Capturing the Hostages
Three days later, at night.
Two disheveled men arrived in front of Rina Schmitz’s hut.
Scribe Bernt and herbal wholesaler Ulrich.
Bernt, whose face had a slight bluish tinge, shook his head back and forth.
“I told you the poison wouldn’t be that strong! Two mercenaries lost to it, and my head is spinning! Is it really not right to have no more poison?”
The herbal wholesaler Ulrich pulled out an antidote from his pocket, chewed it, and threw one at Bernt as well.
“It’s all over now. No matter how skilled a human is, there’s no one who spreads poison right in front of their own house.”
“I hope that’s true.”
After chewing Ulrich’s antidote, Bernt’s complexion slowly returned to normal.
“The mercenaries are dead, so I have to console their families, but it’s such a waste. They died without doing anything special. That makes it even more pitiful.”
“What if they ran away? Then we don’t have to pay, right?”
“And if that turns out to be a lie? The mercenaries will never work for our estate again, you know? That’s why I can’t do it.”
“Is that so? Anyway. Ready? Let’s go in?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
The two men pushed open the hut door and entered.
Inside were bookshelves full of books and display cabinets with glass bottles. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling.
Ulrich, whose field it was, looked at the hanging herbs and examined the glass bottles on the wall. Bernt next to him poked him with his finger.
Bernt pointed with his finger, and there lay a woman whose head had been cleanly severed. Next to her was a desk piled with documents.
And a few glass bottles rolling around on the floor.
Ulrich clicked his tongue at Rina’s corpse.
“How come, when I offered money, they didn’t hand over the herb garden and recipe. What kind of life is this without a head?”
“Does that witch’s herb garden and recipe really worth this much?”
Ulrich nodded and explained.
“That’s what I’m saying. Even the same cold medicine or painkiller, if the herbs are good, the effect is better. And that witch’s herb garden is like that. Besides, the ratios for making medicines from those herbs vary wildly, but with only that witch’s recipe, people will come from even farther away to buy my medicine.”
Bernt waved his hand to cut him off.
“I know. You know I helped a lot, right? You have to push me more so that I can speak more freely in the estate and help you.”
“I know. You’ll see I’ll do it well. Expect it again.”
“Hehe, that’s right.”
Ulrich’s rank as herbal wholesaler rose, and Bernt’s position as a junior manager in Yakubi Estate also improved.
Ulrich’s generous money bag played a big role in getting along with other managers of the estate and smoothing relations.
Since becoming the estate scribe, he had brought greater benefits than receiving support from Ulrich.
The estate scribe’s position combined assistant duties and administrative work for the estate lord’s deputy, allowing a bit of mischief.
Ulrich approached Rina’s corpse.
“Probably the recipe is inside the chest, right?”
He opened Rina’s chest and searched.
“...!”
When Ulrich touched Rina’s body, he froze in place.
Seeing Ulrich motionless, Bernt grabbed his shoulder.
“Why? What’s the matter?”
Suddenly, Bernt felt a hand on his shoulder and stopped as well.
“Eh? Eek!”
After the startled cry, he couldn’t move a single finger.
And he felt his strength draining away.
Rina’s corpse lay there, twitching, even though he couldn’t pull his hand away.
Bernt’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t move his body.
The feeling of strength leaving intensified, and his skin wrinkled and withered.
Already thin, his body grew even more gaunt, and the more withered it became, the more Rina’s movements grew.
Rina’s twitching corpse raised its arms and grabbed the head of Ulrich, who was clutching it.
Splat! The head of Ulrich, already dried like a mummy, fell lightly.
But then it was attached to his own neck.
Ulrich was already withered and dead, and Bernt’s breath stopped as he watched the astonishing sight.
Drip, drip!
The bodies of Bernt and Ulrich fell like dried mud.
Meanwhile, the withered, shrunken head of Ulrich stuck to Rina’s neck began to slowly regrow flesh.
Rina kneaded the head with both hands, and every time she did, the shape of the face changed.
Like molding a human head with clay, it changed every time she touched it.
After kneading for a long time, a beautiful woman’s face appeared—completely different from Rina’s previous one.
The only thing the same was the golden blonde hair.
Rina, with her changed face, stood up from her seat and looked around.
She frowned, as if thinking for a moment.
