Riding and slashing the stars of empire civilization

Just when Milin decided to give up discussing business with Alori again, Marcus, who was running all the way, arrived outside the castle, which was only two streets away from the Colosseum.

Ever since the lords of Escalon responded to the call of the former emperor's widow and led their troops into battle, the castle in the center of the city has been in a semi-enclosed state.

Raising his head and taking a look at the castle, which was not very Roman in appearance, Marcus whispered a few words to the guards following him.

Not sure what Marcus ordered, the guard who escorted him nodded heavily and turned around and walked towards the city gate.

His eyes stayed on the guard for a second. Marcus, who usually wanted to have his nose pointed in the sky, lowered his head and walked towards the castle gate.

Before he could reach the door, there were roars mixed with the sound of broken things coming from the castle.

Marcus, who was not surprised by this situation, paused for a while at the gate. After the roar inside calmed down a little, he slowly pushed open and walked in.

The further he walked in, the more Marcus' back became hunched over. When he stopped, Marcus, who was almost half-bowing, said in a charming voice:

"Lord Deus, you summoned me?"

The only person Marcus could call "Sir" was the Lord of Escalon City who had been missing for half a year.

However, the lord, who was half lying on the most noble chair in the castle hall in a paralyzed posture, did not look aristocratic at all.

The tattered clothes, messy hair, and dirt accumulated from not being washed for a long time made the noble lord named Deus look more like a beggar on the roadside.

The "beggar" lord seemed to have not seen Marcus' appearance at all. He looked directly at the painting on the castle ceiling with a limp posture, and there was still a pottery handle in his hand.

The entire floor of the castle hall was littered with broken pottery shards.

Although the empire's pottery is not valuable, the broken pieces together are enough for an ordinary family to live a good life for several years.

Seeing that the lord did not respond, Marcus lightly "coughed" twice, and the servants hiding behind the castle pillars immediately walked quickly to the lord who had just lost his temper carrying toiletries and clothes.

Raising his hand to push away the servant who was approaching, the lord stood up from the chair and said while walking down:

"Marcus, you did a good job during the days I was gone."

"This is what I should do, my lord." Marcus responded immediately.

"Are you ready for the previous ransom?" Lord Deus then asked.

"Ransom? Sir? Is there still a need for ransom?" Marcus was startled and said. Although he immediately prepared the ransom according to the old rules when he learned that his lord was captured a few months ago, but since his lord's current It looks like he escaped on his own.

"I'm just asking you, are you ready?" Deus said loudly immediately. The servants, who knew very well that the lord's temperament was temperamental, retreated to the pillar as if they were running away.

"It's ready, it's ready, it can be delivered at any time." Marcus said quickly, his forehead sweating instantly.

"Delivery? Huh? Delivery, do you think I, Deus, still need a ransom to ransom me? Those damn traitors, backstabbers, bastards with no sense of honor, don't even think of taking away even one dinar from me. ." Deus said with gritted teeth.

"What about these ransoms?" Marcus, who had no idea what his changeable lord was talking about, wiped his sweat with his collar.

"Immediately, use this money to recruit soldiers. The more, the better. I will let those traitors know the price of humiliating me!" Deus said loudly.

"But... Sir, we have already recruited once at the beginning of the year. Now is the busy farming season, so it may take some time." Marcus said hesitantly.

"One month, I only give you one month. Within one month, I will see at least 500 soldiers appear in front of me!" Deus said to Marcus.

"One month is too tight, my lord." Marcus said in a panic.

Although Marcus knew that his lord was not an easy person to talk to, he still wanted to fight for it.

Because what he said before "it may take some time" was very euphemistic. The real situation is that in order to cope with Deus' request, the people of Iscalon City and nearby villages have been somewhat overwhelmed, and there have been abandonments. Fleeing from the village.

In this situation, let alone 500 people, whether 50 people can be recruited is a question, and this includes all the unemployed people in the city.

"That's your business, Marcus, I believe you can do it well." Deus suddenly spoke softly.

However, the more Deus behaved like this, the more frightened Marcus, who was familiar with him, became.

An angry lord would most likely hit people and throw objects, while a calm lord might just kill people.

Facing the threat to his life, Marcus's mind suddenly flashed through Milin's smiling face and Milin's "request"

"Sir, I thought of a good idea." Marcus ignored the smell of cumin emanating from Lord Deus and approached him and said.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Marcus." Deus said with a smile.

"Those mercenaries, there have been a lot of mercenaries gathered in the city recently," Marcus said.

"Mercenaries? Why did you let those dirty guys into the city...Wait a minute." Deus was about to get angry when he heard Marcus mention mercenaries, but suddenly remembered something and asked, "Do you think so?" Fewer mercenaries?”

"Yes, sir, there are many mercenaries." Marcus nodded immediately.

"Hehe, hehe..." The smile on Deus's face gradually turned ferocious and he said to himself: "Sure enough, there is no so-called secret, but they deserve it."

Marcus immediately lowered his head when he heard his lord's words, as if he didn't hear anything.

Deus, who noticed that he had made some mistakes, brought the topic back and said:

"Are you telling me to hire those mercenaries?"

"No, sir." He silently cursed in his heart that the ransom he saved was not even enough to recruit 500 militiamen, let alone hiring those mercenaries. Marcus said to Deus in a meaningful tone. :

"As a mercenary of the empire, you have the obligation to respond to the call of the lord."

The rule is indeed this, but if the rule is really useful, then the mercenary system will not become one of the nails in the coffin of the ancient Roman Empire in history.

"Yes, you are right, Marcus." Deus turned around and slowly walked towards the steps.

Seeing his lord's actions, Marcus immediately winked at the servants.

Lord Deus, who did not push the servant away this time, but opened his hands and let the servant wash and change his clothes, said:

"Those mercenaries should fulfill their obligations."

"For the Empire"