Wolves of Hader

Chapter 41

The qualification exam was nearing its end.

Because every soldier possessed at least a little magic power, the energy subtly radiating from them was enough to make the entire barracks quiver.

"I am Abino from the assault division! My specialty is the war hammer!"

"Are you the last one?"

"Yes, I am!"

"Demonstrate your skill!"

"Yes, sir!"

The burly soldier gripped a massive wooden hammer and took a breath. The soldiers sitting and watching held theirs as well.

"Ta-at!"

The soldier named Abino sprinted forward. He leapt high and somersaulted in midair. The wooden hammer strike followed right after!

Thud—

"Whoa!"

The soldiers clapped and cheered.

Among the war hammer specialists, his mastery was top tier. The speed of the spin was quick, and the strike point was precise. Magic power was infused as well.

"Assault division, Abino! Passed!"

The soldier called Abino clenched his fist. He was being granted the status of apprentice knight.

The boost in magic power and additional skills were simply bonuses.

Of the 108 who challenged, all but seven passed. Those who failed only made mistakes—they had more than enough skill otherwise.

Russell stood with a pleased expression.

"On behalf of the house, I express my gratitude to the soldiers who have worked so hard to hone your skills. So many of you have passed the apprentice knight test that you may even wonder if it was a test or a game."

"Hahaha!"

"But, in my judgment, you are no less than apprentice knights of any other house! If you persist in your efforts, one day you'll even surpass the knights themselves!"

"Waaaaa!"

The crowd erupted in cheers once again.

Thanks to their strict discipline, Russell's small gesture immediately quieted them. Their faces were full of satisfaction.

"The other three skills to be granted in future will be tested in the same way! Soldiers who pass those tests will be taught the remaining two skills for their specialty! And those who master even those skills—!"

"That's too difficult, Lord Russell!"

"Hahahaha!"

The soldiers burst out laughing.

Russell chuckled as well.

"If you train those last two skills to the maximum level, you'll achieve mastery in your field. Young Master Roger once said so himself. Those final two techniques will make you true knights."

A solemn sense spread among the soldiers.

Russell continued.

"So do your best. The Hader house will never belittle your efforts. If you truly stand with the Hader house! The family will share all its glory with you."

Some of the soldiers looked emotional. They had already experienced that rewards come from hard work.

They knew their own combat strength. They also understood they were more than mere soldiers.

Now it was my turn to step forward.

"Those who failed should retake the exam in a week. As Lord Russell said, if you pass all the tests—though it's limited to the Hader house—you will be granted knighthood."

"Waaaaaa!"

"That means I need to earn money diligently so I can provide you with knight-worthy pay and homes."

"Young Master Roger! Long live!"

I stepped down from the headquarters platform.

As much as the soldiers strive, I must as well.

When I headed for the fortress, Russell followed. He had obviously wanted to say something, and now he had the opportunity.

"Young master."

"Yes?"

"It's time to prepare for the move into the south, isn't it? What if we send out an advance party?"

"An advance party?"

"We'll need a reconnaissance mission regardless. If we send the entire special forces unit, it'll be good experience as well as training."

"The entire special unit?"

"The special forces must be different from other soldiers, and they are the ones who should face real combat first."

"Hmm..."

He had a point.

Regardless of what other soldiers do, the special forces must accumulate experience as quickly as possible.

In particular, they're the troops who will move with me.

"Then do so. However, make sure no one risks their life just for training."

"Of course. I will personally lead the special forces to survey the southern frontier. I will focus on strengthening both their skills and their spirits."

"Yes."

I trust Russell's intentions.

If it's the special forces, they won't be defeated easily, even in real combat.

If they return after training successfully, they'll become fundamentally different from other soldiers.

Once the special forces return, I plan to embark on full-scale expansion.

First, I'll establish pioneer territories in places with major ore veins, so that we can supply ourselves with food and resources.

Next, we'll push southward, setting up one fortress after another in the unclaimed southern lands.

In the process, we'll encounter the Dran, and likely have to fight the Tak, the beast-warrior tribe.

