The Tribal Wars

They departed from the village of Dinasteld. Heisen placed Yang in front of the saddle and mounted her behind her.

"You'll hold the reins and ride the horse."

"Huh!? But I've never done this before."

"What are you saying? You just got on earlier."

"Muu! That was being abducted!"

Despite her anger, Yang struggled with the reins.

"By the way, how was the negotiation earlier?"

"Can't you see the current situation!? Please don't talk to me."

"When you're desperate, that's when you should be able to think differently. Everything is training."

"Waaaah! I hate you! Someone help!"

...

Yang cried out, but Squad 8 pretended not to hear.

"Let's continue. You should have valued yourself higher. I'll leave negotiations to you next time, so reflect well on this."

"Huh!? Does that mean it was worth more than two silver coins?"

Surprised, Yang had already begun to master the reins. Heisen grew increasingly convinced that the more she pushed herself, the more she would grow.

"Of course. I don't make purchases without value."

"P-Purchase? I don't like how you're saying that. So, what was the negotiation deal?"

"Five large gold coins are upfront. Three small silver coins per month. Plus, I'll continue to pay one-third of my salary every month for each promotion. Well, if it were more than this, I might have hesitated a bit."

"Wh-What..."

Yang couldn't speak; she almost dropped the reins and fell off the horse.

"First, Yang. I mentioned that you have magical abilities that will grow. If so, earning a living on your own should be easy. Therefore, my assumption that 'there are no adopters' is likely wrong."

"L-Liar!"

"It's not a lie. If I had the ability to foresee your future, that would be a lie, but no one knows it as well as God. Therefore, I simply presented a future with a high probability of being wrong. It's what we call fraud."

"F-Fraud... Isn't that even worse!?"

"I told you, I don't lie. I want you to trust me as a reliable person, so I kept my promise."

"Waaaah! I have no idea what you're talking about, so can someone please translate?"

Yang shouted with all her might, but Squad 8 continued to pretend not to understand. After crying and screaming for a while, the black-haired girl spoke again.

"What did you want to say?"

"One thing is: 'hone your negotiation skills.' Avoid emotional influence, evaluate the other party's compromise point, and strive to obtain approximately 80% of your desired amount."

"...shouldn't you aim for the maximum?"

It seems more questions are coming than criticism. There is a child who prioritizes curiosity over morality.

"The boundaries between the maximum and minimum are extremely thin. There's a high possibility that the negotiation table itself will go bankrupt. Unnecessary risks should be avoided."

"What if Director Norue suggested selling a hundred large gold coins? Should you choose not to sell anything at all?"

"They would accuse you of contact with another ethnic group, try to expel you, and then take you in as a slave. The outcome remains the same."

"Wh-Wh- What kind of cruel thing are you saying so calmly?"

"It's only natural. Having contact with another ethnic group is an act that could even raise suspicion of being a spy. Of course, military regulations will punish you unless you cooperate with them."

"... Unbelievable."

Yang muttered with a dark expression.

"I'm not lying."

"I don't think you should be able to do anything without lying!"

"Well, I didn't want to take this approach because it was time-consuming. If money can solve it, that's the best solution."

"There's a reason why this case requires time, and it's the reason why it shouldn't be the lowest."

"And one more thing. Why did I tell you your true value?"

"It must be a bad reason anyway."

"Wrong. You undervalued yourself too much. I think that amount is at least the minimum value."

"..."

"You'll grow. You will grow at least ten times more than the amount I suggested."

"..."

Yang remained silent for a while, then peered down at Heisen from below and spoke.

"Heisen."

"Hmm?"

"Um, could it be..."

"What is it?"

"Could it be... Are you trying to cheer me up?"

"..."

"..."

"No."

"Huh!?"

"What were you listening to? I won't settle for just one gold coin and two small silver coins from you every month. Five large gold coins upfront. Three small silver coins per month. Furthermore, with every promotion, one-third of my salary is included. It means you have to work ten times more than this."

"Waaaah! Someone, anyone! Please help, even if you're a slave merchant."

From then on, Yang continued to cry until they returned to the military fortress.

Upon their return to the fortress, they imprisoned the Cumon prisoner in the underground dungeon. The military would make the final decision regarding his fate, but until then, Squad 8, who captured him, had the responsibility of managing him.

Heisen wanted to leverage him to broker a ceasefire or alliance with the Cumon tribe, but as a mere lieutenant, he lacked such authority. Therefore, in the meantime, he wanted to do everything he could.

