SOTBW - 21

“As you all know, the Amberon Order is essentially in a state of collapse,” Taylor sighed.

There are eight knight orders in the Noctis Fortress. Since the position of the captain of the defense had become vacant, Taylor, the oldest of the knights, had often called meetings based on his decisions. Today, however, only seven of the knights were present, as the leader of the Amberon Order had offered to resign, taking full responsibility for the order’s current state.

Taylor looked at the other captains seated around the table before focusing his gaze on Maximón. Rumors had been circulating that a new knight had joined the Romsoa Order. Furthermore, it was said that this knight, like Taylor Elderkerth, wielded swordsmanship.

Despite all the warnings, this child had been pushed into a situation where death awaited them due to greed. Taylor averted his gaze, his face tired, and began to get to the point.

“The kingdom’s army is already mostly gathered in Noctis. The royal family has conveyed that it is difficult to send any more reinforcements. As you may have heard, the royal finances are on the brink of collapse due to the prolonged war. It’s gotten so bad that there are discussions about conscripting women, and some even said that taxes can no longer be collected from anyone.”

The longer the war dragged on, the worse it became for the people. The research on the Serith was still ongoing, but little progress had been made, and they had failed to produce any meaningful results.

What was certain was that the Serith could multiply without reproduction and survive without needing to consume nourishment. All they knew was that the Serith needed human blood and flesh to undergo metamorphosis into their adult form.

The Serith were beings that defied everything humanity had believed. No one even knew why or how such monsters had come to be. All they could do was endure. But even that was reaching its limits.

Curis, the captain of the Eschus Order, asked darkly, “So you’re saying the kingdom can no longer do anything for us?”

At Curis’ words, the other captains looked at Taylor with anxious expressions.

“There’s been an order to collect donations from the nobles to hire mercenaries,” Taylor said, “but honestly, I’m skeptical about sending mercenaries into the field.”

Those who had lost their countries to Serith attacks fled to the Bastronia Kingdom and the Astien Empire, becoming mercenaries to make a living. The royal family of Bastronia had offered bounties for anyone who could capture a Serith, and those who had nothing left but to flee naturally joined mercenary groups to survive.

But mercenaries were, after all, mercenaries, so loyalty could not be expected from them. There were frequent instances of betrayal, where comrades were sold out for expensive weapons or to steal Serith eyes.

Knight captains especially despised mercenaries. They had lost beloved soldiers to greedy mercenaries more than once.

At that moment, Nathan, the captain of the Colnux Order, sipped his tea and spoke up.

“But is there any other viable option aside from mercenaries?”

Everyone turned to look at Nathan, who had spoken in a quiet voice.

“If we have no one to replace the Amberon Order, then hiring mercenaries is our only choice. My knights have been training with little sleep and fighting Serith while surviving on a bowl of awful stew. I can’t ask for more sacrifice from them, nor do I want to as their captain.”

Nathan spoke calmly but firmly, and his words were something the other captains could all agree with.

The knights had already been overworked. The soldiers too. They had left their homes to protect the country, risking their lives in battles against monsters that only existed in myths. They could not simply be told to make more sacrifices because the situation was tough.

It had been years since young men were conscripted, and now even child soldiers were being drafted. Everyone was already exhausted, yet they were simply holding on.

No one could say anything, rubbing their dry faces with their hands.

Taylor spoke softly.

“So, is everyone in favor of hiring mercenaries?”

“Wait a minute,” Britto of the Helquos Order raised his hand.

“I do agree with the need for mercenaries, but…”

Britto’s voice trailed off as he glanced at Maximón. Maximón seemed uninterested in the conversation the captains were having. He appeared indifferent to whichever direction the meeting would take.

“Wouldn’t it be better to hire mercenaries who follow the rules and hierarchy of the knight orders? If mercenaries with unclear backgrounds are allowed to run wild again like last time, it will only cause more chaos. Don’t you all remember? How many mercenary corpses we had to clear back then.”

“Ah, that incident…”

Phesis, the captain of the Selenu Order, sneered as if he had just remembered. All the other captains turned to look at Maximón.

The knight orders had once hired the Rohelnia Mercenary Group to test how effective they were as Serith hunters. If the mercenaries achieved meaningful victories, the plan was to continue hiring them to reduce the fatigue of both knights and soldiers.

However, the knights’ thinking had been naive. The mercenaries were those who had fled to the Bastronia Kingdom without any ties to their homeland. They would stop at nothing to make money, and their insatiable greed remained unchanged even in the Serith-infested fields.

The mercenaries, alongside the knights and soldiers, had fought Serith adults and had rushed like beasts to claim the “Serith eyes.” In the process, they didn’t care who died. The battlefield became a chaos as the mercenaries barged in.

The mercenaries, not only hunting adult Serith but also larger larvae, focused only on whether they could obtain Serith eyes. They ignored cries for help, blinded by their greed, and sullied the battlefield, which had been built with the sacrifice and blood of noble warriors.

That was when Maximón had eliminated all the obstacles. He killed every single person carrying a shield bearing the emblem of the Rohelnia Mercenary Group.

Maximón’s actions, of course, became a problem. Taylor had asked him why he did such a thing, to which Maximón had responded nonchalantly:

“I got rid of them because they were unnecessary. It’s just like stepping on bugs. Is that a problem?”

