From Mercenary to King

Chapter 44: Second Clash (3)

‘Oh? Look at this guy.’

Captain Mordo stroked his chin.

It was because someone unexpected had offered a fairly good idea.

“Surely that is not his own thought, right?”

“Of course not, Captain. He is not the sort of man who can think like that.”

When Centurion Jacri said that, Captain Mordo gave a faint laugh.

“Do not judge him so harshly. Being able to listen to others is a leadership quality that matters more than you think, Jacri.”

“The problem is that it is obviously because of his greed. You can tell when he wraps it like it is all his.”

“Haha. That is Centurion Jenga’s charm. You will come to see it one day.”

They might not know, yet when you stood above others you saw straight through things.

Who was thinking what, who was aiming for what.

It was not a matter of natural talent, it was simply the difference in position.

Once you became the one who commanded, your view widened.

“Still, he did point out what we were missing, Captain.”

“Right.”

Captain Mordo nodded.

Thanks to the new Centurion’s thorough preparation, they had come faster than the other vanguards, yet the gap was only a few days.

It was still a very long way to Carcassonne. Updates are released by novel{f}ire.net

Over that long stretch, you never knew when the gap would close.

Centurion Jenga’s suggestion offered a way to shrink it dramatically.

‘Even if we are in the enemy land, there is no need to spill unnecessary blood.’

Besides, this place was a backwater of backwaters.

Even if they raided, what great things would come out of it? At best, furs and timber. They were valuable and fairly pricey, sure, yet they were on a war march.

They could not sell those separately, so they would end up unloading them for a pittance and only fatten the purse of the merchants, while also getting injured in the way.

“By contrast, the bounty Count Bellua posted was enormous. Eh, Jacri?”

“Enough to idle for a year. But that is partly because the road to Carcassonne is harsh.”

“There is certainly a benefit to be gained from generous clemency…”

If they smashed through each village by force, it would take time and cost them men. If they showed mercy, some villages might surrender first once word spread.

Stable supply lines and rapid advance. It was a very attractive method.

“Yet it is good to crush one as a lesson too. To the point they do not even dare resist.”

That also had merit.

From another angle, mercy might be seen as weakness.

Everything had pros and cons.

In the end, the choice belonged to Captain Mordo.

When such problems arose, he always did this.

“They say there is a palisade, yes? How high is it? Can we clear it in one go?”

“No. It is well built. The damage will be considerable.”

“Hm, is that so?”

He preferred to judge with a long view.

“Send a herald into the village. Tell them I am willing to show mercy.”

* * *

“Get ready-!”

“Check your gears!”

The Mordo mercenaries moved in haste. The palisade ahead was quite high. If they rushed in, they would gain nothing and lose men.

Even while he carried out the orders, Shatien felt wretched.

‘Did the attempt to persuade fail after all?’

He regretted that he had asked Centurion Jenga instead of moving himself.

However,

“Shatien!”

Miles came running, breathless, after hearing the courier’s message.

“Hold the ranks a moment. They want you to go negotiate.”

“Me?”

“Yes, Centurion. Captain Mordo ordered you to negotiate with the village head about a garrison.”

The courier spoke beside him. Shatien realized that Centurion Jenga had managed to persuade them after all.

“What are the details?”

“The Captain made no heavy demands. Lodging for the night, hot water, an oath to support us, and a reasonable amount of provisions. We will pay.”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

It was neither excessive nor lacking.

Shatien nodded, mounted at once, and rode for the gate of Pegandul Village.

-Creak.

Bowstrings on the palisade twanged as the village watch rose to the top.

“Halt! Declare your identity.”

“I am Shatien, Centurion of the Black Raven Mercenary Company. I have come to speak with the village chief of the village.”

At that, the village watch murmured.

‘Mercenary wanting to talk?’

‘Are they trying to spy before fighting?’

‘Why would a force that size bother with such a thing?’

‘True. Ugh… Of all times, a large mercenary company comes.’

Third rate mercenaries, when they could not make a living, fell into banditry. For a village watch that sometimes fought those bandits, the sight of a mercenary force on the scale of regulars killed morale at once.

“I am the village chief. What brings you here in such a grim manner!”

Shouting from atop the palisade, the village chief was tense. The mercenaries beyond were no easy lot.

‘The loss would outweigh the gain.’

If they took the village by force, the end came easily to mind. The best outcome would be to press a little supplies into their hands and send them off quietly.

“I have come to relay the words of Captain Mordo, who leads the Black Raven Mercenary Company.”

“Speak.”

“The compassionate Captain has decided to show mercy to your village. If you break your fealty to the Emperor, we will gladly respect your rights. In exchange, provide meat and grain and the like. We will pay the price.”

