The King’s unusual interest in the leader of the mercenary band was so curious that I couldn’t help but ask again.
“You’re giving them a higher evaluation than I expected, aren’t you?”
Some nobles tended to look down on mercenary band leaders, even if they were Sword Masters.
Of course, most nobles with that attitude usually lacked experience on the battlefield, so it was an exception in the Kingdom of Lumin, where most nobles had been to war.
Still, Deaurus’s favorable assessment was something else entirely.
Even among Sword Masters, there are ranks, and from what I remember, Deaurus was much stronger than Riki.
“I can’t help but give them a high evaluation.”
Deaurus pressed his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
“Across all the continents in the world, Humanity’s Domain only makes up about thirty percent. The Elven Domain and the Three Great Kingdoms of mankind each maintain their own frontlines against the Demon Army, and hardly a day goes by without news from the war front. In these circumstances, just one Sword Master is an invaluable asset.”
“Hmm.”
Rather than ‘valuable’, it’s more accurate to say that they’re an indispensable force.
But before that, there’s something bothering me.
“Thirty percent? That’s all the territory humanity controls? Not even fifty?”
It turns out Humanity’s Domain is much smaller than I thought.
How did this happen?
Deaurus looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Ah, you haven’t heard? It was urgent news we received about a month ago.”
“Hm? What news?”
Unaware, I asked, but the question came back to me like a bomb.
“Some of the Holy Nation of Luminous’s territory was taken by the Demon Army. As a result, humanity’s territory has shrunk even further.”
“…Wait.”
A sudden ominous thought struck me, so I asked Deaurus quietly.
“Just what did the Holy Nation lose to the Demon Army? No matter how huge their lands were, if we’re talking about a place that covers twenty percent of the continent…”
Deaurus nodded.
“Your guess is correct. They lost the ‘Sacred Land’ of the Kingdom of Luminous.”
“……”
I pressed my forehead.
“Of all places to lose, they lost that? That’s where all the ancient technologies the Holy Nation possessed were gathered!”
“The only fortunate part is that they managed to move all the ancient technologies elsewhere before the Capital fell.”
I frowned deeply and pressed further.
“Is that reliable? I’ve heard their excuses enough times to be skeptical.”
“If the Demon Army had truly seized all of the Holy Nation’s ancient technology, humanity would already be finished. A month is more than enough for something to have exploded if that were the case, wouldn’t you agree?”
“…”
“Of course, I can’t guarantee there won’t be any other problems.”
It made sense, so I nodded.
“What is the Holy Nation doing now?”
“They’re preparing a decisive blow to reclaim the Sacred Land. It’s going to be a war that will determine the fate of humanity, so even the Kingdom of Lumin and the Prasion Kingdom have sent some of their forces. Count Georg and the Mercenary Band Wolfhound are among them.”
“Troop support, huh…”
Come to think of it, the number of knights stationed at the Capital seemed to have dropped quite a bit.
It seems they’d already been dispatched while I was unaware.
“Ha, sometimes I wish I could learn some kind of cloning technique.”
I’ve got to train the Special Task Force, carry out inspections, go to war, and keep up with the Demon King’s Scheme.
There’s so much to do that my head and body feel ready to collapse from exhaustion.
Of course, the Hero’s body has insane recovery powers, so even if I want to get tired, I can’t—no chance of collapsing. Damn it.
“Anyway, leave matters of the Holy Nation to us. You have your own work to do, don’t you?”
“That’s true.”
I need to train the Special Task Force and root out all the demons lurking within the Kingdom of Lumin.
The real battle with the Demon Army starts after that.
Deaurus looked at me, curious.
“Come to think of it, you mentioned you’re going to train the Special Task Force?”
“So?”
“I’m just interested, that’s all.”
Deaurus’s eyes sparkled as he asked.
“I heard from the report when you entered the Capital that you brought quite a few unusual things from the Houston Estate.”
Ah, he’s talking about that, huh?
“Nothing much. Just the Marquess’s ransom.”
“…Ransom?”
“There are other things, too. The price for errands, the reward for catching demons, and so on. A single bed wasn’t nearly enough, after all.”
“…?”
“So, this is our training tool?”
“That’s right.”
The ‘unusual things’ Deaurus mentioned from the Houston Estate were none other than the Steel Scarecrows.
“Special training scarecrows made in the Houston Estate, created in collaboration with Prasion Kingdom’s artisans.”
Creak. Creak.
Five Steel Scarecrows rose and waved their hands.
“They’ll help you strengthen your combat power.”
“How on earth do these things move?”
At Murfin’s question, Elena narrowed her eyes and muttered.
“Artificial Soul.”
“Huh? Artificial Soul?”
Elena nodded at Murfin’s confusion.
“I once toured a Workshop in the Prasion Kingdom. They’re called Magic Dolls or Magic Golems, and some of them, the ones with free will, have Artificial Souls inside.”
“Elena is correct.”
