I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 10. Mercenary Band (2)

Olif Kalbang.

A bastard of the Kalbang family. An imperial high-ranking knight.

A white-haired veteran. An upright soldier.

At fifty-five years old, he carried many nicknames.

As those names suggested, Olif was a man who had dedicated his entire youth and middle age to the Empire.

“‘As of today, you are soldiers of the great Empire! Stand proud before the name of Luark and swear loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor…’”

He enlisted at fifteen, starting as a common soldier.

Through steadfast service, he rose to become a commander.

Eventually, he was granted the knightly title every soldier dreamed of.

Not just any title, but that of a high-ranking knight—the highest position a common knight could attain.

“‘Olif Kalbang. By the solemn authority of the Imperial Emperor and in the sacred name of Luark, with the Mage Tower as witness, I appoint you as a high-ranking knight…’”

It was by no means an easy life.

Ascending from a low-ranking knight to a high-ranking one was as difficult as a mere soldier becoming a low-ranking knight.

It required decades of grueling training and countless battles.

Yet Olif never wavered.

“‘The only place that took in an abandoned child like me… was the Imperial Army.’”

To avoid bringing shame to that Empire, he was always diligent and honest.

So much so that some might call him foolishly loyal to the Empire and its Emperor.

Everyone who knew him remembered two defining traits: his white hair and his integrity.

That was precisely why he felt it so deeply.

“‘The Empire is rotting from within.’”

Even as a quasi-noble knight, such blasphemous words could never be spoken aloud by a common knight.

But it was the truth.

The lords were busy squabbling over land.

The electors were preoccupied with extorting favors from the imperial court in exchange for their votes.

Commanders caught up in public feuds and nobles who became central bureaucrats due to a lack of land were no different.

To them, what mattered was bigger estates, more luxurious lifestyles, more admiration, and more bragging rights among noble families.

Territorial wars broke out with predictable regularity.

This, despite the fact that other races were constantly eyeing the borders.

In the process, dead soldiers were treated as mere expendables.

Few cared about the starving commoners.

“‘I’ve heard rumors that the newly elected Emperor is attempting reforms…’”

But by the time those reforms bore fruit, he’d likely already be dead.

So he had given up hope.

Until recently.

“Ash.”

That man was different.

A mage whose talent and effort had borne fruit.

A high-ranking member of the Imperial Secret Knights.

Despite his exceptional abilities and status, he never spared himself.

At first, I thought he was a fraud.

I mistook him for a swindler trying to exploit the naive Baron Burken during a crisis.

So I sent Terren, a knight I cherished, to infiltrate as his adjutant and even pushed him toward the collapsed breach in the wall.

“It was my mistake. A clear error on my part.”

Even when thrown into the jaws of death,

Ash defended Burken Fortress more successfully than anyone else.

Without him, the fortress would have fallen long ago.

“Yet, the moment you executed that final strategy, my mind was once again filled with suspicion.”

That day.

When I saw [Infernal Meteor] falling from the sky.

“It was a petty suspicion. That moment was so terrifying… Instead of acknowledging my narrow-mindedness, I chose to doubt you.”

Even I, a forty-year veteran of the battlefield, was momentarily gripped by fear.

It was the instinctive terror any living being would feel when facing a catastrophe.

No necromancer I’d ever encountered could summon a fireball of that size and control it freely.

Especially not with just a few potions and no sacrifices.

Even while believing he was part of the Imperial Secret Knights, a part of me wondered if he was a spy for the Vampire Archduchy.

I bribed the innkeeper and secretly tracked his movements.

“And so… I ended up here.”

In front of the urns of soldiers who died in the last battle.

Watching the back of a commander who bowed to each nameplate in mourning.

“Please forgive all my misguided suspicions and my attempts to dig into your past.”

If he were a spy, it made no sense for him to risk his life defending the gate.

If he were a spy, there’d be no reason to risk being branded a heretic by dropping [Infernal Meteor] on the enemy.

His act of mourning the fallen left no room for doubt.

This wasn’t something a necromancer who treated souls as tools could do.

“You, Sir Ash, are the truest commander I’ve ever seen—one the Empire and His Majesty absolutely need.”

If he was part of the Imperial Secret Knights, everything made sense.

Sometimes, those in power needed to hide a blade in the shadows.

If he was the Emperor’s hidden sword, mastering heretical magic was understandable.

To defeat an enemy, you must first know them, after all.

“I heard you formed a mercenary band.”

I finally made my decision.

I would follow him, regardless of status or origin.

Ash was the commander I’d been searching for my entire life.

Since coming under Baron Burken, he was the one who rekindled the hope I’d lost.

And so…

“Let me join. No, please let me join.”

I was prepared to abandon everything for this.

