Chapter 309
My Villains Episode 309
56. with change(2)
“As planned, we leave tomorrow.”
With that, I looked back at the six mercenaries. I'm very satisfied with the way he's focused on me even though he hasn't said anything else yet..
“When we arrive at Lianwell, we will prepare for a few days and then head west to High Castle with the army provided by Marquis Eavon. You are joining my master, Prince Ulkar..”
I don't know what exactly the Marquis of Eavon has up his sleeve..
First of all, as Hayla said, it seems like they are trying to straddle both the king and Ulkar. The reinforcements he plans to send are probably not entirely out of good will or responsibility as a great lord..
“It is said that Prince Ulkar and the White Landri frontier army currently stationed in the Western Highlands total a little over 3,000. If we add the army that His Excellency the Marquis will provide, the number will be about 5,000..”
However, I could not give up on the Marquis' army because of such discomfort. From the standpoint of preventing Ulkar's death or corruption, the 1,500 soldiers would be a variable in a good sense..
“Your opponents will be the two Electors of Mitergeland, who are massing their armies on the western border. The medical history… … Probably twice as many as us..”
The two electors were Avilam Versstrom, Duke of Topal, and Burcard Altzenberg, Viceroy of Altenburg..
Avilambus, who was also Princess Theodora's uncle, had a territory as vast as five or six county counties combined. As befits a man aiming for the throne, he commands a force that would not be awkward to call him king..
Burcard's territory is less than half of Avilambus..
However, his family has been rooted in the Altenburg region since the time of the ancient empire, that is, at least eight hundred years ago. In terms of the solidity of the foundation, it cannot be compared to any other great lord on the continent..
“Also, the Death Knight who took Luke's body might do something wrong. The fishmen who retreated for a while may come back up the river and harass the rear..”
The undead army attacked this place, Seteniora Monastery, and virtually disappeared. On the other hand, the Fishmen were robbing the ports, but were counterattacked and retreated for a while..
In the end, Prince Ulkar had a new enemy in front of him and an old enemy behind him that he could not deal with..
“This might even be just the beginning.”
“……Those words are.”
“I will talk about it carefully, but it means that my journey will be a very thorny path..”
I wiped my bitter smile and took a short breath..
“And I intend to reestablish my relationship with you ahead of that thorny path..”
I have no intention or reason to say that the road ahead is 90,000 miles, so go and find your own way. The six mercenaries in front of me wanted to follow me completely..
For that persuasion, I prepared three cards..
“I guess I'll have to start with the introduction again. My name is Poynix of Jaharkar..”
The six mercenaries took a deep breath at the words that came out of nowhere. They all seemed surprised, but upon quick inspection, we found that the surprised aspects were slightly different..
The pouty Esson and the heavy prosecutor Umberta's eyes widened slightly and looked like, 'Why are they talking about this all of a sudden?' The reaction was not that they were surprised to hear Zahakar, but that the timing of the story was unexpected. He must have known my identity..
Veteran Conqueror and crossbowman Gidon opened their mouths halfway and shook their heads, saying, ‘Indeed.’ He must have roughly guessed my identity..
Lastly, Fritz with the ponytail and Dervish, the heavy soldier,,
He just had his arms crossed with an expressionless face..
Then I looked at the expressions of my colleagues and asked, ‘Why? He was giving me a look like ‘What is it?’.
“……Don't you know Zahakar??”
“……what is that?”
“Zahakar and Baluin. The ducal family of Eyland..”
“I know that. I've heard of it,”
Fritz blinked and asked again..
“Are you saying that I belong to that duke family now??”
“uh.”
“Well, are you like a distant relative??”
“no. The former Duke was my uncle, and the current Duke is my cousin..”
“•••••♦Yes?”
Only then did Fritz and Dervish open their eyes. It is clear that he either had no idea about my identity or status or had no interest in it from the beginning..
However, the rest of the mercenaries were just as startled as they didn't think I was a direct descendant of Zahakar..
“……Then, Nari, come to Miss Heyla..”
“Baluin. He's the duke's younger brother, but he's my cousin..”
“Huh.”
After asking the question, Conwy sighed and swallowed dry saliva..
Yes, this is my first card, 'Status'..
This is a world where caste system is as natural as water and air. Being of noble blood is a considerable power in itself..
Naturally, a knight who inherited the blood of a legendary duke was better at persuading than a mercenary who suddenly rose to prominence..
Perhaps because of my clearly revealed identity, the mercenaries' gaze towards me changed slightly. There seemed to be a bit of a sense of distance and strangeness mixed in, so I quickly spoke out the following words..
“I left Eyland for a pretty immature reason. It's a typical story about a young man who gets angry because he can't find love and leaves his hometown..”
A few people expressed curiosity, but I had no intention of selling Phoenix's memories here..
“While wandering around the continent, I came to be with the saint at his deathbed..”
Eson and Kidon silently made the sign of the cross..