“Rina Schmitz. My name is Rina Schmitz this time.”
Rina went outside the hut, looked at it, and extended her hand.
Flare!
Fire appeared on her palm and shot forward.
It quickly caught the hut and lit up.
“It’s been a while since I’ve rested a bit.”
The moment the words were out, a breeze blew slightly, and Rina’s figure disappeared.
Rina was gone, and only the burned hut remained.
Fwoosh!
·
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Ten days later, Ion passed through the poisonous flowers and arrived at Rina’s hut.
Since Bernt and Ulrich hadn’t returned for days, he assumed Rina’s revenge had succeeded.
So he had come to bury Rina’s body, but he only found a burned hut.
“One of them must have been holding a torch. No helping it.”
Ion left the burned hut.
·
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·
When Ion left Yakubi Estate, he headed west instead of north.
The bounty on his head from the Kval Mercenary Group had to be settled.
The group was large, so he might have passed by, but he had no desire to run with a bounty on his head.
So he was heading west toward Basc Kingdom for negotiations, and it was only once in fourteen days that he stopped at Reinen Estate.
He had no intention of accepting a quest, but the chief of security, Ernst, came looking for him directly at the inn where he was resting.
“We’re looking for someone to rescue a certain person.”
“So. The Baron’s nephew of Reinen Estate, who went into the forest to hunt orcs and was captured by them?”
“That’s right.”
Like goblins, orcs also live in small village units.
But unlike goblins, even a small village is a major threat.
So to properly exterminate them, they mobilize with surrounding estates.
Thus, even skilled knights avoid entering orc territories with small forces.
That’s why the knight Ernst is asking to rescue now is foolish.
“To rescue someone captured in an orc’s den requires almost a full estate war in troops, doesn’t it?”
“Our estate knights and troops are already gathered. They will draw out orc forces.”
“So you’re looking for someone to rescue the hostage separately.”
“That’s right. We have to gather people to fight the orc forces, so skilled ones are lacking.”
“But even if they’re knights, like me, a complete stranger, they have at least the basic skill verified, so that’s why you’re looking.”
I thought the chief of security would go looking for a quest knight himself, but there was only one person missing.
“We have one senior knight and one knight from our estate, and two free knights will join.”
“Five knights? That’s quite a force.”
“Even if most of the troops are gone, there will be enough to protect your own village.”
“Yes, of course.”
“The family of Martin, the hostage knight, has agreed to pay the quest reward. If you rescue Martin safely, we’ll give you five gold.”
A dangerous task, but the amount is appropriate.
He didn’t need the money immediately, but it was a quest that had come even though he hadn’t looked for it.
Refusing such a thing wasn’t an option.
“When and where should I go?”
“Tomorrow. We’ll depart in front of this inn.”
“Understood.”
After greeting the chief of security, Ion sent him off.
·
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·
The next day, Ion came down to the dining hall for breakfast.
He sat at the table in full armor and ordered food while four knights were eating.
And he greeted the seated people.
“Burgin’s free knight, Ion.”
A knight in his forties continued after Ion’s greeting.
“Reinen’s knight, Stipe.”
“Reinen’s knight, Emil.”
Two knights from Reinen Estate: one a senior knight in his forties, the other a young knight in his twenties.
And the other two introduced themselves next.
“Labsi’s Ferdi.”
“Hasen’s Hadwin.”
Both free knights came from estates not far from Reinen.
The knights focused on their food and only introduced their names; Ion ate in silence.
Naturally, Reinen’s senior knight Stipe led the group.
“Everyone finished eating? Let’s depart.”
The group stood to leave, and free knight Ferdi asked when he saw Lotte following Ion.
“Is that wolf always following?”
“That’s right.”
It had been half a month since they first met.
Thanks to being well-fed, it had grown larger than its mother’s size.
Now it looked like a wolf enough that no one called it a puppy, but with its red fur and traveling with Ion, few were truly scared.
Stipe mounted his horse first and led the way.
As they passed through Reinen Estate’s southern exit, he spoke without a word for a while and then told the group.
“We’ll go far left to the orc village, wait, and enter the orc village in five days. Prepare yourselves well to last a few days.”
Everyone nodded silently and followed.
They moved all day until night fell, and they lit a campfire on one side of the road.
