Chapter 32: Underlying Purpose
"Oh, I have heard about the militia project." Nightingale nodded and frowned a moment later. She couldn't help murmuring. "Can the militia really hold off the demonic beasts?"
The witch had seen first-hand how fierce a demonic beast could be, much less a horde of it. In her opinion, the majority of them were stronger and more nimble even compared to the knights, and there was no need to compare them to commoners. They would be trained yes, but in such a short amount of time, how further of an improvement it can be?
Recalling something, the scenery of tall wall that stretched for hundreds of meter appeared on her mind, remembering it made her eyebrows rose. However she pondered about it though, the wall, after all, was just a wall. Some animals could climb such height easily, needless to say, the empowered version of them. There was also the kind of demonic beasts like demonic boars that might not be able to jump at all but had sufficient power to break layers of borders effortlessly. Naturally, the wall shouldn't be an issue.
In the first place, they needed to do something to kill the horde.
Hiding behind the wall wouldn't make the demonic beasts retreated after all, or they could try, only they needed to wait months for that. She doubted the militia would take spears and directly engaging in melee and most likely going to learn using range weapons like bow and arrow, except to properly familiarized themselves with bows, they wouldn't have enough time. Crossbows that had an easier learning curve probably the better choice, but once again taking the demonic boar as an example, its hide was thick enough that for crossbow bolt to actually penetrate it, the distance needed to be very near. Though it could work to make the boar charged and struck the wall first before they rained it down from above, wouldn't such situation only need to happen a couple of times before the wall thoroughly collapsed?
Tigui Pine, on the other hand, was smirking after seeing the ever-changing expression of Nightingale. He might just meet the young woman for the first time, but her impression from his chatty daughter had been formed in his head. It came to a surprise to him when he heard it for the first time, but apparently, she was someone that Carter acknowledged in fighting prowess, so the military matter was probably not outside of her expertise. And precisely because of that she didn't seem to believe the upcoming militia, no matter how well trained and had with them the tall wall as cover could win against invasion from demonic beasts.
Actually, he can't deny her doubt because he had also spoken to the prince about it. However before he could supplement her lack of information, a sound from his side came first.
"Don't worry, his Highness plans are not just that." Tyre began to talk, her voice remained indifferent and reminded everyone listening of Anna. "The prince also going to build a moat later on."
Tigui and Carter at the front tensed as they listened to her speaking. While to a lesser effect, this also included Nightingale that had seen through her words of wanting to help not being a lie. Because the other former identity the head maid assumed was simply dangerous and mere words can't erase the fact she was a professional that had infiltrated Roland's side for so long. Only Nana didn't seem affected at all and merely turned to look at Tyre's direction with a curious look, wanting her to continue.
"From where do you know?" Tigui asked what Carter worried about. The time Tyre participated Roland was only one time and though Tigui wasn't present back then, he had heard the gist of it and they weren't talking about that.
Tyre gave a faint smile, it remained a mystery for what she thought of their stares. She merely answered, unhurried and clearly. "His Highness told me."
As the men in the carriage wondered whether she was speaking the truth, Nightingale gave a subtle nod. Tyre was not lying, but there was no reason to tell it out loud after hearing what Tyre said next.
"But it is also not something difficult to see since the plan was already there from the moment the wall project created, no?" The head maid gave a faint chuckle. "The workers were talking about it whether they could build the moat or not considering the time restriction."
"...That's true." Tigui nodded, he also heard such gossip.
If there was a problem though, besides workers on the level of supervisors, and even them, they rarely if ever had the need to go to the castle. Even assuming Tyre didn't have to stay in the castle all the time, for her seeking the workers or going to the workplace was suspicious in the first place. However, no one really noticed it and the conversation moved on.
The head maid also had no intention to address their lack of trust. She simply continued expanding the topic, actually surprising the others since they originally thought she was the silent and cool type like Anna. "His Highness is really cunning."
"Right!" Nana energetically nodded, but she seemed to blank out right after as she said. "What do you mean?"
"The moat, I'm talking about it remember?" Tyre gave a brief pause after noticing a strange gaze from Nightingale, but in the end, paid it no heed. "The success of it has a lot to do with today's militia recruitment."
"Um, now you that you said it..." Tigui scratched his head, he seemed to recall the prince saying something like that but couldn't quite remember it.
"Why is that?" Nana determined to be the type that asked first and pondered later.
"The prince has three goals in his mind when making militia." Tyre stretched three of her right fingers, her free thumb anchored her free pinky smoothly. "It sounds a lot, but not really. Can you guess what's the three all about?"
"Uh. Uh." Nana was quick in making noise, but she had no idea.
"I don't think the prince has mentioned that to me... but three huh? I can't think that many, but aren't one of it for Border Town defence?" Tigui patted Nana's head and answered on her stead.
"Indeed." Tyre readily answered for it wasn't hard to figure that one out.
"The second would be..." Tigui tried to answer, but he got stumped like Nana.
For a while, the carriage's passengers felt into weird silence.
Nightingale gave Tyre an inquiring look. Though she was curious about the answers, she actually really wanted to know when Roland had the time talked to her more. Was it before or after he exposed her?
Seeing no one talked, Tyre began filling the riddles she gave them. "His Highness said to me that he wants to improve the life of commoners. By experiencing the militia life, he wants to teach them a lot while giving them worthwhile money."
"Worthwhile money?" Nana felt the words seemed a bit strange.
"I also asked His Highness about that." Tyre closed her eyes as if recalling, her lips curved ever so slightly that only Nightingale noticed it. She didn't know her action was observed so closely and continued. "He said that it's easy to simply give them free money, but it would only breed laziness and might make them have a delusion about the state they were in. So he needed to make them work extra hard for that."
"But they work, aren't they? So shouldn't it be natural that he gave them money?" The young sister shook her head.
"Perhaps, but do you know how much His Highness gave them?" Tigui was the one that took the initiative to educate his daughter. Regarding the salary issue, he was in the know.
"Umm?" How could Nana know about it? Her eyes aimed to Tigui was filled with protest.
"Hahaha." The doting father always liked whatever expression his daughter threw at him. "It's 10 silver coins."
"Is that a lot?" Nana blinked her eyes doubtfully. Though she grew and blend with commoners, with the noble identity she had, Nana never had the need to work herself nor had inquired about others' parents' earnings, so she didn't really know whether it worthed it.
"It's a lot actually, but even then it's only the start," Tigui said with a nod, he roughly understood the meaning of His Highness words Tyre spoke of. "Unless he changed his policy without telling me, there are also free meals, three times a day would also be provided by His Highness, or rather the granary. For people that only starting, their earning are already on par or even better than trained guards."
"And what about this being the worthwhile money?" Nana still didn't understand. "If what you said is true, then isn't His Highness going to give them more than they should have? Isn't this actually the opposite?"
"I think it has something to do with how forming the militia was not at all an easy job, His Highness probably has a lot to ask them and therefore gave them plenty as an incentive?" He declined to go details about the risk of such a job, at least not in front of his daughter that was still fourteen years old, even if the reveal was unavoidable in the near future. Rubbing his beard, Tigui said with a smile. "So is that the second answer? What about the third answer, Miss Tyre?"
"They are needed for extra hands in digging up the moat," Tyre answered with a smile.
Tigui's smile froze and Carter nearly did a spit take in the driver's seat. Nightingale who kept quiet all this time let out a snicker, and only Nana gave unrestrained laughter.
"Bad prince!"
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