Chapter 93 : The Mercenary Bureau's First Request (7)
Chapter 93: The Mercenary Bureau's First Request (7)
Shatien didn't wake up until the afternoon of the following day.
'Shoot, I'm late.'
He was about to leave after giving his farewells, but Baron Knut stopped him. He gave Shatien a magnificent cloak as a gift.
“May countless glories be in your future. This is a gift.”
“Thank you, Baron.”
“Please be careful. A rough storm is about to strike, and I hope you can balance yourself well in those waves.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
Shatien replied with as much courtesy as possible.
'It looks like I've gained more favor than I expected.'
It was a pretty good result for an investment of a few days. Thinking that, Shatien left the Lord’s residence and came to the center of the city. Just then, a man ran up while calling out to him.
“Huff… huff… Please wait, Sir Shatien!!”
“Hmm? Who are you?”
He was a man of small stature who looked to be about twenty five. He wasn't an elf.
“My name is Halbert. I've been assigned to be your servant from now on.”
“Hmm?”
A servant all of a sudden?
Then Shatien remembered the guide Baron Knut had mentioned during the last banquet.
“Ah! Are you that guide?”
He thought he’d just provide directions, but it seemed the Baron sent a whole servant.
'As expected of a noble, he’s generous. To think he'd actually send a full servant. Does he really like me that much?'
Or perhaps it was an investment in the future. Either way, it was a good thing for him. Shatien scratched his chin while looking at Halbert. Since he was the servant he’d be staying with, he couldn't help but be interested.
“Nice to meet you, Halbert. You look like a northerner. Besides guiding, is there anything else you're good at?”
“Yes, yes. I've served as a knight’s squire before. If nothing else, I’m really good at maintaining armor and weapons. Haha.”
“Oh.”
He possessed a fairly useful skill. Managing metal items was more difficult than one might think. Without proper knowledge, even perfectly good weapons and armor would quickly rust and break. He was a pretty decent talent.
“Good. Then I'll ask you to guide the way.”
“Thank you. I'll serve you with my life, Knight Shatien.”
“Haha. There’s no need to go as far as giving your life. Follow me then.”
Shatien immediately summoned the mercenaries scattered throughout the city. Miles, who was loosening up his body with cracking sounds, grinned at Shatien.
“Ehehehe. Shatien! Did you have a good time hanging out?”
“Hanging out? My head still hurts. They drank an incredible amount.”
“Really? How much did they drink?”
“I think I drank well over dozens of glasses of mead alone.”
“Khehehe. Hey, that isn't even drinking!!”
Miles then bragged about how much he’d drunk. Shatien, listening silently, furrowed his brow.
“I hope nobody died while drinking together?”
“Huh? Actually, one guy did suddenly disappear….”
“Good grief…. Didn't he desert because you forced him to drink?”
“Hey! No. That isn't it!”
“Yes, yes. I’m sure that’s true.”
Only sighs came out.
He told him to take it easy, but he rarely listened. Not in matters like this. Shatien massaged his throbbing head and scanned the gathered mercenaries. Everyone’s complexion looked good, perhaps because they’d rested well. It seemed their morale had improved quite a bit too. He also saw quite a few mercenaries with equipment hanging off them, as if they’d done some shopping.
“Good! Then you should pay the price for resting well, right?”
“Uhahaha. You're right!!”
“Yes, Centurion!”
“We’re heading out! The destination is the North!”
-Step, step, step.
The mercenaries moved their vigorous footsteps out of the city.
* * *
Halbert’s pathfinding skills were excellent. He knew the geography so well that he always guided them to places with drinking water, and he picked out campsites that weren't damp or too cold so they could rest well. Thanks to that, the mercenary unit was able to move steadily toward the center of the North without any accumulation of fatigue.
However, the problem was that as they went further up, the surroundings were rapidly becoming desolate. They were even ambushed by serfs a few times. Although they repelled them every time, they couldn't stop the fatigue from building up with each encounter. Shatien began to worry by this point.
'The serfs are attacking like this without any regard for their own lives…. It’ll be a disaster if a proper enemy appears.'
By now, it was certain that word of their existence had reached the ears of the rebels. Friend or foe? They wouldn't be able to tell friend from foe, but wouldn't they identify them as enemies for now? They might even send an interception unit to take them out. He needed to travel carefully to avoid clashes as much as possible.
'If nothing else, I must avoid the direct army of a rebel lord.'
The warning Baron Knut gave last time came to mind. That there were lords included among the rebel forces. If it was a force mixed with elf knights, a confrontation would certainly not bring good results. Halbert, who was guiding the way, returned from scouting the surroundings and spoke quietly.
“We’re almost there, Sir Shatien. Just a bit further from here is a plain. We’ve truly entered the center of the North now.”
“If it’s a plain, the wind will blow a lot.”
“Haha. The northern biting wind is famous. Still, I heard you brought plenty of winter gear.”
Sure enough, before long, a vast plain where not even a single tree could be seen unfolded. He didn't know whether to call this a plain in the first place or a grassland area he’d only heard rumors of. Miles, who was beside him, frowned at the sight.
“Tsk. Shatien. This is a totally open plain. It’ll be a disaster if we fight knights in a place like this.”
“I should dispatch the scouts further out.”