Once we've pioneered the southwestern coast, we'll build a port—letting us head straight to either Ta-iki or the Yan continent.

That is the reason for raising powerful warriors.

Because I cannot do this alone. Because my warriors must not die.

/ / /

Just as expected, I received a messenger from the Count. He wanted to meet soon and asked where would be best.

So we decided to go to him. Count Urke seemed to want to see for himself the changes in our fortress, but that would have to wait.

We took a carriage to the Count's castle. The atmosphere of the Count's domain was very different from around our fortress.

Wide, sprawling farmlands.

Orchards with all manner of ripening fruit.

A beautiful coast overlooking the sea.

The Count's castle stood on a cliffside hill by the coast. The view was excellent, though security was a bit lax.

Well, no one was threatening invasion anyway.

As our carriage approached the castle gate, a trumpet blared.

"It's the Hader house's carriage! Open the gates!"

The massive gates clanked open with a deep rumble. There were three layers of gates.

A normal gate and two rising and falling iron portcullises. With no moat, the doors seemed to be reinforced instead.

Our carriage entered the castle.

It felt more like the estate of a wealthy magnate than a castle. The gardens were vast, with countless ornate statues.

When the carriage pulled up in front of the residence, Russell, Goose, and I disembarked, and an old butler guided us inside.

The Count greeted us with a radiant smile.

"Young Master Roger of House Hader has arrived!"

"It's been a while, Young Master Roger."

"Have you been well?"

"Thanks to you, I have. Come, this way."

The Count's smile as he welcomed us had no ulterior motive or hidden agenda.

It was the expression of someone genuinely glad to finally meet someone they'd longed to see.

We followed the Count upstairs.

We gathered in the very spacious drawing room on the second floor. Goose, as usual, pulled out a bottle of liquor.

"It seems Sir Russell has accomplished something of note."

"You flatter me."

The Count recognized Russell's magic power.

That meant there was a knight with magic power in the Count's house.

I'd thought only the noble houses in the capital boasted such mages—surprising indeed.

The Count stared at Goose.

"And why did you come?"

Goose grinned slyly.

"Undoubtedly, there'll be business talk, so how could the head of the Mouk merchant guild not be present? Hahahaha."

"Put that liquor away. That's one of my prized bottles."

"I'll get you something even better."

"If only you'd stop talking... Tsk tsk."

Goose's antics dissipated the awkward atmosphere. In fact, I had called Goose here myself, since our business involved him and to prevent pointless misunderstandings between the Count and my house.

"To be honest, I had a hard time believing what Young Master Roger claimed before. But now that I see it's all come true, I am truly amazed. As a fellow house in the east, I sincerely congratulate you."

"Thank you, Count Urke."

Goose glanced back and forth between the Count and me.

He finally realized there was something the three of us knew from four years ago that he didn't.

The Count, Russell, and I feigned ignorance. Goose rolled his eyes, displeased.

"Well then, let's talk over dinner. Bring it in."

The attendants began bringing in the food. With dish after dish piling up, it truly was a feast fit to be called a banquet of mountain and sea delicacies.

Many of the dishes, I'd never seen before.

"I've heard news of the Hader house, but I do have many questions. Please, eat. Goose, you too."

"Of course. Thank you, I will."

"The quality of these dishes is on another level compared to when Goose visited before."

"Just shut up and eat."

I stifled my laughter.

I'd thought Goose and the Count were just business partners, but it turns out they were much closer than that.

Over dinner, we talked of various things: the process of restoring the fortress, the mining business, how Goose's merchant guild made a fortune distributing the resources we dug up, and the Count's own business ventures.

As dinner wound down, we had tea.

Sensing the atmosphere, the Count nodded at Goose, and Goose and Russell withdrew to the study next door.

"Young Master Roger."

"Yes, Count?"

"Do you believe the Syren family truly has the power and interest to overthrow the lords of the east?"

"What do you mean?"

The Count sighed before speaking.

"Four years ago, someone claiming to be Art Syren's knight said this: If Art Syren becomes head of the family, the great lord of the east will change."

