That night, the caravan made camp beside the road.
After dinner, Ye Wei'an gathered the soldiers to hand out their pay.
"Renn, bring over the chest." Ye Wei'an sat on an overturned barrel, with the money chest beside him and torches planted all around. "Line up, everyone. Come get what's yours, one at a time."
He didn't leave the task to the quartermaster. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and handed out the money himself.
The wisdom he'd brought from his old home told him that it mattered for soldiers to know who was paying them if he wanted to earn their loyalty.
The first to step forward was the veteran with one arm.
"Rochi, I remember you." Ye Wei'an had seen the man's name in the system interface above his head.
He scooped up a handful of gold coins from the chest and placed them in the man's only remaining hand.
"During that breakout, you protected the flank of the supply wagons all by yourself and cut down two bandits. You were wounded, but you never retreated. Firefall Valley will remember what you did."
The veteran, Rochi, froze, his rough fingers clenching hard.
He'd thought he was nothing but cannon fodder, someone who could be discarded at any moment. He hadn't expected this noble Wizard young master to know his name, let alone remember exactly what he'd done.
"M-My lord, I was only doing my duty." Rochi's voice choked with emotion.
He suddenly felt that even without those fifty gold coins, he would gladly have lost that arm just to hear those words.
"Next, Timothy." Ye Wei'an called out the second name without looking up.
The infantryman, his face covered in stubble, froze. He'd thought the young master had called Rochi by name by chance, but apparently he remembered him too.
"I remember how you held back Grumman's mad-dog of a rider with your spear. You were wounded, but you didn't take a single step back. You did well." Ye Wei'an placed a handful of gold coins in his calloused palm.
Timothy's eyes reddened at once. He stammered, "Th-Thank you, young master! This little wound is nothing for you!"
Then came the second man, then the third...
"Scott, you were the one who stopped that arrow aimed at me, weren't you? You know how to use a shield."
"Simon, don't look so down. Sure, you were scared at the time, but you struck true when you saved your comrade."
With the help of the system panel, Ye Wei'an called every soldier by name as he handed out their bonus, even taking a moment to mention each man's achievements.
These common-born soldiers were little more than consumables and numbers in the eyes of nobles. When had they ever been treated like this?
Their hands trembled as they accepted the Gold Lion Coins. The pride of being seen by their commander made these men wish they could charge into battle for Ye Wei'an all over again.
Not far away, Cain leaned on his sword and watched in silence, his thoughts churning.
He had served in the Purple Dragon Order for several years and seen many nobles and commanders.
But those men were either too arrogant to spare their soldiers a glance or treated rewards as cheap bait to buy their loyalty.
There were few commanders who truly earned respect.
And he had never met a leader like Ye Wei'an, who knew every common soldier by name and remembered every deed.
"Is the young master... really commanding troops for the first time?" Cain marveled inwardly. "Even the great rulers in the history of the Kingdom of Cormyr could hardly have done this."
By the time the last gold coin had been handed out, the soldiers' morale had reached its peak.
Ye Wei'an rose wearily and patted Cain on the shoulder. "I'll leave the rest to you. I'm tired, so I'm going back to my tent."
"Yes, my lord."
As the heavy velvet tent flap fell shut, the soldiers seemed to burst free all at once and swarmed around Cain.
"Lord Cain! Tell us what happened!"
"Did you really go to Firefall Town?"
"How did the young master uncover the mastermind?"
Cain cleared his throat, climbed onto a large rock, and began telling the story to all those admiring faces.
"You can't imagine what happened that night," Cain recalled. "The young master led us through the woods in every direction. It was as if he could see the future—he avoided every beast, swamp, and pitfall. We covered in one day what should've taken two, and reached Firefall Town before word could get back!"
"The young master's disguise was like a miracle!" Renn added, gesticulating excitedly. "He turned into Gray Crow right in front of us. Even the bodyguard who was always with Gray Crow was completely fooled. We went inside, grabbed him, searched for evidence—the whole thing was over before the militiamen across the street heard a peep..."
The men recounted what they'd seen over the past few days, showing the soldiers just how extraordinary young master Ye Wei'an was.
The soldiers listened, spellbound, letting out gasps of amazement every so often.
To these battle-hardened men, capturing the leader without losing a single soldier was even more awe-inspiring than being unmatched on the battlefield.
Then Cain suddenly changed the subject.
"But, brothers, have you ever wondered why Gray Crow wanted to kill the young master?"
