Chapter 525
My Villains Episode 525
67. Lord of Icebovald(18)
The conductor first checked the number of people limited..
As for the journey to Froshafen, more than half of it is in my territory, and the rest of the In Angst region is also friendly land, so there was less need to worry about sight..
On the other hand, things were different after moving to the Kingdom of Milanol. If the size of the party or their behavior is too noticeable, news of us will reach the royal faction nobles and Zacharis before we even reach the capital..
“First of all, the size of all units was around ten people. It would be best not to exceed twenty at most. Separately, I need to prepare a disguised identity..”
“Up to twenty... … . Does that policy also apply to the university??”
“of course.”
Since martial law has not been declared, the local lords of the kingdom will not be checking all passers-by coming and going from their territory. Still, in preparation for an unexpected situation, a disguise would be necessary, whether as a group of peddlers starting a new business or as a group of mercenaries wandering around looking for an employer..
“……In that case, it would be better to organize the main body as a security guard..”
“uh. These guys were raised for this purpose in the first place, so it's been a while since I had to pay for it..”
As the name suggests, the bodyguard is a unit in charge of my close protection..
However, contrary to the name, I rarely perform routine security, and this is because there could not be anyone with the intention or ability to pose a threat to my personal life, at least within this Eisbowald..
What I expected from them was to demonstrate meaningful force in ‘special situations.’ Can we say that it is a force that can do its part based on outstanding individual skills in a battle where thousands of ordinary soldiers cannot use their strength?.
In short, it was a small elite prepared to run the campaign..
After thinking about the upcoming campaigns, I decided that mobilizing a large army would not be of much use..
Considering the means of access to Jedo, an ancient city in the sky, it would have been difficult to send even a hundredth level troops. The terrain is no different, so if you were to lead a large army through such a long and rough expedition, the supply requirements would be enormous. Perhaps the estate's finances will be ruined before the 'measure' can be reached..
Not to mention the underworld or the dark world... … . No, it's the same even if you just go to the royal capital right now..
Even if the combat brigade had thousands of troops, projecting its full force to the royal capital far away was a completely different matter. Even an arrow fired with a heavy crossbow cannot pierce a single layer of silk at the end..
Due to these circumstances, that is, the need to maximize the end point of the offensive, I had no choice but to train a small number of elites. The result is the eighteen members of the bodyguard..
“Are you taking Fritz with you too? Then there is no one who can imitate you..”
“Ah, Fritz.?”
During the Battle of the Bay of Blades, I was tasked with leading a separate unit to cross the Bay of Blades. At that time, I used a shallow tactic to prevent the armies of the two Elector Counts who were attacking High Castle from noticing my absence. I had Fritz, who had the closest body type to me, pretend to be a red knight..
From what I later learned from the captured prisoners, the trick lasted only five days. Since it was said to be five days, it seems like they were caught quickly, but if you think about it differently, it means that the trick worked for four days, so it wasn't in vain..
“Well, it's okay. Anyway, my absence will last half a year at most. By the time the rumors start to spread, everything in the royal capital will have been completed.?
“Still, my lord. Wouldn't it be better to hide as much as possible any circumstances that might make the other party suspicious? Sneaking into the royal capital is like sticking your head into the jaws of a dragon. It's not enough to be careful a hundred times..”
When Confire's nagging seemed to get longer, I quickly waved my hand away..
“Oh, stop. it's okay. Heyla said she had an idea for that, so she'll figure it out..”
The main members of the bodyguard were pro-soldiers who had followed me since before the Blademan War, including Fritz the 'thorny', Cole the 'giant hunter', Steedman the 'sniff', Mira the 'female leopard', and Golman the 'monster squire'..
They are my comrades who have shared my ups and downs, and at the same time, my confidants who have experienced great success in return. Among my many subordinates, they are especially trustworthy..
In addition to them, 'Valkyrie' Tiloria, a representative of the Cell-seed type, 'Gelia Mon', who was a swordsman wandering around the empire but came under my control during the Blademan War, and Icebo after suddenly making eye contact with Mira. There was also Epoz, a ‘singing mage’ who settled in Balt..
Although they were closer to customers than subordinates, they were trustworthy because they had their own safety measures in place - their families living in Eisvowald..
Like this, each member of the bodyguard is unique, but what is unique among them are the five men who once belonged to the 'Devils of Blue Flame'. Altenberg's magic corps, freed from brainwashing with the help of Iopiya, were specially selected among them..
