Roberto, who had now become a member of the Rothschild family’s Information Department, was squeezing every ounce of strength from his body as if he were wringing out a dry rag.
“Ughhh! 19!!”
He spread his arms wide, pressed his back flat against the ground, and moved only his lower body for the eighth exercise.
After all the extreme training he had done so far, he was starting to doubt whether the instructor who suggested this as a “warm-up” was even human.
However, it was clear that protesting would only earn him a round of lessons from the strict educator.
‘Please, just let that damned final call not come…’
“……”
Thankfully, this time, the final call did not come.
Roberto thought he was incredibly lucky that no foolish idiot had made him feel like he was drowning in brain sludge today.
“Everyone, stand up!”
The recruits, covered in dirt, rose from their spots.
Roberto thanked the gods that today’s horrific training had come to an end.
Of course, tomorrow he would have to roll around like a pig in the mud, but he decided to temporarily erase such dreadful thoughts from his mind.
“I’ll give you 15 minutes to wash up and change, and then convene in front of the dining hall.”
“Yes, understood!”
Roberto and the soldiers, no, the future spies of the Rothschild family, began to dash out without even sharing a word of idle chatter.
Well, they were too exhausted to have the energy for conversation.
There was also hardly any time to splash water on themselves, wipe down with a towel, and change clothes.
So during the training, thoughts about family or anything else just didn’t occur.
‘If I’m late for meal assembly, it’s a minimum of an hour of calisthenics.’
Everyone rushed to wash up and arrived right on time.
“Am I really going to drop dead before the real work even starts?”
As soon as they arrived, the instructors led Roberto and the others toward the dining hall.
Every face among the trainees, no, the students, was brightened with smiles.
At the very least, the food was quite tasty here.
Roberto’s mouth watered at the sight.
“Everyone, hold your trays and line up to receive your meals. If you sit down the moment you’re hungry like that idiot a few days ago, he’s going to find himself spending a hot night with the supervising instructor after the meal.”
When they said “hot night,” it wasn’t about doing something bad between men, of course.
It just meant that while everyone else enjoyed their meals and relaxed, writing letters to their wives or families, he would have to twist his body outside in the moonlight for exercise.
Just the thought of it gave him goosebumps.
‘During the first week, for all sorts of reasons, I had to suffer under the moonlight…’
He had previously ignored the discipline and control while living in the slums.
He wasn’t causing a ruckus for drinks or money like back in the day, but he certainly had violated rules like making noise.
As a result, he and others, including Officer Rufo, had been ordered to suffer extra training at night.
Some foolish ones protested and caused a scene, but…
It was no surprise when ten men were quickly subdued by Officer Rufo, who was old enough that it wouldn’t be strange for him to be in a coffin.
And they were rolled around as if wondering how they were still alive.
“They only rolled us until just before death.”
If it looked like anyone would actually die, the instructor would pull them out to rest, while those with even a smidgeon of potential to stretch themselves would end up choosing to meet with the teacher of hitting sticks or run.
As Roberto reflected on the past, he found himself sitting comfortably at his seat.
The head of the training camp and instructor, Rufo, shouted with a loud voice.
“This food is prepared with the funds from Baron Rothschild to feed us, so let us eat it up with gratitude!”
“Thanks for the meal!”
Roberto gazed at the food before him.
There was a stew packed with chicken, white bread made from flour, and baked beans mixed with meat and beans.
Such stuff were delicacies he could only afford after completing a large commission while living in the slums.
But here, three meals like this came out every day.
Training was honestly so hard that he felt like running away at least a few times a day, but…
‘Without the Baron, would we have been able to eat like this every day?’
Absolutely not.
And if he continued to follow the Baron, both his family and he could have a meal like this every day.
Roberto finished his meal, not letting a single drop of soup go to waste with a grateful heart.
Normally, right after a meal, there would be instructions to return for personal maintenance and rest, but today, even after the meal was over, there were no orders to return.
It was almost never the case that time was taken away after a meal unless someone had done something very wrong or something very good had happened…
‘Is something going on?’
“Everyone, attention!”
At those words, all eyes turned towards the instructor.
“I just received some great news! Roberto, congratulations.”
Roberto was dumbfounded to suddenly hear congratulations directed at him.
“Eh? What’s the matter?”
“They say your wife is pregnant. Congratulations on becoming a proper father.”
The instructor patted Roberto’s shoulder.
Tears burst from Roberto’s eyes.
Having been born in the slums, he had always thought he would live a life rotting in the sewer, and thanks to Baron Rothschild, he could now begin an entirely new life.
