Chapter 38
TL/Editor: Raei
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Illustrations: None.
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As they neared the Talian estate, Count Catina called for Ian.
Lucy was also sitting beside the Count.
"Hmm. Raven. I heard a peculiar rumor..."
"A rumor?"
"It''s about you crafting some mysterious potions... What exactly are you making with a spoon?"
"..."
Ian''s special spoon soup had somehow been twisted into a rumor about spoon potions.
''No, but how does one make potions with a spoon?''
As the Count looked puzzled, Lucy excitedly exined.
That''s her showing off what she knows.
"There are tiny bugs on the spoon, invisible to the eye! Boiling them as ingredients...!"
"Oh."
Watching the excited conversation between uncle and niece, Ian sighed deeply.
Ah. Where did this era go wrong...
"Hm. Potion making is important, but I have something more pressing to ask of you."
"...What is it?"
Ian, who had been worried about what kind of insane medieval antics the Count might be up to next, was slightly surprised to hear a rtively normal request.
"I want you to ensure the mercenaries don''t get too out of hand."
Ian had a surprisingly strong influence within the Count''s forces.
Ian''s personal hygiene practices, like boiling his spoon and airing out his bedding in the sunlight, were so peculiar to the mercenaries that Ian was known as a fairlypetent wizard.
Ian''s wizard cosy was now quite good.
It ensured he wasn''t disregarded.
"We''ll soon pass through small viges. I''d like to prevent those mercenary scum from causing trouble."
Ian frowned slightly at the Count''s request.
"Wouldn''t the knights be better suited for such tasks?"
The Count shook his head.
"The knights tend to be in cahoots with the mercenaries, often covering up their crimes and pretending not to know."
It meant it wasn''t a task to entrust to the knights.
Once a battle began, the mercenaries had to follow themand of the knights.
They were fighting under the Count''s banner, after all.
For the knights, the mercenaries were soldiers under theirmand.
They were reluctant to punish them harshly for mistakes.
Of course, severe acts like rebellion would be severely punished, but looting a civilian home was seen as a grey area.
From a modern perspective, looting civilians is a war crime. But talk of war crimes only applies in modern times.
In a world where war = looting, mercenaries looting civilian homes was as natural as stores being looted during riots.
Most mercenaries roamed around to loot civilians in the first ce.
So, they were mercenaries when employed and bandits when not.
"I''d normally allow looting to some extent... but this is my niece''snd."
Lucy nodded vigorously, with the gaze of a monarch who sees their subjects as mere revenue sources.
Why the hell are these lowlife mercenaries touching my money bag?!
"If you step in and warn them, the mercenaries will likely be more cautious in their actions."
It wasn''t particrly a difficult request.
To Ian, who possessed modern sensibilities, preventing the mercenaries from looting felt somewhat like a righteous act.
"Understood. I''ll warn them not to loot."
As Ian responded decisively, the nobles smiled contentedly.
A wizard is quite a useful being in many ways!
After finishing the conversation, Ian left the Count''s tent.
As Lucy was also leaving, Ian asked her something he was curious about.
"Lucy. What''s this rumor about me making potions?"
"Ahaha... that?"
Lucy scratched her cheek and said as if making an excuse.
"You know... the water from boiling the spoon... Some mercenaries were curious about it...?"
"???"
"So, I sold a little of it..."
"Why would you sell that! You''re insane!"
Selling boiled spoon water?
Even the Chinese wouldn''t do such nonsense!
Where is the hammer of the Food Sanitation Law for manufacturers of defective food products!
But in a medieval fantasy world, there was no such thing as food sanitationws.
And there were plenty of mercenaries willing to pay for the wizard''s mysterious potion.
Thew of supply and demand.
The shape of the graph of ruthless capitalism was cruelly brutal...
"Sorry... I secretly sold some..."
Lucy apologized, bowing her head.
Ian couldn''t understand Lucy.
Shouldn''t she be sorry from the moment she sold such nonsense?!
---
---
As the Count predicted, the mercenaries showed interest in the civilian houses.
Surprisingly, ''civilian houses'' were everywhere.
If people lived there, it was a civilian house. And people generally settled wherever they wanted to live.
Whether it was in a mountain valley, near a stream, or in a pasture...
Living in such remote ces came with great freedom and heavy responsibility.
