The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 95

“How are the reservists and trainees doing?”

“There are 821 reservists and 266 Peregrine Division trainees. In the case of the trainees, it’s expected that at least half, and at most seventy percent, will fail after the training period ends.”

“I see. So, can the successful ones at least handle a roundup with the guards?”

“Yes, they can,” Stelman answered in a rigid posture.

Stelman had always been respectful toward Si-on, even before knowing his true identity.

However, ever since learning the truth, his demeanor had become even more solemn.

Even the knights who had followed Si-on to the duchy after the Dark Dragon War weren’t as formal as Stelman was now.

But Si-on didn’t bother telling him to relax or anything like that.

He couldn’t personally ensure discipline every time new forces were recruited.

When the most feared figures among the Peregrine Division—Stelman, Friel, and Blaho—showed strict respect toward him, discipline naturally fell into place for the rest.

Especially since Stelman’s sheer size and intimidating presence frightened not just ordinary young men, but even regular soldiers and former mercenaries.

Stelman’s strict demeanor in front of Si-on made it much easier to establish order.

“Good. Deploy some of the guards to drive the small monsters out of the predetermined route. After that, we’ll head straight to Fland.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare the members and guards for deployment.”

Stelman saluted and left. Then Piotr, who held a position similar to Si-on’s adjutant, cautiously began to speak.

“But will the guard force be sufficient? Not only for us, but since we’re pulling out a hundred men, I’m concerned there might be issues in Rozin.”

Although not as large as Sionia, Rozin was still a city with a permanent population exceeding ten thousand.

Pulling a hundred men from there raised concerns about whether the remaining forces could maintain security.

“It’s fine. That’s why I didn’t call all the reservists to Rozin at once. I made sure they rotate weekly.”

“Ah, so you’re planning to use the reservists from each village?”

“That’s right.”

* * *

What Si-on had in mind was akin to shuffling cards—no, shuffling troops.

From the start, Rozin wasn’t a place with poor public order.

Although it wasn’t as elite as the Black Eagle Regiment, the guards were quite skilled.

Even if a hundred guards were suddenly pulled out, the city’s security shouldn’t worsen.

But what if the gaps were filled with local vigilantes from each village, men who were younger and physically capable, even if they weren’t quite as skilled as the guards?

Any lack in ability could be made up for by numbers.

The vigilante men would rotate in groups of about 200 every two weeks, serving as both a training and security force, along with the remaining 50 guards and around 10 Peregrine Division members rotating in to train them.

“With that, there shouldn’t be any problems maintaining public order. We should be able to push out the small monsters with minimal casualties.”

“Exactly. Goblins, kobolds, and gnolls—just a few dozen properly armed soldiers can wipe them out. Adding our members to the guards, there probably won’t even be any serious injuries, let alone fatalities.”

Small monsters like goblins, kobolds, and gnolls were troublesome creatures.

Contrary to what one might think, the monsters that killed the most people weren’t the mid- to large-sized ones like trolls or ogres.

It was the small monsters like these that actually took the most lives.

They may have the physical strength and stamina of an average teenage boy at best, but does that mean they aren’t dangerous?

Oh, they’re dangerous, alright. That’s because there are so many of them.

Moreover, their very nature was cowardly, meaning they almost always attacked groups smaller than their own, and they specifically targeted unarmed people.

Would there be anyone in a simple village wearing even a gambeson, let alone chainmail or a brigandine?

Of course not.

Despite their small size and lack of physical strength, when dozens of them attack all at once, stabbing, slashing, and biting, they can easily overpower not just ordinary farmers, but even unarmed mercenaries.

However, if a group of armed adult men is gathered, the situation completely reverses.

Even with a simple gambeson and a 1.5-meter spear, they could fight back.

‘A gambeson. It’s surprisingly more protective than you’d think.’

This was something Si-on had learned while surviving in this world.

If you think about it, gambesons are made from at least 20 layers of flax, so it’s no wonder they’re sturdy. Even the guards of the Si-on Duchy wore gambesons with 32 layers.

Could an elementary schooler cut through that with a knife?

If you can go home, stack 20 linen bandages or shirts, and slash them all in one swing with a kitchen knife, I’ll acknowledge it.

Besides, the weapons used by small monsters aren’t high-tech, mass-produced steel kitchen knives. Most are poorly maintained metal or wooden tools with dull or broken blades.

With such crude weapons, they might harm unarmed villagers, but it’s almost impossible for them to penetrate a gambeson worn by an armed adult.

That’s why small monsters, even in their wildest dreams, couldn’t stand a chance against the guards and Peregrine Division of Rozin.

“If only we had deployed some of the guards sooner. My father would send out 30 to 40 men immediately when a goblin or kobold horde appeared near our village.”

“There are just too many villages here. Plus, when mercenaries or soldiers show up, those creatures quickly flee and don’t come back. Unless you know exactly where their lairs are and attack at the source, it’s pointless. A hundred guards wouldn’t be enough for that.”

“So, it’s a matter of mobility.”

“Exactly. Since all of us are riding Gau, it’s possible.”

The guards would serve as a protective barrier in case of an emergency, while the Peregrine Division, mounted on Gau, would handle most of the interception.

