"Tell me what you know..."
Three others were in the study. Sitting on the sofa was
The other was Director Dubov, who oversaw civil affairs in the eastern part of the Northland. Formerly the mayor of Twin Mountain Town in the family's original territories, Dubov had been recognized and promoted by Lorist to the senior position of managing a region on behalf of the family, thanks to the Mountain Barbarian gold mine the Norton Family had presented and his own considerable talents.
The hostage crisis in the Nobles' District had been fully resolved after Lorist's intervention—all thirteen mercenaries had been slain on the spot. To be fair, Lorist, who had spent several years as a
Their goal in taking Count Lawell's family hostage had been nothing more than to recover their money. But in the end, they had forced the Norton Family to slaughter them all to uphold the family's dignity and reputation. Lorist had given them a way out—surrender and receive a fair trial. Their crimes would still be punished, but they would be allowed to live. Once they refused, though, Lorist had no choice but to kill them. Otherwise, failing to maintain security in the Nobles' District would not only bring ridicule upon the Norton Family, but also damage the family's creditworthiness.
"Yes, Your Highness," Director Dubov spoke up. "Most of the mercenaries and adventurers gather in Twin Mountain Town, and some have settled down and started families within the family's territories. Because they crave adventure by nature and can't stand being confined, they chose the mercenary life. Some are also retired soldiers from the family—hands that have gripped weapons for so long aren't suited to picking up farming tools, so they'd rather try their luck as mercenaries, hoping to strike it rich overnight..."
"Basically, mercenaries who come from outside will register upon arriving in the family's territories, in order to gain hunting rights in the Barbarian Plains, the Demon Dragon Mountain Range, and the Black Mud Swamp, as well as qualification to sell goods. These mercenaries make their money through hunting magical beasts, gathering herbs, escorting cargo, and providing guard services for trading companies, among other things. Some also venture deep into the Demon Dragon Mountain Range to trade with the Mountain Barbarian tribes."
Fatty Shi looked up from the thick stack of files in his hands. "Currently, three thousand seven hundred and sixty-three mercenaries are registered with our family. Among them are over sixty mercenary groups—small ones with a dozen or so members, and large ones approaching a hundred. Seven or eight of these are powerful outfits. Red Fire, the one Your Highness slew a couple of days ago, was one of them."
"What's worth noting is that two-thirds of these registered mercenaries come from outside, with only one-third being our own subjects. And as Director Dubov mentioned, many of our family's retired soldiers or garrison members, unwilling to languish in idleness, occasionally moonlight as mercenaries and adventurers without going through any registration."
Lorist turned around and asked, "Director Criston, I want to know whether these mercenaries have committed any unlawful acts within our Norton Family's territories, and how conflicts between them and our subjects are generally resolved."
Director Criston considered for a moment before replying, "Your Highness, incidents of conflict and confrontation between mercenaries and our family's subjects do occur, but they aren't common. Generally speaking, in most of these disputes the mercenaries come out worse off. The garrison troops responsible for town and village security despise these roaming troublemakers—any mercenary entering a town or village is a target of strict scrutiny and warnings from the garrison."
"Since every town and village in our family's territories has a garrison, and many garrison members are retired family soldiers who have generally awakened their combat force, on top of the Norton Family's fearsome reputation for military might, no mercenary is willing to casually offend the family's dignity. Unless the grievance is truly enormous, they generally swallow their pride and accept a small loss."
"As for conflicts between mercenaries and our subjects, these fall under public security matters. Even when the garrison intervenes, most cases are handed over to the town or village patrol units for handling. I've reviewed some case files—the patrol units generally rule in favor of the local subjects. After all, they're all locals who run into each other constantly. Even if they don't know each other personally, they know each other's faces. It's inevitable that they'd show a bit of favoritism, as long as they don't violate the family's criminal and public security management regulations..."
Lorist nodded. "The hostage incident involving Count Lawell's family a couple of days ago, though resolved, revealed a security vulnerability in our family's territories. While these mercenaries and adventurers have registered with our family, we haven't organized or managed them well. I've called the three of you here to address this problem. How can we effectively manage these several thousand mercenaries?"
