Chapter 96 : The Mercenary Bureau’s First Request (10)
Chapter 96: The Mercenary Bureau’s First Request (10)
“Damned thieves! We are all going to starve to death because of you!”
“I will teach you a proper lesson!”
“Heathens who don't even know God!”
The Northerners radiated intense hostility.
However, that hostility was nothing compared to the bloodlust of the mercenaries.
“Wait, aren't those the thieves from last time?”
“What? Really? Damn it! They really are those sons of bitches.”
Fire ignited in the eyes of the mercenaries.
“You bastards are all dead today!”
“I will separate your bones from your flesh and turn you into salted fish.”
“I will pull out your intestines and use them as a jump rope.”
“I will rip off your arms and shove them up your rear.”
The Northerners gasped at the unheard of hostility from the Southern mercenaries.
Soon, quiet conversations passed among the Northerners.
‘What is wrong with them?’
‘They are angrier than we are.’
‘Were Southerners always this ferocious?’
However, it was only natural if one thought about it.
The anger of those who lost their entire fortune in an instant was bound to be greater than those whose wealth was nibbled away slowly.
Ragnarsson rode from the front of the marching column and shouted in a loud voice so that everyone could hear.
“Turn the column to the right and face the enemy!”
The soldiers moved swiftly.
The knights pulled out to the front, and Ragnarsson’s brief speech ended immediately.
-Waaaaaaaaah!
-Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
The Northerners screamed in excitement.
Meanwhile, the rebels gradually closed the distance.
However, once they were close enough, the sound of a horn echoed from the enemy camp.
-Bwoooooooo.
-Rumble.
The enemy knights charged and shook the ground.
The Elf knights standing against them also kicked their horses' sides.
Ragnarsson was at the very front.
“I will trample them just like this! Knights, follow me!”
“Kiyooooo!”
“For honor!”
-Neighhhhh!
Ragnarsson led the Elf knights and charged toward the enemy knights.
The lance tucked under his arm swayed as if it would break.
However, its tip was pointed sharply at the enemy knights.
Before the knights of both sides clashed, a sudden anomaly occurred that no one had predicted.
“???”
“What the!!”
“What do you think you are doing!”
Suddenly, the rebel knights split apart and turned their direction to begin fleeing.
“What the hell??”
Ragnarsson found it hard to believe the situation unfolding before his eyes.
He wondered if they lacked the honor of a knight even if they were rebels.
He was appalled that a knight would turn his back before even fighting.
“To defile the name of a knight-!”
His cry mixed with anger was returned with vulgar insults.
“Hahaha! You fool. Follow us if you can!”
“I heard you are an illegitimate child?”
“That is not what I heard. I heard you are the son of an uncle. Uhahahaha. A child born of an affair!”
“...!”
Ragnarsson’s face turned bright red.
‘How dare they!’
He was furious that they were shouting groundless rumors as if they were true. There was no longer any need to fight these ruffians with etiquette.
“Fine! I will personally pull out your tongues!”
Ragnarsson kicked his horse with all his might. The warhorse let out a short cry and kicked off the ground.
He was far ahead of the column.
“Viscount! Viscount! It is dangerous to go alone.”
“Stay close. We must protect the Viscount!”
The loyal Elf knights followed closely behind Ragnarsson.
-Rumbleee.
A breathtaking chase unfolded on the plains. However, catching up to the lightly armed rebel knights with heavy warhorses was not an easy task.
“Uhahaha. Ragnarsson. Is that the extent of your horsemanship?”
“Pathetic. Strip away the name of a knight!”
The rebel knights provoked Ragnarsson while maintaining a constant distance.
‘Wait?’
Ragnarsson suddenly looked back after riding for a while.
The distance from the infantry had become immense. He realized the ally infantry line would be exposed to a surprise attack if he continued to chase blindly.
He had to return quickly before it was too late.
“Hmph! Who do you take for a fool! You are mistaken if you thought I would fall for such a scheme.”
Coming to his senses, Ragnarsson scanned his surroundings. He saw a rebel serf infantry unit preparing for a charge.
‘I’ll have to take care of these bastards first.’
He decided he should deal with those men first. He thought it was better to remove a threat to his allies while returning.
“Enough. Turn around! We will execute those serf rebels just like this!”
“Understood, Viscount!”
“Hyahhhh! Death calls for us-!”
Ragnarsson turned his direction abruptly.
-Neighhhhh.
-Rumble.
The rebel knights were flustered by the unexpected turn of events.
“Ragnarsson! Your opponent is here!”
“Why are you turning back? Are you going to strike the lowly peasant soldiers?”
Ridicule and insults poured in from afar, but Ragnarsson snorted.
“What a joke coming from the same kind of people.”
The serfs forming a thick wall grew closer by the second. He could clearly see their tense expressions.
“Lances downnnn!”
“Lower the lances!”
Ragnarsson tilted his lance at an angle. The warhorse gathered its last bits of strength to increase its speed.
The outcome seemed decided.
Even so, the rebel serfs held their ground firmly with their spears.