"Yang, I need you to establish communication with him and extract information. You'll also be responsible for his daily care and meals."

"I understand, but where should I live?"

"Huh? Of course, it's in my room."

Heisen responded naturally, but Yang's expression turned to shock.

"I really don't want to do that."

"Why?"

"I don't really understand the reason!"

"Hmm. Is this some kind of maiden's heart thing?"

"No, it's not!"

"Well, your opinion doesn't matter. This isn't a suggestion; it's a decision."

Yang's shocked expression returned. It was understandable; despite the unusually low cost, it was a painful expense, causing her to lose most of her salary. There was no room for extravagance and teaching her directly was convenient.

"Kakuzu will be your escort from now on. Especially if I'm away, prioritize Yang."

"That's fine, but isn't Heisen surrounded by many enemies?"

"Enemies? You mean there are spies lurking in this fortress? I haven't identified them yet, but are you saying you noticed them before me?"

It was hard to believe it all at once. Kakuzu excelled in martial arts but lacked qualities as a civil servant. It didn't seem likely he would detect the presence of a spy infiltrating so subtly.

Heisen looked skeptical, and the giant man sighed heavily.

"Not like that. I mean, besides the non-commissioned officers, there are superiors and colleagues. Lieutenant Mospizza, in particular, clearly views Heisen as an enemy."

"Is that so?"

"Well, isn't that obvious? Why don't you understand?"

Despite what he says, if you don't understand something, you don't understand it. Performing tasks without personal feelings is the purpose of military duty. While understandable for non-commissioned officers, it's difficult to believe a lieutenant wouldn't understand this.

Even in Lithuania, soldiers are responsible for mutual cooperation in the event of combat with the enemy. Mutual cooperation is the duty of soldiers. The Empire is a mature military nation with a long history. It's only natural for a senior officer to understand such discipline.

"…"

However, Lieutenant Mospizza does have intense emotional fluctuations. Personal feelings significantly influence his daily actions, so Kakuzu's concerns are not unreasonable.

"Well, I understand what you're saying. But thinking about small-minded people like Lieutenant Mospizza for even a second isn't necessary. I'll resolve any problem with him as soon as possible."

"That's what I think, but well, it was an unnecessary concern."

Kakuzu sighed deeply.

Upon returning to the room, Sergeant Buz was present. He was putting books on the shelf, one after another. These were educational materials for Yang, not for Heisen to read. At her stepmother's house, she found piles of general knowledge and elementary magic materials she had learned in this empire but transporting them would take approximately 40 days.

Since she couldn't let Yang idle until then, she decided to cram books from other fields at her stepmother's house. These fields were linguistic taxonomy, biology, medicine, and business studies.

She especially wanted Yang to learn business studies. No matter how much money Heisen had, it would never be enough to help him achieve his goals. Therefore, this girl had to raise the necessary funds.

Heisen couldn't do it as a military man, nor was he suited for it. In that respect, Yang was originally adept at trading with her own strength. She excelled in that skill from the beginning.

"Thank you. This is my gratitude."

Heisen handed Sergeant Buz a small copper coin. This amounted to about a third of the sergeant's salary.

"N-no, I can't accept such gratitude."

"This is purely for my personal use. I don't want to abuse my power, but I have no friends. However, it would be difficult to refuse if it's a request from a superior, so at least let me pay you a reward."

"… Understood. I appreciate it. If there's anything else, please let me know."

"I rely on you."

Sergeant Buz bowed and left the room. Yang sat on the bed, observing his behavior.

"Your subordinates seem to admire you."

"Admire me? It's just the relationship between a superior and subordinates. That's all."

"But saying 'please tell me anything'..."

"It's just flattery. A technique to smooth conversations."

Sergeant Buz was a useful man indeed. After he left the squad, Heisen planned to promote him to ensign, and he would probably maintain about 70% of the current strength.

"Heisen, please learn a little from him."

"I think I know and practice it well."

"Not at all. Rather, it's the opposite."

"Haha, you have a sense of humor. You're quite a humorous kid."

"I'm not joking at all!"

Yang gave a stunned expression, but Heisen didn't mind. She was starting to understand something; this girl had a strong heart. Trivial things did not easily discourage her.

It's not like she lacks sensitivity. On the contrary, her emotions are strong but flexible. She is resilient, akin to a willow branch that remains unbroken despite the passing of a typhoon. Heisen had raised many disciples in the past, but she was among the toughest.

"…"

Heisen felt a surge of excitement, reminiscent of when he found his disciples, Loyd, Laior, and Ash-Dahl.