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041 Knight
Gandarvan
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Translator : PolterGlast
I woke up feeling the
weight of Anneliese and Rosalina's heads on my arms. Waking up to the sleeping
faces of such adorable girls was the best. If only I didn't have muscle
soreness...
My arms, legs, abs, back—everything
ached from carrying two heads all night. "Masterrr..." Rosalina
mumbled in her sleep, dreaming happily.
"Good morning,
Master," Anneliese said, having woken up. Her emerald eyes, like jewels,
gazed directly at me. They were so clear I felt drawn in.
Rosalina woke up too.
But I couldn't get out of bed. It was the muscle soreness. My 19th morning
since reincarnation began with me barely able to move.
It was pathetic, but
the two of them helped me down to the first floor. Mondark and the others had
already prepared breakfast.
"Good morning,
Master," Mondark greeted.
"Good
morning," I replied, exhaling a sigh of relief as I sat in the chair.
But the real problem
was starting now. I couldn't lift my arms.
"Master, I will
feed you," Anneliese offered.
"Sorry, please
do," I conceded.
Anneliese immediately
moved to my side. Positioning herself, she cut the food for me.
"Master,
ahh~" Anneliese brought a piece of fried egg to my mouth.
"Ahh~ munch
munch... Delicious," I chewed. Zoppa's cooking was already good, but with
Anneliese feeding me, it was as if it had a magical spice, making it even more
delicious.
Thanks to Anneliese, I
didn't have to go hungry. She was truly a lifesaver.
"Master,
regarding today's schedule, I request you conduct the interview with the knight
candidate after breakfast," Mondark stated.
"Alright."
Mondark's
acquaintance, the knight candidate, was apparently arriving soon. Come to think
of it, I didn't have any formal noble attire. I wasn't formally dressed when I
met the Duke either, so maybe it doesn't matter.
"Also, I have
called a tailor. Please attend to them after the interview," Mondark
added.
"A tailor?"
What's that?
"They are someone
who tailors clothes. I called them because Master is indifferent to your
attire," Mondark explained.
"O-oh...
Sure."
Is Mondark an esper?
The moment I thought about clothes, he mentioned calling a tailor.
*
While I was reading
the documents Zaigen gave me in my room, Mondark's acquaintance arrived.
Entering the reception room, I saw a large, burly bear beastman. He looked
familiar, but from where?
"I'm Toi. Nice to
meet you."
"My name is
Millis-Gandarvan."
"Millis..."
He looks like a man, but is he female? I guess a bear beastman woman could be
large, but would she have such a tough face? It'd be rude to mistake his
gender. I'll ask Detailed Appraisal.
"I'm often
mistaken for a woman, but I am a man," Gandarvan said, chuckling wryly when
he saw me deep in thought. I felt bad.
"Sorry," I
apologized.
"It's fine."
I sat on the sofa and
urged Millis... Gandarvan to sit. Then I remembered. I'd met this Gandarvan
before, in front of the 4th-floor boss room in the dungeon.
"It's been a while,"
I said.
"I never imagined
that the person from that time would become a noble. My apologies for my
rudeness back then," Gandarvan replied. No, Gandarvan wasn't rude. The
rude one was his party member, the wolf beastman.
Gandarvan had short,
neatly trimmed bluish-black fur. He was about 2 meters tall and wide across. He
took up two seats on the sofa. He had adorable round ears on top of his head. A
tough face, but cute ears.
"How's that wolf
beastman doing?" I asked, just to bring up a common topic.
"That individual
has returned to his hometown," Gandarvan stated.
"Hm, what
happened?" Did they have a falling out? I understand that feeling. I'd
kick him out of the party immediately. Even if he's some kind of 'banished
protagonist,' I wouldn't care.
Gandarvan opened his
mouth, looking as if he found it difficult to speak. "We managed to defeat
the 4th-floor boss safely, but the Labyrinth Oxen on the 5th floor injured his
arm, making it impossible for him to continue as an explorer."
That wolf beastman was
apparently a problem child, just as I'd sensed, fighting without coordinating
with the other members. Of course, Gandarvan warned him many times, but the
rebellious wolf beastman apparently wouldn't listen.
On the 5th floor,
Labyrinth Oxen sometimes appeared in pairs, and they had adopted a strategy
where Gandarvan would take on one while the other five defeated the other. The
wolf beastman, doing as he pleased, charged into a Labyrinth Ox alone and
suffered a severe injury, his right arm pierced by its sharp horn, requiring
amputation.
Potions instantly heal
most wounds, but they aren't effective enough to reattach a severed arm.
Potions are used to close wounds and reduce blood loss.
"From what I
hear, he got what he deserved, but if you tell me this, Gandarvan, it will
lower your evaluation," I noted. It was a story that made him seem to lack
leadership. He was here for an interview to serve me, yet he was talking about
negative things.
