General Annie led the hundred-odd rabble she had just recruited along the edge of the somewhat desolate territory of Kallia. It could practically be considered part of Nighon now. After the Kingdom of Erathia collapsed and the king died suddenly, Nighon's Demon Lords had effectively seized the region and begun ruling its people through brutal enslavement. If a certain former princess—Queen Catherine—had returned a few months later, Nighon would probably have tightened its grip even further. By then, there likely wouldn't have been many people left alive.
Although Annie's forces had "grown considerably," there wasn't exactly harmony within her ranks. Some of these people had only just "joined the company," and already they had the nerve to ask her—a wizard who wasn't even really the boss, and was at most a company manager—for an advance on their wages.
So, naturally, she began lecturing a scruffy, bearded Crusader whose helmet had gone missing.
"Money?"
=(*)=
"What money? Don't talk to me about money—I don't have any myself! Listen, you lot: it's your honor to serve the continent of Erathia and fight for the Kingdom of Erathia. You should feel honored, you should feel proud, and you should power your lives with love! What's the point of talking about money? How vulgar!"
(ˉ▽￣~) Tch~~
(...)
(￢￢)
"Anyway, I don't have any money. If you want to get paid, go ask that big-sister Catherine later! You know, the queen—that princess of yours from Erathia. She's got plenty of money!"
Hmph! o(｀^′)o
What a joke. These people were actually asking Queen Annie for money? Where was she supposed to get it? Even she was just a hired hand. She'd only gotten two and a half days' wages in advance, and she was still owed the rest. Who could she complain to?
"Your Excellency!"
"But