Chapter 2.16

After the Great Demon War, monsters on the continent were downgraded from disasters to mere dangerous natural phenomena. However, the Zelita Snowfields, bordering the Debius territory, had long remained untouched by humans and the number of monsters there was unchanged. The role of Debius was to prevent the snowfield monsters from invading the Empire. The Marquis of Debius had long struggled to maintain a powerful mage unit despite significant deficits for this reason. The Imperial family, well aware of this heavy responsibility, provided ample annual support to Debius.

So why was the House of Debius repeatedly facing deficits and drowning in debt? It was because the Marquis of Debius had poured money into the long-cherished project of building outer walls. Fortunately, all the debt was owed to the Imperial family, which would not turn its back on Debius. They even extended the repayment period to 20 years, effectively overlooking the debt.

However, Tara Debius, a genius recognized even by the academy, couldn’t stand to inherit a territory that was broke. She decided to create an archery unit, overhaul the money-draining mage unit, pay off the debt, and fulfill her father’s dream of constructing the outer walls.

“Outer wall construction? What’s that?”

“It’s literally building walls beyond the territory’s fortress. The current fortress is sturdy, but the goal is to establish a safe zone that can serve as a base during winter hunts, easing the residents’ anxiety and giving us an advantage in the hunts. The ultimate goal is to gradually conquer the snowfields. My primary goal is to build the outer wall and station a guard unit composed of archers there. This allows for a cheap and swift initial response.”

“Cheap… uh, okay. Don’t the existing knights know how to shoot arrows?”

“Debius’s main income comes from mining. The weather is too cold for much game besides livestock, so there are hardly any hunters. The average archery skill level is lower here than in any other region of the Empire, partly due to the crazy winds that change with the seasons. And I’m not just looking for people who can shoot arrows. I want soldiers who can actually be used.”

Thus, Greta headed to Debius. Located at the Empire’s northernmost point, where seasons were divided into less cold and more cold, Debius was surprisingly cool even in the height of summer.

‘The Debius territory is so cool; it would be a great place for the Duke to visit for a summer retreat.’

This was Greta’s first thought when she experienced the stark temperature difference.

By the time Greta arrived at the Debius Count’s residence, the title succession ceremony had already been completed, and a notice had been sent to the Imperial family. The ceremony was kept simple for her bedridden father. Tara, who had complained about not wanting to become the Marquis, already held a firm position within the family. In truth, after the eldest son fled, everyone associated with the House of Debius had essentially marked Tara as the successor. The only reason the second son suffered was due to the Marquis’s stubbornness not to burden his daughter.

“Oh! Marquis!”

“If you call me that too, I’ll cry.”

“If you cry, I’ll run away.”

“No, you can’t. You’ve already signed the contract.”

The first new project Tara initiated as the Marquis was the creation of an archery unit and the gradual reduction of the mage unit. Shockingly, the most important figure in this plan was Greta.

“During the two-month contract, you need to make the pre-selected knights into sharpshooters. We’ll also recruit about 50 new members for the archery unit. Discuss with Sir Ronpa, the commander of the knights, and set the evaluation methods. Participate as a judge to assess their skills.”

“Wha…?”

Greta had come to the far northern land with a very light and complacent mindset, thinking it would be just like the expanded version of the archery tutoring she did during her academy days, as Tara had mentioned when persuading her. But suddenly, she was given this enormous responsibility.

When the new Marquis of Debius, Tara Debius, ordered the rough knights to treat a 23-year-old young woman, who had only ever shot arrows as a hobby and had no real-world experience, as equal to the knight commander, and when Greta realized that this woman was herself, she finally understood that something serious was happening.

“Isn’t this too reckless, even for a contract job? Isn’t this too reckless? Wasn’t this supposed to be important? Wasn’t I just here to teach total beginners?”

“No. For two months, you are the ‘Temporary Training Commander of the Debius Archery Unit.’”

The cunning Tara Debius showed her the clause written in very small print at the end of the extremely long contract. The naive Greta, who didn’t expect her friend to deceive her, had signed it after only checking the duration and salary. Thus, the heavy mantle was placed upon Greta, who hadn’t heeded the adults’ advice to read contracts carefully.

