The next day, Roman received the documents he had requested from Hans.
“This is information on the Barca family. According to the intelligence guild, their recent movements have been quite unusual.”
A few days ago, Roman had looked into the Barca family.
He had a rough idea of their capabilities, but he needed more detailed information for his future plans.
So, he had requested the Black Moon, an intelligence guild active in the northeastern region, to investigate.
He wanted to know what the Barca family had been up to recently and how strong they truly were.
After Hans left, Roman began reviewing the information.
Rustle.
‘The Barca family.
They established themselves in the northeastern region over a hundred years ago, but their rise to prominence began when a member of the Barca family entered the central government.
While their military strength isn’t as formidable as one might think, the influence of the central government is absolute in the Cairo Kingdom.’
The Cairo Kingdom.
It was one of the six kingdoms that made up the Salamander Continent, and it was considered a minor power.
The Cairo Kingdom shared borders with other nations on all sides except for the northeastern mountain range, making it vulnerable to foreign invasions since ancient times.
This naturally led to the central government gaining significant power.
While local nobles had the authority to raise private armies, the constant threat from outside forces forced them to unite under the central government for survival.
The power to conscript soldiers was absolute.
Those who refused conscription were considered to have abandoned the Cairo Kingdom, and the central government would dispatch troops to suppress the rebellion and reclaim the territory.
In the process, neighboring lords who assisted were rewarded with land, while the rest was given to new nobles who were loyal to the central government.
As a result, the central government—specifically, the nobles of the capital—grew increasingly powerful.
The Barca family had the backing of this central government, and the system of power granted them an intangible strength.
[The Barca family recently used their connections in the central government to secure a massive loan through the Golden Bank.
The amount was unusually large, and it’s suspected that the Barca family completed the transaction without any special collateral, relying solely on credit guarantees.
The money they secured flowed into the Berge Mercenary Group.
The Berge Mercenary Group, led by the A-rank mercenary Berge, consists of around 100 mercenaries and primarily intervenes in disputes between territories, earning fees for their services.]
The information was detailed.
It explained how the Barca family had secured their funds and what they intended to do with them.
[Additionally, recent conscription of local villagers suggests that they plan to attack Lawrence within the next fortnight.]
The Barca family had completed their preparations.
Ever since Dmitry’s engagement was broken off, they had begun moving in earnest, and Lawrence now had to face the Barca family’s attack alone due to a single mistake.
War was imminent.
Rumors suggested that Count Lawrence was desperately seeking support from neighboring nobles.
‘The Barca family has gained strength through their connections with the central government.
The difference in military power is clear, and aside from Dmitry, no family is willing to risk the Barca family’s wrath to help Lawrence.
Even if Lawrence were to hold out in a siege, it would be virtually impossible for them to last more than a month.’
The outcome was obvious.
Therefore, Roman considered another premise.
‘What if the Barca family and Dmitry were to clash?’
He exaggerated the opponent’s strength.
He calculated the variables and considered the worst-case scenario, but the conclusion remained unchanged.
‘Even if they fought a hundred times, Dmitry would win every single time.’
The difference was overwhelming.
That was Roman’s conclusion.
People often misunderstood one thing.
They thought wealth and military power were separate, but for a family like Dmitry, which possessed immense wealth, it was different.
Ordinary nobles typically maintained private armies of around 200 soldiers.
Maintaining a larger force was too costly, so they governed their territories with an appropriate number of soldiers and supplemented their forces with conscripts during special situations like war.
The Barca family was no different, which was why hiring the specialized Berge Mercenary Group was a significant move.
In contrast, the Dmitry family was different.
They always maintained a private army of over 300 soldiers and had cultivated the Dmitry Knight Order, a military force that surpassed ordinary soldiers.
Moreover, while conscripts were usually poorly equipped, Dmitry, true to its reputation as a blacksmithing family, provided even conscripts with complete sets of armor.
They didn’t just hand out spears and push conscripts onto the battlefield; they supplied leather armor and sturdy iron spears to ensure their soldiers could at least protect themselves.
As a result, even conscripts under Dmitry had a slight edge in combat power.
Lastly, Dmitry had started as a merchant family.
To conduct business across the continent, they needed a means to protect themselves, which led to a decades-long close relationship with the Benjamin Mercenary Group.
In the early days, the Benjamin Mercenary Group wasn’t large, but with Dmitry’s support, they grew into a group of over 500 mercenaries.
This meant that any conflict with Dmitry would also involve the Benjamin Mercenary Group.
The difference between the Barca family and Dmitry was vast.
The intangible power wielded by the central government alone wasn’t enough to surpass Dmitry in the northeastern region.
‘What Dmitry lacks isn’t wealth or military power.
It’s the fact that Romero Dmitry is of common birth.
The family’s history is short, and their origins are humble, so the nobles of Cairo don’t recognize the Dmitry family as true nobility.
But regardless of their perception, it’s undeniable that Dmitry is the dominant power in the northeastern region.’
Dmitry had power.
If Roman leveraged the family’s strength, punishing the Barca family, who had driven the previous Roman to his death, would be a simple matter.
