Episode 36
“Most of it is farmland. Until recently, Delgain and Nurhah joined hands and jointly managed the two territories. Thanks to that, public safety improved and Delgain’s farming income also increased considerably. However, this year, since we can no longer rely on Nurhah, the territory we have to guard has expanded, so damage to farmland caused by monsters will increase. And recently, a fairly large bandit group has also appeared.”
“Where is the bandit group?”
“Southeast of Delgain.”
“What is the scale?”
“There were rumors that there were about 30 bandits armed with spears, but such rumors tend to be exaggerated.”
“30 soldiers… … That’s a pretty good number, isn’t it?”
He said it was not a large scale, but a decent size.
Amy understood what he meant immediately.
“… … Are you saying you want to become a bandit?”
“There’s no way it won’t work.”
It was a radical strategy. It was embarrassing to even mention it, considering the dignity of the nobles, but Hebron was not the Duke of Breio. The advantage of the lower nobles was that they could openly engage in dirty dogfights.
Amy’s eyes lit up.
As she cleared the limitations in front of her eyes, Amy’s mind seemed to clear up.
“Well, then I’ll make a plan. Is that okay?”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“Thank you, my lord! I will do my best.”
“Yes. Let’s do our best and become bandits who will be remembered in history.”
“Yes? Oh, yes… … .”
Amy’s excitement subsided a little.
Even if I had tried my best to make this operation a success, no one would recognize it. All I would get was recognition from myself. It had to remain undisclosed to the outside world.
* * *
The next morning, Amy came to see me looking disheveled.
“There is intelligence that Delgain’s punitive force will attack the Bebe bandits at dawn tomorrow. We will raid the bandits tonight. If we leave now, we will be able to arrive before sunset.”
Amy smiled with puffy eyes.
Her smile really appealed to me. It was a sly smile.
“good night!”
* * *
Amy prepared 60 slave soldiers instead of regular soldiers.
A plan to deploy Hebron regular troops who had mastered the Monolith spear technique was also considered, but slave soldiers were drafted due to the nature of the operation that required secrecy. They were tight-lipped, and it suited the terrain of Mount Tobe, where the Bebe bandits’ base was located.
Thirty slave soldiers were stationed at the border of Nurhah, and I personally led the remaining thirty. We crossed the deserted land under cover of darkness. There was no one around, perhaps because the news of the bandits had spread.
The slave soldiers who had learned Sardian swordsmanship climbed the mountain without hesitation while wearing masks.
Seo-eok!
I took the lead and cut off the bandit’s head. Starting with that, the slave soldiers surrounding Mount Tobe attacked the bandits.
“Huh!”
“The enemy… …! Bam!”
Before the uproar could spread, the slave soldiers had slaughtered 23 bandits. They were poorly armed and unprepared.
The bandits couldn’t even think of running away because the slave soldiers suddenly appeared like ghosts while using the Sardia maneuver.
23 corpses were piled up in the middle of a mountain.
“Take off their clothes.”
They stripped off the bandit’s shabby clothes and found spare clothes in the mountain shelter.
“Change your clothes and put mud on your face.”
The thirty slave soldiers followed my instructions. They changed their clothes without hesitation and applied mud mixed with water to their faces.
“From today, we are the Bebe Bandits who can even stop babies from crying. While we are bandits, we will unify all positive answers as Bebe.”
“Baby!”
They ordered the body to be moved to one side.
They were preserved by sprinkling herbs on them to prevent them from rotting,
I didn’t care if there were any rotting parts because they weren’t handled properly.
That night, the soldier who had sent out scouts returned to me and reported.
“Delgain’s army has begun to climb the mountain. Their size is estimated to be around 50 people.”
Fifty men were too much for the Bebe Bandits. Baron Delgain must have thought so too. It was to root out the first bandit group that had appeared nearby and to show that the Baron Delgain family would not forgive bandits.
“Prepare for battle.”
“Baby.”
“If possible, do not kill them. They too will become soldiers of Hebron.”
“Baby.”
Soon the slave soldiers emptied the mountain village.
They moved to the opposite side of the ridge from which the Delgaine army was ascending and set up an ambush.
“Inferno, when I give the signal, burn that place. Don’t show yourself.”
The mountain grove was full of things that could be used as kindling. A few bottles of low-quality oil were also found, which were spread on piles of dry firewood and woven grass huts.
-Is that okay?
“That’s enough. Unfortunately, I can’t fight to my heart’s content today.”
-joy.
The Delgaine Army’s surprise attack has begun.
Sir Sniff, known as the greatest swordsman in Delgain, led 50 soldiers.
It was a surprise attack, but the Delgain army did not try to hide their presence. They must have judged that they were overwhelming in terms of numbers. I could sense the Delgain army’s ambition to pursue those who were running away by frightening them.
The Delgain army crossed Mount Tobe and reached the mountain hut. The soldiers were breathing heavily. It was not as easy as they thought to hike at night while armed.
Sir Sniff shouted at the mountain herb.
“The enemy general Bebe will be judged by Baron Delgain!”
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The Delgain Army was very proud.
They had the same look on their faces as if they had already won, and they were ready to cheer.
A soldier who was looking around the mountain approached Sniff and reported.
“It seems the bandits knew in advance and ran away.”
Sniff kicked the bonfire burning nearby. The clothes on the floor caught fire. Sniff laughed when he saw that. It was obvious to anyone that they had run away in a hurry.
“They couldn’t have gone far. Find out where they are!”
“insect!”
Delcain’s men split into groups of five. Eight groups crossed to the ridge opposite where the Hebron slaves were ambushed, while two groups searched the mountain fortifications.
