Chapter 116 : The Mercenary Bureau’s First Request (30)
Chapter 116: The Mercenary Bureau’s First Request (30)
If they were to make an excuse for themselves....
“What?! The noble bastards moved?!”
“Yes. They are suddenly leading soldiers and coming this way.”
“But why?! How on earth did they know!! Is there a traitor?”
“A traitor?! Dammit. Everyone is here right now, so what kind of traitor could there be.”
In truth, even the Council had no intention of causing such a massive disaster.
They simply intended to mobilize the people they controlled to create as much confusion as possible.
Honestly, they were not formally trained soldiers, and how much organizational power could they really have. They just intended to risk their lives, set fires, and cause a riot.
However, the situation took a strange turn.
-Where are the Council members?
-Hmm? They are gathered in the corridor?
-Why??
-I don't know, but it will be easy to talk to them. Let's go and have a conversation. Isn't Baron Rollo fussing for us to persuade them anyway. Haha.
Suddenly, the noble faction sent people to find the Council members. Their original intention was to pressure them through persuasion so the Council wouldn't have a change of heart....
“They definitely found out!”
“Otherwise, would they suddenly burst in so systematically like that?”
“Son of a...!!”
Things got tangled.
The Council members, having much to be guilty about, perceived their movement as an attack intended to kill them.
“Now. We must move right now!!”
“Set the fires. It's all or nothing!”
“If we stay still, we all die.”
The Council members, who had been somewhat lukewarm, now had a fire lit under their feet.
“Wh- what... what about those nobles...?”
“What do you mean! Block them! No, scatter!!! Set fires everywhere quickly!”
“If we keep setting fires, they won't be able to chase us.”
That was it.
Unintended consequences kept piling up and a massive accident occurred.
The burning Holsten Castle.
Everyone screamed as it collapsed in the great conflagration.
* * *
“Fire!”
“Put it out quickly. Quickly! Dammit. Which madman is setting fires everywhere! Argh.”
Chaos.
It was truly nothing but chaos.
The night was deep, but the city was bright. It was certainly not because of the large moon. It was the flames burning everywhere. Due to the nature of the city buildings being built close together, the fires that began to burn were greedily devouring everything.
Particularly, the waterway area where Shatien and Viscount Norten emerged was close to the slums. A district of slums built haphazardly with crude woodwork. Naturally, it was bound to burn well.
“Wh- what should we do? Shatien.”
Thanks to that, everyone spoke foolishly and waited blankly for orders.
“What do you mean. We must push forward according to the plan immediately. Viscount Norten! It actually turned out well.”
“O-Oh? Right. Exactly! According to the plan.”
Organized arson at each location.
While the rebel noble faction was frantic trying to manage the flames, they would quickly seize the gates and march the army in.
At the same time, Shatien's special task force would proceed to capture the head of the noble faction, Baron Rollo.
This was the scheduled plan.
Something had gotten tangled from the start, but it actually turned out well.
With this much confusion, there was no way they could keep their wits about them.
“According to the plan! Miles! Head for the gate. You must open the gate as quickly as possible.”
“Understood! Just trust me.”
“Viscount Norten. Let us go together to take down Baron Rollo. I shall break through the path.”
“Fine. Good!”
Viscount Norten shouted gallantly.
Looking at how things were going, there seemed to be no danger. It was truly smooth. Sure enough, Shatien and Viscount Norten were able to head toward the center of the city without much resistance.
Perhaps they had moved the army elsewhere, as it was difficult to see any defending soldiers.
“H-huff, huff. You have arrived, Excellency!”
When they went to the pre-arranged location, Branch Manager Aubigne appeared, gasping for breath.
“What is the situation now?”
“Th- those noble faction bastards moved first, so it turned out like this. Currently, the Council members are resisting with all their might.”
“What? How on earth?”
“Did things go wrong? Is there a traitor inside?”
Then Branch Manager Aubigne jumped and shouted.
