91
My Villains Chapter 91
24. Boss Phase (1)
Standing on top of the high gate tower, I surveyed the reed field.
The bandit group, which once had well over a thousand members, had been cut in half due to the prolonged siege. According to the scouts, there were about 700 remaining, about twice the number of soldiers guarding the walls.
"If it's twice our number, isn't that manageable? We just need to defend anyway."
The one who answered my question was Acer, Lord Ariad's subordinate.
"Not really. They may be seven hundred, but they're the elite ones left after weeding out the riffraff. They're the elite forces of Baron Gangdo, who's made quite a name for himself in the central continent."
"Hmm."
"Besides, take a look at the wall situation."
Following Acer's chin gesture, I scanned the walls extending from both sides of the gate.
Due to the aftermath of a recent earthquake, more than half of the watchtowers had collapsed.
Moreover, at a point about fifty meters to the left of the gate, the wall had completely crumbled.
They had filled the collapsed section with bricks and stones after laying down anti-cavalry spikes in front, but it was nothing compared to the solid wall.
"In this situation, they've taken away all the heavy artillery (ballista) and even the mages. Are they telling us to defend or give up?"
Just as Acer grumbled with dissatisfaction, all the gun ports in the middle section of the wall were empty. The 5 heavy artillery pieces and 3 mages that were originally guarding this place had all been deployed to the harbor.
Perhaps Acer's voice was too loud? A knight who was watching the enemy through the battlements turned around.
"Stop complaining, Acer. The battle at the harbor will be twice as difficult as here."
"Ugh. Sorry, my lord."
As Lord Ariad scolded, the main battlefield wasn't here but at the harbor.
Unlike the bandits whose numbers had dwindled due to continuous casualties, the pirates stationed on the rocky island across the bay were in relatively good condition.
Moreover, the pirates' leader, the 'Priest of the Deep Sea' and his direct subordinates hadn't even shown themselves yet.
The Priest of the Deep Sea, the father of Unveiled, would be grinding his teeth in anger over losing his daughter. This would certainly not be an easy fight.
Lord Ankir, who was standing next to Lord Ariad, smiled and said, "And Acer, if you want to complain, don't blame your lord, blame Phoenix standing next to you."
"...Pardon? Phoenix?"
"Yes. It was Phoenix who suggested moving all the artillery and mages to the harbor."
"What?"
Acer turned to look at me with wide, sharp eyes. Feeling awkward, I scratched my head and said, "When I went down to the underground, I encountered merfolk."
"Merfolk in the sewers? So?"
"Well, looking at various circumstances, they seemed to be in league with the pirates. So I advised the prince that we needed to be careful."
"...Ah, so that's how it happened."
"Well, it's not like the bandits are using any significant siege weapons anyway. Even if we had the artillery and mages, they wouldn't have been much help-"
"Stop right there. How would they not be helpful?"
"...I guess you're right."
As Acer sighed helplessly, Lord Ariad showed a faint smile.
"Anyway, the final decision was made by our lord. And what is there to fear? We have the Lady of Fire, the Red Bear, and even the bloody Phoenix Knight here."
"Ugh, Lord Ariad. Please don't..."
As I covered my face with my hands, Lords Ariad and Ankir burst into laughter.
'Lady of Fire' and 'Red Bear' were the nicknames of Ellen and Utequais respectively.
Ellen had made quite a name for herself in the city due to her achievements at Salt Castle, though her original nickname was 'Fire Witch'. Lord Ariad calling her 'Lady of Fire' was probably his way of softening it.
Utequais got a nickname without doing anything particularly notable. Perhaps it was because of his huge size and unique appearance.
Or it could be because of his daily brutal fistfights with me, who had become something of a named figure myself.
But still, Red Bear? Really, Red Bear? Giving someone a nickname based on their skin color - the people in this neighborhood must all be racists, no doubt about it.
Anyway. Ellen, Utequais, and I had become a trio with the most ominous and cringeworthy nicknames in South Harbor.
"By the way. They're showing absolutely no signs of movement."
"They're not fools either, Lord Ankir. They're probably waiting for the pirates to shake up the city first."