Fatty Shi asked in surprise, "Your Highness, are you thinking of establishing an organization like the Mercenary Guild?"
Lorist smiled. "Yes, and no. Actually, you and I have dealt with the Mercenary Guild quite a bit in Morant City. That guild, calling itself a brokerage that serves mercenaries, is really a commercial organization whose goal is to make money off them. The mercenary management body I want to establish should learn from that guild's strengths while also fighting for mercenaries' rights. We've all been mercenaries—we understand their hardships. If we can help, we should help."
"All conflicts between mercenaries and our subjects should be referred to this management body for handling. Situations like the Red Fire mercenary group's case could also be brought before it for mediation and resolution, instead of rashly taking matters into one's own hands and ultimately harming everyone involved. I plan to issue a notice: from now on, only those registered with this management body may engage in mercenary work. Anyone who doesn't will be breaking the law and subject to three months of penal servitude."
"Furthermore, any trading company or individual issuing tasks to mercenaries must have those tasks certified through this management body. The Norton Family will not take responsibility for any disputes arising from uncertified private contracts. If another hostage crisis happens because no certification was obtained—well, we'll let them rot..."
"I've called you three here today because I want you to oversee the establishment of this mercenary management body. Once it's set up, Director Dubov will serve as its president concurrently, under the jurisdiction of Baron Shrade's Administrative Hall. Director Criston will also be responsible for future criminal enforcement regarding mercenaries and for drafting the penalty regulations. These must be fair and impartial, with no favoritism—so that the mercenaries are convinced of the body's legitimacy."
"Oh, and one more thing to emphasize: all registered and enlisted mercenaries must answer the family's call to service in times of crisis."
"Yes, Your Highness."
...
Some ten days later, the mercenary management body proposed by Lorist was up and running, named the Free Mercenary General Association. Its headquarters were established in North Sea City, with a branch set up in Twin Mountain Town. Director Dubov became the association's president, and Director Criston became the Chief Justice of Criminal Law.
Sword Saint Hughes arrived at Wrathful Bear City around the same time. Lorist, unable to wait for the welcoming banquet, immediately dragged him to the training hall for a sparring match.
Once the fierce bout subsided, the panting Sword Saint Hughes smiled bitterly. "Compared to Your Highness, I'm like a child who just learned to hold a sword—Second-rank Sword Saint though I may be, I'm no threat to Your Highness at all. After my promotion, I can only last a hundred more exchanges under Your Highness's blade before I'm inevitably defeated."
Though Lorist still felt somewhat unsatisfied—at his level, finding a worthy opponent was exceedingly difficult—he consoled Sword Saint Hughes. "Your swordsmanship has improved remarkably. Before your promotion, you relied more on raw courage and a fearless, all-or-nothing killing intent. But now your blade conceals a deeper lethal purpose that makes you far harder to contend with. I once fought Grand Duke Fisablen, a Third-rank Sword Saint, and his imposing manner wasn't even as sharp as yours. I believe that even if you can't beat him, you won't lose easily."
Sword Saint Hughes, while catching his breath, made a request. "Your Highness, could you demonstrate your Blood Slaughter Domain so I can witness and feel it? After that hostage incident, your Blood Slaughter Domain has spread throughout the entire family's territories. Count Lawell's family, whom you rescued, has been telling everyone you're a Sword Saint. They say that in that instant, it was as though they entered a blood-red world, and in the blink of an eye, they were back—but the seven mercenaries holding them captive were all slain by you almost simultaneously..."
Lorist smiled wryly. When he had activated the Blood Slaughter Domain to save Count Lawell's family, it had inevitably engulfed them within it as well. After his rescue, Count Lawell had described the sensation of that moment to his friends. One person might have been dismissed as seeing things, but when his wife, son, daughter, and even the unclothed maidservant all reported the same experience, it naturally led those who were well-informed to deduce Lorist's cultivation realm.