"I have no
intention of serving you while concealing such matters," Gandarvan
replied. He was straightforward. I don't dislike that kind of honesty.
What started as small
talk turned into a serious conversation. It was time to get to the main point.
"I heard you served a noble as a knight before. I won't ask about that
family, but I'd like to know what you did there." What kind of work he did
was important. The talent I needed was someone who could command soldiers and
fight on a battlefield. Other than that, mansion security. Of course, I don't
want to go to a battlefield. I just want to have fun exploring dungeons.
"In my previous
position, I served as a squad leader," Gandarvan stated. So, he did what I
needed. But that's not enough.
"What was the
size of your unit?" I asked.
"About 50 to 60
individuals," he replied. Hmm, he had quite a few subordinates. He must
have been in a fairly high position.
According to the Ducal
House's standards, one knight and five soldiers form a squad. Two to three
squads form a platoon, and two to three platoons form a company. So, by the
Ducal House's standards, Gandarvan would be a company commander class.
"What's your
job?" I asked.
"I am a
Strong-Armored Knight. My level is 22," he replied. My Detailed Appraisal
also showed Strong-Armored Knight Lv22. No mistake. As expected of a bear
beastman plus a Strong-Armored Knight, his STR and VIT were excellent.
"If you serve me,
what will happen to your party?" I asked.
"I have a request
for Master Toi regarding that," Gandarvan stated.
"Go on," I
prompted.
"I would like you
to hire my party members as soldiers. Since the individual I spoke of earlier
has returned to his hometown, if I were to leave, they would either continue as
explorers as a group of four, recruit new members, or disband and go their
separate ways. However, I personally wish to keep those I am familiar with
under my command and train them."
This wasn't a bad
proposition for me either.
If I were to hire
soldiers, I would have two choices: either have Zaigen introduce them or poach
explorers. It's rarer for an acquaintance like Gandarvan to conveniently
appear.
If I had soldiers
introduced by Zaigen, I'd be afraid they'd monitor me and leak internal
information. No, I guess it would be fine since there's a magic contract. But
being tied down is dangerous. Someone with Zaigen's personality might exploit
loopholes in the magic contract.
Even if I were to
poach explorers, it would be difficult to find them now. Moreover, good
explorers are likely already claimed by the ducal family or other noble houses.
It's probably rare for someone to want to serve a newly established noble like
me.
"So, if I hire
Gandarvan, the other four will come along, huh? But I don't know the character
of those four. I can't give an easy answer."
"That is a most
reasonable request. I have them waiting in front of the mansion, so please
examine them if you wish," Gandarvan replied. He was very well prepared.
Did he expect me to hire him no matter what? Quite confident, wasn't he?
I went outside with
Gandarvan.
"Master Toi
didn't have to come all this way; I could have called them here,"
Gandarvan said. I turned to face him.
"Gandarvan, wait
here," I instructed.
"...Understood,"
he replied. I had Gandarvan wait at the entrance. It's not bragging, but the
mansion is quite large, so there's a fair distance from the entrance to the
gate.
I veered off the path
leading from the gate and jumped onto the wall. It was a stone wall about 2.5
meters high and 50 centimeters wide, so it was safe to stand on. The wall's
strength wasn't the issue; I was. If I hadn't had muscle soreness, I could have
jumped on with ease, but it was a bit risky.
Gandarvan's party
members were waiting in a line along the wall. A cold north wind was blowing,
but they stood in a single file along the wall, unmoving. The wolf beastman was
unacceptable, but I thought these four were good.
Since they wanted to
be hired, a certain level of seriousness was required. These four were
commendable, standing straight and waiting for me to emerge at any time. I
don't know if people who can show such dedication are trustworthy, but they
would surely work diligently.
I jumped down from the
wall and rejoined Gandarvan.
"I'll hire you
and the four others. Bring them here," I stated.
"Is that
alright?" Gandarvan asked.
"That's why you
came here, isn't it?" I replied.
"But, their
record cards haven't been checked..." he started. Oh, right, criminal
records are checked with record cards. I completely forgot, since Detailed
Appraisal tells me more information than a record card.
"I said it's fine.
Bring the four here before I change my mind," I said, trying to gloss over
it. It was forceful, but I didn't mind. Gandarvan and the other four had no
criminal records, anyway.
"Yes, sir!"
Gandarvan saluted sharply and jogged out the gate.
The four consisted of
two males and two females: Bath, a male dog beastman and a Swordsman Lv11;
Jojok, a male lizardman and a Swordsman Lv12; Rin, a female cat beastman and a
Lancer Lv11; and Solidia, a female fox beastman and a Lancer Lv10.
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