Chapter 452: Who’s the Devil Now?
There were three quests in total for the battle against the Count of Basel.
They involved capturing Baron Landschaft, the lord of Birsfelden, and the Count of Basel. For Baron Landschaft and the lord of Birsfelden, the rewards were 10,000 points and 100 gold coins each, the same as for the lord of Hagenhausen.
The Count of Basel was worth 50,000 points and 500 gold coins, the same as the lord of Wischelbach, but I boldly gave that one up. Plundering the region was essential to acquiring the Gale Plunderer trait.
If the state of the war had been such that I absolutely had to capture the Count of Basel to win, I obviously would have grabbed him, traits be damned. But it was a complete victory for me, and the Count of Basel had simply holed himself up in his castle.
That meant there was no force left that could stop me. What’s more, word of the battle’s outcome spread quickly throughout Basel. And right on schedule, the scattered mercenaries started causing trouble all over the place.
Herto, who had been out scouting, hurriedly reported to me.
"My lord, a village is being attacked by a group that looks like deserters!"
"Is that so? We’d better run those wild dogs off before they pick it clean."
On the road to Landschaft, we rode into a village being raided by mercenaries. The bastards, who had been killing villagers, setting fires, and carrying off goods and women left and right, spotted us.
"Run! It’s the Gale Knights!"
"Verdammt! Scatter, no matter what!"
"Aaagh, the devil is coming!"
They were in the middle of brutal plundering, and they were calling someone else a devil? The moment we appeared, they scattered in every direction. They must have figured we couldn’t catch them if they split up, but it wasn’t a smart move.
My men turn into demons whenever someone shows them their back.
"Don’t let a single one escape! Hyah!"
"Show your back to Magyarország, and there is only death!"
My thrilled men chased after them like madmen and cut down every last one. Even those who surrendered while invoking their mercenary contracts were killed without exception. Mercenary contract, my ass.
The moment they fled the battlefield, their mercenary contracts became void. The mercenary contract was an international agreement that protected mercenaries who saw their commissions through to the end. It didn’t apply to runaways turned bandits.
They should have held their ground to the end, like the Swiss mercenaries.
The village chief, who had barely survived, came to thank me.
"Oh, my lord! Thank you for saving us! Where have you come from, sir?"
"I’m from Rosenheim, your friendly neighbor."
"Oh! I see. Rosenheim... R-Rosenheim?!"
The village chief fell flat on his back. I ordered my men to put out the fires. The village had suffered heavy damage, and many people had died. To make matters worse, the baron who was supposed to protect them had been captured by me.
What lifted the despair hanging over the little hamlet was my returning some of the provisions and valuables that had been stolen from them. Since it ran contrary to the rumors, this gentle treatment left the survivors deeply confused.
"I’m heading to Landschaft. If you want to come along, come along."
"A-are you sure that’s all right?"
Staying in a destroyed village was no different from offering themselves up as prey for bandits. Either that, or they’d end up becoming bandits themselves. Once they had permission, the villagers hurried to pack their belongings.
Handendorf, who had watched the whole scene unfold, sneered at Baron Landschaft.
"The enemy, Baron Rosenheim, is saving the people of this land. And where is the master of the Grossent family, the ruler of this land, right now? You should be truly ashamed of yourself."
"Hmph, you think things will be any different in Birsfelden?"
"At least I left my defenses in place."
Those two were dying to tear into each other at every chance they got.
Baron Landschaft deliberately looked away from the survivors. As a prisoner, there was nothing he could do. Deeply disappointed, his people began to trust and follow me, the enemy, rather than their own baron.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
"Don’t leave a single one alive!"
"Aaargh! It’s the Gale Knight!"
"Damn it, we barely got away!"
Three villages in the Landschaft region were raided by the fleeing mercenaries. Two of them were destroyed, but at the last one, I struck the raiders just before they could make their move. The Grossent family’s authority was badly shaken.
"No brutal plundering, and you even rescued my people. Baron Rosenheim, what exactly is your goal? Plunder? Or the subjugation of Basel?"
"My goal is to make sure Basel never invades my territory again."
"Congratulations. Now the idiots living in this land will pass out just hearing the name Gale Knight. My great liege in particular might even wet himself in front of you."
Handendorf flew into a rage.
"Baron! As a vassal of Basel, how dare you insult our liege?"
"Hmph, what does it matter when our liege’s honor and our own have both been dragged through the dirt? You’re a prisoner, and you think you’re going to cut off my head? Sorry, but my head belongs to Baron Rosenheim."
"Grr, once this war is over, Landschaft will be finished at our liege’s hands!"
"We’ll see if Wischelbach and Hagenhausen feel the same way."
At last, the infighting had begun. Wischelbach and Hagenhausen were disappointed in the Count of Basel, and Baron Landschaft was openly hostile, so Basel’s political situation was bound to fall into chaos from here on out.
Only the lord of Birsfelden was still defending the Count of Basel. Judging by Handendorf’s dirty little secret, which I had only just learned, it looked like Handendorf’s legitimacy rested on the Count of Basel’s backing.
To put it simply, the other lords had opposed a bastard becoming master of Birsfelden, but the Count of Basel had forced it through, and that was how Handendorf’s legitimacy had been established. It was a lot like Bodo’s situation.
The only difference was that Bodo’s legitimacy had been recognized by his liege, Finance Minister Adelbert, and by Streit, the prince of Rosenheim, so very few forces were in a position to object.
After we crossed a ridge, the town came into view.
"Who’s guarding Landschaft right now?"
"My uncle, who wants me dead. Since I’m as tough as an old boot, he never managed to get his hands on the barony. He’s probably rolling around in bed with my wife right about now."
"Like how your sister had an affair with a knight from a cadet branch?"
Baron Landschaft snorted and took the lead. To think people this broken made up Basel’s ruling class. It was a way of thinking I simply couldn’t understand. Anyway, the lord’s return caused an uproar.
The castle gates opened without a fight, and the Gale Knights disarmed the garrison. There were a few scattered clashes, but since this was the third time, my men had gotten very good at handling things.
Seeing Baron Landschaft leading us to the castle, the townspeople whispered among themselves. Surprisingly, though, the baron seemed to enjoy their stares. Handendorf sneered again.
"The master of the Grossent family is making a complete fool of himself in front of his people."
"Looks like you’ll be making just as big a fool of yourself in Birsfelden, won’t you?"
Baron Landschaft really didn’t seem to care. Waiting for us in the plaza was the baron’s uncle. I expected him to greet me, but instead he immediately started laying into Baron Landschaft.
"All that confidence, and you ended up captured after all? You’re a disgrace to our family!"
"Did my womanizing uncle have a little fun with my wife while I was away?"
"Your delusions are as wild as ever. What fun would I be having with your wife?"
"I already know everything. So why don’t you drop that pathetic act?"
"Foolish, arrogant nephew, you are unfit to be lord! My brother was fair in all things, treated his people’s problems as his own, and resolved them with reason. But you, driven by petty emotions, not only ignored the elders of Landschaft but have now lost all respect for me as well!"
"So what are you getting at? That you’ll kill me and take the barony?"
"Oh, my poor, pitiful nephew! The master of the Brist family in Basel will have you..."
Whack!