help but find it bewildering. In his eyes, the group was already generously provided for — enjoying meals, lodging, and other things. But Rain's ambitions extended further; he was seeking to keep an army, essentially, on an entirely voluntary basis. It was a notion that defied conventional logic, leaving Branden and Esmeralda both bemused and astounded.
"You should name the group, too," Branden said.
"How about the king's blade two, the return," Rain asked.
"Did I already say that your sense of humor is unsettling? Like a hundred times already?" Branden asked.
"What about Iron Fists?" Esmeralda asked.
"They don't fight with their fists, though?" Rain frowned. "I only train them to become as sturdy as possible to let others clean up. They can smash heads with the shields, but I wouldn't say that it is a good finishing move. Speaking of which, I will have to ask Lotto to make a bunch of shields and armor for them. I hope that you have accumulated as much taxes as possible."
"Naturally, we have quite a lot in stock since we didn't maintain an army in these years, we use most of the money to improve the commercialization between countries, though," Esmeralda explained.
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Things were starting to take shape, so Rain soon would have the chance to hunt this guy that has been causing problems left and right. After that, with a decently trained army at his disposal, Rain won't have to worry about future problems that much and will have the peace that he wanted.
In any case, after talking with Lotto and asking for two hundred sets of armor and shields, which left him speechless, Rain returned home as soon as possible.
When Rain returned home, he saw that everyone wasn't slacking off… that was right. They didn't have to follow his orders to know that they needed to train and push themselves to the limits.
Rain's goal was to train them enough to the point that they would feel bad about themselves if they skipped a single day of training… In any case, when Rain saw their eyes that showed a bit of dissatisfaction, he realized that he had forgotten to fulfill his promise.