“I realized then. My leaving home, wandering the continent, and finally arriving at the Monastery of Seteniora were all planned..”
When I was a trainee and went to church led by Mongshell, the pastor said something similar to this. It was a story about how all life is in God's plan or something like that..
Honestly, it was a word that was difficult to empathize with and understand, but it was quite useful here..
““This revelation that the Son left me is the proof.” I rolled up my sleeves and increased my magic power. The dimensional seal surrounding the wrist radiated white light..
While the mercenaries were dazzled by the sudden performance, I continued the story calmly..
“The revelation of the Holy Son contained the thorny path that I must follow. A journey full of hardships that ordinary people can never overcome. but,”
As I raised my magical power again, the light emitted by the dimensional seal became even more dazzling. And as if through a prism, the white light was scattered and produced various colors..
“What, what??”
“……oh lord.”
The dream left behind by Saint Abel appeared like a hologram in the middle of a dark warehouse..
The second card I prepared was ‘Religion’..
“But there was light by my side on my journey. The light that the Lord gave.”
Instead of the monastery walls wrapped around a giant snake, it showed the black night sky above the cathedral's spire. Soon the darkness in the sky was pushed aside by an intense light. The small sun that symbolized Princess Theodora appeared in her dream..
Due to the rapid consumption of magic power, I quickly turned off the dimensional seal. As the warehouse fell into darkness, the mercenaries took a deep breath..
“……What I want is a comrade to join me on this journey. Not a mercenary chasing money, but a comrade who shares my cause..”
With candles lit everywhere, the mercenaries' eyes twinkled..
“A group of ogres that we encountered at the entrance to Gistol, a group of vampires in Ravenscliff, a gang of bounty hunters in Modos, berserkers and demons of the Flame World, wyverns and ratmen we met along the way, and the King of Death and the undead we encountered in this sacred place. Enemies so powerful that it all seems ridiculous will block my journey.” “And I will save the kingdom at the end of the journey, and maybe more..”
The third card is ‘Vision’.
It's natural. A leader without a vision is worthless..
“I hope you will join me on that journey. Not as a mercenary, but as my comrade in arms.
west." Those who stay by my side until the end of the journey will probably gain a lot. so many things.
I didn't bother to say this out loud. Since the six mercenaries in front of you are not fools, you will be able to imagine their final appearance..
I had no intention of dissuading that imagination. Most of it is probably achievable anyway..
The mercenaries had blank expressions and then made eye contact..
I got six warriors that day.
The four of us, except Esson and Umberta, swore allegiance as soon as I finished speaking. The other two also knelt down after a moment of contemplation..
The six are no longer mercenaries. Like Dylan, the night watchman who brought the letter from Lavalton not long ago, he is my private soldier..
Strictly speaking, it is of a higher rank than that… … Yes, so to speak, it would be similar to Prince Ulkar's personal army..
Of course, I had no intention of working for free just because I became a private soldier. In fact, they doubled my weekly wage, and I plan to give them even better compensation someday..
Equipment was also distributed on the spot where the oath was taken. There was no hesitation in distribution as we had been concerned about it for a long time..
Fritz was given a set of golden armor, the ‘Emperor’s special gift’. Since this is a guy who rushes recklessly through enemy lines, I decided that having strong armor would be more important than anything else..
“……But, Nari.”
“huh?" “Isn’t this color too similar to X rice??”
“……what?”
The guy didn't seem to like the dazzling golden color, so he kicked Burned Donnell, who was napping, and sent him on an errand..
So they brought in some craftsmen and lacquered the armor dark red..
“What are you going to do if you get lacquered??”
“Wouldn’t it be better than looking like crap??”
Are you really crazy?.
Although the finish was not good because it was painted in a hurry, Fritz was very pleased and hung the armor in the backyard..
It's winter and the wind is cold and dry, so I think I'll be dry before I leave. The smell can't be helped, but.
I gave the dervish the electric ax 'Cheongroe' and the plate armor I wore..
The plate armor that was used by the dervish after Renka and me had a lot of scratches here and there, but it was still in good condition as expected from the Dormena armor workshop..
Later, you will have to leave it to a competent craftsman to fill in some parts, including the side copper, and adjust the size..
Cheongroe was not an easy weapon to use. Normally, it just looked like a war ax with a stylish blue blade, but when I held the handle, sparks and electricity erupted..
Of course, this electricity was not provided for free..
The small hatchet that Fritz had with the lightning spell was a way to charge magical power. I could slowly absorb the magical energy around me, and if I was good at manipulating magical energy, I could recharge it at will..
On the other hand, Cheongrae would arbitrarily suck magical energy from its owner and convert it into electricity. Thanks to this, if an ordinary person handled it, all of its magical power would be sucked out and people would faint..
“About 3 minutes at most..”
“Well, that's enough..”
The dervish, who fainted while testing to see how well he could handle blue lightning, had a very bright expression despite his pale face..
