Nathan - POV

  Apparently, it was going to be a big meeting. Almost everyone was there; officers, retainers, adventurers, craftsmen, even a few of the more senior servants. The room felt crowded, buzzing with quiet anticipation. Father rarely called for full assemblies unless something major was about to happen.

  “Good morning! I gather that everyone had a good breakfast?” Father said, his voice carrying easily across the hall.

  A wave of murmured assent followed. Some people straightened in their seats, others exchanged glances. Even without a formal announcement, everyone could sense the weight of what was coming.

  Father clasped his hands behind his back. “I called for this meeting because I have decided to make use of the abundance of dungeons near this city. As you all know, our destination is the Shaxaian lands—my homeland. A land fraught with danger as well as opportunity. We intend to reclaim our lost territories. To do that, we need robust military strength.”

  He paused, letting the words settle. “As of this moment, we have insufficient numbers as well as insufficient quality. This unplanned deviation from our journey will correct this problem through training and recruitment. I gathered all of you here to discuss ideas and formulate plans on how to achieve our military objectives in the shortest time possible. Our current force is insufficient given our goals.”

  More murmurs. Some are uneasy, some excited.

  Father wasn’t wrong. Our fighting force was… pathetic, honestly. If not for my minions, we would’ve been captured or killed weeks ago. I guess the ambushes, the monsters, and the political threats we encountered on the road finally forced him to acknowledge the obvious.

  “My lord, this is a wise choice,” Anda said, standing with a respectful bow. “Our force; including my former party members and the former employees of Master Lyle; barely reaches a hundred people. You are right that we need more men.”

  “What do you have in mind, my lord?” Stanley asked.

  Father nodded. “I plan for us to stay here in Bunzad and conduct dungeon delves to raise our levels. The target is for our force to reach level 50 at most.”

  That drew a louder wave of murmurs. Level 50 must be a big deal here. I wouldn’t know, my minions were basically power leveling me like a cheat code. I smirked internally.

  “That is a tall order, my lord,” Anda said. “Level 50 is quite high. It took me several years to reach my current level.”

  “I know that Anda,” Father replied. “However, Stanley scouted the dungeons near here, and we have both deemed that clearing them will help us raise everyone’s levels. Our goal is to raise the average level of our force to at least 40 and ideally push some to 50. That should be achievable.”

  He motioned for Stanley to speak.

  Stanley stood and cleared his throat. “There are four dungeons near Bunzad, all of them reaching as far as fifty floors. They are substantially large. The furthest anyone here has explored is the thirtieth floor.”

  “What is the level range for these dungeons?” Lyle asked.

  “This applies to all four,” Stanley said. “Floors 1 to 20 contain monsters between levels 20 and 30. Floors 21 to 40 contain monsters between levels 31 and 40. Floors 41 to 50 supposedly contain monsters between levels 41 and 50. However, since no one has reached those floors, the upper ranges are based on incomplete reports. Rumors claim monsters as high as level 70 lurk below.”

  “That’s too high,” Lyle muttered.

  “Gentlemen, these are unsubstantiated rumors,” Stanley said quickly. “We will limit our delves to the explored floors. Some of us may attempt deeper floors, but only with proper preparation.”

  “This is good for training our men,” Anda said. “These dungeons will raise the average level of our force. It is also a chance to recruit more fighters.”

  The discussion continued, with people throwing out ideas, concerns, and logistical questions. I didn’t join in. I knew nothing about real dungeons. Sure, I had experience from video games, novels, and anime, but those were fictional worlds with respawns and save points. Here, one mistake meant death. Permanent death.

  Jennie suggested recruiting adventurers willing to become retainers of our house, much like her own party. Mother raised concerns about our economic and social standing, which Lyle immediately latched onto—he always did when money was involved.

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  Father listened patiently while Sebastian took notes. Maids moved quietly between tables, serving refreshments. The meeting dragged on for several more minutes before Father suddenly turned to me.

  “Nathan,” he said, “do you have any ideas you may be able to share with us?”

  Every head turned toward me.

  Really? I’m just a kid. A very smart kid, sure, but still a kid. Oh well. Screw it.

