Chapter 42: Head of Human Resources, Rude Mercenary Corps — Edith Greyrat

It’s been a month since Lineana was dismissed as a maid, and in that time, we’ve been working at full speed to establish the mercenary corps.

This land is as savage as it gets. Trained, disciplined soldiers are in constant demand—there’s no need to stoop to underhanded work just to make a living.

The corps took its name from the alias Father often uses for business, "Rude Ronumer," and thus we became the Rude Mercenary Corps.

Aisha-sister has been working hard to make sure Lineana doesn’t return home, while Lineana herself is doing everything she can to free herself from slavery.

Aisha-sister went to pay her respects to Lord Perugius and managed to borrow a large sum of money. Meanwhile, Lineana has gathered a group of rough-and-tumble types, starting with beastfolk.

As for me, to prevent the corps from drawing the ire of city guards or adventurers, I went through Mother Roxy and Mother Sylphy to clear things with the city authorities. I also recruited about five capable individuals—students and researchers from the University of Magic who were job-hunting—to handle clerical work and act as intermediaries. Their job is to make sure our soldiers don’t offend clients when lending manpower or signing contracts.

"Do we really need to go that far? Every group usually has at least one smart leader—shouldn’t that be enough?"

"It’s not about whether problems will happen, Aisha-sister. It’s that their behavior might look problematic—and that alone can cause trouble.

If people see a bunch of strangers suddenly banding together, unsure of their intentions in this city, that alone becomes the problem.

A mercenary corps is finished the moment it’s disliked by those around it. We have to maintain appearances.

More importantly, if we don’t explain things properly, a careless misunderstanding could get everyone killed by Mother Eris."

"Yeah, that… sounds pretty plausible. Okay, got it. I’ll leave that side of things to you, Edith!"

The Magic City of Sharia truly is a treasure trove of talent.

There are plenty of people here who can read and write, are proficient in magic, can defend themselves to a degree, and—most importantly—are broke and looking for work. If we don’t bring them into the fold, our corps would just end up another band of ruffians.

"Are we really spending funds on advertising? Will we even make it back?"

"If Lineana spreads the word, the beastfolk of the northern plains will almost certainly follow her lead. Even if not, this work is safer and better paying than adventuring—and, above all, it means working under Father’s banner. Who wouldn’t want that?"

"True… but Edith, you seem awfully fired up about this. I was the only one told to help Linea, you know?"

"Well… the more hands we have, the more rest Father can get."

"Ah, I see… wow, Edith, you really love your big brother, huh?"

For the corps’ combatants, I offered optional training sessions under me—covering the basics of the North God Style and practical lessons useful for bodyguard work.

If someone showed talent for the Sword God Style, I introduced them to Mother Eris. If they leaned toward unorthodox methods, I referred them to Master.

I may not yet hold official certification as a Saint-ranked warrior, but I’m confident I can instruct at least on par with a typical city dojo master.

Training disciples will definitely help me when I aim for Saint rank—and it also lowers their chances of dying on the job. A perfect win-win.

The rowdy ones were thoroughly beaten and disciplined by Lineana and me. We unified everyone’s attire, matching the magic university students to instill order and respect, and before long, our mercenary corps of roughly a hundred combatants was running like a well-oiled machine.

"Nyahaha! Buying these sunglasses was the best decision ever, nya! The shine of all that gold would’ve blinded me, nya!"

The only thing blinded here is her mind. Sunglasses or not, that money-glazed look in her eyes isn’t going anywhere.

"Nyhehehe, here’s your consulting fee, nya. Will you keep working with us, nya?"

"Of course."

Right in front of me, she hands over a bribe—or rather, not really a bribe, just her usual brand of theatrical “proper payment.”

"Nyfufufu, you’re quite the villain yourself, aren’t you, nya?"

"Heh, not as bad as Linea."

The two of them seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Hey—! Stop playing with that money and stuffing it into your cleavage!

"That’s improper, Aisha-sister!"

"Oh, come on, it’s fine, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, yeah! Edith’s the boss’s kid, but she’s such a stick in the mud, nya!"

"Director Linea, Professor Edith, Advisor Aisha. President Rudeus has arrived."

"Ah." "Ah." "Ah."

Putting aside the fact that Aisha-sister had just displayed such undignified behavior in front of Father after work, it seemed our performance had far exceeded his expectations.

He even mentioned that if things continued at this pace, Lineana could pay off her debt within a few years.

Although it ended with Father patting and ruffling my hair under the guise of “praise for good work,” at least that wrapped up this chapter neatly.

"Oh, right, Boss!"

Just as Father was about to leave, Lineana handed him a letter as if suddenly remembering something.

Why must she always do that after Father picks me up onto his shoulders, both hands already full? It’s always something with her.

The letter reported an incident: the sacred beast worshipped in the beastfolk village—Leo—had gone missing, along with a request for Father to assist in the search.

Didn’t Father already clear things with them before summoning Leo? Even if he’s still a puppy, that’s incredibly irresponsible… actually, wait—

"Father, did you forget to send a letter to the village?"

"……"

And just like that, Father’s apology tour was officially confirmed.

It was decided that Father, Leo, and Lineana would head into the Great Forest. Mother Eris threw a fit wanting to tag along, so we had to do everything in our power to stop her.

She’s been restless ever since we kicked Lineana out of the house—if we let her loose in the Great Forest now, she’d probably abduct a few beastfolk on a whim. There’s no way we could allow that.

And when Lineana whined, "I don’t wanna go! If I do, Purusena will make me her subordinate!", I couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

So it wasn’t that she wanted to avoid stirring up conflict—she just didn’t want to end up serving under her partner, Lady Purusena. At that moment, I finally understood why Father calls her a beast in human form.