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Vol 02 Chapter 40-2: Territory Management

Now, on to military matters.

「How will we handle the soldiers… I mean, how would you like us to develop and deploy the army?」

Ron… you don’t need to force yourself to use formal language. Actually, it feels a bit lonely.

「No, I mean, since you’re a lord now, I think it’s important to have a clear distinction. I can’t stand the thought of you being looked down upon because we don’t show clear respect for you.」

「… To think you would consider such a thing…」

People really do grow… It’s somewhat moving.

Well, Ron has a point. It’s not like our relationship will suddenly change just because he talks to me in a more formal tone.

「So, what’s the answer to the question from earlier?」

「Ah, sorry. I was a bit moved. Right, about the soldiers. Let’s first check the current number of soldiers we have.」

First, there are the villagers, thirty people, all equipped with iron weapons, and very high morale and proficiency. Next, the Tetra’s fan club led by Boros, forty people, all equipped with bronze weapons. Decent training, but very high morale.

This is my current combat force, seventy people.

Then there’s Bartolo’s private soldiers, one hundred. About ten of them have iron weapons, and the rest use bronze weapons. I’m not sure about their training or morale, but since they defeated King Ferme’s army head-on, I have high expectations. They will fight alongside us for a while.

And the one hundred soldiers lent by King Rosais. All equipped with bronze weapons. Their training and morale aren’t particularly high, but not low either. Their expenses are covered by King Rosais.

So, if King Domorgal were to invade, we would have 270 soldiers ready to face him. Is that enough?

「How many soldiers does King Domorgal have in total?」

「About ten thousand. That’s how many he sends out when clashing with King Gilbed or King Faldam. Our King Rosais could mobilize five thousand if all the patricians cooperated willingly. But in reality, most of them are an uncooperative bunch, so about three thousand. But don’t worry. King Domorgal is always at odds with King Gilbed and King Faldam, so it’s unlikely that he’ll send ten thousand our way. At most, it would be three thousand.」

I see. So, we could adequately face them if we manage to buy some time.

Facing three thousand with just two hundred seventy…

「I’d want at least five hundred. So, we’d need an additional two hundred thirty people…」

「Are you considering conscription?」

I responded to Tetra’s question.

「Ugh, I really dislike conscription.」

Conscription is inefficient. Dragging people who don’t want to fight into war and arming them doesn’t work well. Moreover, converting labor into soldiers means a drop in tax revenue.

And just when they become somewhat useful after training, their term ends. And they return to their fallow lands.

In modern times, when handing someone a gun and teaching them to pull the trigger can make them capable of killing, and the idea of national self-determination has spread, making everyone seriously consider national defense, conscription could be an option. But with our current level of civilization, conscripts aren’t very useful.

Heavy infantry requires rigorous training. And the people of the Aris territory would be happy with any lord as long as taxes are low.

Conscription is definitely out of the question. Except in emergencies, we don’t need that many soldiers during peacetime.

「Conscription would mean a huge gap in training and morale between them and us. At worst, they’d just drag us down. Our role is to delay the enemy, right? So, I think what we need is quality, not quantity.」

「Wow, for an amateur, you sure understand quite a bit.」

I was complimented by Bartolo. I don’t know why, but being praised by him doesn’t make me happy at all.

「Alright, I’ve decided! It will put pressure on the treasury, but let’s recruit volunteers.」

「Um, should we just call for volunteers when we collect taxes, Nii-san?」

「Yes, that’s the idea, please do that.」

It’s pointless to put up a written notice. There’s probably not a single person who can read it.

「Hey, Almus-san. Aren’t you forgetting something important?」

「Something important?」

「Bowmen. Archers. They’re absolutely necessary for defense, right?」

Gram insisted.

No, I haven’t forgotten, but…

「Bows are expensive and require advanced skills. I’ll try to increase the number of archers but…」

In the wars on the Adernian Peninsula, heavy infantry are the main troops.

「What about cavalry? Cavalry is necessary, right, Nii-san?」

「Horses are expensive too. And prioritizing plow horses is more important.」

Where am I going to get so many horses? The most I can get right now are the horses. A cavalry unit of ten people, would that be useful? At least a hundred would be needed. It’s like saying, ‘let’s gather a hundred compact cars in modern Japan’.