They each took out food and ate, resting, when Ferdi stood up and swung his sword.
He seemed to be practicing alone, but then he told the others.
“It’s not easy to gather knights like this. How about a light sparring?”
After Ferdi’s words, Emil looked at senior knight Stipe.
“If you want to spar, do it. We need sparring with other knights besides our estate knights.”
“Yes, understood.”
Emil stood up with his sword.
“Let’s spar first.”
“Good.”
Emil and Ferdi began sparring, and the others watched with interest.
Ion also watched the fighting while stroking the prone Lotte.
Clang!
Emil was about 180 cm, similar to Ion, but Ferdi was larger and more bulky.
With that build, he could have used a greatsword, but they fought with the same longsword.
If Emil fought in perfect textbook style, Ferdi used the power from his large frame to swing the sword heavily from above.
Emil’s technique wasn’t lacking, but he kept getting pushed back due to strength.
When Emil started losing due to strength, he dropped his sword and counterattacked.
Clang!
Ferdi, who had been attacking leisurely, suddenly swung his sword much stronger upon receiving the counter.
Sparring often causes excitement, and Ferdi seemed to be that type.
It seemed he had strong fighting spirit.
As the spar began to get intense, the watching Stipe stopped it.
“Enough!”
The swords of Ferdi and Emil stopped.
“That’s enough for today. Let’s spar again tomorrow. There’s still plenty of time.”
“Haha, understood.”
Ferdi sheathed his sword and smiled.
But his face was slightly flushed, so he really had immersed himself in the sparring.
Ferdi’s fighting spirit was a bit worrying, but such an attitude was necessary when fighting orcs, so it was fine.
After a short break, each went to sleep.
·
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·
The next day, Ferdi sparred with another free knight, Hadwin.
Hadwin, who had watched Ferdi spar the night before, somehow finished the spar while defending reasonably.
Even if Ferdi was strong in strength, in a real fight, Hadwin wouldn’t be easy either.
But Ferdi seemed happy, as if he had won.
Well, being happy was fine.
Ion lay down with Lotte, whose fur had become fluffy.
The next night.
After eating, Ferdi came in front of Ion.
“To aid digestion, how about a spar?”
“Good.”
Ion stood up and drew his sword.
Stipe was a senior knight and the leader of the group, so he wouldn’t accept a spar from the beginning; Ferdi came looking last for Ion.
And Ion knew why Ferdi had come looking last.
He was the youngest here.
Emil was in his early twenties, Ferdi in his late twenties.
Hadwin in his early thirties, Stipe in his forties, and Ion was eighteen.
Even if only a few more days passed and it became nineteen, he was still young.
Probably brought hastily to fill the numbers, and it was correct that the chief of security had requested urgently.
Considering all the circumstances, Ion’s weakness made him the last to receive a spar invitation.
Ferdi turned around to Ion’s left and right with his sword.
Then, with a big step, he swung the sword heavily down.
Ion blocked it without dodging or blocking with his own sword, facing it head-on.
Clang!
When his sword blocked, Ferdi’s eyes widened.
Ferdi swung the sword harder again, and Ion met it with the power Ferdi liked, from his stable position.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Not often seeing someone block swords with equal strength, Ferdi swung his sword in surprise.
And the other people watching the spar, especially Emil and Hadwin who had sparred with him directly the day before, were even more surprised.
Emil quietly told Stipe.
“His strength is amazing compared to his size. Is that from training? Is it innate? What do you think?”
“I can’t tell. But…”
“What’s bothering you?”
“I don’t think that’s real power.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He has room.”
After Stipe’s words, Emil watched the spar again.
Since Ferdi couldn’t push with strength, he tried to find gaps in Ion’s stance, thrusting, changing trajectories, and swinging, but he couldn’t block them easily.
Clang!
Whether the attack was with strength or targeting gaps, when Ion blocked lightly, Ferdi gradually grew tired.
Since it was a spar, no need to go to the end, so Ion stopped his sword.
“That’s enough for today.”
“Hoo, good…”
Ferdi tried to hide his panting and answered, then sheathed his sword.
But pretending otherwise, his shoulder rose and fell from the breath.
Ion returned to his seat relaxed and stroked Lotte’s head while sleeping.
And Ferdi, who was breathing hard, glared at Ion and Lotte as if he wanted to kill them.