Chapter 86: Chapter 86
It was the morning of the day after the battle ended when Ranta, the commander of Horais’s horse archer unit, opened his eyes.
As soon as he regained consciousness, he was summoned to the tent where Cheryn and her retainers were waiting, and he bowed deeply to Shan before anyone else.
“I sincerely thank you for allowing this wretched life of mine to continue once more, my master. O Great Warrior!”
Shan felt truly embarrassed at the cringe-worthy flattery that poured out without missing a beat.
Though, if asked whether he disliked it, that wasn’t entirely true either.
“How is your wound?”
“Thanks to your concern, it has healed a great deal.”
Bandages were wrapped around his flank, which had been pierced by a javelin.
Judging by the depth, his internal organs should have been damaged, but he seemed to have held out until receiving treatment from a priest thanks to using some kind of special elixir.
Cheryn, who had been sitting quietly in the center chair watching this, spoke up.
“You know who I am, right? I summoned you because I want to ask a few things.”
“Of course, I will answer anything.”
Ranta giggled foolishly and expressed his intention to submit.
During the subsequent interrogation process, they were able to learn quite a lot.
That Elvin’s original plan was to reclaim all of Pendia within this year.
That those who collapsed Duke of Morayen’s army using bizarre magic were mages from the Southern Continent.
That in exchange for troop support, the King of Ruman was extracting all sorts of rare resources, including mana stones, from southern Pendia.
Upon hearing the story, Cheryn nodded with satisfaction.
“You know quite a bit more than I expected.”
“Though I am but a humble person, I lead three hundred subordinates, so I occupied at least a corner seat in the strategy meetings.”
He had heard that being the child of a Horais chieftain meant something akin to a noble over there.
It was hard to imagine given his servile attitude, but as someone of quite high status over there, it made sense.
Having extracted all the necessary information to some extent, Cheryn nodded and asked him.
“Alright. That is enough. I heard you contracted with the King of Ruman, so will you wait until he pays your ransom?”
“The King of Ruman probably won’t pay our ransom.”
“Why?”
“Because out on those western plains, there are plenty of people to replace us. Rather than paying money to bring back losers and give them a second chance, it’s better to bring in new ones.”
If nothing else, if there were an influential figure in Horais who would pay his ransom, it might be different, but he said that wasn’t the case either.
“I heard you are a renowned warrior and noble in Horais.”
“Thanks to that, I am also a rival to my older brother, who is the chieftain.”
According to the story that followed, Ranta had been in political conflict with his older brother, the chieftain, and was pushed into being the commander of a mercenary unit to supply food for the tribe.
The two hundred or so people captured together with him right now were his active supporters, while those who had fled instead were watchers attached by the chieftain.
“Indeed, so that was it…”
At the circumstances they hadn’t known, Cheryn and her retainers looked at each other and exchanged glances.
“In that case, do you have any intention of being hired by our side? First, we will provide food, clothing, and shelter, and your pay will be deducted from the ransom you originally ought to pay as captives.”
“Those are words I truly longed for!”
Ranta, who had no way to pay a ransom after being taken captive, and the Palles army, captivated by the outstanding power of the horse archers.
Thanks to the needs of both sides matching up appropriately, the discussion progressed rapidly.
It was to the point where one wondered if he had let himself be captured quickly from the start targeting this very outcome.
“Of course, I trust you understand that during this battle, you must remain as our prisoners.”
“I understand.”
If they were set free right now, they might all return to Elvin’s camp.
After all, his comrades were still remaining over on that side.
What reason was there to trust and release the horse archers, the most agile of all military branches?
Unless some great treasure was left as collateral.
“Ah, come to think of it, there was this.”
Shan pulled out a bundle of arrows that had been placed on the desk beside him.
The arrowheads were made of dark blue-gray metal and engraved with magic patterns.
They were the objects that had pierced his chest armor.
