Chapter 88 : The Mercenary Bureau's First Request (2)
Chapter 88: The Mercenary Bureau's First Request (2)
“The north is no different from a living hell right now. Sir Shatien. With the cities falling, the internal atmosphere is buzzing. We've even heard news that some nobles have sided with the rebels.”
‘Hmm… is Balud moving already?’
He didn't know yet.
In fact, he knew almost nothing about the northern peasant rebellion or what kind of timeline it followed.
All he knew was that a remarkable figure named Balud appeared and the north and east were nearly turned upside down.
“Is there no other information?”
“There is no way to know since merchants aren't traveling. It has become a complete lawless land. Even the guild hasn't been able to make any proper moves.”
The war situation seemed more severe than he'd thought.
‘Still, I need more accurate information….’
In effect, he had zero information except for the map he'd received. Since the situation wasn't one where merchants could travel, obtaining information seemed very unlikely.
The words of the messenger, who said he'd delivered the letter while crossing the threshold of death several times, were not an exaggeration at all.
If he'd known it would be like this, he would've sent a letter to Sir Ragnarsson in advance to ask for information.
‘It can't be helped. I have no choice but to find out by experiencing it firsthand.’
If the situation was unfavorable, one had to experience it with their body.
It was especially true now since it was too late to send a messenger.
However, it was simply a matter of learning from this mistake and not repeating it.
‘Right. Let's get some sleep first.’
Thinking so, Shatien closed his eyes for a moment.
The road to the north was still long. He needed to save his strength.
* * *
The next day.
As soon as dawn broke, Shatien led the mercenary unit immediately.
The mercenaries looked like they wanted to rest more, but they didn't dare show that sign in front of Shatien.
They merely watched the receding Free City of Loren with longing eyes.
Shatien's influence and control over the mercenary unit had reached its peak.
To the point where no one dared to oppose him.
Anyway, after leaving the Free City of Loren and heading north for a few days, they encountered an unexpected situation.
-Thud, thud, thud.
-Neigh.
-Whoa, whoa.
They met a merchant caravan that had essentially been annihilated.
The carriages were burned, and dead people were strewn about miserably everywhere.
They were all abandoned in a gruesome, naked state, and to anyone's eyes, it looked like the work of bandits.
The fact that the cargo inside the carriages was completely empty made it clear they'd been plundered.
Miles narrowed his brows.
“Man, oh man. What's with this mess?”
“I agree. To think a caravan would be wiped out. There must've been mercenary escorts, so what happened?”
“They probably bolted once things got a bit unfavorable. Hmph. Or maybe they joined up with the bandits instead.”
Miles brought up a fairly distrustful story despite being a mercenary himself.
Well, that was understandable since mercenaries of this era were originally such beings.
Money and their own lives were more important, and loyalty was hard to find.
It was common for them to turn into bandits at a moment's notice.
Indeed, there were no people among the corpses who looked like mercenaries.
“We should be careful too, Miles. Since we've brought so many supplies, they'll likely be drooling.”
“Hehehe. Surely there isn't a crazy bastard who'd attack a force this size?”
“Well… I suppose that's true. Especially since it's broad daylight.”
Unless they were truly insane, there was no way they'd openly attack them in the middle of the day.
To anyone, it was a march of a proper mercenary unit seasoned in combat.
The number of people even reached 200.
However….
Sometimes, things outside of common sense occurred.
-Whiz, whiz, whiz!
Arrows that suddenly flew from the forests on both sides ambushed the mercenary unit.
Most of them suffered no damage thanks to their faithful equipment, but the mercenary who was unluckily hit in the neck was different.
“Gurgle.”
-Thud.
A few people collapsed while clutching their necks.
“Enemy ambush!”
“Dammit, are they crazy?”
“Form a square!!!”
“Oh dear.”
Shatien belatedly recalled a fact he had overlooked.
That war and hunger make even perfectly sane and rational people go mad.
And he'd lost two precious members as the price for that carelessness.
-Waaaaaaaah!
-Kill them! Plunder them!
Serfs whose bellies were stuck to their backs burst out of the forest.
Except for a few bows, they were in a miserable state without a single proper weapon.
To anyone, it was a difference in level where they wouldn't even be a match, but their eyes had already turned inside out.
-Kill! Kill them and take it!
“These crazy bastards!”
“Sweep them away!!”
-Schwing.
Shatien immediately drew his sword.
“Don't panic and respond. Square! Form the formation! They're just serfs. And starving ones at that!”
-Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal rang out across the fields.
However, while the noise was loud, the mercenaries defeated the bandits far too easily.
There was an absurd difference from equipment to skill.
The crude weapons of the serfs couldn't pierce the armor the mercenaries wore.
“Gah!”
“Ack!”
In the end, those bastards couldn't even flee and were all slaughtered.
Miles spat after seeing that.
Then he grumbled in a voice filled with futility.
“Dammit. We didn't come here to fight starving serfs like this, did we? Huh?”
“Calm down. It couldn't be helped.”
“Uuuugh…. Still, I hope we fight rebels next time. Look at those scrawny arms. They're just skin and bones.”
