Chapter 93: Chapter 93
‘…That was closer than I thought.’
After subduing Lug, Shan felt a stinging pain in the palm of the hand holding his shield.
To onlookers, it might have looked like he had knocked him down in a single blow, but if his reaction had been even slightly slower or his defense complacent, he would have been the one struck down.
Of course, given his magic armor, he probably would not have been knocked off his horse regardless.
Even when Shan had seen him in the past, he had felt that Lug had potential, but facing him directly showed that Lug had brilliantly blossomed his talent during that time.
His technique was on par with or superior to Feonil’s, and his physical condition was far above it.
Had the Shan of the past who fought Feonil faced the current Lug, he likely would have been killed without being able to offer proper resistance.
At this level, it was safe to say his mounted jousting was top-tier in Pendia, perhaps even across the entire Arman Alliance.
Glancing aside, Shan saw Lug sprawling on the ground, clutching the spot where the spear had struck him.
At this, Shan breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Groaning in pain meant that he had not died instantly, at the very least.
Human life was a strange thing; while resilient at times, at other times it would snap all too fleetingly.
Even so, he could not afford to thrust weakly.
If he failed to end it in a single blow, the fight would drag on.
That would not only be disrespectful to Lug, who had opted for a decisive single battle instead of a tedious defensive match, but it would also push the comrades he needed to assist into immediate danger.
“Kuaaak!”
“Sir Jeren! No!”
“M-My arm won’t lift…”
Currently, the clash between the two order of knights could hardly be judged as an overwhelming victory for either side.
Although the Eastern Allied Forces were superior in stamina and momentum, they were fewer in number and lacked real combat experience.
Overturning this situation was Shan’s duty.
‘Phew.’
As he took a deep breath, a stinging scent seeped into his mind.
A mixture of the fishy stench of blood and metal alongside all sorts of foul odors… the smell of the battlefield that had now become familiar to him.
Perhaps thanks to the magic tool amplifying his five senses, his sense of smell (which normally would have been dulled long ago) remained sharp.
‘Come to think of it, the crisis detection magic tool didn’t trigger.’
Did it refrain from activating because he could block Lug’s spear perfectly well without a warning, or did it simply fail to trigger?
He thought that while it was certainly useful, it was an item hard to rely on entirely.
After a brief moment of thought, Shan focused his mind while supplying vitality to all the muscles in his body through his inhaled breath.
A razor-sharp awareness not only divided the knights in front of him into friend and foe, but also informed him of how to deal with them most quickly and efficiently.
“You damned eastern country bumpkins! For me to be in a place like this… Huh?”
Huffing and spewing curses, Elvin’s knight fell silent upon seeing the opponent approaching him.
A Horais warhorse half as large as an ordinary steed, a knight bearing a shield emblazoned with a green eye in one hand…
The moment the knight realized that Shan Barendil himself was approaching and raised his shield in terror, the world before his eyes turned pitch black.
It was the result of the spear in Shan’s right hand smoothly extending, bypassing the shield to pierce through the visor’s eyehole and scramble his brain.
Having dispatched one knight so easily, Shan accurately targeted the vital points of every enemy he encountered.
The back of the neck connecting helmet and armor, the armpits, the inside of the elbows.
Even the neck of the barding protecting the horses, or the eye and nostril slits.
While other knights squeezed out Fighting Spirit to pierce through their opponents’ armor and puffed heavily afterward, he toyed with enemies effortlessly while consuming only a minimum of Fighting Spirit.
All of this was possible thanks to his overwhelming dynamic vision and weapon control capabilities.
Unless it was an expert on the level of Lug or at least Kamad whom he had fought before, it was impossible for mediocre knights to block this.
When over ten knights and squires fell in rapid succession within moments, the remaining knights on Elvin’s side retreated in astonishment.
“M-Monster!”
“Lug! Where is Sir Lug!”
“He’s already been defeated!”
“Such fools…! Retreat! Reorganize!”
Realizing there was no chance of victory, the leader of Elvin’s order of knights looked around and issued a command to retreat.
However, retreating easily while heavily entangled with one another was impossible.
The fleeing knights of Elvin took spears and swords to their backs, tumbling down with screams.
As a lucky few managed to slip away, Shan called out to his allied knights, who cheered upon realizing their victory.
“Everyone gather! We attack the enemy main camp immediately!”
The center of the battlefield, where the infantry units of both sides fought fiercely while archers behind them loosed arrows at one another.
Behind them stood the commanders of each faction.
Elvin’s army had sent out all its elite units, such as the pirate mercenaries and Southern Continent mercenaries, guarding the main body only with conscripts.
Naturally, such men were in no position to stop heavily armored cavalry.
