The night Raisa Vangrit returned from her scouting mission, we finalized the subjugation contract. Clarice drafted the rewards and the scope of work, Raisa added the specific conditions on the ground, and I was glared at by both of them when I tried to haggle down the price. The number of bandits, the escape routes, the stolen cargo, and the handling of casualties—the amount of tedious paperwork grew, but I told myself it was cheaper than a dispute over a verbal agreement and pressed my seal onto the parchment.
By the next morning, the bandits on the Southern Highway had already been dealt with. To be more precise, it had all been wrapped up while I was fast asleep. Before dawn, a short whistle had sounded twice deep in the forest. The bandits had tried to flee toward the highway only to find their path blocked; they tried to retreat into the woods only to find the game trails cut off. Ultimately, they were rounded up and tied in front of a charcoal burner’s hut where they had been stashing their loot. I was told only a few men who refused to drop their blades until the very end had actually put up a fight. Excellent. The fact that I didn't have to go to the site myself made it a very good job indeed.
The manor’s courtyard was now lined with recovered sacks of wheat, salt barrels, and cracked crates. Beside them, the captured bandits knelt with their hands bound. There were a little over twenty of them. They were covered in mud and their complexions were ghastly; they likely expected to be hanged. Well, under normal circumstances, that is exactly what would happen.
At the edge of the yard, Raisa was barking brief orders to her crew. Some watched the bandits, some checked the cargo, and others tended to the wounded. Her voice was rough, but there was no waste in her movements. With just a jerk of her chin, the members of the Black Claw Mercenaries moved without hesitation.
"Raisa."
When I called out, Raisa turned around.
"What is it, Boss? Have more bandits cropped up already?"
"Your reward."
I tossed Raisa a coin purse I’d taken from Clarice. She caught it with one hand, her eyebrows shooting up the moment she gauged its weight.
"...This is a lot. It’s definitely more than the amount written in the contract last night."
Clarice spoke up while looking at her ledger.
"It’s a performance bonus. It’s for preventing almost all the bandits from escaping, ensuring no villagers were harmed, and recovering the majority of the stolen goods. Also, for finishing the job well ahead of schedule."
Raisa looked at the purse, then back at me.
"Are you really paying this? When dealing with nobles, they usually find excuses to cut the price afterward, but they almost never increase it."
"It’s an additional reward for completing the job swiftly. Because you finished before dawn, the villagers can have their goods back today. The highway's downtime was kept to a minimum. It also reduced the number of times I’ll be summoned to deal with the fallout. Therefore, I will pay for the value provided."
"...I can’t tell if you’re a cheapskate or a big spender."
"I hate wasting money. However, money paid to those who work efficiently is not a waste. If you work the same way next time, being stingy now would be a loss."
Raisa remained silent for a moment, weighing the purse in her hand. She was smiling, but it was different from the light smirk she had shown at the tavern.
"A performance bonus, huh? The crew will be happy to hear that. It’s rare enough to be paid exactly as promised, but to get more for finishing early..."
"Then let them be happy. It might make them inclined to work without dying next time."
"Your phrasing is the worst, but I’ll accept it with gratitude."
◇
After paying the reward, I looked over the bandits lined up in the courtyard. They knelt there with faces like men awaiting the gallows. Several were staring at the ground, having already resigned themselves to death.
"So, what do we usually do with these people?"
When I asked, Clarice furrowed her brow slightly.
"The ringleaders are made into an example. The rest are sent to the mines or put in a cell to await judgment. Since they’ve harmed the villagers, they can't be forgiven easily."
"What about letting them go?"
Raisa answered while keeping her arms crossed.
"Out of the question. As soon as they get hungry, they’ll go right back to being bandits. They’ll just find another mountain, and next time, they’ll be even more cautious when they attack. Some of these guys look like former soldiers. Letting them back into the wild is just asking for trouble."
Executing them meant cleaning up corpses. Sending them to the mines required an escort. Putting them in a cell required food costs and guards. Letting them go meant more bandits.
"Killing them requires disposal. The mines require paperwork. The cells cost food. Letting them go means more bandits. None of those options benefit my house."
Clarice looked at me with growing dread.
"Vain, surely you don't mean..."
"Hmm... I see. If they’re just going to die outside or go back to being bandits anyway, I’ll have them work for me for cheap."
The air in the courtyard stilled. Clarice’s eyes widened, and even Raisa’s smile faded slightly. The bandits looked up at me as if they couldn't wrap their heads around my words.
"Wait a minute! That’s going too far! They're bandits! No normal noble would have people like that working near their manor."
"That is why normal nobles spend money on the aftermath."
"That’s not the point...!"
Raisa also spoke in a low voice.
"Boss, I can see some of them are useful. But these people were pointing blades at villagers until yesterday. If you put them to work today, the village folk are going to be terrified."
"Make them work until they aren't scary anymore. Have them repair the roads and build fences for the villages. Have them carry cargo. Those who can use bows can work as understudies for the watch. Those who know the roads will be guides. Those who can read will help with the ledgers. And those who are useless can carry dirt."
"...Are you planning to make them your private soldiers?"
"They aren't private soldiers yet. I’m just seeing if they’re useful. Raisa, you will be the one to judge them. I’m adding that to the contract as an additional request."
Raisa looked at the bound bandits and gave a low chuckle.
"I’ve never heard of a noble who includes the sorting and disciplining of bandits in his requests."
"Even if it's unheard of, if it saves money, I’ll do it."
Clarice pressed a hand to her forehead.
"This is truly absurd... but it’s infuriating that it’s actually more practical than letting them go."
"Then it’s settled."
I turned toward the bound bandits. They had been listening to our conversation while kneeling. Their faces showed they understood that their lives were currently being weighed against cold, hard coin.
"Hey. Did you hear that?"
