Second Life as a Soldier

“So where are we going? To the training camp in the commoner district?” Leif asked.

“No,” I said, shaking my head before looking at Peter. “Peter, I would like to meet Eleanor first, and I was hoping we could bring her with us. Would that be all right?”

“Oh, yeah, that should be fine,” Peter said with a sigh. “I am sure that even if we do not invite her, once she learns that our squad is now in charge, she will make camp with us.”

“Why? Can we not go first and check the situation?” Leif asked. “Would it not be safer for her if we called her later?”

While Leif mentioned Eleanor’s safety as the reason, it was clear from his voice that he was more excited about his first assignment as a leader than concerned about her safety.

“It is the opposite,” I replied. “I am bringing her for our safety.”

At my reply, Leif gave me a confused look, while Peter nodded as if that made perfect sense.

To clarify, I explained, “Eleanor has been working in the commoner district for a long time. She has dealt with people of every class, from those in the slums to the merchants, and from what I saw on the day of the attack, people respect her. Even after the panic caused by the flood and the enemy’s domain, they listened to her.”

I paused for a moment before continuing.

“I think the last lieutenant’s biggest mistake was not having someone from House Roscoe helping him,” I said as I patted Peter’s back.

Before this meeting, I had not realized just how important his family was in keeping this town peaceful.

That might also have been one of the reasons why the Captain and his house had been targeted so heavily.

“Well, let’s go to House Roscoe, then,” Leif said, marching forward.

On the way, I could not help but wonder how the Captain planned to provide so many weapons. Not only did he want to arm a new militia of more than five hundred people, but he had also agreed to provide weapons to the commoners.

“Hey, do you guys know how the Captain will arrange for so many weapons?” I asked.

I was expecting an answer from Peter, but Leif was the first to speak.

“Actually, we were taught about this. You see, most of the time, the army pairs earth and fire mages together. In situations like these, they can mass-produce disposable spears. Earth mages create the spears, while fire mages heat the spearheads to harden their tips.”

He paused before continuing.

“If there are shards of iron in the battlefield soil, the spears turn out better. But even if they are made only of clay, heating them will make them hard enough to puncture the neck or stomach. I can only imagine what the Captain and the Senior Lieutenant could do.”

Peter nodded at Leif’s words.

“As for armor and shields, the Royal Army should have more than enough equipment to arm the militia. Both the town guard and the Royal Army stationed here keep a large supply of extra armor and shields. Some of it is replacement equipment, but there is also a stockpile for emergencies like this.”

Our conversation continued until we reached Peter’s house, where Eleanor was waiting outside, most likely for Peter to return from his meeting with the Captain.

After meeting with her and briefing her on the situation, we made our way to the commoner district’s temporary training ground. On the way, we also called my squad to join us.

The training area was not what I had expected.

Just by looking at the town recruits hanging around and doing nothing, combined with the presence of only veteran town guards at the entrance, I could tell that the Royal Army trainers in charge had already left the area.

As soon as our entourage entered the camp, it drew everyone’s attention.

The first thing everyone noticed was the size of Varric, Garran, and Kael, but the next thing to draw the crowd’s attention was Eleanor’s presence. A low murmur of her name spread throughout the camp.

Ignoring all the curious stares, we made our way to the large central tent, inside which two Tier-2 veteran town guards sat with documents stacked on the table.

Seeing me enter, they did not even stand up.

“Guardsmen, I will be taking over here. I hope you can provide me with the details of the recruits and help me with their training from here on,” I said, stepping forward to shake their hands.

While it was clear that they did not respect me, or perhaps even the Royal Army, I could understand the reason. Many town guards felt that the Royal Army was taking over their duties.

Instead of offering me their hands, one of the guards sitting at the front just scoffed.

“Look, kid, it is clear that your army has given up on these recruits by sending you three young pups,” he said, looking at me, Leif, and Peter, who stood in front. “I would suggest you leave this work to those with experience—”

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His words died in his throat when Leif and I released our mana.

Both guards immediately went on alert, and their expressions grew even worse when Varric and Garran made their Tier-3 presence known.

If necessary, I was ready to resolve this issue with a heavy hand. The situation demanded it. I did not have time to consider their feelings. I had already done what I could, and anything more would only undermine my authority and make the training ineffective.

Thankfully, it did not come to that.

Eleanor cleared her throat and stepped forward from behind us.

“Mr. Turner, Mr. Carver, I suggest that you help Sergeant Edward as best as you can. Otherwise, you will have to answer to the administration hall and House Roscoe.”

“Lady Eleanor!”

Both of them stood.

Unaffected by their panic, Eleanor continued, “Do not forget that my elder brother, Peter Roscoe, is also here. You had better show respect to him and his squad.”

She said that while patting Peter’s shoulder. Leif patted my back and gave me a look that said, Good job.

“Yes, Lady Eleanor. We are sorry, Young Master Roscoe.”

They both dipped their heads a little, then started explaining the situation.

“Most of the recruits are familiar with heavy labor. They come from mining, farming, and porter backgrounds, with some runners mixed in,” Guardsman Turner said.

His focus was completely on Peter, but that was something I could work with.

