Barbarian’s Dark Fantasy Strategy Guide

Chapter 13: Mage （2）

The ‘Underweaver’, the most widespread thieves’ guild on the Pandora continent, was the first faction Khalid encountered when he crossed the Forbidden Mountains. The reason he started collecting 10 gold was to commission a request from them.

Victor said, pulling down his sleeves.

“Judging by your reaction, this is not the first time you’ve seen this tattoo, is it?”

“I traveled with one of your guild members for a short time. Is the Thieves’ Guild also involved in this matter?”

Victor laughed and waved his hands.

“No, no. The guild isn’t idle enough to get involved in something like this in a backwater town like this. Besides, we’re guys who make a living with information, not fighting.”

“Hmm.”

“This case is just my personal side job, a favor for my friend Eric. I did show you the tattoo to confirm, but honestly, I’ve already been demoted in the guild, so I don’t have much power.”

Victor, talking about his situation, had a somewhat bitter expression.

“Well, shall we start talking about the real work now?”

“What about your subordinates?”

“They’re fine. They’re the guys I brought.”

It seems that the wariness they showed Khalid at the camp was a kind of act. Victor said he instructed them to do so because there were many eyes watching.

“So, what’s your real plan?”

“Hmm. Where should I start explaining?”

Victor explained Dominic’s plan from the beginning.

“First, we need to know how the merchant procession will be organized. The 100 mercenaries gathered at the camp will be divided in half and placed at the front and rear. The merchants will be lined up in a long line between them, with the Lord’s carriage in the center.”

“The Lord’s soldiers will protect the carriage.”

“Right. Five knights and thirty soldiers are supposed to escort the carriage on both sides. Dominic will personally command half of the mercenaries at the front.”

“Are all the mercenaries here bought off?”

“You can assume so.”

Dominic secretly spread rumors and put a 1 gold bounty on the Lord’s and the knights’ heads. It’s enough to make the mercenaries’ eyes light up and rush in.

“What about the Lord’s soldiers? I’m sure the knights haven’t been bought off.”

“Oh, there’s no problem with the soldiers either. Hojae, that guy really takes care of his people. He’s not stingy with money despite being a merchant, so the soldiers and residents are very loyal. It seems he hasn’t won over the heart of his closest advisor, though.”

『Because that adulterer is planning to swallow the entire village whole.』

“If they’re surrounded from the front and rear, it will be difficult for the soldiers to hold out on their own.”

“That’s right. That’s what Dominic is aiming for. He’s going to make his move in the canyon that appears if you go down from here for half a day. It’s a narrow canyon, so it’s difficult for the knights to move freely, and the escape route is completely blocked.”

It was a simple yet effective strategy. If the knights can’t use their full strength, the soldiers alone won’t be able to handle a force three times their size.

If things went wrong, there was a possibility that the Lord would be killed before Khalid even reached the carriage. It was important to prevent them from entering the canyon somehow.

“But we can’t be the first to draw our swords, can we?”

It’s impossible to kill someone without them starting a rebellion. If we did that, we would become the rebels instead.

“That’s why I’ve prepared in advance.”

“Prepared?”

“Thirty men in ambush. I’ve placed them in ambush at the entrance of the canyon. We’ll disguise them as bandits and strike first. The ambush will hold back the procession, and we’ll cause a commotion from the rear in the meantime. When the mercenaries are thrown into confusion……”

“You mean Dominic will take a gamble during the chaos. But what if they respond calmly?”

“No, he’ll definitely make a move. The mercenaries are all obsessed with taking the Lord’s head, so who would try to stop the bandits?”

Victor initially devised the plan without considering Khalid’s participation. At that time, he estimated the probability of success to be about fifty-fifty. However, now that Khalid had joined, he was certain that it would not fail.

This was the same for Khalid.

Dealing with 100 men wasn’t difficult. But fighting while protecting someone wasn’t easy. There was no guarantee that he could protect him completely, but with Victor’s help, it was more than enough.

“We can hold back the mercenaries with this. The variable is Dominic, that guy.”

