Conquest, Part 5
"B-Boss! Have you heard the news? They say the Arcterian army is marching right toward us!"
A mercenary burst into the noisy tavern, panting heavily.
The tavern fell silent for a brief moment. Then, a burst of wild laughter erupted.
"Bwahahaha!"
"Come to think of it, you've been holed up in the brothel since two days ago, haven't you? We've already finished talking about this. Why bring it up now?"
"Damn it, it's a jinx! If I don't visit the brothel on the third of every month, I end up getting hurt like an idiot!"
The mercenary who had just entered waved his hand, his face flushed red. It was a hand missing a finger.
The red-haired mercenary leader slammed her massive beer mug onto the table.
"I don't give a damn about your jinx... Anyway, you're late, dumbass. Like I said, it's already settled."
Although the tavern was filled with fierce-looking mercenaries, not a single person dared to question the red-haired leader's arrogant attitude.
The red-haired mercenary leader, Kelia, was a mercenary among mercenaries who had achieved countless victories and earned vast amounts of gold at a young age.
"I-It's settled, Boss? How..."
"Before that."
There was a hint of alcohol in Kelia's voice. However, even while drunk, she was far more experienced than any mercenary in the room.
"Did you hear that all the bastards who went in there died?"
"I-I heard. That part, at least."
"So, that's what happens to idiots who bite off more than they can chew."
Not all mercenaries had joined the pillaging proposed by Pecigen a while ago.
The cautious mercenaries already knew the plan was incredibly risky. Instead of risking their lives for plunder and slaughter, they chose a safer, more reliable way to make money.
"Honestly, it's a bit surprising... but well, it seems even the nobles of Grifort are shaking in their boots. We got a request too. Asking if we'd fight for them."
"Is... is that okay?"
"Use your head, dumbass. Even if we're mercenaries who live by the sword, we won't survive long if we act without thinking."
Chuckling, Kelia casually patted the head of the mercenary who had just walked in.
"Always focus on the bottom line. We're mercenaries. We align ourselves with the winning side, do just enough to keep from getting hurt, take our gold, and get out safely. That's all that matters."
"So, are we fighting or not?"
"I told you. We're sticking with the winning side."
The people of Grifort were afraid.
They were people who had never experienced war. Except for immigrants, slaves, or mercenaries from the outside, that was the case.
The rumors that a foreign lord's army had set foot on their land and breached the local guard were more than enough to fuel their anxiety.
But it wasn't enough to intimidate Kelia.
"I've gathered some intel here and there, and the Arcterian army that came here? I haven't heard anything about them being particularly large."
If you thought about it for even a second, it made perfect sense.
It was a simple law of warfare that the number of soldiers available for defense was always greater than those available for an invasion.
Even if Arcteria was larger in scale than Grifort, an expeditionary force would quickly hit its limits.
"And there are plenty of mercenaries here. Even without me, Pecigen has enough gold to hire most of them."
In a situation where even a clash of regular armies would have an uncertain outcome, the mercenaries were thrown into the mix.
When it came to a battle between armies with no special advantages, numerical superiority was absolute.
"Siding with the winner to make money is just common sense. Besides, the gold Pecigen promised us isn't a small amount either."
Kelia smirked.
"Of course we're jumping in to get our cut!"
"Ha..."
Clad in armor, Pecigen grinned broadly as he looked out over the battlefield.
"There are many."
"Yes. We spent a significant amount on the mercenaries, but if we win this battle... we stand to make an astronomical sum."
"I just hope too many of them don't survive."
"Well, we can only hope the Arcterian army holds out a bit longer to thin their ranks, can't we?"
When news of the enemy invasion first broke, all of Grifort fell into chaos. Pecigen was no exception.
I was sure there would be something more...
Pecigen had not let his guard down. He believed there had to be a reason for Edrin Silverline's irrational behavior.
He assumed Edrin had a solid foundation, such as calling for reinforcements from Eleonor or striking a deal with Valerian to divide Grifort between them.
But he was wrong.
"Foolish..."
If Edrin Silverline had been a bit wiser, he would have anticipated Pecigen's decision to attack him.
