Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Unexpected Assault
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The question lasted only a moment.
“…!”
My body was already moving.
I drew my dagger and aimed for where his Adam's apple would be…
"Ugh!"
"Sasha?"
…but I stopped short.
"Why didn't you use the proper entrance? You didn't even make a sound."
"W-well, it's a habit from living as a beggar."
I looked at Sasha, his face pale as he made his excuse, and sheathed my dagger.
"Hyeongnim, I'm sorry. Please don't be angry."
Sasha apologized to me repeatedly, as if he'd committed a great sin.
"I'm not mad at you. It's just that."
I think I've gotten too lax.
What if the one who'd just snuck into the barracks wasn't Sasha, but someone else with hostile intent?
It was a negligence, a carelessness, that my past self could never have imagined.
And this was a battlefield, no less.
I had scoffed at the people of this era for their complacency, having never experienced the Great War, yet I had unknowingly started acting just like them.
It seemed Gunther's relaxed nature had rubbed off on me.
I needed to pull myself together.
"Hoo."
I took a short, deep breath.
The bowstring of my mind, which had grown slack, was pulled taut once more.
I put on my gear and moved.
I stood.
Blocking Gunther, who was still deep in meditation, I placed a hand on the longsword at my hip.
"Speak. What do you want?"
"Uh, uh, uh…"
Seeing me like this, Sasha flinched and shrank back.
"Well, Knight Gunther seemed badly hurt yesterday… and when the sun came up, you weren't around either, Hyeongnim. I was wondering if there was anything I could do."
I gave a short reply to his rambling words.
That the Master was recovering, and there was nothing for him to do.
"Go back to Komlat for now. I'll come find you as soon as this is all over. And here, this is for your trouble yesterday."
I took a coin from my pouch and offered it to him, but Sasha vehemently refused.
He said he didn't do it for the money.
"That thing I mentioned before… is there any way?"
I wondered what he was talking about, then realized he meant that absurd request to become my squire.
"No. Go back."
A squire's squire.
If people found out, I'd be ridiculed for ages.
"Ah, so it's a no."
Sasha's shoulders slumped in deep disappointment.
He asked again and again if there was anything else he could do, but I just urged him to return to Komlat and wait.
I couldn't let Sasha, who had nothing to do with this subjugation, take any more risks.
Even what happened yesterday was something I never would have done if the situation hadn't been so dire.
It was a good thing it worked out.
"Gambling is a shortcut to ruin."
It hadn't been long since I returned to the past, yet I had already done so many things that were unlike me.
Repent, repent.
I straightened my posture and waited quietly for Gunther to awaken.
But it was strange.
Sasha was already gone, and it was just me and Gunther in the barracks.
"…?"
The crown of my head was still itching.
Was it time to wash my hair, or had I picked up lice or fleas from hanging around with the beggars?
"Agh. It's so itchy."
I scratched furiously at my poor head.
After scratching and scratching the crown of my head for a long while.
*Rustle.*
I sensed Gunther stirring behind me.
"You should go wash your hair."
Who was he to talk, when he himself had been walking around like a beggar just a short while ago?
As I stared at him, speechless, he cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"More importantly, why are you so on edge?"
"…Because this is a battlefield."
"And it wasn't yesterday?"
"…"
A hand rested on the crown of my head.
Like magic, the itching disappeared.
Could this be another one of his holy knight abilities? Was this why Gunther had lived a life estranged from bathing?
While I was lost in such useless thoughts, he spoke with a solemn face.
"If you draw a bowstring too tight, it will snap. Moderation is key in all things."
It was something I'd heard ad nauseam from Roman in my past life.
What had I said back then?
"Losing your mind is far better than losing your life."
I think that's roughly what I said.
"…You never let anyone have the last word, do you?"
Gunther clicked his tongue and unraveled his bandages.
The bare skin revealed beneath was smooth and flawless.
"Being a holy knight, that's really something."
Wounds that would have taken even knights with strong regenerative abilities days to recover from had vanished without a single scab in just one day.
I already knew, but seeing it with my own eyes again, it was a truly miraculous recovery.
"Oh! It seems you've already healed."
"Someone like us would've been bedridden for months with an injury like that."
The mercenaries who arrived late also marveled at Gunther's healing ability.
"So, does this mean the job is almost over once we mop up the rest of them?"
Bok and Garon, after some perfunctory greetings, got to the point.
Having dealt with the mages, the biggest variable in this subjugation, they seemed to be expecting the rest of the operation to go smoothly.
I thought so too.
The only thing that bothered me was the fact that a bandit subjugation, one significant enough to be called a 'Star Festival', was ending so easily.
"Looks like this job's ending without us having to do much. Not that I'm complaining."
"Just means we'll have to fight harder when we mop up the stragglers. Got to earn our pay."
"Is the Relief Knights Order going to disband when this is over? That's kind of a shame."
The mercenaries chatted amongst themselves.
As if the subjugation was already over.
It was a premature judgment.
"It seems there's another mage on their side. A high-ranking one, at that, powerful enough to command the three brothers like his own limbs."
The message from the herald said the prisoner's interrogation was over, so we went to the Grand Prince's barracks.
"In the worst-case scenario, there could be a Madosa-class mage among the bandits."
The idea of another mage was absurd enough, but now they were saying it could be a Madosa-class monster.
"It appears their plan was for the three brothers to stall the subjugation force while their main body attacked Komlat. A mere band of bandits attacking a city, what a bold dream, wouldn't you say?"
To make matters worse, this monster was apparently leading hundreds of bandits on their way to strike Komlat.
This was not good.
