Chapter 20
As I puffed out my chest, groaning over our financial difficulties, a dull pain shot through me.
"We need to assemble healers, too."
The injuries I suffered in battle still had not fully healed, and a dull pain occasionally shot through me.
Afterward, we moved to a large town and received treatment from a healer, but the healer's skills were lacking, so I did not fully recover. I wanted proper treatment, but skilled healers charged exorbitant fees, so I had no choice but to endure what I could.
As I fretted over my aching chest and racked my brain over our finances, I heard sounds from outside the window.
The sound of drums and bugles rang out, joined by cries of "Charge!" followed by shouts and pounding feet.
On the hill, the soldiers were conducting drills.
Now that I could deploy all the soldiers stationed at the fortress, the troops at my disposal had increased to around a hundred.
A hundred soldiers split into two groups and clashed.
Since everyone wore the same equipment, it was difficult to tell from a distance which side was which. Yet there was one unit that remained cohesive amid the melee and kept the enemy at bay.
One soldier stood at the front and overwhelmed the opposing unit. Even from a distance, I could tell it was Al.
Although he had received treatment like me and still could not properly move one arm because it had not healed completely, he moved with vigor and smashed through the enemy's vanguard.
Then, a small unit immediately charged through the gap Al had opened, breaking through the formation. Ray was leading the assault unit. With brothers Gran and Lagun under his command, he led the charge and broke through like the wind.
Otto and Kyle widened the gap, splitting the enemy in two.
The enemy tried to reform its formation, but Al, Otto, Kyle, and the others held one half in place while Ray led the others in surrounding and annihilating the remaining half.
Half of them were defeated in an instant, and the outcome of the battle was decided.
After that battle, the awakened Al and Ray grew even stronger. Several members of the unit seemed to awaken as well, spurred on by them, and were growing stronger. Other soldiers were showing signs of awakening, too, so I could expect our fighting strength to rise further.
It was a welcome miscalculation, but that was precisely what made it potentially dangerous.
"..."
For now, I set my anxiety aside, turned my gaze from the window back to the documents, and racked my brain.
It was good that our numbers had increased, but the cost had increased along with them. If we had no money, we would have to bring it in from somewhere that did.
I suppose I'll have to come to an agreement with the merchants after all.
I let out a small sigh as I listened to the sound of the soldiers training.
Once I finished my paperwork and went out into the courtyard, the soldiers were just returning from training as well.
Everyone was exhausted, but one unit was still full of energy. Al, his body wrapped in bandages, was walking at the head of it.
"Captain Rome. Training is complete."
Al reported with his chest puffed out. Recently, he had taken to calling me "Captain, Captain." The insolent way he had spoken when we first met seemed almost nostalgic now.
"I see. How did it go?"
"Yes, Captain. The Rome Unit won by an overwhelming margin."
At Al's report, the soldiers behind him also puffed out their chests proudly.
Recently, Al and the others had begun calling their unit the Rome Unit.
I had left it alone, figuring that if they were happy with the name, it was fine. Perhaps because of that, their morale was high, and they moved better than the other units. Even when fighting veteran soldiers, they performed at least as well as their opponents.
"I see. Good work. You all did well, too."
At my words of praise, the soldiers beamed and puffed out their chests.
Their growth was remarkable, especially Al and Ray's.
Al had an explosive ability to instinctively find an opponent's weak point and smash through it in a single burst.
Ray was still only about as strong as an average soldier, but his sword grew sharper by the day as his skills steadily improved. More importantly, his talent for commanding troops had blossomed.
He understood the soldiers' movements in his head and displayed such skillful deployment that he seemed able to manipulate not only our own troops, but the enemy's as well.
Moreover, both of them had awakened to the power of magic, putting them a cut above the rest.
Their comrades supporting them refused to be outdone by Al and Ray, diligently training and growing stronger every day.
I could tell even from a distance. They were shining, living through a golden age.
It was heartening, but that was precisely why it worried me.
The prince had been the same during our journey.
When we first set out, he had suffered one failure after another, and we had often struggled.
We overcame hardships together, learned, worked hard, and grew.
The sense of achievement and fulfillment we felt when our efforts bore fruit and we overcame hardship was so precious that merely remembering that beautiful time made my heart ache.
But success had also summoned a monster.
At some point, the prince grew accustomed to success and came to take it for granted. He began to believe he was loved by the gods. Worse, he came to think he himself was a god.
Had love blinded me? I had been slow to notice how the prince was changing.
I should have left the prince's side once I realized he had changed. But whenever I imagined Grace's effect disappearing and the prince dying as a result, I found myself continuing to follow him.
I cannot allow myself to create a second prince.
At present, the effect of Grace is not particularly strong.
I suspect that Grace tends to work more strongly on those I love. During our journey, there seemed to be a vast difference between its effect on the prince and on our other companions.
The effect of Grace is wonderful, but I should not rely on it too much. I have an ominous feeling I cannot put into words. I must avoid overusing it and learn to get by without Grace.
"You have another mission. However, I have work that must be done here, so you will have to handle it on your own."
Everyone nodded firmly at my words.
"Yes, Captain. Leave it to us."
The soldiers puffed out their chests, determined to live up to my expectations.
Seeing their faces made my chest ache. But it was not the pain of my injury.
What I expected from them was failure. I hoped they would lose so that they would not become complacent after a string of victories and successes, even though this could mean that someone died.
There could be no greater betrayal.
If there were a judgment after death to decide whether one went to heaven or hell, I would be found guilty without question and sentenced to hell.
"What? What sort of mission is it, then?"
"Yes... The location is Gilie Valley. You are to subjugate the monsters nesting there."
Gilie Valley was a three-day journey from here, a barren wasteland covered in rocks. Many monsters had made their lairs there, and though troops had been sent to subjugate them repeatedly, they had always ended up retreating because of the sheer number of monsters.
"I expect this will be a long campaign, so go there as an advance party and build a fortress to serve as a bridgehead. Once I finish my work here, I will head there with reinforcements."
"Yes, Captain. Leave it to us."
The soldiers gave a vigorous salute. Seeing them made my chest ache again, but I pretended not to notice.