A Knight's Head
I led a handful of garrison soldiers a short distance from the camp. Unease sat heavy on their faces — and I could hardly blame them. Following a washout commander like Pirean would make anyone nervous. I understood exactly how they felt.
"Captain... what if the enemy has an ambush waiting?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
"Why not?"
"Because you're all about to die. Arme."
"You've got a real twisted hobby, Master."
Arme dropped her stealth and slaughtered all ten garrison soldiers in an instant. We were already a fair distance from camp, so there was no need to worry about being seen. The soldiers died without ever understanding, even at the very end, why any of this had happened.
"Master. Is it really okay to kill this many soldiers? Isn't the whole point to earn those guys' trust?"
"If this many don't die, they'll get suspicious. The target I'm supposed to capture is a knight from Coulon Territory. Taking a knight with ten soldiers is a bargain."
Arme carved signs of combat into the corpses of the men she'd killed, and then we made our way to where Luna, Sera, and the knight from the pursuit party were waiting. Luna tensed at the sight of me approaching, but Sera's face broke into a bright smile as she waved.
"That's Master's scent! It's you, right, Master?"
"Yeah. It's me."
Once Sera confirmed my identity, Luna lowered her guard. A faintly wounded look crossed her face all the same.
"To think I failed to recognize Master. I have no excuse."
I was wearing Gion Pirean's body right now, not Bert Hux's. The impressive one was Sera for recognizing me at all. As a beastkin, her five senses were exceptional.
"Don't worry about it. That's just how good the Transformation Potion is."
"But Sera recognized you."
"That's only because Sera's sense of smell is extraordinary. She's a beastkin."
"Then I shall train my own sense of smell, so that I may recognize Master as well."
Luna was sometimes too devoted for her own good. Not that I ever minded her going to such lengths for me.
I whispered my plan into Luna's and Sera's ears, keeping my voice low enough that the knight beside us couldn't overhear. Both of them nodded.
"Then we shall return first."
"Do that. Get back safely — and make sure you explain everything properly to Count Coulomb."
"I'll remember!"
My two maids headed back toward the Coulon Territory army's camp. The knight from the pursuit party watched them go, tilting his head.
"What did you discuss just now? Was it perhaps vital enemy intelligence?"
"Nothing of the sort. I told them to inform the Count that we may be a little delayed due to the operation."
"Ah, is that so? You weren't able to obtain any useful information from inside, then?"
"Not at present. Which is why I need your help."
"Leave it to me! For Coulon Territory, I'll do anything."
True to the Reiss Knights, he spoke in a voice thick with genuine courage. The order was famous for its loyalty — though their combat prowess left something to be desired. Combat power aside, I wouldn't mind building a knightly order like this myself someday. Of course, I'd staff it with women, not men.
"That's reassuring. Could you take a look at the camp over there for a moment?" I said, pointing toward the Ernest forces' encampment.
"Yes. I can see it clearly. We chose our position well — they shouldn't be able to spot us from over there. Hmm. Two sentries standing watch at the entrance."
"And what else do you see?"
I gestured to Arme beside me. She nodded and drew a dagger from inside her clothes.
"Nothing else of note. It's been quiet since earlier, just as— ghk!"
Arme drove the blade clean through his throat. Even a trained knight had no hope of stopping a surprise attack at this range — least of all from Arme, whose agility sat close to 200.
He collapsed without leaving so much as a last word. Arme wiped the blood from her dagger with a cloth.
"Carve some wounds on him to look like torture, then cut off the head."
The plan was this. I had encountered an enemy scout party and engaged them in combat. In the process, Bert Hux and ten soldiers had been killed. Some of the enemy had fled, but I had captured one knight, tortured him, and extracted intelligence on the current state of Coulon Territory. The knight had not survived the interrogation, and I had taken his head and returned.
I might catch some censure for interrogating a captured knight on my own authority, but the achievement would far outweigh any failure. Ten soldiers and a junior logistics officer dead in exchange for a single knight was a profitable trade. In Solari World, a knight who could wield mana was worth far more than an ordinary officer.
And since I had obtained intelligence on the enemy, it was a net gain even after accounting for the dead officer. Any rational commander would have no choice but to recognize it as a military achievement.
Finally, I inflicted wounds on my own body. Walking back unscathed would raise suspicion as a matter of course. After leaving a convincing set of battle scars, I returned to the Ernest camp.
When I came back carrying a knight's severed head, Baron Melun and the other officers were stunned. Baron Horton was the most shocked of all. He had clearly been certain I would fail — so certain that he now glared at me as if he wanted me dead for succeeding.
Identifying the dead knight fell to the scout captain, a man named Mition Kaks. He was a vassal who handled the Ernest family's dirty work, serving as both scout captain and something of an intelligence officer.
"This man is Delcourbar, a knight of the Reiss Knights."