They still had to go up for several more days before proper rebels would appear.
But for starving vagrants to be overflowing already…. The situation was quite bad.
Shatien hurriedly spread scouts in all directions just in case.
“Search everywhere since remnants might remain nearby.”
“Yes, Centurion.”
While scanning the surroundings, a mercenary suddenly shouted.
“Centurion Shatien! There's a survivor here.”
“P-Please spare me! I'm not a bandit! I'm not one of those bandits!”
“Hmm?”
Shatien ordered the mercenaries to lower the swords held to the man's neck.
It was because a plump body was revealed beneath the tattered rags.
“Not a bandit…. Well, you don't look like a starving serf.”
The man spoke while trembling.
“I'm the tax collector for Baron Isen, who rules this area. I was captured as a prisoner after being ambushed by those bastards on my way back from collecting taxes.”
Miles, who was listening quietly, whispered to Shatien upon hearing those words.
“It seems that caravan earlier was actually a tax convoy.”
Shatien nodded while glaring at the man.
“I see you're a tax collector… so how did you survive? Did you run away to save yourself while your subordinates were all dying? I'm sure you've earned plenty of resentment from the serfs usually.”
“T-That is.”
-Thump!
“Oof!”
Since the talk was getting long, Miles immediately struck the man with his foot.
“This brat. Where do you think you're going rolling your eyes and trying to lie?”
“N-No! I was wrong. I wasn't trying to lie.”
“Then?”
“T-That is…. Just as you said, I ran away and hid, but those bastards who returned later found me and dragged me away.”
“Why? Without killing you.”
“The taxes they took are inside a safe. I'm the only one who knows how to open it.”
“Aha? Looking at him now, he's a golden goblin, isn't he? Ehehehe.”
Miles's eyes sparkled.
Since he said the money was in a safe, he seemed to think a considerable sum was inside.
Well, if they mobilized a safe, it wouldn't have been a small amount.
Of course, that didn't mean Shatien was greedy for it like Miles.
“Hmmmm….”
The taxes collected from a place like this would be predictable anyway.
How much could it possibly be at most.
“Let's help them instead.”
“Yeah, let's rob… huh? Help?”
“Yes. Well, how much money could there be. Besides, what we need is information on the northern region, right, Miles?”
“ Ummm. Well, that's true.”
A northern lord would know the news of the north best.
If they showed a favor, he'd give a corresponding reward.
Otherwise, it would be giving a justifiable reason to rob this territory.
“T-Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The tax collector, who heard the gist of the situation, suddenly shouted.
“There are only about 200 of them! The mercenary unit led by the C-Captain will be more than enough to wipe them out.”
“He isn't a captain, he's a Centurion. And he's Sir Shatien, who has been knighted.”
“H-Hieek!”
Only then did the tax collector jump in surprise.
It was because his status was higher than he'd thought.
He'd clearly intended to let them just brush it off later.
“You must tell your lord clearly. That we definitely helped you all.”
“I-I understand. Don't worry.”
Miles scratched his head at Shatien's words.
Since he was essentially saying they'd help those people.
At worst, it was a situation where only subordinates would get hurt without any gain, but Miles was a Shatien follower.
“Hey, pig. You said you know their location, right?”
“Yes! Yes! That's right. Oh, thank you, sir.”
“Hmph, sir my foot. You, brat. If you're playing tricks, you're the first to die. Got it?”
If Shatien decided on it.
He was a man who followed.
* * *
Shatien followed the tax collector toward somewhere deep in a mountain valley.
Despite climbing continuously without end, the mountain fortress the collector mentioned showed no signs of appearing.
Thanks to that, Miles was starting to reach the limit of his patience.
“Hey. Pig! Hey? Are you sure we're going the right way?”
Miles asked while tapping the back of the tax collector's head with the halberd he was holding.
“Ack. Y-Yes. Please, this halberd is a bit….”
“If you're scamming us, you are just going to die by your own hand. Got it?”
It was truly a fierce threat.
The collector merely lamented how he'd ended up in such a miserable situation.
‘Aren't they even more rude than the bandits?’
But this was only a thought.
He had no intention of saying it out loud.
In fact, the tax collector was a commoner, not a noble.
If caught, that madman with the bushy beard might take his head.
“It's just a bit further from here! Really just a bit. Please believe me. Hehehe….”
The tax collector replied in a very desperate manner.
He was so agile at times like this that one couldn't tell how he'd gotten so fat.
Anyway, amidst that very small happening(?), the tax collector's mournful steps finally stopped.
“There! Over there.”
Shatien, following the tax collector's fingertip, tilted his head.
“Was there a fortress in a place like this?”
“Hehehe… it's a fortress passed down from the ancient Empire era, but it was abandoned when the road this way vanished.”
“…….”
Shatien felt like his mind was going blank.
To think those bastards were in a fortress of all places?
But there was something else even more absurd and ridiculous. The number of smoke trails slowly rising above the fortress. No matter how he looked at it….
‘There must be at least 500 of them?’
Yes.
Attacking a fortress was already burdensome, but even the number was different.