「And we must mass-produce black powder.」

It’s not something that can be easily made. It’s pointless to start making it only when something happens.

「Wow, that’s amazing. Teach me how to make it, too.」

「…It would be problematic if the method got out. I can’t teach you that. Besides, it’s not something we can prepare in large quantities… and its effectiveness isn’t always guaranteed.」

It was effective in the defense of the village because the enemy was densely packed. And there were only a few of them. When we defeated King Ferme, it was essentially a victory from the moment we launched a surprise attack from behind.

It’s effective the first time, but countermeasures will be taken quickly.

Relying too much on it is not good.

There’s an abundance of ingredients for black powder. Sulfur can be obtained from volcanoes, and charcoal can be mass-produced. There’s also a reliable method for mass-producing saltpeter.

However, spears enchanted with [Ignition] magecraft can’t be produced in such large quantities.

They require a high-quality magic stone. Magic stones refer to stones suitable for magecraft among spirit stones.

Named by Tetra.

These magic stones are cheap, but scarce. No one bothers to mine them because they’re considered worthless.

Therefore, collecting them in large quantities incurs a special fee, making them inexplicably expensive. Gathering them costs more than the stones themselves, making it a troublesome matter.

Without ignition, black powder is meaningless. One might think of using a fuse for ignition, but that doesn’t guarantee an explosion.

「Is that so? Then, it’s fine. If you ever manage to mass-produce it, let me know.」

Bartolo easily backed down.

「In exchange, teach me how to make paper.」

「That’s something I’ll teach King Rosais soon. Rest assured.」

Continuing to keep it secret even after becoming a subordinate will be difficult so…

◇

「Now, about magic. We need to set up barriers, right?」

The reason we almost starved to death, and Tetra’s parents died, was a famine caused by a curse. Considering that, it’s clear we need to put effort into this.

「Was it the great country to the north that cast curses on this land?」

「Yes. The Rozel Kingdom. They control the entire northern part of Adernia.」

King Rozel, huh… Alright, I’ll remember that well.

「King Ferme didn’t prioritize barriers much, which led to the famine, right? I believe King Ferme had nine high-ranking magicians. None of them participated in constructing  the barriers… Would it be sufficient if we release the magician from prison and have him work on the barrier construction?」

「It wouldn’t be enough. But, this country is protected by a barrier that envelopes all the country cast by Julia-sama. So, as long as we have at least one high-ranking magician, there shouldn’t be a problem.」

At least one, huh… Tetra, Soyon, or Lulu. Who would be best…

「I’ve heard that young magicians have stronger souls, making them more suitable for possessing animals. It might be better to reserve those three.」

If we leave those three in reserve, where are we going to get the high-ranking magician needed for the barrier?

「Almus-sama. I have one person in mind.」

Boros, who had been silent until now, spoke up. What is it?

「The magician who inscribed the sacred words on Tetra-sama… That old woman was once a magician capable of possessing animals. Age doesn’t seem to matter for barrier construction. Why not entrust it to that old woman?」

「That’s an excellent idea.」

Yeah, let’s do that. It feels a bit wrong to make an elderly person work.

「Um… does this mean we’re free to do as we please?」

Soyon raised her hand.

「No, no, there’s a lot for you to do.」

First, the training of other magicians. And the creation of explosive spears.

Since Tetra will be assisting me, I’ll need Soyon and Lulu to cover for that.

「So, it’s the same as before.」

Lulu said.

Well, that’s about right.

「Also, I’d like you to increase the types of animals you can use. Let’s see… dogs are definitely needed. And owls or bats for night reconnaissance.」

「How are we supposed to acquire them?」

「For now, let’s ask the Kirisians. Their country is always at war, and they might be knowledgeable about such things.」

◇

That night.

「Hey, Almus.」

「Hmm? What’s wro—mmph!」

My lips were sealed.

With moist eyes, Tetra gazed at me.

「Aren’t you forgetting the most important job of a lord?」

「Right… I indeed forgot.」

I grabbed Tetra’s shoulders, pulled her closer, and stole her lips. I then pushed her down.