And the worst part of it all was…
"Finally, a chance to properly warm up."
"You should always keep your body warmed up."
"You know that's not what I meant."
"Either way, this should be fun."
…the reaction of our allied knights.
"I will be the one to face him."
The moment the Grand Prince stepped forward, declaring he would face the Madosa, the Yuhyeolmogi knights immediately objected.
"Aren't you being a bit too greedy?"
"Have you forgotten that the family head sent us for this very purpose?"
"Why go to the trouble yourself when you have a perfectly sharp sword right here?"
Watching the knights of House Giftrang, burning with competitive spirit, gave me a headache.
A Madosa was a monster that only a 5-star knight or higher could hope to face.
I presumed the only person in Komlat who could handle a Madosa was the head of House Giftrang, Gritta Giftrang.
But no one present mentioned her name.
And no one worried about defeat.
They simply reveled in the fact that they had encountered a strong opponent, their eyes shining.
From there, things proceeded as expected.
"Rather than wait, why don't we go to them?"
"Excellent!"
"If we strike the head, the rest will scatter on their own."
"A sound argument."
"Using the advantage of our cavalry…"
"A brilliant…"
Opinions based on chivalry, faithful to chivalry, and tailored to the tastes of knights were exchanged.
"Let's not dawdle. We'll depart at once."
A quintessentially knightly plan was passed unanimously.
Trivial details like when, where, and how to engage the enemy were nothing compared to the question of who would lead the charge.
It was a scene I'd witnessed countless times in my past life, so it was nothing new.
But that didn't mean I could just stand by and watch.
"What if the enemy bypasses us?"
"What if they split their forces?"
"What if this is all a ploy to lure us in?"
"What if it's a pincer attack?"
I laid out the various possibilities the knights had overlooked, one by one.
The result of my talking until my mouth went dry was…
"Then, everyone except those capable of mounted travel will remain at the camp to guard against any potential enemy detours."
…our forces were split in two.
Ah. I didn't even break even.
I was filled with regret.
But regret is always too late, no matter how early it comes.
"Move out!"
By the time I came to my senses, the attack force, composed entirely of cavalry, was already leaving the camp.
From the Relief Knights Order, only Gunther joined the attack force.
All those who were not skilled on horseback or lacked ability were left behind.
That included me.
The reason given was that my body was too small and young to protect myself in the chaos of battle.
"Master."
I approached Gunther, who was mounted on his horse, and whispered softly.
"Don't do anything reckless. Fight moderately. You don't even have your armor."
"…Those aren't words a squire should say to his knight."
"Just promise me."
That you'll pull back if things get disadvantageous.
"Urgh. I promise."
Gunther reluctantly nodded at my almost forceful demand.
"You must promise me as well. If anything happens, you will run and hide behind the city walls without looking back."
"…Those aren't words a knight should say to his squire. But anyway, I promise too."
"Then, I'll be off."
With that brief farewell, Gunther left the camp.
I watched the riders disappear over the distant horizon, then looked behind me.
"Looks like we're on rear duty for this whole job."
"Good. We won't have to draw our swords."
"If only every job was like this…"
Ten mercenaries from the Forsaken Dogs mercenary company, gleefully chattering about getting paid for nothing.
"My horse…"
One mounted mercenary from the guild, now on foot after lending his prized horse to Gunther.
"Damn it. How did I end up with these losers?"
One squire, a former prodigy, now left behind at the camp after losing his master's trust.
And the one commanding them…
"Two on guard. The rest of you, take a break."
…is me.
Since the core of the attack force was from House Giftrang, the Relief Knights Order had to take charge of the remaining forces to maintain appearances, and command naturally fell to me, the squire of the Relief Knights Order's captain.
"Why the hell did I get stuck here taking orders from a brat like you?"
"I guess your master thought your horsemanship was lacking. Or maybe your swordsmanship wasn't up to par. Ah. Or maybe it was both?"
"You, you little…!"
I glanced at Iden, whose face was beet red, then looked for a moment in the direction the attack force had disappeared.
Countless thoughts raced through my mind.
In my past life, Komlat was never attacked. At least, not while I was staying there with Gunther.
That meant that, contrary to my assumptions, House Giftrang had successfully repelled the bandits who intended to attack Komlat.
"A narrow victory… I suppose."
They managed to make the bandits retreat for a time, but didn't inflict enough damage to break their momentum. Just that level of success.
I wasn't worried about the Star Festival or any of that; I was worried about Gunther.
"Keep your promise, Master."
I could only hope that Gunther would place his promise to his squire above his creed of never retreating.
But then again.
It turned out I wasn't in a position to be worrying about others.
I realized that fact just one day after the attack force left the camp.
***
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Save us! Please, help us!"
Dozens of refugees were screaming as they ran toward the camp.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kaak!"
The bandits chasing close behind them looked murderous.
"Esquire!"
The mercenaries looked at me, their faces stiff.
"Open the camp gate now! The rest of you, grab your bows!"
I fired the signal flare I'd been carrying just in case.
*Fweeeee—! Bang!*
A crimson flame took a bite out of the blue sky.
"Archers, fire at will!"
*Thwang, thwang.*
*Swoosh!*
The arrows hastily loosed by the mercenaries flew over the palisade.
"Hah, hah. We're saved…!"
The refugees who barely made it to the camp collapsed to the ground.
"Bok! Get the refugees organized! You're blocking the way for the others!"
"Yes, Esquire!"
"The rest of you, stop gawking and keep shooting!"
I scratched my head nervously, relentlessly barking orders at the mercenaries.
"Damn it all!"
What kind of disaster is this?