Ronan was surprised to see all the leaders waiting in front of his room. He had expected some changes in the attitude of the leaders towards him, but this was surprising. He didn’t know what to do and just stared dumbly at all of them.

Dr.Virat chuckled a little and helped, “Why don’t you invite us in, Ronan?”

Ronan nodded hurriedly and invited everyone into his room. There was just enough space to seat everyone. As he didn’t have any refreshments to offer, Ronan just awkwardly sat and waited for someone to speak up.

Dr.Virat cleared his throat and said, “Ronan, I explained everything that you told me yesterday to the leaders and also proposed an idea to them. Before we can tell you our decision, I must tell you that I am a member of the Albus family. I made this decision for the mutual benefit of both of us. I hope you will listen to it with an open mind.”

Ronan was a little bit surprised at Dr.Virat’s confession. He had noticed that some people were more respectful of Dr.Virat than the other doctor. He finally understood why Virat had such a status in the mercenary village.

Understanding that Dr.Virat was stating this fact to prevent any misunderstanding later on, Ronan nodded his head.

Virat appreciated the maturity of Ronan to take the situation with a positive attitude.

Unknown to him, Ronan already had the same theory. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense why Dr.Virat had complete control of the medical camp with no supervision from the leadership.

Dr.Virat took a deep breath and said, “After much consideration and discussion, Albus mercenaries have decided to swear our loyalty to Acolyte Ronan as our lord.”

Dr.Virat used the official titles and explained them in clear words. He didn’t want Ronan to misunderstand that he was using his authority as a teacher to force him in any way. Ronan must have the freedom to make any decision as per his choice.

Despite convincing Idris, Virat knew that there was a chance that Ronan might reject their offer.

Unlike others, Ronan would be able to see past the benefits and find the disadvantages of accepting the Albus mercenaries.

The Albus village had a total population of nine thousand men, women, and children. It included two thousand five hundred warriors, three thousand women, fifteen hundred children, and a thousand servants and others.

Accepting their allegiance meant accepting the responsibility of nine thousand lives. He would have to make major decisions concerning their lives. Life, or death, prosperity, or poverty, of nine thousand people, will depend on him.

Ronan may be a thirteen-year-old, but he most definitely knew the burden of thousands of lives. He might not fear this burden a few years later, but it was too much for the current him.

Obviously, neither Virat nor Idris would put such a large burden on Ronan. Nothing would change whether he accepts their offer or not, but it is a fact that he would be their new lord, and a lord must take care of his people.

Ronan was gobsmacked as he heard Dr.Virat’s words.

He had expected an offering of friendship, maybe a position in the mercenary leadership to build a connection with him. He even thought that they may propose marriage. All to maintain friendship and tie him down to the Albus mercenaries.

Ronan was no ordinary kid, so he wouldn't fall into any of their traps. He mentally prepared himself to only accept an honorary position at most.

Ronan was raised by the mercenary village from a young age, and the last three years he experienced made him who he is. Ronan couldn’t abandon Dr.Virat and his friends, Kaleb and Derek. Thus he decided to help the village with his limited capacity.

But the turn of events dumbfounded him. He anticipated all scenarios, but he never imagined that the Albus family was crazy enough to swear loyalty to him as their lord.

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It wasn’t something as simple as an employment contract. Swearing loyalty meant that he would be the lord of all the Albus village and, everything in it, people, or property, would belong to him.

It was an offer too good to believe. It might be just a village, but it belonged to the Albus family. There is no reason why anyone in power would voluntarily give it up.

Unable to understand why they came to such a decision, Ronan couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

Idris looked at Ronan and said, “Because I trust in Uncle Virat’s judgment.”

Ronan looked at Idris. He had seen this leader of the mercenaries before. Derek talked a lot about the Albus brothers, particularly Idris because he was apparently the strongest knight in the village. Derek admired Idris and dreamed of becoming a knight like him.

Ronan couldn't understand the reason but could tell that Idris was totally serious and questioned, “Judgement? about what?”

Idris smiled a little and said, “Uncle believes in you. Now that you are a disciple of Count August, he believes that your future is limitless. Uncle believes that all you need is time and some help. There will come a day when you will surpass many.

Do not misunderstand our intentions, Ronan.

We are not sacrificing ourselves with this proposal.

It is for mutual benefit.

It has been over seventy years since the Albus mercenaries were founded. We tried to remain independent and expand many times, only to be met with resistance from various nobles.

Two generations have passed, and even in my generation, we have remained stagnant. Doing odd jobs for nobles and minding our business in a small corner of the empire.

Our children cannot dream big and our ambitions are limited by our birth. You know better than anyone what it means to have a noble lineage. We are powerless in this world and have no way to gain a foothold by ourselves.