“The power of these was no joke. Are they perhaps a tribal treasure or something?”
“Yes. They are treasures passed down for generations in the Lugan tribe. Originally there were twenty-four, but ten disappeared over the passage of time, and I brought out seven of the remaining fourteen.”
Horais, situated to the west of the Arman Alliance, was furthest from the Demonic Realm, which meant that while encountering monsters was rare, it was also difficult to come into contact with relics of the ancient Alto era.
Because of that, such magic arrowheads were rare treasures even to a giant tribe.
The Lugan tribe would likely want to buy back these arrows with money even if they abandoned Ranta and all the horse archers.
Had he not been the tribe’s greatest warrior, he would never have dared to bring them out.
“Indeed… What is their effect?”
“Their armor penetration is far superior to ordinary arrows, and if lodged in a body, the embedded curse causes physical decay.”
If what he said was true, wasn’t it something akin to a cursed item?
Thinking that he would have been in real trouble if hit properly, Shan placed the bundle of arrows down on the desk with an uncomfortable feeling.
Seeing this, Cheryn smiled and spoke to Ranta.
“Those magic items are Sir Shan’s spoils of war, but since he yielded them to me, I will offer them as the ransom for employing your group. One year per arrowhead, totaling seven years. How about it?”
“I am only overjoyed that you are returning our tribe’s treasure. I will serve with a joyful heart, O Great Queen.”
“I am not queen yet.”
The reason Cheryn could make such a promise without hesitation was that to them, those arrowheads were not particularly special treasures.
While they might have been incredible items in an era lacking the ability to create magic tools, inserting a single well-compressed fragment of a mana stone could create something superior to those arrows.
Of course, since arrows became consumables the moment they could not be retrieved, they hadn’t bothered to craft such items until now.
It was a truly delightful transaction, having purchased a powerful horse archer unit with items that were unremarkable aside from their historical value as relics.
Amidst everyone’s satisfaction, Cheryn broached the topic.
“Come to think of it, I have something to tell everyone here. This is a story I heard from a spy I had sent to Conrad’s camp last night…”
*
After all meetings including the treatment of the prisoners ended, Shan headed toward Duke of Morayen’s camp under Cheryn’s orders.
Conrad’s camp lay between the two camps, but because it was so crowded and bustling, no one paid mind to his presence.
“Oh, welcome, Sir Shan.”
“Is His Grace the Duke inside?”
“Yes. Shall I inform him that you have arrived?”
“Please do.”
The Duke’s subordinates calmly accepted Shan’s visit.
This was because back when they traveled down to Hasra, staying by the Duke’s side every day to endure his chatter had been part of his daily routine, so they were acquainted.
Of course, since most of the Duke’s subordinates were followers of the Old Faith believers, many among them disapproved of Shan as an Altoan, but such individuals didn’t even step forward to speak to him in the first place.
Because if a quarrel broke out, it was obvious whose side the Duke would take.
When they met a moment later, Duke of Morayen disgustingly flushed bright red and spread both arms wide open.
“Sir Shan! For you to come alone to my camp of all places, have you finally changed your mind!?”
“No.”
“I see, I knew that would be the case.”
The way his expression shifted instantly from delight to a cold demeanor made him look like a stage actor.
Sighing in disappointment, the Duke tilted his head and asked.
“So, what brings you here? Is it a message from the Princess?”
“Yes. However, I would appreciate it if you could read it alone if possible.”
“Let me see it.”
Duke of Morayen, taking and unfolding the letter Shan handed over, groaned with a ‘Hm’ and furrowed his brow.
The contents written inside were none other than that Conrad intended to marry his younger sister, Cassia, to Prince Ajun and borrow their army.
A proposal on how they should respond to this was also written inside.
“Are these details true?”
“Yes.”
“This has become troublesome… Fine, I will cooperate! Convey it as such.”
Once things reached this point, Duke of Morayen had no loyalty left to remain by Conrad’s side.
