**THE ANNOUNCEMENT**
I addressed them from the platform as the sun began to set.
"You've proven yourselves today. Out of four thousand candidates, you four hundred have demonstrated the endurance, strength, and fighting spirit we need. Starting tomorrow, you are soldiers of the Brown Barony."
The new recruits stood straighter despite their exhaustion.
"Your training will be hard," I continued, letting my voice carry across the square. "Harder than anything you've experienced before. Your duties will be dangerous—you will face bandits, monsters, and possibly enemy soldiers. But you will be paid fairly, fed well, equipped properly, and respected for your service."
I paused, making eye contact with several of them. "And for those who didn't make it today—listen carefully. We will hold testing monthly. Train, improve, and come back. This barony needs soldiers, and we will give you every opportunity to prove yourselves worthy."
The crowd—both the accepted soldiers and the dismissed candidates—erupted in cheers.
"Now," I gestured to Alfred, "my steward has additional announcements."
Alfred stepped forward, consulting his notes. "The Baron is also recruiting for civilian positions! We need tailors, builders, road workers, lumberjacks, craftsmen of all kinds! The pay is one silver coin per month, with room and board provided for those who need it! Anyone interested should report to the manor tomorrow morning for interviews!"
More cheers. People were already calculating how much money their families could earn, how their lives might improve. I could see hope replacing the fear and uncertainty that had dominated their expressions for so long.
As the crowd began dispersing, discussing opportunities and making plans, Cecil approached me.
"Good selections, my lord. Some of them will wash out during training, but most have real potential." He paused. "That Stone girl especially. If she'd been born male and nobility, she could have become a knight."
"Then we'll make her better than a knight," I replied. "Train her properly, Cecil. No holding back because she's a woman. If she can keep up with the men, she earns the same respect and opportunities."
Cecil grinned. "Understood, my lord. This is going to be interesting."
** Party announcement**
After the soldier testing results were announced and the four hundred successful candidates stood proudly in their rough formation, Alfred stepped forward with another announcement.
"Before you disperse," Alfred called out, his voice carrying across the square, "Baron Edward has one more thing to share."
I stepped forward, looking at the exhausted but proud faces of my new soldiers.
"Tomorrow night ," I began, "we celebrate. Not just your success, but what you represent—the beginning of something new in this territory. There will be a banquet in the manor gardens at sunset. All four hundred of you are invited, along with others who are building our future here."
Silence. Complete, stunned silence.
Then murmurs began:
"Did he say... a banquet?"
"For us?"
"Soldiers don't get invited to noble banquets..
"
"Is this a test?"
Kara Stone spoke up, her voice uncertain: "My lord, we're... we're just common soldiers. We shouldn't—"
"You are MY Soldiers," I interrupted. "And in my territory, those who serve are honored, not ignored. The banquet begins at sunset. Attendance is expected, not optional. That's an order."
"Yes, my lord!" they responded in unison, though their faces still showed disbelief.
As the crowd began to disperse, I heard fragments of conversation:
"A noble inviting soldiers to a feast? That's... that's never happened."
"Maybe he's different. He did reduce taxes..."
"I don't even own proper clothes for a banquet!"
"Neither do I, but I'm not missing this!"
The soldiers left the square in groups, already excitedly discussing what this unprecedented event might mean.
That evening, I hosted what would be my last dinner with all thirty-six orphans I'd rescued—the original fourteen from the prison, plus the twenty-two remaining children from Gerald Moss's orphanage who'd been brought to the manor over the past few days. Tomorrow they'd move to the newly established orphanage under proper supervision.
But I didn't want a simple farewell dinner in the manor's dining hall. I wanted something they'd remember forever.
That morning, after announcing the soldier testing results, I'd pulled Alfred aside.
"Tonight's banquet," I'd told him. "It's not just for the soldiers. I want tables for everyone—the children, the new soldiers, the dwarves, the alchemists, the designers, the manor staff, the secret workers. Everyone who's helped build what we're creating here."
Alfred had looked at me like I'd gone mad. "My lord, that's... that's over five hundred people if we include all the new recruits and—"
"Then we'll need a lot of tables. Make it happen."
"My lord, organizing a banquet for over five hundred people in less than twelve hours—"
"Is why I pay you so well, Alfred. I have faith in you."
He'd sighed, but I saw the excitement in his eyes despite his exhaustion. "Yes, my lord. I'll make it happen."
As the square emptied and I prepared to leave, Alfred caught my attention, his expression a mix of satisfaction and concern.
"My lord, I have news about Benjamin."
Finally. My stomach tightened with anticipation. "And?"
"We located him in the Malakor Kingdom, working in a dungeon extraction crew. He's agreed to come to the territory."
"Good. When will he—"
"But there's a complication," Alfred interrupted carefully.
My stomach sank. "What complication?"
"He's bringing all his friends. Apparently, when we offered him the opportunity, he refused to abandon the other orphans at his workhouse. He insisted that either they all come or none of them do. So instead of one child, we're receiving… approximately thirty."
I blinked. Then, despite myself, I laughed.
Of course. Of course that's how it would go. Even at this age, Benjamin had that core characteristic—loyalty to those who'd suffered alongside him. It was what made him such a compelling character in the game. It was also what made him so dangerous when that loyalty was betrayed.
"That's fine," I said, still smiling. "Bring them all here. We'll figure it out."
Alfred looked relieved. "Yes, my lord. They should arrive within the week. The guild is arranging transport and ensuring safe passage through the territories between here and Malakor."
"Good. And Alfred—when they arrive, I want to meet with Benjamin personally. Alone, initially. Then we'll integrate all thirty children with the others."