Tagel had come over excitedly to ask Lorist what that blood-red world was called. Lorist had answered "Blood Slaughter Domain," then asked, puzzled, what Tagel wanted to know for. Tagel had replied with perfect self-assurance: "To spread the word about Your Highness, of course! The more renowned Your Highness becomes, the more secure the family will be. Nobles who join us will feel more at ease, and our subjects will grow ever more loyal and devoted..."
Lorist had sent Tagel packing with a mix of amusement and exasperation. He hadn't expected Sword Saint Hughes to want to experience it too. Lorist nodded. "Get ready, and we'll begin when you are."
Sword Saint Hughes assumed a defensive stance and calmed his mind, signaling that he was ready.
Lorist gave a slight nod and said nothing.
In an instant, Sword Saint Hughes found the entire underground training hall bathed in blood-red. To his senses, this crimson world was jarringly alien. Despite having braced himself with every ounce of mental preparation, he now felt his entire body behaving oddly—as though his mind was sending commands but his physical responses had gone sluggish. Just as he was about to force his body to respond, the blood-red vanished abruptly, and Sword Saint Hughes realized that Lorist's sword had somehow already come to rest against his throat...
Sword Saint Hughes's blade clattered to the ground. His expression hovered between grief and bewilderment as he murmured, "This... this is a Domain? It feels so strange—I didn't even react before it was over..."
Lorist sheathed his sword. "In truth, I don't even know if this truly qualifies as a Domain. I can sustain it for a few minutes at most—any longer and I lose control, which puts a significant burden on my body with adverse effects. I don't know whether what they call a Sword Saint's Domain works like this either. No one's ever guided me, so I've been figuring it out on my own. That's why I casually named this blood-red world the 'Blood Slaughter Domain.'"
"This is indeed a Domain," Sword Saint Hughes said, dropping to the ground. "I once heard several gladiatorial instructors at the arena speak of a Sword Saint's Domain. One of them had actually witnessed one—he said that back in the day, the Flying Fire Sword Saint of Qigeda Kingdom had demonstrated it publicly. At that moment, it was as though everyone was standing inside a furnace, surrounded by raging flames burning in midair. He said he was so terrified he nearly wet himself."
"So the Flying Fire Sword Saint's combat force had the fire attribute? That's why his Domain would be a flame Domain?" Lorist asked curiously, wondering if his own Blood Slaughter Domain had formed because of the blood-attribute combat force technique he had practiced as a child.
"Precisely—the Flying Fire Sword Saint's combat force was indeed fire-attribute," Sword Saint Hughes confirmed, climbing to his feet with a grin. "I never expected that Your Highness would become a Sword Saint at such a young age. In all of history, the Galentea Continent has never produced a Sword Saint as young as Your Highness. This truly is a joyous occasion worthy of celebration!"
Lorist waved dismissively. "There's nothing to boast about. I want to keep a low profile—I don't want this spreading everywhere in a frenzy. Right now, people are only speculating. If you go confirming it, it'll cause an uproar across the land. Just keep it to yourself. I'd rather not have aspiring swordsmen kneeling at my door every day begging to study under me."
Sword Saint Hughes nodded. "Understood. But Your Highness, don't refuse me if I come to seek your guidance."
"Of course—you're one of us. I have confidence in you, and you'll become a Sword Saint too," Lorist said.
...
On the tenth of July, Lorist set out with Princess Silvia and their son, along with the rest of the family, to inspect the Dlemek Province and to accept Duke
After a cursory inspection of the Dlemek Province's territories, Lorist's party spent nearly ten days at Baron Dina's fief, where he suffered greatly in the crossfire of jealousy between his lover, the female knight Arithly, and his wife, Princess Silvia. He had to apologize to and coax both pouting women every single day. In the end, an exasperated Lorist threw both of them onto the bed and administered household discipline, which finally brought peace and quiet.
By the time they reached Platinum Beach, it was already the twelfth of August. Duke Kemes had prepared a grand welcoming banquet. Lorist discovered that many familiar faces had come—not only Grand Duke Hansk and Grand Duke Sabagi, but even Grand Duke Fisablen and Sword Saint Xandy were in attendance.
Duke Kemes's toast was characteristically casual: "Eat well, drink well, and have a blast!"
...