“U-Uaaah!”
“Save me!”
At the momentum of the cavalry charging in with hoofbeats shaking the earth, the conscript unit collapsed in an instant without offering any proper resistance.
*
Upon realizing that their main camp had collapsed, Elvin’s army shattered instantly and began scattering in all directions.
Yet among them, those who succeeded in fleeing were not many.
This was because the semi-horse archers, who had pulled back to the main camp to replenish arrows while the knights clashed, drove them into a corner.
The semi-horse archers did not possess the skill to engage in head-on combat like the knights of Pendia or Libert, but in an advantageous situation like this, they were more adept than anyone at moving nimbly to capitalize on their gains.
“Heave-ho!”
“Huuuugh!”
Faced with their presence as they shot arrows or swung curved scimitars, even the pirates of Ruman and the heathens of the Southern Continent collapsed to their knees, crying out in surrender.
After pursuing and rounding up the stragglers for nearly an hour, the nobles of the Eastern Allied Forces checked the battle achievements and shouted with beaming faces.
“A great victory! A great victory!”
“Goodness…”
Thanks to achieving an overwhelming victory in a battle they had thought they might lose, their expressions were brighter than ever.
Of course, the Eastern Allied Forces also suffered no small casualties.
Out of around thirty knights, nine were killed or severely injured, and over three hundred infantrymen were likewise killed or wounded.
However, the enemy army of over two thousand had collapsed entirely; only five to six hundred survived and fled, while all the rest were killed or taken prisoner.
Likely a significant portion of those who scattered and fled would end up as food for monsters.
For nature here in Pendia was not merciful to the weak.
“Winning is winning, but now it is time to wrap things up quickly! Do not forget that post-war processing is just as important as the battle itself!”
Having shouted throughout the entire battle even with the help of a voice-amplifying magic tool, Roden’s voice was tinged with raspiness.
Even though a mere knight spoke like that, none of the nobles dared to object, asking who he thought he was.
Because the capability Roden demonstrated as a commander in this battle was fully worthy of respect.
It was enough to understand why Shan, their next count, had placed a man of such prowess in the rear and entrusted him with command.
‘He is truly a man possessing beastly strength alongside brilliant resourcefulness.’
‘He is said to be like a sworn brother to Young Master Shan as well, so what if I were to pair my daughter with him…?’
Some of the nobles even harbored such delusions.
Unlike Shan, who was an Altoan and thus somewhat burdensome to form blood ties with (and who had also sworn an oath not to marry into the eastern nobility) Roden, being a westerner, had no such issues.
But after indulging in all sorts of imaginations for a moment, everyone fell silent at the sight of Shan returning to the main camp.
“Ah…”
The sight of his plate armor covering his entire body, as well as Arwin’s barding, completely dyed in blood radiated a terrifying pressure.
In particular, the knights who had charged alongside him showed an even greater sense of awe at this sight.
For they had witnessed before their eyes an overwhelming martial power that made it difficult to consider him a fellow knight, or even a human being.
Who could have imagined that knights trained for over a decade would be slaughtered so helplessly?
“You worked hard, Young Master!”
“Young Master Shan’s prowess was famous, but seeing it today, the rumors truly fall short of reality.”
“Indeed! Someone like Marquis Abel cannot even compare.”
Shan responded to the praise of the eastern nobles and knights by offering a humble smile.
Simply refraining from grinning ear to ear was an exercise of immense self-control.
After concluding social interactions to some extent, he headed toward the place where the prisoners were gathered.
He saw his two squires, Vico and Tavera, standing with Lug between them.
This was because Shan had instructed them beforehand to secure Lug’s person when he fell.
“What is Sir Lug’s condition?”
“His sternum is broken, but thankfully his life is not in danger.”
“That is a relief.”
Having received treatment, Lug had passed out after taking medicine with painkilling effects.
Seeing his long legs extending outside the stretcher, Shan smiled pleasantly.
Since he had been subdued in a fair duel, Lug would likely bear no grudges either.
Besides Lug, there were many prisoners captured in this battle.
While the crowd of conscripts had all scattered at a single charge of the knights so few were captured, most of the Ruman pirates and Southern Continent mercenaries who resisted to the last while surrounded were killed or captured.
There were also several captives among the knights and squires.
After staying overnight a short distance from the battlefield to treat the severely wounded, the Eastern Allied Forces set off on their return journey toward Shedil City.
Shan murmured as he looked at the bound prisoners following behind.
“Now, how should we handle those prisoners?”
“For now, we collect ransoms from the families of the nobles and knights… and throw the mercenaries into work camps or something. Since conscription was underway, there must be plenty of places short on able-bodied men.”
