Chapter 18: Securing Human Resources

“So, how would you like to work for me?” Mitsuha asked.

The four mercenaries opposite her froze. All five of them were sitting at a table in Paradise.

“Err, you mean you want to make us your army’s, uhh...”

“Founding members and officers, yes. You would answer directly to a commander and lead thirty-six soldiers. Your initial salary would be five gold.”

“Well? What d’you need us to do?

“I can’t believe this!”

“Five gold?! That’s more than twice what we’d get in a busy month before getting the trailer!”

“Even now that we have it, we can hardly hope for more than four gold. It doesn’t seem like there’s any way to get more. When you consider that we might get hurt or sick, and that we’ll get older, a stable source of income sounds very attractive.”

Wow, my offer’s so good, it even got Ilse to talk!

“Five gold per month would be enough for all of us to live comfortably.”

“Huh? Oh, I meant five gold for each of you.”

“For EACH?!”

Now that I think about it, isn’t that about what officials in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces make? Well, whatever. I got them to work for me in one go, so that’s good.

The mercenaries had gotten their start in a small rural village, so they didn’t mind working somewhere similar. They dreamed of saving enough money to open up a shop in the capital, which seemed like a pretty tangible goal, especially with the raises they might get in the future.

◇ ◇ ◇

“So, wanna work for me?”

“Work for you?!”

This time, Mitsuha was in Colette’s house.

I mean, I can’t let her talents get buried in this backwater village, right?!

“Mitsuha, you became a viscount?”

“Yeah. The king himself just went and made me into one.”

Tobias and Erene shivered.

“But Mitsuha, Colette is still a child. If you take her away, we might never see her again!”

“Right, I forgot to mention that my county is right next to this one! From here, it’s even closer than this county’s capital.”

“Oh, you don’t say...”