Chapter 110
"As expected, the Ferretta family has asked to become a vassal family."
"Surely they wouldn't dare touch Percival or even Luffmann?"
"......For now, it's also outside of our territory, and all of their main forces are already part of the 2nd Prince's faction. They were dispatched as soon as the civil war started. It's difficult to touch them."
"Right. We should be satisfied with this for now."
Logan had no intention of simply accepting the Ferretta family, who had already shown their teeth, by just receiving taxes.
'I'll slowly kill them off and absorb their entire power.'
Logan smiled contentedly, imagining the future.
"This is already more than enough of an achievement. The previous lords would be pleased as well."
"I don't know. Maybe they're cheering us on to do more, saying it's not enough yet."
"......"
Although the air became tense for a moment at Padrick's dry joke, the lord's office was filled with a cheerful atmosphere for the first time in a long time.
There were still unresolved problems, but they were still only matters of the future.
It could be said that all immediate threats had been eliminated.
So now…….
"It's time for the party we've been putting off."
Everyone laughed at Logan's words.
The war was over.
In a time when the whole country was in turmoil due to the civil war, it was not something that could be officially announced.
That's why it spread as a public secret.
The McLaren no longer wages war.
And as if to prove the rumor, Logan gave the knights and soldiers a large sum of money and even held a banquet for the participating soldiers, allowing them to take a well-deserved rest.
Morale was high after the recent victory, but the actual condition of the troops was not so good.
Although there were few casualties when they captured Bifrost Castle, the sacrifice was too great in the process of capturing Tomodo Castle before that.
The difference was even more evident when compared in numbers.
Out of 152 knights, 54 died and 98 survived.
Out of 1,000 crossbow cavalry, 289 died and 711 survived.
Out of 1,532 infantry, 655 died and 877 survived.
Moreover, the method that had been the most effective in expanding McLaren's forces until now, the conversion of captured knights, was no longer possible.
Although there were a few knights who surrendered at Tomodo Castle, as long as their original lord was alive, they would only be branded as traitors if they converted.
Of course, they had previously sent some to Roger Bifrost as a means of appeasing the 2nd Prince's faction.
That's why it was even more necessary to celebrate the victory now and keep their morale as high as possible.
That's why Logan prepared a separate party for the knights, the main force, in addition to the banquet for the soldiers.
It was a party with incredible gifts prepared.
"Sir Heinckel. Come forward."
"Yes!"
"In order to commend your 功績 (achievements) in leading the knights to victory in the war, I grant you a reward of 1 million gold coins and land of equal value."
Everyone watching gasped.
Not only an incredibly large sum of money compared to the past, but even land.
It was the act of generously sharing the profits gained from conquering the wealthy 伯爵領 (Earldom) with his subordinates.
'I wish the artifact warehouse was intact.'
The twenty or so artifacts had disappeared without a trace, perhaps taken by the Bifrost army.
Although he was a little disappointed, Logan smiled and applauded continuously.
"The prince emptied the warehouse here."
"Then shall we too?"
"Well, even so, it's different for a commander."
The knights didn't give up hope, even as they spoke.
Their expectations were soon met.
It wasn't at the same level as what Heinckel received, but all the knights received a reward of at least 100,000 gold.
All the knights were happy, but the one who was visibly the happiest about the reward was Eileen.
"Is that really good? The Floyd family isn't that poor, is it?"
"This is the first money I've ever earned! And it's such a large amount..."
"Ah..."
"There's no chance for a woman to earn this kind of money in this country. I feel like my dream has come true just a little bit with this."
Logan could only smile and pat Eileen on the shoulder, who was even glistening with tears.
However, it was not the knights who received the biggest reward at this banquet.
"To the golem workshop that made the greatest contribution in the Battle of Tomodo Defense, I hereby declare that the golem workshop site within the current McLaren Town will be transferred to the workshop forever, and that no taxes will be imposed. I also grant a reward of 10 million gold coins."