  I stood up. “Father, it would be best to recruit adventurers, as Jennie suggested. Controlled delves will be more efficient, especially if accompanied by our higher-level members. But the most important thing is not to set a strict timeline for our growth.”

  A few eyebrows rose.

  “I suggest we focus on strengthening our military force to around one thousand to five thousand men, raising their average level to mid-range, while an elite few strive to reach as close to level 50 as possible. On the economic front, Master Lyle can focus on wealth and technology acquisition with cooperation from our craftsmen, whose numbers will also need to increase.”

  “Five thousand men?” Belle asked, stunned. “Maybe more? That is essentially an army, Lord Nathan. It will cost the house a fortune. And it will draw the attention of the local lords.”

  “Yes,” I said simply. “That is what I’m suggesting. If we’re going to do this, we should do it properly. And as my father will explain later, gold will not be an issue.”

  Father nodded. “My son is correct regarding the financial side of this endeavor. But this brings us back to the issue of powerful nobles. Even kingdoms we pass through may become wary... perhaps hostile. Not to mention the theocracy and regional powers.”

  I had already thought of a solution. I took inspiration from mercenary groups back home; Blackwater, Wagner, and others. Paramilitary forces backed by legal authority. The question was… which authority?

  I didn’t yet understand the regional power structures here, so I left that part to Father.

  “I suggest we obtain legal backing from local authorities, friendly ones,” I said. “We present our noble house as a mercenary or adventurer group with the backing of a kingdom or a church.”

  Silence.

  Did I say too much? Everyone was staring at me like I’d grown a second head.

  Then Father laughed. Anda followed. Then the rest.

  Were they mocking me? My brows began to furrow... until Father spoke.

  “As always, my son is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

  Anda nodded. “Indeed, Lord Jakob. Lord Nathan’s perspective is unique and inspirational. I would never have thought of it.”

  “Who has ever heard of a mercenary group with legal backing from a state power?” Belle mused.

  “I haven’t,” Jennie said.

  “Not me,” Jake added.

  “Can it be done?” Stanley asked. “Obtaining legal backing, I mean.”

  “I may have an idea where to get it,” Father said.

  “Where?” Mother asked.

  “From High Priest Remor Denoba.”

  “The ruler of this city?” she asked.

  “Yes. I… ‘donated’ some gold earlier when I made a courtesy call.”

  Everyone smiled knowingly. A noble’s “donation” was just a polite word for bribery.

  Sebastian raised his hand. Father nodded.

  “My lord, forgive me, but the image of our house may be tainted if we are viewed not as a noble house but as a mercenary group. Furthermore, your future legal claims to your ancestral lands may be jeopardized if that reputation sticks.”

  Nobles and their obsession with reputation. Still, this was the path we chose. Might as well play the game.

  “Father,” I said, “we can create a separate group for the mercenaries. Only in name, of course. The house will have complete control. We simply say we hired them. Would that be acceptable, Sebastian?”

  He thought for a moment. “As always, Lord Nathan’s ideas are brilliant… and creative.”

  You mean cunning, right? I internally snickered. His name made me think of every isekai butler ever.

  “Hmmm…” Stanley said. “It would be better if we recruited an existing mercenary group. That way, the story of House Mayweather–Abensberg employing mercenaries will be more believable.”

  “That is settled then,” Father said. “Anda, Stanley, Jennie—handle scouting and recruitment. We will also recruit adventurers and craftsmen. Make the risks clear to them. I will handle the High Priest. Our stay in this city depends on how quickly we can assemble a credible military force.”

  He turned to Lyle. “Master Lyle, engage in trade and establish economic relationships. While gold is not an issue, I do not want our house to be in the red in the long run.”

  “My lord, we need to have a base. We cannot increase our numbers and stay on a campsite. We need to have a base. Perhaps a momentary stronghold.” Anda said.

  “Good idea Anda. I will factor that in at my talks with the high priest” Father said.

  With that, the discussions continued; more detailed, more focused, more ambitious.

  And for the first time since arriving in this world, I felt like we were finally preparing for something big.

  Something worthy of the future we intended to seize.