At Ariad's response, Lord Ankir clicked his tongue briefly.
"Tsk, our forces are already few, and now we might get picked off one by one. We can't empty the walls either, so it might be better to attack first."
The current forces on the wall consisted of 150 gate guards, 150 territory soldiers, and about twenty of the prince's direct cavalry.
Not only were they outnumbered, but considering that the territory soldiers were mere rabble, the average quality was also poor.
Knowing this well, Lord Ariad shook his head.
"Are you thinking of charging in with the cavalry? I must tell you in advance, that's absolutely out of the question."
"Shouldn't we drive them out quickly to help the harbor? They're starving, so if we charge with momentum, they'll collapse helplessly."
"Rather than using such reckless tactics, we'd be better off abandoning the walls entirely. Have you already forgotten our lord's instructions?"
"...Grr."
As Lord Ankir frowned with dissatisfaction, Lord Ariad turned to me and continued, "Let's trust Phoenix and his companions here."
As people's gazes gathered on me, I showed an awkward smile.
Just then, a soldier came up to the gate tower.
"Sir Herald, preparations are complete!"
After receiving the report, the commander looked at Lord Ankir and Lord Ariad in turn. When the two knights nodded, the commander raised his voice.
"Beat the drums!"
Boom, boom!
Drum beats began to sound from the nearby walls. The formation of bandits lurking in the reed field stirred slightly.
Creak!
With a rough friction sound, the metal-plated gate opened. A gap just wide enough for one cart to barely pass through.
The rhythmic drum beats, excited horse neighs, frightened soldiers' prayers, hungry thieves' curses, fluttering of tall flags, cries of clever ravens...
Even in that chaotic battlefield, my keen hearing distinguished the heavy sound. The sound of footsteps leaving the gate.
When the footsteps had become sufficiently faint, a large man appeared between the battlements.
Flutter.
White, black, and red feathers danced in the wind. A hat decorated with dozens of feathers fluttered like wings, like a split tail.
The end of the ceremonial hat, which would have reached the calves of an average person, only reached the waist of its owner due to his build.
The man looking down at the reed field slightly turned his head and looked up at the gate tower.
The large man wearing the feathered ceremonial hat and carrying a huge stone club was, of course, Utequais.
Even after walking about 20 meters beyond the wall, there was no sign of tension on his face.
He just looked up at me with small, pitch-black eyes that showed no emotion.
Somehow, a laugh escaped and I gave him a grin.
Then Utequais, the berserker with two-streaked war paint crossing his eyebrows, cheeks, jaw, and chest made with seabird blood, snorted and spat on the ground.
...That dog.
At that moment, Utequais's chest swelled greatly. Then, turning his head back, he let out a roar.
"I! Hatanka of Likuwa!"
...Really, his voice is something else. Does he have an amplifier instead of vocal cords in his throat?
"Leader, come out!"
Utequais's clumsy and rigid pronunciation, aided by his enormous voice, became an alien and threatening declaration.
"Pay the price for killing my tribesmen!"
Whoosh.
Just then, a sea breeze blew from the south. The reed field, already in disarray from the bandits, was swept by the strong sea wind and laid down northward.
"Hatanka'ae! Su-ray!"
At a glance, it seemed as if the reed field was being overturned by Utequais's roar.
Even though no voice, however loud, could create wind that sweeps the earth, the bandits were visibly agitated.
Lord Ankir, who had been looking down at the gate tower with a blank face, opened his mouth.
"Hatanka'ae, su-ray? What does that mean, Lord Ariad?"
"It means 'come at the champion,' 'challenge me,' something like that."
"...That's cool."
Wait, hold on.
"Lord Ariad, you understand what he's saying?"
Lord Ariad scratched his unkempt chin and nodded.
"In my younger days, I had some connection with a tribe from the plains."
"Then, does Hatanka mean champion?"
"That's right. Literally, it means a warrior representing the tribe."
While the berserker's roar erupted again, the old knight chose his words carefully.
"It's quite remarkable to see a plains champion in a place like this."
Even as casual conversation continued atop the gate tower, Utequais kept shouting.
Utequais shouldered his stone club with overflowing spirit and strange rhythm. Then he began to move.
