Chapter 60 : Chapter 60

Chapter 60. Take Them All Out (2)

"This is not the time for jokes. What if the soldiers' hearts are swayed?"

"What do you mean, what if?"

Patrick said, cleaning his ear and blowing on his finger.

"Then they'll go their own way."

"Are you serious?"

"Would I be lying?"

"Young Master!"

"Ah, what is it with you?"

At Patrick's annoyed expression, Sanson said seriously.

"To take the teachings they received from you, Young Master, and become a knight in another fiefdom is a betrayal. Are you really okay with that?"

"I'm not okay. That's a fucking annoying thing."

"Then why? Are you just letting it be?"

"……."

"If the Baron did that, I would understand. He would probably release the soldiers, saying that individual will should be respected more. But you, Young Master, are not such a person, are you?"

"What kind of person am I."

"You'd probably say, 'You ungrateful bastards. Betraying me? Die! Die,' and beat each and every one of them up."

"Tsk tsk tsk, the way you think… What kind of psycho does that?"

"……."

'You, you bastard.'

He felt like he would get hit if he said that, so he kept it to himself.

Patrick smirked and said to Sanson.

"Sanson, what are you?"

"I am… the Baron's guard captain."

"Right. Then what are the other soldiers?"

"They are the soldiers of the fiefdom."

"Right. Then is it illegal by kingdom law for soldiers to transfer their affiliation to another fiefdom?"

"...No, it is not."

"Then there's no problem, is there?"

"……."

To the speechless Sanson, Patrick shrugged and said.

"That is just the law."

"Wow. Look at what the guard captain who enforces the law is saying."

"No, but…"

"If they were knighted, swore an oath of loyalty, and then betrayed it, I'd hunt them down. But what right do I have to bitch at soldiers about betrayal and what not?"

"The soldiers are indebted to you, Young Master. Isn't it right for them to be loyal to the fiefdom? Am I wrong?"

"Sanson, Sanson…"

"What is it?"

"Stop deluding yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Stop deluding yourself into thinking that everyone in the world is like you. You brilliant bastard."

"What's so brilliant about me?"

Sanson said, as if he were the most wronged person in the world.

At that, Patrick smirked and said.

"Look at this. A guy who surpassed 4-star and is looking at 5-star within 5 years of seriously learning the sword is talking nonsense."

"No, that's…"

"Objectively speaking, you're a genius."

For a compliment of this level to come from Patrick's mouth was very generous. But Sanson was not happy at all.

Because, there was something he had seen and felt.

"What kind of genius am I? Compared to you, Young Master, or April, I'm nothing but a dunce."

"There's always someone who can run above someone who can walk."

"……."

"What? What's with that expression? If you don't like it, why don't you die and be reborn?"

"Does that make sense?"

"Actually, it does."

"Pardon?"

"No, well… ahem, anyway, to the ordinary soldiers, even the talent you have would be dazzlingly enviable."

"……."

"And for brilliant geniuses like you, making difficult choices is easy. Even if the conditions are difficult and the situation is not good, you think you can improve the situation with your own abilities."

"That is…"

"But it's not the same for the other guys."

"……."

"If they say they want to succeed as a knight, earn a lot of money, and provide a comfortable life for their families with that money, is that such a bad thing?"

"……."

Sanson could not speak.

Was it bad? Could that be called bad?

It did not violate any laws, nor was it a particularly evil act.

It was just changing one's affiliation to a place that treated them better. He couldn't bring himself to say that it was wrong.

Moreover, in the Schneider fiefdom, their future as knights was uncertain.

Sanson and the other soldiers also had a rough idea of why they couldn't become knights.

They were skilled enough.

The Baron also wanted to knight them.

But a realistic problem stood in their way.

That problem was money.

Knights cost a lot of money.

First of all, their salary was incomparably higher than that of a regular soldier, and they also had to be provided with equipment.

Full plate mail, a horse, barding for the horse. Besides that, miscellaneous items and the maintenance costs to maintain those items.

On top of that, if you consider the cost of hiring a groom to take care of the horse and a squire to serve the knight….

'If all 200 soldiers were knighted, the fiefdom's budget would go bankrupt.'

Originally, 200 knights was not a force that a country noble could afford.

That level of force could usually only be maintained by nobles who wielded the power of a duke or at least a marquis.

So, Baron Schneider could not promote the soldiers to nobles.

He might have had a plan to promote them one by one, but he was hesitating because it was ambiguous who to promote and who not to.

"You know it too, right? That if they stay in our fiefdom, they'll have to continue to struggle as soldiers."

"……."

"But you, you could probably become a knight even in our fiefdom. Considering your skills and experience, if you were to become a knight, the other soldiers would think, 'If it's Sanson, we have to acknowledge it'."

"I…"

"You've never thought of that?"

"……."

"Right. You might not have. But whether you've thought of it or not, the other guys all know that such a thing could actually happen. For those guys, the offer from the other eastern nobles could be a life-changing opportunity."

"……."

"And you're telling me to stop them? Should I beat them up one by one and threaten to kill them if they go?"