“That’s true, but… first, look at this, Shatien.”
Miles unfolded a map and pointed to a specific spot.
“We’re right here. Here. But… near this area….”
Shatien immediately understood what Miles was trying to say.
“I see. The rebel lord’s camp is too close.”
“Yeah. Dammit. What should we do? Honestly, it’s not right to tell them to hold pikes and stay in a state of alert tension every single time.”
Ignoring Miles’s grumbling, Shatien scanned the surroundings. No enemies were visible yet, but the sky was slowly turning dark. Night was coming.
'It’s hard for the enemy to ambush us, but conversely, it’s hard for us to hide too.'
It was a battlefield situation where those with faster feet had the advantage. However, they were all infantry. They had no cavalry forces at all. By this point, he reached a very quick conclusion.
'I should move quickly to get out of here.'
If they moved clumsily and took it easy, they might get caught in a large encirclement. It was right to move as quickly as possible to join Ragnarsson’s forces.
“Give it a bit more strength! Further up from here is Barr Ragnarsson’s territory!! You should rest once we’re there. There’s no place to rest here!”
At Shatien’s encouragement, the mercenaries put strength back into their feet. Like Shatien said, it was right to rest in a comfortable place. A plain like this was too wretched for resting.
“Understood!”
“Let’s go quickly. Come on, you bastards, move fast!”
Meeting a cavalry force in such an open area would be a total catastrophe. No matter how many times they’d repelled knights with pikes, it wasn't as if there was no damage. But right then.
-Clop, clop.
-Neighhh!
The scout who’d been sent further out returned and shouted.
“An army of over 1,000 is heading this way right now. Looking at the flag, it’s definitely a rebel lord’s force.”
“……!”
As soon as those words ended, dust rose from the horizon. Simultaneously, a tremor shook the earth. The enemy army had appeared over there. Miles couldn't hide his bewilderment.
“Dammit! Shatien! Should we fight??”
It wasn't a problem that could be decided easily. But a quick decision was necessary. Hesitating would lead to total ruin.
'Darn it!'
Shatien quickly scanned the surroundings. No matter how much he thought about it, facing such a large scale army in a plain like this was impossible.
“It’s difficult to face the enemy here. Let’s first move to a place where there’s at least some mountainous terrain.”
“Mountains? That’s rebel territory! And we’ll be caught in no time.”
“Let’s drop the supplies we brought. They’ll stop their pursuit because they’ll be distracted by them.”
At those words, Miles’s eyes widened.
“Are you, are you serious? Do you know how much that cost? Throwing it all away!!”
“That’s how they’ll stop. We have to scatter enough to tempt them beyond control.”
“Uggghh…. Then what about going into rebel territory?”
“Considering the size of the fief, wouldn't the troop count they brought be most of their soldiers?”
It was only the level of a barony. It was clear that the force of 1,000 was practically gathered by scraping everything together. It was essentially impossible to handle the cost of maintaining an army of 1,000 in such a small land.
“As long as we don't encounter other enemies before the sun goes down, it’ll be fine.”
“Fine! Damn. If you say so, then that’s how it is.”
As expected, Miles followed Shatien devotedly. Even while grumbling, Miles immediately followed Shatien’s words.
'In times like this, I really like Miles.'
Wouldn't it be a huge setback if they wasted time due to a disagreement? Thinking that, Shatien immediately ordered the mercenaries.
“Everyone, stay sharp! Pack only the minimum supplies and leave this place immediately! Scatter the remaining luggage messily around the area!”
It was a brutal command to throw away their property. But even so, no mercenary raised a disagreement. They all trusted Shatien with one mind and one heart. Shatien’s words had that much heavy authority.
“We’ll move immediately!”
“Quick, quick!”
“If you’re slow, you’re all dead! You bastards, don't be greedy.”
The mercenaries moved busily. It was a shame, but most of the supplies had to be left there along with the wagons. And soon, the pursuit began.
“Huff, huff….”
“Phew… this is crazy. I’m gonna die.”
“No! Move your feet faster. If you stop here, you’re all dead!”
“Aren’t we gonna get caught like this? Dammit.”
Was it thanks to the fast and correct judgment? The sounds of the enemy’s shouts gradually began to grow distant. Furthermore.
“Woooah!”
“Huh? Supplies! It’s supply goods!!”
“Oooooh!! This is incredible. It’s full of things to eat!!”
“You idiots! Don't break the formation!! Take the supplies later! I'll distribute them later!!!”
Shatien’s scheme worked perfectly, and the army chasing Shatien’s mercenary unit lost discipline in an instant and scattered everywhere, busy grabbing the supplies. Thanks to that, the mercenaries let out sighs of relief.
“That was fortunate.”
“It looks like we lost them. They’re truly obsessed with supplies.”
“Well, we saw it on the way. The desolate land. They look like they haven't eaten for days. Hehe.”
“They lose their minds when they see food. Hehe. As expected of the Centurion.”
However, there’s always another mountain after one is crossed.
-Bwoooooo!
Just when he thought they’d finally given them the slip, the sound of a horn trumpet rang out from ahead. And on top of that.
“Line up!”
“Lances up-!”
“Prepare-!”
Hundreds of elf knights were holding sharp lances toward them.