During a break in training, we set our wooden swords aside and stole glances at the two standing at the edge of the grounds.
There was the silver-haired Master Vain Razgrim. Standing opposite him was a beautiful young woman with golden hair. The crest of the royal family was embroidered on the chest of her exquisite cloak, and several guards wearing the same emblem stood at a distance, waiting.
“...Hey. That’s the Second Princess over there, isn’t it?”
As the man sitting next to me lowered his voice, another guy immediately furrowed his brows.
“She was the Second Princess... She’s Her Majesty the Queen now, right? She took the throne in the royal capital; that’s all anyone’s been talking about in the barracks.”
“Oh... right. She’s also the one who supposedly proposed to Master Vain, isn't she?”
At those words, the men around us all turned their heads.
“Is that actually true? The story that Her Majesty the Queen personally asked him to be her husband, and Master Vain turned her down...”
“Apparently so. The guards who came back from the capital were all saying the same thing. And he supposedly rejected her right in front of a huge crowd of nobles...”
“...Master Vain is incredible.”
I felt the same way. While the likes of us would tremble just at receiving an order from the Queen, Master Vain had gone as far as to refuse a marriage proposal, become a duke, and now that very woman had come to the Razgrim domain of her own accord.
I knew that much. However, looking at the scene before my eyes, another question came to mind.
“Isn’t Master Vain... speaking quite normally with Her Majesty?”
Someone voiced it, and we all looked over. It was beyond just “normal.” Since we were watching from a distance, we couldn't hear everything, but Master Vain had his arms crossed with a look of utter annoyance on his face, and he was casually talking back to her every now and then. Every time the wind shifted, we caught phrases like “I refuse” or “It’s too much trouble”—words you would never expect someone to use with the Queen.
For people of our status, just seeing the Queen from afar would make us straighten our backs. If she were to speak to us directly, it was doubtful we’d even be able to lift our heads, yet Master Vain was completely different.
“...Did he just tell Her Majesty ‘no’?”
“He did... If it were me, my head would be flying the moment those words left my lips.”
“Well, obviously! We’d be executed on the spot... But Her Majesty doesn’t look angry, does she? She’s just replying normally...”
“I bet it’s because it’s Master Vain that he’s allowed to get away with it. I heard he did some incredible work during the Royal Selection to make sure Her Majesty won.”
We knew that story as well. Though we didn’t know the fine details, Master Vain had headed to the royal capital and lent his strength so the current Queen could take the throne. It was because of those achievements that he had been promoted from a count to a duke.
To former bandits like us, the nuances of rank weren't very clear even when explained. However, we did know that a duke was an incredibly high status held by only a tiny handful of people in the kingdom.
A man who was a count just a short while ago had gone to the capital and returned as a duke. That alone was impressive enough, yet the Queen herself had gone out of her way to come to his domain just to speak with him like that.
“...Is a duke actually allowed to talk to the Queen that way?” someone muttered, sounding genuinely troubled.
“Who knows... At the very least, it would be absolutely impossible for us.”
A small ripple of laughter broke out, but it died down quickly. We weren't well-versed in the rules of the nobility. Even so, we could tell that there was an extraordinary level of trust between those two.
◇
Until recently, we were bandits.
Lurking in the mountains, stealing merchants’ cargo, we lived a life of just scraping by from day to day. Not everyone had become a bandit because they wanted to. Some had lost their jobs, and others had drifted there after running out of food.
Regardless, the fact remained that we were outlaws. That was why, when we were captured by House Razgrim, we all assumed we were going to die. We figured we’d be thrown into a cell and eventually executed. To us, who took that for granted, Master Vain said something entirely different.
If you’re willing to work, then work.—That was the first command we heard.
No one believed him at first. Everyone thought there was a catch—that we’d be worked to the bone and then discarded once we were no longer useful, or that we’d be billed for food and lodging later and end up buried in debt.
However, when morning came, food was actually served. It was served at noon, and it was served properly at night, too. On the days there was meat in the stew, several of the men just stared at their plates in silence.
