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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“How bothersome.”
Eileen muttered softly, placing a hand on her forehead and sighing. What a nuisance this was.
The documents requiring her attention were still piled high on her desk, awaiting her approval.
Even she, known as the shield of the Empire, the Black Lion of the North, found it difficult to conquer the mountain of paperwork.
Even if she were to slice through the documents with her sword, new tasks would undoubtedly arise to plague her.
Muttering to herself, Eileen rummaged through the stack of papers with downcast eyes.
“Mercenaries, huh…? It would be faster for me to go alone, rather than wasting money hiring them.”
“Please maintain your decorum, Grand Duchess. You must consider the dignity of the ducal house.”
“Hmm.”
Eileen hummed in response to her adjutant’s words, then clicked her tongue softly.
“Think of it as practical training.”
“I apologize for speaking out of turn, but the knights are exhausted, though they don’t show it. Haven’t we already deployed three times this month?”
“How weak.”
Eileen shrugged and turned her gaze back to the towering stack of documents.
She briefly scanned the contents, then picked up a document and read it, asking with a hint of interest,
“Is this the mercenary company we’re contracting with this time?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Mercenary companies were a dime a dozen.
The Esgelant Empire was relatively safe, with troops constantly patrolling the vast roads that crisscrossed the empire, making monster attacks rare.
Unless one ventured into uninhabited forests, mountains, or the deep countryside, it was difficult to encounter a monster even if one wanted to.
However, the situation was different in other countries.
Due to frequent monster and bandit attacks, even on main roads, mercenaries naturally shared the responsibility of maintaining order.
Among them were mercenary companies with extensive experience and hardened veterans.
The mercenary company the Nord Duchy had decided to hire this time was one such group.
While these types of condottieri contracts were rare within the Empire, if you broadened the scope to other countries, there were many cases where mercenaries were contracted like standing armies.
Furthermore, the Nord Duchy was at the very front lines, a harsh and dangerous land constantly engaged in fierce battles with northern barbarians and monsters across the Great Wall.
This contract could be considered part of that effort.
With that in mind, Eileen spoke in her characteristically dry tone,
“They even have a mage. Military mages aren’t that common.”
“If it weren’t for that, they wouldn’t have even been considered.”
Eileen’s eyes sparkled with interest at her adjutant’s assertion.
“Are you saying they’re worth hiring just for that one mage?”
“Based on my separate investigation… yes. The rest are just ordinary mercenaries that can be easily found anywhere.”
“Interesting.”
Eileen chuckled softly.
Of course, she naturally favored the sword over magic.
However, she had witnessed the prowess of Lorenzo Tonali, the court mage dispatched as support during occasional large-scale barbarian uprisings or major incidents like monster waves.
While she still believed the sword was stronger than magic, she didn’t deny the effectiveness of magic wielded by a skilled practitioner.
Noticing Eileen’s interest in the mercenary mage, her adjutant cautiously spoke,
“However, Grand Duchess, that mercenary mage…”
“Is there a problem with the mage? Is their skill level not as good as expected?”
“There’s no problem with their skill. In fact, considering their skill alone, it’s a mystery why they’re working as a mercenary…”
“If their skill is certain, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“They’re of noble birth.”
The adjutant hesitated before answering.
Eileen paused at those words. It was an answer she couldn’t comprehend.
There was no reason for a proper noble, especially one with proven magical talent, to resort to a mercenary life.
In the adjutant’s words, even a respected mercenary was just a ‘lowly mercenary.’
“Are they from a fallen noble family? Or involved in high treason?”
“That’s not the case.”
The adjutant denied the assumptions that first came to Eileen’s mind.
The adjutant wore a subtle expression, pausing for a moment before answering,
“They’re from a humble family, but they’re of noble birth in their home country. I’ve confirmed that their family is still active.”
“…”
Her adjutant was meticulous in everything. The fact that they had thoroughly investigated the background and origins of a mere mercenary hired on a short-term condottieri contract was a testament to their thoroughness.