I'd forgotten the guy's name — and it was the kind of name you'd forget. Thanks, Delcou... whatever-it-was. Your sacrifice won't be forgotten.
"The logistics officer and ten garrison soldiers are dead?"
Baron Melun asked me for a precise account. I dropped to one knee, arranging my face into the most grief-stricken expression I could manage.
"I have no excuse. The logistics officer died protecting me until the very end. His last words were that he was proud to die as an officer of the Ernest army. I recovered his body and brought it back."
Baron Melun made no effort to hide his sorrow.
"A terrible loss. He was a truly gifted man. This is my failure. To let such a valuable talent die so pointlessly..."
"No, my lord. The fault is mine. If I hadn't granted his request, none of this would have happened."
"I was the one who authorized all of it. The responsibility is mine. Still, as regrettable as this is, we gained a great deal. Eliminating a knight of the Reiss Knights was well done. Every knight they have is precious to them right now. Though it's a shame. If you'd been able to bring him back alive, it would have been even better."
"My apologies. But he was already badly wounded — there was almost no hope of keeping him alive. Extracting information through interrogation before he died was the only option."
"I understand. I have no intention of holding that against you."
Baron Horton, clearly displeased that I had distinguished myself, folded his arms and cut in.
"Hmph! I find this impossible to believe. You killed a knight with a mere ten soldiers?"
Baron Melun regarded Horton with an even, unreadable gaze. Horton's blatant obstruction didn't rattle him in the slightest.
This man would be dangerous as an enemy. I'd have liked to assassinate him if I could, but he was no pushover like Hux or Pirean. His skill as a knight was considerable, and even if the assassination succeeded, I wouldn't make it out alive afterward.
"Scout Captain. Can you confirm this head belongs to Delcourbar of the Reiss Knights?"
"Yes... Blue eyes, brown hair, that distinctive hooked nose and those cheekbones... Unless he had a twin, this is certainly Delcourbar."
"There you have it, Baron Horton."
"Hmph! Even granting that he lucked into capturing a knight, I refuse to believe he extracted information through torture. He's clearly fabricating tales to inflate his own achievements. He must have killed the knight in a panic. The Reiss Knights are renowned for their loyalty. There is no chance one of them would break under a security captain's clumsy interrogation."
Baron Horton dismissed me outright. But his words actually worked in my favor. The more he tried to undercut me, the more Baron Melun would feel compelled to protect me.
"We can hear the security captain's report first and judge afterward. We'll be cross-checking the intelligence regardless. Security Captain, what did you ask him?"
"I interrogated him regarding the Coulon Territory army's troop strength, organization, current camp location, the mercenaries who've joined their forces, and so on. I also asked about their future troop movements."
I told them the information I already knew. I didn't lie here. The Ernest army had its own intelligence network, which meant they had ways to verify what I said.
They wouldn't be able to verify everything, of course, but there was no reason for me to take unnecessary risks. Even if the Ernest army obtained information on Coulon Territory, as long as I could read all of their movements, that was a greater advantage. The scout captain verified the intelligence I'd provided.
"The troop numbers, scale, and organization are nearly identical to what we've already obtained."
"I was thorough with the interrogation. That knight wouldn't have been lying."
"I see. Did you also obtain information on that mage who stood at the vanguard?"
"Yes. That was the first thing I confirmed. He's a man named Derick Walker — a mercenary who uses elemental magic. Fire, water, earth, wind, light, and darkness. A terrifying mage, by all accounts."
"He uses all six elements? A man of that caliber could walk into any Magic Tower he pleased... Impressive. With an opponent like that, this certainly won't be easy."
"Yes. However, he's a mercenary in Count Coulomb's employ. And the man has no loyalty to speak of — he's driven by money and women. That could prove to be good news for us."
"You're saying we could turn him?"
"That's right. He was originally a merchant, so it shouldn't be difficult to bring him over to our side."
Baron Melun shook his head at that.
"I can't trust a man of such unclear origins. And there's no law that says a man who betrayed once won't betray again."
A sound judgment. Baron Melun really was no ordinary opponent.
"In any case, well done. I'll send soldiers to recover our fallen. You've earned your rest today, Security Captain — take tomorrow off. We'll be taking a defensive posture for the time being."
"A defensive posture, my lord...?"
"His Lordship the Count has ordered the War Mage Division from the homeland to deploy. Our objective now is to preserve our forces intact until they arrive. They should be here within a week."
One week.
That was the time-attack window I'd been given.
"One last request, if I may? I'd like to bury Hux's body myself."
"That's fine, but... why?"
"His dying wish was to be buried by the hands of a comrade he'd fought alongside."
"Then do so. Hux had an excellent superior. I had my doubts about you as security captain until now, but today changed that. Keep performing like this, and I'll recommend you to the Count personally."