Even the noble title I’d longed for my whole life, born as an abandoned bastard.

“…”

No immediate response came.

I slowly rose from my knees.

“…I see.”

Silence.

A gentle rejection.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Though I prided myself on my integrity and diligence, I couldn’t claim to be without flaws.

My aging body.

My innate lack of mana.

These had held me back from joining knightly orders before.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll blame my own shortcomings.”

“No, wait a moment.”

It wasn’t Ash’s fault.

The mission he’d been given likely transcended a mere knightly order.

“I bear no resentment. I’ll wish you luck from afar.”

“Hold on. I’m not saying I won’t hire you.”

“…Pardon?”

What did I just hear?

I stopped in my tracks.

“You’ll accept my request?”

“…Yeah, well. Let’s be honest. Who’d turn down a high-ranking knight joining a new mercenary band?”

So why the hesitation?

I couldn’t help but wonder.

As if reading the meaning behind my silence, the gray-haired young man sighed deeply and spoke.

“Let’s talk about your salary.”

“Pardon?”

“No joke, I can’t afford a high-ranking knight’s pay right now. If I did, I’d be flat broke.”

“…Oh.”

It was about money.

***

To put it bluntly, I ended up broke.

No, not because of Olif.

That guy… he was way more generous than I expected.

“‘As for my salary, consider me unpaid for now.’”

“‘Is that really okay?’”

“‘As you said, a newly formed mercenary band doesn’t have much money. And Sir Ash’s status… it’s tied to the Imperial… No, please forget I said that.’”

Passion pay?

In the cutthroat mercenary business?

He’s a rare find in this harsh world.

Damn it, Olif, you old man, I’m going to make sure you thrive no matter what.

Of course…

“‘…After I get past this immediate cash crunch.’”

Starting from the first day, I visited the Mercenary Guild Tavern daily.

Thanks to Brol’s megaphone marketing, it only took four days to fill the roster.

Eleven apprentice mercenaries.

Twenty-nine regular mercenaries.

Eighteen veteran mercenaries.

And even a high-ranking knight.

Including me, the mercenary band leader, a total of sixty members.

That far exceeded the planned thirty—the minimum needed for a mercenary band to operate.

And that’s where the problem started.

“‘Hey, Carlson, Carlson, right? It’s me, Brol! Don’t remember me?’”

“‘Brol.’”

“‘We served a few weeks under Captain Tail! How’s the missus doing?’”

“‘Lieutenant Brol.’”

“‘Hahaha! Oh, hold on. Captain, you called for me?’”

“‘Stop recruiting.’”

“‘Huh?’”

Reality needs to be looked at from multiple angles.

Sure, more heads are better in a fight.

But heads and mouths go hand in hand.

In short, I ran out of money.

“…Damn inflation. Or rather, damn labor costs.”

Mercenaries’ salaries are expensive.

The advance pay for a month’s wages for the members alone cost nearly 12 florins.

After filling the roster, we immediately started training.

Border reconnaissance and mop-up weren’t particularly tough missions…

But for people who’d just met, some basic training was necessary to synchronize.

“‘Shields! Up!’”

Like the infantry’s shield wall formation.

“‘Fire!’”

Or the archers’ volley.

Just a few basic maneuvers, but it took three full days to perfect their coordination.

On the last day, I formally appointed lieutenants to establish the chain of command.

After that, I distributed pre-purchased supplies to the lieutenants and members.

First aid kits including potions, rations, and other items added up to about 6 florins.

For the record, few mercenary bands provide such benefits.

“Wages and supplies together cost about 18 florins. I started with 22 florins, 4 shillings, and 12 pennies.”

Forty silver coins from the purse Archduke Gabir gave me for defending the fortress.

Four silver coins and twelve coppers from the “inherited” cash from my mentor.

Plus two 10-florin checks received as an advance.

“My current balance… 1 shilling and 4 pennies.”

Something seem off with the math?

You’re exactly right.

The missing 4 florins or so were spent on the last day…

On something absolutely necessary.

“Wow, is this solid steel? Were you a knight?”

The gleaming armor and sword I was wearing right now.

For the record, it was secondhand, bought from the Imperial Army after the Burken defense battle.

The battlefield is a place where you can die from a stray arrow at any moment.

No matter how good potions are, they can’t bring back the dead.

“…My heart aches.”

“Pardon?”

I could almost hear the wails of the gold coins that left my hands…

Must be my imagination.

Still, I got it at a used price with a previous-user discount.

The plate armor and sword set cost exactly 3 florins, 19 shillings, and 9 coppers.

“…Ahem, what did you say?”

“Your armor’s cool! Were you a knight?”

For the record, this talkative woman was a mercenary I’d just hired.

Brown hair, sharp features.