As soon as Padrick finished speaking, Clayton knelt down on the spot.
"T, thank you. In the future, the disciples of the Golem Workshop will work hard for McLaren until our bones turn to dust."
Clayton was so moved that he even laughed off the joke of his eldest disciple, Greek, about why he was勝手に (arbitrarily) including the bones of his disciples.
The poor workshop elder, who had always been struggling with money and turning his disciples into laborers, was no more.
'A proper worker who receives a bountiful reward as the master of the workshop and provides labor... Ah, no. I'm a magician.'
Although he felt a little uneasy, Clayton was in the best mood anyway.
"And to the families of all the fallen soldiers, I promise a reward twice that of the survivors."
The final declaration of the lord, Padrick, also brought the atmosphere around to its climax.
And so the party that day went on all night long.
Every attendant, without exception, praised Logan and the McLaren family with each sip of alcohol.
"Long live McLaren!"
"I will be loyal for life!"
"Loyalty to the flame that will burn forever!"
The morale of the McLaren troops soared to an all-time high at that moment.
And Logan.
'I didn't know it felt so good to show off with someone else's stuff.'
He raised a glass to the absent owner, in front of the empty Bifrost treasure warehouse.
---------
Not long after that cheerful time.
Logan once again ordered a conscription of soldiers.
Bifrost's five castles. And Tesron, Silvan, McLaren Castle and McLaren Town.
It was a massive conscription campaign targeting the entire McLaren territory.
"2,000 for now... right?"
"So you're saying you'll pick more later... heh heh."
"That's over 200 people from each of the nine castles. Huh."
"It looks like our finances are going to take a hit..."
"Come on, what are you spacing out for? Just do what the prince says! We've just replenished our administrative staff!"
Dwayne's shout quickly silenced the disgruntled tones of the administrators.
Fortunately, unlike Silvan or Tesron, not many of Bifrost's administrators had embezzled the people's livelihood.
So they were able to be sent to the other castles except for Bifrost, Tomodo, and McLaren Castle and Town, which could be considered the origin of the McLaren family, so the administrative staff was not that lacking compared to the increased number of castles.
And since Dwayne was entrusted with all of this process, from the perspective of the administrators of the conquered territories, Dwayne's words, which designated their livelihood and workplace, were no different from an absolute order.
However.
"Isn't this a bit strange, even for a standard, Sir Dwayne?"
"That's right! A touch test? What does this have to do with soldiers?"
"Moreover, the method is also strange……. This is really……."
It was a situation where anyone with a normal mind would question it.
However.
"Just do it, what are you talking about! Our prince is a man sent by God! Just do it! Then everything will be accomplished!"
The financial manager, with the 狂気 (Insanity) filled eyes of a cult leader, did not allow any objections to the Grand Prince's orders.
In the end, the notice with overwhelming driving force was simultaneously posted in the 9 castles that had now become McLaren's territory.
However, the reaction was not as hot as Logan had expected.
------------
"Isn't it dangerous to be a soldier? The kingdom is in chaos. There is war here and there……."
"That's right. The whole country is in chaos……."
"But wouldn't it be different if it was our lord's army?"
"What's the difference between an army and an army! I can't just let my son die in a fight between nobles."
At a time when rumors of the war raging throughout the kingdom were spreading,
Even though the age limit was lowered from before to allow all men over the age of 15 to apply, the number of applicants was far below expectations.
Ironically, the number of applicants from McLaren Town, where Logan had put the most effort, was the lowest.
It was barely enough to fill the quota, and it was difficult to filter them out through the test.
Even then, there was a ridiculous background.
"Did the territorial people discuss it among themselves and forcibly conscript them because they were afraid of my anger? To make up the numbers?"
"……Not all of them, but some of them seem to be."
"Ha…… What is this……."
Logan was simply speechless.
As a soldier, if he trained properly, there was a chance, however slim, of social mobility.
