Quit being a knight and become a mercenary

37 – Victory and Reward (4)

When I entered the mercenary headquarters barracks, all the other officers who had arrived earlier stood up and greeted me warmly.

“Hey, here comes Martin the mad dog. It’s the first time I’ve seen a cub who rose to the rank of platoon leader at that age in my long mercenary life. Martin, you bastard!”

When Platoon Commander Walter got lucky like that, the other noblemen also joined in and started to criticize me.

“I don’t know who came up with it, but it’s a very well-made nickname. From the first time I saw him, he seemed like a weird guy, but looking at what he’s been doing lately, he’s a real crazy dog.”

“Honestly, I already thought that the cotyledon was yellow when I saw that he went to another mercenary corps and started off by claiming to be a meat shield even after being told to quit to be treated as a senior mercenary.”

“f*ck, I can’t live with Annie. Martin bastard, should we pass a drink to these brothers? I’m going to get a drink from you guys today and become a go-getter.”

If there was at least one person with a personality like Fjord, he would have tried to keep me in check by saying all sorts of bullsh*t.

But all the people who talk to me right now congratulate me on my promotion, even if it’s different in form.

“Then let the youngest one buy you a drink. However, I don’t know where the good bar is, so let the older brothers decide which bar to go to.”

“Okay, there’s a nice place around here. After today’s meeting, I… “

Dalton, who was standing behind me, slapped Platoon Commander Walter on the back of the head.

“Captain, why do you stab a normal person in the back of the head? That hurts terribly, damn it.”

“You’re right because you say sh*t, you bastard. Do you guys want to get a drink from a guy who just got promoted to a platoon leader?”

At that, the other executives whistled and turned their heads.

“These bastards have no f*cking conscience, no conscience. It’s not like you put your conscience in a beer keg and fermented it.”

“Still, in the sense of respect for the newcomers to the seniors…”

“Stop f*cking, save up your money and treat Martin. If it wasn’t for that crazy bastard, wouldn’t our mercenaries have been robbed? You guys have to do that to be a human bastard.”

Dalton organized the atmosphere like that.

“Everyone sit down. We have to start quickly, aren’t we going to buy Martin alcohol with the bounty money you guys got and go to Changgwan and take care of a high-class pr*stitute?”

“Yes, chief.”

I felt that the playful atmosphere just now became heavy for an instant.

“Financial Officer, how many months can we go without doing anything?”

“The Count of Salzheim gave me enough money, so I can last for half a year, no, eight months. If I reduce my salary and something, I think I can do it for at least a year.”

Dalton laughed out loud when he heard that.

“They saved the dying pups and they paid me very generously. Damn, next time that bastard entrusts you with a request, I’ll run like a dog and ask for work. Isn’t it?”

“Yes, unlike other nobles, when I entrusted the request and when I settled the bill, I paid well enough for my achievements. It was 2.5 Times the market price, so I said everything.”

“Thanks to that Hogu-nim, I think I can rest for a month or two, but shall I just take a break… ? Or should I just keep working instead of playing?”

I also think I’d like to take a break and go around looking for elixirs…

According to the information I got while wandering around the bar, a ‘full-scale war’ that will give me the opportunity to raise the ransom between the whitebeard mercenaries is about to break out like crazy.

So now I have to ride this flow unconditionally.

‘The opportunity to make a big hit rolls down in front of you, but what if you don’t come out at this time? That’s a real asshole.’

While I was lost in thought for a moment, Vice-captain Heinz banged the desk.

“Paddle when the water comes in. Now is the time to make money, damn it! Shouldn’t we have a mercenary force of over 30,000, like 500, or someday, f*cking Manstein f*cking bastards? Captain.”

“What the f*ck, like the son of a mercenary king in heat who only has 20 wives? Did you go around?”

Heinz scratched his head at those words.

“Even if it’s not that far, we need to increase the size of the mercenary group. To be honest, when you lose your reputation, you have to raise your weight class. Are there any guarantees when this opportunity will come again?”

Other executives also joined in the remarks.

“Captain Dalton, to be honest, we also want to try something like a centurion who is in good shape, not a f*cking platoon leader, damn it. You have to scale up to do that.”

Platoon commander Walter even clapped his hands.

“When you get on the flow, you have to increase the size of the boss, yes? Wouldn’t you like to go to war later and not be a count, but a duke or king, and get a title?”

I don’t know if it’s a time when there’s no war, but in the future, another world will become more chaotic.