“Tara, how can you expect me to lead people out of the blue? You know I didn’t even like running for class president at the academy!”

“But once you were elected, you worked the hardest!”

“No, I really don’t think this is right!”

“Think of the penalty, Greta Lievo. Do I still look like your friend?”

Greta Lievo often said that she was an incompetent person, incapable of doing anything well, and a lazy human being with no desires. However, as mentioned earlier, Tara Debius was a genius of unparalleled talent. Even during their academy days, she had already seen through Greta Lievo. Greta Lievo was a talent — an extraordinary talent that money could not buy!

Greta’s skills surpassed even those of the professors who taught archery at the academy, and the students she tutored improved quickly if they had the will to learn. Many students had run away because they couldn’t endure the difficulty, but to Tara, who had already been planning the Debius Archery Unit back then, Greta was like a pearl hidden in the mud, a talent no one else had discovered.

“I’ll give you a week to get acquainted with the knights. Sir Ronpa, the knight commander, will guide you through everything. Discuss things with him, and draft a training plan and a selection test plan for the archery unit.”

“You… you tyrannical employer!”

“My name is Tara Debius, the tyrannical employer. Don’t think too hard about it. The title is just for show.”

Having already signed the employment contract, Greta had no way to escape. Because of this, she spent the entire week talking to Sir Ronpa and the other knights, reading books about the monsters of the Zelita Snowfields, researching records of past subjugation campaigns and related papers, and even shooting dozens of arrows in Debius’s unique environment. She was so busy she barely had time to breathe.

In the Debius Knight Order, the bow was merely a supplementary weapon. Unlike the central and southern regions, where hunting competitions were frequent, there weren’t many opportunities to use bows, and most long-range attacks were handled by the powerful mage unit. The strong northern winds, which changed constantly, also played a significant role. Compared to magic, which could designate coordinates, the accuracy of arrows was dismal.

“How does anyone do this? I feel like I’m going to die!”

Greta, always calm on the surface, found herself pulling her hair out as she thought of Ragaen Sol Adantie, who was not only the Imperial Knight Commander but also someone she deeply admired. If simply drafting a basic training plan was this difficult, how much harder must it be to command numerous knights and deploy them appropriately in various situations? For the first time, Greta envied Richard, who only had to follow orders as Knight No. 1. She also began to resent herself for abandoning her idle lifestyle and deciding to come here.

“Sniff… But still, I have to do well. Now that it’s come to this, I’ll become an amazing person. The most amazing person ever, so that when the Duke returns, he’ll fall for me!”

All of Greta’s motivation stemmed from her love for Ragaen Sol Adantie.

In conclusion, Tara Debius was a genius, and her eye for talent was not wrong. In just one week, Greta assessed the archery skills of the knights selected for the archery unit and presented training plans and selection test plans tailored to the seasonal wind changes in the Debius territory.

“I believed in you, Greta. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you… sniff.”

“I didn’t expect you to do this well, but you’re amazing! Greta Lievo, you are a talent recognized by this Tara Debius! Here’s a bonus! Go have a feast with the knights!”

“Thank you, boss!”

Greta, touched by the praise from her tyrannical employer, naively felt grateful, but Tara had ulterior motives.

‘It’s a good thing Greta has no prior experience or achievements. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to hire her at such a low price.’

Greta, who had never earned money before, didn’t realize it, but hiring someone with her skills would normally require at least three times the salary she was receiving.

Even Sir Ronpa, who had been in charge of the Debius Knight Order for a long time, was astonished by Greta’s insight. Tara clicked her tongue, thinking that the Lievo family had been too overprotective of her, nearly preventing such remarkable talent from flourishing. Then again, it was thanks to that overprotection that Tara was able to bring Greta here at such a low cost, knowing her potential for growth.

Time passed quickly, and before anyone realized it, the icy cold winds began to blow, and autumn arrived in Debius, accompanied by a clear blue sky.