The crowd fell silent.
Cain looked around, his voice turning cold. "We found correspondence between Gray Crow and Firefall Fortress in his study. The one who truly wanted the young master dead, who bribed the bandits and planned that bloody attack, was none other than our Baroness, Selina Amarisk."
The name struck the crowd like a boulder dropped into still water, sending ripples through it.
"What? The lady would actually do something like that?"
"But he's the Baron's son!"
"Isn't it all for the inheritance? I've heard that story plenty of times."
"If that's the case... then we..."
As they spoke, the soldiers gradually realized the problem and exchanged uneasy glances.
In Firefall Territory, challenging the Lady's authority was no different from committing suicide.
Lady Selina wasn't just the mistress of the territory; she also had the powerful Amarisk Family behind her.
"She never intended to let the young master make it back alive, and she never meant for us to survive either." Cain punched a nearby tree trunk and roared angrily. "If she planned to assassinate the young master, why send us to escort him? What are we, the guards protecting him, in the Lady's eyes?"
He turned to look at the soldiers beside him.
He could already see anger in the eyes of some of them.
"We weren't her soldiers at all. We were sacrifices meant to cover up her crime! If we all died, she could blame the bandits, and your families wouldn't get a single copper coin in compensation!"
Someone suddenly realized something and asked in a trembling voice, "Lord Cain, if the Lady wants the young master dead... then if we go back now with Gray Crow in custody and the money, won't we be walking to our deaths? The Lady will definitely take revenge on us!"
"Even if we don't do this, do you think the Lady will spare us?" Cain sneered.
One soldier suggested, "Lord Cain, if the Lady tried to harm the young master... then when we get back to Firefall Fortress, can't we go straight to the Baron and ask him for help? He's the young master's father. Surely he'll be fair about it?"
"Ask the Baron?"
Cain looked as if he'd heard the most ridiculous joke imaginable. He strode forward and pointed toward the castle. "Wake up! The Baron is so gravely ill he can't even get out of bed, and the Lady's spies are everywhere in Firefall Fortress! Even if the Baron can protect us for now, what about later? The future lord is the Lady's own son. Once that little brat takes over, do you think that vicious woman will spare us, the people who know the truth?"
He repeated to the soldiers what Ye Wei'an had told him.
The words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing the last of the soldiers' hopes.
That was right. The lord was finished, and the future of Firefall Territory belonged to the new lord and Lady Selina.
No matter what they did, these guards would be branded as rebels.
"None of you need to feel bad about betraying anyone. Selina never treated us like people." Cain tore the badge bearing the family crest from his chest and slammed it to the ground. "I, Cain, served in the Purple Dragon Order. I know what loyalty means. But loyalty doesn't mean throwing your life away!"
Then he announced in front of them all, "I've already sworn allegiance to Lord Ye Wei'an—listen carefully: I'm loyal to Lord Ye Wei'an, not to the new lord's Firefall Territory!"
He looked over the hesitant soldiers and said, one word at a time, "The young master personally promised me that he would protect everyone who swore loyalty to him. And that's not all. When he has a territory of his own, there'll be a place for you in it. You won't be disposable cannon fodder anymore. You'll be the foundation of the territory—future lords and knights!"
"Think about the fifty Gold Lion Coins in your hands!" Harold stepped forward too. "What has the Lady ever given you? Arrows in the back and a cover-up for murder! The young master gave us wealth, life, and dignity!"
The soldiers looked at one another, then toward the luxurious tent. They'd been shocked when the young master had pulled it out of nowhere.
They remembered the young master's powerful magic, how he'd saved them when they were badly wounded and on the brink of death, the warm fifty gold coins in their hands, and the respect he'd shown when he called them by name...
"Damn it! I'm sick of taking shit from the nobles!" Rochi, the veteran with one arm, was the first to stand. With his remaining hand, he tore the family badge from his chest and flung it to the ground. "I owe my life to the young master! My loyalty belongs to Lord Ye Wei'an! Anyone who wants to touch him will have to step over my dead body!"
"Loyalty belongs to Ye Wei'an!"
"I swear allegiance to Lord Ye Wei'an too!"
"Count me in!"
"To hell with the Amarisk Family!"
With someone leading the way, the rest of the soldiers rose one after another and cast down their badges to declare their allegiance.
Even those who hesitated made the same choice under the pressure of the crowd.
That night, the will of the entire troop was completely transformed.
Before you continue