Inside a spacious shack, Hiro, the lord of the territory, engaged in a discussion with Matta, the chief of Bulnes village. Hiro was seated at a sturdy table, his hands resting on its surface, while Matta, a robust middle-aged man, stood before him. Positioned a short distance away were Latte, the vigilant territory guard, and Enzo, a knight, both keeping watch over the meeting.

Matta explained his role to Hiro, who was inhabiting the body of Piero Sraffa, "Lord Piero, the leader of Eldham Village. Matt occasionally travels to town to sell the produce from both our village and Eldham. The profits then contribute to the territory's treasury. As for me, I oversee the gathering of our village's resources, specializing in forest exploration, hunting, and gathering various items. Unfortunately, our endeavors have been hampered by our lack of combat skills. We find ourselves defenseless against the threats of wild beasts and sometimes even bandits."

Hiro asked, "Please explain. In what way is your skill inadequate? Do you mean combat skill?"

Matta nodded solemnly and replied, "Yes, my lord. As you see, we are mere peasants. We only have old axes, spades, pitchforks, and bill hooks. More so, we couldn't fight."

Hiro turned to the knight standing not far from him.

"Enzo. Is it possible to train the peasants to fight?"

Enzo looked at Latte who was standing beside him.

"My lord. Latte here was a peasant. So was another one, Krol. It took years of training to at least make them a normal guard. Not only training, they also need real experience. They might suffer injury. What I mean is to train peasants to become decent fighters, you have to sacrifice farming manpower for the military."

Hiro now understood that there was a glaring trade off between economic manpower and military manpower.

"I see the predicament, Matta. Balancing labours and fighters is indeed a challenge. We'll need to make a decision carefully. For now, let's explore the possibility of gradually training a select few more young men to become guards like Krol and Latte."

"Understood, my lord. I suggest ten more men. 5 from Eldham Village and 5 more from Bulnes village. Luckily due to your late father's sacrifice, our territory is exempted from conscription for 10 years. We might be able to our fighting power without being sacrificed for the Kingdom."

Hiro, in the guise of Piero Sraffa, contemplated Matta's proposal. "Ten more men for training seems reasonable, and the exemption from conscription is indeed an advantage. Let's proceed with selecting and training these individuals carefully. In the meantime, Latte and Enzo, continue to keep watch over the territory, ensuring its safety. We'll need to find a balance between maintaining our livelihoods and bolstering our defenses."

Matta who was in deep thought for a while, finally voiced up his idea,

"My lord, that's for the future. We need the fighting power now and the skill must come with forest exploration skills."

Hiro became perplexed and questioned him,

"What do you propose? Knights and guards are not adequate?"

Matta became quiet and seemed hesitant to answer.

Hiro, still in the persona of Piero Sraffa, waited patiently for Matta's response, sensing the gravity of the situation. After a moment of hesitation, Matta finally spoke, his voice low and uncertain.

"My lord, it's not about the knights or guards being inadequate. It's about the urgency of the threats we face in the forest. Bandits and wild beasts are becoming bolder with each passing day. While the knights and guards do their best, exploration in the wilderness requires different sets of skills."

"Then, what is your proposition?" Jiro looked straight into Matt's eyes. 

"Mercenaries." Matt replied.

"Mercenaries?" 

Enzo interjected,

"Mercenaries are people with skills that we can hire. There are several types. Some can be hired in a war. Some can be hired to help us explore wilderness. Some even are hired for stealing and spying. There are even mercenaries who are hired for assassination."

Hiro was delighted with the existence of mercenaries. Mercenaries reminded him of the adventurers that existed in the video games he played or the movies he watched when he was in the original world.

"But it came with the cost. We need to pay them." Matta added. That's what made him hesitant before.

Hiro sighed, "And our territory was not that wealthy. The reason we want to explore the forest was because we desperately need money."

Hiro, as Piero Sraffa, leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. The mention of mercenaries presented both a solution and a challenge. After a moment of reflection, he spoke, "Matta, Enzo, your suggestion of hiring mercenaries has its merits. We can bring in skilled individuals to address the immediate threats in the forest. However, as you rightly pointed out, it comes at a cost."

He turned to Latte and Enzo. "Enzo, Latte, do you know of any affordable mercenary groups that operate in our region?"

Matta answered,

"Mercenaries are lurking in the towns. Someone like Matt of Eldham Village might have encountered them before. Even he never hired any of them. We have no experience of negotiating their pay."

Hiro leaned again on the old wooden chair.

"I guess I have to personally go to the town. But we need to gather some produces first so we can sell for some money there."

Matta and Enzo both acknowledged the plan, and Hiro, fully immersed in his new role, began strategizing how to secure the services of mercenaries to protect their territory and expedite their forest exploration efforts.