Had it been an invasion of Arcteria, Pecigen wouldn't have been so confident of victory. If Edrin had defended against that and then launched a counter-offensive, Grifort would indeed have been in grave danger.
But Edrin was foolish and overconfident.
The troops he brought were not few, but they could hardly be called overwhelming. They were woefully insufficient to attack and occupy Grifort.
Pecigen had pondered this repeatedly. He had mobilized all his scouting and intelligence assets to analyze why Edrin had taken to the field.
Yet, no logical conclusion could be drawn. Edrin had invaded Grifort with absolutely no guarantee, driven solely by the blind faith that the Arcterian army would somehow win.
Perhaps he doesn't even have that...
Perhaps he was a man ruled by emotion. Perhaps he was a foolish lord who truly cherished his people as if they were his own flesh and blood.
Pecigen had never believed such a person could actually exist, but if Edrin wasn't one, there was simply no explaining this invasion. It was that irrational, that reckless.
"The enemy's main force is visible ahead! They say Edrin Silverline is leading them in person!"
"Is that so..."
Standing atop a platform erected by his soldiers, Pecigen was able to look out into the distance from a higher vantage point.
"Is that them?"
The Arcterian army was sizable. They seemed reasonably well-trained, and their equipment looked decent.
It was understandable why Edrin might feel proud. The army under Wilhelm's reign had been a gathering of low-quality rabble incomparable to this.
But to Pecigen, they were merely a group that had barely managed to look like a proper army.
No matter how brave men were, they could not move calmly in the face of death.
What made a soldier brave was not madness, but the certainty of victory. It was the individual calculation of each soldier that they were highly unlikely to die.
And the army of Grifort already possessed that certainty. Even before the soldiers clashed on the battlefield, the overwhelming difference in numbers made it clear.
"...Is that him?"
They drew closer. The Arcterian army was approaching.
A young, golden-haired lord, mounted on a massive white horse, looked down upon the army of Grifort.
"He is certainly an outstanding fellow."
Pecigen had to admit it. Edrin commanded everyone's attention simply by appearing on the battlefield.
He could sense it instinctively. The Arcterian soldiers had come here solely to carry out that man's will.
They had not just been swept up by his authority as a lord; they had joined this battlefield to fulfill his vision.
Therefore, the moment that man died, the war would end. The Arcterian army would crumble.
More than anyone else present, Edrin Silverline alone was the key.
However, what Pecigen had to do remained unchanged.
"All forces."
The mercenaries were not properly aligned in formation, nor were they the type to obey orders blindly.
But they were numerous, and they were strong. At least, strong enough to secure victory for Pecigen.
"Attack."
Pecigen did not doubt his victory for a second.
"The enemy is advancing!"
"Do not waver."
At this distance, arrows would barely reach us. Even if they did, the artifacts I brought would easily deflect a stray arrow or two.
So, relying on that, I had to stand my ground here.
"Is the weapon ready for use?"
"Yes, my Lord. As ordered, all mages have dedicated their mana to calibrating the weapon."
"Good."
I had to remain here. I had to draw the enemy's attention to myself with my overwhelming presence.
The mercenaries were charging, their eyes filled with a burning desire to take my head.
"Open fire."
The adjutant beside me immediately relayed the command to the troops. Our archers loosed a volley of arrows so dense it nearly blotted out the sky.
"Fire!!!"
However, it was far from enough to halt the mercenaries' momentum.
Some arrows missed their targets entirely, while the heavily armored mercenaries deflected them with ease.
Grifort's mages cast spells, projecting a barrier like a magical forcefield that slowed the incoming arrows.
Although some enemies still fell to the volley, the vast majority continued their relentless charge toward me. Their eyes were locked onto my position.
Because of this, they failed to notice that some of the arrows fired moments ago had blunt tips.
"One, two..."
Calmly, I watched the enemies charging over the ground where the arrows had landed.
"Three."
From beneath their feet, an earth-shattering explosion erupted.
A kaleidoscope of colors burst forth, accompanied by fire, blood, and shattered flesh.