“Inferno.”
As I muttered, flames shot up from all over the mountain.
The fire that had spread to the oil quickly ignited, and the hut and dry firewood created a tall flame that brightly illuminated the entire area.
“Oh, it’s fire!”
The soldiers who were about to descend the opposite ridge turned their heads and looked up at the flames shooting out from the mountainside.
Suddenly, a spear flew towards them. It was a crude wooden spear used by bandits.
Shhhhhhhh! Pbububububu!
“The enemy! Ambush… …! Knock!”
A few unlucky soldiers were impaled on wooden spears and died.
At the same time, the slave soldiers rushed out shouting.
“Wow! For Bebe!”
The slave soldiers were armed with iron swords rather than wooden spears.
Before they could even wonder about that fact, Delgain’s soldiers collapsed helplessly.
The Hebron slave soldiers succeeded in the surprise attack, and in this type of terrain, the slave soldiers who had mastered the Aura method had an absolute advantage.
“It’s an enemy ambush! Delgain’s soldiers, gather around me! Form a line and fight them! They are just bandits. We are Delgain’s elite! Don’t panic!”
Sir Sniff raised his voice and encouraged the Delgain army.
But despite his cries, the flames of the mountain village grew stronger and stronger, and the Delgain army that had gathered to escape the fire looked as miserable as dogs that had eaten stray meat.
Only thirteen soldiers were gathered safely. The rest were subdued by the Hebron slave soldiers.
The slave soldiers who had fought a fierce battle climbed the ridge. Ten slave soldiers, excluding the twenty who were managing the prisoners, reached the mountain camp.
They all had their hoods pulled over them. There were bloodstains on their clothes and hoods, but they were not soldiers’ but bandits’.
“You’re a beggar! You wicked bastard!”
Sir Sniff shouted at the slave soldier Bernie. He was the most sturdy of the lot. I heard that Bernie had an orc ancestor, so he was naturally strong and big.
It was Bunny who had fought and won against Ambrod. He was an Aura Awakener who had begun to gather aura in his dantian. He was no match for a knight who had trained only with swords his entire life, but he was good enough to fight against a knight who let his guard down.
Bernie gave it his all from the start.
He tried to attack desperately by digging in with the Sardia maneuver. Instead of attacking Bernie, the soldiers retreated, and suddenly it seemed as if Bernie and Sir Sniff were facing off.
Bunny and Sniff’s swords clashed in the air.
Kaaaaang!
Sniff quickly raised his aura, but he failed to keep his sword. His grip was torn and the iron sword flew out.
‘I let my guard down.’
It was common for knights to make fun of their opponents and end up getting hurt in duels. Such incidents occurred more frequently among lower-class knights who lacked self-awareness.
The more excellent a knight was, the more he would not look down on his opponents. This was to avoid a dog’s death that would tarnish his honor.
Bunny’s sword was aimed at Sniff’s neck, and the slave soldiers who had rushed in surrounded Delgain’s soldiers.
Iron Duck! Iron Dog!
Without a word, everyone gave up their weapons.
The soldiers raised both arms to indicate that they had no intention of fighting.
“You damn bastard!”
Sniff glared and snapped.
As I nodded, the slave soldier approached and stabbed Sniff in the shoulder with his sword. It was a mechanical, emotionless movement.
There was a hole in Sniff’s shoulder.
“Ugh!”
There were no soldiers to help up the fallen Sniff.
They instinctively felt that the slave soldiers’ condition was not ordinary.
“Baby.”
Bunny turned to me and said hello.
I spoke, trying to make my voice as loud as possible.
“You there.”
The soldier pointed to me raised his right hand.
“Yes? Yes! I am Elko, a soldier of Baron Delgaine!”
“Go down and tell Delgain what I said. If he wants to save the knight and the soldier, bring him a thousand gold.”
Elko descended Mount Tobe without looking back, and the soldiers looked at the back of his head with envious eyes.
“I’ll give you the rope, so tie each other up. We’ll check it again anyway, so let’s not make each other blush. Kaak, hoo!”
It was a night when I thought that a true bandit would be someone who spits out dirty phlegm.
* * *
Two days later, a letter arrived from Hebron, not Delcain.
A small, fast messenger carried a note in a leather pouch attached to his ankle.
The note was written in code by Amy.
“500 gold… … . You rolled your head.”
Baron Delgain requested Hebron to suppress the bandits. The cost of the suppression was 500 gold, and he kept quiet about the fact that Delgain’s forces had been captured by the bandits.
“They sent 50 soldiers to the knights and were defeated, so they must have decided that the Hebron army should also suffer losses. If we defeat the bandits, we can rescue the hostages at half price, so it will be profitable.”
Amy accepted Baron Delgain’s proposal without my permission. I gave her full authority over this operation, and Delgain’s reaction was within Amy’s expectations.
“They said they’d give me 500 gold, so of course I should take it.”
Delgain paid 100 gold as a deposit, and the balance was to be paid upon completion of the work, but they seemed to have expected Hebron’s defeat.
‘Well, with 50 soldiers all captured by one knight, it would be difficult for Hebron to win easily unless they give it their all.’
That afternoon, thirty slave soldiers who had been waiting at the border of Nurha moved to Mount Tobe. They wore military uniforms issued by Hebron. The movement of these troops was reported to Delgain.
“Start sparring.”
“Baby.”
The slave soldiers who had been staying on Mount Tobe and the newly joined slave soldiers pointed their swords at each other.
It was a ‘real-life sparring training’ that was commonly carried out in Hebron.
“Wow!”
The slave soldiers stabbed each other with fire in their eyes.
