Quit being a knight and become a mercenary chapter 211

211 – The Greedy Emperor and Martin (4)

People often say that the standard for mercenaries to become successful is to become a mercenary leader, make a lot of money, retire to the countryside, buy a house, and land. I think the best way to live is to become a librarian and touch the breasts of beautiful women, or to become a knight and live in the world of nobility.

However, if you want to continuously go up, up, up, there is only one path left other than the two mentioned above.

Becoming a nobleman by having one’s abilities recognized by the emperor or king, like the progenitors of many noble families today.

Captain Dalton did that, and I also had that opportunity once, but I turned it down…

Do I really have to accept what the emperor suggested, and is it right to change at this level? Or should I reject it and believe in the possibility that I will improve further in the future?

“Hmm.”

The emperor looked at me and grinned.

“No one will appreciate your abilities as highly as I do.”

The reason I was offered the position of baron by Margrave Estelle was because there was an imminent crisis situation in the Rhine-Palatinate Empire where it was clear that a civil war would break out.

However, the emperor here allows me to fully exercise my abilities while eliminating all the dangerous variables that I might encounter if I became a baron.

The emperor looked into my eyes with a deep gaze and raised one corner of his mouth.

“Honestly, the position of mercenary leader is too narrow for you. But when he becomes a Baron, he at least has thousands of troops at his disposal.”

If I personally lead about 3,000 troops and use guerrilla tactics that constantly harass the enemy… Wouldn’t I be able to defeat more than 10,000 enemies by myself?

Or, I could achieve the feat of completely overturning the collapsing battle line with my own strength.

No matter how much I fly and crawl, these are things that can’t be done with just 500 people, but if you have thousands of troops, it’s something that can be done without difficulty.

“Furthermore, the numerous residents of your territory will truly respect your majesty, and no noble in the Montmartre Empire will be able to ignore a man named Martin.”

My current leadership as a mercenary leader is part of my strategy of holding out until the end of time.

Even if you become a senior knight, you can give strength to your shoulders wherever you go, and it’s embarrassing even for Hilde, Lucia, and Karin…

No, if you can not only live as a respectable head of the family, but also receive a title like a baron…

Not only me, but they too may be the object of respect, admiration, and envy from everyone.

I couldn’t be satisfied with that level, so I kept running.

“And later, people like barons and viscounts will come to you and ask for bribes to get better operations and more important roles. “They will at least learn that if they want to get ahead, they have to rub their palms against you.”

For a moment, the emperor’s face looked like a poisonous snake.

When I first saw him, I thought he was a moody man who did whatever he wanted, but he just proved that he didn’t just eat the emperor for pennies.

Every single word he says is so fascinating that you wonder how he could be so cunning.

My body gets hot just thinking about it. Is this s*x?

“I wouldn’t mind accepting that much of a bribe, as long as you don’t appoint someone so incompetent that it could lead to a war. What’s important to me is winning, and you will become a kind of new nobleman. You’ll need money. Of course, you could accept a beautiful woman instead of money.”

Depending on what I did, I felt like I would immediately fall for the sweet temptation of the emperor, who spoke in a tone as if he were entrusted with the commander-in-chief of the Montmartre Empire…

At that time, a famous saying I heard from my mother came to mind.

‘Even if a stranger gives you candy, don’t follow it.’

It’s not that the emperor is a strange man, but when she thinks about it calmly.

The reason this guy is making this suggestion to me right now is because he highly values my abilities rather than because I have contributed anything significant.

So, if I accept the emperor’s offer, I will become a scout not as a partner but as an executive of a company called Montmartre Empire…

If I were to go under this royal power-enhancing addict, would I really be able to survive without any trouble?

Even if he continues to win for 10 years, there is a possibility that he will be purged one day, like a man named Sun-wook who received an ’empty package’ and was laid off.

If you think about it in another direction…

If the emperor were to blow away a young bastard who came in with only one ability recognized, would any of the nobles under the emperor take my side?

If anything, they would applaud and say I did well.

And in the process, the emperor’s power will increase further…

The emperor put his hand on my shoulder and smiled brightly.

“Don’t you want to be a baron?”

When I heard that, I made a decision.

‘To survive, you must refuse.’

