Knights, Let’s Smash Them

6 – Starting from Zero (3)

No, it’s a bit unfair.

I didn’t make her do national gymnastics every 9 o’clock in the morning, and I didn’t make unreasonable demands like wearing a snow leopard maid outfit.

It was just a simple pride event, right?

Right now, the Knights of the Black Lion also held an event to maximize the sense of belonging by attaching cute name tags in this way to apprentice knights and administrators entering for the first time.

I was quite satisfied with the event itself, even in the knights that looked like a lot of sh*t.

I couldn’t understand why the knights, including Cianne, were protesting so much.

‘Tteing…… Knights these days.’

For latte, it was basic to participate in any sub-events, without saying anything. Kids these days aren’t like this.

What I’m doing isn’t even an old-fashioned thing.

If you can’t stand this, you’ll go crazy and taste heaven when you listen to Cain, chief of staff of the Black Lion Knights, right?

‘…… But I just think this idea is a bit old-fashioned. I should be a little more self-respecting.’

Anyway, since the White Rose Knights were newly launched as the Snow Leopard Knights, the headquarters of the Knights of Count Rupel were also tidied up.

Dispose of all kinds of junk that is not used. I brushed off the white dust and bought new office supplies, including desks.

Of course.

I solved everything with my own money.

The other knights, who were a little uncooperative at first, quickly became faithful subordinates as Nexon scattered money like cash.

As expected, capitalism is the best.

The thing that rots anyway is money. There was even money in the safe left in the capital’s main house, and quite a bit of money in the temple.

Of course, even if it rots, it’s Junchi, even if it’s not to the extent of Count Rupel, who rules the territory.

The property I brought with me is enough to take care of the equipment and convenience of the five knights.

Especially, since the Snow Leopard Knights are the only horses I can currently use, I was thinking of pushing them hard.

No matter how dumb you are, 0 and 1 are completely different.

Shouldn’t the resources available right now be used unconditionally?

“Chief Xianne.”

“Yes.”

I looked at the blonde-haired female knight standing in front of me.

I wondered why Xianne, who was still above me in rank, acted like a subordinate.

Considering that I am an executive from a conglomerate who has just joined a startup company, it was only natural that the president was a little uncomfortable.

I just let go of that impression.

I went straight to the point.

“Looking at this, there are a total of 6 dungeons in Rupel Manor. Supposing that 3 are managed by Baron Kirten, how are the other 3 managed?”

I said, tapping the report on the resources and dungeons distributed in the territory with my finger.

The job of the knights and the soldiers of the territory is not just security management.

In this world, nests of monsters, called dungeons, were distributed in all areas, and the knights and soldiers of the territory usually took on the role of managing these dungeons.

While preventing the monsters that somehow escaped from the dungeon from attacking people.

I could have made a pretty good profit by periodically entering the dungeon, subjugating monsters, collecting useful resources, and reselling them.

“Even with its own corps and vigilantes, it would have been difficult to manage three dungeons with five knights… ….”

In response to my question, Xianne bowed her head as usual this time as well.

“Two of them are entrusted to the mercenary corps, and the last one is managed by a corps stationed nearby since it is a low-level dungeon.”

“Entrusted management… ….”

I put my hand on my chin and said. Certainly, it’s best to entrust the management when you can’t manage it with your own hands.

It’s not just a matter of this world.

This was the case even with the many small companies that exist in reality.

There have been many cases where the octopus foot was stretched out to expand the business, but in the end, they couldn’t handle it and entrusted it to an outsourcing company instead.

“Then, the dungeon we are holding right now is the ‘Crackling Cave’.”

A dungeon not too far from Petalonto, where the count family exists.

The resident monsters probably aren’t that strong, considering that it’s rated as D-class, not C-class.

Above all, the name is perfect.

“As with Captain Xianne, I, as an administrative officer, must also check the skills of the knights under my command.”

“Yeah, that’s right…… !!”

“I have nothing to do anyway.”

I got up from my seat.

Since the status of the Knights is so close to blank that there is no paperwork to deal with, shouldn’t we look around while going out for dispatch?

I felt like I could create administrative work that didn’t even exist by force.

To be honest, since there is nothing, I have no idea what to do.

“Then let’s go.”

***

A corps encampment spread out near the D-class dungeon, ‘Crackling Cave’.

It was so close that it only took about 30 minutes on horseback from Petalonto. Perhaps it was an army to defend the city in case of emergency.

“Who are you?”

“He is the new administrator of the Snow Leopard Knights. I went out on a local inspection.”

When I showed the notice to the soldier guarding the entrance of the garrison, the young boy, who would have looked around 20 years old, was startled and saluted.

“Mo, I’m sorry I didn’t know! I will call the centurion right now!”

Centurion.

Looking at the scale, it looked like a unit of about 100 to 200 people. If this is the corps closest to the capital among the 4 corps…….

‘Is there a minimum of 400 to a maximum of 1,000 troops that can be rolled in case of emergency, including knights?’

Even considering that it is a county in the north, the troops are insufficient.

Fortunately, as befits a country that achieved centralized power in its own way, the Volibert Empire did not cause territorial warfare between lords.

If that was the case, then Count Rupel would probably be called by a different name by now.

“Captain Xianne, what are you doing here?”