Because backed by Ajun’s army, the first person Conrad would want to eliminate was him, who had forcibly occupied Conrad’s territory.
After the conversation ended, the Duke shook his head as if troubled while seeing off the departing Shan.
“My goodness, the King of Pendia raised his princes poorly as well. Though it’s hardly my place to say so.”
In many ways, it was a statement hard to deny.
The day after exchanging opinions, Cheryn and Duke of Morayen displayed an active willingness to pursue at the war council, unlike before.
At this, Conrad asked back with a flustered expression.
“You want to pursue?”
“We can’t stay here forever. Both the Duke and I have places we must return to.”
“I agree as well.”
Conrad felt a strange chill in the gazes of Cheryn and Duke of Morayen looking at him.
Although the changed attitudes of the two were suspicious, it would be ridiculous for him, who had been urging the march until now, to suddenly change his stance.
Before long, tents pitched all around were taken down, and baggage was loaded onto wagons.
“Now, all troops advance! We pursue Elvin’s army!”
With a thunderous shout, the allied army of the three rulers advanced toward Elvin’s army, which had retreated far to the south.
Although they could not move quickly due to the wounded, the same was true for the enemy, so after moving for another day, they reached the enemy camp.
Instead of fleeing frantically, Elvin’s army was prepared to defend against their attack with a properly set up camp.
This was likely thanks to scouts informing them that the allied army was advancing down.
Lacking time, they had been unable to erect proper palisades, but improvised obstacles made from felled nearby trees were placed everywhere to block the knights’ charges.
Considering that they had repelled the enemy’s attack in the last battle, the roles had reversed.
The allied army’s offensive plan to breach Prince Elvin’s army was not particularly complex.
In the first place, it wasn’t an army well-trained enough to execute complex tactics, and on top of that, there were three commanders with differing interests.
The agreement was that, as before, while Conrad held the center, Cheryn’s army would strike the enemy’s left flank and Duke of Morayen’s army would strike the enemy’s right flank.
Before long, Conrad issued the order as commander-in-chief.
“Everyone, charge!”
At the prince’s command, nearly ten thousand soldiers let out a booming war cry.
‘Ah…’
Conrad felt supreme pleasure in issuing commands like this.
The realization that he ruled over countless human beings, reigned above them, and controlled their life and death…
Among the pleasures a human could feel, few equaled this.
“Die, you bastards!”
“Uaaaaah!”
Perhaps because the elephant corps suffered heavy damage in the previous battle, the unit confronting the center this time was the infantry corps of the Ruman Kingdom.
While Marquis Abel was preparing to sortie upon seeing Lug in the distance, shocking news reached Conrad.
“Y-Your Highness! The left wing is collapsing!”
“What!?”
Cheryn’s army had clearly displayed performance beyond expectations in the previous battle, so what on earth was this sudden situation?
No, since combat had only just begun in the center unit, the left and right wings shouldn’t have even clashed with enemy forces yet.
However, he was given no leisure to be flustered.
Because news immediately arrived that the right wing (that is, Duke of Morayen’s army) was also in routed retreat.
“Could this be…”
“It’s betrayal, Your Highness! They clearly had no intention of fighting properly from the very start!”
Just as he said, the armies of Cheryn and Duke of Morayen feigned engagement with the enemy, and the instant Conrad’s army initiated combat, they turned right around and began fleeing in retreat.
For this purpose, supplies such as tents and provisions had intentionally been kept loaded on wagons without being unpacked, leaving nothing to hinder their retreat.
“T-These bastards, how dare they…!”
Realizing that truth, Conrad was enraged, but there was nothing he could do.
There was no way it was possible to pursue them in the middle of engaging Elvin’s army right in front of him.
The moment he realized he was backed into a corner, Conrad’s mind boiled over to the extreme, only to turn icy cold instead.
What welled up inside his mind was a question.