One step at 'Hatanka'ae,' one step at 'su-ray.'
With the stone club on his shoulder, he moved with his shoulders and waist straight, as if showing off.
"Hatanka'ae! Su-ray!"
The bandits must have decided they couldn't ignore this anymore, as about seven mounted archers with composite bows rushed out. The mounted archers, whipping their reins and closing the distance in one breath, pulled their bowstrings with all their might.
Swoosh!
Half of the arrows that flew in like that missed hopelessly. And when Utequais's shoulder tattoo gleamed black, the rest plunged their heads into the ground with a rustle.
"Hatanka'ae! Su-ray!"
The roar burst forth again, matching that mysterious phenomenon.
The bandits' morale was visibly plummeting in chunks.
Utequais had somehow gotten closer to the bandit crowd than to the gate.
Just then, an excited bandit jumped forward. He was a bandit well-equipped with a round helmet and a long-handled axe.
"You, you savage bastard with just a loud voice-!"
Behind the charging horse at full speed, crushed reed leaves mixed with dust.
...Hmm, doesn't seem like a named one. Maybe a raid captain?
Utequais showed no sign of agitation even as he watched the bandit charging straight at him.
He just loosened his stone club and adjusted his grip for a longer reach.
"Kyaaaah!"
As the raiding thief raised his axe with a loud battle cry, the stone club began its heavy rotation.
"Hup!"
That heavy rotation instantly accelerated, powered by Utequais's monstrous strength and the weight of the club.
WHACK!
The horse, hit in the ear by the large stone, collapsed sideways without even making a scream.
"You son of a-"
The rider too couldn't even finish his curse before his head was crushed.
Utequais stretched both hands toward the sky, as if performing a ceremony, while letting go of the stone club.
"Athar Marta! Shiko rec'ne!"
Several gazes, including Lord Ankir's and mine, turned to Lord Ariad. The shabby old knight opened his mouth with a slight laugh.
"...'Mother, watch over me!' he says."
The ill-tempered bandits came rushing out one after another at the barbarian's provocative behavior.
True to being thieves who knew neither honor nor courtesy, they all rushed at Utequais at once.
However, arrows and javelins couldn't cause him any harm, and whenever weapons happened to touch his red skin, a black aura would deflect the enemy.
After about a dozen bandits were defeated in an instant this way, finally, a named one jumped out from the center of the enemy lines.
"Grrrr, *phrung* gueeerk!"
A rough and heavy voice that sounded like boiling phlegm.
Bumpy skin as if embedded with stone fragments and coarse hair sprouting sparsely all over the body.
Arms that reached below the knees and sagging belly fat.
A hideous naked body fully exposed without a single piece of cloth.
It was the random named boss phase enemy, 'Scaled Ogre Haclio'.
...Oh shit, the actual Haclio shows up?
The Haclio in the game was the most vicious among the random named ones that appeared in the boss phase.
A true menace whose specs were already thuggish, yet covered in annoying characteristics - truly the worst named one.
So far, I've fought 'Poison', 'Ironbone', 'Golden Molly' and met 'Altar'. But now Haclio?
Really, are the random elements filled with only the most annoying ones...
Just then, someone pulled at my cloak hem.
"Phoenix."
It was Ellen, sitting on a chair behind me.
"...What's with your face?"
"What about my face?"
"You're making a face like a flea-bitten puppy. It's unpleasant."
Unlike her sharp words, her eyes showed concern.
"You mean I look like a dog, is that it?"
Ellen sighed regretfully at my question.
"Your stomach must be really upset. This is what happens when you eat anything you pick up."
"...Can't you go one sentence without a jab?"
I lifted Ellen's knees while letting out a small smile. Has she gotten used to this now? Ellen didn't even get surprised as she wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned on me.
"Now, our 'Fire Witch' should start getting ready too."
"Please don't call me by that idiotic nickname."
"Playing hard to get. You actually like it."
"...Who likes it?"
"Who else but you? The night before last, you were mumbling 'Fire Witch, enter!' in your sleep, ack!"
As Ellen, her face bright red, started choking me, I shut my mouth and walked toward the tower.