He had never expected to ever be able to hold his own child.
“Is it true?”
“It’s a news that came directly from the women’s association. And here’s a letter written by your wife herself.”
Fabio had made sure that the wives were linked together, just like the spies here numbered as “a group.”
While the spies faced several restrictions, the wives were ordinary civilians, merely forming bonds with their neighbors under the name of the women’s association for protection and security.
Because no heavy duties were placed on the women, they ended up with many opportunities to befriend one another, which everyone welcomed.
“Read the letter later, and let’s celebrate again.”
Tears streamed down Roberto’s face uncontrollably.
When he lived in the slums, he couldn’t even hope to afford a child, and marriage was just a bad thing where he survived by scraping together daily earnings.
Yet, he was also filled with worry.
Having a child would surely mean his wife would struggle to move for days, and if he wasn’t there, there would be no one to help.
Yet he couldn’t just desert the training camp…
‘What am I really going to do?’
While he thought deeply, it was true that he had received good news, but the worries piled up like a mountain.
“And don’t worry about your wife being alone. While the women’s association will provide assistance, the Baron will take special care of her.”
To be exact, Fabio didn’t personally take care of each family of these agents.
However, he created a system within the family to ensure they benefited.
“You will receive a chicken every week, and along with that, there will be supplies like eggs. Also, during childbirth, a midwife trained at the Medici Hospital in town will assist directly.”
Even though he used to be just a beggar, Roberto was officially part of the Information Guild.
So he was well aware of the Medici Hospital.
‘They say nobles also have to line up there.’
They’ll have a trained midwife assist the birth there?
For someone like Roberto, who had only lived as a beggar, it was enough to make his head spin.
“After childbirth, various foods will be provided, and a maid will regularly assist with housework until she recovers her strength.”
The maid wouldn’t be one of those maid servants serving the nobles but merely a widow.
“They’ll even give seaweed, which is good for health. So don’t worry about your wife. Someone will take care of her even better than if you were stuck to her side.”
“Thank you!”
Rufo gently tapped his head and chuckled.
“That’s the grace of Baron Rothschild. Did I do anything? This kid still lacks proper mental training.”
“I’m sorry!”
“Does saying you’re sorry mean the training is over?”
“No, it doesn’t!”
Such words are usually said when one gets a scolding.
But they were both genuinely happy, smiling at each other.
“During today’s mental training, I’ll be watching you closely, so make sure to do well.”
“Yes, understood!”
“Alright, then everyone who has finished eating, prepare to head straight into mental training. That’s all.”
Sebastian came with the expense report for the spies and asked.
“Baron, is it really alright to spend this much on those guys?”
They had brought in 80 members from the Thief Guild, and the maintenance cost was over 2 gold coins per person annually.
For average employees, 2 gold coins was certainly not a small amount.
“Sebastian, loyalty can be bought with money.”
If you told someone to work overtime while receiving 200,000 won a month, that would make you the worst kind of scoundrel.
But if I were earning 200,000 a month, and they told me they’d raise it to 500,000 instead of just working a bit of overtime, would that make them the villain?
While the work would be tough in the moment, I would be satisfied knowing I was compensated appropriately.
‘They say professionals hardly have any concept of weekends.’
But why do those people try to keep that position for life?
“Our spies don’t just bring in information worth 2 gold coins.”
At a time when the Rothschild family was on the brink of collapse, they acquired intelligence about the Battle of Waterloo ‘days’ earlier than anyone else.
They had scraped up every last bit and spread rumors in London that Napoleon had defeated the British army.
The British national bond prices plummeted, and they bought all of it up.
When the real news broke days later, they sold it all, lifting their family, which had almost gone bankrupt, to be a British conglomerate and ‘hereditary baron,’ gaining a foothold to become a shadow that dominates the world.
This is how precious information can be.
“To make money, you must not hold back on investments. Invest when buying goods and also invest for customer satisfaction when selling. The main subject should be treated well enough that one might feel it’s worth dying for.”
Of course, in times of trouble, labor costs are usually the first thing cut.
But we are in a stage of growth.
“Now that training has wrapped up, our spies must have been deployed, right? But one has already been captured.”
I’ve gained favor with the Duke and the Emperor.
However, my position is that of a young congressman whose value is rising within the ruling party.
As the standing of the Sforza Duke’s family diminishes, given my rising status…
‘It’s only natural that they’re coming to keep me in check.’
“Bring Chris as well. It’s time to get serious.”
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