‘Why on earth?’
If he collapsed like this here, there was no way Cheryn and Duke of Morayen would be safe either.
Because after completely crushing him, Elvin, who aimed to become the undisputed King of Pendia, would never leave them alone.
Yet if they pulled a move like this, there had to be a corresponding reason.
For instance, if they had caught wind of his scheme to summon the Ajun Kingdom’s army through Cassia’s marriage…
‘Could there be a spy?’
His thoughts naturally drifted in that direction.
Even before this, he had inwardly suspected if that might be the case.
Because during his power struggle with Elvin, there were several instances where he gained or lost due to strangely coincidental turnouts.
Falling into paranoid suspicion for only a moment, Conrad pulled himself together and checked the surrounding situation.
With both wings suddenly vanishing, his army faced the crisis of being encircled and annihilated by the enemy if things continued as they were.
“…All troops, retreat! Fall back to Hasra for now! Put the draftees at the rear and preserve the elite forces as much as possible!”
“Understood.”
“I entrust the command of the rear guard to Marquis Abel!”
There was a risk of losing Pendia’s strongest knight if things went wrong, but unless someone of his caliber bought time from the rear, it would be difficult to preserve the army.
If he lost his army here, he would be unable to make a comeback even if Marquis Abel stayed with him.
Tears of blood flowed from the eyes of Conrad as he retreated alongside his retainers.
*
Cheryn and Duke of Morayen, who had shoved Conrad’s army right into Elvin’s maw, retreated to the north and joined forces.
Faint noises drifted from far to the south, where a fierce battle seemed to still be raging.
“My, my, it turned out that we ended up stabbing that friend Conrad in the back twice.”
“There is no need to keep loyalty when he is already extending his fist to strike us.”
Continuing to maintain loyalty here would only lead to being swallowed by Conrad after he suppressed Elvin and brought the Ajun Kingdom’s army.
The retainers of both camps, who had come to know the inner story, were also mocking Conrad, saying it served him right.
Of course, Duke of Morayen, who had merely bantered and felt no actual guilt whatsoever, responded with a laugh.
“Then, should we part ways right here?”
“Yes. Provided we collect the unreceived compensation on our own terms.”
“Sounds good.”
The remaining half of the mana stones Cheryn was supposed to receive were in Hasra, and the rule over a portion of the western territories promised to Duke of Morayen was practically nullified.
No matter if the promise was made in the name of the Goddess, outwardly it was a situation where they had stabbed Conrad in the back first.
Therefore, they decided to collect their payment ‘on their own.’
Conveniently, Conrad’s territories, including Hasra, were practically empty.
As they split off to the west and east respectively, Duke of Morayen waved his hand.
“See you next time, Sir Shan!”
Watching Duke of Morayen depart with a cheerful laugh, Shan felt a subtle emotion.
He was a truly peculiar human being… someone who didn’t fit with him at all in some aspects, yet remained awkward to hate.
Having sent off the Duke, Cheryn commanded her retainers.
“Alright, then let us also divide and act from here on.”
First, the main body including Cheryn decided to head east instead of immediately moving north to march home.
This was to establish connections with eastern lords who had been virtually abandoned during the civil war.
And a small detachment, selected primarily for fast mobility, was decided to head for the capital, Hasra.
It would take some time for Conrad’s army, bitten by Elvin’s forces, to withdraw all the way back to Hasra.
Their role was to quickly raid what they needed and get out within that time.
“I’m trusting and entrusting this to you, Sir Shan.”
Naturally, the commander of that unit was Shan.
*
The detachment heading to the capital Hasra consisted of a total of one hundred fifty cavalrymen.
One hundred among them were surrendered Horais horse archers, while fifty were knights and squires of Palles, including Shan.
Since their leader, Ranta, remained with the main body due to his injuries, the room for betrayal was not large.
Of course, had they possessed such intentions, they wouldn’t have surrendered in the first place.