When Roden answered Shan’s question in a nonchalant tone, Ranta, listening right beside them, chuckled softly and bowed his head.
“Fools, every one of them! If only they had recognized Master early on and surrendered like I did.”
Hearing those words, Shan thought that while their original situation as captured prisoners was the same as those semi-horse archers, their treatment was worlds apart.
It was unavoidable.
Unlike the semi-horse archers who possessed rare and irreplaceable utility, mere mercenaries who were nothing more than fighters were not worth the risk of betrayal to hire.
Truthfully, it was also largely thanks to a figure who served as a clear focal point like Ranta bowing down first.
“पाशः एतावत् पीडयति······.”
“Hey, stop trying to loosen the rope. You’ll die!”
Among the prisoners, the most troublesome group was the Southern Continent mercenaries.
Since most of them did not speak the language, orders had to be given with gestures, and whenever the sun rose or set, they prostrated themselves toward the sun with their heads pressed to the ground.
Whenever the eastern soldiers witnessed that pagan custom, they felt uncomfortable and grimaced.
Shan also asked as he watched the baffling sight.
“Why on earth are they doing that?”
“It is a ritual worshipping the spirit of the sun. In the spirit faith of the southern continental people, the sun is the creator of the world and the most powerful spirit.”
Turning his head toward the answering voice, he saw Lug.
Although his movements appeared somewhat uncomfortable as his broken sternum had not yet healed, and his hands were bound with rope, his overall condition did not look too bad.
It seemed Tavera had brought him over immediately upon hearing Shan’s previous instruction to bring Lug once he woke up and could walk.
“You woke up quickly.”
“Yes, thanks to you, I took a harsh beating.”
Though speaking grumblingly, Lug’s face showed a refreshed expression, as if he had cleared away some burden.
Colliding with all his strength and being defeated seemed to have washed away the resentment harbored inside him.
“Your thrusting skills were terrifying. I almost lost.”
“Thank you for the praise, but coming from the person who brought me down in a single blow…”
Shan, smiling back at Lug’s embarrassed expression, recalled their conversation from a moment ago and asked.
“By the way, you seem to know a lot about the customs of the Southern Continent?”
“Not a lot, just things I heard by word of mouth. I have a friend among the Ruman people who likes to talk.”
Lug also informed him of the fact that those Southern Continent mercenaries were not mere commoners like the mercenaries of the Arman Alliance.
He explained that over there, second sons or younger children of prestigious noble families held captain positions in their own right.
Furthermore, such individuals cared quite a lot for their own soldiers, or retainers, as they called them, so they would not simply pay their own ransoms and slip away alone.
“Oh…”
“Then it might be worthwhile for us to negotiate ransoms with them as well.”
Roden muttered, nodding with interest.
After all, rather than mobilizing heathens who did not even speak the language for hard labor, selling them back for money was far simpler.
Above all, the fact that hard labor could easily blur into slavery, which was strictly forbidden by the Goddess Church, was another uncomfortable aspect.
“Thank you for letting us know, Sir Lug. We almost threw away piles of gold.”
“Haha, it’s nothing…”
Lug smiled bashfully at Roden’s praise.
“Ah, let me untie your ropes first. It looks uncomfortable.”
“No. I asked to leave them on. This.”
Lug shook his head and said.
“Anyway, I am a captive right now. I don’t want to look like a traitor.”
“Aha.”
Indeed, when everyone else was bound, walking around freely alone would naturally draw uncomfortable stared.
Even chatting unreservedly with them like this right now was something that could provoke hesitation.
*
“Waaaaah!”
“Look over here, over here!”
After several days of marching, the Eastern Allied Forces returned to Shedil City and held a truly heroic triumphal procession.
Because word had been sent ahead, it was known that they had overwhelmingly repulsed Prince Elvin’s army invading from the western plains.
As the adopted son of Count of Shedil and guardian of the east who had displayed overwhelming power, Shan received all this glory at the forefront.
People cheered just from meeting his gaze, and when he placed his hand on the head of a baby thrust forward along the way, the parents screamed with emotion.
It was due to the superstition that if a young child made contact with a hero, they would inherit a portion of that power and spirit.
The aged Count of Shedil walked out to the city plaza himself to welcome the allied forces.
Embracing Shan and showing his affection, he shouted to everyone.
“My son, descendant of Kurt, has protected the east and proven his qualification! Goddess, please watch over Your children!”
Shan realized that a faint trace of gloom lingered on the shouting count’s face.
It was likely because he had heard the news of the death of his son, Mars Kurt.
Mars’s corpse had been found among the fleeing conscripts.
Lacking any distinct trauma other than being covered in trampled marks across his back, he appeared to have been trampled to death by fleeing soldiers.