You were free to live as you pleased, but when something happened, you had to deal with it yourself.
For example, when greedy mercenaries sneaked in to steal.
"If you don''t want a hole in your head, back off! You damn thieving scum!"
A standoff urred between the homeowner and the mercenaries over a small civilian house.
It was a fight between a normal civilian family and mercenaries who came to steal while passing by.
"The one getting a hole in their head will be you."
"Just hand over three chickens, and we''ll quietly go away."
The homeowner growled fiercely at the mercenaries, but they weren''t the type to be scared off.
After all, mercenaries, even if they''re not good at fighting, must know how to extort.
This logic was like that of bullies in modern schools.
Even if they''re crap at fighting, being able to intimidate kids and take their money was the bare minimum to be considered a bully.
Being poor at fighting was eptable.
Fights could be won or lost.
But being unable to extort meant you couldn''t earn your keep.
It signified ack of professional ethics.
"Idiots..."
Ian, watching from a distance, was so appalled by the thief mentality of the medieval era that he lost even the energy to get angry.
No wonder the Count asked for help.
"Caw! Caw!"
As Oberon screeched, ring at the mercenaries, a few of the quicker ones flinched.
"What''s wrong?"
"No, that crow. Doesn''t it look like the one our wizard keeps?"
"...It does seem simr."
Then, fluent Imperialnguage came out of Oberon''s beak.
"Caw! The master! Caw! The master ising!"
"Sh*t! What the hell!"
"The crow! The crow is talking!"
The mercenaries were shocked.
The civilian family was also shocked.
How often do you see a talking crow in your life?
Oberon had diligently learned the Imperialnguage over Ian''s shoulder.
Havingpleted his own pronunciation training, he could utter simple words.
Ian approached from behind the mercenaries.
Seeing Ian, the mercenaries trembled and sat down on the spot.
"What the hell are you doing now."
"..."
As Ian coldly interrogated them, the mercenaries mmed up like mute honey thieves.
"Under the g of Count Catina, you dare to loot civilian homes like thieving cats. Do you dare to tarnish the name of Count Catina?"
Oberon, sitting on Ian''s shoulder, screeched fiercely.
"Caw! Punishment! Caw!"
At that chilling sight, none of the mercenaries dared to raise their heads.
"Ugh... f*ck!"
"We''re screwed. Damn!"
Looting on the battlefield had to be done discreetly.
The legality of looting depended solely on the ruler''s decision.
Turn a blind eye, and it''s legal.
Otherwise, it''s illegal.
Especially in situations like now, without any notable achievements, looting meant punishment, and no one could protest.
"We''re sorry! Wizard sir!"
"We''vemitted a crime worthy of death!"
The mercenaries knew Ian was acting on behalf of the Count.
So they immediately prostrated themselves on the ground.
In Chinese, it''s called "five-body prostration."
In Japanese, "dogeza."
While with a knight, they might have been able to sweet-talk their way out, it was clear that no such tricks would work on a smart and quirky wizard.
"Good thing they understand reason."
Ian nodded as he looked at the mercenaries lying t.
Ian had the authority of the Count, but no special force of his own.
If the mercenaries decided to attack, Ian would have had to run for his life.
As long as the other party was behaving, there was no need for Ian to push too hard.
"Given that Count Catina''s order to prohibit looting has been issued, there needs to be a punishment to serve as an example."
"Oh no..."
"However! Considering this is your first offense and that you haven''t yetmitted the crime, I will let it pass this time with a warning."
"Wi, Wizard sir...!"
The mercenaries were moved to tears by the wizard''s merciful decision.
In a situation where it would have been okay to behead them on the spot, such a generous decision was truly remarkable!
When he was going around making potions with a spoon, they thought he was just a peculiar human.
They had no idea he had such a humane side hidden within him.
"Thank you! I will never forget this kindness!"
The mercenaries bowed repeatedly, but Ian felt no emotion towards it.
He only wished they wouldn''t cause any trouble.
"Remember, my eyes are everywhere."
"Caw! Caw!"
As Oberon pped his wings and cried, the mercenaries felt a chill of terror, as if their blood had frozen.
The wizard was using birds to keep an eye on them!
"Let''s return now."
Ian led the mercenaries back to their formation.
The civilian families hurriedly locked their doors and covered their windows with cloth.
As if they intended to tell no one what they had witnessed...