The man in the front row flinched.
"Y-Yes..."
"I haven't forgiven you. You attacked the village, stole cargo, and blocked the highway. Normally, you couldn't complain even if you were hanged."
The bandits held their breath. They looked like men waiting for the axe to fall.
"However, killing you all makes the cleanup a pain. Putting you in cells just costs food. Letting you go makes you bandits again. None of those options make money for my house. Therefore, you will work for me for cheap."
Silence fell over the courtyard.
"...If we work, will we not be killed?"
"As long as you work. Don't run. Don't steal. Don't lay a hand on the villagers. And don't disobey Raisa’s orders. If you can't manage that, there won't be a second chance."
"...We are bandits."
"I am aware of that. That is why I can use you cheaply."
The man was lost for words.
"Listen up. You will be served three meals a day."
At that, the look on the bandits' faces changed instantly.
"Huh?...Three times?"
"Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a problem if you collapse before you can do your work."
"Three times... every single day...?"
"Don't make me repeat myself. I will also provide a place to sleep. Use the vacant land. You will use the wood from the old fences we’ve torn down and timber hauled from the forest. Build the shacks yourselves. If you get sick from sleeping in the rain, my medical expenses will go up."
"What? Even a place to sleep...?"
"If you are injured during work, I will pay for the treatment. However, I won’t cover injuries sustained in your own petty brawls."
This time, the bandits were struck completely dumb.
Clarice let out a small sigh beside me.
"Vain... those aren't conditions you offer to bandits."
"It’s a bigger loss if they collapse."
Raisa also spoke as she looked at the bound prisoners.
"Boss, for some of these guys, they're lucky if they get one decent meal a day. If you tell them you’ll feed them three times, give them a roof, and even look after their injuries... that sounds less like a punishment and more like mercy."
"It isn't mercy. It’s fuel for labor."
I raised my voice slightly so that not only the bandits but also the Black Claw mercenaries could hear me.
"I’ll say this while I’m at it. I don't look at people through the lens of status or birth. Whether you’re a former bandit, a former soldier, or a starving peasant, if you are useful, I will use you."
At the edge of the yard, the mercenaries of the Black Claw turned to look at me. The bound bandits also looked up as if they had forgotten how to breathe. Only Raisa kept her arms crossed, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"If you know the roads, guide us. If you can use a bow, start as an understudy for the watch. If you have skill with a blade, show Raisa. If you can read, help with the ledgers. If you have nothing but strength, carry dirt. If you can do nothing, think about what you can do. I am not generous enough to feed those who won't work, but I am not foolish enough to discard those who do."
The bandits were speechless. They likely thought their lives were already over the moment they fell into banditry. They couldn't return to their villages, they couldn't return to being soldiers—they would just steal in the mountains until they were eventually caught and hanged. Their faces showed they had never even considered another path.
"Those who distinguish themselves will receive rewards, and their rations will be increased. I’ll give you better sleeping quarters. If your skills are certain, I’ll pass you jobs that pay even more. However, for those who run, those who steal, or those who touch the villagers—there is no next time. I have no need for those who waste my money."
Raisa chuckled lowly.
"Boss, are you serious? Giving rewards to bandits based on their performance?"
"It’s only natural to pay for work. 'I won't pay because they're bandits,' 'I'll use them up because they're mercenaries,' 'I'll throw them away because they're of low status.' It’s because people think like that that they lose useful talent."
Raisa’s smile faltered for a moment. She likely realized those words were also directed at her. Having left the Kingdom Knights and drifted along as the captain of a mercenary group with a bad reputation, Raisa was also on the side of those who had been discarded based on their history alone.
"I hate losses. Throwing away useful people just because of their origins or reputation is a loss. Therefore, I will use them. Work. Work and show me your value."
The faces of the bound bandits were no longer those of men awaiting execution. They had become the faces of men desperately searching for what they needed to do to survive, and what they needed to show to earn their keep.
Raisa looked at me and exhaled in exasperation.
"Really, you’re a strange noble. You don't pretend to be a saint, yet the things you say are exactly what people need to hear to stand on their own two feet."
"If I don't make them stand, they can't work."
"I'll take your word for it."
One of the bandits pressed his forehead against the ground.
"I’ll work...! Whether it’s road repair or hauling cargo, I’ll do anything! If I can have food, if I can have a place to sleep, I won't steal anymore!"
Another man hurriedly bowed his head.
"Lord Razgrim, such mercy for people like us... thank you...!"
"I told you, it isn't mercy. Pay me back for the cost of the food."
"I will! I’ll definitely work!"
"I’ll do it too! I can use a bow a little. I know the roads. I won't run. I’m never going back to the mountains again!"
The bandits bowed their heads one after another. Some were even weeping. I didn't understand it. I had simply judged that it was more profitable to make them work than to turn them into corpses.
Raisa watched the scene, her eyes narrowing.
"Boss. This is hitting them more than I thought. Feeding them, letting them sleep, and looking after their injuries. To these guys, that means more than just not being hanged. And the words 'I'll look at you if you work' hit people who have been pushed to the edge far too hard."
"Hmph. They’re a troublesome bunch."
"You’re the one who picked them up."
"I didn't pick them up. I’m just using them."
Even as I said that, the bandits continued to bow. The Black Claw mercenaries were also strangely quiet. The group that had been laughing crudely until a moment ago was now looking back and forth between the bandits and me.
Well, it didn't matter.
If they worked, I would use them. If they didn't, I would discard them. That was all.
At this time, I didn't yet know...
That by being fed, given a place to sleep, having their injuries treated, and being given a place to work, these former bandits would transform from mere labor into private soldiers with a fierce loyalty to House Razgrim. That they would eventually leave their names in history as the greatest private army on the continent.
All I wanted was to not waste my money.