The subjugation force was formed.
I was appointed as the commander of the force.
“Salute! We greet the Commander!”
“Loyalty!”
Two knight orders were mobilized. Originally, they were Sidoa and Vinland, the orders in charge of the North. These orders were larger than others, each consisting of 150 members. Fifty knights were drafted from each order and assigned to me.
In addition to them, Father assigned five special knights to me.
Benson, Gedren, Sipri, Bashimer, and Edren. These were the knights who had accompanied me to the Village of Villad before. These men, who had promising futures, had been thoroughly taught the Auran Yeongongbeop while I was on the move.
Benson’s case was particularly special.
‘He’s proven he’s talented enough for Father to assign him to me.’
Because he had been moving with me, he was the last to receive the cultivation method. Despite that, he showed the strength to master the technique and solidify his foundations in no time. It was an achievement that proved his talent was superior to the other knights.
Thanks to that, he became quite a significant figure among the knights. Having talent was synonymous with having a high probability of becoming strong.
The fact that Father still attached him to the subjugation force meant he was paying quite a bit of attention to my success.
“I look forward to working with you again.”
“Likewise.”
Benson joined the force with a bit of playfulness, seemingly having no complaints about the arrangement.
The interesting part lay elsewhere.
“Do you realize the timing is quite exquisite?”
“Yes.”
“I trust you will explain it to me eventually. You may take them with you.”
“Thank you.”
Iron Fist. The group I was raising had already become involved in the affairs of the Spiritual Land in various ways. They were not only acting as security personnel for the underworld in the new settlements but were also assisting Ident in intelligence warfare.
They had shown themselves so much that it was impossible to hide them even if I wanted to.
‘I tried to make their appearance as natural as possible, but it was still a bit of a stretch.’
It was only recently that Iron Fist had clearly revealed themselves. It was safe to say it happened after the underworld was cleaned up. However, from Father’s perspective, there were bound to be many suspicious points.
From the position of the Count, the lord of the land, a martial force with tremendous power had suddenly appeared within his Spiritual Land.
Nevertheless, Father chose to overlook it out of trust in me. Officially, Iron Fist had been recognized.
“The 5,000 reserve troops we’ve trained this time will depart with you. Once you arrive, you will also be able to draft members from the Northern Guard.”
“What is the scale?”
“For now, we are looking at about 5,000.”
“5,000? Besides, the reserve force is made up of new recruits who have just finished their training. That’s a tight margin.”
“We have no choice since we must leave at least 20,000 behind for minimum defense.”
The number of soldiers I could lead here was 10,000.
‘It’s not a small number by any means, but…’
They were all soldiers armed with weapons produced at the Refinery. Because the military power of the Spiritual Land had increased, the scale of the subjugation force was larger than before. It was much more comfortable than when I had to move with only a few thousand. However…
“Is it impossible to draft more? Monsters must be torn apart with overwhelming force. Otherwise, the damage will only increase.”
“There are some soldiers left in the South, but… it will take time to mobilize them as well.”
“It can’t be helped, then.”
In my view, it was somewhat insufficient. I made up for this slight lack in my own way.
‘This is why one earns money—to use it at times like this.’
The very act of earning money is to have it saved for when it’s needed. Currently, the finances of the Spiritual Land were sufficient. Even without spending the money I brought back from the Royal Capital, the land was in a state of continuous prosperity.
I immediately scattered that money. The target was…
“Is it another job this time? Hmm… We specialize in escorting, not monsters…”
It was the mercenaries.
There were three mercenary groups in total that I had commissioned for escort duties from the Royal Capital. Their number alone was 600. Unlike lower-tier soldiers, each and every one of them was a powerful asset. They were especially flexible on the battlefield.
Among them, there were quite a few talented individuals who had succeeded in honing their own weapon techniques even without formal instruction.
‘That’s why they’re able to take on commissions in the Royal Capital.’
Highly versatile mercenaries who could pull their own weight. They were by no means a weak force. I sought them out with a request.
Even though quite some time had passed since they arrived here, they hadn’t left and were instead increasing their numbers.
‘Normally, they should be moving after receiving a commission.’
To mercenaries, time is money. I thought their hesitation was because they wanted to participate in the winter subjugation. However, as we spoke, I realized what they wanted lay in a different direction.
“It beats just going back, doesn’t it? Seeing as you’ve stayed here all this time, you must want something.”
“Well… I heard an interesting rumor.”
“An interesting rumor?”
“A rumor that the Young Master values talent.”
Apparently, a rumor had been circulating. And the protagonist of that rumor was me.
‘Is that why they stayed? Hmm… Are they hoping for a position? Or did they see it as an opportunity? I can’t be sure.’
Gajei, Sian, and Hoden, whom I had included in this subjugation force, were definitely from mercenary backgrounds. In fact, those I brought from the Holy City were participating in various areas and demonstrating their abilities. They were being given rewards that commoners could never have.
It seemed that word of that had spread.
“And?”
“Aren’t people like us considered quite the talent?”
“You’re right. To have that much skill without proper training, you are certainly talented.”
“I knew it.”
The skill of Maren, the leader of the mercenary group standing before me, was at the level of an Auror Practitioner. His skill was undoubtedly at the level of a knight, enough to lead a mercenary group in the Royal Capital.
