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I ordered the executives to take a break. Meetings also need to be taken in moderation. If you use your brain too much at once, the probability of becoming bald increases.

Moreover, these people had just transitioned from third-rate gangsters to third-rate mercenaries, so they needed to be treated accordingly.

While the executives gathered their subordinates, preached the greatness of the Dark Sojungi Mercenary Groups, and converted them into mercenaries one by one, I went into an empty room and took a short nap.

We resumed the meeting after nightfall. Perhaps because everyone thought their necks were on the line, the discussion focused more on the core issues than I had expected.

“…You said the power difference with Dark Soul is tenfold?”

“You can roughly think of it that way. The number of personnel is similar, but the main unit has skilled individuals. If we actually fight, we’ll be overwhelmed in an instant.”

“Who are the skilled individuals?”

“There’s Shepiro, the leader, and three vice-commanders under him. Originally, there were four vice-commanders, including Bulrai, but Bulrai stepped down from the position when he took charge of the Khaoto branch.”

“What’s a vice-commander? They’ve created so many positions. How does Bulrai compare in skill?”

“I’m not sure about the skill difference. But Shepiro, the leader, is definitely different. I saw him from afar once, and his presence was overwhelming. He’s truly a fearsome person.”

A hint of tension was visible in Carrot’s eyes, who had been reporting calmly until now.

“There are rumors that he has a Manacore.”

“A Manacore?”

When Carrot hesitated to explain further, Bravo Khan, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“It’s probably true. The leader had a big influence on Dark Soul’s current notoriety. The Merchant Alliance even put a bounty on his head. But considering that even the best of the best haven’t been able to kill him yet, it’s highly likely.”

Come to think of it, the information Kant gave me also included something about Shepiro. He was the guy who enjoyed raiding merchants near the city of Leon.

“The guys below are going to have a hard time.”

“He’s a hard person to read. If things don’t go his way, he doesn’t show mercy even to his subordinates. That’s why we couldn’t easily keep asking for support. I’m a bit worried.”

“Worried that I’ll lose if I fight him?”

“That’s not it.”

I looked around and said,

“The way I see it, he’s a coward. Cowards are always hard to read. That’s what happens when third-rate people gain power. The guys below are the ones who suffer. But don’t worry. There’s no way I’ll lose to a coward.”

As I was speaking, something suddenly came to mind.

“By the way, if they’ve been raiding merchants, they must have a lot of money piled up.”

“Probably.”

“How much do we have?”

“We’re barely scraping by.”

I got up from my seat and approached Bravo Khan menacingly.

“How barely?”

“If we empty the warehouse, we might be able to get 200 gold.”

“Our troops haven’t been properly educated yet. They used to carry 150 gold each without a second thought, and now you’re going to lie to me?”

When I pointed my finger at Carrot, Bravo Khan waved his hands and explained the whole story.

The structure of tribute payments and how the gangsters squandered it.

“…….”

Hmm.

“I underestimated these third-rate guys…”

They were spending the tribute money on alcohol as soon as they received it.

They were truly living a hand-to-mouth existence.

Carrot was just an exception.

He casually handed over 150 gold, so I assumed he had plenty of money, but after hearing the full story, it turned out to be money he had saved up for a considerable time. The more I see him, the less third-rate he seems.

Feeling a bit awkward, I changed the subject.

“Tell me about Bayern.”

This time, One-Eye started his report.

“First, in terms of power, they’re probably on par with Dark Soul’s main unit. The mercenaries they hired aren’t much different from ours, but it’s hard to handle when mages get involved.”

One-Eye rambled on for a while. I listened quietly in case there was any information I didn’t know, but there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy.

While I was briefly pondering how to deal with both forces, Bravo Khan suddenly felt a chill and gasped.

“What’s wrong, Strategist?”

“Are you perhaps thinking of attacking Bayern too?”

I looked at him as if asking why he was asking such an obvious question, and Bravo Khan hurriedly waved his hands.

“No, we can’t. Urgon is behind Bayern.”

“Why are you acting so surprised? You were planning a full-scale war with Bayern too, Strategist.”

“Not now. Originally, the plan was to quickly launch a surprise attack with the main unit, take over Bayern’s forces, and get on Urgon’s good side. But it’s too late now.”

“Don’t worry, Strategist. It’s not too late. We’ll hit Dark Soul, and we’ll hit Bayern. We’ll hit them all. We’ll hit them all over, like a stir-fry.”

