I Became the First Prince

on funds from the Empire and earned quite a bit of money by fighting as a mercenary for Dotrin.

“No matter what anyone says, it is undeniable that it is me who has fed the kingdom’s coffers until now.”

As I spoke, Vincent sighed and shook his head.

“So how much will you grow the army?”

“I told you, I’ll take as many as I can.”

“So I’m asking you to tell me how much that is.”

I frowned as I watched Vincent speak as if frustrated.
What I was saying wasn’t so difficult to understand.
However, I couldn’t be annoyed after causing Vincent worry, so I explained my intentions so he could more easily understand them.

“If a hundred people come, I will accept a hundred.
And if a thousand people come, I will accept a thousand.”

In short, I was thinking of accepting everyone who came.

Of course, before that, all those with serious flaws in their personalities and past actions will have to be filtered out.
But basically, my idea of accepting the maximum number of troops has not changed.

“But what if there are too many people to handle?” Vincent said as if finding my plan absurd.
I just laughed.

In a world filled with chaos after the old ones’ return, and when the fees of mercenaries have soared to great amounts, how many people would come to this underdeveloped country at the end of the world?

I wasn’t sure, but there would be more mercenaries who have gone to the Empire or other places where funds are abundant.
I thought so, I believed it, but it was not so.
Some time passed.

Then, one day after Hannibal’s descendant created his mana heart, just like his ancestor, Bernardo Eli returned.

However, The number of people who followed him far exceeded my expectations.
Even by a quick estimate, they were no less than a thousand.

I tilted my head.
“I ordered you to send them in separate groups.
Why did you bring them all at once?”

At first, I thought the southern commander had changed his mind, ignoring my order of dividing the mercenaries into separate groups to make their recruitment easier to control.

“We correctly send them out in divisions.”

That was until I heard Eli’s explanation.

He said that thanks to me, every fortress along the border was filled.
The mercenaries who have arrived with him were just a fraction, less than a tenth.

Why? If they wanted work, the Empire would be overflowing with mercenaries.
I couldn’t readily understand why so many mercenaries had migrated to the cold north.

“It seems that the mercenaries who went to Burgundy’s capital have been rejected one after another.”

Eli reported the situation across the border to me.

“At first, I thought that all their contracts were rejected because they were not worthy to serve in the eyes of the imperial family.”

But that wasn’t it.

The rejections of contracts occurred regardless of the size, capability, and reputation of a mercenary company.
It was said that among those rejected were companies that everyone knew by name.
It was rather strange that the Burgundy Empire had no intention of hiring mercenaries.
Still, another question remained.

“Even if not by the imperial family, why didn’t the sneaky imperial lords hire them to bolster their forces?”

“There wasn’t one who did.”

Eli’s answer was very different from what I expected; it wasn’t common sense.
It was said that unlike the kingdom, which predicted the chaos and responded swiftly, the Empire had completely failed in its initial response.

If they found hiring mercenaries undesirable, it was rather strange.

“The mercenaries were even banned from entering estates.
Some lords sent enlists and knights to expel the mercenaries.
Some even scattered the mercenaries found in their territory by force.”

I laughed at actions I would only do were I insane.

And, of course, not all the imperial nobles could have gone crazy at once.
There was only one truly insane being in the Empire, and I knew him well.

“The third princeps intervened.”

Hearing my words, Eli’s eyes had widened.

“How did you know? It is said that the princeps has issued an official decree in the imperial family’s name from early on.
If there is anyone who expands their troops, the Burgundies judged that they would be disobedient and would face severe punishment.
Following the example of the northeastern rebels, it seems that there is unease that other nobles will revolt.”

It was as expected: the imperial aristocracy was the group targeted by the unscrupulous actions of the third princeps.

“Ha.”

My expectations were proved correct, but I wasn’t happy at all.

Obviously, I have been waiting for a day like this.
I have been looking forward to the moment when the ruinous traits of the idiot princeps fully bloom and lead the destruction of everything around him.

I had looked forward to it, but not anymore.

“The mercenaries who couldn’t get jobs unavoidably scattered in all directions, and most of them said they were coming to our kingdom.”

I was now sure that we would get caught up in the princeps’ idiocy, ending up in a crisis where the kingdom’s finances are destroyed.
It was absurd, and I had to laugh.
After drawing breath for a while, I felt someone’s gaze and turned my head.

Behind Eli, the lined-up mercenaries were watching me — some with expectation-filled faces, some already looking discouraged, and others with faces full of curiosity.

As I looked at them, I sighed a little, then muttered within my mind, ‘Judging.’

‘Hwaak!’

At that moment, a great number of information screens appeared in the air.

As I watched the sparkling letters, the disturbance in my heart faded away like a lie.
After seeing such sights, I changed my mind.

At first glance, the image of majestic, fully-armed knights awaiting the assault overlapped upon the sight of the mercenaries suffering from the harsh clime and looking like beggars after their long trek.

I raised my head and smiled.

“Your Highness?”

Seeing my sudden change of expression, Eli turned and followed my gaze.
He tilted his head.
His eyes seemed to ask what I was looking and laughing at.
I didn’t answer; he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway — the dark clouds over the world and great perils facing the kingdom.
But to me, it all seemed so clear.

The countless victories of this tiny nation over a grand empire, which ruled half the world for four centuries, and the kingdom’s glorious past shined so brilliantly.

Leonberg’s bright future will finally dawn again after today.
The first name of our glorious kingdom will be reclaimed, forging a brilliant tomorrow.

Recalling its glorious old name, I stepped forward, facing a thousand mercenaries.

“Welcome to Leonberg, the Land of Knights.”