As the nobleman said, it is common for many nobles to perish, and mercenaries to fill the vacant place and suddenly become nobles.

“f*ck, what kind of noble title is this for me? Do the damn thing. Otherwise, it will twist your neck.”

Dalton said that, but maybe he didn’t like it, the corners of his mouth caught on his face and then went down again.

“Hey, Martin. What do you think?”

“Of course, when you make a name for yourself, you have to increase the scale. Would it be okay if I just wandered around the corner like this again?”

Heinz listened to my words and asked back with a puzzled expression.

“Where the f*ck did you smoke manacho?”

I calmly replied to that.

“Honestly, how long do you think the fame that made us beat Count Philo and Count Salzheim by the nape of his neck and win? After a year or so, it will be half forgotten in this corner.”

“That’s right.”

“Honestly, isn’t it true that mercenaries have a reputation as ‘elite’ and can make a living just by training at home, like knights or standing guards who are good at selling?”

Dalton agreed with that.

“Well, when the ransom goes up, we need to take the next request to keep our position. It might be a coincidence that you hit the jackpot once in this industry, but if you hit it twice, it’s unconditionally your ability.”

“Besides, if you hear rumors about people drinking at the fort’s inn, don’t they say that His Majesty the Emperor of the Rheinfalz Empire will die soon? And there is no crown prince to inherit the throne. What will happen then?”

The rumors I heard at the tavern aren’t quite believable.

In this game world, it is a certainty that His Majesty the Emperor will die soon.

“The princes say that they will become emperors, and they will f*cking fight. At that time, are you going to lead such a small mercenary force of only 200 soldiers? Or, if not as much as that horny bastard Manstein, would you like to drag in thousands of elite mercenaries and secure your share?”

Most of the mercenary corps executives dream of building a mansion in the countryside with a lot of money, and creating a harem filled with pretty women.

And there are actually some pups who hit the jackpot and retire and enjoy that life.

Even if that’s not the case, unless you’re a small-time bastard who is complacent in the fjord-like reality and saving your salary to prepare for your old age, you’ll dream of becoming more than a ‘captain of hundreds’ if you’ve risen to the rank of platoon leader.

If you do that, you will be treated as a ‘quasi-nobility’ and lead a leisurely life if you retire as a centurion, but you will be treated as a ‘quasi-nobility’ if you enter the ranks of barons and counts who guarantee your old age.

The other platoon commanders all agreed.

“Damn it, Captain Dalton. Honestly, isn’t it true that our name value is not a joke? You saved a count from hell. It should jump out when it’s fast.”

“Martin kid is right. Regardless of whether a war breaks out or not, even if we increase in size, we will never go hungry because we cannot find a job.”

“Do you live once or twice?”

Dalton sighed and nodded his head.

“f*ck, aren’t you wrong? To be honest, when the name value is a bit high right now, if you make a bigger shot, you can aim for a top-class player. Then it’s right to hit the jackpot.”

As it were, Dalton walked right in front of me.

Then he made a friendly expression and looked at my face and provoked me.

“But bastard, if you do as you say, the ransom of bastards with some experience will soar, and most of them will be filled with bastards… Will you be able to afford it? Except for the guys who were under your baby this time, half of them were f*cking shoveling. You can’t go to war with such bastards.”

Mercenaries, no, soldiers of this era, out of hundreds of soldiers who make up a company, even if only a few of them fail to match their arms and legs, they run away in an instant.

So, if we recklessly accept new recruits and increase the scale, it may end up with a decrease in our military power…

‘That’s because the mercenaries of this era don’t attach much importance to basic training.’

“What would have been different if I had been under my nose, like Baker or Max? So gather all the new recruits and give me just two months.”

Dalton laughed when he heard that.

“Why two months?”

“It’s only at that level that you can make people who suck rice. Roll it until you vomit blood and you become a human.”

“As expected, the nickname ‘f*ck, crazy dog’ suits him perfectly.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Dalton continued to look me in the eye for a minute, then sighed.

“Since everyone seems to be in favor, let’s increase the scale a bit this time. And damn, according to what I’ve heard, the Rhine-Palatinate Empire and the Kingdom of Montmartre are closely attached. I’m going to Salzburg, so let’s gather some people there. We decided on this, so let’s disband.”

I was given the task of transforming hundreds of recruits into people within two months before I could play an active part in the war, but I’m sure I’ll do something damn good.

And more than that, are you going on a date with Karin soon?