Chapter 6: Rogue Lords (6)

The soldiers gathered in front of the south gate .

I gave the order to gather everyone, but it was hard to believe that this was an army. I don’t have much time and must start the operation right away. If I start preparing now, I’ll be able to do something.

I was able to determine the number of troops at a glance. The total number of troops was 5,200 and their  morale was 20.

The first thing to do is to check the officers, after that a mock battle to check the combat system. I must immediately implement my strategy, the enemy will be coming across the border tomorrow. I have about 20 hours left. Considering the time I have to set traps, I don’t have much time left.

I started with the information of the centurions, of course, I was completely disappointed.

In the current state of the military, the most important thing is a high [command] that can lead soldiers in a decent manner. A centurion needs to have the commanding ability to lead a hundred men. Only then, when the centurions are put into battle, will the soldiers follow the instructions properly.

However, the reality in front of me was disastrous. There was no one who had a high enough [command] to entrust them the soldiers with peace of mind.

Command 30, 40, 28, it’s a mess.

I don’t want martial force because there can’t be any soldier with high martial force in this place. In this game, there are many people whose command value is higher than their martial force. And yet, when the command value is like this, it’s hard to say anything.

At the very least, Haddin’s old subordinates were far more talented than the centurions under Burke. So, I immediately reinstated them as well. With their exception, there were no such talents. Honestly, I need more people.

Even so, it would have been inefficient to test all 5,200 troops. That was why I was going to have the soldiers do a mock battle before I launched the operation, because maybe, just maybe, there might be some good people. If there were any soldiers who could be used, I would promote them. Besides, the purpose of this mock battle was also to practice combat.

“We will now conduct a mock battle among the centurions!”

No one complained, perhaps because they were aware that they would die if they complained. To be honest, they probably felt it was too much trouble, but they couldn’t say it out loud.

I didn’t offer a prize, because a soldier desperately working on a meaningless mock battle is the kind of person I want.

Soon, they finished assembling and the showdown began. I was going to sit back and watch until the five of them were chosen. From the looks of it, they were all in terrible shape and had no willpower. No soldier seemed to have the desire to show off his abilities. About two hours later. Finally, five soldiers were selected. I didn’t dare check their information.

“Sir! These five have been selected. Shall they have a showdown?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll check them out myself.”

My martial force is 58. I’ll be lucky if anyone can beat me in this confrontation, so there is no need to check their information. I began to confront the soldiers, who still looked as if they didn’t see the point of having a mock battle.

“Come at me one by one!”

I grabbed my sword and the [Attack] command appeared. I knew it was the same as in the game. It feels strange to see the word “attack” in front of me in real life, but as a person who is ignorant of actual combat, I was quite relieved to see this system embodied as it is.

It is extremely important to familiarize myself with the combat system for tomorrow’s battle.

When I entered [Attack], the attack proceeded according to my martial force value. Sword techniques that I couldn’t even use were unleashed to overwhelm the soldiers. In other words, all I had to do was keep inputting [Attack] according to the situation. Of course, if I had a [Skill], I could launch more powerful attacks, but I don’t have a [Skill] right now. The basic command [Attack] is all I need.

My sword swung down with such force that it could split the soldier’s head in half. The surprised soldier quickly blocked the attack, but the sword was overpowered and he was flung away. I stopped my sword in front of the soldier’s face. If it were on the battlefield, I would have swung it out at once, but now I was practicing.

The soldier shuddered and fell to the ground. He didn’t seem to have any intention to fight back at all.

“Next!”

Swords crossed again. This time, the soldier was also overwhelmed by my [attack] and was sent flying away. Then, the soldier immediately declares his surrender. I kicked the soldier who was rolling on the ground with my foot in disgust.

“Give it your all! You’ve got to put your life on the line in practice. Can you really go into battle and fight like that?”

I shouted at the soldiers to do so, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. The confrontation continued, but as soon as they were hit by my [attack], the soldiers declared defeat one after another. Rather, they seemed to be frightened by my words. They all have the eyes of a dead fish.

All I could do was sigh. As such, all four of them withdrew, and the last soldier came forward.

“Next!”

I don’t even expect anything anymore. Once again, my sword and the soldier’s sword crossed paths. Like the previous soldiers, his sword was flicked away by the power of the [Attack]. In desperation, I swung my foot again, this time trying to kick the soldier away.

Huh? My foot cut through the air but the soldier rolled over and picked up the sword he had dropped. He immediately pounced on me. I launched another [attack]. The soldier’s sword shot up high into the sky and stuck into the ground far away.

He was different from the soldiers I had seen before. I tried to look at the soldier’s face, but he didn’t give me time to do so. As a result of trying to evade it with [Attack], blood splattered from the soldier’s arm due to the power of the sword I swung. I stopped my [Attack] so as not to kill him. However the soldier grabbed my leg and strained with all his strength in an attempt to knock me down while his arm was still bleeding.

To be honest, I was surprised. It’s not that I have outstanding skills. But his perseverance was extraordinary. If it were a battlefield, he would have jumped on the enemy even if he lost a limb.

“That’s enough!”

I shouted at the soldier. Because it is possible that he was so angry that he was hit by the attack that he couldn’t adjust his rage and jumped at me half-crazed. I don’t need a fighter who can’t reason. But that was not the case with this soldier.

“I’m sorry, my lord!”

The man clung to my arm and shouted bravely. Yes. This is the real fighting spirit. He was a real man with a real fighting spirit. It’s strange for me to appreciate a real man like this while using the system, but I need people like this to survive.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Bente! My lord! I am honored that you would confront a fool like me!”

I immediately checked his information. The numbers aren’t everything, but they still don’t lie.

[Bente]

[Age: 25]

[Martial Force: 49]

[Intelligence: 38]

[Command: 82]

[Affiliation: Tenth Captain of the Aintorian Territorial Army]

[People’s Spirit: 94]

What the hell is this? 82 for command and 94 for people’s spirit? The numbers were eye-opening. His Martial Force wasn’t high, but his [Command] was B-grade! Considering that A-grade and S-grade generals are rare, someone with a B-grade ability value is absolutely crucial.

“Kkkkkkkk, pfft!”

When I suddenly burst into laughter, the soldiers around me and even the head chamberlain looked at each other with frightened faces. I guess it’s because when a villainous lord laughs, something bad inevitably happens.

“Bente!”

“Yes, sir!”

“You’re a centurion now!”

The power of the lord in the territory is absolute. Furthermore, there was no one who would outright oppose the orders of a lord who behaved selfishly. No matter how big the promotion was.