As they were about to continue their explanation, looks of worry crossed their faces as they looked into Eleanor’s eyes.

“My lady, the bigger problem is that these recruits are not eager to train. The previous lieutenant’s use of fear worked for a while, but its effect faded over time. Most of the people here have lost hope of surviving. Many soldiers and townspeople are drowning themselves in ale, trying to enjoy their last days.”

“Since the recruits come from similar backgrounds, many of them were already familiar with each other. They have formed groups. Now, threatening them whenever they start to slack off leads to verbal arguments and sometimes even physical altercations.”

Guardsman Carver sighed from the side and added, “Just yesterday, two Royal Army privates and seven recruits were injured.”

The situation looked grim.

If these recruits were no longer afraid of death, there was almost nothing that could be done to motivate them through fear.

Eleanor bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. Even Leif lost his initial enthusiasm.

After thinking for a few seconds, I took a deep breath and stepped to the front beside Guardsman Turner. Then, facing my squad, I started addressing them.

“Barry, Kael, Peter, Varric, and Leif, you five will play the main role in this training. Kael and Peter, you know traditional training and guardsman training well. You two will be in charge of that. Our goal is not to turn these recruits into perfect soldiers. We only need them to be good enough to hold a spear wall without injuring themselves or the people standing beside them.”

Then I added, “Exclude anyone selected as a battlefield runner from your classes. Silas will handle them separately.”

I looked at the guardsmen.

“I hope you will cooperate with Peter and Kael in training the recruits.”

The guardsmen looked like they were about to say something, but ignoring them, I turned to Barry and Varric.

“Barry and Varric, you two will lead the first class every day. That class should include every recruit, but it will not follow conventional training. I want the two of you to create drills that teach them how to kill inside the town, using buildings and alleys to their advantage.”

Then I looked at the others.

“Rokan, Daren, Brakk, Oren, and Garran, help Barry and Varric. Also, try to identify people who might be better suited to other weapons, like axes or hammers.”

I was hoping that, just as we had used Rokan and Daren’s familiarity with hammers to increase their combat power, we could do the same with the commoners here.

“Silas, I have a smaller but important task for you. Identify runners with talent. I want you to train them to work during an active battle. They will play an important role in supplying weapons and equipment during the siege.”

“Leif, your job will be to record the tactics Frosthallow usually uses. Then we will brainstorm ways to counter them with what we have available. Once the recruits learn how to function in groups, we will start designing drills for them.”

Leif nodded with a serious expression.

Then I turned to Eleanor.

“I do not need your help here, but outside this camp. I want you to reassure the angry commoners while helping me recruit from the merchant houses and the slums.”

Looking ahead, I said in a low voice, “Let’s go. It is time for me to address my recruits.”

Before walking out, I said to Eleanor, “I want you to stand with me at the front.”

After making our way to the platform created for trainers to address the recruits, I activated [Battlefield Command]. Then, pouring as much mana as I could into it, I said, “RECRUITS! I want everyone gathered here in the training area within ten minutes.”

I knew there were some slackers idling behind the tents that had been set up for the officers.

Even after my order, there was no movement from them.

“After my address, if you do not want to train here, you are free to leave and waste the rest of your day however you want. You will not even have to fight in this war.”

Finally, after those words, the slackers started moving.

“Sir, is this right? Many people will leave if we allow this,” Guardsman Turner said.

“Yeah, as if they would make any difference in their current condition. Even a bag of grain would put up more of a defense than they would,” Barry commented before I could reply.

The guardsman gave me a questioning look.

I only shrugged.

While those were not the words I would have used, I agreed with them.

Within ten minutes, everyone had gathered.

“There is no denying that most of us are going to die when the enemy attacks. Maybe even the town will be lost, which means most of your family members will also die or suffer a fate worse than death.”

My first statement caused absolute silence throughout the training field.

“BUT I WILL FIGHT NO MATTER WHAT THE ODDS ARE. I WILL FUCKING FIGHT WITH ALL MY FUCKING MIGHT.”

I let my words settle before continuing.

“I do not care what some nobles or rich merchants choose to do. We all know their slimy nature. But I am not enough of a coward to leave my family to such a fate without putting up a fight. I WILL FIGHT so that when I meet them in the afterlife, I can look them in the eyes and tell them I did everything I could.”

I looked over the gathered recruits.

“It is for you to decide. Are you cowards, or are you brave men who will do anything to keep your families alive?”

I raised my voice.

“TELL ME, ARE YOU COWARDS?”

“No,” came the reply, but only in murmurs.

This time, I pushed my anger into [Battlefield Command].

“TELL ME, ARE YOU COWARDS?”

“NO!”

This time, the reply was louder and angrier.

I waited for their emotions to settle a little before continuing.

“And I will not leave your families without protection. I have already convinced the Captain to provide every family with spears and daggers.”

Then I called Varric and Barry forward.

“These two are my experts in civilian combat. They will teach you methods that can be used inside the town, in narrow alleys and streets, against stronger enemies.”

I looked across the field again.

“In the first half of the day, you will learn from them. After that, I want you to go home and teach your family members what you have learned.”

I paused.

“So even if the worst comes to pass, they can fight for themselves.”

By the time I finished, some spark had returned to their faces.