Soon, a middle-aged man appeared from the best-looking tent. The black patch over his left eye was very impressive.

The outfit is a sword and chain armor worn around the waist. It was the outfit of a general garrison centurion, but the atmosphere felt was absolutely not that of a centurion.

“Mr. Milo, long time no see. This is our bag…… No, it is the new administrator of the Snow Leopard Knights, Mr. Luverne Alroy.”

“Nice to meet you, Manager Milo.”

I got off my horse, approached him, and shook his hand. Certainly, seeing it up close, I can feel the spirit of it.

To be honest, it was a much stronger feeling than Xianne. The fact that he is wearing an eyepatch makes him look like a hero with a story.

Maybe a retired knight.

Generally, knights who could not hold a sword retired and served as bureaucrats in their master’s domain.

As the centurion was also a kind of military bureaucrat, it was a position filled with many retired knights.

“This is Milo Lafarre. If you are Luvern Alroy…… Are you the magistrate of Lechenberg by any chance?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“At the time, I met with Count Rupel. I don’t know if you’ll remember.”

“Then… ….”

“Yes, as you can see, I am a retired driver.”

As expected.

He laughed hahahaha and shook his hand lightly. Perhaps the injury to the eye covered by that eyepatch played a big part.

“But the Snow Leopard Knights? What happened?”

His eyes moved to the flag hanging from his horse. It was a flag that had been changed while acquiring a new knighthood.

“Your name has been changed. From white roses to snow leopards.”

“Snow leopard. It is a spiritual creature that often appears in Count Rupel. That’s a good name.”

Milo accepted the name of the Snow Leopard Knights more coolly than he thought. Since he is a retired article, I thought he would be reluctant to change his name.

“You don’t seem to care much?”

“This is a time for change. Besides, aren’t snow leopards cool?”

Big!

You know something.

“I think the two of us could be pretty good friends.”

I looked at the centurion with a grin. He was a man as likable as his looks.

“So, the reason you came all the way here is simply to tour the territory with the newly renovated knights?”

“That is not true.”

If you were just going to announce that you were going to be renovated, you don’t have to come like this, just send an official letter.

As I shook my head, Xian Ne, who was standing next to me, accepted her words instead.

“I came to see the condition of the ‘Crackling Cave’, a dungeon managed by the corps.”

“If it’s a rustling cave, you can look at it right now.”

Milo ushered us inside his garrison with a friendly smile.

Did you expand the garrison completely close to the dungeon?

Looking at how the soldiers chose that method even though the soldiers could be attacked if they were not careful, it seemed like a fairly weak dungeon.

‘I’m leaving at this rate… ….’

I hoped it would at least be a profitable dungeon. The probability that it is really worthless garbage has increased even more.

“The cave you see over there is the dungeon in question, magistrate.”

Looking in the direction Milo pointed, there was an entrance to a small cave that could fit three people.

It’s a small D-class dungeon that doesn’t pose any threat even if you spread out your garrison nearby.

‘That’s ridiculous.’

I sighed deeply and thought.

***

“That’s why there was no relevant data at all.”

“Yes, yes. As you can see, the entrance is narrow, so I didn’t even check what kind of monsters exist inside the dungeon.”

The level of the dungeon is calculated by wizards dispatched directly from the imperial family.

They use their own magic tools to measure the level of the ‘magic core’ that makes up the dungeon.

In addition to that level, the level of the dungeon is divided according to the monsters that appear in the dungeon.

Of course, most of the magicians in charge of such tasks are civil servants.

What kind of existence is a public official?

If they don’t seem particularly important to me, they’re the ones who go straight ahead and don’t even check properly.

In a D-class dungeon, let alone check the ecology of what kind of monsters live inside, there is a 99.9% Chance that only the rank is Mac and it has disappeared.

Crispy, crunchy.

“By the way, it’s definitely a dungeon worthy of its name.”

I was alerted by a sound not far away. It is a rustling cave. This is the first time I have had such an intuitive naming sense.

“Ugh…… Upset.”

Heinz, in charge of the back row, trembled. Since the entrance was large enough to accommodate about three people, it was impossible to bring all five people.

It was because there was a risk of not being able to properly secure the space if they were to be attacked by surprise.

If you couldn’t even think of such a basic tactic, the Knights of the Black Lion would have been sacked long ago.

“Can I go deeper like this?”

Sianne quietly grabbed my sleeve and said. Young as Heinz doesn’t seem to like this place.

“No? I will leave now.”

“Did the magistrate already know what kind of monster it was?”

“Of course.”

A rustling sound throughout the dungeon.

The list is really limited if it is a monster that lives in a D-class dungeon without counterattacking even though it has entered quite deeply.

“At first glance, it’s a Cave Loch Dungeon.”

“Cave Roach?”

Sianne’s body stiffened.

As I swung the torch I was holding, I could clearly see the antennae rustling through the darkness.

“Look.”

Cave Loach.

An insect-type monster close to a giant cockroach.

Its defense and attack power are close to the lowest, but it was a monster that people avoided in many ways.

There is only one reason.

It looks f*cking gross.

Sianne made eye contact with a cave loach attached to the wall.

“Kyaaa!!!!”

As it was, it ruptured its eardrums and emitted sharp sword energy toward the giant wheel.