Chapter Thirteen: Nobility Titles

“You probably already know that the residents of Four-Leaf Village are my subjects. Similarly, you’re aware that I have territories yet to be located. Even so, do you still wish to take over the shops in Four-Leaf Village? Besides, you should understand that people from the fringes are used to hardship, and the situation this year is particularly unstable—these businesses won’t be easy to run.”
Catherine ignored Neio’s kind attempts to persuade her and continued, “We also hope to establish our organization’s headquarters here, and even have our families move here. I know that both Four-Leaf Castle and Four-Leaf Village have the capacity to easily handle the members and families of the Fire Rose Mercenary Group. If you agree, we’ll guard your base for free while on missions at Star 745.”
“It seems Miss Müller has thought everything through. Well then, I’ll be direct. I basically agree to your proposal, but first, Star 745 is a combat unit under the Sky Temple and won’t share its base with civilian groups. So, while the construction in Four-Leaf Village isn’t yet complete, I’ll have them build one secondary castle in the east and another in the west of the village, set up gate towers along the roads, and build storage buildings, water stations, and other public facilities along the route from the alfalfa fields to Four-Leaf Castle. You, the Fire Rose Group, can choose either the east or west side for your secondary castle to start construction immediately. When Star 745 goes on missions, you’ll be responsible for guarding the entire fortified town. Second, if your families plan to live in Four-Leaf Village, they’ll have to pay rent—probably not much cheaper than in the city. You need to consider that carefully.”
Catherine was straightforward and agreed after gritting her teeth. Making such a decision meant significant sacrifices for the Fire Rose Mercenary Group. First, it was over 50 kilometers away from Refuge Valley Town and not on a busy road, meaning higher living costs and reduced safety. Second, mercenaries were essentially parasites—never just guarding or providing escorts; groups like Fire Rose had their family members doing odd jobs to support the household. If they moved there, these incomes would undoubtedly decrease, leading to deficits and reliance on past savings.
Neio knew somewhat about the Fire Rose Mercenary Group: a typical third-rate mercenary group without powerful professionals, made up of relatively honest people, which meant more burdens and constraints. They didn’t even dare think about what would happen when their current members grew old or if disasters struck. It was a fragile but pitiable group. So far, no major tragedies had occurred mainly because of their unity, diligence, and integrity. They refused high-paying jobs because they often came with high risks. Their light armor was patched up to resemble heavy armor…

Nio wasn’t attracted to these people because of their loyalty or conscience. Those who make a living with swords and blades only show loyalty to their own side and won’t hesitate to use force when necessary—that’s the baseline. Becoming part of “their own side” is much harder; it’s not something that can be achieved through a few collaborations. This is evident from Fire Rose still remaining independent and not being absorbed by other forces.

Although Catherine was in her 30s, she was by no means old or faded. On the contrary, time and hard work hadn’t left many marks on her face or body, while exercise and experience had given her a fit physique and outstanding presence. From their recent conversations, Nio could sense that Catherine had absolute authority within the Fire Rose Mercenary Group. Such a woman, such an organization, always has its own ways of surviving. To simply see them as girls to beto hug for pleasure for pleasure would be foolish and naive.

Nio was very clear-headed; he even understood Catherine’s subtle calculations. For example, Star 745 offered good benefits, but there were many rules, and training and battles were constantly intense, with rare breaks. Traveling over 50 kilometers to Refuge Valley Town was unsafe and time-consuming. If such a potential customer base could be secured, it might bring in decent income—like from hotels.

Nio could even imagine that Fire Rose would make good use of its majority of female members—serving as companions, eventually leading to sex. Some might just act it out, while others might find true love. After all, many soldiers in Star 745 had been despised poor single men less than two months ago—so it wouldn’t be hard for sparks to fly. Thus, they “united closely,” and Fire Rose and Star 745 became closely linked. After all, they were family—living there without having to charge money, right?

Moreover, Fire Rose’s membership was somewhat chaotic. Some members owned houses or families in Refuge Valley Town, while many lived outside the city. There was a little fact Nio only learned after arriving in Hilfanis: not all townspeople lived inside the town walls. When he first heard this, he found it unbelievable, but actually, in places like Edrith, where populations were sparse, only townspeople lived inside the walls. In other areas, residents lived outside the towns, forming orderly or chaotic villages along the roads.

Most of Fire Rose’s members lived here, registering with the Mercenary Guild in town and renting rooms as offices… Many mercenary groups did this.