"Young Master…"

Sanson let out a weary sigh.

He had no choice but to accept this.

Everything Patrick said was right.

Patrick's words, which understood the soldiers' position and sought to respect their rights and will, were more right than anyone's. However….

"But Young Master. If that's the case, are you okay with it?"

"No, I'm not okay with it."

"……."

"I've cherished these bastards like gold and jade, taught them with passion to make them into decent human beings, and now that they can finally swing a sword a bit, they're changing their affiliation? Aaargh… just thinking about it pisses me off."

"Your words and actions are not consistent at all."

"It's fine. I'm always like that."

"What a proud madman…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

Patrick glared at Sanson, then shrugged and said.

"But what can I do? It pisses me off, but I have to understand the kids' position."

"……."

"Let those who want to go, go. It's their choice and their fortune."

"…I understand."

Sanson answered with a weak voice.

Patrick was right.

He understood that part fully. But separate from that, he couldn't help but feel down. Because….

'Do we mean nothing to the Young Master?'

For the past five years, the soldiers of the Schneider fiefdom had truly gone through hell.

If they had known they would have to go through such training from the beginning, most of the soldiers probably would have given up at the start.

But the one who had suffered much more than those soldiers was Patrick himself.

He corrected each and every soldier whenever their stance was wrong, fixed their aura when it got twisted, repeated realistic sparring sessions, and in the midst of all that, he also looked after the Orcs, handled the practical affairs of the fiefdom, and at the same time, he himself went through personal training that was far more grueling than the soldiers'.

The reason the soldiers were able to continue without giving up, even in training that felt like death, was thanks to Patrick, who was walking silently… no, not silently, but anyway, showing them his back as he walked far ahead of them.

He thought that in that process, a bond and trust had been built between them….

'Was it not so for the Young Master?'

The emotion Sanson was feeling could be summed up in one word: disappointment.

He had thought that Patrick, who had painstakingly taught and raised each of them, would have a more special feeling for them.

'Didn't you promise? That you would make us all knights… Huh?'

In that moment, something flashed through Sanson's mind.

That's right, Patrick had promised.

That he would one day make them all knights.

Although Patrick's personality was damned, evil, violent, and hasty, most of what he said was undeniably sincere.

If that was the case….

Sanson suddenly turned his head to look at Patrick and said.

"Young Master."

"You've been calling me a lot today."

"I would like to ask just one more thing."

"Can't you not? I'm tired."

"You said that those who want to go can go, right?"

"Are you ignoring me?"

"Then what will you say to those who say they won't go?"

"……."

"Let those who want to go, go. But let those who want to stay, stay. Then do you have nothing to say to those who will remain?"

"……."

"Not a single word?"

"For a guy built like a bear, you're quite clingy…"

"Please tell me."

At Sanson's words, Patrick said with a bitter smile.

"To those who will remain, tell them just two things."

"……."

"Thank you. And…"

"……."

"I will make sure you will never regret it."

Hearing those words, Sanson's expression brightened.

"Thank you. Those two phrases are enough."

"What are you talking about? This is just an empty promise. It's a blank check with no guarantee."

"The value of a blank check changes completely depending on whose name it's issued in."

"……."

"I will go and tell them exactly that."

Watching Sanson leave with a bright expression, Patrick smirked and said.

"Foolish bastard."

To be so happy over such an unfounded blank check. How could he be like that unless he was a pushover and a fool, perfect for being scammed?

"Haaaah… why am I surrounded by only these kinds of guys?"

They're all teeming with pushovers and fools who would starve to death if I didn't take care of them, so what can I do?

I'll just have to take care of them to the best of my ability.

* * *

"Everyone, listen."

Sanson gathered the soldiers.

And he said to them with a serious expression.

"Recently, many of you have received good offers from the nobles of other fiefdoms."

At those words, a significant number of soldiers looked guilty. One of them said.

"So what did the Young Master say?"

"No, the Young Master said this."

"……."

"Let those who want to go, go."

At those words, the soldiers began to stir.

In truth, quite a few soldiers had been swayed by good offers.

But the reason they hadn't immediately changed their affiliation was because they didn't know how Patrick would react.

But now that Patrick had told them to go if they wanted to….

'Does he really mean we can go?'

'Can I become a knight? Me?'

At that moment, Sanson's words continued.

"At the same time, he also left two messages for the fools who would stay and not go."

"What is it?"

"Thank you."

"Pardon?"

"The Young Master, to us?"

"Did you hear that wrong?"

The soldiers were horrified.

Because the words that would absolutely not come out of the mouth of the Patrick they knew were things like 'thank' or 'gratitude'.

For Patrick to have said 'thank you' to them, the soldiers momentarily doubted their ears.

And Sanson's words continued.

"One more thing he said was that if there are those who stay, he will make sure they will never regret it."

"We won't regret it?"

"That is correct. As you all know… the Young Master is not an ordinary person."

"He's a devil."

"A great devil of hell."

"Worse than a monster."

"A demon."

Uh, right. All of that was true.

Sanson couldn't deny it.

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