Chapter 619
My Villains Episode 619
72. punitive force(2)
The atmosphere of the student punitive force was very good when they left the royal capital after receiving messages from Princess Eadina and numerous vassals and officials..
no. I would say it was rather light. Although it was somewhat expected, the young knights acted as if they were on a cruise rather than a subjugation. Considering the given schedule and situation, it wasn't something I couldn't understand at all..
4They ride their horses leisurely along well-paved roads under the warm spring sun of the month, and stop at fortresses, castle towers, or villages at mealtimes to enjoy sumptuous meals. When the sun sets, we spend the night at the mounted patrol's permanent camp - which was actually a luxury camping site exclusively for the royal family..
Even I, who received the princess's warning, was on the verge of relaxing, but what about the kids who are in their late teens at most and early to mid-20s at most? Well, it goes without saying.
In addition to the comfort of the journey, some of the guys were particularly rampant, and the discipline of the student punitive force melted away at an unreasonable speed. No, there may have been no such thing as military discipline from the beginning..
However, fortunately, not all of the young knights were distracted..
Os, who had taken the position of subjugation leader through an undercover deal with Eadina, and Gawin and Aineth, who were serving as his assistants, were maintaining tension. They worked hard to raise the awareness of their colleagues and control their sagging discipline..
Unfortunately, it wasn't very successful.
In addition to being of extremely noble status, the three counts, including Os, had extensive battlefield experience for their young age and were quite capable of commanding. However, the student punitive force was completely different in character from the units they had experienced so far..
There are no vassals who provide unconditional support that is difficult to distinguish between loyalty and faith, no competent officer corps who go beyond the hands and feet of the lord to act as an auxiliary brain, and at least no non-commissioned officers who are willing to take up the club for the soldiers who are lacking in discipline..
Although their individual skills are comparable to those of any other unit in Middle-earth, when it comes to the essential skills of a soldier, such as respect for the commander and obedience to orders, the young knights were no better than grumpy conscripts - no, they were worse than back-alley thugs..
Even though Os, Garwin, and Aeneas tried to crack down on it by subtly showing off their positions, titles, and reputations, it only had an effect. Despite the gentle but strict dissuasion from the trio and their members, some hot-blooded youths, led by the bastard Lionel, did their best to run amok..
During the march, holding a bow and breaking out of the ranks to chase wild animals, or buying a lot of beer and mead in a village where they stopped for a meal and having a drinking party were just a few examples. In the evening, under the pretext of scouting, they would leave the camp and gather together in the field to look at the stars and sing. In the middle of the night, pairs would pair up and play naughty pranks in empty tents and shady bushes and even make embarrassing noises..
There is nothing to say other than that this is a truly shitty situation. If it were an ordinary military camp, they would have all been captured and hanged, but it was impossible to dispose of such precious students as mere soldiers, including the king's niece, the youngest daughter of a court official, and the younger sister of the treasurer..
It was only then that Os realized that what he had obtained through his trick was not a shiny baton, but a smelly lump of shit..
Honestly, I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I found it a bit bittersweet..
Just a few days ago, this guy was talking like a fox in front of me and even made a subtle threat. Seeing that guy's face rot after three days of campaigning makes me laugh for no reason..
Of course, I also felt sorry. Our past relationship was fate, but I also had a lot of fun during my short journey, so it was natural for me to want to help..
However, Shaenna, the senior advisor, was preoccupied with managing her own soldiers, and other advisors, including Lord Akeshion, were taking a backseat under the pretext of respecting command authority. It seemed strange for me, the youngest of five advisors, to step forward in such a situation. I didn't know that if I dragged Baron Shaenna's aggro, I would end up bleeding for no reason..
In the end, I decided to just do what I was doing. Although it may not be comparable to Os and his two friends, I was actually quite busy..
Joining the group that includes Arthur and Girion, he eats salmon with baked potatoes and roasted deer whole, compliments the traditional food of the North, and rides alongside the Royalists led by Pasitea, worrying about Lionel. I countered the subtly disparaging remarks he made about his foolish behavior, and occasionally visited commoner students such as Bucan and Crully and gave him snacks he picked up from here and there. I had to share it. Also, in order to prevent the High Master, who was disguised as a rookie mercenary wizard, from becoming hysterical without any reason or context, he had to show his face to the small group of mercenaries who followed him around as guides..
There was even a separate entity that took up the most of my time. It was Euphria..