“I am truly grateful for His Majesty’s recommendation, which he gave me because of his favorable opinion of me… but I will refrain from refusing it.”

Veins appeared on the emperor’s face, and the sound of teeth grinding was heard.

In times like this, you must lower your body as much as possible, even if it is just a pretense.

Why? Anyway, the contents of this conversation will be picked up by servants or whatever, knowingly or unknowingly, and if word gets around that I humbly refused.

At least you will receive less criticism even if the story spreads everywhere that the emperor gave you a chance and you rejected it.

“It is an indescribable honor that you have evaluated me so highly, but I do not believe that I possess such outstanding abilities that I would be able to accept His Majesty’s proposal.”

“I, Louis von Montmartre, emperor of the Montmartre Empire, said I would trust you. “And yet you refuse because you don’t trust yourself?”

Of course, Captain Dalton is competent enough to become a baron among mercenary leaders, but he is not so competent that the earl who accepted him as a subject should consider ‘purging’ him.

On the other hand, as a mercenary leader leading a mercenary force of only 500 men, I came up with a strategy to control the battlefield where an army of over 80,000 soldiers was moving.

They even have a mercenary unit with the potential to deal with enemies four times their size.

The time it took from joining a low-level mercenary to achieving all these achievements was only a little over 5 years…

‘In the future, if I spread my wings and fly, I will definitely be purged.’

But you can’t say that to the emperor.

If I say such things, it would be like insulting the emperor by calling him a petty person, and giving the emperor a justification to kill me.

This is a world where the honor of one noble is heavier than the lives of thousands of people.

“I know my abilities well. And I think it would be better for His Majesty to focus on turning the internal enemies to His Majesty’s side even a little more, rather than focusing on recruiting a mercenary leader like me by giving him a title.”

The emperor of the Montmartre Empire does not have absolute royal authority.

This means that no matter how capable the emperor is, he must receive some degree of support from the nobles.

No matter how capable I am, can I suddenly turn a commoner into a baron?

Then, in the short term, even the nobles who side with the emperor will say, ‘Wow, this is a bit much,’ and worry about whether or not to turn their backs on him.

“……”

After saying that, I lowered my posture a little more.

“I am truly touched and honored by your Majesty’s proposal. I can’t be of much help to your Majesty right now. So please stop talking.”

If you just say no, you’re telling the emperor to screw you, but if you refuse with a reason like this, the emperor’s pride will be hurt less.

In addition, the rumor that he is using people who are capable enough to make such a suggestion to me, a mere mercenary leader, will spread and my reputation will rise.

The emperor heard me and slammed the desk.

“Go away. And you will regret rejecting this offer. “I tend to be a bit behind.”

Even if you say that, the emperor won’t be able to do anything to us.

Of course, I am the number one contributor to this battle.

Well, due to the small size of the troops mobilized, the absolute scale of the feat may be less than that of the actual emperor and his four commanders, but…

In terms of the military, Naburangi, a battalion commander, made a contribution similar to that of lieutenant generals.

Why would you harm me like that? The reputation of that nobleman will truly fall to the ground.

“If Your Majesty would visit our Whitebeard mercenary unit again. “I promise to Deus that I will repay you with even more impressive performance and achievements then.”

After giving a warm greeting to the emperor, I came out and walked leisurely alone.

As I stretched out my hand towards the North Star floating high in the sky.

I can’t even sarcastically ask what a 2nd year middle school student is doing. I just wanted to do that.

And then I remembered what I said to Captain Dalton, whom I met shortly after being possessed by this world.

“I’m just a new recruit now, but I said I would get a title someday.”

I clenched my hands stretched out toward the sky.

Was it when I first confessed to Karin, or when she asked about my dream?

Her memory has become hazy as the years have passed, but there is something she said that was clear to her.

“I said I would let you call me Countess someday.”

But my dream does not stop there.

It’s not just about getting a title, but if a civil war breaks out in the empire and things go wrong.

From there, I mobilized the mercenaries I had and did it with my own hands…

“I will make Karin, Lucia, and Hilde more status than just wives of the count’s family. “I don’t know when it will happen, but if I keep running like I am now, I will be able to do it.”

And when a month had passed, the long non-gong business finally came to an end.