“No. A traitor? All the Council members are performing the task promised to the Viscount exactly as planned. Please believe us.”
“Hmmmm.”
He felt wronged by Viscount Norten's suspicious glare, but Aubigne was not one to dare speak it aloud.
Is the law not far and the sword near?
“Now, now. Calm down. Do plans not always go awry. What is important now is capturing Baron Rollo, is it not.”
“Well, that is true.... Fine. Is there a way?”
Viscount Norten asked, glancing at the mansion where Baron Rollo was staying. Indeed, that mansion was like a fortress.
High walls and firmly closed doors.
It was close to the fortresses popular in the Empire.
“It looks difficult to break through with force. It seems impossible since we have no siege equipment.”
“Branch Manager Aubigne. If the house was like this, you should have told us in advance.”
“Th- that is....”
To think he did not mention such important information beforehand. Shatien thought Branch Manager Aubigne was quite foolish.
Of course, unlike Shatien, our Viscount Norten was a bit enraged.
“Do you think it ends by being evasive? You!”
“I-I am sorry.”
“Incompetent bastard. Use your wits in that time. Go right now and speak to them!”
“Pardon?? What do you mean.”
“Tell them you are looking for Baron Rollo regarding the fire issue. Go quickly!”
Considering the noble faction had moved first, it was obvious how the gatekeeper would react, but Viscount Norten was cold.
He just needed to open the door.
If the door opened, he just had to squeeze in through the gap.
Branch Manager Aubigne might die in the process, but Viscount Norten was not one to care about that.
“Under..stood....”
Consequently, a tearful Branch Manager Aubigne went to the gate and explained while sweating profusely.
“?”
-Creeak.
Fortunately, those inside did not seem to know the current situation. Contrary to his worries, the door began to open. The gatekeeper's expression revealed through the door was full of irritation from fatigue.
“No. If you come suddenly like this at night. Sigh... huh?”
“Charge-!”
Shatien did not miss the moment and immediately shouted as he rushed in.
-Slash!
Since they gave an opening out of foolishness, it had to be exploited. In that split second of confusion, the two gatekeepers at the very front screamed and collapsed.
“Gugh!”
“Enemy!”
“The Council has betrayed us!!”
The startled guard shouted and tried to close the door, but it was already too late.
Shatien, having entered, displayed swordsmanship reaching divine heights and cut them down.
-Clang!
-Clang!
-Slash! Spurt.
Shatien, digging in between the soldiers, immediately cut their spears and split their skulls.
“Block him!”
An officer hurriedly appeared and gave instructions while drawing his sword, but it was still too late.
-Slash!
Shatien's sword took his head before he could even react.
“H-Hieeek!”
“Charge!”
“Secure the site. Push them back like this!”
Simultaneously, the army led by Viscount Norten began to pour in from behind. Before long, there were more people from the suicide squad led by Viscount Norten and Shatien at the front gate than there were guards.
“Do not stop. I shall break through the path!”
“Houuuuu!!”
Shatien shouted gallantly and advanced once more.
One swing of the blade, one scream.
In an instant, two people clutched their necks and rolled on the floor. Some enemies rushed in all at once, but it was no use.
-Thwack! Thack!
Shatien, who had also mastered knightly grappling, skillfully parried those who approached with grappling and showed them his worth with repeated sword strikes.
-Thud!
-Crunch.
Those struck in the knees collapsed to the floor, and those who attacked with spears were cut down along with their spear shafts and fell miserably. And this was not just limited to ordinary soldiers.
“A knight of the Lahi family.... Gugh!”
-Crunch.
“I am the honorable knight Valoang, ack!”
-Slash.
Even those knights of high reputation were being struck down in an instant.
They were lucky if they could even clash swords a few times or manage to say a word.
Unlike at the beginning, from the next engagement onward, the knights died the moment their blades met, without even having time to speak.
It was as if he were slicing radishes.
Consequently, everyone fell into terror.
