Novels online

Chapter 625

My Villains Episode 625

72. punitive force(8)

Immediately after leaving Euphria's camp, I encountered a liaison soldier walking briskly in the rain. When I asked about the whereabouts of the mercenaries who had accompanied me here, a soldier from the Colmaros family pointed to one side of the garrison and explained the direction in detail..

“Are you moving your residence??”

“hmm. Is there a problem??”

“Rather than a problem, it's because the garrison organization chart needs to be modified. If you don't mind, I will report to command on your behalf..”

“aha. Yes, thank you. But correction? Does this mean that there was already an organized residence??”

“Didn't you know? The advisor's name was also written on the 4-person camp assigned to Euphria..”

I quietly pressed my temple and asked him a favor..

“……Well, can you fix it quickly? before anyone else sees it.”

I left behind the liaison soldier, who seemed to have sensed the situation, and headed straight to my men's camp..

Many of the teachers and students at the Royal University know that I, the swordsman Rudo, worked as a mercenary in the empire. He wouldn't find it suspicious to be close to mercenaries..

The military camp was usually a mess, but it was even worse because it was raining heavily. Repairing broken drainage ditches, pumping out water rushing into military camps, moving supplies that are vulnerable to water, and herding horses under temporary canopies.…….

I don't think anyone is free enough to care where I'm headed. My position is reported to command, but there's no need to draw attention to it..

While I was attending the punitive force leadership meeting and participating in Euphria's pranks, my subordinates and Ellen seemed to be busy in their own way..

Cole, Steedman, Cal Ain, and others found out the current status of their colleagues through lower-ranking members of the Game and Game Department..

As expected, Fritz and the other seven seemed to be in the main force led by Baron Daeon. Although it was somewhat expected, I couldn't help but sigh in relief..

Additionally, I was able to hear an unexpected story..

“……‘‘Scorpion Wolf’ Kashif?”

“It seems to be called that among mercenaries and mounted patrol soldiers..”

As I took off my wet boots and set them down in front of the wood-burning stove I had improvised, I burst into laughter out of bewilderment..

“What on earth have you been doing, you bastard??”

‘'Kashif' is a pseudonym used by Fritz, and 'Scorpion Wolf' was a nickname he earned while working under that pseudonym..

The scorpion wolf is a type of monster, and as its name suggests, it is a wolf with a scorpion's tail. It is easy to overlook its danger due to its size similar to that of an ordinary gray wolf and its habit of working alone, but it was a monster notorious for its lethal sting and extreme aggression..

“From what I heard, it seems like he got into fights with mercenaries and got into fights with them a few times..”

“So I got a nickname?”

“It seems so.”

“……Ugh. I told you to be so careful.”

Unlike Cole, the 'giant hunter', who lowered his head as if he was feeling sorry for me when he saw me touching his forehead, the dog next to me let out a low chuckle as if he was happy..

“Well, where can that grumpy temperament go? At least there doesn't seem to have been any problems with the mounted patrol, so maybe they were being selfish in their own way..”

“…….”

I was about to criticize Steedman for his nonsense, but I thought it wasn't very persuasive, so I kept my mouth shut..

My subordinates were not only inquiring about the whereabouts of their previous colleagues. Gidon, Mittelman, and Shea moved separately and approached the garrison aid station..

It was a pretty good idea. The only ones who engaged in combat with an unknown enemy at this garrison were wounded soldiers who were attacked while trying to contact Baron Daeon's troops. By looking at them, we might be able to infer something about our enemies..

“However, the security must have been quite strict.?”

“No matter how tight the security is, it's still a relief station. When I told them I was injured, they obediently let me in..”

The one who took the lead was Mittelman, who broke his own leg. Becoming a wounded soldier to spy on the aid station was a simple but effective method..

He said he fell from a horse while climbing a mountain path and suffered a severe fracture that exposed his shin bone, so it was natural that the church's soldiers obediently let him into the aid station..

“……What did you do to that extent? All you have to do is look around the aid station and ask Baron Acraden..”

“Then, isn’t it possible that he might be trying to hide something??”

“Hide it? what?”

“It may not have been as harsh as Dae-eon, but Acraden, that bastard is also an idiot who lost over 60 troops under his command. Maybe he's making a weird excuse for being hunted by orcs because he's leading like a fool..”

“Hmm.”

“So, as soon as I arrived at the garrison, I ran to the aid station. Before they start making tricks, like silencing the wounded soldiers or talking to each other..”

It was a plausible statement in its own way, but it seemed to me that this guy's real purpose was somewhere else..

He had an accident that wasn't an accident some time ago. While searching the tombs attached to the cathedral outside the royal capital to supply arrows, he found a woman who had fallen ill with a servant's disease and was buried alive, and carried her away..

In the end, things were resolved well, but Mittelman had to live in despair for a while due to my harsh reprimands, Ellen's hate-filled scolding, and the secret notices of other subordinates..

It seems like the reason he broke his leg this time was as a self-harm show to make up for his mistake back then.…….

“…….”

Well, that's it. It would be a waste of time to question that here..

“So, I got something?”

“It seems so. I saw something interesting.”

As I pressed for an explanation, Tilloria handed me a bottle filled with thick beer. It wasn't really exciting, but I needed a prop like this to hide the purpose of my being here..

“After looking around, it seemed like most of them had been attacked by greenskins. It was crowded with people whose faces were stained black or whose bodies were boiling, whether they were poop or iron poison. There were many cases where the wrists or shoulders were cut off..”

