Chapter 331
My Villains Episode 331
57. Preface(12)
“I'm indebted to you.”
Lujan spoke to me as I just left the tent with Theodora..
There were six heavily armed guards by the boy lord's side, as if they had come to meet him..
“……What do you mean??”
“You didn't stop me from getting angry..”
aha. This is the story of when General McNeil drew the treasured sword Hogar..
I laughed and shook my head..
“no. Why am I so indebted to you?……
“The situation is right. If he had withdrawn in that situation, he would have been seen as being intimidated by McNeil, a commoner. Sir, I saved my face..”
Seeing a thirteen-year-old boy talking about respect somehow left me speechless. Either way, Ruyan, who had fastened the hem of his cloak tightly, let out a faint voice through the howling snowstorm..
“Thank you.”
“yes?”
“It's okay to say it's repayment, but I'll pretend that what happened in the forest before didn't happen..”
Work in the forest? Could it be that he had in mind the loss of Bicorn and Die Wolf??
Before Lu Yan could open his mouth, he turned around with the soldiers. I watched the small boy walking through the snowstorm..
“……He's a smart boy..”
Theodora next to me sighed while fiddling with a fist-sized pendant..
“maybe better than me.”
“yes? what do you mean by that?”
She walked away with a slightly sullen expression, and I quickly followed suit..
“Although he used a trick to defeat the army, at least that boy saved face as he said. “I was caught up in the general’s rhetoric and was humiliated.” I had a hard time suppressing laughter at the sight of Theodora muttering in despair. Unconsciously, I reached out my hand and tried to tap her sagging shoulder, but then remembered my status as a princess and naturally scratched my eyebrows..
“……Well, you're upset about General McNeil.?”
“No, it's not like that. I don't blame him or hate him..”
Theodora's long eyelashes tilted to the ground..
“That can't be possible. Because I'm a paladin. I just feel sorry for myself.”
“There is nothing to blame yourself for. He was pretty, no, very cute..”
“……You're kidding me..”
“Then they say he was like a priest. You looked pure.”
As if it wasn't much of a comfort, Princess Theodora pressed down on the full helmet she was wearing at her side..
I suppressed the laughter that kept trying to escape and changed the subject..
“Please tell us a little about the Brave Knights. Is it true that they really can't escape the Hundred Years Castle??”
“……I don't feel like talking.”
“Don't be like that, I'm curious so please tell me. I've always been interested in dragon knights..”
“To the brave knight?”
“yes. Aren’t they flying knights? I've only heard rumors, but the princess must have seen it in person..”
She walked in silence, but reluctantly opened her mouth as I continued to press her..
“I haven't really liked dragon knights since I was young..”
“yes? Why??”
“Although it is powerful and useful, it has many harmful effects and goes against the Lord's providence..”
“ It's a waste?”
“As General McNeil said earlier, it's the gluttons this time. Do you know how many livestock sixty wyverns belonging to the Dragon Knights eat in one month??”
“well.”
“There are over a thousand.”
“……I'm eating a lot of food..”
“They are being plundered from all kinds of regions, including Topal, Jarsen, Bühlsruhe, Obdorf, and Angst. Even if there is a famine and the people die, the Wyvern's ship will never fail..”
The sincerity can be felt in Theodora's subdued voice. It seems like he really hates the Dragon Knights..
“So what does it mean to go against providence??”
“Wyverns are different from horses and cannot be easily tamed. Immediately after coming out of the egg, they are gagged and beaten to suppress their evil nature, and if that is not enough, they even use magical powers to control their instincts and emotions..”
“Is there such magic??”
“To be precise, the magic is contained in the relics left behind by the ancient empire..”
“If it's a relic.”
“It is a huge crystal sphere embedded in the center of the Hundred Years Castle, and is commonly called the ‘Wyvern Stone’. That's why dragon knights can't escape their family's territory. I have to use the Wyvern Stone to suppress the wyvern's resistance once every two days..”
“Once every two days.”
No matter how excellent the wyvern's flying ability was, it would not have been easy to fly all the way here and back to Topal in one day. It may be possible if it's too much, but you definitely won't have the strength to fight..
“But when I listened to General McNeil, I heard the nuance that it was possible to fly further than that in the old days.?”
“At that time, the headquarters of Yeonggeummun was located in the Bühlsruhe region. So it was possible.”
