Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

As for Olein being narrowly defeated by Tiberus, it also serves to prove his strength.

Freya continued, "Leader Olein is the leader of the Mercenary Corps: War Hounds, but to call it a mercenary corps, their team only consists of 4 people in total. Yet each is an elite, and Leader Olein himself has reached champion level. Yesterday, Captain Constantine and I specially hosted a banquet for all of them to invite them to join our Knight Order."

"A mercenary corps of only four people?" Su Li asked in astonishment, "Do they have something special about them?"

Freya nodded slightly and said, "This starts with Leader Olein, who was originally just an ordinary child born in a small rural area near Ebesrek City in the Empire’s Avalan Territory."

"There are rumors that his ancestors were nobility of Kislev, the kind that had slain dragons. But for the young Olein, this only meant that his grandfather or grandmother was forced by an imperial citizen, having no real impact."

"As soon as Olein came of age, he immediately broke away from the rural environment he detested the most and joined the army to fulfill his dream of making money and adventuring everywhere."

"To get away from his boring hometown, he joined the army in Colombo Castle. For the martially-inclined people of Avalan Territory, joining the army was the best destination for men. However, for Olein, his carefree nature and personality meant he was destined to clash with his superiors. Colombo Castle only taught him basic combat skills, and then he was transferred to serve in other Provincial Legions after conflicts with his superiors."

"The salary of the Imperial Province Legion was not low, reaching a high wage close to 40 silver coins a month, which was twice that of our Provincial Army! But Olein spent all of it in various ways, clearing his wealth with ease in taverns, prostitution, and gambling."

"He had served time for drunken brawls, was jailed in debtors’ prison for debts, and his notorious past involved business with ewes in the brothels of Avalan Territory."

Su Li was very interested, really wanting Freya to elaborate on his affairs with those ewes.

Ewe brothels, don’t think of these as something strange. In the Empire, and even on Earth, they are commonly found. For example, in India, the price of ewe brothels was sometimes even higher than that of certain criminal women (religious crimes or heresies).

Additionally, in the Empire, the price of ewe brothels was also higher than some slaves or cultist women. This involves matters of cleanliness and chaos pollution.

Still, Freya was clearly not interested in discussing these further. She briefly skipped over all this and continued, "A soldier of the Provincial Army like him usually continues to serve, then marries, has 7 or 8 children, then receives a decent retiree payment, finally buys a small farm to comfortably retire. Eventually, in old age, a sneeze might kill him, and that’s life.

"But everything changed during a campaign where he was ordered to support Ost Territory. At 21 years old, he had already become the captain of the Imperial Province Legion’s Swordsman Team, commanding 12 young men like himself to fight. One could call him young and promising; continuing down this path, he might have entered the Walking Knight Legion, possibly even becoming a Walking Knight captain after several years of effort, and with some luck before retirement, he might have been recognized by a noble and granted a Kingdom Knight title."

"However, a battle in Ost Territory completely changed Olein’s life. In that battle, his team was responsible for protecting the legion’s flank. It was a simple task, to hold their ground, then easily and joyfully end the battle."

"But at that moment, a nearby necromancer raised both hands, and Olein’s team was swept into Zelers’s purple eldritch sun. This was a massive purple magic ball; when it appeared on the battlefield, those touched by it would become cold purple crystal statues. At the last moment, a comrade beside Olein pushed him out with great effort while he couldn’t dodge himself. Olein became the only survivor of the entire Swordmaster team."

"The Empire celebrated a grand victory on the front, and the fallen would receive generous compensation. Yet, the impact of everyone familiar around him getting killed by magic in an instant, along with the guilt of failing to protect his teammates as their captain, left Olein disheartened, and he submitted his resignation request."

"His superior, though surprised, still agreed to this request from the young man who should have had a bright future and provided him with a sizable retirement fund. Yet, Olein, who couldn’t hold onto money, squandered it all almost in a day, becoming a singular loner in Ost Territory."

"But precisely because of this, he embarked on an extraordinary life. During his journeys, he founded the renowned War Hounds Squad. After acquiring a Lava Warhorse [Hephaestus], he smoothly broke through to champion level, with the horse’s hooves wrapped in anti-magic meteorite iron, leaving burning tracks when charging. Riding this warhorse, leading his War Hounds Squad in a battle against a necromancer at Black Flame Pass, the four of them successfully shattered over a thousand undead monsters!"

"This battle catapulted his fame, earning him the honor of the Searing Sun Iron Wall. It also helped him discover himself, wielding unparalleled abilities in battles against the undead. The number of vampires and necromancers who fell by his hand totaled over a dozen!"