It wasn't that special of a story..

As seen at the meeting earlier, both Baron Acraden and Viscount Arthur agreed on the assumption that something unknown was lurking in the mountains. However, that meant that an 'unknown enemy' or a 'new ally' was joining the Greenskins, but it did not mean that the main axis of the enemy was anything other than the Greenskins..

“The strange thing is that there were more than a dozen wounded soldiers, and not a single one was sane..”

“I heard that too. Everyone said they were unconscious or in a state of extreme panic..”

“you're right. At least about five people had their eyes open? Everyone was saying strange things..”

“weird sound?”

“Uh, it didn't mean anything, it was just gibberish. The one who seemed to be in better condition muttered as if praying about the shadow, the spider, and his hometown. Even though I couldn't understand it.”

“…….”

“The deacon who looked at my leg said his soul was broken, but to me, it seemed like he was just crazy with fear. This is a common occurrence when dealing with monsters..”

Even on modern Earth, it is not uncommon for survivors who barely survive an attack by a wild animal such as a tiger or bear to suffer from PTSD. No matter how strong a soldier he is, it would be difficult to maintain his sanity after seeing dozens of his comrades being killed by monsters..

Even I have nightmares sometimes. I dream of being chased by fearsome beings, such as the 'Underground Lord', known to the world as the 'Crawling Dragon', the salt world's predator 'Lasaldeha', and the 'Incarnation of the Underworld', which resembles a flying spaghetti monster..

Of course, as soon as he realizes that it's a dream, he uses the dimensional seal to erase everything..

“However, the most suspicious of all were the unconscious wounded soldiers. They were clearly breathing, but they were all hanging out like corpses. Do you know what I thought of when I saw that??”

When Mittelman asked a question with a smile on his skinny, ugly face, I answered calmly..

“How do I know what you think? And they say those soldiers were anesthetized with neurotoxin..”

“……Yeah? Poison, where did you hear that??”

“Baron Acraden said so..”

After a moment of looking puzzled, Mittelman waved his hands as if he couldn't believe anything..

“Hey, probably not. If it was poison, the treatment would have been completed immediately. There were more than one priest at the aid station..”

The person who rebutted the confident man was the preacher who stood silently - no, it was Gidon..

“Not all priests can neutralize all poisons.”

“yes? God's power is omnipotent and whenever he asks us to pray-”

“The answer is in your words, you idiot. The only omnipotent being under heaven is the Lord who shines alone. Can a priest who only borrows his power from Him be omnipotent??”

“No, still. How many priests are there and they only use poison?.”

“Do you think there are only low-grade poisons in this world, like goblin arrow poison? Depending on the type, there are some deadly poisons that only a bishop level can treat, and there are extreme poisons that even a patriarch cannot handle if the poisoning progresses too far..”

“……Oh, is that right?.”

While looking at Mittelman, who was silent with a slightly despondent expression, I suddenly asked a question..

“Are you suspecting servant disease??”

“yes? Ah, yes!”

The guy suddenly regained his energy and started talking without any hesitation..

“I've been through this with four people, starting with Evie and that girl. These guys are suffering from servant disease. So now, if you just look at the chuck, it is chuck. Eyes like a fish's eyes drooling profusely-”

The excitement and chatter wasn't very trustworthy, but it seemed worth checking. It wasn't that difficult as all you had to do was invite a few students and stop by the aid station together..

To be honest, it was hard to believe that the servant bottle, which was popular only in the royal capital, was discovered here. But if you think about it another way, it was equally difficult to believe that the Greenskins could use a neurotoxin that even the elite priests of the El Ganor Church could not use..

“……Um, but advisor..”

Cole, who seemed to be thinking about something, suddenly became serious. It was prudent of a guy to call it torture even when no outsiders were present..

“If those unconscious wounded soldiers really have servant disease, you could be in trouble..”

“huh? What does that mean... … . ah.”

I belatedly realized what Cole was trying to say and slapped my forehead..

Now that I think about it, the fact that the portal opened when I came into contact with a patient suffering from Hein's disease was completely out of my control. Because the dimensional seal on my wrist is just reacting arbitrarily to the quasi-dimension called the other side of the patient with Hain's disease..

In other words, if the wounded soldiers really had servant disease, the moment I came in contact with them, whether I intended it or not, a portal would open. And not only me, but everyone around me - at most three to ten at most - will be sucked into that portal..

“In many ways... … It's going to get messy..”

“It's not like it's twisted. It's completely fucked up..”

Even just avoiding contact is not enough; this damned dimensional seal literally emits a luminous glow, humming and emitting light and heat whenever a patient suffering from servant disease is close to it. This means that a suspicious scene is created for anyone to see..

“……It is best to avoid aid stations. Until we understand the situation properly..”

I quietly nodded at Cole's advice..

Before I could calmly organize the information obtained through my subordinates, Ellen, who had gone out somewhere, returned to the military camp with two subordinates - Master Hagni and One-Eyed Simos..

“L-Um, Leya. It's raining a lot, so why are you running around like that??”

I called him by an assumed name and spoke to him in a friendly manner, but he just looked around the tent with his face frozen under the wet hood. And even for a moment, Batu came to my side and whispered..

“He's coming.”

Although many things were omitted, it was not difficult to understand the situation..

Alvin Hawks, the master of the Order of Dawn and the insider, came into contact with him..

“when?”

“now.”

Ellen turned around immediately, gesturing for me to follow her, and I quickly tied my boot laces and followed her out of the camp..