Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki
Chapter 175 - Volume 12 - Ch 5

"Hahhh!" Swinging her two longswords down with a battle cry, she sent a burly mercenary flying.

It was the semifinals in no time. This came as no surprise, given she had been able to put up a serious fight against Aisha, but Mio had overwhelmed all her opponents up until now without ever seeming threatened.

From beside me, Gimbal spoke, "How do you feel, Sir Souma? Of my country's warriors."

"They all seem very strong. I can see why Zem's mercenaries are renowned for their power."

It was true that those who remained in the tournament all had incredible martial ability. The place was littered with guys who could take on Kuu or Halbert—assuming he wasn't riding Ruby. Owen had said that Zem's mercenaries were strong against cavalry but weak against infantry, but they were just bad at fighting as a group. One on one, they were in no way inferior.

Gimbal gave a satisfied nod. "I'm sure you can. How about it? Would you be willing to enter a mercenary contract with us again?"

"It would be reassuring to have you as allies, but our country is in the process of strengthening our own military. If I were to hire them, it would dampen the spirits of all my subordinates who are trying to get stronger. I'm afraid to say I can't form a contract."

"That is truly unfortunate." Gimbal suddenly had a serious look on his face. "You seem to hate mercenaries, Sir Souma."

"...Not true."

"I can read between the lines. You've made a firm decision not to use mercenaries."

Clever man. I guess I can't dodge the issue, huh?

"It's not so much me, but my teacher, who didn't trust mercenaries."