Chapter 139

Episode 139

Sir Gladius stood at attention, waiting for me.

Just looking at him was reassuring.

His towering figure, over two meters tall, stood at attention, giving off the aura of an imperial guard. If he were handed a halberd, he’d fit right in.

On the other hand, there was a sense of solitude accumulated from a lifetime as a mercenary.

What kind of life had he lived?

“Sir Gladius, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“I greet you, my lord.”

He attempted to kneel on one knee in a show of respect. I quickly rushed over and placed my hands on his shoulders to stop him.

“There’s no need for formalities. You’re my guest. Please speak as you did before.”

“I’ve come to serve House Walker. It’s only natural to pledge my loyalty.”

“Is it because of Sir Ionia?”

My sharp question left Gladius momentarily speechless. It seemed I was right. I smiled and helped him up. It took quite a bit of strength.

“There’s no need for a loyalty pledge. Let’s consider ourselves partners for now. When you’re truly ready to serve me and the family, we’ll formalize it. How does that sound?”

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

It was a good start.

When I first met Sir Gladius, I promised him he wouldn’t be bound by the rules of the knight order.

A baronet who could speak informally to an Inspector was rare, especially within the Kalisto Dukedom.

It showed he valued pride and honor.

Even though I needed talent, I wasn’t going to forcefully recruit anyone. Pushing too hard could ruin things.

“Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss. This way.”

I led him to a table nearby and called for a servant to bring refreshments.

“I noticed Sir Ionia wasn’t aware of your move to our territory.”

“I made the decision recently. I thought it would be better to tell her in person rather than through a letter.”

“Well done. Sir Ionia seems pleased. I’m a bit envious. You’ve raised a remarkable knight in your daughter.”

“…It’s embarrassing. I’ve lived as a mercenary my whole life. I understand why Ionia has many grievances against me. I left her alone too often.”

There was a sense of affection. In a way, I was envious of Ionia for having such a father.

“It might be presumptuous of me, but if you approach her slowly, Sir Ionia will eventually open up. Sudden approaches can be startling.”

“I’ll try. Thank you for the advice.”

“Now, let’s set aside the heavy topics and discuss our business. To get to the point, I’d like to offer you the title of Knight Commander and the position of training instructor for the Walker Mercenary Corps. What do you think?”

“As a training instructor… does that mean I won’t be deployed in operations?”

“That’s correct.”

It was a form of consideration.

I had no intention of sending him on missions. People like him needed to express their willingness first.

“It would be meaningless to bring you here only to send you back out. For now, the knights will handle operations.”

“It might be presumptuous, but is the position of mercenary leader vacant?”

“Yes.”

“Then please give me that position. I’ll take full responsibility for training and operations.”

I barely suppressed a smile.

He made up his mind more easily than I expected.

But now was the time to refuse once. This is when you play hard to get.

“No, it’s too much to ask of you when you came here for your daughter. You should take some time to settle in…”

“If I’m going to work, I want to do it properly. You’ve been so accommodating, my lord. I can’t just sit idly by.”

“Hmm, if you insist, I have no choice. Very well. I appoint you, Sir Gladius, as the leader of the Walker Mercenary Corps.”

Sir Gladius rose and knelt on one knee, bowing his head.

It wasn’t necessary, as this wasn’t a knighting ceremony, but refusing twice would be insincere, so I accepted his pledge of loyalty.

I stood before him.

“Gladius Innerheim, I pledge eternal loyalty to my lord and House Walker in the name of the goddess Lamirach.”

“Thank you, Sir Gladius. I look forward to working with you.”

I helped him up and shook his hand firmly.

“I’m grateful for your loyalty to me and the family, but family should come first. This is a conversation between men.”

“Yes, my lord. Now that you’re the one I serve, please speak freely.”

“Of course.”

The arrangements were quickly settled. Most importantly, I had something to boast about to Jericho.

We discussed future plans.

“Sir Selendis is currently patrolling the territory and dealing with monsters. The territory’s security is decent, but we can’t be complacent. As the Walker Trading Company’s logistics increase, more mercenaries will be needed.”

“That’s true. As the number of monsters decreases, bandit activity tends to rise.”

The number of monsters and bandit activity are inversely related. Dealing with both is more challenging than expected.

Monsters attack people mindlessly, while bandits target transported goods.

From a trading company’s perspective, bandits are the worst threat.

“So, I propose a strategy where the knights handle the monsters and the mercenaries deal with the bandits. You can decide on the specifics.”

“As you command.”

“This is a different matter, but it’s something only you should know. Recently, there have been hostile forces targeting me and the Lady.”

I didn’t mention Prince Arthur by name. I knew Gladius was discreet, but I didn’t want to burden him unnecessarily.

“They won’t attack our castle directly, but unnecessary damage could occur within the territory. If you hear any strange rumors, report them to me immediately.”

“I will.”