“……Yeonggeummun Gate?”
It's an unexpected name..
“There is a magic in Yeonggeummun that instills fear in monsters and suppresses their hostility..”
“That hex replaced Wyvern Stone.?”
“exactly. It is said that it was only a temporary measure because it had many side effects..”
Slowly, the camp where the group was gathered came into view. As I looked at the men standing guard, Theodora's explanation continued..
“During the Great War, after the powerful school of magic, 'Linhow on the Mountain', destroyed the main temple of Yeonggeummun, the seeds of high-level necromancers dried up, and the scope of activities of the Dragon Knights also shrank..”
“There was such a story. I think I understand why the princess hates dragon knights, since she tried to tame a wyvern by using Yeonggeummun's hex..”
“……Actually, there is something else that is worst..”
Theodora stopped walking and looked back at me. Beyond the grooves of the full helm, I made eye contact with light green eyes mixed with anger and sadness..
“Sometimes a lucky wyvern survives many battles... … Finally, I become 'old and useless'.”
“Then the owner must kill the old wyvern who has served him all his life. That's tradition.”
“That's cruel..”
“It's not even like burying a dead wyvern like that. They cut off the flesh, share it, and use the skin, claws, and bones to make weapons..”
“The Brave Knights pretend that it is a sacred and honorable event, but... Wow, I don't know if these people will agree..”
With one last muttering of disgust, Theodora headed towards the tent where the Holy Knights were gathered..
Whoa whoa-
Dry gray-brown grass leaves were falling in the chilly wind of the plateau. A cold wind blew through the hills without a single tree, with their round edges clearly visible..
The campground, where over 1,600 soldiers were huddled together and making fires, was shivering from the cold wind..
“……“Oh, I’m freezing to death.” Chojang, a boy with a stocky physique, grumbled and started the bonfire..
“I thought it was getting a little warmer, but what kind of lightning is this?.”
“This is a plateau, you idiot. It's natural to be cold.”
Goleman responded to Shea's clever words with a clumsy face..
“Who doesn't know that? I just regret letting my guard down.……
“that's right. “I should have bought some fur clothes at Lianwell.” Poacher Kabas grumbled loudly.
He cut the tree branches. He diligently moved the dagger, and the tree branches gradually turned into arrows..
“……Even if it's fur clothes, shouldn't you have bought enough arrows??”
“I already have enough.”
“Then why are you doing this??”
“Just doing it. Because there are arrowheads left,.”
Goleman quietly admired.
“you are really amazing too.”
“what?”
“You get bullied by Hatanka every time you train. Isn't it hard? If it were me, I would fall asleep whenever I get the chance..”
“How difficult is this? And I kind of got used to it..”
As Cabas shrugged his shoulders, Shea burst into laughter..
“Yeah, it seemed like it. You don't cry at night these days.”
“what? When did I cry?!”
“I know it all, you covered yourself under the blanket and suffocated because you were tired. Until recently, it was like that all the time.”
“Don't bullshit, I didn't.!”
Golman, caught in the middle, quickly spoke up to stop the two bickering friends..
“Still, I ended up here.”
“what?”
“I mean us. The original plan was to leave around Antram..”
Cabas pouted his lips and said as he sharpened his arrow shaft..
“There's nowhere to go anyway, so where would kids like us get treated like this?.”
“That's right.”
The three friends received a raise a few days ago and are now receiving half a silver coin each. It was a very generous amount for a kid who had only been a mercenary for a little over a month..
In addition, thanks to the combat allowance, their pockets were already quite heavy..
Goleman continued talking while fiddling with the pouch he had in his arms..
“We're lucky, everyone's been saying it all winter.”
“Listen carefully to that. Everyone says this because they want to bother us for no reason..”
Goleman shrugged his shoulders at Cavas's cynical words, saying, 'Well, that could be true,' but deep down he didn't agree at all..
Among Poynix's subordinates, the three gathered here were the only ones that could be considered complete newcomers. The rest were all mercenaries from the beginning or had military experience..
Of course, Dylan, the night watchman who recently joined, was neither a mercenary nor a soldier. However, he who served as a magistrate in La Balton could not be compared to Goleman and others..
Those experienced colleagues often said that the three friends were very lucky. To receive training, prepare meals, and even earn money, this is unimaginably good treatment..
Goleman, who was absent-mindedly fiddling with his money bag, turned to Shea and asked:.