He could only laugh bitterly when he realized that the expectation for that possibility was lower than the desire for immediate safety.
Although it was rooted in personal anger, it was the fact that the independent soldier of the previous life, who had risked his life and worked for a value beyond life, could not understand the psychology of the ordinary territorial people.
The situation was similar in the five castles that originally belonged to the Bifrost territory, which were operating peacefully under relatively mild taxes.
However, ironically, only in Silvan Castle did more than five times the number of people gather than the quota.
Only the territorial people of the castle who had groaned under tyranny and had recently experienced stability under McLaren's rule chose challenge over safety.
Due to this, more than the initially intended 2,000 individuals, close to 3,000 candidates ended up taking the test, but the results weren't as satisfactory as expected.
Logan's newly devised soldier suitability test comprised only two aspects.
The first involved hanging tree logs around the candidates and randomly hurling them towards the test subjects.
The candidates had to stand still with blindfolds on, simply dodging at the right moment.
It was a test beyond just sensing mild winds, more about testing instincts.
Though the logs were not too heavy to cause significant impact even if hit, some candidates didn't even attempt to dodge.
"Don't you even want to avoid harm? Why did you even apply?!"
Even the examiners were exasperated.
However, the results of the second test were more revealing.
Intermediate knights who could handle swords proficiently stepped forward to wield their swords in the test chamber.
The test was about identifying which halted sword felt more threatening.
It was a test of survival instincts, yet many candidates showed a lack of commitment.
Of course, it was frightening, but many didn't even bother to open their eyes.
As a result, the soldier selection test conducted over ten days across the entire McLaren territory fell short, only selecting around 1,000 candidates, far below the expected standard.
Even though Logan lowered the passing criteria, they still fell short of recruiting all those who barely met the standards.
"Even after lowering the standards, only a thousand? Is that all?"
"Right now, the number of strange test passers is more important..."
"..."
"Um. Um. I apologize. Anyway, the report says that over half of the candidates from the Bifrost territory and McLaren town seemed to lack determination."
"Ha..."
This issue was more severe than it appeared.
This test wasn't just about recruiting soldiers to overcome immediate threats; it was about selecting candidates who could become pillars defending against the empire's invasion in the future.
But with this lack of cooperation...
"This is troublesome... Should we postpone it?"
Currently, hastily recruiting soldiers, using them immediately, and then quickly stabilizing the country's turmoil before spreading new standards throughout the nation was one option.
But even if everything went according to plan, it wasn't certain whether it would take one year or two.
The empire's war was at least seven years away.
Among those, one or two years could make the difference between thousands of knights being trained or not.
"From now on, we must do it properly."
Even if they forcibly recruited and trained them, those individuals wouldn't be able to endure knight training.
It was a dilemma where no clear solution seemed to arise.
But then.
"Why are you pondering so hard? There's a simple solution, isn't there?"
"What?"
Dwayne chuckled as he proposed a method.
"Sprinkle money. If someone surpasses the standard in the soldier test, give them a thousand gold. If they have sons, they'll rush in like a swarm."
A thousand gold. It was a life-changing amount for ordinary citizens.
"Oh..."
"Even if you say 2,000 people would come forward, it's only two million gold. That's nothing for our territory now."
Two million gold was nothing, saying such words was truly remarkable.
"This is a sight to behold in life."
As Finance Minister Dwayne tapped his feet to the rhythm of his inner excitement.
"Would that work?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Would the residents who avoided it due to danger move just because of money?"
"Haha. Didn't I say? There's nothing that can't be done with money."
"Well, still, that's..."
"Minister Dwayne. I'll say it again sincerely. Remember it clearly."
"What..."
"There's nothing that can't be done with money, except when there's a lack of it. This is the truth! The absolute truth, more certain than any scripture!"
"..."
Although overwhelmed by his unyielding enthusiasm, Logan didn't truly believe his words.
Until the report came that 2,000 trainees who met the standard had been 'added'.