“It feels great to have things hanging around that don't fit the theme..”
“Yeah, that's a relief.”
As I grinned, the dervish with his sword strapped to his waist walked out of the warehouse carrying his plate armor on his shoulder..
He gave Umberta the one-handed and half-sword 'Saint's Destruction'..
The Saint's Destruction is a one-handed sword, but it is longer than most two-handed swords. It is very light in weight and has a low center of gravity.
It was an item that was held well and could be handled with one hand if you were skilled..
“……How is it so good?.”
“what?”
“It's a feeling..”
Umberta, holding the sword, looked up at the blade with a mysterious expression..
Well, it's natural to feel that way. Is it called ‘The Destruction of the Saint’ for no reason?.
As a unique piece of equipment, that sword has the terrifying effect of nullifying divine power. The energy that dissipates divine power could not have given a pleasant feeling..
“Do you feel a bit uncomfortable??”
“……no. I really like it.”
Umberta looked at the blade with slightly relaxed eyes and burst out laughing..
……It looks dangerous. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on it..
Eson was given a glaive called ‘Blood Vanguard’..
“Can I use this??”
As he gripped the spear, red smoke and bloody energy rose from the blade. Eson looked back at me with a slightly tired expression..
“Honestly, it's a bit dangerous. If you're unlucky, you could lose your life just by grazing the blade..”
Eson's face became even paler as I explained in detail about the Vorpal, or rather, instant death option attached to the equipment..
“It's okay for me to say this as someone who has decided to be loyal to you, but I plan to return to my hometown someday..”
“Is it too much? Don't worry, you can return it when you return..”
“…… That’s not true, if you use something like this, I don’t think you will be expelled.” When he showed signs of hesitation, I suggested 'Ecstatic Death' instead of Blood Vanguard..
“uh......
Eson made an awkward expression when he saw the trident emitting a purple light that mesmerized people..
“This doesn't seem any different.”
He looked at the glaive and the trident in turn, then slightly moistened his dry lips and nodded..
“If you want to walk down a thorny path, here's something like this
It's necessary at least, okay?.”
So Eson held the handle of the glaive with a stern look on his face..
Of course, distribution was not all smooth..
“I can't write this.”
“••••••why?”
“It's an evil thing, isn't it?.”
Gidon frowned and backed away from the ‘Dead Man’s Crossbow’..
“Because it’s not like that. If it had been an evil object, it would have been purified by the princess' divine power. Even now, I can’t feel the fraud..”
“Anyway, how can you use such an ominous object as an arrow cut from bone??”
Like other things, the 'Dead Man's Crossbow' is also a strange object, and if you put an ordinary crossbow on it, it turns into black dust and scatters. So, in order to shoot properly, arrows made of bone had to be used, and this seemed to Gidon to be very ominous. Actually, it is a completely natural reaction..
Due to Gidon's fearful attitude, I suggested the longbow 'Bo Leatkum' and the enchanted catapult (投石弓), but he refused even those. I guess I'll just use what I originally used..
Well, the item that Gidon originally used was a heavy crossbow with a winching device, so it's not that it lacks power, but it was a bit disappointing that the three unique pieces of equipment seemed to have lost their usefulness..
I was going to give Conwyr a shield, the ‘Rock of Corinth’.,
“ o Ugh
Confire, holding the shield, sweatdropped and shook his head..
“I can't do it?”
“Yes, that won't work. It's too heavy for me to use in real life..”
As its name suggests, the Rock of Corinth is an object that at first glance looks like a granite slab..
It was a very good shield that completely blocked fire and cold, and had other special abilities, but it was so heavy that it seemed like a burden even to Confire, a seasoned mercenary..
“It doesn't matter. Anyway, I was slowly getting used to this guy..”
As he said that, what he struck was a shield with raised steel horns that he had recently acquired at an auction. It's low level, but it's not a bad item since it has spell reflection..
“Well, if you regret it, just write this down.”
While saying that, what he held out was the ‘War Hammer of Shock’ that Utequai returned not long ago..
«eww »
Conwyer, who had an inexplicable attachment to his blunt decapitating sword, hesitated for a moment and then accepted the hammer with a grin..
“Thank you very much, Nari.”
It looks like it's a courtesy award, but well, it's salty rice, so I guess I'll use it well..
As a result, some of the equipment that had been left lying around found its owners..
The remaining equipment is…….
‘'Boreakkum', 'Dead Man's Crossbow', enchanted slingshot, 'Ecstatic Death', 'Rock of Corinth', 'Early Harvest', a scythe that lost its power, a belt with metal plates obtained from the battle with the Ratmen, The only items obtained by killing Starmaker Sol Reva are the 'majestic robes' and the cottonwood staff..
No, there is also the ‘Rainbow of Incident’ set obtained from Karamek..
……Ha, there are so many. Will all these items find their owners??
Another day passed while I was worried about my stomach being full. It is finally the day to leave the Seteniora Monastery..
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