The executives felt a pang in their chests, thinking they might have grabbed onto a rotten rope, but they couldn’t dare show it.

I clenched my fist, pleased that they were all looking at me like I was crazy.

“Get a grip, you guys. If you had stayed put, you were destined to die anyway. How long are you going to live cautiously with the mindset of third-rate trash? You’re mercenaries now, so you need to change your mindset.”

Actually, attacking Bayern has nothing to do with these guys.

Because it’ll be Samael who attacks Bayern.

But I had no intention of telling them that.

“From now on, I’ll teach you the mindset of a mercenary. First, any executive who uses hallucinogenic herbs, raise your hand.”

“……”

“No one? How about among your subordinates then?”

“……There will be quite a few.”

“It’s banned from tomorrow.”

I looked at Carrot and said,

“Tell them to leave if they don’t like it. We’re a mercenary corps now. We can tolerate alcohol, but not hallucinogenic herbs. We can’t hire people addicted to drugs. Carrot, keep a close eye on your subordinates and cut off the head of anyone who breaks the rules.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, Carrot will be responsible for managing the mercenaries’ behavior. Third-rate, but not in a third-rate way. You know what I mean?”

Carrot, not like a third-rate gangster, replied without a word that he understood.

I then looked at One-Eye and Shorty.

“One-Eye and Shorty will be in charge of training the mercenaries. Derek, join them. Carrot, you’re out. You were born for business, so you’re not suited to teach others.”

“Understood.”

“Train them day and night, day and night. Stop those silly antics like the Torch Brigade. You should know how to act like a proper unit, not some street urination squad. What kind of Torch Brigade is that? If I check later and I’m not satisfied with the mercenaries’ condition, you guys will take the beating instead. I’ll make your cheeks look like buttocks.”

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Derek, and everyone nodded their heads frantically.

Bravo Khan pointed at himself and asked,

“What should I do?”

“Why are you asking me that? The Strategist should know what to do. You’re old, so be careful not to get dementia. Someone of your position should naturally know what to do.”

I clapped my hands and concluded the meeting.

“Dismissed.”

Dawn was breaking.

* * *

It’s not as easy as it sounds for a third-rate gangster to become a third-rate mercenary. How can a mindset of a reckless life, living and dying as one pleases, change easily?

But it’s not impossible.

You can use fear.

What do third-rate people fear the most?

It’s someone just like them.

A reckless life fears nothing more than another reckless life.

Therefore, a third-rate person is the best fit to manage other third-rate people.

“Wake up! Wake up!”

“Uwaaaaah! One for third-rate! Two for escape! Aren’t you doing it right?”

One-Eye and Shorty, with their cheeks swollen like buttocks, were driving their subordinates from the crack of dawn. Having been slapped by me every day for several days, One-Eye and Shorty were taking out their frustration on their subordinates.

The mindset that if they didn’t discipline their subordinates, I would discipline them.

In short, it’s ‘If I don’t discipline the subordinates, who will?’

I lay comfortably in the Commander’s room, enjoying the noisy training sounds.

The bedding felt particularly soft today. That Bulrai guy had his subordinates sleeping on the floor while he enjoyed a spacious room and good bedding all by himself.

… I was grateful. Lying down made me feel very sleepy.

While taking a nap and then going outside, Bravo Khan, who hadn’t been seen for a few days, was hurriedly climbing up to the manor.

“Commander Ruin.”

Bravo Khan’s face looked a bit haggard after a few days.

“We just confirmed Bayern’s movement in our territory.”

“Where’s our territory? Western Khaoto?”

“Yes.”

“Do they seem to be coming here?”

“No. Judging by their direction, it seems they crossed over from Leon and are heading east. There were quite a few of them. The atmosphere felt strange, so I didn’t get too close.”

“They crossed over from Leon? That’s odd.”

Understanding my meaning, Bravo Khan nodded immediately.

“Yes, I find that a bit strange too. We didn’t see them when they were going, but we only saw them on their way back.”

Leon is a city you reach by going west from Khaoto.

In other words, they went to Leon by taking a roundabout way to avoid being noticed, but they’re coming back openly.

Anyway, it seems our strategist took my words to heart and did his own research. All the subordinates are training here, so he wouldn’t have had anyone to run errands for him.