“Is he a mage?”

“Yes. If a mage interferes, this kind of plan could become useless. Can I leave that guy to you, Khalid?”

“That’s what I wanted.”

As Khalid nodded, Victor smiled with satisfaction. The boastful words of a man who single-handedly captured a Commander-level ogre. What could be more trustworthy?

Having conveyed everything he needed to, he returned to the mercenary camp.

『But can we really trust that guy?』

‘You’re suspicious again.’

『The Underweaver is a group of people whose true intentions are hard to grasp. It’s not just that they’re obsessed with money, there are also quite a few who are just purely crazy. You’re not going to believe everything that guy said, are you?』

‘Whether I believe him or not isn’t really important. The things I have to do won’t change. If it’s true that he prepared an ambush, things will just be a little easier.’

『Yeah, let’s go with that mindset. Then it’s time to learn about mages. I’ll give you a proper education from now on.』

Becky said in a triumphant voice as if she had become a teacher. She seemed quite excited as she rambled on about the mage’s fighting style and how to deal with them.

However, some of the passive strategies she suggested seemed to need revision. In a more direct and certain way.

◈◈◈◈◈◈ ◈◈◈◈◈◈ ◈◈◈◈◈◈

After spending a night at the mercenary camp, the day of the expedition finally dawned.

Hojae was very pleased to see Khalid join the expedition. Dominic’s expression was surprisingly calm. He was openly recruiting mercenaries, so it wasn’t strange that Khalid had come. Rather, he licked his lips at the thought of getting rid of all the obstacles at this opportunity.

The village entrance was filled with people who had come to see the Lord off.

“Well, I’ll be back.”

Hojae bid farewell to Mila. Few people noticed that the Baroness’s face was strangely stiff than usual.

Waaaaah!

As the merchants left the village in a long procession, the residents cheered, wishing for the Lord’s safe return.

As Victor had said, Dominic was at the front, followed by the Lord’s carriage and the merchants. Khalid and Victor’s group were positioned at the very rear.

As they set off on the expedition, Khalid spotted Melissa standing among the residents. Khalid sent a reassuring look to the girl who was looking at him with worried eyes.

『If we don’t stop Dominic, Melissa won’t be safe either. You know that, right?』

Becky’s words heightened Khalid’s concentration even further. Khalid sharpened his senses in his own way, not relying on Victor or the ambush. So that he could fight immediately, no matter when or where the battle started.

Meanwhile, Victor’s group positioned themselves sparsely apart from each other. They intended to cause a commotion from all sides of the mercenaries to increase the confusion.

『But no matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure out what Victor is aiming for.』

‘Are you still on about that?’

『I don’t know how close of a friend he is with Eric, but it doesn’t make sense that he’d risk his life for this.』

‘It’s more surprising that you think he can’t do it.’

『Yeah, yeah. Look at these great loyal guys.』

Becky clicked her tongue and mocked them. But she still didn’t let go of her suspicions.

『Listen carefully. The fact that he risked his life for the Lord, refusing a request with a gold reward, means that Victor’s goal isn’t money. It means he’s aiming for something bigger than that amount and the risk involved. What could it be?』

‘Can’t you keep those random thoughts to yourself? It’s distracting.’

Becky couldn’t escape the cycle of suspicion all day at the camp yesterday either. Since all she could do was talk and think, Khalid was somewhat tolerant and let it slide.

『There must be something there……』

Khalid carefully observed the surrounding terrain, ignoring Becky’s muttering. Windfall had long since disappeared from view. The northern region, with its many mountainous areas, had an endless stream of hills and bushes.

‘Indeed, there are many good places for an ambush.’

It was terrain that would be difficult for a seasoned soldier or mercenary to let their guard down in.

But the mercenaries now had no mind to prepare for bandit or monster attacks. Their eyes were solely focused on the Lord’s carriage.

『There! I see the canyon!』

Around the time the sun reached its zenith.

A narrow passage between two split cliffs came into view. The mercenaries gulped and their eyes lit up.