Moreover, we were even paid wages. If we hurt our feet during training, we were given medical treatment; if the soles of our boots wore out, we were given new ones. When a guy with a fever tried to force himself to get up, he was told to rest because “it’s more of a bother if you collapse.”
Once, someone asked Master Vain himself: Why go so far for people like us, who used to be bandits?
The answer we got was typical for him.
“A hungry soldier is a useless one. If you leave an injury to worsen, the treatment costs will only go up... It’s cheaper to keep you in a state where you can always work.”
To him, that was probably all there was to it. But to us, it was everything. There was food when we woke up in the morning, and there was a place to sleep when night fell. We got paid for working, and those of us with families could even send money back to their villages. We weren't insulted every day because of our past.
For the first time, we were treated like human beings. That was why, when we heard he had become a duke, no one in the barracks was surprised. Well, to be precise, some were. But more than that, everyone was convinced: Of course he did. Master Vain really is an incredible person.
The man who had picked us up had been recognized. For some reason, it felt as though we were being recognized along with him, and that made us proud.
◇
After a while, Her Majesty the Queen’s inspection came to an end.
A carriage bearing the royal crest was stopped in front of the manor, and the guards were preparing for the return journey. We lined up a short distance away from the training grounds, watching the scene. Master Vain had come out to the carriage to see her off, but his attitude remained largely unchanged until the very end.
“Well then, see you in a month. Don't run away—make sure you come to the capital, alright?”
“Now that you've used a royal decree, do you really think I have any intention of running?”
“I don't.”
“...I figured.”
As we watched the two of them have that conversation, we all fell silent. Master Vain really was something else. Even we, who were ignorant of noble affairs, could tell that much.
Her Majesty the Queen gave a small smile at the end, boarded the carriage, and disappeared down the road along with her guards. Once they were out of sight, Master Vain returned to us. Raisa and Lydia were called over as well, and everyone was gathered on the training grounds.
“Now then... I’ll tell you lot too. For the Founding Festival in a month, our house will be entering the Military Tournament.”
A stir spread through the ranks. We at least knew the name of the Military Tournament. It was a massive event where nobles from across the kingdom sent their soldiers to compete and see whose army was the strongest. Last year’s winner was House Eldran, and the runner-up was House Perkin.
We were going to a place like that.
Master Vain looked over us as we buzzed with excitement and raised a hand.
“Let me say this first... I’m begging you, just don't get hurt. It’ll be a problem if I’m told you broke an arm or crushed a leg just to win. Treatment costs money, and you won't be able to train or work in the meantime... I’m not telling you to overdo it.”
As expected, that was the first thing he said.
“Your opponents will be houses that have been training soldiers for generations. Since you lot are mostly former bandits and mercenaries, there’s no need to push yourselves to compete with them. But... well, if you can at least take fifth place, the prize money can cover our travel and food expenses. It’ll be a windfall if you can make it that far.”
Master Vain was being serious. For us, fifth place was more than enough, and it was fine as long as we came back without injuries. We knew he meant no offense; rather, those were words from a man who had no intention of throwing our lives away just to win.
Even so, it was a little frustrating.
To think that the person who had picked us up still saw us as only being capable of that...
Master Vain gave one last reminder to “just don't get hurt” before heading back to the manor. No one spoke until he was out of sight.
◇
“...Big Sis.”
The first one to speak up was a man in the front row. Raisa turned around.
“What is it?”
“Could you train us harder?”
At those words, not just Raisa, but even Lydia looked toward us. Soon, the men who had been thinking the same thing stepped forward one after another.
“Big Sis! We’re going to the capital as Master Vain’s soldiers. We can’t show such a pathetic side of ourselves! Please, give us stricter instruction!”
“Huh? What’s gotten into you lot all of a sudden? Didn't the Boss just tell you not to overdo it?”