The village chief’s eyes widened.

It was because they were, in effect, declaring they would not sack the village.

There was the condition of abandoning their oath to the Emperor, yet folk like them changed lords like floating weeds.

There was even the condition that they would pay.

“Is he not using trade as an excuse to get his men into the village?”

“That’s totally possible. If that happens, then we’d be totally helpless.”

The village chief’s dilemma deepened.

He had already heard that war had broken out. He also knew the Imperial forces were giving ground. If not, why would a noble from the Kingdom of Ellang be waging war in the heart of the Empire.

‘But it doesn’t seem like any reinforcements would come for us. To the nobles, we are not important anyway.’

If they resist, they would die a shit death.

It was better to accept quickly when mercy was offered.

Once he made his decision, the village chief moved fast.

“Fine. My merchants tell me the Black Raven mercenaries keep their word. I will trust that. In exchange, limit the number of mercenaries who may enter at once to one hundred.”

Shatien nodded. It was not a large enough village to take nearly eight hundred mercenaries at once anyway.

“There’s no reason we can’t. But the prices must stay the same as any other year.”

“What!”

“A war is currently going on, so how could you—”

“Hush! Quiet.”

As murmurs rose, the village chief barked them down.

He knew very well that if they chased only their own greed, they would end up dead.

So he answered more humbly than ever.

“Of course. We will do so. Please take good care of us.”

* * *

-Neigh.

“Easy, easy.”

Led by Captain Mordo, the First Centuria entered Pegandul Village first.

“They are more organized than I expected.”

“Yes. I was curious how a village like this could raise a palisade like that, and there was a reason, Captain.”

All over the village, burly men with axes watched them. In their eyes, along with unease, was a wariness of the new intruders.

“They would not have been easy.”

Captain Mordo was pleased that his judgment had been right. To be sure, if they fought, taking the village would have been easy, yet they might have taken considerable losses as well.

“It is wise to have at least one friendly village in case something happens. Shatien did quite well for us.”

“He already bargained the price of supplies too. He handles matters well, Captain.”

“I did not expect praise out of your mouth, Centurion Jacri. Haha.”

Amused, Captain Mordo laughed and, guided by the village chief, headed to the village chief’s house.

The largest and finest in the village, it was where Captain Mordo set up a temporary camp and took a good night’s rest.

The next day came.

“We move now.”

After a peaceful night without trouble, Captain Mordo immediately reorganized the company and prepared to march.

He would have liked to rest longer, yet the war had only just begun.

This was no time to move at ease.

They needed to move efficiently.

“In time, Count Bellua’s herald will come here. We have already arranged everything, so do your duty as assigned.”

“W-We are only grateful.”

In effect he was an occupying force, yet Captain Mordo did not put on airs. He kept acting with honor. He was clearly different from the rough and unpredictable mercenaries elsewhere.

Thanks to that, the village chief could end his long worry.

“Um… Captain Mordo, I have something to tell you.”

“Hm? Is it taxes or something like that? Sadly, I do not have authority. Ask the Count’s steward who will come later.”

“No. I would not dare ask such a thing.”

“Then what is it?”

Captain Mordo tilted his head and asked. As if he had made up his mind, the village chief opened his mouth carefully.

“If you follow the road straight, you will come to a brook. A little east of that, the Imperial army is encamped.”

“The Imperial army huh… Is that true?”

“It is.”

The village chief spoke flatly.

Without meaning to, Captain Mordo felt his lips twitch.

To have mercy return like this. Surely the gods were helping him.

“Form a reconnaissance party at once. Find out their situation.”

He sent scouts immediately. In war, the more you parted the dark fog, the firmer things became.

He could not trust the village chief’s word blindly.

Before long, Captain Mordo received the news he wanted.

“Roughly three hundred infantry are encamped. One man who appears to be a knight serves as commander.”

Perfect for chalking up a battle honor.

Because of that, a strange heat filled the command tent. No one said it, yet with sparkling eyes they were all begging to be sent first.

‘He would likely send Centurion Jacri.’

As for their brand new Centurion, Shatien sat quietly among them and thought alone.

‘Still, I don’t remember this Imperial unit… What is this? Did something change? Ah, right. Since we didn’t fight and avoided plundering, there’s probably some difference in timing. It must be a unit that moved in during that gap.’

Even for a surprise attack, this first skirmish mattered. It would be an important fight. For a newcomer like Shatien, he had shown too little and lacked experience for the role.

Or so he thought…

“Shatien.”

Captain Mordo seemed to have a different thought in mind.

“You will lead this raid. You can do it, yes?”

He had picked Shaiten for this job.

“?”

“???”

“Pardon?”