That had been outright slaughter and an act of betrayal, but Maximón was never further questioned. Although the mercenaries protested, all the knight orders ignored their voices.

No one could punish Maximón Elgort. Taylor had desperately defended him, but the reason he was never brought to trial was because no one could replace him. If Maximón laid down his sword, it would not be surprising if the fortress were taken the next day, as the days continued to be precariously unstable.

Phesis clasped his hands behind his head and chuckled.

“If those foolish mercenaries don’t want to be killed again, they’ll need proper training.”

“Hmm. Fortunately, since the royal family cannot provide military support, they promised to send funding. If we use the extra funds to train the mercenaries and select the useful ones, such a massacre won’t happen again.”

Taylor rubbed his forehead, as if the thought of that incident gave him a headache.

“Then, while we’re at it, what do you think about having each knight order form a connection with a mercenary group? We’ve been relying on the Conphelord Mercenary Group for dealing with the larvae for a long time. If we sign an exclusive contract with them, it might be easier to manage the mercenaries. What do the rest of you think?”

This time, Curis spoke up.

“Hm. Are you suggesting that an entire mercenary group collaborate with one knight order? That’s not a bad idea. It’s a hassle to recruit mercenaries each time.”

Taylor responded positively. Curis, pleased that his suggestion had been accepted, secretly smiled and glanced at Maximón. Maximón, however, appeared bored and was staring out the window.

He gazed at the gray stone walls. The knights didn’t know this, but the Serith adults were growing larger day by day. At first, they were only about as big as the fortress walls, but now they were so huge that carts couldn’t even compare to them.

The Serith adult that fought against Najane had been twice the size of the others. Maximón, tapping his fingers on the round table, slowly furrowed his brow.

Should he teach Najane how to fight Serith adults now?

If mercenaries were deployed into the field, the knights’ roles would become more important. Maximón still wanted to place Najane in the rear, as that would be the safest position. However, considering the honor and authority of the Romsoa Order and Edwin’s joy, it seemed right to send her to the front lines.

At least if she fought alongside him, she wouldn’t die. As long as she stayed close, not too far away. But unexpected situations often occurred on the battlefield.

What if, during the fight with the Serith, Najane died…?

Creak. Maximón’s fingertips scratched the surface of the round table, leaving deep marks reminiscent of a beast’s claws on the solid wood.

The room fell silent in an instant. Taylor, startled, called out to Maximón.

“Does the Romsoa captain oppose hiring mercenaries?”

Phesis sneered and spoke to Taylor.

“How many knights does Romsoa have? Would mercenaries satisfy them? Oh, and I heard you’ve even recruited a knight who uses swordsmanship now. I’ve heard the rumors. The bards are already singing songs about Romsoa’s white knight.”

At Phesis’ words, the other captains murmured in surprise.

“A sword master? Is that true, Lord Elgort?”

“You’ve recruited a sword master as a knight?”

“This is too much. No matter how impressive Romsoa is, to monopolize a sword master in a single knight order!”

The captains, who had already been somewhat dissatisfied with the fact that Maximón alone received the credit for defending the Noctis Fortress, erupted in complaints.

“Dame Elderketh knows how hard all the knight orders work to defend the walls. But Romsoa is monopolizing a sword master? Romsoa already has many outstanding knights.”

“That’s right. Even Lord Elgort alone is worth the effort of ten knights.”

“Other knight orders are struggling with a shortage of knights…”

Bang!

Maximón slammed his fist onto the round table, as though he couldn’t listen to it any longer. The thick wooden table cracked with a loud sound.

The faces of the captains, excluding Taylor, quickly darkened or turned pale. Standing up, Maximón glared at each of the captains, whose eyes were filled with fear and resentment.

“He’s not a sword master.”

Maximón’s voice was cold, his eyes glinting with a chilling light as he spoke slowly, enunciating each syllable.

“He is my knight.”

In that instant, Taylor saw Maximón’s irises change from a pale gray to a deep greenish-black. The change happened in the blink of an eye, and only Taylor noticed it. His expression quickly shifted.

‘Dame Elderketh, the truth about Maximón is… that child wasn’t an orphan he picked up…’

In that moment, Taylor remembered a voice from the past, the voice of Edwin. He abruptly stood up, but Maximón, unfazed by Taylor’s change in expression, began to curse at the captains.

“Don’t you dare lay your eyes on my knight, you filthy bastards.”

“Mashe!”

Taylor shouted. Maximón glared at Taylor with an icy, frozen gaze.

“Do whatever you want with the mercenaries and their recruitment. I will follow without complaint.”

“…”

Maximón left the conference room without another word. An uncomfortable silence lingered in the room, stretching on for what seemed like forever. Taylor sighed deeply, sinking back into his chair.

Why is it that Edwin’s words are coming to mind now?

‘Maximón isn’t an orphan?’

‘I don’t know who his real parents were. I love Maximón like my own son, but since Dame Elderketh insisted on taking him as an apprentice, I felt I had to tell you this secret.’

Edwin had repeatedly asked Taylor to keep this secret forever. That was why Taylor had sworn to protect the secret in front of Sylin’s name. Edwin wanted to make Maximón his apprentice so much.

But, after a long hesitation, Edwin had revealed something entirely unexpected.

‘It was Mahilen who gave me the infant Maximón. Yes, the Mahilen—the last dragon in the world…’