Altenburg's magic soldiers are originally half-mage, and the only spells they have learned are attack spells such as 'Fireball', 'Arrow Lightning', and 'Geol', and 'Combustion', which burns their vitality to replenish mana. was.
However, there were some who were talented in their own way, and high-level wizards such as Master Epoz and Master Hagni each took several students as disciples and trained them to become full-time martial wizards..
Among those talented people, the five I selected became part of the bodyguard. In other words, the bodyguard's five-member room is made up of talented individuals selected from less than three hundred demons of the Blue Flame..
Their skills as battle wizards were quite satisfactory, but what was more valuable was their attitude..
Looking back, I kidnapped Bang Sabellad using the 'dimensional seal' during the Blademan War. In the process, I robbed the slaves of their binding power and changed the object of loyalty engraved in their souls to me..
Iopiya took a long time to remove the stigma from her soul, but there was no doubt that its traces still remained in her mind. The proof was the tears I shed with emotion when I was notified that I had been chosen by the group of five..
Moreover, it appears that the fighting instinct from the time when it was treated as a powerful siege weapon was still alive..
Maybe it's because of his experience of burning his life and killing his enemies, but his recklessness in battle is on a different level from that of ordinary magicians. These guys had no fear of the swords that came at them, and if necessary, they could throw fireballs at their feet..
The exquisite combination of blind loyalty and recklessness that does not spare one's life was the reason why I did not spare any support for the Gang of Five..
“We can't assign all of these personnel to the main unit. too many.”
As for the number of people already organized as seen, there are already seven, including me, Mungchi, IOPIA, Hagne, Simos, and Saitz..
If you add the entire bodyguards to this, the number is twenty-five, which is not a large number, but it is enough to make minor lords wary..
“After going over to the kingdom, we will have to divide it in half. “The remaining security forces will be organized into a detachment that will operate at the shortest distance.” I nodded and placed my hand on the schedule..
“First of all, Fritz, I will feel at ease if I take this bastard with me..”
“You'll feel better if you take Golman with you..”
“uh. Remove the ‘evangelist’ from the detachment. I'm already annoyed because I'm sneaking around, but I don't want to hear a sermon..”
“Shouldn't there be at least one person with divine powers? I heard that Princess Theodora cannot accompany us..”
“it's okay. How amazing is that guy’s divine power?……
“Isn’t he a cathedral knight?.”
“Fake cathedral article. Also, how many wizards are in the group, but will their divine power be disappointing??”
“Well, I understand. Then, since you took out Gidon, why don't you take Mittelman instead?.”
“okay. The more magicians there are, the better, so add Epose, and since you can't keep a couple apart, add Mira as well..”
“It would be better to leave Tilloria as a detachment. It has excellent mobility, and Ellen may not like it very much.,”
“no, that doesn't work.”
“yes? why......
I shrugged my shoulders and answered Conwyer's puzzled expression..
“How fun it is to make fun of him. I can't give up on that.”
“••••••Ah, yes.”
“Of the five devils, well, these two.”
“‘‘Kal Ain’, ‘Engliu’. Those two are the most useful..”
“Lastly, since we need to check information about the princess from time to time, we also need to check Shea..”
“The timing is perfect..”
“what?”
“Shea. I understand that you finished your training six days ago. Didn't you know??”
“Oh, really? It's already been a year?”
I looked shocked when I remembered that 'clever' Shea had become a disciple of Grimmons Koval, the founder of 'Kova Ryu'..
Even thinking about it again, it couldn't help but be an amazing thing. A sword master, said to be one of the Empire's most powerful swordsmen, came from Folville, a rural corner of the kingdom.
Taking a girl as an official disciple?.
Thanks to the 'mask wearing shadows' who were the underlings of the group, I found out that the old master had discovered a great swordsmanship in Shea. I also thought that Shea was quite talented after seeing her body movements and sword skills, but I never imagined that it would be at a level that would appeal to even a 90-year-old master..
“What on earth are you looking at? That scrawny old man who has been hiding all this time because he lost ‘The Flight of the Bird of Prey’ to me..”
“It's not a bad thing, is it??”
“Yeah, that's a good thing..”
“If you have any doubts, it would be okay for you to check it yourself..”
“Yeah, whatever..”
