Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Robber League
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Chapter 67
* * *
Just because the Empire had unified the continent did not mean an era of peace had arrived. Power struggles between nobles and lords were a daily occurrence, and this was no exception.
Territorial wars. In layman's terms, squabbles over their slice of the pie.
But these territorial wars were not the only conflicts in this world.
At the eastern edge of the continent, across the Strait of Calais, lay the island of Britannia. Once the Kingdom of Britannia, it was reduced to an imperial province after its defeat in the Unification War. It was there that a figure known as the 'Holy Maiden' appeared, rallying the patriots of the fallen kingdom and inciting an uprising.
A legendary tale of valor began to spread—how she had defeated an imperial army of 45,000 with a mere 10,000 soldiers.
The daughter of a serf had become commander-in-chief, annihilating an enemy force nearly four times her size to claim victory. It was a miracle that could only be explained as an act of the goddess.
The Holy Maiden of salvation, fighting for her country's independence under the revelation of the Sister Goddesses of Sistina.
A goddess descended.
It was the dawn of the Britannian War of Independence.
* * *
The Black Armor Company's stock was steadily rising.
Furthermore, Dale's vision of 'exercising operational capabilities' stronger than the client's was gradually beginning to show its prominence.
At the same time, several lords, unable to accept the results of their territorial wars, brought Dale before the Imperial Court.
Their claim was that the magical abilities Dale had displayed in battle could not possibly belong to a 3rd-circle mage.
And they were, in fact, correct. Dale's performance as a mage on the battlefield was far beyond that of a 3rd-circle.
According to imperial law, mages of the 4th-circle or higher were forbidden from participating in disputes between minor lords. However, after a rigorous examination by the court mages at the Imperial Court, Dale was unequivocally confirmed to be a 3rd-circle mage.
Three circles.
"Is that really the skill of a 3rd-circle...?"
"Unbelievable! There must have been some trickery!"
"The skill Lord Dale showed on the battlefield that day was definitely not that of a 3rd-circle!"
The result was unbelievable, yet they had no choice but to believe it.
"Ah, I told you I'm really a 3rd-circle," Dale muttered as if it were someone else's problem, facing the lords who pointed fingers in defiance of the verdict.
The lawsuit, filed by the lords in a desperate, last-ditch effort, also ended in their defeat. Consequently, their legal action served as an advertisement, broadcasting the fame of Dale and the Black Armor Company across the entire empire. The defeated lords were also the ones to foot the bill for the advertising and legal fees.
Even after that, Dale continued to display his full capabilities as a '3rd-circle mage' in battle.
He raked in profits when he could, treating it as a part of his training to reach the 4th-circle.
Drawn by the Black Armor Company's reputation, the organization's size swelled with each passing day.
Simultaneously, the power and wealth of House Sachsen—in other words, Duke Sachsen's investment—became the backbone that sustained their organization.
Around that time, the Black Armor Company's participation in a conflict became synonymous with a guarantee of victory.
Thus, when a dispute arose between two lords, the outcome was determined solely by who had the funds to pay a higher price than their rival to hire the Black Armor Company.
And around that time, mercenary bands who had suddenly found themselves unemployed due to the Black Armor Company's exploits began to band together.
In their eyes, the Black Armor Company was nothing more than a thuggish corporate behemoth with no sense of business ethics.
* * *
The Imperial Free City of Hamburg.
The starting point of a trade route known as the 'Amber Road,' it was where the amber trade that crossed the continent by waterway began.
Around that time, however, an unexpected force emerged to threaten the Imperial Free City of Hamburg.
The nobles of the central region of the Empire had joined forces, coveting the wealth Hamburg had accumulated through trade.
The central lords formed the 'Robber League,' seizing the lower part of the river and stretching a chain across it. They closed the Elbe River waterway and began to plunder all ships and cargo under the pretext of collecting tolls.
With the main artery of trade blocked, the Imperial Free City of Hamburg was in a very perplexing situation.
Moreover, with the nobles of the central region united, they were not an opponent Hamburg could hope to defeat.
Then came the threat: if they did not regularly pay an 'exorbitant tribute' each year, the trade blockade would remain, and the city would be starved into submission.
The central region of the Empire lacked a great noble to enforce order. As a result, it had become a virtually lawless land where minor lords wielded their power as they pleased.
For that reason, the Imperial Free City of Hamburg had only one decision it could make.
Sometime later, an emissary from Hamburg made his way through the territories of the Robber League and safely reached the Sachsen domain.
He was there to hire the Black Armor Company to fight the Robber League.
A mercenary organization with operational capabilities stronger than its clients. What Hamburg proposed to Dale was something he had desperately wished for.
They entrusted the Black Armor Company with the entire operational process required to dismantle the Robber League.
* * *
Around that time.
"Baron Volbar, Baron Basel, Lord Peter... we've lost contact with them and many other lords of the league."
These were the names of the robber barons and brigand knights that constituted the Robber League.