“I’m done. Head to the knight order. Sir Ionia is waiting.”

Gladius saluted and left.

An administrator entered immediately after.

“My lord, a message has arrived from the Lucius Inspection Unit headquarters. They’ve completed the internal reorganization.”

The headquarters in the capital of the Dukedom had been moved to Walker Territory. Fortunately, after the Eclipse incident, the number of cases had decreased, so it wasn’t busy.

‘It’s about time for the next mission.’

Despite being unsettled by Prince Arthur’s situation, I planned to continue my work.

If the Lady didn’t assign a mission, I’d choose from the requests I’d received. Building the reputation of the Lucius Inspection Unit was important.

“I should visit. I’ll also check on the trading company and mercenary corps, so let them know. I’ll leave at sunset.”

“Yes, my lord.”

* * *

The knights, who had been training under the scorching sun for two hours, were given a break.

“Ugh, is it just me, or is the training getting tougher? I’ll collapse before I even get to fight.”

Lower-ranking knight Ferguson muttered as he wiped his sweat with a towel. Having distinguished himself in the territorial war, he had become a key member of the knight order.

Another knight, Deneb, who had also distinguished himself, responded.

“That’s understandable. With the emergency order, it’s not just physically demanding. It’s mentally exhausting too. We never know when we’ll be deployed.”

“What could it be? I heard most of Roman’s remnants have been dealt with.”

“We don’t need to understand our lord’s deep intentions. We just need to train hard, fight, and win.”

“Wow, Deneb, you’re really trying to climb the ranks, huh?”

Ferguson’s banter made the knights laugh.

The only one not laughing was Ionia. As the only woman in the Walker Knight Order, aside from the captain, she quietly wiped her sweat in a corner.

Deneb glanced at her and approached with a water jug.

“Have some water. You don’t seem to drink much.”

“…Thanks.”

Deneb smiled. At one point, hearing a “thank you” from her seemed impossible, but since taking care of Sage, her expressiveness had improved.

“I heard from the administrator that your father is coming to our territory?”

“Yeah, I heard during the vassal meeting.”

“Isn’t your father a famous mercenary?”

“Everyone knows about Gladius of Hogden!”

The knights gathered around. Ionia felt burdened by the attention, but she didn’t dislike it.

Ferguson lifted the mood again.

“I’m so jealous. Our family’s swordsmanship is too defensive and outdated. But your swordsmanship is just my style.”

“What? Is that a confession?”

“No! That’s not it! I’m talking about swordsmanship!”

“Hahaha!”

Ionia finally chuckled, thinking her comrades were incorrigible.

“I think the captain’s swordsmanship suits us better than mine. Being defensive isn’t bad. We’re knights who need to protect others, so it helps.”

Selendis had modified the Sabion royal family’s unique swordsmanship and taught it to her subordinates. That’s what she was referring to.

Deneb nodded vigorously.

“Ionia’s right. We’re the family’s sword and shield, aren’t we?”

“Exactly!”

“But can’t you teach us a bit? I’m interested.”

“Hey, Ferguson, are you interested in swordsmanship or Ionia?”

“Hahaha!”

At that moment, a large man entered. A greatsword that seemed too heavy for two hands was slung across his back.

Gladius smiled when he made eye contact with Ionia.

“When did you arrive?”

“I just came from meeting our lord. How have you been?”

Ionia noted the word “lord” in her father’s words. It meant a master-servant relationship had been established.

“I’ve been well. I heard you’re working with the mercenary corps. Is that true?”

“I’ve been given the position of mercenary leader. Our lord is young but seems very compassionate. He genuinely cares for his subordinates. I’ve met many nobles, but none like him.”

By now, the knights had gathered and greeted Gladius one by one. They were his daughter’s comrades. They all felt like sons to him.

“I haven’t been able to take care of Ionia because I’ve been away for so long. Please look after her like a sister.”

“Oh, what are you saying? Ionia should take care of us. She’s the strongest among us. Right?”

“That’s true. But I’ll get the intermediate title before her.”

“You’ll be third because I’ll be first. Ionia will be second.”

“Don’t you have any conscience?”

“Hahaha!”

Laughter erupted again.

Gladius thought he had made the right decision moving to Walker Territory. He knew creating such a close-knit atmosphere in a knight order wasn’t easy.

“Once training is over today, why don’t we visit the mansion? Our lord prepared it personally.”

“Okay.”

Father and daughter walked side by side for the first time in a while. The mansion wasn’t far from the main castle. After about ten minutes, a small, charming mansion came into view.

Ionia paused to look at the mansion.

She felt a tickling sensation in her heart.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Let’s go in.”

It was a mansion, but it was also a new starting point for the father and daughter.

At that moment, a hawk flew overhead and headed towards the lord’s castle. It landed on the office window and tapped it with its beak.

*Click!*

The window opened, and O’Brien reached out to open the message tube.

It was a note from Princess Beatrice.