Contrasted by a soft, slightly dim-witted personality.

Her name was Karen, I think.

Among the veteran mercenaries I hired, she was the only one not from the Imperial Army.

Of course, her skills were no less than the others’.

She was a ranger by origin.

A ranger who could hunt not just beasts but monsters with a single bow.

“Better than a knight. Look over there. He’s got a high-ranking knight serving as his adjutant.”

“Wow… really? By the way, what’s your name, mister?”

“…Mister? That hurts. It’s Brol.”

So Brol’s sensitive about his age.

I’d better avoid calling him “uncle” to his face by mistake.

Anyway, I set aside Olif, the high-ranking knight, as a special asset and appointed Brol and Karen as lieutenants of the mercenary band.

And despite everything, it was good for the commanders to bond.

“Ahem, by the way, where’s Miss Karen from? A ranger’s kind of a big deal in their region, right?”

“Not really… I was born in the north. Came to the Empire with my parents when I was a baby.”

“Oh, that explains your fair skin! Hahaha!”

“Exactly! Ahaha!”

…Are they getting too friendly?

Listening to them chatter on both sides of me was making my head spin.

Both of them had voices well above average volume.

Plus, I was already struggling just to keep walking.

“…”

It had been three hours since we started marching with full gear.

The sun in the southern Empire was blisteringly hot.

“…And so, I followed in my father’s footsteps to become a ranger!”

“Wow, impressive! To become a ranger in a place with no connections, you and your father must be quite skilled! Captain! You don’t have to worry about wasting money on her!”

“Ugh… Was the money spent on me a waste…?”

Why was she suddenly teary-eyed after laughing so hard?

And when did I say her pay was a waste?

I only said the mercenary band’s funds were nearly in the red.

Of course, it’s a deficit that could be resolved if we successfully completed the three-day mission.

The archduke said he’d pay extra based on the scale of enemies we defeated.

“Halt! Ten-minute break!”

Finally, it was time to rest.

I raised my hand, and the members following me stopped.

They collapsed here and there, groaning.

Carrying equipment and supply packs for hours—it was only natural.

“Pfft, rookies.”

The veteran mercenaries, on the other hand, were far more relaxed.

Accustomed to marching, they munched on jerky or apples, trading jokes while resting.

Watching them, I couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle.

“Heh…”

I wasn’t showing it, but I was dying too.

What kind of garbage body was this?

Should I have realized when I didn’t even have a single stamina trait, something most heroes have?

“Captain, how’s your wallet holding up?”

Brol, the chatty bandit uncle, tossed me half an apple with a sly grin.

I raised my hand a bit too late and got hit in the head.

“Oops, sorry. Didn’t think you’d miss it. A guy who took down a Necro Ogre.”

That was because of skills and memorized sync motions, damn it.

“Please don’t execute me for insulting a superior.”

“…Even the Imperial Army wouldn’t do that.”

“Heh, true.”

Brol plopped down against the tree I was leaning on.

Say what you will, I owed him a lot.

My heavy purse was now completely empty, but…

Being able to hire veteran mercenaries from the military was a huge advantage for a new mercenary band.

All thanks to Brol’s megaphone marketing.

“Captain, southwest. Five hundred meters. Undead.”

Karen approached quickly and reported.

No rest for the weary, huh?

I rallied the exhausted soldiers and craned my neck to look.

Five hundred meters gave us some leeway, so…

“Southwest, you said? All I see is a hill.”

Could she see beyond the hill?

“Sounds. The clattering of bones and the slapping of flesh. Zombies and skeleton soldiers. Doesn’t seem like a big group.”

…She could hear that?

Well, some rangers have elven blood mixed in.

Anyway, it was the moment I’d been waiting for.

Unlike the fortress defense, this was my first real battle commanding my own unit.

Due to the short training period, we’d only mastered basic formations…

But skeletons and zombies wandering the border without a master should be manageable.

“Infantry, forward! Archers, to the rear!”

I had the soldiers form ranks and gave a quick briefing on dealing with zombies and skeleton soldiers.

By then, the enemy was about to come into view.

“Huh, that’s a new sound…”

What now?

Don’t say ominous things.

The moment I turned to Karen, a soldier with wide eyes shouted.

“Necro Ogre!”

Damn it.

Why was that thing showing up now?

Even on Inferno difficulty, a mid-tier undead appearing in a border region we’d just won a battle in…

[Conditions met. A perk is unlocked.]

Huh?

[Warrior’s Binding]

[Low chance to bind enemies defeated in battle.]

[Bound enemies can be summoned as minions.]

[First defeated enemy type receives a 100% binding chance bonus.]

[Cannot be used on hero characters.]

[Applies to kills by subordinate units as well.]

What the hell?