Where on earth did a knight of such monstrous skill fall from?
“P-Perhaps!”
“Is he the Knight Killer Shatien?!”
Only then did the people of the guard realize who the person before them was.
The famous Knight Killer Shatien.
A legendary existence who went from mercenary to knight with a single sword.
“F-Flee!”
“We are no match for him!”
“Dammit, we are inside the mansion! The door is back there. How are we supposed to flee!”
Consequently, they all wailed.
The mansion intended for defense became a poison that trapped them instead.
“A-Aghhhhh!”
“Shit. I don't know anymore. Run!”
In the end, the terrified enemies collapsed on their own, throwing away their weapons in all directions and beginning to flee.
They turned around after casting off their armor and weapons. Some were even committing suicide while sobbing.
It was truly a massive mess.
And Viscount Norten, watching this from the back....
“Huh.... What kind of crazy monster is this.”
He could only let out a hollow laugh at the destructive sight.
The flickering flames.
The spurting blood.
The screams mixed with pain and wailing.
As all of this intertwined, that being called Shatien truly looked like an incarnation of terror.
‘I must never make him an enemy.’
Viscount Norten made that vow to himself without realizing it.
* * *
The battle that day ended very easily. First, the city was in such chaos due to the great conflagration that it was not at a stage where they could defend against an attack.
In fact, as Viscount Ragnarsson's army pushed in, they were in such a state of confusion that they had to mobilize the army to manage the great fire.
The rebel nobles surrendered all at once as soon as they discovered Viscount Ragnarsson's advancing army, and instead, they simply pleaded for a resolution to the current situation.
It seemed the situation had turned completely upside down, but they could not just stand by.
The intensity of the fire set by the Council was that horrific.
Consequently, the battle that day turned into a strange phenomenon where they devoted themselves to fighting the fire rather than a battle between two armies.
“Hmm.... Baron Rollo is dead?”
“I am sorry. He tripped while being pursued....”
“Haha. It is fine. Well, that was his fate. He would have been hanged anyway.”
Viscount Ragnarsson spoke nonchalantly. Well, his reputation might drop slightly for killing him without a trial, but what did it matter.
Viscount Ragnarsson had already heard about the military achievements Shatien showed last night.
‘I heard he advanced while mercilessly slaughtering the knights?’
He was certainly a great warrior.
To the point of being comparable to himself.
Otherwise, why would the fastidious Viscount Norten personally mention Shatien's achievements and tell him to give a large reward?
That strict uncle.
“Hmm. Since the battle is all over now, you will be leaving soon?”
“Is there not still the rebel force led by that bastard Balud?”
“Ah. That is taken care of. Uncle Norten decided to handle that from now on.”
“Ah!”
Only then did Shatien realize.
That Viscount Norten was now going to move in earnest. He was going to take a share for himself and keep Viscount Ragnarsson in check....
‘I am not sure if he knows that, or if he just does not care.’
No.
In fact, he might not care.
Contrary to Viscount Norten's ambition, the fame and status Ragnarsson had built up in the Rostingia Marcher Lordship were not to the extent that they could be damaged by such a thing.
“Anyway, with this battle, the contract with the Sauerland Mercenary Office is over. It is a shame. It was quite fun standing on the battlefield with you.”
“Haha. Even so, it is better not to have war, is it not.”
“Well. I want that too, but the world does not want peace. What can one do.”
The Emperor of the Holy Empire still wanted powerful imperial authority and wished to take away the power of each Elector and the nobles belonging to the imperial territories.
As long as the Emperor did not give up his greed, this war would break out endlessly within the Empire.
“Anyway.... Up until now, it was a relationship between employer and mercenary.... What do you think?”
“Pardon? About what.”
“You know. Is it not a shame to leave like this? Why not come to our Rostingia Marcher Lordship's capital? I promise you a special experience. You truly will not regret it.”
An unexpected proposal.
But also a proposal too sweet for Shatien to refuse.