'But why are you a mercenary, Ars? If you're going to send Alphonse to the Orient, why don't you send him out from this celestial kingdom with troops?
The number of troops this country can have is limited by the rules of the United Kingdom of Fontana. The number of troops this country can have is limited by the rules of the United Kingdom of Fontana, and they are not allowed to send their forces out of the country unnecessarily. Even though it's in the east, I can't just leave my troops in Alphonse and move my army.
'Then it wouldn't make much difference if you were a mercenary, would it? You don't mean to tell Alphonse, who just turned six, to go on his own, do you?
I'm going to the Orient as a mercenary.
After I answered that, my mother was against it.
She was fiercely opposed to the idea of sending a child to a foreign country as a mercenary, saying what she was thinking.
I managed to talk him out of it and asked him to leave the room, and then my brother Ars and my father talked about the future.
It's not that he's in favor of it, but he seems to think there's nothing else he can do about it.
But even so, he thought about me and suggested to brother Ars to send an army from the Celestial Kingdom.
But it seems to be difficult to do so.
The number of troops in this country is also regulated, and you can't send an army without permission.
But if that's the case, do I really have to go to the battlefield by myself?
You can't send a single child to the Orient that needs help. We'll have Alphonse set up a mercenary group. But it's not here. In the East.
'In the East? How can a child Alphonse gather an army over there?
You can do it. Valiant can do it. People come there from several villages at the foot of the Great Snow Mountain. But all of them have a hard life. Many of them would like to escape from that life if they could. But these uneducated hillbillies are living in a variant, not being able to lead a satisfying life in the city because of discrimination. That's where we get people.
...... I see. So it's not like there aren't people following us, huh? But it would be dangerous. I don't think I know if I'll follow the child's leader honestly.
No problem on that score. There's Elvis. He's been working with Sula for a while now to get the vigilante group to form, and he's been leading it as well. Although he calls them vigilantes, he seems to be following the way they did in the Barca Army, training them strictly to follow the orders of their superiors. If we can get people from there, I think we'll be able to use them as a mercenary organization.
Oh, Mr. Elvis.
I just met him the other day.
My father nodded that he could be trusted.
He was a farmer originally, who rose through the ranks of the Barca army.
I remember the first time we met, he talked passionately about it.
He kept talking about how strict and disciplined the Barca army was.
But I think he probably raised the vigilantes as a similar organization based on that which he had experienced.
'Um, brother Ars. Then I'd like to have Ai by my side.
Yeah, yeah, that's good.
Hmm. You didn't say that without any thought or preparation at all? Then maybe my mom will somehow convince me.
I'm sorry, Dad. Just talk to your mother for me.
'It's going to be a tough fight. Make sure you have some good booze as a reward, Ars.
Dad says so.
But will it really be possible?
I have a feeling that my mom was pretty serious about it.
I have a feeling that she won't be able to talk to me for a while, but is alcohol or something like that a good reward for that?
As I looked at my dad, I was more concerned.
'Well, let's get the situation straight for a moment. Alphonse is going to the Orient country in the east as a mercenary. He and the Eye are going to gather some people in the variant and leave. It doesn't have to be right away, considering the move. Maybe in the springtime, maybe? That's as far as it goes?
Yeah, I'm fine.
'So, let's talk about the Orient State. That's where Gran is from. How much does Alphonse know about it, including about the group of small states around it?
'Well, I've heard that there are several countries in turmoil and conflict. Do you at least know that it's a land sandwiched between the Brillia Mage Nation and the Church Nation, and that it's a place that's difficult for the great powers to get at.
'Right. It is said that the small nations are fighting each other, but if a big country comes from outside, they tend to cooperate with each other to get rid of it. That's why the big countries, including the empire, are left alone. But lately, the conflicts among the small nations have become more and more intense. Well, the reason for that is me.
What have you done again, Ars?
What do you mean again, Dad? It's like I always do things. As much as I'd like to say it, there's no denying it. Actually, I gave the Orientals Banagher a spell. It's called [Naming], and it's a spell that allows you to name things in the church.
I'd like to pretend I didn't hear ....... Did you really do something so stupid, Ars? As you can see, my dad is not so sure about that. I don't know what the church will say if they find out.
'It's fine because there's no Holy Light Church in the east. But there are many useful magic given to them besides [Naming], like [Brick Generation] and [Magic Stone Generation]. It seems that the Orient nation made quite a bit of profit from it at first, but it caught the attention of other countries. They're getting attacked by the people around them, and they're asking for help.
Oh, I can see that. It's a shame you got involved with Arus, isn't it, that country?
Well, so rejoice, Alphonse. You'll have no shortage of people to fight when you get to the Orient.
As he said that, Brother Ars thrust a clenched fist with his thumb sticking out in a goofy fist towards us.
Dad is dumbfounded at that.
I thought to myself, "Oh, that's just like my brother Ars," and responded by sticking out my thumb.