In previous years, this wasn’t a problem. Don’t think that crime is rampant outside the city—people actually lived in specific areas, knew each other, watched over each other, with countless eyes watching from doors and windows as newcomers came and went. Besides, since city walls couldn’t be built, people could still build fences using stones and wood. Local troops were also stationed outside the city, along with patrol teams, so it was rare to hear of magical beasts invading or wild animals harming people.

But this year is different. Several villages, and even two out of seven small towns, have already been struck by these dark monsters. It’s not an overwhelming invasion—after all, there are eyes everywhere, both above and below ground. Even a force of around a hundred soldiers can’t hide their tracks effectively. These monsters are quite powerful; the weakest are roughly equivalent to level 4 warriors, while most are around level 5 or 6. The elite are at levels 7 or 8, and there are always a dozen or so of them, with those above level 10 being the leaders. Such forces render even the relatively simple defenses almost completely useless. These monsters have the ability to break through defenses, so there’s no need to elaborate further on what happens next. Such monster forces are already on par with the strength of local main forces, and the few guards and militia in the villages can’t stand a chance against them.

Regardless of the measures taken by the authorities, the threat is growing ever closer. Even Refuge Valley Town, protected only by cliffs over a hundred meters high, has begun reinforcing its walls and those surrounding the cliffs, which were previously neglected. Even throughout Hilfanis, anyone with the means has started building higher walls and digging deeper trenches to deal with the increasingly rampant monsters. Naturally, the members of the Fire Rose Mercenary Group must have sensed this as well.

Perhaps before the appearance of Star 745, the Fire Rose Mercenary Group might have chosen to follow the crowd out of desperation. But now, Neio believes that Catherine clearly values Star 745.

Wealth is no longer important in times of crisis; what matters is whether one is willing to spend money. Not entirely true, though, as it involves a conceptual issue. The wealthy aren’t foolish; on the contrary, many of them are smart. They’re reluctant to spend money now because they think that with money, they have everything—official institutions won’t collapse, prices will be low after disasters, and people can be hired or even bought. Instead of investing before disasters for an uncertain outcome, it’s better to spend money after disasters to get things cheaply. Heavy investment before disasters to show solidarity is meant to win hearts; isn’t helping those in need after disasters the same?

So many wealthy people choose to push others aside in times of disaster. They invest their funds in ensuring their own safety, the safety of their gold and silver, and the storage of living supplies, rather than spending generously to engage in a head-on battle with the enemy. Even if the lords impose taxes, the amounts are limited. But trying to take care of many people means filling an endless pit.

It seems that Simon Windwalker is precisely the kind of person who wants to fill that endless pit. Have you seen a house with a usable height of 5 meters inside? Yes—this is typical of the main halls in smaller castles or mansions, and they can even be taller. But here we’re talking about residential buildings—two stories high, with battlements. From the outside, they exceed 12 meters in height, not to mention the moats… The walls of Refuge Valley Town are only that high.

Any complete set of facilities has complementary features, so there’s no risk of imbalances like one part being much larger than the other. If the walls are like this, surely there won’t be any issues with thickness? Of course not—turning mud into stone, even granite, ensures durability through the ages. Will there be problems with the watchtowers? Even less so; they’re tall and sturdy, with ample space inside to accommodate medium-sized crossbows. I heard that Star 745 plans to install six-barreled cannons (a bulky version of a rotary grenade launcher), and even a magic cannon has been set up on the central tower in Four-Leaf Village. This thing is great—when used, it’s like the searchlight of a lighthouse; a beam of light shines wherever it goes, and enemies at the wheel position, no matter how fast they run, can hardly escape control from the axle position.

There are many such examples. It can be said that the current construction of Four-Leaf Castle and Four-Leaf Village is nothing short of extravagant spending. The total cost is likely well over 1 million gold coins. Spending so much on such a small area is understandable given Catherine’s role as a witness. Compared to this, those over 50 kilometers of road can easily be overcome—for example, for freight transport, by being more compact and traveling in the morning to return before dark.

Understanding what Fire Rose aims for, Neo still offered them generosity and benefits because he valued the vitality shown by the members of the Fire Rose Mercenaries. Life is tough, but they strive to live well; despite difficulties, they remain full of hope. This can be seen in their bright eyes, heard in their hearty laughter, felt in their upright posture, and sensed in their disciplined cleanliness despite their worn conditions. Neo hopes that Fire Rose can bring this spirit to his team and his people, forming a cultural tradition. Compared to shaping a group’s image and inner character, financial gains and losses, even land gains and losses, are mere trivial matters.

“A good seed is worth planting to grow into a towering tree!” Neo believes that this is the greatest challenge at the moment.