“What about you? I think this is better than being a nun?”
“……Are you saying that now? At that time, I felt like I was suffocating every day. There is nothing compared to now.”
“Thank goodness. Then I want to see the prince.-”
“Lower your voice.”
Shea looked around and glanced at the goal..
“Okay, my plan is the same, so don't bring it up for nothing. I told you there's nothing good about hearing someone else's ears..”
“Who cares? I'm not going to tell you any details anyway..”
“Only you can do that. But what if Fritz or the dervish come and ask??”
The two men that Goleman feared the most were Fritz the Ponytail and Dervish, the lieutenant general, so he just kept quiet..
“If I keep my mouth shut like that, will Fritz just say, ‘Well, I can’t help it’ and move on.?”
“……Absolutely not.”
“okay. So watch your mouth.”
As soon as Shea finished speaking, someone said something from behind her..
“What are you careful about??”
Shea, whose heart sank, looked back with her eyes wide open, and then breathed a sigh of relief..
“ha. Mr. Conwyer.”
“why are you so surprised?”
Veteran Confire plopped down between Cabas and Shea and held out a steaming wooden bowl..
“Come on, share it..”
“What is it?”
“It's made by mixing wine in water and boiling it. If you want to sleep on this cold day, you need something like this..”
The three children hungrily shared their warm drinks, and Conwyr watched them quietly..
“Oh, that's right. Mr. Conwyer. There was something I wanted to ask.”
“What is it?”
“The Blood Mane Mercenaries..”
asked Goalman, who stole Gambison's sleeve from his mouth..
“Are you saying they are very vicious people? Everyone is just talking about that..”
“It's famous, isn't it? Because they are the ones who will do anything to make money..”
“Will I fight them??”
“I don't know. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.”
“I haven't heard anything else from you.?”
Conwyer replied, scratching the long scar running down the side of his lip..
“From what I heard, it seemed like General McNeil was also a perpetrator. They're sending messengers and scouts everywhere, but it looks like they haven't found any traces of them..”
“I heard that the entire mercenary group is a cavalry unit, but I guess they're so fast that I can't find them.?”
“They are not the kind of guys who just march nicely. “If there is one nearby, there must be one or two villages that have been looted.” When Goleman and his friends looked confused, Conwyr smiled and reassured them..
“There's no need to be too scared. There are a lot of powerful wizards here, so the cavalry won't be able to use its power..”
Shea suddenly asked a question at his words..
“If you're a powerful mage, like Heyla.?”
“miss? The lady is not a wizard, she is a blood magician..”
“Is that different??”
“Uh, that's……
Conwyer tilted his head with an ambiguous expression, smiled, and then changed the subject..
“More than that, what we really need to be wary of is not the Bloodmane mercenaries..”
“sure?”
“Vice King Burcard's magic soldiers. They are the real danger.”
When the three friends showed signs of interest, Conwyer wet his dry lips and continued talking..
“They're like weapons. From a young age, we learn deadly magic just for war..”
“Aren’t all battle wizards like that??”
“It's different from a wizard. Wizards are people who have talent for magic and spells, but magic soldiers don't have that. So I learned just two spells..”
“What is it??”
“First of all, one is an attack spell to be used in war. Everyone learns different things depending on their use..”
“What about the other one??”
“‘It's a spell called 'combustion'..”
Conwyer explained with his voice much lowered..
“It's a story I heard from a destruction wizard in Obdorf, and it's a spell that burns my life to create magic power..”
“……It has a lifespan?”
“Yes, you are using attack magic at the cost of the rest of your life. They are very terrible people..”
As his story continued, Goleman suddenly looked up at the western sky..
Cool feeling as if the back of the neck is being pulled..
It was the same feeling I had right before I encountered the rat men at the ancient gateway..
“......uh?”
Goleman, who was staring blankly at the night sky, noticed a black patch passing through the faint moon shining through the clouds..
“Uh, that one. Mr. Conwyer.”
“ hmm?”
“Hey, look over there..”
Conqueror, who had been quietly unpacking his bundle of stories, looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression and narrowed his eyes..
“......That is?”
Black pieces growing bigger and bigger.
Soon, Conwyer noticed that they were flapping their wings, and then he realized who they were..
“It's a wyvern.”
Confire jumped up and shouted..
“Wyvern, it's a wyvern-!”
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