NOVEL NEXT chapter 49
49. I was truly surprised.
Five mercenary centurions had been dispatched to put out the urgent fire.
To the border of the Dalaben River and the count’s territory, and to the mountains.
I wasn’t too worried.
Although the scale of the refugees was large, they were fragmented.
Unorganized refugees are not dangerous, no matter how many there are.
On this side, we had heavily armed mercenaries.
And the proportion of skilled soldiers among the mercenaries was just below half, which was not a bad level.
Moreover, thanks to the advance payment, we had adequately armed the newly recruited unskilled soldiers.
Even if there were deserters or stragglers among the refugees,
Even if there was an organized bandit group and we were attacked,
I could imagine some damage, but not annihilation.
But annihilation?
I hid my bewildered feelings and joined the waiting Noren mercenary group.
“What happened?”
“I have heard nothing except the news that the Beast mercenary group was annihilated.”
“They say there are no plundered villages around.”
“Surely they are not heading straight for the city of Kalmar?”
“Don’t worry, the estate army is guarding it. Master Johan is holding out in the city of Kalmar.”
“But, I’m embarrassed to say this, the level of the Beast mercenary group is not much different from my mercenary group. If the Beast mercenary group was annihilated, we are in danger alone.”
“A messenger has already been sent to order the mercenary group sent to the Dalaben River to return. They will join us in the middle.”
I left the city of Kalmar with the Noren mercenary group.
However, I was uneasy with just the Noren mercenary group, which was composed solely of infantry.
Moving without any reconnaissance was, in my common sense, close to madness.
So, I temporarily hired Zhukov and his colleagues to take on the reconnaissance mission.
Zhukov became my eyes, scouting the surroundings without needing my specific instructions.
We marched quickly along the well-paved road from the city of Kalmar to the outskirts of the count’s territory.
We passed through several villages and made inquiries, but found no special circumstances other than wandering refugees.
“Could it be that they clashed on the outskirts and suffered heavy losses, so they just turned back?”
“Perhaps the enemies, who might just be remnants or even local soldiers, crossed the border to loot. But they clashed with the Beast mercenary group before they could loot. Doesn’t that make sense?”
Noren and Zhukov put their heads together and continued to come up with plausible stories.
They were reasonable inferences.
However, I remained confused with a constant feeling of unease.
I had an inexplicable certainty that those inferences were wrong.
“Sir William, do you have any other thoughts? Are you worried about something?”
“I remember capturing Baron Patterson.”
“Yes?”
“What you said earlier also struck me as new.”
“Are you talking about the possibility of them coming to the city of Kalmar?”
“Yes. So, I was thinking about what would happen if someone, acting crazy, led a hundred or two hundred skilled soldiers to raid the lord’s castle by crossing the city of Kalmar.”
“It would be better to commit suicide. You’d live longer.”
“That’s right. There are a thousand local soldiers in the city of Kalmar right now. Plus, there are knights holding the lord’s castle. Aren’t they all disciples of Master Johan?”
“That’s right. I think so too, but this is really unsettling.”
At that moment, the sound of galloping hooves was heard.
It was an urgent rhythm.
“Sir William. At least two hundred unfamiliar troops have passed through the outskirts of the village. They are heading towards the city of Kalmar.”
We looked at each other’s faces.
“Damn! We’ve been had! Return to the city of Kalmar!”
“There is no extra pay for stragglers. Everyone, march quickly!”
*
Eric Kalmar did not have high expectations for Duke Glenn’s proposal.
He didn’t know who Duke Glenn was allied with among the influential people of Kalmar, but he didn’t expect him to raise him to the level of Linnea’s competitor.
It had been 15 years since he left Kalmar, and many memories had already faded, but there was one thing he could never forget.
The dignity of the late Count of Kalmar and the sight of the influential figures of Kalmar obeying him remained an impressive memory even in his young eyes.
Although the late Count of Kalmar had died, he had anticipated that the legacy he left behind would not be so simple.
Especially those martial maniacs.
Master Johan and Lady Sarah, the Baroness.
They were the ones who remained as nightmares from his childhood.
He thought it would be enough if he could just let the influential figures of Kalmar know that the name Erik Kalmar was not completely forgotten and could return at any time.
However, his expectations crumbled too quickly.
The moment the two Berks were purged, the thin connection he had with Kalmar was completely severed.
Erik Kalmar thought he could no longer wait.
As time passed, Linnea Kalmar’s position became more solid, and it was clear that there would be no place for him to return.
At that moment, he thought.
If Linnea Kalmar and her direct vassals were gone, wouldn’t there be an opportunity for him?
He didn’t have the ability to enter enemy territory alone and capture the opposing lord, but if he pushed in with his subordinates, couldn’t he kill at least one lord?
So he decided to take the risk.
And his adventure was not a complete failure yet.
“Shit! Run. Run!”
The carriage shook violently.
The mercenaries in the carriage shouted to run while cursing.
The mercenaries on horseback also dodged obstacles and rushed towards the lord’s castle.
More than half of their fellow mercenaries had already fallen behind.
They kept dying, falling, and getting captured on the way from the gates of Kalmar city to the lord’s castle, and now only those who were screaming madly were left.
They were unlucky.
If they had known that the refugee camp being built right next to Kalmar city was not part of Kalmar city but a newly created area, they wouldn’t have suffered so many casualties.
“Run! Run! The gate of the lord’s castle is closing! Ram it with the carriage!”