She was the forbidden daughter of Drishir, a renowned warrior, and the beloved niece of Margrave Prix, the great lord of the northwest. She was a young girl whose splendid and noble background belied her unbelievable nature..
Although he resembled Lionel in many ways, including his noble status, excellent swordsmanship, and unruly personality, he was a slightly different type of asshole. He was also one of the few students who surprised me with his fierce and rude language from the first time we met him despite his innocent and fresh appearance..
However, Euphria and I had become quite close in a little less than a month. To be precise, after responding to her odd pranks and sexual jokes a few times, we became comfortable with each other..
Perhaps that's why, during this journey, Euphria would come to me whenever she got bored, but the problem was that she was quite bored. Euphria was not particularly religious, and had virtually no friends except for Aines, with whom she interacted a little, and Sernutt, a student who served as a maid..
In the end, during the march, he almost always left his assigned seat and sat next to me and told jokes, and at other times, he always played childish and mischievous pranks..
When I was talking to other students, they would pour water on a nearby bonfire and cover it with ashes and smoke, or they would urgently call me to my tent during the camp and when I sneaked in, they would scream with only a blanket wrapped around me, or they would yell at me as a horseman. When a horse is tied up, a sharp iron needle is inserted into the saddle... … It was something like that..
It was a bit annoying, but not unpleasant. There was no way I would easily fall for such a prank, and there were times when Euphria's presence was helpful..
Euphria, who is famous for her skill with a sword and even more famous for her intelligence, is watching me with eagle eyes. Even that damn Shaenna started a fight with me for no reason, but after getting burned by Euphria's bullshit, she doesn't even go around me anymore..
Is it because of the protection that is not Euphria's protection, or is it because of the loose atmosphere of the punitive force? Or perhaps it was the relief of having escaped the royal capital, which was no different from the tiger's maw, even if only for a moment. Anyway, I enjoyed the journey with a very relaxed mind..
The group of a little over 200 people, including the student punitive force and a few mercenaries, were all cavalry, and they literally ran like the wind..
The atmosphere of the entire punitive force seemed to be swaying due to the rapid release of the young knights who made up the majority of the unit, but it seems that the disheveled military discipline was not enough to slow down their mobility. As the sun sets on the second day, we reach Ritster, a small town at the mouth of the Temel River..
The point where a river flowing from the west and curving south meets the foot of a mountain extending from the north. As soon as I entered the small city there, I could feel a strange sense of tension. It seemed as if a sinister atmosphere, contrary to that of the immature young knights, was flowing through the northern valley..
Only after entering Ritster did the student punitive force learn that the regular punitive force that had gone out earlier had suffered significant losses. The two barons in command of the regular punitive force - Acraden and Daeon - left a message through a small number of messengers, but before that, the citizens who had gathered together poured out endless requests and pleas..
While the leaders of the punitive force, including Os, were a little surprised to hear the unexpected news, most of the young knights seemed to welcome it a little. These guys were worried that they might end up returning empty-handed after making a fuss..
Os, the subjugation leader, seemed to want to be cautious. Gawin, Aeneas, other leaders, and advisors were gathered together and they proposed that they stay here for a day or two, communicate closely with the units ahead, and then take action..
Before Shaenna and other advisors could give any advice, Gawin objected. He said that he had already heard the news through the messenger left behind by the two barons, so there was no reason to wait any longer..
Gawin insisted that we immediately climb the mountain path and join the regular punitive force. Having built his reputation through the Battle of Blades, he was not eager to major again. His main point was that the student punitive force was not currently in a state of need for rest, and that no matter what decision was made, there was no change in the fact that they had to join Daeon and Acriden first..
It was none other than Aeneas who persuaded Os, who was unable to end his worries despite Gawin's strong arguments..
“To unleash crazy colts on this cute city? I don't mean it?”
“……grunt.”
After touching his forehead and sighing for a moment, Os had no choice but to nod his head..
As soon as dawn broke on the third day, the punitive force ascended the mountain path, led by the two barons' liaison soldiers..
I spent half a day riding a horse along a shallow mountainside shrouded in fog, and then another half day getting off the horse and walking while holding the reins due to the increasingly rough terrain. It was only when the sun was setting behind the silent rain clouds that they arrived at the regular punitive force's station..
And as soon as I entered the garrison, I thought that this subjugation could be completely ruined - no, it might have already been ruined..
This is because there were only about a hundred troops remaining in the garrison..
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