Chapter 102 : The Mercenary Bureau’s First Request (16)
Chapter 102: The Mercenary Bureau’s First Request (16)
“Scorched earth tactics? This is driving me crazy. Are those bastards truly insane?”
Scorched earth tactics meant destroying all nearby villages in preparation for a defensive siege.
If this happened, the invader would have problems with their supply line and face immense difficulty maintaining the encirclement.
Just like Ragnarsson’s troops right now.
‘This... knowing Ragnarsson’s personality, he will probably just charge right in and start, won't he?’
Ragnarsson’s style was to fight heatedly before the food ran out if there was no supply line.
And if that happened, enormous casualties would be forced upon them.
‘I have to avoid that at all costs.’
I came to gain practical experience and earn fame, not to participate in a battlefield just to die a dog's death, did I not?
I had to prevent this at least.
And sure enough.
Viscount Ragnarsson moved exactly as Shatien had thought.
“It cannot be helped. We must capture Holsten as soon as possible. Sir! I will leave the main gate to the mercenaries. We will raise ladders and capture the top of the castle walls.”
Attacking the main gate.
It was a shitty place where the most casualties occurred.
Not that a mercenary could object, though.
‘What a headache.’
Shatien was agonizing over where to secure food when he suddenly thought of the rebel knights led by Renalf.
“Ah!”
“Mm? What is it?”
“Uh... Viscount. I have a good idea. A good way to maintain the siege and secure food too.”
* * *
-Blaze.
The once peaceful village was burning fiercely, engulfed in the demon of fire.
However, there were righteous men striving to calm this fire demon.
Ironically, they were bandits.
-Splash, splash!
Water was being sprayed toward the burning house from water jars carried diligently.
It was the village chief's house, which served as the community center.
To think that guys who had set fires and looted were putting out a fire.
Did they suddenly have a change of heart?
Rough curses erupted from the bandits' mouths.
“Damn it! If I catch the guys who went first, I will really kill them all.”
“There has got to be a limit!!”
“If they smash everything like this, how are we supposed to loot it later!”
The bandits carrying well water in jars raised their voices.
One bandit wiped the sweat flowing down his forehead.
But perhaps because it was too hot, he gulped down the water.
“You can say that again. These bastards who deserve to be torn to death. Cough. Ack!”
The bandit who suddenly clutched his throat collapsed just like that.
Then he began to vomit gastric juice onto the bare floor.
The watching bandits knit their brows.
“What is wrong with this rascal?”
“Did he breathe in too much smoke?”
“……?”
The bandit, who had been convulsing, suddenly went limp.
His pupils faded in an instant like a rotten fish.
Only then did the bandits sense something was wrong and rushed over to check.
“This rascal is dead?”
“……?”
“Poison! Poison! There is poison in the well.”
The bandits made a fuss.
Only then did the bandit leader speak while spitting on the ground.
“Ptoo! Is this your first time seeing a person die? Why? Want me to kill one more?”
The bandit leader was a rascal who killed people like dogs.
The hands of the frightened bandits became busy.
“No, no. It is not that.”
“Move quickly. Let us just finish looting here and go.”
The flames were brought under control thanks to pouring so much water that the well had run dry.
“This should be enough.”
The bandit leader was the first to enter the house.
It was a bold action even though embers still remained.
‘Ooh, as expected of the leader.’
The bandits followed behind the leader with sparkling eyes.
The embers burned down like a campfire.
There did not seem to be anything special around.
Disappointment clouded the bandits' faces.
“Damn it. It looks like a waste of time, boss.”
“Let us just go.”
Just as the bandits were grumbling.
The bandit leader pointed to a corner of the dry ground and spoke.
“You idiots. That is why you rascals are third rate bandits. Here, dig there.”
“…You mean here?”
“Yeah. Anyone can see the soil color is different.”
The bandits blinked their eyes and examined the dirt.
‘What is different?’
‘I don't know?’
Their shoulders went up in a shrug.
If he says dig, they had to dig. What choice was there?
“Ah, what are you doing! Get a shovel. Dig quickly.”
The bandits dug hard where the leader pointed.
Then at some point.
Clang.
“Eh...?”
“Uh, uh. There is really something here.”
The bandits' eyes went wide.
There really was something underneath.
The bandit leader gave a scoff.
“See? What did I tell you? Hey. Do not just watch, go and dig quickly.”
“Yes, yes. Boss.”
Soon, the bandits pulled a chest about the size of a human torso out of the ground.
When they forced the lock open, copper coins and a scrap of parchment with something written on it popped out.
It was presumed to be tax money left behind while leaving in a hurry.
The bandits praised the leader.
“Your insight is amazing, boss.”
“How did you know?”
“This is what you call experience. Experience!”
There were far more copper coins than expected.
The leader clutched a handful of copper coins and let out a hearty laugh.
“Ahahaha. This is enough for today. When we return to the hideout, let us catch a whole cow and have some fun.”
The bandits licked their lips.
“Be, beef, you say?”
“Is it a beef banquet today!!”
“Long live the boss!!! I will serve you with all my loyalty, boss.”
Just as they were turning their happy imaginations toward the banquet.
“Waaaaaaa!”
“Wipe out the bandits!!”
Their happiness could not help but be shattered immediately.
* * *
Ten minutes were enough for the heavily armed mercenaries to wipe out the bandits.