We could swear loyalty to established nobles, but we would be sidelined due to our limited importance. Instead, we are betting on your future as it would benefit both of us.

Currently, you have no background or status except for being a disciple of Professor August. Yes, that alone would be enough for you to be taken seriously, but you must know that a paper tiger cannot scare many for long. Until you become a wizard, you need helpers and guards who will be your arms and feet. We will fulfill that role.

When you succeed in the future, we would naturally benefit as well. Thus, I agreed to Uncle Virat’s proposal.”

Idris didn’t try to hide his thoughts and explained his reasons sincerely. He believed that opening up and being honest about his plans would be better than hiding under petty schemes. Ronan may not understand them yet, but sooner or later, he would grow up, and resentment would build inside of him if he was lied to. It was better, to be honest.

Ronan calmed down as he listened carefully.

Neither Virat nor Idris tried to take advantage of him, rather they decided to trust him and explain their plans. He felt better knowing that they were sincere in their intentions. Ronan wouldn't want to make any shady deals with someone with ulterior motives hidden under their smiling faces.

It was true that he would gain a lot by accepting the proposal. It was also true that he had nothing to offer in return just yet.

The Albus mercenaries were purely betting on a young genius hoping that their gamble will pay off. Sure, they would want something in return, but who wouldn’t?

Ronan was not against the idea of paying back favors. All said and done, he was still a nobody. If he could gain the power of Albus mercenaries, then he would have a sizable force equal to some barons. It was not much, but it was better than nothing.

Also, he had no chance of gaining such power in near future. After all, an acolyte's status was way inferior compared to a wizard. No one would swear their loyalty to him, and he had no way to build a reliant force from scratch.

The Albus mercenaries can be trusted due to Dr.Virat's presence. Ronan had a deep enough connection, and they had no reason to betray him either.

Considering the problem of taking care of them in the future, Ronan didn't think it was a big deal.

Although he had no power right now, it would only be a matter of time before that changes. When he becomes an official wizard, the empire will grant him a title, not to mention the August family. Surely they would want to keep him under their banner.

The land was abundant in this world. The only thing that mattered was legitimacy. The Albus mercenaries occupied a piece of land and didn't pay taxes. If the land was rare, no one would have allowed that.

Instead, the land was large and difficult to govern, resulting in the surrounding nobles turning a blind eye as they didn’t want to offend the six knights of Albus village.

Ronan had many plans for his future territory. It would be a tremendous help if he had loyal people who can immediately move in and help. He could bypass the initial period of difficulty in developing it.

Furthermore, Ronan knew that he could simply expand the score of Albus mercenaries if he wanted more power. It would be simple as the systems are already in place. The Albus brothers will be able to maintain control over new people.

Ronan could understand everything but couldn’t understand the urgency of the proposal. So he asked, “I understand why you would want to swear allegiance to me. I think it is fair that we mutually benefit from this proposal. Your support will indeed be helpful to me. What I do not understand is the timing of this proposal?

As far as I know, the only person I interacted with among the leaders is Matleb. I doubt that he has the best opinion of me. Dr.Virat knows me very well. Surprisingly, he is a part of the Albus family.

But even after considering all of the factors, I do not see any reason as to why you would rush to make such a major judgment. As a leader of the mercenaries, you could have waited for a few months. Contemplate about everything, and then you could have made the same proposal.

By then, I would have perhaps experienced the life of nobles and the value of a personal force. I would be even more inclined to accept your offer, and you could have negotiated better conditions.”

Idris and others looked at Ronan in surprise. The only one who sat there calmly smiling as if he expected this was Dr.Virat.

The way Ronan articulated his thoughts and analyzed the pros and cons surprised all.

‘Sure enough. He is different. I can understand why Uncle Virat feels so confident about him. He bypassed all the general questions and asked me the most important one.' Idris thought with a smile.

Taking a deep breath, he relaxed and said, "Would you believe me if I said that the reason is my instinct? My father always told me to take uncle Virat's guidance very seriously.

I always believed in fate. It is unbelievable what you have achieved in the past three years. Going from a little kid to a senior apprentice then to a wizard acolyte under Professor August, a great wizard. His status is unshakable in the empire.

I believe that these all are signs in addition to uncle Virat's proposal. So I chose to go with my gut feeling and decided to present the proposal right away. I feel that we might be too late if I wait any longer."

Ronan smiled as he heard Idris. A leader who is not arrogant enough and can listen to the counsel of elders is rare. No wonder the mercenary village functioned with such efficiency. He had rare leadership skills. Ronan felt happy knowing that he would have a capable subordinate.

"Very well. I think that is a good enough reason. Maybe your gut feeling will prove right," Ronan smiled enigmatically and continued, "I will accept the fealty of the Albus mercenaries and pledge that I will protect all those under the banner of the Albus village for a lifetime." He declared.