But Roman had no intention of doing so.
Standing at a crossroads, he knew what he needed to do to make a leap forward.
‘Even just looking at the Barca family’s knights, the nobles of the northeastern region don’t see Roman Dmitry as much of a threat, regardless of his background.
The previous Roman lived a life deserving of such treatment, but I, Baek Joong-hyuk, am different.
Antonio Barca has provoked me.
He will pay the appropriate price, and relying on the family’s power isn’t the right way to prove myself.’
In the 12th Cave, Baek Joong-hyuk had personally crushed the leader’s skull.
It was the moment that overturned his reputation as weak, and now he needed a similar decisive opportunity to make a leap forward.
Roman fell into thought.
How could he achieve the greatest result with the least bloodshed?
One thing was certain: to build something of his own, he needed people to support it.
Jingle jingle.
“Hans.”
Roman called for Hans.
In the next fortnight, there were things he needed to take care of first.
While tensions were rising in the northeastern region, a man arrived in Dmitry.
“Dmitry hasn’t changed, then or now.”
The man’s name was Lucas.
He was a B-rank mercenary.
Having experienced countless battles as a mercenary, he had recently gone through a harrowing time in a battle near the border.
At the time, he thought he might die.
Fortunately, he managed to survive by stepping over the corpses of his comrades and decided to leave the battlefield without renewing his mercenary contract, feeling the need for rest.
Now, Lucas had come to Dmitry to rearm himself.
Though not born in Dmitry, Dmitry’s forges were renowned among mercenaries for their quality.
“Damn it, I’m never going near the border again. Those idiots with shit for brains almost ended my decade-long mercenary career. Ugh, those bastards.”
He sighed.
Looking down, he saw his chainmail armor, now in tatters.
The expensive armor he had purchased was torn in several places, revealing wounds, and his sword, now completely dull, looked like it couldn’t even cut through bare skin.
He had cursed bitterly during the battle.
He had almost lost his life because he had foolishly bought equipment from a new supplier.
Truly, ironworks from Dmitry were the best.
So, he had headed straight to Dmitry and, upon arrival, went to the forge to commission new equipment.
‘I’ll stay in Dmitry for a while and recuperate.’
The battlefield was exhausting.
Just thinking about the moment when he was drenched in blood from head to toe made his skin crawl.
Lucas began walking.
He planned to grab a meal at the dining hall, but a crowd had gathered in the city square, murmuring excitedly.
Murmur murmur.
‘What’s going on?’
Curiosity stirred.
In his decade-long mercenary career, Lucas had lived by curiosity and nearly died by it.
It was an undeniable part of his DNA, and like a magnet, he naturally pushed through the crowd to see what was happening.
There, he found a notice board.
It was typically used by the lord to issue commands or by commoners to share information.
On the board, one notice caught everyone’s attention.
[Recruitment of Soldiers]
- Qualifications: Healthy body, desire to grow stronger.
- Number of recruits: 30
- Salary: 8 silver per month
- Special note: You will belong solely to Roman Dmitry, not the Dmitry family.
Keep this in mind, and only those willing to lay down their lives for Roman Dmitry should apply.
It was a recruitment notice.
The conditions weren’t bad.
The average monthly living expenses for a family of four were around 5 silver, so offering 8 silver, even considering the danger, was quite generous.
Moreover, the qualifications weren’t particularly strict.
It was an enticing offer for ordinary people, but as a B-rank mercenary, Lucas remained unimpressed.
‘This has nothing to do with me.’
A B-rank mercenary wasn’t the type to join as a common soldier.
If he were to pledge loyalty to a noble, he would need at least 50 silver per month to even consider it.
Just then, an old man nearby spoke up.
“If you’re thinking of applying, don’t bother. There are already hundreds of people lining up to join as soldiers.”
The old man seemed to have mistaken Lucas for someone interested.
Normally, Lucas would have ignored him, but this time, he couldn’t let the old man’s words slide.
‘Hundreds of people want to become Roman Dmitry’s soldiers? Is it really worth it?’
Roman Dmitry was well-known in the area.
Having visited Dmitry often, Lucas knew exactly how pathetic Roman Dmitry was.
About two years ago, the last time he had visited Dmitry, he had seen Roman Dmitry causing a scene in a gambling den after losing money.
He had thought then that Romero Dmitry, a powerful figure, had failed in raising his son.
But now, hundreds of people wanted to become his soldiers?
No matter how important money was, it was clear what kind of future awaited them under Roman Dmitry.
Perhaps that’s why Lucas asked out of curiosity,
“Is this really worth it? Even if they’re offering 8 silver a month, the person in question is Roman Dmitry, the fool of Dmitry, isn’t he? Who knows what kind of suffering his soldiers would endure?”
At his words, the old man’s eyes widened.
Looking at Lucas with a baffled expression, the old man said,
“You must be an outsider who doesn’t know the situation here. Roman Dmitry isn’t the same person we used to know. Not only did he subdue the Blood Fang, but he’s also someone who truly values people!”
Recently, a rumor had spread in Dmitry.
The excitement over this recruitment notice stemmed from that very rumor.