Merchant Noble is out (3/3 chapters for today)
Advance
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The Warden army was led by Arc. While all military matters were usually entrusted to the military officer Tyr, he had just returned from suppressing a rebellion, and both Mia and Hal were exhausted. Additionally, until Randal and Laika became accustomed to Mikanda’s territory, it was better for them to stay together. For these reasons, Arc, Yulia, Yuna, and the others were participating in this campaign.
“Arc-sama, it has already been a week since we departed, and yet we’ve hardly made any progress.” (Yulia)
Yulia said, sounding bored.
“That’s right. Well, with such a large army, it can’t be helped…” (Arc)
“At this rate, who knows when the battle will even begin.” (Yulia)
In one week, the kingdom forces had only covered a short distance. It was a distance that could be traversed in a day on horseback. The soldiers were simply walking sluggishly, which did nothing to raise morale. They marched while chatting idly. Arc, feeling similarly sluggish, didn’t have the energy to reprimand them.
Hangue Warden’s arrival was perfectly timed, just when Arc needed someone to talk to.
“Hey, Arc!” (Hangue)
“So, you did come. Thanks for taking the time to visit, even though you must be busy.” (Arc)
Arc, who had been bored, raised both hands to welcome Hangue. Hangue was following behind this expedition, leading the merchants of Warden Company. As various things, including food, would be needed during the march, this was a great business opportunity for merchants.
“No, no. I just thought I should greet you since I had the chance. It’s been a while, Onee-san.” (Hangue)
Hangue greeted Yulia, who was standing behind Arc. Yulia, however, bowed her head and moved back, hiding behind Arc. She was not fond of Hangue. From the moment they first met, Hangue had looked at her with an appraising eye, as if she were a product rather than a person. It reminded her of her time as a gladiator, before Arc bought her, making her feel uncomfortable.
“How’s it going?” (Arc)
As soon as Arc asked, Hangue could no longer contain his smile.
“I can’t stop laughing. Food, weapons, liquor, everyday items… everything is selling like crazy. Whatever we stock, it sells. And at double or triple the usual price! This is the peak of my career as a merchant.” (Hangue)
“That’s good to hear.” (Arc)
“We spent quite a bit of our assets developing the Mikanda territory, but thanks to this, Warden Company has made enough money that even two more territories like Mikanda wouldn’t be a problem.” (Hangue)
Hangue spoke cheerfully. Although he had always been generous in providing funds, developing a territory required an enormous amount of money. Even for a major merchant group like Warden Company, it must have been challenging, but it looked like this campaign would allow them to make a substantial profit.
“War is profitable, after all, Arc.” (Hangue)
“Hangue.” (Arc)
After chatting about profits for a while, Arc called out to Hangue, who was about to leave.
“When the fighting starts, make sure to evacuate the merchants.” (Arc)
“Of course. If they get looted in the chaos, it would be a huge loss.” (Hangue)
Arc, feeling a bit concerned about Hangue’s seemingly carefree attitude, gave him a warning just in case. Hangue, however, responded with a knowing look and left. Well, considering he was a capable merchant who knew how to hedge risks, Arc wasn’t too worried.
Two more weeks passed, and the kingdom forces finally dragged themselves close to Leo’s territory. Arc was in his tent, receiving a report from Yuna based on information independently gathered by the Sheeb Order.
“…Arc-sama. It seems the enemy numbers are around 20,000.” (Yuna)
“20,000! Do they really intend to fight against 500,000 with only that? This will surely be our victory!” (Yulia)
Upon hearing the figure of 20,000, Yulia immediately reacted. Indeed, in terms of numbers, their side had an overwhelming advantage. In history, there were hardly any accounts of a force losing when they had such a numerical superiority.
“Well, I’m not so sure about that…” (Arc)
Despite the optimistic outlook, Arc had an uneasy feeling.
First, the morale of the kingdom troops was low. There was no sense that they were heading into a deadly battle. Even among the relatively smaller Warden forces, morale was poor. Some units, beyond the commander’s watch, were drinking, fighting amongst themselves, or even looting nearby villages. It was clear that discipline was crumbling in several parts of the army.
Moreover, there was a lack of commitment from the commanders. Each commander seemed to believe that the fighting would be done by other nobles’ troops, and that they were just there to participate. This was a consequence of their overwhelming numerical advantage. Even Arc, stationed on the outskirts of the kingdom forces, hadn’t felt that he would necessarily have to fight Leo’s forces.
In other words, while the kingdom forces had an overwhelming advantage in numbers, their substance was significantly weaker compared to Leo’s army. It was uncertain if numbers alone would be enough to secure victory. When considering these factors, Arc realized they were not as overwhelmingly advantaged as they seemed. They might even be on equal footing.
With these thoughts weighing on his mind, Arc couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Additional Information:
- In the previous discussion, it was mentioned that all nobles had been summoned. However, nobles closer to Leo’s territory had joined up with the advancing forces along the way.
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