When I nodded politely, Kern Whir presented a plan for organizing the detachment..
“The contingent will be organized into 24 groups with a total of 450 people..”
“Why do you send so much?”
““Only eight groups will enter the capital, and the rest will stand in reserve in the open fields around the capital.” Conwy placed 24 boards on a map centered on the Kingdom of Milano, especially the royal capital, and explained the waiting areas for the detachments. I listened quietly and suddenly sighed..
“Supply needs to be maintained for at least half a year... … . How do you maintain supplies for 450 people over such a long distance?.”
“We plan to provide ample initial supplies and send out supply units as soon as the opportunity arises. However, since it will not be easy to operate a supply unit, purchasing locally will be the mainstay..”
“This should be maintained for up to half a year at most... … . I'm going to lose a lot of money.”
“In any case, the detachment disguised as mercenaries can actually fulfill the request and raise funds.,”
When Confire started talking nonsense, I narrowed my eyes slightly..
“What kind of bullshit is that when it's not enough to just focus on the royal road? If that's the case, it would be better to reduce the number of detachments..”
“I'm sorry, my lord. I made a mistake. This was a preliminary plan to prepare for a situation where the operation would be excessively prolonged..”
“If it looks like it's going to last longer than half a year, you have to jump out. What kind of angler are you ordering? We are not beggars……
I scratched my eyebrows with a doubtful look..
“……Not a beggar?”
Conwyer grinned and shook his head..
“We have enough military funds, and we have also secured enough bank drafts through Mr. Lannon..”
“okay?”
“yes. The detachment will not go hungry. As long as the commander doesn't lose his wallet..”
“good.”
I nodded and Conwyer's report continued..
“Each detachment consisted of a minimum of sixteen and a maximum of twenty men. All detachments were centered around skilled soldiers selected from the Silver Sword Battalion..”
The 'Silver Sword Battalion', one of the battalions belonging to the combat brigade, was a unit mainly made up of soldiers under Prince Ulkar's direct command, and its commander was Gilbert, who was also an officer under the prince's direct command..
As they regard me as the prince's representative, their loyalty is great, and as they are composed of skilled soldiers, they are the most elite battalion among the combat brigades..
“In addition, from the Free Regiment and the Shield Maiden's mercenary corps, those who were from Milan or were fluent in the Milanese language were recruited and organized evenly..”
All members of the Freedom Regiment were slaves brought together from all over the continent by their father, King Altzenber, so their origins were diverse..
Meanwhile, the mercenary force of 'Shield Maiden' Grania maintained its size with its headquarters in Eisbowald even after the end of the Blademan War..
Externally, they were making money by carrying out requests such as escorting merchants or guarding the village, but it was difficult to maintain a staff of more than 300 people while doing such small tasks. So, in reality, they were acting as my personal mercenary unit and running some dirty errands, and they were scheduled to be mobilized for this job as well..
Grania's mercenary force is likely rooted in the southern part of the Kingdom of Milan, so there will be little to worry about their activities in the kingdom..
“In the assault battalion, no one was selected.?”
“yes. The majority there are Ghelan, so there are very few people who can speak Milanol. In addition, since the soldiers were selected from the Obdorf local area, we judged that although they may be faithful in defensive warfare, it would be difficult for them to carry out their mission in a foreign area without knowing the details of the operation..”
As Conwyer said, the 'Assault Battalion' was a unit composed of standing soldiers selected from the area of Prince de Felken. Perhaps because the dervish, a woman of great strength who was once called a 'Lieutenant General', was the commander, the soldiers also resembled dervishes..
In other words, it is a group of 500 large, strong, and foul-tempered men from among the Gelan people who were selected and equipped with heavy equipment. Although Dervish was a subordinate to the Conqueror, she was knighted, so the soldiers of the assault battalion under her command were very proud..
“It's a training battalion, you can't use conscripts for something like this. The last crisis unit that struck... … . I can't advertise that I'm gone, so I guess I'll have to stay here..”
“yes.”
“good. This should be enough.”
I checked the schedule until the end.
I patted the next table and looked back at the conductor..
“how much time do i need?”
“Preparations are already in the final stage, so you can go to war if you write..”
“Geulfi. let's do that.”
My work is done..
After sending the convoy back, I looked out the window and stretched out loud..
My heart raced at the thought of leaving my beloved city and territory for the first time in a long time..
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