Dominic, riding a horse at the front of the procession, also glanced back. It seemed like a silent signal to get ready.

The mercenaries, each with their own strategies, were only worried about how to get ahead of their competitors, and they didn’t even dream of an ambush.

Just before the front entered the canyon.

A small light flickered in the bushes at the top of the hill. It was the reflection of an arrowhead aimed at its target, glinting in the sunlight. Only Khalid and Victor’s group noticed the light.

Whoosh!

Thud.

“Ugh!”

With a sharp whistling sound, a mercenary collapsed limply.

“A, an ambush!”

The mercenary who lost his colleague right next to him shouted urgently. At this, dozens of arrows poured down from both hillsides.

“Everyone, protect the carriage!”

The knights and soldiers immediately raised their shields and surrounded the carriage. The experienced merchants, as if accustomed to this situation, quickly hid inside the wagons.

While the soldiers and merchants calmly responded to the attack, Dominic was at a loss as to what to do in this unexpected situation.

“B, block the bandits first! Quickly!”

Dominic, flustered by the sudden attack, shouted at the surrounding mercenaries. The mercenaries, who were preoccupied with the carriage, wondered if they really needed to chase after bandits who had nothing to do with the bounty. Only a few archers returned fire.

‘Guys, let’s start!’

From the rear, Victor signaled his colleagues. At that moment, screams erupted from the archers who were returning fire towards the hill.

Victor’s colleagues, who were waiting behind the archers, had simultaneously slit their throats. Victor’s group then calmly blended into the crowd of mercenaries and shouted.

“Traitors! There are traitors among us!”

The confused mercenaries scattered, each seeking their own way out. Some were hit by arrows while climbing the hill and rolled down, while others hid behind the carriages, dodging arrows and only watching each other.

『Those guys are pretty good, aren’t they? It’s turned into a complete mess. Hey! Watch out for the arrows!』

Clang.

Khalid lightly deflected the arrow with his axe without even turning his eyes. His gaze was fixed solely on Dominic.

Dominic became anxious, thinking that his plan might fail. He hurriedly changed his plan and shouted at the bewildered mercenaries.

“What are you all doing standing around blankly! Take this opportunity to take the Lord’s head! Hurry!”

At Dominic’s command, the mercenaries finally began to move in earnest.

“Advisor, you! What are you saying right now!”

Hojae’s knights glared at the rebellious Dominic as if they were about to kill him.

Dominic continued to lead the rebellion without a care. His voice didn’t reach the back, so he had to use a different method.

“Damn it! What are these bandits doing interfering!”

Dominic took out a Runestone from his pocket and inserted it into his sling. He spun the sling over his head a couple of times and let go, and the stone flew accurately towards the carriage.

Boom!

“Argh!”

With a loud explosion, a knight was thrown back limply. The iron shield he was holding had a hole blown through it, and smoke, as if it had been scorched by fire, rose up. Fortunately, his armor only crumpled, and his life was spared, but he lost consciousness due to the strong impact.

‘That’s the Explosion Stone you were talking about.’

『Yes. If it hits, even a piece of metal will become like a rag like that. Be careful.』

Khalid witnessed the mage’s fighting style that he had learned yesterday with his own eyes. Even though Dominic’s sling skills didn’t seem that great, the power of magic was more than he had imagined.

“What? There was just an explosion near the carriage……!”

“It’s the Advisor’s signal, now’s our chance!”

“We’ll take the Lord’s head!”

The mercenaries at the back, who heard the explosion, realized Dominic’s instructions and rushed towards the carriage without looking back. The soldiers were too busy dealing with the mercenaries at the front to pay attention to the rear.

Crack!

Blood spurted from the head of the mercenary running ahead. A hand axe was deeply embedded in his head, which had been split in half. The mercenaries aiming for the Lord’s head froze in their tracks, suddenly overwhelmed by a murderous aura.

“……”

Behind them, the shadow of a barbarian warrior, emanating a murderous aura, was slowly approaching.