I nodded at her words and added,
“The craftsmen who make Magic Dolls in the Prasion Kingdom’s Workshops can communicate directly with the Specters’ World. They resolve grudges, trade a portion of souls, refine them into Artificial Souls, and implant them in the Steel Scarecrows.”
You could call it ‘technology possessed by ghosts’.
“Sounds a bit like a Necromancer’s work.”
“If you say that in front of the Workshop artisans, you’ll get beaten up. There’s a huge difference between forcibly turning someone into an undead against their will and resolving their grudge through a fair trade.”
“Yeah, I’ll be careful.”
Turning from Murfin, I looked at Elena.
“By the way, Elena, are you feeling better now?”
She smiled wryly as she replied.
“I’m managing. Sorry for getting myself kidnapped and causing trouble.”
“It’s fine. Just don’t let it happen again.”
“So, why did we come all the way out here?”
At Beatrice’s question, I glanced around.
We were deep in a vast mountain range, far from the Capital of the Kingdom of Lumin.
The reason I brought the Special Task Force here was obvious.
“This is your training ground.”
“…Here?”
“Yep.”
At Beatrice’s question, Elena and Murfin both looked serious.
Thrall raised his hand.
“What is it?”
“What kind of training is it?”
“It’s simple.”
I looked at all the members of the Special Task Force and said,
“You have two weeks. Survive by any means necessary.”
“…That’s a pretty outrageous training, isn’t it?”
“You think so?”
Creak. Creeeak.
The moment I spoke, the Steel Scarecrows, who had been waving, changed their demeanor.
Their blue glowing eyes turned red and began to glare at all the members.
“W-what? Why are they like this all of a sudden?”
Shing, shing, shing.
The scarecrows’ hands each transformed—some into swords, others into spiked maces.
The peaceful atmosphere from a moment ago instantly turned grim.
“Just so you know, training has already begun.”
I gave the scarecrows the command to attack and continued,
“Also, the scarecrows in front of you right now are set to a difficulty level beyond what you can handle.”
Boom!
“Uwaah?!”
“Kh!”
The scarecrows charged at the Special Task Force, who each dodged and widened the distance.
With a single slash from a scarecrow, the tree in front was ruthlessly split apart.
Murfin shouted, face pale.
“You insane captain! Are you trying to kill us?!”
I answered with a grin.
“It’s fine. As long as you don’t die, I’ll bring you back.”
“You crazy b—…”
Creeeak! Crack!
Just then, one of the scarecrows broke off a chunk of the fallen tree and hurled it at Murfin like a spear.
Murfin pulled out the axe at his waist and swung—splitting the flying wood in two, which thudded to the ground.
“Ugh!”
The impact made Murfin grimace and drop his axe.
“I warned you, didn’t I?”
I clicked my tongue quietly at the scene.
“The scarecrows in front of you are not set to a difficulty you can handle.”
Creeeak!
The scarecrows all charged at once.
Thrall stepped out in front of the Special Task Force and stretched out his hand.
“Everyone! Get ready to run!”
Boom!
Thrall’s magic, now far faster than before, shot at the scarecrows.
Much more refined and faster than what he used at the Marquis Houston’s Domain.
But the Steel Scarecrows were unharmed.
It’s only natural—he’s nowhere near the power he had when he was called the Dragon King of Destruction.
Creak, creak?
Still, it was enough for the scarecrows to lose sight of their targets.
I smirked and gave the next command to the Steel Scarecrows.
‘Use all detection abilities around the outer areas of the mountain range. Within those boundaries, only recognize those who come into direct view. Any Special Task Force members trying to escape the outer perimeter should be dealt a near-fatal wound on the spot. Absolutely do not engage with any outsiders.’
That should be enough for instructions.
I stretched, loosening my muscles.
I’ve been moving around a lot lately, but to be honest, it hasn’t really felt like much.
If anything, it’s left me feeling a bit unsatisfied, like my workout ended too soon.
“Maybe I should get back into my old groove…”
Well, it’s only been less than half a year since ‘the old days’.
I turned my head toward the presence on the far side of the mountains.
“Are you ready over there?”
A flash of golden light gleamed from the direction of the presence.
“When should I start?”
At Laila’s question, currently in human form, I quietly gripped the dagger in my sleeve and replied,
“Wait for my signal.”
“Is this how training is usually done in the Kingdom of Lumin?”
“Not a chance.”
Murfin shook his head, exasperated at Beatrice’s question.
“No one but the captain would just throw us in like this without warning.”
“Brother, don’t move. Stay still, it’s hard to heal you otherwise.”
“It doesn’t look like they’re chasing us right now, at least.”
Elena cast healing magic on Murfin’s swollen wrist, while Thrall kept watch.
How long had we been walking like that?
“I’ve been thinking,” Murfin sighed after he finished recovering.
“As crazy as the captain seems, he moves within a reasonable line. So, if he planned a two-week Survival Training, then he must’ve put us somewhere we can actually survive.”
“And?”
“Let’s find a valley or a lake first.”
The most important thing for survival is securing drinking water.
“We need to solve that first before we can plan our next steps.”