Additionally, because of the small monsters’ nature, when they see another horde fleeing toward them, they run in the opposite direction.

After pushing back just two or three large hordes, the rest would flee toward the mountains.

This was all based on the experience Si-on had accumulated after slaying tens of thousands of monsters over the years.

“Retreat? Detour? Small monsters don’t know those things. When pushed back, they simply run the way they came.”

“So, what about the mid- to large-sized monsters?”

“At first, when small monsters show up, they’ll think it’s a lucky day with an easy meal. But once too many start rushing in, they’ll sense what’s going on. They’ll realize an army is coming their way. At that point, they’ll have two choices.”

Si-on chuckled as he strapped on his arm guards and tucked his helmet under his arm.

“The brave ones will retreat the way they came, and the cowards will come toward us.”

“Huh? Uh… isn’t that usually the other way around?”

Piotr, thinking perhaps his great-grandfather had made a slight mistake (he wouldn’t dare suggest it was dementia), tilted his head in confusion.

“No. If it were anywhere else, you’d be right. But in my duchy, I’m right.

The smart and brave mid- to large-sized monsters who live here know what I’m like and how my duchy operates. They’ll decide it’s better to fight other monsters in the mountains than to face me.

The stupid and cowardly ones will choose to fight us, scared of the stronger monsters in the mountains.”

“Ah…”

Suddenly, an image of the wyvern that had been killed by one of Si-on’s spears flashed in Piotr’s mind.

“So, the wyvern you took down recently was both stupid and brave?”

Si-on clicked his tongue lightly as he started walking.

“Those kinds of monsters are the most troublesome. But we’ll only need to take down a few. Anyway, I have someone who will round them up and breed them instead of me.”

“Oh!”

Piotr’s face brightened a little, even though he didn’t know what “round them up and breed them” meant, but he knew who Si-on was referring to.

Despite his trust in Si-on’s words, Piotr still found it a little hard to believe.

‘Can that really happen? Ah, whatever. If great-grandfather says it will, then it will.’

With a mix of excitement and nervousness over the upcoming monster hunt and anticipation of whether his great-grandfather’s bold words would come true, Piotr followed Si-on.

* * *

“Grrrr…”

With a low growl, the creature slowly stirred.

Still half-lying down, it lazily flailed one of its large hands, grabbing whatever its thick fingers touched, and brought it to its mouth.

Chewing on the haunch of a bear it had caught and torn apart a few days ago, the creature spat out the bones with a *ptooey*!

Though it didn’t mind eating bones, it preferred tender meat as its first meal after waking up.

“Grrrrooooar…”

Finishing off the haunch and tossing aside the bones, the creature stretched its massive body.

Thud!

Its enormous head hit the ceiling, prompting the creature to scratch its head, wondering if it should move to a new home.

However, not wanting to leave the cave it had lived in for over ten years (amazingly, it could count the years), it decided it would just be more careful getting up from now on and continued walking with its head

hunched.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Crash!

After walking about six or seven steps, the sound of crashing water and the smell of moss and dampness wafted into its enormous nostrils.

Its home was a cave behind a 30-meter-tall waterfall.

Originally a natural formation, the creature had remodeled it, expanding the width and height and even adding stairs.

*Splash!*

Since the cave was about halfway up the waterfall, when the creature jumped into the deep pool below, a loud boom echoed as water sprayed high into the air.

The birds and small animals drinking from the pool nearby scattered in fear, either flying away or running off.

“Grrrrr! Rrrr!”

Humming a strange tune, the creature enjoyed swimming and bathing.

It was quite concerned with cleanliness and appearance, so it broke off a tree branch thick with leaves to brush its teeth and used grass to clean its body.

The creature even removed its underwear (made from the fur of a wild animal—remarkably, it had three other similar pairs!) and washed it thoroughly, shaking it dry afterward.

With its daily routine almost complete, the massive, grotesque creature, now stark naked, placed its hands on its hips and took several deep breaths.

Kwooooooooaaar!

It roared for three seconds, the soundwaves from its voice shaking tree branches and even knocking down leaves.
The creature’s roar itself was a weapon, capable of temporarily incapacitating the hearing and balance of enemies or prey.

With its routine complete, the creature hummed to itself again as it thudded its way back up the stairs it had built.

But it suddenly paused.

‘Wait, why do I do this every day?’

Although it was unusually intelligent for a monster, its memory was starting to fail due to its long life.

Scratching its head with a puzzled expression, the creature couldn’t quite remember why it had been doing this daily routine for so long or how it had started.

An elite monster, one that had nearly reached the status of a champion, stood there, habitually scratching its large fang with its claw, lost in thought.

Then, it suddenly realized something.

It only had one fang.

What had happened to the other one?

The creature remembered.

“……”

Sweat poured from its body, despite having just taken a refreshing bath.

That terrifying, inhuman person had ordered it.

The human who had beaten it nearly to death and pulled out one of its fangs—alive—had given the order.

“Wash yourself thoroughly every day and take care of your teeth. Then, you’ll live long and rule as king over my land. Don’t get carried away and kill or eat everything. Manage the population carefully. If I come back and things aren’t in order… you know what’ll happen, right?”

The King of the Brandin Mountains’ monsters, the elite ogre known as “Big Fang,” realized he was in deep trouble.