Had he been riding even a horse, he might have escaped such a death, but perhaps he was not even provided a mount because he was like a severed kite.
Though it was terrible that even his end lacked honor, thanks to that, Shan and the warriors of the Eastern Allied Forces were spared the stigma of having personally slain a descendant of the Kurt family.
Following Roden’s advice that a child was still a child no matter how hated, Shan had ordered Mars’s body to be recovered and brought back.
Confirming Mars’s body in the reception room, the count muttered with a stoic expression.
“I see, so that is how it turned out.”
At the request to be left alone for a moment, Shan nodded and withdrew from the room.
Thanks to his amplified hearing from the magic tool he wore, he could hear the count weeping in a suppressed voice from inside the door.
“Khh…”
Listening quietly to the wailing of a beast that had lost its child, Shan removed the ring he was wearing.
The sounds of weeping were heard no longer.
The next day, the allied forces discussed rewards based on their respective combat achievements in the meeting hall of Shedil City.
Shan left this matter entirely to Roden.
Unless he had prepared a script in advance, he was not accustomed to pushing, pulling, and distributing on the spot like this.
Fortunately, the eastern nobles seemed thoroughly satisfied with Roden’s distribution plan.
For the Altoan mercenary band, which had achieved the greatest exploits among the infantry units, as well as the horse archer unit that lured the elephants and toyed with the knights, were all forces hired by Shan.
In particular, Roden did not forget Lug’s advice and took the Southern Continent mercenaries as their share.
Finding it troublesome to employ mercenaries who could not even speak their language, the nobles handed them over without much thought.
After the distribution concluded, Roden set aside time to select someone among the Ruman pirates who could speak the Southern Continent language to act as an interpreter.
As Lug had said, several among them claimed to belong to the noble class.
The ransoms proposed by those claiming to be children of lords were even pricier than expected.
“अहं भृत्यानां मोचनं च दास्यामि। प्रतिव्यक्तिं पञ्च सुवर्णखण्डाः।.”
“They say they will pay five gold coins as ransom for each soldier they brought.”
“Are those Southern Continent guys made of money?”
“There are rumors that a city of gold exists in the south. So I heard those mercenaries usually take northern specialties rather than gold coins as payment… things like wool, furs, or rare metals.”
Ranta, who was well-versed in the international mercenary business, assisted with explanations from the side.
Of course, interacting with the Southern Continent people would require expanding their reach to southern port cities including Beshalia, so it would be difficult right now, but an opportunity would surely arise someday.
While engaged in post-war processing for a long time, the reinforcement unit sent by Cheryn arrived a step late.
It comprised a dozen knights led by Baron of Lugen, Yurk Jul, thirty squires and mercenary cavalrymen, and five hundred well-trained Palles infantrymen.
Yurk wore a bewildered expression at the news that the battle had already ended and Elvin’s forces had been routed.
“Pardon? It is already over? Then for what on earth did we come all that long way…”
At the story that they had marched as fast as their feet could carry them upon hearing news that the east was in danger, Shan offered an awkward smile and patted Yurk on the shoulder.
Regardless, their visit was not entirely in vain.
For they had brought not only an army, but also additional usable magic tools produced in the meantime.
Their contents were quite diverse.
Starting from lamp magic tools now widely used in Palles, to refrigerators, heaters, and water supply magic tools that drew up large quantities of water.
On top of that, they brought mass-produced magic tools capable of arming over a hundred men, as well as bureaucrats to help transplant Palles’s unique administrative system.
It seemed Cheryn had never even entertained the thought that Shan might suffer defeat after receiving reinforcement forces.
Considering he had won an overwhelming victory even without reinforcement forces, her thought was not wrong.
“Ah, and there is also this, Sir Shan.”
“What is this?”
“The princess instructed me to hand this over to Sir Shan directly. She said that no one other than the party concerned must ever open it, and to open it only when you are alone.”
What Yurk brought was a crudely shaped box without any special decorations.
Its size was roughly about two palms wide, rectangular in shape.
What on earth was this used for?
Intrigued, Shan expressed his thanks and opened it inside his room.
‘This is…?’
Magic patterns were densely engraved inside the box, and a single Mana Stone was embedded within.
There was also a note inside, written in Cheryn’s familiar handwriting.
‘Put a spider inside.’
The moment he saw those words, Shan could vaguely guess what purpose it served.
Leaving his room and walking around the surroundings, Shan carefully caught a visible house spider, returned, and put it inside the box.
The spider crawling around on his palm suddenly stiffened its body and began writing characters on his palm with its front legs.
[What was the color of the glasses I used to like wearing?]