However…
“As you know, our Count’s House has more than enough military power.”
“Most of them are knights. Hmm… while there are those who look completely different, there aren’t many of them, are there?”
What our family lacked was magical power. Other than that, we were sufficiently equipped with martial strength. We weren’t so desperate as to need outsiders.
But Maren was quite persistent. And he made an interesting proposal.
“Please employ us if our abilities are sufficient.”
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this here, of all places.”
“…It’s a kind of intuition.”
“Intuition?”
“Yes. Intuition. A gentleman who turned the Royal Capital upside down returns without a sound. And yet, he’s steadily collecting talented people. That almost never happens with noble lords.”
“Hmm… if that’s the only reason, it’s not enough.”
“If it doesn’t work, then there’s nothing I can do. But we’re making a desperate bet in our own way. How about it? Does it interest you at all?”
He certainly had some nerve. He might have conducted business with clients in this manner before. Looking into his eyes, it was clear that desperation was present.
‘Is this a case of talent seeking me out on its own? Let’s see…’
His confidence sparked a curiosity I didn’t have before. It was possible that a decent, unpolished talent had come looking for me.
“Fine. Let’s talk about it after this commission.”
“Oh! I’ll do my best to show you my skills!”
I wasn’t the type to just let a talent who rolled in on their own go.
Finally, the mercenaries joined the subjugation force. In total, there were 600 of them—mercenary groups that had followed us from the Royal Capital.
“Go and return safely. Being strong and leading soldiers are two different things, so be careful in everything you do.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
With Father seeing us off, the subjugation force departed.
“Let’s move!”
The target was the North. We headed toward Premiere, one of the two largest fortresses.
As we traveled north, some joined us along the way.
“I have been waiting for you.”
“I trust you will do well this time, Viscount Jiberin. There is only one chance.”
“I am keeping that in mind. I will not let greed get the better of me again.”
“I’ll believe you for now.”
These were lords and their armies established in the North. It was an anomaly that Viscount Jiberin, in particular, was participating.
‘Because he was on the corruption list.’
There were two nobles involved with the underworld. Baron Sitarn and Viscount Jiberin. Sitarn, a minor noble, had been ousted immediately.
Viscount Jiberin was an exception. He was a lord with strong power even in the North. He was in charge of training the troops in the Earl’s Territory, and he himself was a powerhouse who had reached the early stages of an Aura Expert.
Because his power could not be ignored, Father couldn’t punish him right away. Instead, a signal was sent. A signal to restrain himself immediately. Jiberin, who received that signal…
‘Calculated for a long time before moving.’
On the surface, he restrained himself while watching for the right time. He constantly gauged how he should act. Then, he apparently went to Father.
“If you give me another chance to show my loyalty, I will give my life for it.”
It was a complete declaration of surrender. It was also a deal to offer loyalty in exchange for the price of his corruption.
Father, who was of a benevolent nature, could not punish the Viscount, who was also a comrade-in-arms he had moved with on the battlefield for a long time. He forgave him on the condition that he participate in this subjugation. However, I…
‘His crimes are by no means small. Let’s see how long he lasts.’
I had no intention of forgiving him easily. I planned to throw him into danger multiple times during the subjugation. Depending on how he acted and how he survived…
‘His punishment will be decided in my own way.’
His future would be determined.
Regardless, led by him, quite a few people joined the subjugation force by sending soldiers or knights. The scale of the subjugation force increased as we moved further north.
“This is quite substantial, My Lord.”
“Indeed.”
Even Gajei, who had a taciturn personality, was impressed by the scale.
A total of about 6,000 people, including mercenaries, knights, and soldiers, began to move. It wasn’t surprising, as that force was approaching 10,000 as it moved north.
Originally, administrative work and commanding an army were completely different tasks.
‘People might think this is too much for me.’
‘The Lord is backing him up, isn’t he? Since the knights are assisting, the worst won’t happen.’
‘We’ll have to wait and see.’
The movement itself was bound to undergo countless trials and errors. There were great concerns since it was my first time leading such a large number of soldiers.
But…
‘This isn’t my first or second time having such an experience. It’s much easier than moving with sect members who are overflowing with personality.’
I was a man who had led a Great Family while living as Jegal Hyeon. Back then, I had to harmonize and move people who had different characteristics and even psychological warfare within each sect.
Something of this level was as easy as eating cold porridge. As each day passed, I adjusted and moved the soldiers, and the concerns vanished in an instant.
It reached a point where even Benson, who had been subtly stepping forward to help, was surprised.
“How is it possible to handle supplies in that manner?”
He even went as far as to ask for guidance, wanting to learn how to command.
The subjugation force moved as smoothly as flowing water and soon arrived in the North. That alone took more than two weeks, and by then, the autumn wind was starting to turn colder.
“Is that Premiere over there? We’ve arrived.”
“Yes. We were faster than I expected.”
Our destination, Premiere, was coming into view.
‘How should I move?’
Just as I was weighing my plans for the subjugation, Gajei approached with a subtle look in his eyes and opened his mouth.
“By the way, My Lord.”
“Hmm?”
“May I ask one thing?”