"Understood, my lord. And regarding Robert—we're still searching, but we have promising leads near Count Corvax's territory. Apparently, there was a slave auction there two weeks ago that matches the timeline and description."
"Keep searching. I want him found before Baron Lupe attacks. I'll need every advantage."
"Yes, my lord." Alfred hesitated. "There's one more thing. Several of the dismissed candidates approached me asking if they could work as laborers while training to retest next month. They're willing to work for reduced wages if it means they can access the training grounds."
I considered that. "That's... actually smart. They get paid, we get workers, and they stay in shape for the next test."
"Shall I approve it?"
"Yes. Set up a program—anyone who failed but wants to retest can work as laborers at half wages while receiving access to basic training during off-hours. If they pass next month's test, they become full soldiers at full wages."
Alfred made notes. "That will build significant loyalty, my lord."
"That's the idea. People who have to fight for opportunities value them more than those who have them handed over."
"Wise, my lord."
**PLANNING FOR BENJAMIN**
After Alfred left, I sat alone in my office, thinking about Benjamin's imminent arrival.
In the game, Benjamin had been legendary. A war orphan who rose to become a 6th circle archmage through pure genius and determination. In some playthroughs, under the right conditions, he even reached 7th circle—a level most mages spent lifetimes trying to achieve.
But he never went beyond that. His fundamental magical foundation had flaws, gaps from his chaotic self-taught education. No formal training, no proper master to guide him through the critical early stages. Just raw talent and desperate ambition filling in the gaps however he could.
I remembered his backstory intimately—I'd played through his quest chains at least a dozen times, trying different approaches to see how they changed outcomes.
His parents were killed in a territorial war when he was six. Left alone on the streets of the Malakor Kingdom, he survived by stealing with other street children. They'd formed a tight-knit group, more family than friends, protecting each other in a world that didn't care if they lived or died.
Eventually, they were caught. The Malakor Kingdom didn't tolerate theft—their laws were harsh, designed to make examples. His friends were executed publicly, children as young as eight hung in the town square as warnings.
Benjamin escaped. That trauma shaped everything that came after.
The game had two major quest chains involving him:
Path One: If you befriended him early, before his revenge began, you could help him channel his anger productively. Guide him to proper magical training, give him purpose beyond vengeance. This version of Benjamin became a powerful ally who'd help with major story quests.
Path Two: If you missed that window, you'd eventually receive emergency quests from the Malakor Kingdom to stop Benjamin's increasingly violent revenge campaign. He systematically destroyed the noble families who'd ordered his friends' execution, then expanded his targets to anyone who'd supported or enabled the system. He alone brought an entire kingdom to its knees, burning cities and slaughtering thousands before the player had to stop him.
Depending on your choices in Path Two, he either died in a final confrontation with combined royal forces, or survived as a broken, traumatized character who'd occasionally help with specific quests if you'd shown him any kindness along the way.
In every playthrough, I'd chosen Path One. Something about his story resonated with mine—orphaned young, forced to survive through violence, seeking revenge against systems that had failed him.
But even in Path One, there were limits to his potential. His self-taught foundation meant he could never advance beyond 7th circle. The game mechanics were clear: without proper early training, magical potential plateaued.
Now I had a chance to change that.
I could recruit him before the trauma fully manifested. Before his friends were executed. Before revenge became his only purpose.
I could give him the training and resources he'd never had in any version of the game. Proper magical education from the start, building a foundation that wouldn't limit him later.
I could make him loyal not through revenge or shared trauma, but through genuine opportunity and care.
*I need to make him my ally immediately* I thought. *Before the Malakor Kingdom does something that triggers his quest chain. Before anyone else realizes what he could become*
If I could secure Benjamin's loyalty now and provide him with proper training, I wouldn't just have a 6th or 7th circle mage. I'd have someone who could potentially reach 8th or even 9th circle—power that could reshape kingdoms.
And more importantly, I'd save thirty children from whatever fate awaited them in the Malakor Kingdom's brutal system.
**FINAL PREPARATIONS**
"Wait," I called out as Alfred was preparing to leave for the night.
He turned back, stifling a yawn. "My lord?"
"I need materials for renovating the mansion. The current state is… inadequate." I gestured around at the manor's dated, damaged interior. "This place looks like it's been neglected for decades, which it probably has been. I want it properly restored—not ostentatious, but functional and respectable."
"Of course, my lord. I'll have cost estimates and material lists by tomorrow afternoon."
"And arrange for a combat mage to train the recruits we just selected. Someone competent—at least 4th circle, preferably 5th. I want our soldiers to know how to fight alongside mages and against them."
Alfred made notes. "The guild should have suitable candidates. Shall I prioritize battle mages with military experience?"
"Yes. Someone who's actually fought in wars, not just practiced in academies."
"Understood. Anything else, my lord?"
I hesitated, then added: "When Benjamin arrives, I want comfortable accommodations prepared for all thirty children. Not servants' quarters—proper rooms, properly furnished. And have the orphanage prepared to receive them if they prefer that to manor living."
"You're taking special interest in this Benjamin," Alfred observed carefully.
"I am. He has potential—significant potential. I want him to understand from the moment he arrives that this territory values talent and rewards loyalty."
"Wise, my lord. I'll make the arrangements."
After Alfred finally left—the man looked ready to collapse from exhaustion—I leaned back in my chair, allowing myself a moment of satisfaction.
Four hundred new soldiers selected and ready to train. Civilian recruitment beginning tomorrow. Benjamin arriving within a week with thirty additional orphans. The hidden mine being transformed from a place of suffering to a productive resource. Industrial chemicals being developed. Weapons being forged.
*Finally* I thought. *I'm going to meet my favorite character in real life*
To be continued...