“Take it easy.”

“I’m fine. More importantly, something feels off.”

“What do you think, Strategist?”

The old strategist’s eyes gleamed as if he was about to show his true worth.

“There’s only one reason to go to Leon at this time. It seems they’ve contacted the main unit. They avoided us on their way to meet the main unit, but they don’t seem to mind encountering us on their way back. This means one of two things. Either they succeeded in negotiating with the main unit…”

“Or we’ve been abandoned. It’s one or the other.”

At that moment, the training sounds from the manor abruptly stopped. One-Eye peeked his head over the middle gate.

“Commander. The Bayern guys are here.”

I exchanged glances with Bravo Khan and nodded simultaneously.

“That was fast. Who’s here? The one with snake-like eyes, the one who looks like a corpse, or someone else?”

After a brief moment of thought, One-Eye replied.

“There’s a young guy with corpse-like eyes. They came in a large group.”

“Alright. Treat them with courtesy. I’ll go out myself.”

I returned to the room, disguised myself as Bulrai, and slung the long sword placed in the corner over my shoulder.

As I strolled out and stood in front of the middle gate, the manor came into full view.

“Wow, there are a lot of them.”

Typical third-rate gangsters, and

Those who were shedding their typical third-rate gangster image were facing each other across the rocks.

* * *

Two executives had come from Bayern.

While one was a stranger and the other was familiar, both were staring at me. I greeted the stranger first.

“Nice to meet you. You’re from Bayern, I hear?”

The man with a scar on his face let out a snort.

“How absurd. We’re not exactly in a position to exchange pleasantries.”

One-Eye, who was standing next to me, quickly whispered.

“That’s Raven. He acts as the leader of the mercenaries Bayern hired. We call him ‘Big Head’ among ourselves.”

Looking again, his head was indeed quite large. I forced back a laugh and said,

“I see. The leader of the third-rates. You have a magnificent head, befitting a leader. But why have you come all this way? You’ve brought quite a crowd. We have no reason to cause each other trouble.”

Raven curled his lips into a sly smile.

“Heh heh. I see you’re quick-witted, Branch Leader Bulrai. Did you receive an order from the main unit to surrender? If so, grovel a bit more. Before I crush you to death.”

“That’s unpleasant to hear. Branch Leader? Why bring up the trashy Dark Soul all of a sudden?”

“What?”

“It’s been ages since we pushed Dark Soul out and took over this place. Why are you talking nonsense?”

“What are you saying, Bulrai? Are you crazy?”

I said nothing and looked at Bravo Khan.

Bravo Khan looked at One-Eye… and One-Eye looked at his subordinates.

“Who are we!”

“……”

The moment One-Eye glared, the subordinates shouted in unison.

“We are the Dark Sojungi Mercenary Groups!”

I nodded and said to Raven,

“Indeed.”

“Dark… what?”

“The Dark Sojungi Mercenary Groups. It’s easy to get confused, but we’re distinctly different. We’re not gangsters, we’re mercenaries. Mercenaries hired by Samael.”

While Raven was speechless, I continued,

“Now that you understand, let’s settle this. From now on, the Dark Sojungi Mercenary Groups will manage the western Khaoto. We won’t interfere with the east, so you can keep managing it as you have been.”

At this point, Corpse-Eyes, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward and said,

“You’re acting arrogantly, unaware of your place.”

His protruding forehead suggested that he hadn’t fully recovered from the aftereffects.

“And who might this young lad be, interrupting adults’ conversation?”

Corpse-Eyes, who had been trying to assert his authority, responded excitedly.

“I am Blok of Bayern. Let’s get to the point. Cut the crap and get out of Khaoto immediately. This is your only chance.”

“And if we refuse?”

“Then you die.”

The third-rate gangsters behind them collectively drew their weapons, and our mercenaries also drew theirs. I glared at Blok and shouted,

“You insolent fool!”

“Grandpa?”

Blok, who muttered a puzzled word, suddenly screamed and retreated quickly.

At that moment, I drew my long sword and struck the ground forcefully, secretly chanting a spell in my mind.

‘Earth Shock.’

The ground shook violently where the blade struck, and cracks began to spread in all directions. A loud rumbling sound followed, accompanied by the sound of the earth splitting.

Kuuuum—

“Say that again. What did you say?”

In the next moment, the atmosphere in the manor changed drastically.

———-