Since it was a distance that had taken two days to traverse when accompanied by an army laden with supply wagons, a few hours were enough to return.
Looking at Shan standing before the walls of Hasra, those around him asked.
“What should we do now?”
Composed entirely of cavalry, there was no way for them to conduct a siege.
Even so, the reason they raised no objections was that Shan had said such things were unnecessary.
In truth, some among them guessed what he intended to do.
Although it was a story known only to the people of Palles, wasn’t that Lord Protector a man who had climbed down a vertical cliff of hundreds of meters?
Receiving everyone’s gazes, Shan shouted in a loud voice that could be heard all the way up the wall.
“Hear me, guards of the gate! I am Princess Cheryn’s Guardian Lord, Shan Barendil! Open the gate immediately!”
“This gate will not open without Prince Conrad’s command!”
A man atop the gate, presumed to be of relatively high status, shouted back in quite a spirited manner.
Shan, listening quietly, replied.
“The traitor Conrad attempts to throw the kingdom into chaos by drawing in those barbarians of the snowfields! Thus we have returned merely to oppose him and receive the portion we were originally owed! I warn you one last time: if you do not open the gate yourselves right now, any retaliation that follows will be entirely brought upon yourselves!”
“Nonsense! If you can open it, try opening it yourself, you frog-eyed Altoan bastard!”
At the quite creative insult echoing from above, Shan burst into a chuckle despite himself.
Unlike him, the faces of Vico and Tavera right beside him seethed with rage.
“That arrogant bastard, how dare he…!”
“It’s fine. They’ll pay the price on their own anyway.”
Shan smiled as he soothed his excited squires.
In the first place, it would actually be troublesome if they meekly opened the gate right here.
Because what was to be done hereafter had to become ‘something that happened because they didn’t nicely open the gate.’
After stationing the troops at a moderate distance, Shan urged Arwin forward and moved quickly toward the gate.
At this, the soldiers atop the wall shot arrows, but all of them missed helplessly.
It was only natural, since anyone with proper skill would have been mobilized for the battle in the south.
Of course, even if they had hit properly, penetrating his armor would have been impossible.
“Wait for a moment.”
Saying so as he dismounted from Arwin, Shan began striding up the wall, scrambling up just as he had in the past.
Unlike back then, the full plate armor clad across his body weighed down heavily upon him, but thanks to the added strength surging from the ogre mana stone attached inside, the difference in speed was not great.
Each time he gripped the wall and pulled once, his body shot rapidly upward, causing those atop the wall to shout in astonishment at the sight.
“W-What…?”
“That crazy bastard! Stones! Throw stones!”
“Is there no boiling water or oil!?”
“Where would we get stuff like that!”
It might be different in the middle of an active siege, but amidst a shortage of both men and supplies, there was no way such preparations had been made.
The soldiers threw a few prepared stones for lack of better options, but Shan climbed the wall steadfastly, unbothered even as the stones clattered against his head and shoulders.
“D-Does that even make sense?”
“How on earth is he doing that…?”
Unlike the Palles people who calmly brushed it off, thinking ‘the Lord Protector is showing another miracle,’ the Horais people stared at the sight with expressions as if their eyes would pop out.
To think there was a man who easily scrambled up a castle wall (the very nightmare of all cavalrymen) as if walking across the ground!
If everyone in the world could do that, probably no one would ever build castle walls.
“Is he using some kind of magic tool for that?”
“I’m surprised as well, but it’s nothing like that; he’s simply extraordinarily good at scaling walls.”
At the question of a horse archer, a knight standing beside him let out a dry laugh as he answered.
This was because it was amusing to see those possessing monstrous mounted archery astonished as they watched a monster even greater than themselves.
Meanwhile, Shan, who took the stone hits as he stepped onto the wall top, looked at the astonished soldiers.
Their faces were pale blue like dead men.
“Right, I came to open it myself.”