Knowing this, Eileen listened quietly instead of interrupting.
The adjutant continued, with the same subtle expression,
“To put it simply… they’re just a naive young nobleman, unaware of the ways of the world.”
“…Hmm?”
Eileen’s brow furrowed in a puzzled frown at the unexpected answer.
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“The North is cold.”
Every breath formed a white puff of air. The North, which he had only heard of in rumors, had a different air altogether.
Each breath felt like cold icicles stabbing into his lungs.
Of course, this wasn’t a problem for Rudrick. The warming enchantment woven into his cloak was gradually warming his body.
And there was a pair of eyes watching Rudrick anxiously.
“…Master Rudrick, you absolutely must not cause any trouble this time. Even if they provoke you, you must let it go. If you fight with the client like last time, it will be a big problem. This time, it’s the infamous Grand Duchess of Nord herself who will be accompanying us.”
“Captain, what do you take me for?”
She was the leader of the mercenary company, but there was a difference in status between a noble and a commoner.
As soon as the mercenary captain, anxiously watching Rudrick, spoke out of concern, Rudrick scoffed.
In Rudrick’s opinion, the incident with the previous client was an unfortunate accident. It happened because he couldn’t help but react when they kept provoking him.
In reality, Rudrick was quite different from the “naive young nobleman, unaware of the ways of the world” described by the adjutant to Eileen.
This was his second life.
Although he hadn’t completely abandoned his identity as a modern man, he had adapted somewhat to this world with its reversed gender roles and lack of common sense.
He had run away from his family because he couldn’t stand the pressure from his mother, Countess Weiss, to find a suitable marriage partner.
Now, leading a mercenary life, something he’d never imagined, Rudrick thought to himself,
‘One should know their place.’
His previous client was a merchant who had hired the mercenary company to escort their caravan.
Despite that, the merchant had kept provoking him, and after leering at him, had finally crossed the line, leading to a huge fight. But this time, his client was none other than the infamous Grand Duchess of Nord.
Rudrick shrugged and replied,
“Even I wouldn’t be reckless enough to provoke the Black Lion of the North, would I?”
“…You seem like the type who would.”
The mercenary captain looked at Rudrick suspiciously before turning away.
She was also a victim who had reluctantly accepted Rudrick because of his skills.
A poor soul who had earned ulcers and indigestion in exchange for having a skilled mage in her mercenary company.
Regardless, Rudrick, tightening his magically warmed cloak, muttered,
“So, I’m going to fight the barbarians beyond the mountain range, the ones I’ve only heard of in stories? It’s my first time using magic against people. I hope I don’t get hit by a stray arrow.”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
A human figure suddenly appeared behind Rudrick as he was adjusting his clothes.
Literally appearing out of nowhere, beyond Rudrick’s perception, like a ghost, Eileen startled him.
Rudrick turned around and asked,
“…Who are you?”
“My apologies for the late introduction.”
Eileen replied in her characteristically dry tone and quickly scanned Rudrick from head to toe. In that brief moment, she assessed his appearance and thought,
‘His skills are better than I expected.’
He was a rare mage in the mercenary world.
According to her adjutant, he was a rare mage among mercenaries, a handsome young nobleman, and quite famous for his magical skills that belied his age.
Rumors were often exaggerated, but the boy in front of her seemed quite different from the exaggerated rumors.
Moreover, there was no one in the North who would dare to ask “Who are you?” to the Grand Duchess of Nord.
“Who are you…?”
“Eileen Nord.”
Realizing she had been lost in thought without answering, Eileen replied curtly.
As a look of astonishment slowly spread across Rudrick’s face, Eileen unconsciously lifted the corners of her mouth slightly. Although they had just met, his reaction was quite amusing.
‘…It wouldn’t be bad to offer him an exclusive contract.’
Eileen had taken a liking to Rudrick, so much so that she unconsciously thought this.
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