Chapter 328
My Villains Episode 328
57. Preface(9)
It's been a while since it snowed.
Is it because we are in late January, when the cold reaches its peak? Even though the Antrum region is famous for its warm climate, a fairly fierce snowstorm struck..
Encountering a blizzard on the second day of the expedition, this is quite unlucky..
Hehehe-
That's how I feel. Anyway, Bicorn ran through the snow field alone, blushing. After being exposed to the cold wind for several hours, I saw that instead of losing my energy, I became even more energetic, and I thought that the monster was a monster after all..
Perhaps because we were about to enter the plateau, the high and low hills continued endlessly on both sides of the winding road..
The excited Bicorn led me to the highest hill among the mountains. As he quickly climbed the slope with his forked horns in front, the scouting team sent by the commander of the Marquis of Eavon was startled and rolled down the snow..
I chuckled and held out a leather water bag to them. I open the cap and offer it to the soldiers who refuse, and they take the water bag with joy as they smell the faint scent of Dandelion wine..
While three young men who must have been in their twenties were flirting, I approached a man who appeared to be the leader and asked him a question..
“Is it a plateau from there??”
“That's right, Nari..”
Far to the west, beyond the fierce snowstorm, a pale, sheer cliff came into view..
The leader, who had become quite friendly with me over the past three days while driving the bicorn here and there, glanced towards the west and added,.
“It's a fucking place. Especially on days like this..”
“Yeah it looks like.”
That plateau was the land of the Mitergeland Empire until just a few decades ago. That is, until Lionel II, the king of the pre-war era and also known as the ‘King of the Knights’, personally swept up his army and took it away..
Since then, the Electors of Mitergeland, eager for revenge, have frequently attacked, making the plateau one of the most conflicted areas on the continent. It is a place where wars break out once every 5 years at the shortest or once every 10 years at the longest, so it was not unreasonable for it to gain such notoriety..
If you look at it that way, Prince Ulkar began to rise to fame after he was active in the battle on the plateau at the young age of seventeen..
“The story of the prince shooting six arrows and knocking down seven horsemen is such a famous story that no one in the kingdom knows about it..”
“Yeah, it was really famous. There is no one who doesn't know.”
“Sometimes, skeptical people thought the rumors were exaggerated. Well, it's worth thinking about it that way. It was a sight that was hard to believe even when I saw it in person..”
“Even if I see it in person?”
The scout leader shook the snow off his helmet and smiled..
“yes. “I was on the plateau eight, no, nine years ago.” "oh. “You were a veteran?” “It’s nothing special. If you eat Jjambap in Antrum, you will definitely go to the plateau at least once. Even over there, one out of ten people must have rolled on the plateau..”
He pointed to the soldiers walking like giant snakes along the road at the bottom of the hill..
“Still, not many people would have seen Prince Ulkar draw his bow in person. It's something I'm proud of..”
“okay? I'm also interested.”
“Hmm, I guess so. I am His banner..”
The leader explained in detail what happened in the Battle of Gowon nine years ago..
It was certainly an interesting story, but in the end it was a thing of the past, so I nodded my head in response and looked back at Marquis Eavon's army..
sixteen hundred soldiers.
Five hundred of them were elite soldiers under the direct command of Marquis Aria, and the rest were soldiers led by minor lords of Antrum. If you add my subordinates and the miscellaneous people brought in by the nobles, the number of pages is over 2,000..
2A thousand men is considered to be less than a handful in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and history books, but when you see it in person, it's just bustling..
Thanks to the activities of the church exercising divine power, the world has high food production and a low infant mortality rate, but the monsters that haunt the forests still make people precious..
In that sense, that army was by no means a small number. In fact, it was the largest army I've ever seen..
If I had accepted the Marquis of Eavon's offer, that army would have been entirely mine. Seeing the majesty of the elite soldiers at the forefront, I regretted rejecting the proposal in the end..
“……I vividly remember it. You were so active even when you were a 17-year-old kid. What do you think about it now?.”
Even as I was looking back at the troops, the scout leader's chatter continued..
“The electors bowed in front of the prince's 2,000 soldiers just a few months ago, so this time will not be much different..”
“hmm. I hope so.”
“You said it was your first time on the plateau, right? I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. Compared to the powerful enemies you've faced, the big Gelan guys are nothing more than a scarecrow..”
Even in the harsh weather of the blizzard, the scout leader's voice was extremely cheerful..
His words almost represented the mood of the entire Marquis army..
It was only in August last year that Prince Ulkar rallied the forces of the west and prevented the invasion of the Mitergeland..
In such a situation, it seemed that 2,000 reinforcements had been added, so it was no wonder that the soldiers were optimistic..
In addition, the fact that the boy Count Os, who would become the future owner of Antrum, led the army also had a great influence..
‘There is a rumor going around in the crowd that 'Unless the Marquis was a fool, he would not have entrusted command to a 16-year-old child ahead of a difficult war.'.
It's good to have high morale, but you shouldn't let down your guard. Well, the atmosphere at the command center is a little different, so you don't have to worry too much..
“I guess I should go back soon. Tell me the rest of the story next time.”
I put aside the scout leader's disappointed expression and pulled the reins. Bicorn shook his head, let out a short annoyance, and turned his horse's head..