As soon as the mercenaries charged once, half the bandits fled, and the rest disappeared like grains of sand on a beach as soon as they collided.
Everywhere was lined with bandits collapsing with a 'ghck' sound.
It was a grand victory for the mercenaries, which was only natural now.
Most of the bandits became corpses, and only about ten survivors remained.
Shatien, who had been watching the whole process, had a smile form on his lips naturally.
‘The mercenaries' skills have improved quite a bit.’
Was it because they had experienced endless practical combat since coming up to the north?
The individual skills of the mercenaries had improved by leaps and bounds.
There were definitely experience points that only real combat could fill, which training could not.
Anyway, the mercenaries who had finished the battle dragged the captured bandits before Shatien.
Among them, there was a man with a particularly rough impression and a large build.
“Are you the leader? Anyone can see you look like you have eaten and lived well, so you must be the leader.”
“Yeah. You son of a bitch! It is not too late, so let us go! There are hundreds of comrades in our hideout!!”
The bandit leader made a threat.
Shatien just felt like laughing at those words.
As if bandits would come forward to avenge their leader.
However, contrary to that, exactly the story Shatien wanted to hear came out of that bandit leader's mouth.
“A large scale you say... that is a relief. I thought it would be a waste of time again.”
“……?”
Before the words were even finished, the bandit leader's head rolled on the ground.
The bandits, shocked by the cold-blooded sight, closed their eyes and began to tremble.
Shatien’s voice pierced through the ears of those bandits.
“You rascals looted and committed arson in the village. Today you will pay for those sins.”
Then the bandits made excuses as if they were wronged.
“W-We did not do it.”
“That is right, milord. We were actually putting out the fire.”
“Ah, sure.”
Shatien gave a scoff again.
“And?”
“Huh...?”
“Did you rascals not loot other places? You did it because it is easier to loot anyway, did you not?”
“T-That is……”
Seeing the comrade who was trying to make excuses to the end, murderous intent flared in the eyes of the other bandits.
“Shut up, you retard!”
“Hurry up and beg the knight for forgiveness.”
“Please spare us, Sir Knight. This stupid rascal said some nonsense.”
Shatien nodded.
If he had intended to kill them anyway, he would have killed them earlier.
He had spared them because he had a use for them.
“I will give you rascals a chance.”
“A chance, you say?”
“Yeah. Guide us to the wooden fence.”
The bandits' eyes went wide.
It was because they knew Shatien’s intent all too well.
What else would it mean to guide them to the hideout, other than that he would wipe it out?
Even for bandits without loyalty, it was no small matter to easily betray those they had shared bread with.
Is this not a world where religious faith was taken seriously?
“Er, our hideout is very poor anyway. All we have got is food. The copper coins we just got are all the money we have got.”
“That is right. Ahem.”
Then Shatien spoke.
“Is that so? So you are saying there is plenty of food in your hideout that hundreds of people can eat?”
Quite a relief indeed.
* * *
The bandits' wooden fence was a place quite far from the village.
A wooden fence towered in the middle of the forest.
‘Not bad I see?’
Shatien scanned the wooden fence and gave a short exclamation of admiration.
The main gate especially was quite sophisticated and looked hard to break without siege weapons.
Miles, who was beside him, proposed an opinion.
“How about a surprise attack at night? We can make siege ladders in the meantime.”
Then Shatien shook his head.
‘Why bother?’
He had only come to raid for food, so there was no need to spend a long time.
“Let us just go like this.”
“In this broad daylight? Without ladders?”
“What is there to wait for. Night is more dangerous. It is dark, so allies might misunderstand each other.”
“Uh, huuuuuh? Is that so?”
Miles nodded.
If Shatien says he will do it, he would somehow create a way anyway, would he not?
Miles was a Shatien-worshiper by nature.
“So then what are you going to do?”
“Just follow me.”
Saying so, Shatien drew the sword he had inherited from his master.
‘I think it will work. Probably.’
In fact, not just the mercenaries, but Shatien too was feeling that his mysterious intuition was getting stronger with the repeated battles.
As if...
‘A feeling that I can do as I have made up my mind.’
He thought that perhaps this was what contained the will of the knights who had crossed the wall.
And Shatien intended to realize his will right now using the mystery of the bloodline given to him once again and the power of the sword inherited from his master.
“E-Enemy!!”
“Come quickly! The mercenary rascals came suddenly!!”
-Ding ding ding ding.
The bandits shouting busily above the wooden fence stung his ears.
But Shatien ignored them and walked slowly to the front of the main gate of the wooden fence.
It was a door that was well-dried and built quite sturdily, but looking at it with heightened senses, it was not entirely without weaknesses.
“Ahahaha! That guy is a madman.”
“Hey, hey! You look like a knight, how are you going to do anything about that?”
“That is oak wood, you punk! Oak wood!!”
The bandits giggled, boasting about how sturdy their castle gate was.
As if he would cut that down with that crude sword. That was what everyone thought.
But.
“Hmm.”
Shatien regulated his breathing and raised his sword.
“Mm?”
“No... way? Is he really going to do it?”
He swung his sword with all his will and mystery.
-Swish!
Once.
-Shing!
Twice.
-Swift!
Three times.
And the door...
-Creeeaaaak.
-Craaaack, thud!
Unbelievably, it split.
“!?!?!?!?!?!?!!??”
“?????????”
Shatien glanced at the horrified bandits and just opened his mouth.
“Mercenary group, charge.”