“We aren't planning to be reckless and get hurt. But I hate the idea of going there with him thinking fifth place is enough! Master Vain became a duke... He’s the kind of person the Queen herself would personally come to see. If the soldiers of a man like that are laughed at for being weak because we’re former bandits... it won't just be us; Master Vain will be mocked too!”
Without anyone needing to say a word, we were all nodding. He gave us food. He gave us a place to sleep. He gave us a place to work. This time, it was our turn to give something back.
“We want to show Master Vain that picking us up wasn't a mistake!”
At those words, Raisa was silent for a moment, but eventually, the corners of her mouth curled up into a wide grin.
“...I see. The guys who used to go wide-eyed just from getting three meals a day have started saying some pretty impressive things, haven't they?”
Several of the men scratched their heads bashfully. On the other hand, Lydia didn't smile immediately; she looked over us with a serious expression.
“Let me say this first. Simply making the training more rigorous will not make you stronger. If you continue to train while fatigued, you will break your bodies before the Founding Festival even arrives. That would go against Master Vain’s orders, wouldn't it?”
No one argued.
“However... I have no intention of stifling your will to become stronger. Rest when it is time to rest, and eat when it is time to eat. On top of that, focus on each and every training session more than you ever have before.”
Raisa stepped forward while rolling her shoulders.
“You heard her, right? Then starting today, we’re changing the contents of the training. But, since the Boss said not to get hurt, anyone who pushes themselves too hard and collapses will be pulled out without mercy. If you’re fine with that—I’ll train you well enough to shock the people in the capital.”
At those words, a shout that seemed to rumble from the bottom of our stomachs rose from our ranks. Master Vain said fifth place was enough. In that case, we just had to overturn his expectations. We weren't bandits lying in wait for merchants in the mountains anymore. We were the soldiers of House Razgrim.
Master Vain, who had been a count, went to the royal capital, gave his all in the struggle to decide the monarch, and returned as a duke. That very Queen had personally traveled all the way to this domain to converse with him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
At first, we just thought we were lucky to have avoided execution, and we were grateful just to be fed.
But now, I was starting to think...
Maybe we were picked up by someone truly extraordinary. And if we were going to the capital as that man’s soldiers, there was no way we could let ourselves look pathetic.
◇
Around that time, having returned to the manor, I sat down at my office desk once again and began clearing the accumulated paperwork with Clarice. Just as I finished reading the first page, a sound like a low rumble of thunder echoed from beyond the open window.
“Wooooooooh!!”
I instinctively looked up.
“...W-What was that?”
Clarice, who had been checking documents opposite me, also looked up and turned her gaze toward the window.
“It came from the direction of the training grounds... They seem remarkably fired up, don't they?”
As I waited a moment, an even louder war cry echoed out. It sounded like the soldiers were all shouting in unison.
“Are they that happy to hear they’re entering the Military Tournament?”
It would be the first time for them to go to the Founding Festival in the royal capital. Even for former bandits and mercenaries, a massive festival where people gathered from all over the kingdom might be something to look forward to.
As I convinced myself of that, Clarice looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“...Do you really think they’re making those sounds just because they’re looking forward to the festival?”
“What else could it be?”
“Who knows... though it did start suddenly right after you came back from the training grounds, didn't it?”
“Me?”
What does that have to do with anything?
All I did was tell them they were entering the Military Tournament and reminded them not to overdo it. I couldn't think of any reason why I would be the cause of them getting that fired up.
“Well, having motivation is a good thing. If they can take fifth place, it’s fifty gold coins, after all.”
“...I see. Fifth place, huh?”
For some reason, Clarice gave a small chuckle, but since I didn't understand why, I ignored it.
Just don't get hurt, though. Thinking that, I turned to the next document as the soldiers' war cries echoed from beyond the window once again.
I had no idea. I had no idea that those shouts weren't because they were looking forward to the festival or giddy about the tournament.
They were the voices of men who were genuinely frustrated that I had told them “fifth place is enough,” and who had begun to burn with the resolve not to bring shame to House Razgrim in the royal capital.
“...They’re energetic, aren't they?”
In the end, I was the one who understood the reason least of all.