No, strictly speaking, it's not a horse, so it's a bit weird to say it's a horse's head..
Well anyway.
The bicorn went down the hill twice as fast as it came up. The speed was so fast that it felt like it was flying into the sky against a snowstorm..
As I was passing through the rows of Marquis soldiers and heading towards the place where my companions and subordinates were gathered, I suddenly felt empty..
Normally, when you arrive at this point, the bundle should appear and greet you with its characteristic smiling face..
Is it because it's only been five days since we broke up? His empty space feels too big. Now that the trespasser who used to crawl under my blanket every night is gone, I'm having trouble sleeping..
The group left for Oak Deli, a region east of Antram. This is because the place where Pasagumju closed his eyes was ‘Oakford’, the capital of Oak Deli..
Oak Deli was in chaos due to an incompetent high lord, and at the same time was a key location close to the royal capital. It is truly a perfect place for a secret society like the Three Swords Association to have its headquarters..
Whether it was Oak Deli or Oak Ford, it wasn't that far away, so if Mungchi safely obtained the Pasa Sword, they would be able to meet again before long..
When I was Seungsu Kim, I remember being annoyed by the swordsman's exclusive quest..
Unlike other characters whose dedicated quests are completed in one shot, the scenarios for the swordsman and swordsman added in the expansion pack were split into several separate scenarios..
At the time, it was annoying that the hunting tempo was cut off in between, but now I'm just grateful. We'll be able to meet the bunch again soon..
“Nari, are you here?.”
At that time, veteran Conwy approached with his horse..
While thinking about Mungchi's cute face, I saw Conwyer's top with his head shaved like a chestnut and a large scar around his mouth, and I wondered if reality was just a gutter..
“Ha, fuck.”
“……why are you like this?”
“no, nothing.”
Conwyer raised his head with a puzzled expression. His horse was an old warhorse whose fur had turned gray, and although it lacked energy, it was fearless and did not move even when the bicorn roared..
After examining the old warhorse for a moment, I turned to my companions and asked,.
“It's cold and everyone is having a hard time. What about the newbies??”
“I'm just walking, so what's going on? “We selected useful people from the beginning, so you don’t have to worry.” As Conwyre suggested, I selected twenty mercenaries from Lianwell..
The weekly wage is set according to skill: three are two silver coins, five are one-and-a-half silver coins, and twelve are one-and-a-half silver coins. With a weekly wage of one silver coin, you are considered a veteran mercenary, so you have brought in some elites..
While looking back at my new subordinates as if they were newcomers, I narrowed my eyebrows..
“Why is his face like that??”
“Who- Oh, you mean ‘Tagat’??”
Taggart was the most skilled of the mercenaries gathered this time, and his trademark was the large gauntlets that covered his elbows and the ignorant-looking Cleaver..
Conwyer smiled wryly, glancing at Taggart, who was grunting with bandages wrapped askew on half his face..
“There was a bit of a, um, ranking struggle. It happens all the time..”
“Did you fight? with whom?”
“This is Donnell..”
“Donnell? Weldon Donell?”
“It's not well done - anyway, that's him..”
“Donnell made him like that? I probably don't have the skills to do that.?”
Since I never missed evening training even while on the march, I quickly got to know the skills of my new subordinates..
Conwyer knew this too, so he quickly shook his head..
“Donnell, of course, broke down badly. But that guy gained momentum and attacked Fritz..”
“aha.”
It is said that Takat almost lost one of his eyes. Half of my eyeball got blown out by Fritz's fist..
“Thanks to Okan's quick treatment, I was able to avoid becoming a one-eyed victim..”
“okay. Well, it's good that Fritz's life was saved by his temper..”
Come to think of it, the monk Okan was preaching a sermon against Fritz for recklessly using violence against him..
Even Fritz, as much of an idiot as he was, couldn't be irritated by the priest. It was quite funny how he just shut up and scrunched up his face..
“Tsu ” 入- •
Fighting among allies is not something to be proud of, but it was also something that could not be helped..
Most of my subordinates were mercenaries who worked as individuals or small groups, and those guys were usually closer to gangsters than soldiers..
If you tried to solve such a small problem yourself, you would have to hold on to your subordinates all day. The trick is to leave it alone in moderation..
“So, the ranks are in order.?”
“That's roughly it. The youngest children were disappointed. None of the new guys are easy..”
“It's a shame. If kids with no skills are already trying to escape, they have no conscience..”
Meanwhile, Utequai was busy taming the direwolf by whispering something incomprehensible to it, and Hayla was nowhere to be seen. In the past few days, I have become friendly with an old wizard who is said to have come from Trumwell, and I must have been riding in her carriage to avoid the blizzard..
Theodora was riding her white horse Brightmere, observing the marching line here and there. He looks after soldiers who have fallen behind or horses with injured ankles, and is exercising the power of healing..
Just as I was about to approach her and talk to her, a messenger approached me..
“Lord Phoenics! General McNeil has requested to attend the military medical examination..”
“……i get it. go now.”
‘MacNeill' was the actual commander of this army, a professional commander whom Eavon loved, and a man renowned as a rising general..
Unlike the soldiers, that person sees this war as quite difficult. what to say
Let’s hear what they’re doing..
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