“As expected! These people are truly Northerners! They are a hundred times better than those thieves on horseback! Now take this, oh nameless warriors! You may gladly be called warriors-!!”
Ragnarsson laughed heartily. He planned to grant them a perfect death in return for the pride of a Northerner.
However, a sudden command rang out before the lances could reach the serfs.
“Now-!”
-Hyaaaah!
The serfs raised the long spears they had hidden beneath their feet.
“?!?!?!”
-Neighhhhhh!
It was a trap using long pikes.
He hurriedly grabbed the reins, but it was too late. The knights crashed helplessly into the protruding spears.
-Crack!
-Crunch!
-Aghhhh!
The sound of iron tearing and the screams of horses and men created total chaos.
The commander of the serfs immediately shouted loudly.
“For freedom!!”
-Waaaahhhhhhhh!
* * *
Shatien was startled while watching Ragnarsson from afar.
He did not remember Northern rebels using long spears in his past memories.
‘Damn it. Has the future changed again because of me?’
He expected it, but he did not think it would change so quickly and fatally. His influence on the world grew larger as he built his fame. Miles ran over before Shatien could process his surprise.
“Shatien! Shatien! Isn’t that our tactic?”
“Yes. It is crude, but it seems they copied it properly.”
Miles suddenly laughed heartily.
“Kwahahaha. Those bastards are imitating us now? It feels quite dirty yet I’m also happy. Doesn’t it mean we are recognized that much?”
“...It is not something to be that happy about, Miles.”
Just then, a sudden horn sound was heard.
-Bwoooo!
“Save the Viscount! General attack!”
-Waaaaaah!
The Northern soldiers charged and vibrated the ground. Only the mercenaries led by Shatien remained alone where the dust had settled.
“Shatien!! We must attack this time too! Otherwise, we will be isolated. Let’s advance quickly!!”
However, Shatien shook his head.
“We cannot. We must break even this time.”
“What?”
His true feelings had come out unintentionally. Shatien hastily changed his words.
“No! I meant we must protect the supplies. We cannot have them stolen again can we. Haha.”
What did he mean?
Miles raised his eyebrows in confusion. Even the biggest Shatien glazer himself couldn’t let this pass.
“What are you talking about. Who would attack these supplies. It clearly looks like an operation to annihilate Sir Ragnarsson’s unit!”
Miles pointed forward as he spoke.
-Waaaaaah!
-Hurry. We must get to our destination.
-We must go save the Viscount no matter the cost.
The soldiers were running with all their might to save Ragnarsson. The rebel knights were attacking the weakened flanks of those soldiers.
It was a very textbook method of attack.
None of them were running toward the supplies protected by Shatien.
Shatien shook his head.
“Do you really think they are the end?”
“Huh?”
“Think carefully about how many thieves we have met so far. The resources we have now are the items most desperate for the rebels. There is a high possibility that is a fake. If they were truly serious, that unit would have collapsed long ago.”
“Oh…!”
Miles opened his eyes wide as if he had realized something.
There was no better opportunity for the rebels who were eyeing the supplies.
‘They say the position makes the person.’
Miles marveled inwardly. He thought that out of the box thinking was something only a commander could do.
“Yes, Shatien. You are right. Indeed you are. Ehehehe.”
Of course, he was still worried. He knew the people fighting in there were serious even if that was not the true intention.
‘But Ragnarsson is a formidable knight.’
Ragnarsson was a powerful almighty force.
A man who defended a bridge alone against an army of hundred.
There was a reason why such nicknames existed for this man. He was strong enough to be called the incarnation of god of war. He was not one to fall to such a trap at the hands of serf soldiers.
“Then quickly form a square.”
“How? We have so many wagons, what should we do with them?”
“We form a square with them as well. We fill all the corner parts of our square formation with wagons.”
“Oh!”
It was a kind of mobile fortress.
Shatien was using a tactic in reverse that had been developed by infantry to deal with cavalry.
The square construction was complete after a short while.
“Long spears forward!”
“Forward!”
-Clack, clack.
A complete square formation utilizing the wagons was finished.
-Rumbleee!
A group of cavalry appeared from far away. They were rebel knights who had bypassed the forest.
Their number was as many as a hundred.
They would have been victimized if they had not prepared in advance.
* * *
The rebel knights galloping across the plains were in a state of peak excitement.
“Uhahaha. Sir Renalf. Look over there. It is nothing short of a mess.”
“The battle is truly flowing just as that person said.”
Renalf recalled what the young serf had said.
-Lead the knights and attack the enemy’s rear. There will be no defense. If we recover the supply materials or deal with the remaining forces, we will win a great victory in that battle.
Indeed, it was so.
The formation of the unit led by Ragnarsson had already collapsed. The unit guarding the supplies was only a handful of troops.
Renalf thought all the merit would be his if they charged like this!
However, he realized something was a bit different as he got closer.
“Hmm…?”
He thought they were wagons placed randomly, but countless sharp things were standing between them.
“Could it be… long spears!?”
What was waiting for them was a mobile fortress where wagons and long pikemen were intermingled.
“Damn it!!! What is thisssss!”