---
---
Ian, patrolling the formation, caught many mercenaries trying to loot.
With Oberon''s active cooperation, surveince was not difficult at all.
When short on hands, Ian recruited new part-time bird workers from the nearby forest.
"Caw! Caw!"
As Oberon sat at the end of Ian''s tent and cried, the mercenaries shivered.
"That crow... it''s watching us...!"
"Shh! Quiet! The wizard might hear!"
As Ian appeared every time they tried to loot, the mercenaries no longer roamed around.
Count Catina and Lucy were overjoyed at this news.
Wow! Ian protected our precious money bag (the people)!
However, Ian''s actions were not entirely positive...
Ian''s surveince using the flock of birds was too perfect.
Unintentionally, it created two problems.
"The soldiers'' morale has dropped too much."
Not being able to loot was one thing, but the mercenaries became excessively fearful of Ian.
There were even talks of desertion, such was their dislike for Ian.
"There''s another problem."
Sir Diketo, one of the Count''s knights, said.
"Our army is not applying any pressure to the usurpers."
Ian was puzzled, not understanding what kind of nonsense this was.
"An army of over 400 marching, and we''re not a threat?"
"Yes. Our army is seen as perfectly harmless."
Sir Diketo exined.
War, by nature, is an act that continuously inconveniences others. Naturally, the army is the agent of this nuisance.
When an army marches, it''s natural for the area to be devastated. Killing people, stealing goods, setting fires...
The ultimate purpose of these nuisances is to put pressure on the enemy''smander.
If an armymits atrocities, the people tremble with fear.
And when the people are afraid, theyin to their leaders.
In this case, it would be the usurper Graham.
If the Count''s army had ravaged the territory as they advanced, there would have beenints for sure.
If you im to be our king (or something like it)!
What are you doing as the enemy invades?
ording to feudal contracts, Graham, who calls himself a baron, has a duty to protect his people.
But if he fails? The people rise up.
Therefore, pressured by this obligation, Graham has no choice but to engage in battle.
However, if the Count''s army marches as meekly as they are now...
Graham has no need to fight right away!
He can leisurely gather soldiers and wait for the enemy''s supplies to dwindle before engaging in slowbat.
"Your Excellency. Perhaps it''s time to allow looting..."
The Count fell into thought.
It was he who had issued the order against looting.
He didn''t want to reverse his decision within just a few days.
"I''ll think about it. Once I''ve made up my mind, I''ll let you know."
The Count dismissed the knights, leaving only Lucy and Ian in the tent.
"Wizard. Is there no way?"
The Count immediately sought the wisdom of the knowledgeable wizard.
However, Ian didn''t have any bright ideas.
Even if morale had dropped a bit, couldn''t they just push through with sheer numbers...
Wouldn''t that work?
Lucy, having no ideas either, stuck out her lip.
"I''ll look for a solution... But looting is an option."
Ian said this and then excused himself.
And he gave it some thought.
What could calm the mercenaries'' dissatisfaction and incite the people?
"Um... Wizard sir?"
"Hm?"
But the clue came from an unexpected ce.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it."
"That... You haven''t been making potionstely, have you?"
"..."
It''s not a potion, you damn fools.
Ian couldn''t understand the medieval people''s suspicious obsession with the boiled spoon water.
Why on earth would they pay money for such water...
''... Huh?''
Then, a bizarre idea crossed Ian''s mind.
"Let me ask you something. What do you use the potion for?"
Ian didn''t know why boiled spoon water was considered a potion or what its effects were, but he could understand the mercenary''s answer.
"A battle is going to happen soon, right? We n to use it then..."
''Boiled spoon water?!''
It seemed the mercenaries believed Ian''s ''potion'' had some special power...
But there was only one person who could have sold such a scam.
Lucy.
It was clear that Baroness Talian had made a hefty profit selling this concoction.
This presented a clear opportunity for Ian.
"Potions... Hmm. Potions, you say."
Ian grinned at the mercenary.
The mercenary felt an inexplicable chill upon seeing Ian''s expression...
"If I make a potion. Would you buy it?"
"Of course... We would definitely buy it."
"What if I give it away for free?"
"... What?"
The mercenary was visibly shocked by Ian''s words.
Seeing his expression, Ian was convinced.
Perhaps there was a way to boost the mercenaries'' morale at a low cost...!