They drove the carriage madly towards the lord’s castle, but it seemed that the messenger had delivered the news of the disturbance faster than they could reach the castle.
The outer gate of the lord’s castle was closing.
Erik Kalmar rode at the front, drawing his bow.
And he shot.
One of the two soldiers turning the pulley to close the gate of the lord’s castle was hit by the arrow and fell.
However, the remaining one person desperately turned the pulley alone as if he didn’t care. But the door was too heavy for him to handle alone.
Erik Kalmar quickly shot another arrow.
The remaining person also fell down after being hit by the arrow.
At the moment when it seemed to be done, a giant suddenly jumped out from inside and hung onto the door.
And the two people turned the pulley to close the door faster than when they were closing it.
Now, to enter the castle, they had no choice but to climb through the window outside.
Erik Kalmar realized that he had failed.
If that giant hadn’t closed the door, it would have been possible to rush into the castle.
With the 30 or so mercenaries who had come with him, they might have had a chance to risk their fate.
But it was all over.
“Captain! What are we going to do?”
His subordinates, who had followed him here, gathered around him.
The horse of the carriage, which had been running recklessly, collapsed with its tongue hanging out, and the other horses were in a similar state, though they hadn’t collapsed yet.
Escape didn’t seem easy either.
Soldiers began to gather on the road leading to the castle.
Not only soldiers but also knights appeared.
As the shutters blocking the windows of the castle opened, crossbows emerged.
Several soldiers with bows were also seen.
Erik Kalmar looked around.
A group of knights on horseback was approaching.
“It’s over. We failed.”
“Captain Erik. You were so full of yourself, and now look at this?”
“Well, I guess I was crazy.”
“Sigh. I trusted and followed this man. Anyway, since we’re still alive, let’s struggle a bit more.”
Erik Kalmar got off his horse without saying anything more.
And he drew his sword.
*
It wasn’t too late.
We, who had ridden our horses, barely managed to reach the castle.
Thanks to the desperate efforts of the territorial army and the guards, not many enemies had reached the castle.
About 30 men.
They were all mercenaries accustomed to real combat.
Moreover, they were ruthless in their methods.
As a result, both the territorial army and the guards suffered great damage.
Typical war mercenaries.
It was clear that they were among the worst of the lot.
I dismounted and walked towards the enemies.
I was in a bad mood.
I almost lost my employer while they were floundering around.
I couldn’t bear the thought of losing my employer after receiving my payment in advance.
I almost had to cough up everything I received!
I drew my falchion and held it in my right hand.
As I approached the enemy mercenaries alone,
for a moment, they looked puzzled, wondering what I was doing.
But I didn’t want to explain to them what this was with words.
I explained with my actions.
I struck down the enemies with my falchion.
The falchion is a single-edged sword about 1 meter long.
Originally, it was a weapon made thin, but inspired by the gorilla’s falchion, I made a variant with a rather thick blade.
In my hands, it wielded power comparable to an axe.
I split the mercenary’s sword that tried to block my descending falchion and split his shoulder as well.
I grabbed the falling mercenary and walked forward.
The successive strikes of my sword and axe slashed the bodies of the mercenaries who held out their bodies instead of shields.
My falchion targeted their arms.
When the blade was embedded in the mercenary’s body, I struck the arm holding the blade.
When the sword was thrust into the mercenary’s body, I struck the arm holding the sword.
The arms holding the blade and the sword fell off.
Spewing blood,
screaming,
I followed them as they retreated.
The moment the mercenary on the right thrust his sword,
I straightened my body in the direction of the thrust and stabbed his neck with my falchion.
The mercenary I had been using as a shield until now fell to the left,
and the mercenary whose neck I had stabbed fell to the right.
Looking at the mercenary nearby who was hesitating and stepping back,
I threw a dagger at the mercenary far behind.
In an instant, twelve daggers flew from my right upper arm.
There was no mercenary who could block the daggers.
Like puppets with their strings cut, twelve mercenaries collapsed simultaneously.
In the span of four breaths, sixteen mercenaries lay on the ground.
I flicked my falchion in the air to shake off the blood on the blade.
And then I turned towards the enemy again.
This time, I dashed into the midst of the enemies in one leap.
A very young-looking mercenary reflexively thrust his sword, which I deflected under my armpit and trapped his arm.
Spinning around, I struck the enemies’ necks, heads, and shoulders.
Then I stabbed the back of the enemy I had trapped under my armpit and let him go.
He fell forward.
At that moment, the one who seemed to be the leader charged at me with a sword.
His skill was not bad.
The moment his sword aimed at my chest,
I parried it with my falchion, swirling it in a circular motion.
As his sword was pushed by the force of my falchion and started to turn,
I lightly pushed with my falchion and slashed his wrist.
The moment his sword fell from his hand,
I swirled my falchion in a circular motion again and struck his wrist.
As his wrist fell and he staggered back,
I threw my falchion at him.
The leader of the mercenary group, who had made my heart pound, fell backward with the falchion in his neck.
My fight ended there.
The remaining mercenaries belonged to the territory’s army.
Arrows flew from the lord’s castle,
and despite the knights charging in, only a few mercenaries raised their hands and surrendered.
The captured mercenaries testified that the dead mercenary captain was the one who held the castle of Kalmar.
And Master Johan confirmed that he was indeed Erik Kalmar.
As far as we knew, he was employed by Duke Glenn.
I wondered how Duke Glenn would explain this situation.