"He actually said that?"

"Do you think that's possible?"

Was his name Doge?

What he'd said as he blocked the Count's path comes back to me now.

"I'm sorry, but it's possible."

"What gain would the capital's foremost noble family have in the east?"

"It's probably because of my house. If they learn we've recovered, they'll try to wipe us out again, and the events of four years ago will repeat."

The Count immediately understood what I meant. Now that Count Urke had turned against the Syren family, he had no choice but to ally with us.

"Why is the Syren family so obsessed with House Hader?"

"Because Hader knows a secret that will determine the fate of their family."

"Ha... Now everything makes sense."

The Count took a sip from Goose's abandoned glass. All the questions he had about our house were answered at once.

"The power to replace the great lord of the east... Do you think the capital will send troops?"

Giving up the title of lord comes hard.

So it's only natural to imagine the worst-case scenario.

"They may send a fleet. But there's little justification for deploying the imperial army. Since you are the eastern army's commander, they may try to manipulate military command to replace you."

"I might lose my own forces."

"Only if the Emperor gives permission."

The Count fell silent for a moment.

Unlike before, his hesitation wasn't all that deep anymore. He'd essentially crossed the point of no return.

If you're going to die either way, you might as well join forces with us. It's just a difficult decision to make.

"I wish I could stay neutral. But if I must take sides, I will stand with House Hader. Though, of course, it's best if that day never comes. ... But just suppose."

The Count was about to raise a difficult subject. His eyes wavered slightly.

"If the Syren family attacks House Hader, what will you do, Young Master Roger?"

"I'll fight."

"What if it's the imperial army?"

So that was his concern.

A family's forces and the imperial army are worlds apart.

"I'll fight, whoever they are."

"Do you understand what you're saying?"

"I do. If the imperial army comes, then..."

I smiled as I continued.

"I'll declare independence."

"What?!"

The Count was shocked.

He hadn't expected such words—words few would even dare to utter.

"A-are you serious?"

I hadn't expected such surprise.

I answered, still smiling.

"It's a joke."

"Phew... I thought so."

The Count slumped in his chair, relieved.

Whether it was a joke or not, the truth will show itself when the time comes.

The Count had a reason to be shocked.

The imperial army numbers over a million. Of course, that's only possible if every house participates.

The border and capital defense troops are only a hundred thousand.

What's truly terrifying aren't the soldiers, but the knights and mages.

The imperial guard knight order and the Tower of Mages.

The royal guard and the imperial knight order.

These four groups are the most powerful.

Most of their leaders wield the Sword of Light, and the leader of the mages is the great mage.

The great mage alone could swallow an entire country.

I'd intentionally said "independence" to the Count.

If the worst truly happens, the first thought that must come to his mind is that word.

His own house could be targeted as well.

"Goose, could you come this way?"

"Let's!"

Goose came and sat at the table.

He clearly guessed I was finally about to bring up business.

The Count, too, looked quietly expectant.

"In fact, I came here today to discuss something with you both."

"I suspected as much. What is it?"

It was a project I'd been planning for a long time.

To build strength, you need money. With money, forces can increase. Then the east cannot be ignored.

"Goose, how many cooperative associations does Mouk have?"

"There's the Merchant's Guild, shipowner's Guild, sailor's Guild, dockworkers' Guild, and Fishermen's Guild. Actually, my younger brother is the head of the Merchant's Guild."

"How many people all together?"

"All in all, at least 2,000."

"I'd like to have some of them invest."

"Invest? You mean, getting investments from merchants?"

"Yes."

The Count and Goose looked at me, puzzled. They'd never considered taking investments from anyone, much less merchants.

I continued with a smile.

"I'm going to create a share merchant guild."

"Share merchant guild?"

"What's that now?"

"Our house, Count Urke, and you, Goose, all put up about half the capital, and the remaining funds come from merchant investors."

They still didn't get it.

A share merchant guild.

In other words, a joint-stock company.

This world's first joint-stock company.

Money means power.