Hearing his subordinate's report, Count Robert, the leader of the Robber League, frowned.
"Could the central government's punitive force have arrived?"
"They haven't identified themselves, nor have they shown any inclination to negotiate."
If they were from the central government, they would surely observe the proper formalities and procedures.
"Come to think of it, there was a rumor that an emissary from Hamburg reached the Sachsen domain..."
His subordinate said, and at those words, Count Robert's breath caught.
"Don't tell me they hired the Black Armor Company...?"
"Th-that's only speculation, my lord."
The Black Armor Company had not yet officially revealed itself. But given the gravity of the situation, it was too serious a matter to dismiss as mere speculation.
"Those incompetent fools!"
*Thud!*
At the absurd news, Count Robert slammed his fist on the table.
"Send missives to the league's lords at once, warn them, and summon all their forces."
After striking the table, Count Robert spoke.
"...I knew this might happen. I've prepared a countermeasure."
He played the ace he had been holding up his sleeve.
"Inform the Mercenary Guild that they've started to move."
* * *
Every time the Black Armor Company scored a victory and rode a wave of success, it was the other mercenary companies that bore the brunt of the backlash.
Thus, to counter the 'common enemy' that threatened their livelihood, several sizable mercenary groups began to unite.
Around that time.
News arrived from the central Empire that the Black Armor Company had entered the conflict between the free city and the Robber League. Upon hearing this, the numerous mercenary companies belonging to the guild did not hesitate.
It was time to finally teach those unethical thugs a lesson in how things were done in this business.
* * *
The City Hall of the Imperial Free City of Hamburg.
"We have preemptively dismantled several of the Robber League's forces."
There, the mercenary captain of the Black Armor Company, Sachsen's 'Black Prince,' began to speak.
"The main battlefields will be the point where the Robber League is blocking the waterway, and the domain of Count Robert, the league's leader."
He spread out a map, calmly assessing the situation.
"Since the enemy is already breaking the law, we have no need to abide by 'Imperial Law' either."
No need to abide by Imperial Law. In other words, a battle where Dale could unleash his true power as a mage without restraint.
"I-I've heard that Count Robert has also summoned numerous mercenary companies through the guild..."
"They're the ones who feel threatened by the Black Armor Company's reputation."
The mayor of Hamburg spoke cautiously, and Dale nodded.
"I-if that many mercenary companies gather... w-won't it be dangerous?"
No matter how renowned the Black Armor Company was, the situation was what it was.
"As I said, this is a battle where we don't need to abide by Imperial Law."
The Robber League's unilateral blockade of the free city's trade was a clear violation of imperial law. But the central Empire lacked a great noble to enforce order, and the central government was too far away to intervene.
A world where the sword is closer than the law. That was this world, and what the enemy relied on was that very fact: 'the law is far away.'
"There is no victory easier to achieve than one against an enemy who cannot appeal to the law."
But they would have no way of knowing that Dale was aiming for the exact same thing.
"Issue a conscription order for the entire city."
Preparing for the battle to come, the captain of the Black Armor Company spoke.
"To have peace, one must prepare for war."
The mayor recalled the infamy and cruelty of the 'Black Prince.'
"Y-yes, I understand."
A shiver ran down the mayor of Hamburg's spine, and he trembled involuntarily.
* * *
The Viper Mercenaries, the Golden Lion Mercenaries, and the Brotherhood Mercenaries.
The main forces of the continent's most prominent mercenary companies converged on the domain of Count Robert, leader of the Robber League.
These were the most elite soldiers from within the three great mercenary companies. They were joined by the Robber League, a group that made a living by preying on those who passed through their lands.
To counter the growing power of the Black Armor Company and to protect their own interests, the two forces had joined hands against a common enemy.
Minor lords composed of robber barons and brigand knights, alongside some of the continent's most formidable mercenary forces. This was no longer a squabble between petty lords.
It was a conflict beyond the reach of imperial law, a fight with no rules.
A war in the truest sense, and that was precisely the battle Dale had been longing for.
The Mass Magic of Destruction (MMD) forbidden by imperial law in disputes between minor lords... it didn't just refer to destructive magic that annihilated the enemy.
The dark magic that was the pride of the Black Magic Tower.
The necromancy a black mage could unleash on a battlefield also fell under the Empire's definition of Mass Magic of Destruction, making it a taboo.
And the absence of 'Imperial Law' meant he could wield that dark magic to his heart's content.
* * *
The lower Elbe River. Count Robert's fortress, where a great chain was stretched between both banks of the river, blocking the passage of ships.
The so-called toll collection station.
In the deep darkness before dawn, a guard watching over the fortress turned his head. After turning, he froze solid.
There stood a knight clad in black armor. But this was no ordinary knight. Beneath the armor, there was not a shred of flesh on the skeleton.
"A-a-a Death Knight..."
An undead knight, wielding one of Sachsen's black swords, was approaching them.